Fighting Evictions in NYC

Today we’re reflecting on one of the many injustices exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: inequalities in eviction and rent relief. Last night, Congress was set to pass a $900 stimulus bill that includes a one-time relief check and extends the CDC federal eviction moratorium to January 31st. Unfortunately, the moratorium only covers certain types of evictions and has been interpreted widely by states. It’s crucial to pass stronger legislation: during a pandemic, an eviction can be a death sentence.

A recent study estimates that states lifting their eviction moratoriums caused 433,700 coronavirus cases and 10,700 deaths. When people are evicted, public health researcher Kathryn Leifheit says, they “often move in with friends or family, if they have that option. If not, they might enter a homeless shelter. And both of those things increase your number of household contacts, they increase crowding, and we know that household transmission and crowding are two of the main mechanisms that drive up COVID transmission. This doesn’t only increase COVID risk for folks who get evicted, but for the entire community.”

Eviction moratoriums and relief checks are not enough. If we don’t also cancel rent, retroactive to the beginning of the pandemic, we’re not relieving the burden on tenants.

“If people get checks but we don’t #CancelRent, those aren’t stimulus checks, they’re an industry bailout,” tweeted Tara Raghuveer, Director of the national campaign Homes Guarantee. She explains: “Months into the pandemic, tenants are still being held responsible for their rent payment, and the fact is that ‘The rent eats first’. That is to say, if a family gets a check, whether it's for $600 or $1200, that money goes first to their landlord, so that does not stimulate the economy, that does not put food on the table, that does not help their family survive this traumatic moment. All that does is enrich the property owner to whom they owe their rent.”

The New York State Assembly reconvened last week but has yet to consider the set of three bills that would provide actual housing relief. Meanwhile, since the NY State eviction moratorium expired in October, over 40,000 eviction suits have been filed, and NYC marshals have begun evicting people in a pandemic. We know Black and brown New Yorkers are at much higher risk of eviction than white folks and that strong universal bills will protect them and all of us. Join us in renewing our commitment to organize strategically and effectively on the shifting terrain of federal, state, and city politics, and in taking the actions from home outlined below.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Staying Engaged: Preparing For 2021

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s easy to take a step back from organizing-- but now is the time to be preparing for some big things coming in the new year. The moratorium on evictions--both national and within New York City--is set to expire January 1, 2021. Currently there are over 14 million households at risk of eviction nationally, shouldering a collective $25 billion in rental debt. The pandemic is in no way over, and people who have lost income due to this crisis have no way to guard themselves against the impending threat of eviction and associated debt.

The end of the eviction moratorium will have a disproportionate effect on BIPOC folks, who face unemployment at consistently higher rates than white folks due to racial discrimination. There are many ways to get involved locally on this front, but in order to secure relief for those who need it on a national level we need the federal government to pass a comprehensive relief bill. This doesn’t appear to be forthcoming as Mitch McConnell refuses to bring to a vote any bill that doesn’t include a liability waiver for large corporations.

The upcoming runoff elections in Georgia are our first chance to push toward change by flipping the senate and removing McConnell as majority leader. SURJ National has partnered with Southern Crossroads on the GAining Ground Campaign. Gaining Democratic control of the senate, and thus the ability to advance a progressive agenda, depends on the January 5th senate runoff election in Georgia. Supporting BIPOC voters in Georgia via organizations or coalitions which register voters and turn them out, such as Fair Fight, New Project Georgia, Black Votes Matter, and Urban League of Greater Atlanta, is crucial. We know the work doesn’t end with flipping the senate--it’s important to acknowledge that leaders of both parties have supported racist policies--but creating a Democratic majority makes it more likely that activists will be able to push politicians on racial justice issues.

2021 will be a major year in politics locally as well, as New Yorkers will have the chance to vote in elections for mayor, city comptroller, Manhattan DA, Manhattan Borough President, public advocate, and 35 council members across the city. This guide can help familiarize voters with the candidates. As white folks working to dismantle white supremacist systems, it’s crucial that we support candidates who will advocate for racial justice and uplift BIPOC communities.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Thoughts on Showing Up While Shopping

Even before the pandemic, the holidays were a time of financial uncertainty for many people. This year, the added economic stress and enormous global loss of the pandemic has made it an even more somber time. For those that do have the means to buy gifts, we urge you to be a conscious consumer, thinking about both the businesses you support and their workers.

Right now, a new stimulus bill may or may not be forthcoming, with two main stimulus bills currently being considered by the Senate and neither including direct stimulus checks. One is a bipartisan bill proposing more than $900 billion in spending, including $288 billion to refresh the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses and $180 billion in unemployment aid. The other is a far less expansive “target relief package” proposed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. With much of the current funding set to run out at the end of the year, it is imperative that Congress pass a new Stimulus bill now.

However, even if a bipartisan bill gets passed, it will still leave many hurting. April’s stimulus bill didn’t help BIPOC communities and small businesses (many BIPOC-owned) in the same way it helped white people and larger businesses. Immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, were largely left out of the last bill — even if they pay taxes. Many Indigenous communities failed to receive payments in a timely manner (if at all), and BIPOC-owned businesses received less in PPP loans than those owned by white folks. At the same time, giant corporations like Amazon have profited immensely while sparing little regard for the health or safety of their workers and their families.

The way we spend while shopping can serve as a method of redistributing wealth if we focus on directing money toward small businesses — especially those owned by BIPOC. This holiday season and beyond, we urge you to spend their money locally and in support of BIPOC-owned businesses, rather than with large corporations like Amazon. If you plan to shop in-person, shop local markets like The Makers Show at City Point, through publications like Black-Owned Brooklyn, and at local businesses that put BIPOC makers and businesses at the forefront. If you prefer to shop online, many small businesses and makers either have websites or have found alternative ways to conduct sales, whether through their social media pages or aggregated sites like shopIN.nyc.

