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Mass March to Defund NYPD, Tax the Rich & Stop the Layoffs!

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Mass March to Defund NYPD, Tax the Rich & Stop the Layoffs! Those are the words that I saw for the title of that Facebook event invite when I looked to see why there seemed to be like ten different protests going on at once at Washington Square Park this past weekend, and that’s not including the Women’s March that was there this past weekend also as I attempted to vend those Black Lives Matter, Not My President, Occupy Wall Street, No Police State, Yoga, Tompkins Square Park, Union Square Park, Washington Square Park, Brooklyn and I Love New York necklaces, magnets, key chains and pins for $2 each at Washington Square Park this past weekend. Batala was drumming there and The People’s Bodega had some really good food there also.

And the Facebook event invite for the Mass March to Defund NYPD, Tax the Rich & Stop the Layoffs! read like:

RSVP HERE: https://actionnetwork.org/events/mass-march-to-defund-the-nypd-tax-the-rich-and-stop-the-layoffs

At the end of June the NYC City Council passed a budget which Mayor DeBlasio and Speaker Corey Johnson claimed Defunded the NYPD in response to the demand raised by protestors and those encamped at City Hall. This claim was a blatant lie as not a single NYPD officer faces a job loss. To add insult to injury, the budget leaves 22,000 city workers at risk of losing their jobs in the midst of crises of unemployment, economic decline and COVID-19. Thus far, the state legislature and Governor Cuomo have refused to pass legislation to Tax the Rich & Wall Street to fill the budget gap. Meanwhile President Trump threatens to withhold funds from NYC and has designated us an “Anarchist Jurisdiction.” In the spirit of resistance which drove this summer’s protests towards justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others murdered by the police, a coalition of the city’s labor and community activists invite the people, and all other social justice organizations to join us in turn in out as many NYers as possible. See you on the streets!

Link to sign-up for updates to come!

Flyer credit: @whenthisallblowsover

And there were like 32 hosts for this event invite, including, NYC Covid Coalition, Black Trans Nation, Revolting Lesbians, Crown Heights Tenant Union, PRESS NYC Parents for Responsive Equitable Safe Schools, Moms United for Black Lives NYC, Black Lives Matter Brooklyn, Met Council on Housing, NYC for Abortion Rights, Teachers Unite, Queens DSA, NYC DSA Labor Branch, Bronx, Uppen Manhattan DSA, Red Bloom: A Communist Collective, Freedom Socialists Party – NYC, Labor for Palestine, North Brooklyn DSA, Sunrise NYC, People’s Strike: Fighting for our Lives, Forging Our Future, MORE UFT, Crown Heights Service Industry Workers, North Bronx Racial Justice, Central Brooklyn DSA, Parents Supporting Parents NY INC, NYC Democratic Socialists of America, Socialist Alternative NYC, DC 37 Progressives, Rank and File Action, NYC Fight for Our Lives Coalition, DSA AfroSocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus, Local 100 Fightback and NYC DSA Racial Justice Working Group.

And that banner that I think it was Rise and Resist held up in front of the Washington Square Park arch that said “DEMOCRACY DIES IN A POLICE STATE” was really cool. And it seems to have been a weekend of demonstrations and protests.

Black Lives Matter. Occupy Wall Street Worldwide. And what, if anything, does this have to do with a No Police State.  Have a great New York City protest day and more, if possible, during these crazy and historical times we are living in.

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A March To Shut Down Rikers Island

















Hey again bloggers or whoever could be reading this blagh. And so along with what seems like the remnants of hurricane Joaquin the other day, in the midst of Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter and beyond, there was another March to Shut Down Rikers Island that was held rain, hurricane or shine in that city of New York on that Island of Queens, at the foot of the bridge leading to Rikers Island. And I guess those photos and videos from that event that day that find themselves posted above can speak for themselves. And that March to Shut Down Rikers Island Facebook event invite for this event read something like: 

Saturday, October 3rd, join #ResistRikers & friends in a march to shut down Rikers Island. Featuring artwork & props by The People’s Puppets of Occupy Wall Street. RAIN OR SHINE.

