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NYers Are Gathering To Organize Against Trump This Week
By
Scott Heins
Published Nov 15, 2016
Modified Nov 16, 2016
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By
Scott Heins
Published Nov 15, 2016
Modified Nov 16, 2016
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It's been less than a week (I know) since Donald Trump won the election, and while his presidential transition team struggles to put one foot in front of the other, concerned activist groups, NGOs, and local lawmakers are already rushing to create networks of protection for those who will be most at risk under his proposed agenda.
Along with exercising your First Amendment right to protest in the streets, connecting with other concerned citizens in the name of solidarity and education is more important than ever. Below is a brief list of community meetings planned across the city, starting tonight. Let us know what we missed in the comments.
Tuesday, November 15th (tonight!), Council Member Brad Lander is leading Let's Get Organized: Preparing to resist threats to our ideals (the event is already at capacity, but a Facebook livestream will reportedly be running). Everyone hoping to get better-involved, particularly those in Lander's district of Park Slope, Carrol Gardens, Gowanus, and Borough Park, is encouraged to watch the program online as Lander addresses the urge to build connections, strengthen existing ties across communities, and channel anger and pain into committed action.
Also on Tuesday, November 15th (tonight), National Women's Liberation is holding Women: Let's Plan the Resistance in Downtown Brooklyn. "Now is not the time to retreat and lick our wounds," organizers profess. Leaders will speak on not only issues of reproductive rights and sexual harassment but the looming risks for persons of color, immigrants documented and undocumented, and how to organize and move forward after the election's sobering blow.
Tuesday, November 15th, 7:30-9 p.m. // 22 Boreum Place, Brooklyn // More info here
On Wednesday, November 16th, City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer will host a forum for Queens residents who wish to help those who have been targeted by bigotry, both during and after the election. Van Bramer's "Community Speak Out" was scheduled after his office became inundated with residents calling with questions of how best to support their neighbors. An early list of organizations attending includes Planned Parenthood, Catholic Migration Services, Jacob Riis Center, Woodside on the Move, Emerald Isle Immigration Center and the Queens Library.
Wednesday, November 16th, 6-8 p.m. // Sunnyside Community Services, 43-31 39th Street, Sunnyside, Queens
Also on Wednesday, November 16th, People's Power Assemblies will hold a "Staying Woke In Trump's America" special installment of their weekly meeting on how to create and grow movements against white supremacy, patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, and, yes, capitalism. It'll be an intersectional night of strategic planning against Trump's rhetoric and future policies, with issues pertaining to Black Lives Matter, the DAPL, and immigration all on the agenda.
Wednesday, November 16th, 7-10 p.m. // Solidarity Center NYC, 147 West 24th Street, Fl Second Floor // More info here
Also on Thursday, advocacy group Collectively Free New York is holding an open meeting to discuss how animal rights conditions might worsen under Trump. On the docket are plans to discuss how individual animal rights activists themselves may face greater risks as they keep working in support of their cause, as well as what the movement as a whole need to do moving forward. The meeting is at Judson Memorial Church and attendees are strongly encouraged to arrive on time.
Thursday, November 17th, 7:30 p.m. // Judson Memorial Church, 243 Thompson Street, Manhattan // More info here
On Friday, November 18th State Committeeman Ben Yee is hosting Post Trump: I'm Ready To Organize, at Arts on Site in Manhattan. While the meeting already reached capacity earlier today, a few additional seats have been added and a waitlist is up and running. Yee and other organizers will hold a workshop on how to connect and organize during the coming years, and are looking for new leaders to step up and help spread a message of tolerance in action.
Friday, November 18th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. // Arts on Site, 12 St Marks Place, Manhattan // more info here
On Saturday, November 19th, the unflinchingly leftist publishing house Verso Books will host Emergency Assembly: Organize Against Trump at its Brooklyn office. Grassroots organizing will be the focus at the meeting, in addition to self-governance and even self defense. Expect a brief presentation, large group discussion, and finally break out group meetings centered around specific projects of resistance.
Saturday, November 19th, 7-9 p.m. // Verso Books, 20 Jay Street suite 1010, Brooklyn // More info here
Also on Saturday, Council Member Van Bramer is leading a march from Dutch Kills Green, over the Queensboro Bridge, to Trump Tower. "In this borough, we know our diversity makes us stronger. Trump may have been raised here, but he's not from here any more," Van Bramer wrote. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own signs and join in collective resistance against Trump's policy proposals.
Saturday, November 19th, 1-3 p.m. // Dutch Kills Green near Queens Plaza and Queensboro Plaza // More info here
On Sunday, November 20th, the Queens Museum will host a panel and discussion devoted to answering your lingering "What now?" concerns. The talk will be led by Monica Aviles of the Immigrant Movement International, Death of a Nativist author Ryan Black, Queens College English professor Miles Parks Grier, Bronx-based artist Walter Cruz, and Queens College History professor Deirdre Cooper. The entire two-hour event is centered around finding ways to effect lasting change in local communities.
Sunday, November 20th, 2-4 p.m. // Queens Museum, New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens // more info here
If your schedule is booked solid this week, look ahead to Jacobin's Blueprint for A New Party discussion on November 21st, Littlefield's Planned Parenthood benefit show on the 30th, and the Not Straight Against Hate rally for LGBTQ rights on December 17th.
Tagged
donald trump
election 2016
political organizing
Politics
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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