Police Accountability Working Group
In 2019, the Police Accountability Working Group threw down to fight for justice for the family of Eric Garner, doing trial support, fundraising, and direct action to escalate pressure to #FirePantaleo and all the other officers involved in the murder and coverup. We also showed up to support the families of Delrawn Small, Saheed Vassell, Mohamed Bah, and more people killed by NYPD.
Another focus was to move money toward two orgs leading this work, CPR and Justice Committee. We supported over 5 fundraisers between the two orgs, including holding down all lunch costs during the Pantaleo trial and throwing our own house party fundraiser for JC.
We supported ongoing legislative work in Albany to #Repeal50a and pass the #SaferNY package of bills.
Finally, our little PAWG community grew and thrived this year with a solid base of committed organizers sharing in political education, personal development, and ongoing work.
Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group
The Anti-Mass Incarceration working group spent much of 2019 mobilizing SURJ members to attend lobby days in Albany and make calls to Governor Cuomo and state legislators in support of our partners JLUSA's FREEnewyork campaign and RAPP's parole justice initiatives. We shared political education on pretrial laws and the parole board in our meetings, and held workshops in our communities to base build and mobilize people around the campaigns.
We also engaged in conversation to discuss what our role should be in response to NYC's borough-based jail construction plan and the #CLOSErikers campaign, while still attempting to mobilize turnout when requested to various hearings, rallies, and lobby days over the course of the multi-month ULURP process.
We held a fundraiser for RAPP at the end of the summer that recruited new monthly donors, and continue to volunteer in support of their base building efforts by flyering at events, phone banking at their office, providing data entry for research projects, and more.
Deep Canvassing
The Deep Canvassing crew began 2019 creating a script on police accountability and using it to hold conversations with folks in white, wealthy neighborhoods. In the fall, we took a deep look into our group and decided to try a new project—moving people to action within SURJ NYC. Now a Phonebanking group, we’re calling up folks who are on the verge of getting involved, starting conversations about our relationships to anti-racist activism, and inviting these folks to the next SURJ NYC events.
And more!
Alongside these working groups, SURJers organized in neighborhood working groups, ran calling-in workshops, and collaborated with SURJ National. All the while our Coordinating Committee, Communications, and Basebuilding teams worked to keep SURJ NYC organized, strategic, and welcoming.