New York City, NY – Thousands of workers and their families and supporters rallied in New York City to celebrate and honor International Workers’ Day on May 1, marching through downtown Manhattan from Washington Square Park to Foley Square. The May Day rally was called by the NYC Central Labor Council, which represents among many unions, the Laborers International Union Local 78, UAW CFU and ALAA, HTC (Hotel, Gaming, and Trades Counsel), IATSE and SEIU/32BJ.

The labor unions participating in the march highlighted workplace issues under Trump, including direct attacks on organized labor, and the use of ICE agents to terrorize workers and their families. One large contingent in the march was led by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, whose members carried large banners that read “Revive the strike!” and “ICE out of everywhere!”

Notable labor groups participating also included the Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE) caucus of the UFT and members of Teamsters for a Democratic Union.

Jacob Muldoon, a member of TDU and Teamsters Local 804 said, “I’m here with FRSO at the May Day Rally at Washington Square Park. I’m a proud union member with the Teamsters and we’re to celebrate International Workers’ Day and to say happy May Day! We need to fight for workers’ rights, fight for ICE out of our communities, and fight for a better world.”

Lee Dynes, a member of FRSO and teacher with the MORE caucus of UFT added: “it’s amazing to see so many unionists and activists come out in solidarity with the working class and with oppressed peoples all over the world. International Workers Day is a wonderful opportunity for us unionized workers to build solidarity with the other peoples’ movements, and with each other.”

Community organizations also showed up, including Brooklyn Against War (BAW), a local group fighting to free Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, and to end U.S. aggression.

BAW member Collin Poirot explained, “We are here today because we know that the wars and aggression against Iran, Venezuela, Palestine and so many other countries have no benefit to the workers here. The strike on Venezuela to illegally kidnap President Maduro cost $3 billion, and the war on Iran has cost $35 billion. Those dollars spent bombing and oppressing workers in other countries should have been used to support working class families right here in the United States.”

Chants included “They’ve got the money, we’ve got the might! Shut it down, revive the strike!” alongside calls for “ICE out!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for wars and deportations!”

New Yorkers interested in joining the labor movement should attend FRSO NYC’s General Meeting on May 9, which will focus on the topic of “Reviving the Strike: The Task of Socialists in the Labor Movement”. The meeting is open to the public, and the registration link can be found on the @frsonyc Instagram page.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay

New York City, NY – On April 29, UFT teachers from the Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE) and community members who engages with the NYC public school system flooded the New York City Department of Education’s “Panel for Educational Policy.”

First, they rallied outside the panel venue at Sun Yat Sen Intermediate School at 5:30 p.m., with speeches calling on the department to give more material support for immigrant students being abducted by ICE, to oppose the encroachment of AI in public education, and criticizing the push from the New York Police Department to establish buffer zones around schools.

Teachers chanted, “When immigrant students are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Then the activists went inside. They were all wearing red and holding signs like “More support for our immigrant students!” and “No AI!” The teachers lined up for public comment, criticizing their bosses, the education department and the chancellor about the backward budget plan and its connection to big education technology companies, as well as for the lack of material support and guidance for immigrant students.

While the panel tried to shut down speakers for being “off topic,” union activist and Bronx teacher Lee Dynes during his public comment, “When’s the last time you were in a classroom? If ever? It’s the teachers and the students who really know the problems that we are dealing with.”

A longtime MORE member and teacher said to the panel, “We have all this money for AI, but somehow we don't have any money for legal support for our immigrant students.” She continued, with the crowd applauding, “We’re asking for some clear and immediate actions: we ask that the DoE denounce any detention, removal, or family separation by ICE within 24 hours; that teachers and school staff be allowed to go to 26 Federal Plaza during the work day to support impacted families, and trainings to ensure staff know what to do when immigration enforcement is outside of schools, and what happens if they come inside.”

In New York City, there are no democratically elected school boards like there are in other cities. Instead, there is “mayoral control”, where the mayor appoints the relevant positions of the DoE. Therefore, pressuring DoE officials at the Panel for Educational Policy, during a tiny two-minute 30-second window once a month, is one of the only ways teachers and community members can speak out on educational policy in NYC, and push to the forefront the most pressing issues that schools, teachers, and students are facing today.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #Labor #Teachers #Education #UFT #MORE

New York City, NY – On Wednesday February 11, in the frigid cold of Manhattan’s financial district, rank-and-file unionists held a speakout in front of United Federation of Teachers headquarters, while the union’s monthly delegate assembly was being held. The action sought to put pressure on union leadership to do more to support immigrant students, families and staff from ICE attacks.

