How to Have an Antiracist Holiday

This time of year, we’re expected to buy into a particular story about the founding of this country—a story that paints a rosy picture of two peoples sharing a meal, a story that covers up colonial violence with cranberry sauce. As antiracists, we know that we can’t participate in that kind of whitewashing. But it’s hard to know what we should do instead.

If you’re struggling with how to act from your antiracist values during Thanksgiving (or if we’re being honest, “Thankstaking”), we’ve got you. Here’s what we recommend:

  1. Observe the National Day of Mourning on Thursday

  2. Give money to support Indigenous organizing with Indigenous leadership

  3. Take time to unlearn settler colonial myths about America

  4. Skill up to talk to the people you love (or are at least related to) about your understanding of settler colonialism, both on this land and abroad

  5. Take action to support Indigenous organizing with Indigenous leadership

We’ve got resources for all five right below. 

As you move to break cycles of colonial violence in yourself and in your communities this week, we hope you’ll feel all of SURJ NYC at your back. We’re with you.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC


NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING

Tune in at noon at http://uaine.org/ to commemorate this day with those at Plymouth Rock for a “day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide.”

GIVE MONEY

Setting up a recurring gift—and sharing this ask with your friends and family—is part of the crucial work of moving resources back to Indigenous communities. Gifts to the Manna-hatta Fund support the American Indian Community House, which serves the health, social service, and cultural needs of Native Americans residing in New York City. Whether you’re a new donor this year, or have already made a long-standing monthly commitment, please fill out  this reporting form to help us understand our members’ giving and inform SURJ NYC’s ongoing fundraising strategies.

SURJ NYC was part of the campaign to #FreePaulWhite, a Black bisexual migrant who survived over three years of abuse in ICE detention. Now Paul has been deported to his country of origin, one of the most dangerous places in the world for the LGBTQIA+ community. Many of you have given generously before, and we hope you can do so again, as Paul is in need of more funds to stay safe on reentry: bit.ly/gofundmePW 

UNLEARN

SKILL UP

If you want to learn more or are preparing for challenging conversations at family gatherings, whether about current events or about the ongoing role of colonialism in America, these resources can help:

TAKE ACTION

SURJ NYC’s Indigenous Solidarity team—now an official working group of the chapter!—works year-round to move resources to Indigenous communities, uplift Indigenous leadership, and support decolonial learning and action. Sign up for the Indigenous Solidarity email list HERE to get updates about IS actions and events.

Rest in Power O’Shae Sibley

“The name filled the intersection, ringing with unity and power, but you could hear the keening of absolute bereavement underneath.” Such was the mourning at the recent vigil for O’Shae Sibley, a Black gay man, who was stabbed to death at a gas station in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn on July 29. 

O’Shae—a dancer—and his friends were voguing to Beyoncé’s Renaissance in the parking lot while they filled their car with gas after celebrating a friend’s birthday at the beach. Also at the gas station were a group of young men, who took issue with O’Shae and his friends’ expression of Black queer joy. These men began harassing the dancers, using hateful homophobic and racist slurs. The verbal harassment turned physical, culminating in one of the young men—alleged suspect Dmitriy Popov—stabbing O’Shae, who died from his injuries.

In the coming weeks and months, you can expect to hear more about this horrible killing in the media and in court transcripts. Much will be made about security camera footage, witness statements, and the killer’s identity and state of mind, and how the latter may or may not have influenced his decisions. There will be talk of how the killer allegedly claimed he was Muslim, and that the voguing offended his faith; there will be racist, anti-Muslim rhetoric in response to this claim.

Make no mistake, though: this murder was an act of hate violence against a Black gay man.

As much as New York gets represented in media and culture as a safe place to be openly, proudly queer, there is still deadly violence against queer people, especially queer people of color. There have been at least 45 instances of hate violence against LGBTQ+ people in New York this year. 

What can we do to prevent such violence and keep our communities safe? First, we can accept that hate violence can and does happen here. Complacency is dangerous. We can train to intervene to try to de-escalate tense situations when we encounter them. We can reject narratives that portray Muslims as inherently homophobic, and fight back against anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country.

And we can continue to celebrate Black queer people, to make it known that we will always fight against racism and homophobia, and that we keep us safe.

In September, SURJ NYC will be offering a community and action safety training. While this is not specifically a bystander intervention training, it covers de-escalation skills that are useful in a wide range of situations. Sign up for the next two-part training on Saturday, September 23 & Saturday, September 30, 1:00pm-4:30pm.

To give material support to O’Shae Sibley’s family, you can donate to their GoFundMe.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Demand a Budget That Invests in Care, Not Criminalization!

