Wednesday, October 3: Bronx Public Scoping hearing re: Mayor's Borough Based jails plan
From September 20th - October 3rd, the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice held Scoping Hearings on their proposal to close Rikers and move to a system of borough-based jails, one each in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. Supporters of the #CLOSErikers campaign showed up at these hearings with a strong and coordinated voice that grounded the conversation in the humanity of the people currently and formerly incarcerated on Rikers Island, and the human rights violations they face on a daily basis there.
Thursday, October 4: SURJ NYC October Chapter Meeting: What’s Class Got To Do with It?
This month’s chapter meeting was a conversation and reflection about how class in the US class system supports white supremacy, and what we can do to challenge and undermine intertwined systems of economic exploitation and racism. This meeting included two parallel conversations: one on the intersection of class and race generally, focusing on the stereotypes of the white working class that have gained steam after the 2016 election, and a separate conversation about how operating in a more class-conscious way could improve SURJ NYC’s work specifically.
Sunday, October 7 and Monday, October 8: Indigenous Peoples Celebration
With Redhawk Native American Arts Council, this event honored water protectors and featuring performances, vendors, guest speakers, and more! Please also consider making a donation to support the event, and the movement to change outdated holidays.
Sunday, October 21: Make Calls, Raise $ Money with SURJ Central Brooklyn
SURJ Central Brooklyn had a night of political engagement! At this meeting, we worked on two sets of projects: 1) phonebanking for Andrew Gounardes, who is running in Brooklyn for a key state senate seat, and 2) fundraising for the Brooklyn Movement Center. We also had pizza, got to know each other, and learned how to plug into SURJ’s work!
Tuesday, October 30: SURJ National Indigenous Solidarity Networking Call
At the national level, SURJ’s Indigenous Solidarity Working Group organized a call to connect local activists who want to help deepen the dialogue around Indigenous sovereignty and anti-colonial work in their various organizations and movements. This group will aim to work in solidarity and in mutual interest to learn the histories of the land we live on; our own histories; and to protect water, life, and land; and come into ways of relating that are not based on erasure, theft, and genocide, but instead upon humility, reciprocity, responsibility, respect, and mutual care for all forms of life, the planet, and future generations.