The speakout coincided with an “Immigrants Rights Week of Action in Schools” organized by the MORE Caucus (Movement of Rank and File Educators) which included sending mass emails to UFT top brass to pressure them to do more on the immigrant rights issue.

The teachers chanted “When immigrant students are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “Legalization for all, say it from the union hall!” Calling out UFT President Michael Mulgrew by name, they shouted “Mulgrew Mulgrew hear our cry, we want support and that’s no lie!”

The teachers gave speeches comparing the militant anti-ICE actions of other teachers’ unions—like in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and the leading immigrant rights work done by the Chicago Teachers Union and United Teachers Los Angeles—to the work of their own union in NYC.

They brought attention to the lack of funding and centralized guidance of the immigrant defense committees which have formed at various school sites in NYC after the election of Donald Trump in 2025. The UFT passed a resolution at their delegate assembly in June of that year rhetorically supporting the creation of the committees, but the teachers say they are lacking material support from their union leadership.

Ismael Ali Moussa, a Bronx teacher who participated in the action, said, “Wednesday’s speakout outside the UFT was a powerful reminder that when we come together and raise our voices collectively, we can’t be ignored. It wasn’t just about making noise; it was about standing in solidarity for our community but most importantly our immigrant students! Being there showed me how much energy and determination there is among us to fight for real change and demand for change.”

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #Labor #UFT #Teachers #MORE

NYC, NY – On November 5t, in Midtown Manhattan, the Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE Cacus), the opposition caucus within the United Federation of Teachers, held their second General Assembly of the year. The event was called “Hands Off Our Schools: Building Union Power Under Authoritarianism” and heard from at least 40 teachers from across all 5 NYC Boroughs.

First, an introduction was made to what was meant by the word “authoritarianism”. Tech oligarchy, billionaires, the religious far right, and the use of repression and violence by a small elite were mentioned in the presentation.

Next, a panel took place with two MORE members discussing a recent resolution called “Hands Off Our Schools”, which was adopted by the UFT at the October delegate assembly. The resolution was drafted by rank-and-file teachers and MORE members after the election of Donald Trump and called on the union to oppose all attacks to public education, to education workers and to students, in all their forms. After considerable stonewalling and stalling from UFT leadership, when the resolution was presented to the delegate assembly, it was adopted with a 97% majority vote.

It was emphasized by the MORE Cacus how much opposition they face from union leadership in even being able have a resolution added to the agenda, let alone to have one voted on.

Teachers spoke and shared ideas in small groups and as a whole assembly. When discussing how authoritarianism manifests in their workplaces and lives, some mentioned curriculum mandates and the push for AI in education, the cutting off of SNAP benefits, and the threat of ICE raids and arrests.

When asked about what goals the unionists had, a lively discussion ensued where members shared “building a union which is strike ready,” “protecting our students,” “give our students what they need,” “be able to teach about Gaza” and many other ideas.

In order to meet these goals, the unionists emphasized that it was necessary to struggle against UFT leadership, who aren’t doing anything to uphold progressive resolutions that have passed. Equally stressed was the importance of mobilizing the rank and file of unions, using militant tactics including striking, and focusing on shop floor struggles which are directly tied to the workplace.

The educators left the meeting inspired and ready with ideas to take back to their workplaces and chapter meetings, to continue the fight against threats to their jobs and to public education.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #Labor #Teachers #MORE #UFT

New York, NY – On September 6, in Midtown Manhattan labor unions began assembling at 8:30 a.m. for the annual NYC Labor Day Parade sponsored by the NYC Labor Council, AFL-CIO. The event is the nation's oldest and largest Labor Day Parade, with over 200 unions and constituency groups participating.

Many union locals had large floats which played loud music to energize the crowd of union members, who joined in to the event with their respective locals and enjoyed free food and drink.

Around 11 a.m., the crowd of tens of thousands of unionized workers began preparing to march north through the streets of Manhattan. While marching, they chanted, “Get up, get down, New York is a union town!” “Tax the rich! Tax the motherfucking rich!” and “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go!”