We all have a stake in the New York City budget, and the Mayor’s proposal for the next fiscal year fails to make bold investments in housing, education, mental health and healthcare, services for young people, immigrants and LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers, transportation and other public infrastructure that we know can create real safety for all New Yorkers. Instead Mayor Adams wants to solve all of NYC’s problems with more police and criminalization, letting funding for care and services dry up. We can't allow that.

On May 24th, a huge coalition of organizations fighting for a broad range of issues are collaborating on the Care, Not Criminalization march. SURJ partners like Communities United for Police Reform and the Alliance for Quality Education are working together with other grassroots orgs like VOCAL-NY, the Campaign to Close Rikers, the People’s Plan NYC, and many more to fight back against Mayor Adams’ austerity budget. 

Join SURJ NYC at the Care, Not Criminalization March next Wednesday May 24th at 5pm to fight back against Mayor Adams’ austerity budget. We’ll gather at 5pm at the south end of Foley Square, next to the subway stairs.

Sign up here to let us know you’re coming!

 

In solidarity, 

SURJ NYC

Show up for Kawaski Trawick and His Family

A critical part of the Justice Committee’s (JC) work is supporting the families of people killed by the NYPD. In our system of policing, two patterns stand out: 1) Brutality and murder is racialized–Indigenous, Black, and Latinx people experience much higher rates of it than white people in the U.S., and 2) When the cops take a life, there is rarely any discipline, and they generally get to keep their jobs. This is as true in NYC as anywhere else. All of this points to how our racist system makes police above the law.

This week, that unequal system has been on full display in the case of Kawaski Trawick, a Black gay man killed in 2019 by NYPD Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis, just 112 seconds after they broke into Kawaski’s apartment, where he was cooking. 

The disciplinary hearing for Thompson and Davis starts this Monday, April 24th. Yet just one week beforehand – and on the 4th anniversary of Kawaski’s murder, April 14th – his family learned that the commissioner overseeing the trial is considering dismissing trespass charges, which could significantly undermine the case. This last-minute change is outrageous and heartbreaking. You can read specifics here, but JC director Loyda Colon put it simply, “just because police routinely act with impunity, it doesn’t mean that they are above the law.” 

Regardless of this latest possible obstruction to accountability, the hearing will begin as scheduled next week, and Kawaski’s family and our partners at JC need our support for all that that entails!

For those who remember the CCRB trials for Daniel Pantaleo, who murdered Eric Garner, and Richard Haste, who murdered Ramarley Graham, you know what we mean. These trials are an intense time, and our partners have come to rely on us in SURJ NYC for certain roles, specifically note-taking, transcription, and coordinating lunch for the family and organizers. The Beyond Policing Working Group needs more support with these roles for the upcoming trial, and no prior experience is necessary. Join us! There are multiple ways you can be involved and provide concrete benefits to JC and Kawaski Trawick’s family.

Contact SURJ NYC, sign-up for our eblast, or follow JC’s socials @justicecommittee (IG) and @watchthecops (TW) for latest updates and calls to action! 

In Solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Upcoming Call Blast for Kawaski Trawick with Justice Committee

One tactic that we and our partners often use to hold power accountable has a few different names. Call Blast, Phone Zap, or otherwise, it goes like this: We mobilize our bases in a specific time period to flood the targeted person with calls, messages, @s—whatever we can to disrupt business as usual and show we’re watching. Together, we send a louder, stronger message. Sometimes we need to repeat our call blasts over multiple days, weeks, or even months, to show we won’t let up. These Blasts (or Zaps) are a way to quickly mobilize with minimal coordination—you can make calls wherever you are, whenever you’re able, within the given time-frame! 

Last month, we worked with the Justice Committee (JC) on a call blast targeting Judge Danny K. Chun, whose inaction was stalling the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s (CCRB) disciplinary trial for NYPD Officer Wayne Isaacs, who murdered Delrawn Small over 6 years ago. To pressure Chun, we collectively made 132 calls to his office on two separate days (one week apart). About two weeks after that, Chun finally ruled to unseal necessary documents, after 15 months of silence, which allowed the CCRB case to move forward. In other words, the call blast worked! One small but necessary step in the struggle for justice for Delrawn.

This week, JC is ramping up an effort with the family of Kawaski Trawick, a Black gay man who was killed by NYPD Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis while he was cooking in his home, just 112 seconds after they illegally entered his apartment in 2019. While the CCRB trial has been set for April 24th since last year, police union lawyers are now making a last-ditch attempt to get Mayor Adams and Police Commissioner Sewell to dismiss the charges, just weeks before. This ploy is not only a dirty trick but adds even more stress and uncertainty for Kawaski’s parents, who need to travel to NYC for the trial. 

To support Kawaski’s family, we’re holding a call blast this Thursday, March 23rd, to demand that Mayor Adams and Commissioner Sewell reject the cop unions’ ploy to block discipline for Thompson and Davis. They should be fired, and so far 40 NYC & NYS elected officials have joined the call to ensure this trial moves forward without interference. 