3pm meet-up in front of the Rikers Island sign, followed by a speak out, march, and more! Bring your voice, banners, friends, and family. All are invited to speak about their experiences.

Directions: Q100 bus to the Rikers Island sign (right before the bridge) at the intersection of 19 Ave. & Hazen St. in Queens, from one of the following subway stations: (N/Q) Astoria-Ditmars Blvd, (F) 21 St- Queensbridge, (E/M/R) Queens Plaza, or (G) Court Square.

Contact us to get involved with planning and outreach.
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WE DEMAND AN END TO TORTURE IN NYC!
Rikers Island is NYC’s Abu Ghraib, where individuals in need of care are instead caged, languishing both mentally and physically; a place where those suffering illnesses are tortured not treated, denying them the most basic of human rights.

WE DEMAND AN END TO CRIMINALIZING POVERTY!
Most people incarcerated on Rikers Island have not been convicted of a crime. They are unable to afford bail and awaiting their next court appearance and/or trial. NYC’s Tale of Two Cities forces the poor and innocent to endure a culture of violence, rape, and overall barbarism that no human should be subject to.

WE DEMAND AN END TO DECEPTIVE REFORMS!
Mayor de Blasio shows up for photo shoots in newly renovated portions of the jail complex, while most of it remains in a state of serious disrepair and deterioration. There are frequent sewage backups and water main breaks. The floors and ceilings are crumbling. The heating and ventilation systems don’t function properly. There are rotting showers, toilets, and sinks.

WE DEMAND AN END TO OPPRESSION!
NYC Department of Correction and the Correction Officers Benevolent Association have reaped the benefits of inequality and bloodshed for far too long. Too many lives, homes, and hearts have been destroyed so that a morally bankrupt system may flourish.

NO MORE!

#ResistRikers #EyesOnRikers #BlackLivesMatter #PovertyIsNotACrime#KaliefBrowder #JusticeForKalief #SaveOurYouth

And Resist Rikers posted on that March to SHUT DOWN RIKERS ISLAND Facebook event invite, 

“THANK YOU to everyone who trooped it out to this afternoon’s march to shut down Rikers!!! Super extra mega thanks to the peeps at Black Lives Matter. NYC Shut It Down: The Grand Central Crew, Copwatch Patrol Unit – CPU”, The People’s Puppets of Occupy Wall Street, and Millions March NYC. TOGETHER, WE WILL WIN! Only in unity will we put an end to torture in NYC and SHUT DOWN RIKERS!!!”

And there are articles with titles like Rikers Island Jail, New York City: Shut Down This Torture Hellhole!, Queens Councilman Wants to Abolish Rikers Island, and even Department of Justice to Release 6,000 Prisoners calling to shut down Rikers and prison reform. And so The Stop Mass Incarceration Network has created another Facebook event invite #RiseUpOctober: Shut Down Rikers Island and their event invite reads something like:

It’s been called “New York’s Abu Ghraib,” a combination torture chamber & concentration camp. After years of exposure, after lawsuits and decrees, horrors that shock the conscience continue unabated. In the country’s largest jail, lives are irreparably damaged every day.
As part of #RiseUpOctober, join in a non-violent direct action and protest to Shut Down Rikers Island. Sign up to be part of the action, or to provide support. Write: addmyvoice@riseupoctober.org

When: Morning; Gathering Location: TBA

And flood the streets on October 24:
https://www.facebook.com/events/767581106685589/

Also, take part in the national October 22 National Day of Protest to STOP Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation across the country:
https://www.facebook.com/events/767581106685589/

And according to that NAACP photo posted above, “Welcome to America, home to 5% of the world’s people and 25% of the world’s prisoners. And Rikers Island is one of the ten worst prisons in America. And New York City is what a police state looks like. And Rikers Island is what a police state looks like. No one is free when others are oppressed. Is another world possible. And what does this have to do with a No Police State.

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