As always, see below other ways to move resources, plug in, and show up for racial justice in the coming weeks. Take good care.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Mutual Aid and Sustainable Giving

Today we recognize Giving Tuesday. Juxtaposed with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday counterbalances holiday hyper-consumerism by placing an emphasis on redistributing money to do good. In 2019, GivingTuesday.org reported that $511 million was given online within 24 hours in the US alone--a 28% increase from the prior year. Whole Whale predicts that $605 million will be raised on December 1, 2020.

Moving money is one way to shift power and resources to BIPOC communities, which is a vital part of anti-racist work. While we often think of giving to large charities, the model for many white-led nonprofits and government organizations is rooted in white supremacist capitalism, as white leaders determine what’s best for communities of color and “give” that money to them. Additionally, fundraisers often do more to line the pockets of third-party organizations or charity leadership than to help the communities they work with

This Giving Tuesday, we’re disrupting that model by resourcing grassroots organizing and mutual aid funds. Mutual aid is an anti-capitalist alternative based on non-Western traditions that focuses on solidarity and collective care; it is not charity. A mutual aid framework is reciprocal, with members of the network coming together to care for one another, taking and giving as needs arise.

Forms of mutual aid have existed historically across cultures, among groups excluded from mainstream systems. Communities often made up of BIPOC, immigrants, disabled people, homeless people, and LGBTQ folk have created networks for their survival. In NYC, mutual aid networks also formed in response to tragic events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy. During the pandemic, mutual aid has become a necessity, with over 70 groups emerging in NYC alone. Mutual aid groups’ initial efforts this year focused on helping people obtain essential goods like food and PPE. Eight months later, these groups are focusing on long term community goals related to issues such as police reform, housing justice in lieu of mass evictions, and getting out the vote.

As white people, it’s our responsibility to address the vast aggregated wealth gap between white and BIPOC households. Wealth and resources have been disproportionately accumulated by white people at the expense of BIPOC historically through colonialism, slavery, Jim Crow-era Black Codes, and systemic education and job discrimination. Government programs like the New Deal and the GI Bill that fueled the rise of the white middle class in the 20th century left out non-white Americans. Redlining prevented Black and other minority groups from building home equity. As a result, the net worth of a typical white family, according to data compiled in 2016, was $171,000, nearly ten times greater than that of a typical Black family whose net worth was $17,150.

On this Giving Tuesday, we can help empower local communities by donating both money and time to mutual aid groups. Organizations such as Mutual Aid NYC and NYC United Against Coronavirus have published listings of groups serving particular communities or addressing specific needs, including food, housing, disability and mental health services, pet care, child care, home maintenance, and small-business resources. No matter where we choose to give, when we contribute to mutual aid and grassroots organizing groups, we help build a stronger, more equitable city.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Thanksgiving’s History of Harm

Like everything else in 2020, this Thanksgiving will need to be different. As countless health officials have already said, gathering with people outside your household is strongly discouraged as surging COVID cases flood our already overtaxed healthcare system. Regardless of your plans, we encourage SURJ members to spend this quieter Thanksgiving season considering the day’s history from an Indigenous perspective, generating challenging discussions with other white people, and committing or recommitting to support Indigenous communities through this season and beyond.

The classic American Thanksgiving narrative of Indigenous peoples welcoming white settlers to celebrate the harvest together is one of many mythologies that upholds white supremacy, as it valorizes colonialist narratives and erases the experiences of Indigenous peoples over the past four hundred years up through today. The reality of the 1621 feast entails a complicated story of alliances and compromises between the Pilgrims and members of a Wampanoag nation, which had already been ravaged by diseases brought by earlier European settlers. The tradition that we call Thanksgiving didn't begin until 1637, when Thanksgiving Day was declared by the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony to commemorate "subduing the Pequots," referring to a massacre of over 700 indigenous people by Dutch and English mercenaries during their Green Corn Dance the previous day. From its earliest inception, Thanksgiving has been a day linked to violence toward Indigenous communities.

This violence is not exclusively historical either. To this day, treaties continue to be disrespected and destroyed, allotted Native territory is desecrated, and Indigenous communities are disproportionately disadvantaged by American laws and systems. This Thanksgiving and beyond we need to acknowledge that we live on un-ceded territory, and that Indigenous people still exist and are owed a debt that will never be repaid.

We must also be aware of where our resources, such as water, heat, and electricity, originate. Relentless resource exploitation takes place on Native lands in the form of coal, copper, and uranium mining, fracking, and nuclear waste disposal, all resulting in toxic pollution. While profits are siphoned away by private companies or the federal government, the communities these resources come from suffer environmental destruction and devastating impacts on health and quality of life. Time and again, profits are privileged over the lives and livelihoods of BIPOC communities, including in our own backyards.

This Thanksgiving, we must acknowledge what has been stolen from Indigenous peoples and follow the guidance of those communities in working to redress centuries of harm. As we acknowledge history and the present impact of white supremacy on Indigenous people, we can explore ways we can support Indigenous communities, both local and beyond. Check out efforts like the Land Back movement and Seed Savers Exchange for ways to plug in today.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Putting Our Recommitment to Racial Justice into Action

As Donald Trump loses court battle after court battle in his fruitless attempts to prove voter fraud, it is becoming abundantly clear that Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. While we can continue to celebrate this victory, we should remain clear-eyed about the work ahead. Although threats of a potential coup may be empty, this doesn’t mean they won’t have long-term consequences.

From Trump’s stirring up his base with incendiary tweets to his administration’s refusal to concede and allow for a peaceful transition of power, it’s evident that we must stay aware and be ready to act. (If you haven’t already, we highly recommend tuning into SURJ national’s live call from this past Thursday entitled “Recommitting to Racial Justice: white people's work in the days ahead” for concrete recommendations as we move forward, including assisting organized efforts in Georgia.)