Let’s harness our collective power and push Adams to do the right thing: Say no to the PBA and let the trial start on April 24th. Sign up here for a text reminder & call script for Thursday, March 23rd.

In solidarity, 

SURJ NYC

Honoring Tyre Nichols, Tortuguita, Keenan Anderson, and Many Others

Tyre Nichols was a father, a son, a friend, a co-worker. He enjoyed skateboarding and made it a point to watch and photograph sunsets. He loved and was loved. Now he is known as yet another unarmed Black man murdered by the police. 

Keenan Anderson, a teacher and cousin of Patrisse Cullors was murdered by police in Los Angeles at a traffic stop this month.

Tortuguita was an environmental abolitionist activist in Atlanta fighting cop city. They were murdered on January 18 by police.

Another Black man killed by cops at a traffic stop. And another. Another activist resisting police murdered.

This news has taken an emotional toll on a lot of us. Often, we don’t make space for conversation and processing after collective trauma, and our society has an expectation that we go back to our individual lives and work without being given a chance to grieve together and remember our shared humanity. 

However things are landing for you this week, and whether you express it by taking to the streets or by finding solitude, we hope you are able to take the time and space you need to mourn, grieve and process the impact of this tragedy. Collectively, we will take some time at our chapter meeting on Thursday, February 2 at 6:30pm to do just that and remember that we are in this together.   

Then, we will turn our energy to collective power for action and change.

The 2023 Legislative & Budget season has begun.

At the state level, at least four SURJ NYC working groups have attended lobby days in Albany already this month.

We also have our work cut out for us in the city, as Mayor Adams prepares to maintain the police and department of corrections budgets while unleashing yet another round of devastating cuts to libraries, pre-K, CUNY, schools, and more services the community desperately needs.

Our working groups are powerful engines for change, but we think they could be stronger working together. We will be thinking together about how we can do that. What would be possible if we worked more collectively?

Could we mobilize SURJ and our neighbors to put sustained and escalating pressure on the Speaker and 10-15 additional Council Members? Could we help build and consolidate a progressive bloc in the Council who will in turn hold the Speaker to hard lines in budget negotiations? Could we help make Defund a reality?

We really hope you’ll join us on Thursday, February 2 at 6:30pm as we hold space to process the collective trauma of the past few weeks and discuss how we can work across working groups to help each other move into action and be most effective as a white anti-racist arm of the movement for change.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Honoring Our Partnership With RAPP

SURJ NYC is honored to be recognized by Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP).

In the photo below, Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group organizers Alex Hansen and Ryan Acquaotta receive the Mujahid Farid Award, named after the late RAPP co-founder, from fellow RAPP co-founder Laura Whitehorn, Saturday July 30th, at the RAPP BBQ in Riverside Park in Harlem.

Donate to Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) and attend SURJ NYC’s next Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group meeting August 29th to learn more about RAPP’s work and how to get involved!

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Support Queer Liberation

As Pride Month culminates, the intersection of race, sexuality, and gender will be acknowledged and celebrated this Sunday at the Queer Liberation March for Trans and BIPOC Freedom, Reproductive Justice, and Bodily Autonomy (QLM). First organized three years ago by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, QLM serves to take back Pride which has over the years been hijacked by corporate and police interests. QLM expresses true visions of queer liberation and gives a voice to those who have been silenced.

For those who are queer, BIPOC, and/or not cis-male, the intersection of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny leads to exponential levels of discrimination and abuse in housing, employment, the workplace, healthcare, the justice system, families, and the streets. This leads to vastly disproportionate rates of unemployment, homelessness, sexual abuse, violence, police brutality, imprisonment, poor health, substance abuse, and mental health crises. The recent criminalization of trans healthcare in Alabama and the current aggressive attempt at such in Texas — along with other so-called culture wars that attack gender, sexuality, and race — are sure to exacerbate these racial and gender-based issues.

In a study by the National LGBTQ Task Force, nearly half of the Black transgender sample had attempted suicide. 34% of Black transgender respondents have experienced poverty, twice that of transgender population, four times the general Black population, and eight times that of the general population. What’s more, 20% of Black transgender folk reported living with HIV, nearly eight times that of all transgender respondents, eight times the general Black population, and 34 times the general population. This vastly disproportionate rate of HIV, along with that of other health issues, is especially problematic given the lack of access to healthcare services and the ill treatment of those who do have access.

Those of us who live with the privilege of being white, cis-gendered, or heterosexual need to advocate for LGBT BIPOC by not only showing up for events such as the Queer Liberation March, but also with year-round support of projects and organizations that work toward access to community, safe spaces, services, and resources. 