Among the many unions and union locals present were the UFT, DC-37, NYSNA, UCATS 3882 of NYU, CSEA Local 1000, 1199 SEIU, NYC Iron Workers, and more.

The United Federation of Teachers, UFT, were in particularly strong force. The nearly 200,000-member public sector union had a float and hundreds of members present, reflecting a wide array of political interests. Slogans included “ “Union strong” and “Never cross a picket line.” Reflecting their opposition to Trump's anti-immigrant policies, educators also shouted “Up up with education, down down with deportation!”

A sizable group of UFT workers had signs and shirts which said “UFT for Zohran,” reflecting the union's recent endorsement of the progressive mayoral candidate. They chanted, “UFT for Mamdani” and “Hey hey, ho ho, Andrew Cuomo has got to go.” Many of these unionists discussed their experiences canvassing for Mamdani.

Other UFT members were present who had organized themselves into an autonomous group called “NYC Educators for Palestine” and were campaigning for the Teacher Retirement System of New York to divest from companies which support Israel’s ongoing occupation and genocide of Palestinians.

Many people not participating in the march watched it go by in solidarity. The march ended at West 64th Street with musical performances, chants and speeches.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #Labor #LaborDay #AFLCIO #UFT #NYCEFP

Nakba Day commemorates the victims of the Palestinian Nakba in 1948, during which Israeli settler militias ethnically cleansed over 750,000 Palestinians from their homelands, depopulating 531 villages, and massacring over 15,000 Palestinians to establish the state of Israel.

Nakba Day takes place yearly on May 15 to recognize not only the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in 1948 but the continued occupation of Palestinian land for over 77 years now. This year’s Nakba Day takes place during the ongoing genocide in Gaza which has led to the displacement of over 2 million people, the deaths of over 50,000, and the complete blockade of fuel, food and medicine into the Gaza Strip.

Nerdeen Kiswani, from Within Our Lifetime, called attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people and highlighted how they continue to resist and continue to remain resilient even in the face of genocide. Kiswani emphasized that if the Palestinian people are able to continue to fight back under those conditions, Americans have no excuse to not go out and protest to demand an arms embargo and cutting all ties with Israel. After she spoke, protesters chanted “We don’t want no two states, we remember 48!” And “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Protesters led by Within Our Lifetime took over the Brooklyn Bridge and marched across it to City Hall. As they marched, thousands of onlookers cheered, took photos and joined in on the chants. Police cars followed the protest across the bridge, inciting protesters to chant “NYPD, KKK IOF they’re all the same!”

The rally stopped at its second location where almost a hundred protesters holding a massive Palestinian flag were waiting. They took over the streets and continued marching to Union Square. Hundreds continued to chant “Resistance is justified, when people are occupied!” and “There is only one solution! Intifada revolution!”

At Union Square, dozens of Zionist provocateurs were stationed to harass protesters. The agitators hurled vile, racist insults and some of the agitators threw a yellow liquid at the rally, sparking a clash between police, Zionists and the pro-Palestinian protesters. Despite these attempts at agitation and disruption, the march continued past Union Square to Madison Square Park.

At Madison Square Park, Anas Saleh, from Within Our Lifetime and Doctors Against Genocide, read a statement from a Palestinian doctor who described the catastrophic conditions Palestinians in north Gaza are facing.

Salah then spoke on his own experiences traveling to the West Bank last year. He described how in just two months he saw the horrific reality of the Israeli occupation.. He saw blindfolded Palestinians on the streets being harassed by Israeli soldiers. He remembered how Palestinian children were told to hide behind a wall whenever they saw an Israeli soldier. He then spoke on his own encounter with a soldier. “Just because I am a young man and Palestinian, an IOF soldier stopped and asked me ‘Why are you smiling?’ He then pointed his gun at my head.” He emphasized how this was just his experience in two months in the West Bank; for Palestinians this is a daily reality for them that has held true for their whole lives.

The rally ended and dispersed after Salahs’ speech. Within Our Lifetime organizers urged protesters to continue coming out to the streets and to encourage more people to come out. The struggle cannot end until Palestine is free from the river to the sea.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #International #Palestine #WOL #DAG

New York, NY – On February 27, the New York University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and picket outside the NYU Kimmel center to demand that the university senate refuse to comply with Donald Trump’s executive orders, and to commit to protecting its students from any attacks that may come in the future. 