Unfortunately, attacks on the Left and Progressives have already started not only from the Right but from within the Democratic Party. Rather than thank­ing grass­roots groups, Black women, and Indigenous vot­ers for show­ing up in large num­bers, cen­trists with­in the par­ty have blamed the Left for short­falls in down-bal­lot races, citing Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movements. What hasn’t been acknowledged is that a lack of strategic planning on the part of the Democratic candidates — including their inability to embrace progressive platforms — largely led to these results.

Progressive organizing led to the largest voter turnout in history this election, despite being in a pandemic year with voter suppression tactics out in full force. However, as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently noted in the New York Times, the main takeaway should not be that the work is done, but rather that “We paused [a] precipitous descent [into hell]. And the question is if and how we will build ourselves back up.”

For there to be any real possibility of progressive legislation over the next two years, Georgia must elect two Democratic Senate candidates, Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock, in the special run-off election this January. Created during the Jim Crow era by white supremacist politicians, Georgia’s run-off system was built specifically to suppress Black voters. Despite the DOJ suing to overturn this racist system in 1990, it remains in place. So it’s up to us all to help swing Georgia. As a next step, we urge you to get involved with the New Georgia Project or another group working to turn Georgia blue.

We must hold our government accountable by fighting for progressive change, amplifying the voices of those who have already been doing the work, and continuing to put pressure on our elected officials.

Remember: They work for us.

Take care,

SURJ NYC

Celebrating the Victories; Continuing the Work

This past Saturday, cheers broke out in New York City as news networks across the country called Pennsylvania and the presidential election for Joe Biden. Following a record voter turnout, Biden defeated Donald Trump to become America’s 46th president, with his barrier-breaking running-mate Kamala Harris as the first Black and South Asian woman Vice President elect.

The effort to galvanize voters and encourage people to register was largely led by grassroots, BIPOC-led campaigns. Thanks to their work, voters, especially Black, Indigenous, and young people, turned out to end the Trump administration. Though Joe Biden may not have been many people’s first choice, this win comes as a relief. And beyond the presidential race, we have other major victories to celebrate:

But the work is not over. The “return to normal” promised by Biden’s presidency is a return to a world where BIPOC communities are still subject to violence and oppression. We must hold the new administration accountable to ensure their actions support marginalized communities, while continuing the fight for housing justice, freedom from state violence, and a clean environment — amplifying how each disproportionately impacts BIPOC folks. Check out SURJ’s post-election actions and sign this pledge to join SURJ NYC as we work to Protect the Results for more.

We must also acknowledge that, even after four years of seeing his administration’s blatant white supremacy, the majority of white voters still voted for Trump. As white folks, it is our job to work to bring other white folks into the movement to build an anti-racist future. For support in having those conversations, sign up for an upcoming Calling In workshop.

There’s much to do before Trump leaves office and after, but we’re ready.

Sending care and fortitude for the days ahead,

SURJ NYC

The Presidential Election: It’s Not Over Yet

It’s Election Day — a day many of us have been long and anxiously awaiting. If you’re one of the 1.1 million people in NYC who voted early, thank you. If you voted by mail weeks ago, thank you. If you haven’t yet voted (and are still able to), please go vote. The poll lines close at 9 PM, and now mail-in ballots should also be delivered in person. If you see any instances of voter suppression at your polling place, report them to the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. Getting everyone’s vote counted is crucial. But our involvement shouldn’t stop there...

This election season has revealed numerous instances of voter suppression by Trump and the Republican party. 230 election-related lawsuits have been filed this year alone by both voting rights advocates and the Trump administration. From limiting ballot boxes and installing unofficial ones, to closing polling locations, to encouraging voter intimidation at the polls, voting has been made increasingly difficult — especially for BIPOC and marginalized communities. These Jim Crow 2.0 tactics include laws that prevent ex-felons from voting, voters being purged from rolls, and more. In addition, Black and Latinx voters have been specifically targeted by misinformation campaigns with the goal of fueling cynicism and distrust in the political process, in order to depress turnout among people of color.

These efforts at voter suppression will likely come to a head today. As we wrote last Friday, Trump has already signaled that he may declare himself the winner before all mail-in ballots are counted, indicating he will turn to the Supreme Court to stop the count. With Amy Coney Barrett’s rushed confirmation to the Court, Republicans now have a majority with which they can rule in Trump’s favor in the event of a contested election. Furthermore, Barrett and Kavanaugh both worked as lawyers for George W. Bush in Florida during the 2000 recount, with Roberts advising the Republican governor at the time, Jeb Bush.

So what does this all mean? Put simply: we cannot rely on flawed institutions to deliver us a fair election. We need to organize now to show our leaders that the election is not over until every single person’s vote is counted. As it’s unlikely final results will be coming out tonight, now is the time to mobilize and prepare. While many of us have already spent months text banking, phonebanking, writing postcards, and more, we need to continue this momentum beyond the election and work to sustain the movement over the long term.

Here are some things you can do after today:

  • We are asking all SURJ NYC members to sign this pledge to commit to mobilizing against a potential coup. We will send more frequent action updates to everyone who signs this pledge!

  • Join us on Zoom Wednesday, November 4th, 3-4pm: SURJ-wide National Call: Count All the Votes, register here.

  • Join us in the streets Wednesday, November 4th, 4pm: to Protect the Results either in Midtown or at an action near you, if called for.

  • Join us on Zoom Thursday, November 5th, 6:30-8:30pm: SURJ NYC Chapter Meeting—Post Election Edition, register here.

If you are struggling with the uncertainty of the days and weeks to come, you are not alone. This coming Thursday’s SURJ NYC Chapter Meeting is a good opportunity to gather with others to both reflect on whatever happens and organize next steps to create the future we want. We look forward to seeing you there and are so grateful to be in this fight with you all!