Listed below are details for QLM as well as multiple, mostly local, options to educate ourselves and provide financial support.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Responding to the Recent Tragedy in Buffalo

As you may be aware, this past Saturday, May 14, a gunman opened fire at a Top’s Supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing ten people and injuring three others. Eleven of the victims were Black. This heart-breaking act of violence is only the latest in a string of attacks perpetrated by white supremacists. While the investigation is ongoing, what we do know is that this attack was not random. As our fellow SURJ chapter in Buffalo noted in their recent community email: 

We know that this attack was not random. The shooter targeted the east side because he wanted to kill Black people and spread fear and grief in a Black neighborhood. He was motivated by white supremacist ideology promoted by powerful people nationally and locally, from Tucker Carlson to Carl Paladino to Tim Howard. The far right actively organizes white people around this violent ideology, with predictable and tragic results.

Racism is not localized to one neighborhood or one shooter – it is being propagated by far-right media and upheld by our policing and prison systems. In the face of this act of domestic terror, we must resolve to continue our work of calling-in white people to anti-racism. We know we will not see change overnight but we are committed to the journey.

If you are looking for a more immediate way to help our neighbors in Western New York, please consider donating to Black Love Resists in the Rust, who are organizing on the ground in Buffalo with a focus on mental-health resources and access to fresh food.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Racial Justice on World AIDS Day

From the Ryan White CARE Act of 1990, to preventative treatment breakthroughs like PrEP, and improved access to effective testing, among other initiatives, HIV-related deaths in the US have dropped more than 80% since 1995. Although America has made strides toward eradicating HIV/AIDS, there is a stark divide in how it has been addressed. This World AIDS Day, it is imperative we address the inequities related to HIV/AIDS that continue to harm BIPOC communities.

In the US today:

  • A gay or bisexual Black man has a 50% chance of contracting HIV in their lifetime (compared with 9% of gay or bisexual white men).

  • 44% of Black trans women are living with HIV.

  • Black women are estimated to be diagnosed at 18x higher the rate of white women in their lifetimes.

  • Black people living with HIV/AIDS are 7x more likely to die from the virus than white people.

Early public framing of the epidemic as a white gay man’s disease (coupled with the segregation of urban gay communities in the 1970s, and systemic racism more broadly) left Black people out of the conversation. Groups like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and San Francisco AIDS Foundation grew from mostly-white social networks that were almost fully segregated. Their educational outreach did not extend to Black gay men, and even by the late 1980s, when activists of color began calling on these majority-white groups to develop minority outreach programs, they were labeled “divisive” and dismissed for bringing race into a conversation that previously coalesced around sexuality.

This exclusion of Black voices led many policymakers and members of the medical community to ignore culturally-specific harm reduction approaches and favor intervention among white gay communities. This legacy of exclusion echoes the US’s longstanding health inequities and structural violence against Black people. In particular, this mistrust in the US healthcare system keeps those most in need from seeking out HIV prevention and treatment services.

As we mark 40 years since the first five cases of what became known as AIDS were reported, we must expand the conversation and direct resources to address how HIV/AIDS affects Black communities. We must advocate for access to prevention, testing, and treatment services for all, while also addressing other barriers such as housing and legal protections. We must unlearn prejudice and fear, challenging leadership to provide services and supportive policy-making.

In solidarity and gratitude,

SURJ NYC

Pass the Elder Parole & Fair and Timely Parole Bills

The prison industrial complex (PIC) is rooted in white supremacy, and, as antiracists, we must fight to dismantle it. White supremacy is evident in every aspect of the PIC, including New York state’s draconian sentencing laws and a parole system that continues to punish and re-sentence people, despite their circumstances, rather than acknowledge how they have transformed while inside. This system has left thousands of elder New Yorkers to languish in New York State prisons, aging in unbelievably harmful environments and dealing with health issues that prisons are simply not equipped to treat.

The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice is working to change this reality by advocating for two bills to pass in the New York state legislature, Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole. Elder Parole will give anyone aged 55 and older who has been incarcerated for at least 15 years the opportunity to go before the parole board and demonstrate their readiness for release. Fair and Timely Parole will require that the parole board, when considering whether or not to release someone, takes into account their growth and accomplishments while inside, rather than continuing to incarcerate them solely due to the nature of their conviction. Passing these bills would be transformational for so many elders inside who would finally have an actual chance to be released, and for their communities outside who have long-awaited the return of their loved ones.

To support these bills, SURJ NYC is door knocking in Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz’s district in the northwest Bronx (Kingsbridge/Riverdale/Woodlawn). As chair of the Codes Committee, Assemblymember Dinowitz is strategically positioned to prevent these bills from ever receiving a vote, claiming that his disproportionately white and wealthy constituents don’t support or care about them. In response, Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) has asked us to call in our neighbors to discuss parole justice and prove him wrong. We’re collecting signed postcards to show that this is an issue Assemblymember Dinowitz’s constituents do care about, so that he will sign on and help pass the bills in the legislative session beginning early next year.