Approximately 50 students marched outside the front entrance to the Kimmel center, where the U senate was meeting, and chanted “No compliance! With Trump’s violence!” and “When students are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

“NYU might promise to ‘comply with the law,’ but we will not comply with anyone, NYU-affiliated or otherwise, who seeks to threaten our rights, safety, or solidarity,” said an NYU student and speaker at the event. 

In the four weeks since Trump’s inauguration, he has enacted executive orders threatening the funding of institutions that welcome and protect trans, Black, brown, and immigrant students. Already, NYU has demonstrated a dangerous willingness to comply with these policies, preemptively canceling lifesaving gender affirming care at its institutional hospital and committing to “follow the law” when asked about allowing ICE on campus. 

The university administration has also attacked its students' rights to speech and protest, having suspended 13 activists and placed over 20 students on probation at the end of the winter term. This willingness to bend the knee to dangerous and discriminatory federal actions presents an ongoing threat to the safety of NYU’s student community.

NYU SDS commits to continued action to protect and serve our community. To quote the ending speech of the rally, “If the NYU administration refuses to defend its students against the Trump regime, we will defend ourselves.”

#NewYorkCityNY #NewYorkNY #NYC #ICE #SanctuaryCampus #NYU #SDS #NYUSDS #Trump

New York, NY – On February 25, over 20 NYU students, faculty and workers picketed the board of trustees meeting demanding they disclose and divest from all companies supplying Israel in its genocidal occupation of Palestine.

In addition to disclosure and divestment, the NYU People’s Solidarity Coalition demanded the closure of the NYU Tel Aviv campus, built upon stolen Palestinian land, and the reversal of all suspensions and probation charges of Palestine student activists. The coalition’s demands aim to cut the university’s ties to the state of Israel.

As board of trustee members were escorted into their meeting by campus security officers, they were confronted by picketersdemanding that they disclose and divest. As the meeting went on, picketers chanted “Trustees pick a side, justice or genocide” and “We want justice you say how! Answer our demands now!”

The picket was called for by the NYU People’s Solidarity Coalition, which consists of the NYU Students for a Democratic Society, NYU Students for Justice in Palestine, Shut It Down NYU, NYU Graduate Student Workers Union – UAW, and several other organizations.

The participating organizations vow to continue their fight against NYU, no matter what repressive tactics are thrown their way. They will continue struggling until they win all their demands.

#NewYorkCityNY #NewYorkNY #NYC #NYU NYUPSC #SDS #NYUSDS #NYUSJP #SJP #BDS #UAW #NYUGSWU #FreePalestine #Disclose #Divest

New York, NY – On January 24, over 50 NYU students gathered at a rally called by the NYU Students for a Democratic Society (NYU SDS) to protest against Trump’s backwards agenda for his second term as president. The rally took place at Garibaldi Plaza at Washington Square Park, a popular rallying spot for NYU student organizations. 

Students chanted, “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!”, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay Donald Trump go away” and “Trump hear us loud and clear, immigrants are welcome here!” Hundreds of people walked by the rally, stopping for brief moments to take photos and videos or to catch parts of it. 

Speakers from the NYU SDS, NYU Queer Union, NYU Students for Justice in Palestine (NYU SJP), NYU Black Student Union and the NYU Young Democratic Socialists of America (NYU YDSA) brought attention to the various attacks that Trump had already launched or plans on launching on the American people, including the NYU student body. 

In response to these attacks, speakers called on the people to unite, build community and fight back. 

“We must continue to support efforts for diversity, equity and inclusion. To combat white supremacy, to fight against a world that only recognizes heterosexual attraction, to oppose a world where the gender binary is the only reality, we must be louder and more forceful,” said the speaker from the NYU Queer Union. 

The speaker for NYU YDSA, said “Let me tell you we cannot fall into this world of despair, misery and belief that all we can do is stand by as conditions get worse hoping that will wake people up on their own. The work starts now. To educate, agitate and organize for the better world that each and every one of us deserves.”