Sending care and fortitude for the days ahead,

SURJ NYC

Stop Voter Disenfranchisement and Intimidation in NYC

We all know the upcoming election may be the most important of our lives and that democracy is on the line. But we also know American democracy is imperfect and has systematically disenfranchised BIPOC communities — and continues to do so even now. Voter suppression comes in many forms, including polling place closures and onerous voter identification laws.

This election year, we've already seen voter suppression and intimidation in red and swing districts around the country, as well as in blue cities like NYC. Just this weekend, the NYPD confiscated PPE from community activists at a polling site in Red Hook, and a different NYPD officer was suspended after blasting pro-Trump messages over his loudspeaker while on duty in Flatbush.

Two groups especially vulnerable to disenfranchisement are also disproportionately non-white: the homeless and the formerly incarcerated. Many states require government-issued photo identification to vote, and with 26 states requiring proof of physical address to obtain a government-issued ID card, the homeless population faces barriers. And even if they do manage to register, many homeless people face other obstacles, such as the lack of transportation to polling places.

Given such restrictions, it’s little surprise that as few as 1 in 10 homeless people vote, with only 10% of homeless people voting in 2012 compared to the 54% of the general voting age population. There are some protections for these voting rights, though. A 1984 federal court case in New York prevents states from denying the right to vote based on homelessness, and now in all 50 states, homeless folks can register using the address of their shelter or usual place of night stay.

Laws denying the vote to those with felony convictions date back to the Jim Crow South, leading to Black Americans of voting age being more than four times as likely to lose their voting rights than the rest of the voting-age population. Currently Maine and Vermont are the only states where currently incarcerated folks can vote. Meanwhile, most people in local jails (a population estimated to be 48% Black and Latinx) are eligible to vote because they aren’t serving a sentence for felony conviction, but don’t vote because of bureaucracy, not knowing their rights, and restricted internet access hampering registration. The Sentencing Project identifies some practices that have helped individuals in jails exercise their right to vote.

Here are some ways to take action to defend voting rights and the electoral process:

And as always, read on for more ways to show up for racial justice beyond the electoral process!

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Racial Justice and the Supreme Court

In the long history of racial (in)justice in American governance, the Supreme Court has played an outsized role, sometimes in positive ways, like in Brown v. Board of Education, and other times in harmful ways, like Shelby County v. Holder, which paved the way for voter suppression.The likely confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett accelerates a right-wing shift in the Court with grave implications for BIPOC folks in America. Barrett carries a far-right record rife with statements and rulings that deny health care rights, reproductive rights, labor rights, protection from police, immigrant justice, and LGBTQ+ rights while supporting qualified immunity and illegal search and seizure. A fervent “originalist”, Barrett has been vague and evasive when questioned directly on issues of racial justice.

Barrett’s confirmation puts the rights of BIPOC folks disproportionately at risk as they will be most affected by upcoming rulings on issues including health care, juvenile imprisonment, anti-discrimination, voting rights, climate change, reproductive rights, and immigration. By the end of November the Court will consider Fulton vs. City of Philadelphia, which could grant foster care agencies the right to exclude same-sex couples on the basis of religious beliefs; California vs. Texas, which will challenge the Affordable Care Act, potentially resulting in the loss of insurance for 20 million people (disproportionately BIPOC); and a case that will review Trump's exclusion of undocumented residents from the 2020 census.

The probable October 22 Senate confirmation of Barrett will be the result of a 40+ year organized right-wing judiciary invasion. In the 1970s, corporate interests saw “attacks” on their financial interest by the anti-war, environmental, civil rights, and women’s rights movements. Since then, a sophisticated multi-million dollar system has developed to pick and confirm conservative justices.. Dark-money-funded organizations hunt for plaintiffs of convenience to bring cases before the Supreme Court that advance the big donors’ agenda, while similar organizations appear by the orchestrated dozen as “friends of the Court” to instruct the corporate-selected judges how to rule (e.g., against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).

The history of this process was summed up during the current hearings by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. Last year, Whitehouse catalogued 73 majority opinions by the five conservative justices on the Supreme Court that seemed to align with partisan Republican interests in areas spanning voting and money in politics, protection of corporations from liability and regulation, civil rights, and advancing a far-right social agenda.

The fact that a non-elected body holds this much power has been increasingly called into question, particularly as many of us are reckoning with the white supremacist systems that have built and dominated our nation’s governing. In our struggle for racial justice, we must challenge the dynamics that create a system of judicial minority rule at the expense of BIPOC communities. In the near-term, this translates into a fight for court reform, the promotion of fair courts, the imposition of term limits on judges, and a curb on spending. With the election approaching, we need to strengthen our courts at every level by learning about judicial races in our areas. For more specific ways to take action this week, read on!

Take care,

SURJ NYC

Indigenous Sovereignty is Racial Justice

Following Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we must continue to recognize that all of us here in New York City live on unceded Lenape territory. Despite having the largest urban population of Native Americans in North America, NYC continues to recognize Columbus Day in our schools and many workplaces. Our colonist history is remembered daily through an Avenue, Square, and monument. When we celebrate Columbus, it perpetuates a white supremacist narrative that erases the lives, deaths, and continued harm of Indigenous people.

The day is a strong reminder for us all to include and center the rights of Indigenous people in our ongoing fight to end white supremacy. The upcoming election is a chance for us to vote for change; however, as we’ve written previously, BIPOC are often those most at risk of being unable to cast their vote.

After centuries, Native Americans and Alaska Natives were finally given the right to vote under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (40 years after the Indian Citizenship Act). Since its passing, though, discriminatory laws and policies have disregarded and targeted Indigenous voters. Major lawsuits in 2012 and 2018 challenged some of these barriers, establishing satellite voting offices and helping relieve some voter ID laws. Today, there are 4.7 million Indigenous people of voting age but turnout is the lowest in the country, with voters in both urban and rural areas facing obstacles to registering, voting, and having their vote counted.