We hope you will join us! We provide training, a script, printed materials to share, and a buddy or two to canvas with. Several of us have already been out over the past month, and multiple people have reported that it was not as scary as they thought it would be :) We’ve found it to be a really rewarding experience connecting with one another and the folks we talk to.

Sign up to door knock this Saturday, November 20, Sunday, December 5, Saturday, December 11, and Sunday, December 19 to get reminders about upcoming sessions and the exact meeting location.

We hope to see you there

SURJ NYC


Accountability within SURJ-NYC

What if accountability could be a way for us to show up for ourselves and each other? This question brings up ideas that may be far from what we are commonly taught. Many of us have been trained to equate accountability with crime and punishment–an approach enshrined in our systems of policing and prisons, which serve to uphold and reinforce white supremacy. As white folks organizing for racial justice, we’re interested in finding a new approach toward accountability, both for ourselves and our larger community.

When we try to practice accountability in ways that aren’t rooted in punishment culture, it can feel sticky and unfamiliar. How do we know that we’re being accountable to ourselves and each other? How do we know if we’re doing enough? When does accountability mean doing exactly what’s asked of us, and when should we be looking at asks more critically? These are tough questions. 

A small group of SURJ NYC members has been asked to support all of us in addressing these (and other) questions together. Our goal is to build a culture of accountability, rather than developing a singular policy. We’re looking at accountability on the following levels:

  • Self

  • Between individuals within SURJ

  • Between groups within SURJ

  • With outside groups (e.g., accountability partners)

  • A set of principles/politics

We’ve planned a series of discussions to set a strong collective foundation for the work to come. The order will be as follows:

  1. Self-Work: How can we be accountable to ourselves? How can self-accountability strengthen our relationships and our shared work? What self-work does each of us have to do to show up accountably? (Sunday, November 21, 12pm - 5pm including a 1 hour break) If this will be your first SURJ event, please join the next SURJ Orientation on 10/28.

  2. Working With Words: What do we mean when we say accountability? What is accountability as opposed to responsibility, conflict, disagreement, harm, abuse, etc.? How can understanding these ideas help us practice accountability better? (Sunday, January 9, 2022, 12-5pm. Link to come!)

  3. What We’re Doing Here: As we move into the next phase of this process, what feels important to tackle? What questions feel unanswered? What conversations do we need to have? What needs to be on our collective to-do list? (Sunday, February 20, 2022, 12-5pm. Link to come!)

Whether you’re new to SURJ or have been involved for years, WE NEED YOU THERE! We look forward to seeing you in November as we get the conversation started.

In solidarity and gratitude,

SURJ NYC

The Biden Administration's Racist Border Policies

Last month, we wrote about the legacy of racism and continued failings of the US immigration system. Biden promised reform; while he has made some progress on protections for undocumented workers already in the country, his border policy remains largely unchanged from that of the Trump administration. Two of the harshest examples include Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and the expulsion of Haitian migrants under Title 42.

MPP (or “Remain in Mexico”) forces migrants at the border to stay in Mexico pending their asylum hearings. A court recently struck down Biden’s attempt to repeal MPP, and the administration announced Friday they would reinstate it as early as mid-November. Both immigrant rights’ groups and legal experts say MPP puts asylum-seekers at great risk, as they’re forced to wait for months (sometimes years) in unsafe camps and dangerous border cities under a “fundamentally flawed program that blocks [them] from a fair day in court.”

The administration also continues to employ Title 42, Trump’s pandemic policy allowing the government to temporarily block noncitizens from entering the US in the interest of public health. Since March 2020, the policy has been used more than 1 million times by southern border officials to rapidly expel migrants without a hearing. When a federal judge recently blocked Title 42 from being used to expel families, Biden’s administration chose to appeal, and has continued to enforce expulsions while litigation continues.

The situation is particularly dire for Haitian migrants, who face not only the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and growing gang violence but also increasing political instability following the July assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Among the 83 countries with US asylum decision data available, Haiti has the highest rate of denial, with less than 5% of requests granted from October 2018 through June 2021. Despite the White House’s response to public outcry over images of US Border Patrol agents using whip-like cord on Haitians, expulsions and deportations continue, with DHS sending 65 repatriation flights carrying 7,000+ migrants back to Haiti from September 19 to October 3.  

These racist, anti-Black policies directly affect our community. New York has the largest Black immigrant population and second-largest Haitian population in the country. Colonialism and US global policies are directly connected to the need for many to flee to the US. We must end Title 42, MPP, and other racist policies.