After the speakers, protesters marched by the NYU campus. As they marched, campus security officers ran to set up barriers by NYU Gould Plaza. Gould Plaza used to be a public space that anyone was able to enter. However, after the first encampment at NYU, the administration had walls and a checkpoint constructed, restricting access to the plaza to only NYU students. As protesters marched, they chanted “The students united will never be defeated” with hundreds of NYU students looking on and making way for the crowd. 

The march ended at Schwartz Plaza, the site of the NYU second encampment from last year. Schwartz Plaza is next to the John A. Paulson Center, named after a billionaire hedge funder who donated millions to the Trump campaign. Campus security rushed to put up barriers in front of the plaza to prevent protesters from entering it. 

Ebtesham Ahmed, the emcee and a member of NYU SDS, ended the rally by saying, “We will be here to resist. We will be here to fight back. No matter how much they try to repress our movement, they will fail. Because we are daring to struggle and daring to win! And from the bottom of my heart, I believe that we will win.”

#NewYorkCityNY #NYC #NYU #NYUSDS #SDS #NYUQueerUnion #NYUSJP #SJP #BSU #NYUBSU #NYUYDSA #YDSA #Trump #Inauguration

New York, NY - On October 18, over 100 activists and community members, representing nearly 20 different grassroots community organizations, packed The People’s Forum in Manhattan for an evening of solidarity and resistance. The event, titled “Defend People’s Struggle: A Conversation on State Repression,” kicked off the East Coast leg of the Justice for the Tampa 5 speaking tour. It centered activists who have been directly targeted for arrest and trumped up charges as part of the increased state repression facing organizers.

The speakers represented organizations from all corners of the movement. In addition to Laura Roriguez of the Tampa 5, the evening’s program speakers also included: Marte White, from Community Movement Builders in Atlanta, Georgia and the fight to stop Cop City; a speaker from NYC-based organization For Our Liberation; Nina Macapinlac from BAYAN USA; a speaker from New York Boricua Resistance; a speaker from the Haitian diaspora organization Rasanbleman Pou Ayiti, and Kaleem Hawa from the Palestinian Youth Movement.

All speakers were united in a clear message: We must defend people’s struggles. Only through steadfast solidarity can we protect ourselves and our movements. The only way to move forward is to fight back.

Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5, a group of five Florida students and activists facing felony charges for defending diversity on campus, stated, “Because of organizing, because we are in an organization, and because of the support we’ve gotten nationally, we were able to expedite our release from jail,” she said in her speech. She ended on an optimistic note on the power of organizing and solidarity: “Because of the organizing that we will do on the speaking tour, that we have done, and because of everyone here today, I know for a fact that the charges will be dropped.”

Another key point of the evening was raised by Marte White, a transfeminine organizer involved in the struggle against Cop City in Atlanta. They spoke about the importance of combating lies spread by the enemy, citing the disinformation spread by the Atlanta police in the wake of their murder of environmental activists Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán last March. This point was echoed by Allendy of Rasanbleman Pou Ayiti and Kaleem Hawa of the Palestinian Youth Movement. 

The Rasanbleman Pou Ayiti spoke of the UN Security Council’s decision to authorize the tenth invasion of Haiti in the past 30 years under the pretext of combatting “gang violence,” when it is really an attempt to access cheap labor, land and resources in Haiti. “Whenever the UN Security Council is about to vote on what to do in Haiti, gang violence rises,” he said. “So we can tell clearly, this is to repress the Haitian people whenever they want to mobilize and fight for their sovereignty. We can’t rely on this system, we can’t rely on the mass media, who have shown us time and time again that our independence, our sovereignty, and our liberation mean nothing to them.”

Hawa put it more bluntly: “Do not share the enemy’s propaganda. It’s a very difficult time. We don’t need to give them attention, and we can’t let ourselves be distracted.”

As the final speaker of the event, Hawa delivered a powerful analysis of the current, historic moment in the struggle for Palestinian Liberation. He emphasized the importance of contextualizing current events in the long history of Zionist attempts to exterminate the Palestinian people and inflict maximum human suffering in Gaza. “They are doing this because Gaza is the heart of Palestinian resistance and always has been,” he reminded the audience, “and they need a genocidal solution to the resistance from Gaza.”

Speaking of the political repression faced by Palestinians - within Palestine, and in the near and far diasporas, including New York City, Hawa stated, “Zionism is borderless, and its intention is to eliminate the political Palestinian life.” However, he continued, “The Palestinian armed resistance has shown the world that Israel is as weak as spider web.”