Many people living on reservations have “untraditional addresses'' or use P.O. boxes for their mail, making it more difficult for them to both register and cast their vote. And with post offices sometimes few and far away (the Tohono O’odham Nation reservation has only one post office for land the size of Connecticut; some Navajo Nation members have to travel up to 150 miles round trip), voting by mail can be an unrealistic option. Expanding voting access would include longer mail-in periods, additional ballot drop boxes, and ballot collection. For in-person voting, polling places must be nearby, safe, and convenient. Overall, voter ID laws must be expanded and the ballot must account for language accessibility. Current challenges to these laws include a win last month in Montana and an ongoing case in Arizona.

For some Indigenous people, voting is also fraught with distrust. To vote is to participate in the system of oppression that has murdered communities and stolen land. Where a vote furthers an unjust system, energy could instead be put into dismantling it and cultivating something better.

Indigenous people have called for the return of stolen land and the removal of white supremacist monuments across the country. This summer, land defenders fought for the removal of Mount Rushmore and the return of the Black Hills land to the Oceti Sakowin. Just last month on Long Island, two laws were adopted in Southampton after the Shinnecock Indian Nation (which only received federal recognition in 2010 despite living on the land for 10,000 years) demanded protection for their burial grounds.

Indigenous sovereignty is racial justice. To dismantle white supremacy, we must break from settler colonialism and capitalism and move toward the liberation of Indigenous people and the return of stolen land. And we must make sure our work does not end at the ballot box.

Join us and take action:

  1. Support the Manna-hatta Fund, which engages settlers to move resources to the American Indian Community House. AICH provides direct services, community, cultural events, and voice to Indigenous people in the NYC area.

  2. Sign this petition demanding Mt. Rushmore and all Public Lands in the Black Hills be returned to the Oceti Sakowin.

  3. Support the LANDBANK campaign. Amplify on social media by following the NDN Collective on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter and using the hashtags: #LANDBACK #DefendDevelopDecolonize #IndigenousPeoplesDay2020.

  4. Find out more about the land you live on, protest Columbus Day, and advocate for incorporating Native history into schools. Learn about land acknowledgement, returning land, and Native American history.

Take care,

SURJ NYC

Voter Suppression and Racial Justice

With Election Day less than a month away, registration deadlines are fast approaching, and many states have already begun absentee and early voting. In addition to the presidential election, there are also Senate, House, state, and local races up and down the ballot. Each could shape the direction of our country for years to come, especially in regard to the fight for racial and social justice.

The GOP is as aware of the stakes of this election, and they will continue to pull out all the stops to prevent people, especially communities of color, from having their voices heard. The history of denying Black people the right to vote is as old as the country; and, like many forms of institutional racism, voter suppression has not gone away - it’s just gotten more insidious. Today, voter disenfranchisement can take on many forms including voter ID laws, voter registration restrictions, voter purges, felony disenfranchisement, and gerrymandering.

In the last presidential election, the Trump 2016 campaign bought targeted Facebook ads to deter Black voter turnout. This year, we’re already seeing voter suppression on the national level, with Trump calling on so-called “poll watchers” to intimidate voters while spreading widespread panic about baseless threats to election integrity. On the state level, where many voting laws are decided, we’re seeing suppression efforts in Texas, where the Republican Governor has shut down ballot drop boxes, leaving only one per county. In Michigan, two Republican operatives were just charged with voter intimidation after operating a robo-call scheme to intimidate Black voters in Detroit, with voters in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois receiving similar calls.

Fortunately, there is still a lot we can do between now and November 3 to make sure everyone who is eligible gets every opportunity to cast their ballot. There’s incredible energy around voter turnout right now, and as white people, we must also talk about voter suppression and disenfranchisement tactics when we talk about how important it is to vote. And, as high as the stakes of this election season are, we must also remember that voting alone will not save us. Electoral strategy as part of a larger movement for collective liberation, though, does matter.

Here are some ways to take action:

As always, you can see below for more ways to plug in and show up!

In solidarity,
SURJ NYC

Organizing Ourselves for Justice

Breonna Taylor mattered. Her life mattered.

The injustice of the grand jury’s ruling in Louisville is not new or unique. Time and again, we have seen the judicial system work in a way that guarantees no justice for harm perpetrated by the state - especially when the state kills Black people. While we are enraged at this lack of justice, we also know that the US “criminal justice system” was never designed to provide real justice.

Here in New York City, last week Hawa Bah held a vigil and rally in Harlem marking the eight-year anniversary of her son Mohamed Bah’s killing by the NYPD—for which there has been no justice and no accountability. This week also marks the one-year anniversary of the killing of Antonio Williams. Join us as we stand with the Justice Committee today at 5 pm in the Bronx at a memorial vigil and march with Williams’ family to demand justice, transparency, and accountability.

This consistent lack of accountability, as well as scandals such as the cover up of Daniel Prude’s murder by Rochester police, remind us that if there is anything like justice for Breonna Taylor, Mohamed Bah, Antonio Williams, Daniel Prude, and their families and friends, it is, as Mariame Kaba and Andrea Ritchie wrote, more than the system that killed them can deliver.

In the short term, however, we stand in solidarity with the demands of BLM Louisville. To support organizers on the ground in Louisville, take these actions and see the Moving Resources section below.

This was a week that reminds us why we are in this fight.

At SURJ, we organize white people because it is our responsibility to undermine and dismantle the white support that makes verdicts like this week’s acceptable. It is our job to organize a critical mass of white folks working for transformation.

One part of that work in New York City is building and sustaining a connected SURJ NYC. Mobilizing white folks in the numbers we need to enact real change takes behind-the-scenes coordination, and we’re looking for more support to make SURJ NYC as effective as possible in engaging in transformative action for racial justice.

If you are an active member of SURJ who is interested in helping to think about and coordinate the overall work of the organization, please consider joining the Coordinating Committee (CC)!