In solidarity,
SURJ NYC

Anti-racism = Indigenous solidarity

As surely as our country was built on the exploitation of Black bodies, it was built on the violent removal of the Native people who cared for and were cared for by this land for generations. This month all of SURJ NYC is invited to think about what this dual legacy means - and what actions we might take together.

There is a rich history of Black-Indigenous solidarity, and for good reason. Many of the dangerous inequities—like police violence—that impact Black and brown people even more disproportionately impact Indigenous folks. Generations of white Americans have treated the land as a never-ending resource for making money, in deep violation of sacred traditions of Indigenous people. The effects, from climate and pollution to the extinction of animals and plants, circle back to make Black and brown folks sick.

If we're going to address the roots of these tragedies and crises, we have to move in solidarity with Black, brown, and Indigenous leadership.

In the spirit of that commitment, this month we have a major fundraising goal: we’re aiming to raise more than $20,000 for two organizations: the Manna-hatta Fund, a collective that moves money to the American Indian Community House, and the Justice Committee, a long-standing accountability partner dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City. We’re asking you to give to both organizations today.

Moving money is one of the pillars of our white anti-racist practice. We have all profited from white supremacy, and so one of the ways we practice dismantling white supremacy is by regularly moving money to people directly impacted by its violence.

Whether you can make a one-time donation of $5 or a monthly donation of $500, your contribution is important, both to these organizations and to your practice of anti-racism. Let’s put our money where our values are, and show up for BIPOC leadership in New York City in a bold and tangible way, right now. And if you’re already a monthly donor to one or both of these organizations, consider whether you might be able to increase your commitment and still make sure your needs are met.

Click here to move money to the Manna-hatta Fund, and here to support the Justice Committee.

In solidarity and gratitude,

SURJ NYC

P.S. Join Justice Committee for their virtual gala fundraiser Justice State of Mind III: Persistence and Resistance this Thursday at 7pm!

The Fight to Close Rikers

Rikers Island comprises 10 jails (6 active, 4 vacant), with over 14,700 beds and housing the vast majority of the 5,720 people held by the NYC Department of Corrections (as of 9/27/21). Conditions in the complex are notoriously poor, and the urgency to close the facility is only increasing.

 

On September 10th, the chief medical officer on Rikers Island wrote a letter to the City Council detailing the rapidly declining situation: “In 2021 we have witnessed a collapse in basic jail operations, such that today I do not believe the City is capable of safely managing the custody of those it is charged with incarcerating in its jails.” Days later, prompted by the sharp uptick in violence, NYC elected officials visited Rikers, where they found people being held in showers without access to restrooms and witnessed a suicide attempt. Recently released former detainees have further detailed the current conditions on the island.

 

Reports of these atrocities are horrific, but some progress is being made. On Friday September 17th, Governor Hochul signed the Less is More Act. This bill was created to address a disturbingly common practice in New York State: automatically re-incarcerating people on parole for technical violations – such as missing curfew or failing to file a change of address form on time – most of the time without a hearing of any kind. Across the state, around 5,000 people each year have been put back in jail for these non-criminal offenses. During Covid, this unnecessary practice took on a new dimension of danger, throwing people into an unnecessarily high-risk scenario and contributing to the spread of the public health crisis in carceral facilities. The first person to die from Covid at Rikers Island was being held for a technical parole violation: missing an appointment with his parole offer. Michael Tyson was 53 years old.

 

The Less is More Act eliminates re-incarceration as a response for most technical parole violations. It bolsters due process by creating a system for violations to be responded to with a written notice to appear at a hearing within 30 days. The Center for Court Innovation estimates that by passing the Less is More Act, the jail population at Rikers will be reduced by 400-500 people each year. 

 

Still, a full 92% of Rikers detainees are being held pre-trial, meaning they have been accused of a crime but have not yet had access to a fair trial. So to reduce the number of people on Rikers (and therefore make its eventual closure more politically achievable), the city needs more robust decarceration. This means reducing people’s contact with the police, police decreasing their arrest numbers, District Attorneys (DAs) not asking for bail, and judges not granting it. Instead, people should await trial in their own homes, where they’re better able to prepare and less willing to take a plea deal solely to leave the hellish conditions at Rikers. 

 

There’s still much to be done, but we can put pressure right now on DAs and judges, who wield their power in NY courtrooms to send hundreds of people to Rikers every day. They can immediately reduce the Rikers population by changing their practices in court to abide by NYS’s bail laws, which require judges to choose “the least restrictive method that will ensure a person’s return to court” when deciding whether to detain someone pre-trial. And while we challenge DAs to change their behavior, we can also take action as a community to pool our resources and bail out our neighbors. Donations to COVID Bail Out NYC will go immediately towards helping get people off Rikers island by paying their bail.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Come to October Chapter on 10/7!

How do we build an effective movement for racial justice in NYC which not only counters white supremacy in ourselves and the world around us, but also takes action in relationship with BIPOC-led organizations in our fight for collective liberation? How do we make the most impactful contribution to radical change?