The evening concluded with rousing chants of “Free Palestine!” and calls to action from the organizations participating. In particular, all speakers stressed the importance of joining organizations and standing in solidarity with each other in the ongoing struggle. As Rodriguez put it when speaking to student organizers in the audience: “We must not only defend but continue to push higher. We’re working to create something that’s never been seen before, to create actual power across all of the movements, because only we can lift us up out of this.”

#NewYorkCityNY #Tampa5 #FreePalestine #Gaza #AlAqsaFlood #PYM #PoliticalRepression #StopCopCity

NYC, NY – Just over two months after 78-year-old Caesar Robinson was murdered in his Brooklyn home by the NYPD, activists led by New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) rallied in front of the 81st Police Precinct to demand justice. Activists called for the NYPD to release the body camera footage as well as the names of the officers who shot and killed Robinson in his own apartment.

On April 13, Caesar Robinson’s nephew reported a burglary in progress at his elderly uncle’s Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment. When officers from the 81st Precinct responded, Robinson opened the door to his apartment and the NYPD shot him six times. Despite NYPD claims that the body camera footage proves that Robinson had a gun, the police have yet to release any video to the public or to name the officers involved.

The rally began with Sharif Hall, a member of NYCAP, leading the crowd with a chant, “Justice for Caesar!” and reiterating NYCAP’s demands. The cops immediately attempted to stop the rally with bogus claims of a noise complaint, but Shivani Ishwar, also from NYCAP, made it clear that the activists would not be silenced, saying, “We’re here to remind the 81st Precinct: We haven’t forgotten about Caesar Robinson. And we won’t let you forget about him, either.”

Also present at the rally was Sheina Banatte, cousin of Eudes Pierre, and a key organizer in the campaign for Justice for Eudes Pierre. Pierre was killed by the NYPD in Crown Heights in 2021, after he himself called the police while in the midst of an apparent mental health crisis. In a powerful and heart-wrenching speech, Banatte said, “Eudes called 911. They sent the police and now he’s dead. According to reports, Caesar Robinson’s friend called the police, and now he’s dead. It doesn’t take a degree or status to sense the pattern. This is a tragedy. The police are causing so much hurt, as we’re trying to desperately heal. Give us justice, like any other citizen.”

The 81st Precinct is home to nearly 100 police officers with allegations of misconduct on their records – and over three-quarters of those officers have more than one complaint against them. NYCAP highlighted how this pattern of negligence and abuse without consequences emboldens the police to harm the community. In addition to reiterating their demand to release the names of the cops who killed Robinson, NYCAP also demanded that the NYPD fire killer cops, as well as all cops with more than three substantiated complaints on their records.

Finally, the rally concluded with Sharif Hall describing NYCAP’s long term campaign for community control of police in New York City as the crowd chanted, “NYPD kills on patrol! How do we stop them? Community control!”

NYCAP will continue to demand justice for Caesar Robinson, the names of the officers, and the release of the body camera footage as part of their broader campaign to fire killer cops. On July 1, NYCAP will also be holding a know-your-rights training at a Bed-Stuy community center, Somewhere Good, to help community members learn how to protect themselves from the NYPD.

#NewYorkCityNY #PoliceBrutality #antipolicebrutality

On Monday, May 1, Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old Black man well known throughout the city for his performances as a Michael Jackson impersonator in Times Square, was tired, thirsty and hungry. Jordan was one of the roughly 100,000 people in New York City who experience homelessness each year. Like many of those people, he was on a subway train, a common place for unhoused people in New York to sleep and panhandle. Neely was fed up with being ignored and was emotionally distraught. And for that, Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old ex-Marine, decided that Jordan deserved to die.

The brutal video captured by other passengers on the train shows Daniel Penny kill Jordan by holding him in a chokehold for 15 minutes. When the police arrived, Jordan was pronounced dead, and on Wednesday, May 3, the city office of the chief medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. Yet after police interviewed Daniel Penny, he was released without charges.

In a statement, the New York Community Action Project (NYCAP), a Brooklyn-based organization fighting police crimes, spoke on behalf of all outraged New Yorkers saying, “Neely needed help, not violence, and now he is no longer alive due to the violent actions of a man the police are protecting by letting him walk free.”

