New York, NY – On March 4, a dozen activists rallied across from the 79th New York Police Department Precinct building in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn to condemn the harassment and mistreatment of the Bed-Stuy community at the hands of the precinct cops. The protest also marked the launch of the New York Community Action Project’s (NYCAP) campaign to fire abusive cops across the city.

The rally began with the emcee welcoming everyone who had come out and leading the crowd in energetically chanting, “The violence needs to stop! Fire bad cops!”

Speaking on the racist and criminal behavior of the NYPD across New York City, Lee Dynes from NYCAP cited the NYPD’s own recently released use of force report, stating, “In 2021, in New York City, 95% of the people that cops shot at were Black or Latino. The NYPD brutalizes us and our communities, and it is only getting worse.”

As the protesters chanted and held signs calling out specific officers at the 79th Precinct with records of racist and oppressive violence, the rally immediately drew vocal support from the neighborhood, with pedestrians and drivers in nearby traffic sharing their own experiences with the 79th Precinct and accusing the officers there of being “crooks.”

Shivani Ishwar of NYCAP addressed the 79th Precinct specifically, which received 74 complaints against its officers in 2022 alone, stating,. “Over half of the complaints to this precinct are about corrupt cops using violence against the people of this neighborhood.”

Ishwar continued by naming specific officers with the most egregious records including Emilio Ortega, Larry Meyers and James Hart. All of the officers named continue to pull six-figure salaries from the city, despite the numerous complaints accusing them of abuse of authority, violence against the community, and use of racial slurs. As Ishwar named each officer, the crowd chanted “Fire abusive cops!”

Although this rally focused on the behavior of the 79th Precinct, racist violent behavior is standard practice across the NYPD. The final speech of the rally, from NYCAP member Anevay Zapata, described how “the NYPD gets away with literal murder,” but concluded by offering a path forward through NYCAP’s campaign for community control of the police. “New York is my home,” Zapata said, “and I know that we deserve better. We all know that we deserve better than to be terrorized in this police state. CPAC now!”

The New York Community Action project will be holding their next rally in celebration of International Women’s Day, to discuss the role that police play in the repression of women and reproductive rights. The speak out will be at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 11 at 3:00 p.m.

#NewYorkNY #PoliceBrutality #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP #StopPoliceCrimes

New York, NY – The New York Community Action Project held a speakout on Saturday, February 11, at Herbert Von King Park in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. The speakout was to mark the police murders of Tyre Nichols and Manny Paez. Nichols was murdered in Memphis during a traffic stop, while Paez was killed by police while defending the land in Atlanta from the development of a police facility known as “Cop City.”

Speakers addressed both deaths, as well as local New York police crime cases, and the need for community control of the police to better hold the police accountable for killing people.

Along with speeches, the group led chants about the NYPD and community control, while educating people walking by about the campaign for a civilian police accountability council.

The New York Community Action Project – NYCAP – will be holding their next rally, “The Many Crimes of the 79th Precinct”, to raise awareness about the abuses by and complaints made against various officers in the neighborhood. The action will be on Saturday, March 4, at 3 p.m. at Herbert Von King Park.

#NewYorkNY #PoliceBrutality #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP #StopPoliceCrimes

New York, NY – Around two dozen organizers and community members gathered in front of New York City Hall, the office of Mayor Eric Adams, to host a No Cops in Power rally.

The protest was organized by the New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) – an affiliate of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – to call attention and protest how Mayor Adams continues to funnel money into the bloated $6 billion NYPD budget and away from social programs. Adams, who used to be a police officer, took office in in January 2022 and has quickly passed anti-people policies, from organized violent sweeps of the houseless population to being pro-Act 60. Act 60 provides tax exemptions to businesses and investors that relocate to and/or establish themselves in Puerto Rico.

The rally began with Jessica Schwartz, a member of NYCAP, leading people into chants that ranged from “One, two, three four – police crimes no more! Five, six, seven eight – Eric Adams wants a police state!” to a New York City favorite, “How do you spell racist?! N-Y-P-D!”

Schwartz gave background on why they were rallying on that day and introduced the first speaker, Collin Poirot, another member of NYCAP, who gave a background on the many crimes the NYPD has committed here in New York.

The organizations that spoke out were: Socialist Unity, Southern Solidarity, Justice for Domonique Alexander, and NY Boricua Resistance.

The action was closed out by Sharif Hall, a member of NYCAP. He began his rousing speech by elaborating on what it means to have true community control of the police and finished by the speech by saying, “We know that we will never be free until we have the power, the power to take control over our communities!”

NYCAP will be hosting a Community Safety training on Saturday, October 15 to follow up from the rally and will continue to protest against Mayor Adams and the NYPD.

#NewYorkNY #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP

The speak-out was organized by the New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) and took place in Herbert Von King Park, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The speakers discussed the recent police murder of Jayland Walker, in Ohio, and also raised awareness about local victims of police violence in New York, such as Sofia Gomez, Ronald Anthony Smith and Allan Feliz.

“Although the police are already attempting to smear Jayland and cast him as deserving of such horrific violence, we condemn this as just another of the tactics that the police employ to justify their brutality,” said Briony Morgan, a member of NYCAP.

“Some of you may have heard about Ronald Anthony Smith, an African American man who was killed this April by an NYPD officer recklessly driving a police van in Crown Heights, hitting him by driving over a median. In 2020, a similar case happened, when NYPD officers in the Bronx sped through a red light, killing Sofia Gomez Aguilon, who had just moved here from Guatemala. In another instance in the Bronx in 2019, Allan Feliz was shot at point blank range during what should have been a routine traffic stop. Why is the NYPD so negligent and outright abusive toward people? It’s because their job isn’t to serve and protect the people, but to keep us scared of their power through intimidation and murder,” added another NYCAP member, Jessica Schwartz.