The CC serves as a center for communication and coordination by making decisions not covered by working groups; tracking work happening across the chapter, sharing information, and identifying opportunities for collaboration; and facilitating strategic discussions about the direction of SURJ NYC. You don’t have to be an expert of any sort, you just need to have been involved for at least three months and be excited to think about how to push SURJ forward. Read more here, and express interest by October 22nd using this form.

In solidarity,
SURJ NYC

Environmental Racism & Climate Change

With wildfires raging along the West Coast and a record number of hurricanes ravaging the Southeast, it couldn’t be more clear that we are in the midst of an environmental crisis. That’s why this week is so important. From September 21-27, we are observing Climate Week NYC, the largest climate summit of the year. And as white folks fighting for racial justice, it’s crucial that we center BIPOC communities when discussing the effects of climate change.

BIPOC communities are among those most deeply affected by climate change, and a recent study found that they are also shown to care the most about this urgent issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the lack of preparedness for public emergencies, especially for our most vulnerable and at-risk communities, and the ongoing climate crisis will only exacerbate the situation in months and years to come.

In 2019, Trump acted on his promise to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, and he continues to deny climate change despite the evidence to the contrary. Polls show that although Democrats are now more likely to believe that human activity is causing climate change, Republicans are no more likely to believe this than they were in 2008. They also expressed less concern about its impact now than in 2008.

While New York City’s government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, there is still a lot of work to be done to protect the most vulnerable amongst us. With the shameful history of redlining in the city, a majority of BIPOC have been segregated and forced into neighborhoods that “often experience higher temperatures and greater exposure to deadly heat waves than their non-redlined neighbors due to negligent urban planning and decades of disinvestment in the housing stock. These areas are concentrated with high-density buildings and heat-absorbing impervious surfaces, while lacking tree cover and vegetation that might mitigate heat.”

Environmental inequality leads to a wide range of issues, including a higher rate of pre-existing conditions. The fact that large corporations and the government have long exploited and neglected BIPOC folks has put these communities at an increased risk for pollution and other climate impacts, making them more vulnerable to other environment-adjacent crises, such as COVID-19.

Environmental justice is racial justice, so addressing climate change must involve dismantling white supremacy and centering BIPOC communities. This is an uphill battle, but it’s a battle we must fight. To do so, we need:

  • Better city preparedness plans that account for both extreme weather and infectious disease events.

  • Affordable and green housing and infrastructure built into COVID recovery efforts - like those proposed by #BoldNextStepsNYC.

  • Investments in clean public transportation, energy, and more.

  • The support of policies like the Green New Deal that address environmental, racial, and economic inequity.

Want to get involved? Here are some way to take action this week:

  • Plant trees to help remove pollution, store and absorb carbon emissions, increase canopy coverage, and provide cooling to communities. If you’re a property owner, you can request a Street Tree from the city.

  • Support local food, energy, and housing co-ops in your neighborhood.

  • Contact your representatives to tell them to support the Green New Deal and climate action and vote for candidates who support it.

  • Attend Climate Week events or actions this week.

  • Calculate your carbon footprint.

In solidarity,
SURJ NYC

Back to school: education and equity

As students and teachers across New York City prepare to go back to school, we recognize that issues of access and segregation within our school system will be exacerbated this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. New York City has one of the most segregated school systems in the country, which has created extreme pockets of poverty for many majority-POC communities. This disparity has led to lower academic achievement and fewer resources for those schools, including programming or parent fundraising to support arts programs, after-school enrichment, and other activities. While the Department of Education’s Diversity Plan includes small steps toward addressing these issues, even that modest achievement is in danger of being derailed as the COVID-19 pandemic bleeds into this new school year, meaning BIPOC and low-income students are in danger of being even more impacted by institutional racism..

Roughly 61% of students will return to school in a blended format of remote/in-school learning by September 21, but the problems of unequal access to resources and technology that supports remote learning have not been solved. Teachers have also expressed concerns over their safety and the safety of their students — especially after 55 Department of Education (DOE) staff tested positive for the virus after returning to their buildings in the last week. There were also reports of bugs, unsanitary conditions, lack of PPE, and inadequate ventilation that has already shut down 21 schools leading the United Federation of Teachers to ask for a delayed opening until conditions improve. This coupled with other staffing issues and a deficit of nurses for each school will only further exacerbate problems.

And these conditions will likely worsen for schools that cater to Black, Brown, and low-income students if Governor Cuomo cuts aid by 20%, which would result in the loss of 9,000 DOE jobs. This cut would disproportionately take from high-need schools, which traditionally serve mostly Black and Brown students. High-need school districts will face a $2,626 per student cut, while wealthier school districts — which can absorb a cut and maintain programming, staffing and student services — are facing a per student cut of just $873. This is another example of Cuomo’s trend of balancing the state budget at the expense of students who need funding the most.

In response to everything above, statewide rallies were held on Saturday with demands including access to high speed internet and devices for every student funded by an increase in taxes on the ultra rich.

Want to get involved? Here are some ways to take action this week:

Housing is a human right

As the pandemic continues, the need for housing justice remains urgent; we must recognize that the denial of resources for survival and quality of life is a form of racist violence. In recent weeks, this issue has intensified on Manhattan’s Upper West Side (UWS), where one of NYC's most affluent neighborhoods is divided over the presence of several hundred homeless people placed in three local hotels.

The placement was part of a city-wide effort to move 10,000 people experiencing homelessness from dorm-style shelters, where residents face a 60% higher rate of positive COVID cases than in the general population. And while NYC's population is 24.3% Black, 29.1% Latinx, and 32.1% white, its homeless population is 58% Black, 31% Latinx, and 7% white, creating a contentious debate around race in a neighborhood that has historically resisted affordable housing.