The October 7th Chapter Meeting will be about the Past, Present and Future of SURJ NYC. Together, we’ll participate in an exercise revisiting the outcomes of our 2018-19 Strategic Planning Process, and assess our progress thus far. By collectively looking at the past and sharing our understanding of the present, we’ll start our work to begin shaping the future of SURJ NYC.

We know that when we act together, our actions are more powerful and amplified. But what does that look like, and how do we get there? In 2018, SURJ NYC initiated a Strategic Planning Process to assess what, where, when, why, and how to most effectively work in a multiracial movement for racial justice in NYC, and how to best align around a shared theory of change. Over the course of four collaborative sessions, and guided by adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategies, we examined who we are, interrogated our political assumptions, clarified our goals, and put concrete steps in place toward achieving them. We worked together to create a “theory of change,” which seeks to end white supremacy through adopting and growing methods and practices—calling-in workshops, direct actions, fundraising—that help us create quantifiable medium- and long-term outcomes on the path towards this ultimate goal.

Two years later as we embark on an examination of accountability practices, we want to take a moment to reflect. How are we doing? What has worked and what hasn’t? Where do we need to grow? What are our next steps? If you are new to the chapter, we especially want to hear what you find exciting and impactful. Register here to join us!

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Our Flawed Immigration System

Last month the United States ended its twenty-year war in Afghanistan, creating an acute and visible refugee crisis. While the outpouring of support for Afghan refugees is heartening, we must also consider who the US immigration system deems worthy of access and entry. The system is not broken; it is working exactly as designed to perpetuate white supremacy and prevent people from entering the country by insisting they follow a set of impossible rules.

The flawed system is most evident in the severe crisis at the southern border, where refugees remain trapped in Mexico in hopes that ever-changing rules will permit them to enter the US. Waiting in inhumane conditions with minimal access to legal representation, these asylum seekers are particularly easy prey for gangs and violence. Those who try to get around restrictions at “legal” crossings are treated as criminals and detained. The only people not being systematically turned back are unaccompanied minors -- forcing families to make heartbreaking choices.

With its network of detention centers and lack of accountability, ICE has become a large and violent branch of the prison-industrial complex that further exemplifies the punitive nature of US immigration policy. Most migrants in detention have only committed the “crime” of coming to the US. During the pandemic ICE detention centers have failed to follow basic health protocols, causing COVID to run rampant. Detainees who have spoken out face retaliation.

After facing imprisonment, family separation, forced sterilization and gratuitous cruelty, asylum seekers may finally make it across the border only to encounter another set of systemic barriers. A migrant may have to wait a year to obtain a work permit. In most states, undocumented immigrants can’t get a driver’s license, making even a commute to work incredibly risky. And any minor interaction with police can escalate to a deportation proceeding.

The cycle never ends. There is no path to citizenship for people who come here the “wrong” way. Non-citizen essential workers responding to COVID continue to face roadblocks to relief, as do those who aided with 9/11 recovery. People who arrived as children nearly had a solution with DACA before it was threatened with repeal. The racial element to these barriers is clear.

But there are positive developments. Locally, there has been a movement to reduce ICE’s influence: New Jersey recently passed legislation to ban future ICE contracts and similar legislation - the Dignity Not Detention Act - is now under consideration in New York. Read below for ways to get involved!

How to get involved:

  1. Asylum Seekers Sponsorship Project matches asylum seekers in detention with people able to offer housing and support. Many asylum seekers have to have a sponsor to be released from detention. Donate or consider becoming a sponsor.

  2. Email your state representatives to support the Dignity Not Detention Act to end ICE detention in New York State!
    Email template here; legislation background here.

  3. Join the next #FreeThemAll phone zap - every Friday at noon.

  4. Join the SURJ immigration squad if you want to hear more, have a conversation with someone, or just join our email list. Our next meeting is October 5 at 7pm--keep an eye on this newsletter for more details as we near that date!

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Racial Justice and Abortion Access

Last week, the Supreme Court allowed Texas to enact a law effectively banning abortion beyond six weeks. This is devastating to people whose right to bodily autonomy has been shattered by this decision, and it does not bode well for the challenge to Roe v. Wade out of Mississippi this past year. At least a dozen states have attempted to enact similar bans in the past and been blocked by Roe. Texas is the first state to successfully put such harsh restrictions in place, and it sets a frightening precedent for other states to follow suit.  

This ban will disproportionately affect people of color, especially Black people. Marcela Howell, President of the reproductive justice organization In Our Own Voice, notes that “Black women already face barriers to accessing reproductive health care, the kinds of barriers that can delay abortion care until the second trimester. Now, the safest, most common abortion procedure used in the second trimester will be unavailable in Texas.” Banning abortion after six weeks is effectively a total ban--many people don’t even know they’re pregnant at the six week mark. Access to abortion is a human right, necessary healthcare and essential to bodily autonomy.

