Take Action TodaY
Weekly Vigil For Democracy
Tuesdays, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center
Join us in standing up for our neighbors. The vigil will be held at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, which has had a reputation for inhumane conditions: rancid food, lack of heating in winter, and oppressive heat in summer. Now, ICE is using the Metropolitan Detention Center to detain our immigrant neighbors — mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters.
Members of SURJ’s Immigration Justice working group will be attending this vigil organized by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Indivisible Brooklyn.
Dignity Not Detention Phone Zap
Tuesday, November 25, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Join the Dignity Not Detention campaign as we call on New York lawmakers to hold a special session to pass DND. We will also make calls in support of individual release campaigns as we work to end our state's complicity in ICE detention.
Also consider joining DND on Thursday, December 4th, 6:30pm - 8:30pm (virtually or in-person) to write letters to individuals in ICE detention. There is a greater need for Spanish-speaking letter writers.
Release Aging People From Prison Art Show and Fundraiser
Opening & Auction Launch: Nov 19, 5:00pm
Closing Reception & Panel: Nov 22, 5:00pm
The Salma Sarriedine Gallery has partnered with Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) to present a show of unique art highlighting RAPP’s abolitionist work.
Artwork will be available for auction online and in person. All proceeds go to RAPP.
The auction is open from November 19 - November 26.
People’s Campaign for Parole Justice Kick-Off Rally
Monday, December 1, 10:45am - 12:00pm
Join the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice on Monday, December 1 at any of our rallies across the state to kick-off our parole justice campaign for the year and demand our elected representatives free our loved ones and make all communities safer.
Dignity Not Detention Letter Writing Night
Thursday, December 4, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
In person and virtual
We will be writing to individuals in ICE detention when we gather. No prior experience is needed! We have a high need for Spanish-speaking letter writers this month and encourage you to spread the word.
Indigenous Solidarity Book Club
Monday, December 8, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Join the Indigenous Solidarity Working Group as we discuss chapters from Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Together we'll learn about de-colonial practices from Indigenous people and weave those into our organizing. Show up as you are each month and let's spend some time and grow together. In our next meeting we will be discussing Chapter 6: “Learning the Grammar of Animacy.”
Order the book from an Indigenous-owned bookstore here, or let us know if you need help getting a copy.
Immigration Justice December Reading Group
Monday, December 8, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Thursday, December 18, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
This December, join members of SURJ NYC Immigration Justice for a short-term reading group focused on ICE and its current role in US immigration enforcement and detention. We'll be reading a selection of short essays and discussing them together over the course of two zoom meetings. As we reflect on the events of this year and look forward to the fights that lie ahead, now is the time to sharpen our analysis and strengthen ties as a community. Everyone is welcome to take part, whether you're a longtime SURJ NYC member or someone looking to get newly involved! Confirmation email will include links to the articles.
Support RAPP’s Anti-Gala
Wednesday, December 10, 6:30pm - 9:30pm
In lieu of a traditional gala, SURJ NYC partner Releasing Aging People from Prison (RAPP) is hosting an Anti-Gala to raise funds for their important work while gathering in truth, grief, and power. The event takes place Wednesday, December 10. We're hoping to sponsor the anti-gala at the $2,500 level - can you help us get there?
Holiday Card Writing with RAPP
Sunday, December 14, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
RAPP Office (RSVP for the exact address in Chelsea)
Join the SURJ NYC Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group and our partners at Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) to write holiday cards to our community members inside. Bring a snack or a drink and help generate a little bit of joy.
Take Action for Delrawn Small
Tell Commissioner Tisch To Fire Wayne Isaacs!
On July 4, 2016, NYPD officer Wayne Isaacs shot Delrawn Small and left him to bleed out in the street in front of his 4-month-old baby, teenage stepdaughter, and girlfriend. Isaacs and his lawyers have tried every trick in the book to evade accountability. Even though they used Isaacs’ status as an officer to justify his egregious violence, they’re now arguing he can’t be disciplined because he was off-duty.
Late last week, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado bought Isaacs’ antics and recommended dropping the case, but the final decision falls to Commissioner Tisch. We need as many people as possible to tell Tisch: uphold the charges and let Isaacs’ discipline trial proceed as scheduled!
Here are three ways to take action:
Call One Police Plaza with this easy script.
Click here to email Commissioner Tisch with the same demands.
Share on social media and get three friends to also take action. You can use this toolkit, or share our posts on Instagram and Bluesky.
Demand Apple and Google Stop App Censorship
Apple and Google recently agreed to government requests to remove ICE tracking apps off their app stores, including RedDot, ICEBlock, and Eyes Up which let people report sightings of ICE and/or preserve video evidence of ICE abuses. This app store censorship helps government surveillance efforts and puts real people in danger, all while setting a terrible precedent where the Trump Administration gets to decide what apps we can and can’t access.
Support the Tonawanda Seneca and Tuscarora Nations
Contact New York’s Energy Research and Development Authority to support the Tonawanda Seneca and Tuscarora Nations in calling for environmental justice in the New York State Energy Plan.
Right now, the Tonawanda Seneca Nation faces an existential threat from the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP), a proposed industrial “mega site” underwritten by New York State funding and facilitated by state permitting and policy. Meanwhile, the state is also funneling money into speculative nuclear energy plans that threaten our shared environment. Tell state agencies that NY must not sacrifice Indigenous lands for corporate profits.
Help Protect Immigrant New Yorkers from Mass Deportation!
Urge your elected officials to pass the New York For All Act! NY4All (S.2235 Gounardes / A.3506 Reyes) helps immigrant New Yorkers lead freer lives and take care of family, preserves state and local resources for community safety, ensures that local resources cannot be diverted to carry out ICE’s cruelty, and protects immigrant families. With the end of the legislative session fast approaching, now is a crucial time to put pressure on our representatives!
Move Money For Palestine
Donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians
To support ongoing organizing in the US for Palestinian liberation and against Israeli occupation and apartheid, donate and consider making a monthly financial commitment to Palestine Legal, the Adalah Justice Project, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow.
In the South Hebron Hills, Palestinian women are leading with courage. The Rural Women's Association is a small group of women who offer social and emotional support for the children and families, often after attacks. Most recently, they put on a workshop for the children of Um Al Kheir and visited the villagers from Khallet a Dhaba in the hospital after their attack. Donate today and stand with women on the frontlines of justice.
Join the Break the Bonds New York State campaign in their call to tell New York to stop purchasing Israel Bonds for the Common Retirement Fund!
Financially Support SURJ NYC!
Power = organized people + organized money.
SURJ NYC needs your help to fight racism in New York. We raise money for growing our work with trainings and technology, providing things like food and childcare at meetings, and funding partner organizations fighting structural white supremacy in our communities. Please join us in this movement by donating today.