Some UWS residents have aggressively pushed back against this housing initiative on social media, using damaging myths about homelessness to support their agenda. A Facebook page called Upper West Siders for Safer Streets features a slew of disturbing, racist statements about the new hotel residents, referring to them as creatures, animals, and subhuman-- with calls to animal control to “clean up the neighborhood.” The group garners support with false crime and sex offender statistics while suggesting vile, dehumanizing deterrent strategies such as leaving excrement on park benches. Rather than a compassionate response or efforts to pool wealth/resources into humane solutions, there have been callous, victim-blaming calls for displacement, with hotel residents even being harassed in the street.

The West Side Community Organization has raised $100,000 via GoFundMe, hired an ex-Giuliani aid, and threatened a lawsuit against the city demanding the removal of the hotel residents. While DeBlasio has previously said that homeless folks would not be moved back to shelters until there is a vaccine, he and other elected officials are caving to pressure to return them sooner, though with no firm timeline in place. Should the hotel residents be moved back, the Legal Aid Society is threatening a lawsuit against the city in response.

Given the significant racial disproportion of our homeless population, this issue is part of a bigger picture of housing discrimination amongst investors and urban planners. Though accusations of racism have been met with complete denial, cries for "not in my neighborhood" (NIMBY) and gated community policies are racist.

Housing is a basic right. As white people in NYC, we must be aware of in our role in gentrification and housing discrimination against both the homeless and BIPOC. To “other” marginalized groups who lack the support needed to survive is to further white supremacy and cause harm against us all.

This week, we urge you to speak out and support by:

  • Reading and signing the UWS Strong open letter to the mayor! Volunteer to help out, share with neighbors in your building/area, and join the UWS Open Hearts Facebook group.

  • Contacting UWS elected officials. Join the phone/email zap to cancel rent and house the homeless by clicking here for a handy call tool. You can also find elected officials who represent the UWS here and sample scripts below to call, tweet, and email.

  • Emailing surjuws@gmail.com to join SURJ Upper West Side residents in ongoing support of housing and racial justice on the UWS. And if you’re interested in housing justice across NYC, join SURJ NYC’s Housing Justice Working Group or a Housing Action team for your neighborhood.

Until next week, may we continue to learn and take action on behalf of all New Yorkers.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Come to Our Chapter Meeting!

It’s been a summer like no other. George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin galvanized a historic uprising for the liberation of Black and Indigenous folks and people of color, with many white folks experiencing a long-overdue awakening to the reality of racism and anti-Blackness in this country. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, issues of health, economic, and housing injustice have also been brought to the forefront-- further exposing the system of white supremacy and its devastating inequities.

Although this moment has forced many white people to confront their complicity and complacency, we still have a long way to go. A recent NPR/Ipsos poll found that only 51% of white people believe further change is necessary to ensure equal rights for Black Americans, compared with 89% of Black, 66% of Asian, and 63% of Latinx respondents. Just 36% of white participants answered yes when asked if they had “personally taken any action to better understand racial issues in America” since Floyd’s killing in May, while only 47% expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement

As white folks fighting to dismantle white supremacy, it can often feel as though we haven’t done enough. That’s true. But instead of allowing ourselves to feel defeated, this is the time to get energized. We’re here to provide a supportive community for you to dig in, no matter where you are in your antiracism journey...so join us! This month’s chapter meeting will allow us to reflect and recalibrate: it’s the perfect place to start or continue your work in the movement. The meeting will also be an opportunity to find out more about our neighborhood and working groups, and connect with like-minded members of your community to address local inequities or get involved with whatever it is you’re most passionate about, from spreading awareness to fighting to end mass incarceration to developing antiracist parenting practices, and beyond.

We must continually challenge ourselves to fight this broken system, even when it feels easier to turn away. Set concrete goals for yourself and make antiracism a part of your routine. Consider setting aside a certain amount of time each day or week to do something: have that difficult conversation with your racist family members; create an anti-racism book discussion group; sign petitions; contact your legislators; watch (and resource!) BIPOC art and listen to BIPOC voices; make donations… there are myriad ways to take action, and we’re here to support you along the way.

This work won’t earn us a medal, and we don’t do it in search of validation. But white supremacy has created a system of toxicity and brutality that hurts every one of us, regardless of race - even if it manifests very differently for us as white people. So get active - the movement needs you, and we’re so glad you’re here! See you this Thursday at 6:30.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Policing is White Supremacy

The fight against police violence is far from over. The recent shootings of Trayford Pellerin in Lafayette, LA and Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI mark another horrible moment in our country’s long history of white supremacist state-sanctioned violence. It is vital that we keep pushing for an end to this racist system.

Here in New York, advocates for justice have been fighting for transparency and accountability to expose the truth of policing and push for change. In June, a bill to repeal section 50-a was signed into law by Governor Cuomo, the result of a four-year campaign by Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) to pass the #SaferNYAct package. 50-a was passed in 1976 and used by the NYPD to hide disciplinary records from the public under the guise of “protecting” the privacy of NYPD personnel. The repeal provided much needed transparency to NYPD disciplinary records which were historically shrouded in secrecy.

The repeal of 50-a is currently under attack by five NYPD police unions, joined by the corrections and firefighter unions. Just one month after the New York State legislature passed the repeal, the unions sued to block the City of New York from publishing databases containing officer misconduct and discipline information. Does this sound familiar? It should: earlier this year, district attorneys and police unions pressured the legislature to roll back recently-passed reforms on state bail and discovery law. This is part of a broader pattern of the racist criminal justice system, as police unions mobilize against progress. Despite these efforts, a broad coalition of New Yorkers has won a step forward for transparency on police harm and NYPD’s systemic refusal to discipline officers:

In July, CPR, represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights and the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit brought by the unions.

On Tuesday, August 18, citing papers filed by CPR, US District Court Judge Katherine Polk Failla denied (with certain exceptions) the police unions’ request for a preliminary injunction to prevent NYC from publishing the databases..