Indigenous folks have also long struggled to access abortion due to resource scarcity at the Indian Health Service (IHS)--a fact made all the more painful given the IHS’s history of forcibly sterilizing Indigenous women. The United States has a long history of seeking to control and restrict the reproductive decisions of BIPOC folks, limiting access to abortion while simultaneously failing to enact laws that prioritize holistic reproductive care is just the latest example. The TX legislature is already moving to ban Plan B, and it’s not much of a leap to see that they will try to ban birth control after that. They have been aiming for this moment for 50 years and now that the levers are in place they are going to move very quickly. They are crystal clear about why they are doing this and to whom, so we need to get crystal clear on how we fight. The law will not stop abortion - only safe abortion.

While we encourage you to support the fight in Texas, we also ask that you channel your energy into considering what we might do in NY to better facilitate access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare. As Chris Love, the Board Chair of Planned Parenthood Advocates Arizona commented in a January article “I’m constantly reminded that meaningful abortion access is not a reality for many folks in Black communities across this country and around the world.” As we look to continue to fight for the bodily rights of people in Texas and other states, we should also consider how we might create more accessible solutions here too.

Articles for further reading:

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Housing Justice, Evictions, and the Pandemic

The CDC federal eviction moratorium was just extended through October 3rd thanks to the hard work of Black congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), progressives, and other activists. Together, they protested and exerted political pressure while the majority of representatives from both parties adjourned for summer vacation. However, questions remain as to what will happen when this short-lived moratorium yet again expires and if/when there will be long term relief. Federal renters’ aid is also at issue as only $3 billion of a $45 billion relief package has been distributed to renters.

The New York eviction moratorium is expiring at the end of this month and thousands of New Yorkers are in danger of losing their homes. These evictions will disproportionately affect BIPOC and poor and working class folks. New York tenants have been promised rent relief, yet they have received little to no aid from the state's Emergency Rental Assistance Program despite its initial rollout in June. Since then, New Yorkers have received a grand total of $117,000 in rent relief, which is only enough to cover one month of rent for less than 100 people.

While thousands are facing eviction at the end of the month, the currently unhoused population in NYC is dealing with forced transfers and street sweeps despite the risk of exacerbating the spread of the Delta Variant. Shelter residents who had been temporarily moved to hotels for pandemic safety are now being purged from them after the mayor caved to the pressure of wealthy, mostly white communities balking at the presence of unhoused people in their neighborhoods. Some unhoused citizens are being sent to high risk environments of congregate shelters and others, who may have medical issues, are being sent to hotels which are not equipped to meet their needs.

Locally, we need to put pressure on the mayor to reach just solutions to homelessness. On the federal and state levels we most focus on distributing rent relief and maintaining eviction moratoriums. The Housing Justice Coalition will be demanding an extension on the eviction moratorium until the end of June, 2022.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Reckoning with Racism at the Olympics

As the Tokyo Games continue to dominate headlines, we must acknowledge the legacy of racism in the Olympics and in the sports world in general. While the Olympics claim to be apolitical and race-neutral, white supremacy is playing out this year at all levels. Once again, we’re seeing BIPOC bodies objectified as commodities -- ones that the IOC and the world think they are entitled to -- while mental health and safety are deprioritized.

Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have recently spoken out about mental health and shed light on the immense pressure faced by BIPOC athletes, particularly women. Biles, a gold medal favorite, withdrew herself from Olympic competition citing her mental state. Osaka withdrew herself from the French Open and Wimbledon this year for similar reasons. While there has been an outpouring of support, both Biles and Osaka have also faced a slew of media attacks. BIPOC athletes are continually expected to bend to white supremacist expectations, and are vilified for using their platform to call attention to injustice, as the reactions Gwen Berry and Raven Saunders have show most recently.

Racist double standards abound-- from the suspension of Sha'Carri Richardson for marijuana use while white soccer star Megan Rapinoe is celebrated for promoting CBD, to the banning of Brianna McNeal, to the disqualification of two Black female runners for heightened testosterone levels, a standard directly aimed at shutting out Black South African runner Caster Semanya in 2018.

Blatant racism and exploitation continue in the sports world beyond the Olympics. It took years for a rule change by the NCAA allowing college athletes to access the wealth they create. Prior to that, BIPOC athletes brought in millions for schools and coaches without receiving income or retaining rights to their own names and likenesses. Black and brown bodies should never be commodified to enrich white institutions or individuals. No one is entitled to an athlete’s labor. We need to move our money and channel our advocacy to organizations that promote equity in sports so BIPOC athletes are treated justly and given the access and support they deserve.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC