Actions for Week of June 7, 2020
Fund help not hate, flip NY 21, brainstorming meeting and virtual happy hour
We are all horrified by the violence against innocent people and protestors. But, you can make a difference. And there are lots of ways to do that. Some of us can go out and protest, and put ourselves in harm’s way. Others can hand out food or sanitizers. Still others can donate to bail funds. And, we can contact your reps and demand legislative change. Choose what’s best for you.
FUND HELP, NOT HATE
As President Obama wrote (at the link), it's the state and local governments that make decisions about police and law enforcement. Let's tell them to fix this!
CONTACT YOUR STATE REPS
Contact your local officials and tell them to demilitarize the police and hold them responsible for corruption and brutality. Insist that they redirect police department funding to healthcare, schools, and other services people need, especially for communities of color.
You can use these scripts we put together for each rep at the link. Works for Facebook posts or emails too.
Liz Krueger
ALBANY: (518) 455-2297
DISTRICT OFFICE: (212) 490-9535
lkrueger@nysenate.gov
Dan Quart
ALBANY: (518) 55-4794
DISTRICT OFFICE: (212) 605-0937
quartd@nyassembly.gov
Rebecca Seawright
ALBANY OFFICE: (518) 455-5676
DISTRICT OFFICE: (212) 288-4607
SeawrightR@nyassembly.gov
Ben Kallos (District 5)
Phone: (212) 860-1950
BKallos@BenKallos.com
Keith Powers (District 4)
Phone: (212) 788-7393
KPowers@council.nyc.gov
DEMILITARIZE THE POLICE AND END QUALIFIED IMMUNITY
Congress is rethinking the policy of transferring military weaponry to police forces facing ordinary civilians, with no military rules of engagement. They have military weapons, and face no consequences for abusing them. Let's tell them to stop this. It's both foolish and deadly.
There is also a bill, sponsored by the unlikely duo of Ayanna Pressley and Justin Amash, to eliminate “qualified immunity.” This is the doctrine that essentially insulates police from consequences when they abuse people’s rights, or even worse. Tell our reps to support this bill!
Senator Chuck Schumer: (212) 486-4430
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: (212) 688-6262
Representative Carolyn Maloney: (212) 860-0606
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Learn about systemic racism and how it hurts (and kills) people of color. Resources to teach yourself and your children well. Includes videos, articles, organizations, and books.
DONATIONS
Support Black-led organizations and impacted communities. Use the link to allocate the funds however you like (or split them evenly between organizations).
PROTEST SAFELY
If you are able to protest and are planning to join any this week, please do so safely. The Anti Police-Terror Project has identified best practices for safety if you choose to attend in-person protests or events. Know the risks and do what you can to minimize the risk for you and those around you.
Thursday, June 11
****MONTHLY MEETING and VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR*****
Come for a virtual brainstorming session and happy hour. Bring your favorite beverage (adult or otherwise) and come chat about moving forward in the age of quarantine and protest. Help us decide how we can make a difference without leaving home. Tell us what you want to focus on, how you want to pitch in, and whether that has changed since our last priorities session.
June 11, 13, and 14
FLIP NY 21
Tedra Cobb’s team has asked us to help them reach out to undecided voters in their district. They are running against the utterly awful Elise Stefanik. Thursdays calls are to undecided voters, and the weekend is voters they think lean favorably.
Thursday (5-8pm): Undecided Voter Day
Saturday (10am, 1pm, 4pm, 6pm): Weekend of Action
Sunday (12pm, 3pm): Weekend of Action
LOOK FOR THE HELPERS
Not all heroes wear capes. This man took 70 people he did not know into his home and sheltered them overnight in DC,
A MENTAL BREAK
I hope somewhere, Bill Withers is smiling.
FUN AND EDUCATION UNDER QUARANTINE
ADULTS
Ancient Mosaics
Get up close to the finest mosaics in Western Europe, 19th-century busts (an earlier form of self-promotion), the archaeology of Turkey, the Met’s conservation projects and stately European homes.
Priceless Artifacts
A community of posts of beautiful objects, with informed commentary about them. For example, this real life “Maltese Falcon”
June 14
Bang on a Can
A international music festival you don't have to leave home to enjoy. Includes live performances from Rhiannon Giddens, Roscoe Mitchell, Nico Muhly, Conrad Tao, Pamela Z, and many more. Plus conversations with composers and additional performers.
Vampire Stars! In SPAAAAAACE
Got lithium? It’s used for batteries and medication. Comes from a place you might not expect: vampire white dwarf stars.
A Little Cello Music
Yo Yo Ma, Andrew Lloyd Weber, and others pick their favorite cello pieces (includes links so you can listen).
KIDS/GRANDKIDS
Puppetry
Make your own puppets with post-it notes
Dinosaurs
Digging for dinosaurs with the American Museum of Natural History
Vortex Cannon
Make your own with ordinary household supplies. Don't worry, it's not destructive.
Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b2SV3ASUxY
Instructions here: https://makeshopshow.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/vortex-cannon-dlc-final-2.pdf
A Chicken in the Kitchen!
A charming children's story, by Nnedi Okorafor, read aloud with animations.
Explaining Protests
Sesame Street helps explain to kids why people are protesting.