Jordan’s death comes in the midst of a trifecta of mounting crises in New York City.

New York City already tops the list as the most expensive city for renters in the United States. But the day after Jordan’s murder, the city’s Rent Guidelines Board approved rent increases of up to 7% for rent-stabilized apartments—the steepest rent hike in a decade. Yet even this is down from the board’s initial proposal of a staggering 16%, a figure so outrageous that it sparked protest from both tenant supporters and from five city councilors.

At a time when working-class families are already struggling to survive inflation and economic recession, the rent hikes threaten to leave even more people throughout the city without stable housing. So, for many New Yorkers, Jordan Neely evokes the very immediate risk of impending homelessness.

Jordan Neely was just one of the tens of thousands of New Yorkers sleeping in the streets, the subway, and city shelters each night who ex-cop Mayor Eric Adams has made it his mission to persecute. 2022 was the deadliest year on record for NYC’s unhoused population – a fact that can be directly attributed to Adams’ relentlessly anti-poor and anti-people policies.

Since taking office, Adams has been extremely vocal about his administration’s sweeps of homeless encampments. During these violent and traumatizing sweeps, unhoused people are forced to flee the locations where they are living, usually while their personal possessions are confiscated or destroyed. Between March and October of 2022, the city attacked over 3000 encampments, or 14 locations a day.

At the same time, Adams and his collaborator, Governor Kathy Hochul, also cracked down on people taking shelter in the subway system. Particularly during the sweltering summer and freezing winter months, the subway system offers a relatively safe, temperature controlled place for people to sleep and live. But beginning in 2022, Adams and Hochul flooded the subway system with over 1000 additional NYPD officers explicitly directed to target unhoused people and force them to leave the trains and subway stations. On the F train line in Manhattan, where Neely was murdered, it is common to see over a dozen police officers in a single station.

As if this weren’t enough, Adams doubled down even further on his assault on poor and unhoused people in November of 2022, when he empowered the NYPD to forcibly institutionalize people who are deemed “unable to meet their basic needs,” including in cases where the police “cannot overcome the person’s unawareness of their own illness.” Far from prioritizing mental health treatments, the initiative was a clear escalation of the city’s efforts to sweep the homelessness crisis out of public view by sidestepping people’s legal rights.

In this atmosphere of heightening hostility towards unhoused and mentally ill people, it was always only a matter of time before something like Jordan Neely’s murder happened. The Adams administration’s fear-mongering policies primed the city not only for the vigilante violence of Daniel Penny, but also for the inaction of the other train passengers who failed to intervene in Jordan’s defense.

In the days since Neely died, spontaneous and organized protests have occurred throughout New York City. On Wednesday, May 3, protesters occupied the Broadway Lafayette subway station where Jordan was killed. The next day, people gathered at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and marched to demand justice, and again on Friday hundreds of protesters rallied in Washington Square Park.

NYCAP articulated both the outrage and the determination permeating the city. “This is yet another example of the city’s carelessness toward Black and unhoused people. NYCAP stands in full solidarity with Jordan Neely and calls for the arrest and trial of his killer, as well as demanding full accountability for the cops who refused to arrest him. Fire killer cops!”

#NeyYorkCityNY #NewYorkCityNY #PoliceBrutality #JordanNeely

New York City, NY – On Saturday, February 18, the Black Is Back Coalition hosted an all-day webinar, focusing on the FBI’s history of attacking Black and African people as well as radical social justice organizers. Speakers included noted figures including Ward Churchill, Ajamu Baraka and Omali Yeshitela. The conference was also endorsed by groups including Union del Barrio, Friends of the Congo, the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, and the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement.

The speeches mostly provided historical context about the role the FBI has played in trying to destroy people’s movements. The panelists also urged the attendees to join with their communities and organizations to help fight back against the FBI’s raids and intimidation, which has recently been targeted toward the African People’s Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement.

The conference concluded with a brief workshop, “When the FBI Comes Knocking: Best Practices,” presented by Collin Poirot of the National Lawyers Guild. Poirot explained the best ways to protect your rights if the FBI attempts to visit you at home or tries to question you. Poirot also emphasized the importance of contacting an attorney, alerting the community, raising awareness of FBI intimidation tactics, and refusing to answer questions without a legal representative present.

#NewYorkCityNY #PoliticalRepression #StopFBI