On August 20, the NYCLU released their database of NYPD misconduct. The NYCLU had obtained the full records through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request before the misconduct databases became the subject of the lawsuit filed by the unions. The database contains comprehensive information on over 320,000 misconduct complaints dating back to before 1985. The entries are all related to filings at the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and include only a portion of overall complaints.

This dismantling of police secrecy is long overdue, and as white folks fighting for racial justice, we need to remain vigilant. For information on how to get involved in the Police Accountability Working Group, along with other actions to take next week, read on! As always, we’re glad you’re here and look forward to continued learning with you.

In solidarity,
SURJ NYC

Constant Vigilance

Last week, we discussed the USPS and the Trump administration’s attempt to leverage a false narrative around mail-in voter fraud in order to justify cuts and undermine the election. As white folks fighting for racial justice, it’s important that we remain vigilant for misinformation being spread on multiple fronts — from science and medicine to politics and racial justice. Since we’re online now more than ever, attention-grabbing headlines can distract from the actual issues, creating devastating effects for individuals, communities, and even entire nations.

Disinformation campaigns — no longer the work of fringe ideologues — are increasingly used to leverage mainstream political power, with the same far-right groups spreading COVID misinformation fueling conspiracy theories surrounding the Black Lives Matter protests. Particularly troubling is how successful the radical right has become at providing “alternate facts” when it comes to key scientific issues such as COVID-19 and climate change — and sometimes these posts have no obvious political agenda or origin point. Often the messages are incoherent and come from an array of niche extremist groups, making them even harder to source and combat.

These sensationalized viral posts pull attention from real issues, encouraging a dangerous trend of outrage without evidence. For example, the recent explosion of #savethechildren across social media platforms led to rallies in multiple cities earlier this month. Both the QAnon and Pizzagate conspiracy theories are using the hashtag to spread false claims about sex trafficking by public figures since 2017. In practice, however, anti-trafficking policing disproportionately targets poor folks, migrants, and POC sex workers. These viral and overwhelmingly false conspiracy theories take away from the actual work that groups like GEMS, GLITS, and Lysistrata MCCF are doing to combat trafficking.

False information can also cause direct harm, as in the swatting of a BLM activist by the LAPD, with recent evidence showing that Black folks in the US have been specifically targeted in disinformation campaigns coming out of Russia since 2016. Not only have coronavirus conspiracy theories stoked xenophobia and anti-Asian racism, but they have dire impacts on the health of BIPOC communities most affected by the pandemic.

As white folks looking to dismantle white supremacy, where we put our energy and focus matters. It may be tempting to get involved in an online debate with a conspiracy theorist or vent frustration over the latest inflammatory post, but that will only further amplify the misinformation. It’s important to evaluate what we post: Even if it’s not a conspiracy, is it performative? Have we checked facts, found multiple sources, and actually read past the headline? Have you talked to family members and loved ones about their news sources, providing them with fact-checked, well-sourced information?

We are striving to better understand the ins and outs of the issues we care about, looking to those who have already been working in the movement for ways we can best support them. We also look for ways to connect with those around us to have these conversations. Not sure how to get involved? See the SURJ NYC calendar for upcoming Calling In workshops.

For more information on those and other ways to get involved, read on!

In solidarity,
SURJ NYC

Why we’re talking to you about the postal service

With the election just months away (and prominent in the news cycle), we must remember that communities of color are most likely to be directly impacted by racist policies, laws, and systems. We’re already seeing blatant voter suppression and gerrymandering, evident in primaries earlier this year. And with some states holding “all-mail” elections and many others urging voters to vote-by-mail in light of the pandemic, the Trump administration’s false narrative of voter fraud and cuts to the United States Postal Service (USPS) have become contentious and urgent issues. As white folks fighting for racial justice, part of our work is seeing how racism shows up everywhere - including in cuts to the USPS.

Reporting an operating revenue of $71.1B and a debt of $11B at the end of 2019, the USPS has faced financial challenges since the passing of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) in 2006, which forced the agency to pay 70 years worth of pensions and retirement funds in advance. With additional pressure from the pandemic and no stimulus funding, the USPS is now on the brink of collapse. Current estimates say it may run out of money by the end of the summer.

Post office closures would disproportionately affect rural and unbanked communities, who rely on the USPS for shipping and other key services. Those who lack access to bank accounts utilize post offices for money orders to pay bills. Low-income rural populations, 22% of whom are people of color, depend on them for community connection and delivery of crucial items such as masks. People with disabilities, 55% of whom are Black or Latinx, rely on the USPS for life-sustaining medications and supplies.

Closures would also impact USPS workers, 40% of whom are people of color, 20% of whom are Black, and 40% of whom are women. During the pandemic, these workers have risked their lives in an environment lacking PPE and adequate sanitation to provide services to communities that may not otherwise have them. Thousands of workers have tested positive for COVID, and with Trump’s newly appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the solution has been to cut costs by reducing retail and work hours, resulting in significant delays to mail delivery.

While investment in the USPS would mean expanded banking, passport, and even tax services for the country, the Trump administration and its billionaire cronies have continued to undercut, underfund, and undervalue the Postal Service. If the USPS were to fail, we risk dire consequences for both workers and consumers, especially the disabled and people of color in poor, rural communities.

At a time when we need radical transformation to uplift Black and Brown communities, cuts to the USPS’ essential services are a direct threat to democracy. With the current hazards of live voting, we need a functioning Postal Service for voters, especially those from marginalized communities, to cast their ballots. Limiting voters’ ability to participate in the election via mail-in-voting will inflict damage on the entire US population.

Support the USPS by contacting your officials (text USPS to 50409) or buying some stamps. If you’re eligible to vote in NY, you can also request your ballot by mail here by October 27. And talk about this with your families and friends.

As the election looms, we look forward to learning and unlearning with you, and fighting for liberation on all fronts.

In solidarity,
SURJ NYC