The organizers handed out flyers explaining their ongoing campaign for community control over the police, and highlighting the failures of police accountability in NYC.

#BrooklynNY #PoliceBrutality #PoliceCrimes #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP #JaylandWalker

New York, NY – Starting the morning of Monday, May 9, Filipinos and allies across the tri-state area began hosting a vigil outside of the Consulate General of the Philippines. They committed to stay until the results of a historic election were announced.

The Northeast Vigil for Democracy was one of dozens across the U.S. calling for a fair election as Filipinos voted for a variety of different positions. All eyes are on the presidency as two main candidates fight it out – Bongbong Marcos and Leni Robredo. While Marcos ran on a robust social media campaign based on rewriting history of his family, Robredo brought forward the people in effort to affect positive change.

At 7 p.m. that day, a rally began with close to 100 protesters. Speakers from different organizations, such as BAYAN, Malaya, Anakbayan, and others spoke about the meaning of this election, and why it was important that all voted. A few of the speakers emphasized how this was an avenue to explore when it came to change, but regardless of the results it was important to continue organizing.

Jessica Schwartz from the New York Community Action Project gave a speech in solidarity, stating, “That is why those of us fighting against the police here must also stand with the national democratic movement of the Philippines. We have a shared interest in the overthrow of U.S. imperialism and freedom for the Philippines and all nations facing violence by the U.S. government. None of us will be free until all of us are free. Long live international solidarity!”

The rally ended in high spirits as protesters set up to keep vigil overnight.

Unfortunately, in the morning hours, the results showed that Marcos, who is guilty of massive election fraud, had won. However, this didn’t deter the protesters from keeping vigil outside of the consulate. They are currently still protesting and calling for justice and democracy.

#NewYorkNY #Philippines #BAYAN #ANAKBAYAN #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP #Asia

New York, NY – Members of New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) gathered on the cold and windy Sunday, March 13, after International Women’s Day, to speak out and protest the New York Police Department’s treatment of women in New York.

Jessica Schwartz told the crowd, “On a national level, police families face two to four times more prevalent instances of violence. A report from 2019 that reviewed the NYPD’s disciplinary practices showed that cops are more lenient toward cops who commit domestic violence. In fact, officers received more severe punishment for ‘discourtesy to a commanding officer’ than for committing physical violence against a child or spouse. The fact is that despite claiming to ‘serve and protect’ the people of New York, the NYPD really serves to protect their own first and foremost, even when they are blatantly abusing women.”

Schwartz was followed by other NYCAP members who each brought up different aspects of the NYPD’s brutality against women and oppressed genders. From talking about Sofia Gomez, an immigrant woman murdered by the NYPD as she was walking home from work, to Layleen Polanco, a 27-year-old transgender woman of color, who died in solitary confinement at Rikers Island. Speakers also brought up Breonna Taylor as the event came on the heels of the acquittal of the officers involved in her murder.

The speakout ended with the members talking about their campaign for community control of the police, and the next steps on how to wage this current struggle against the NYPD’s rampant violence.

#NewYorkNY #WomensMovement #PoliceBrutality #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP

New York, NY – Members of the New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) gathered on the afternoon of Saturday, February 26 to speak out against Mayor Eric Adams’ Blueprint to End Gun Violence proposal.

Adams released this proposal late last month and has already received criticism from the progressive movements in New York. The Blueprint is a general plan for how Adams plans on tackling various problems in New York. He believes that a falling infrastructure, homelessness, a badly managed public transportation system and joblessness all come down to one thing: gun violence.

Gun violence is on the rise in the city and it’s a symptom of a much larger problem – not the cause. Residents of the different boroughs have been very loud and clear about what’s hurting this city, and gun violence is not at the top of the list.

Adams’ proposal calls for: placing more officers in neighborhoods are already affected by over-policing, tightening the relationship between the NYPD and state police, using technology to identify individuals before they commit crimes, growing a stronger relationship with the ATF and the FBI, empowering business and churches to give information to the NYPD through the use of surveillance, prosecuting 16 and 17-year-olds as adults if found with a gun, allowing judges to take ‘dangerousness’ into account, and much more.

This Blueprint is an incredibly dangerous proposal for everyone living in New York and will largely affect already oppressed and overpoliced populations — mainly Black and brown people. It’s paramount that New Yorkers begin addressing the Blueprint now before it fully takes effect.

NYCAP members highlighted and broke down different aspects of the Blueprint during a live stream event (you can watch it here) and held the speak out to continue their campaign against it. The solution they were calling for is a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) as they say that’s the true way for working people to gain safety back in their neighborhoods.

NYCAP will continue to host speak outs and actions against Mayor Adams’ proposals and will continue advocating for a CPAC in the next coming months.

#NewYorkNY #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP #EricAdams

New York, NY – More than 50 people gathered in Times Square in New York City on Wednesday, January 20, in response to President Biden’s inauguration.

The action was organized by the Workers Assembly Against Racism to hold the new Biden administration accountable to the people’s demands. Other organizations represented at the rally included the Laundry Workers Center, International League of Peoples’ Struggles, Peoples Power Assemblies, New York Community Action Project, and others.

The speeches addressed the twelve different demands put forth by the assembly, including ending police terror, free healthcare for all, COVID-relief, an end to U.S. wars abroad, and closing ICE detention centers. Speakers represented different issues related to these demands, including tenant union organizers, international solidarity activists and organizers against police crimes.

All of the organizations there stated a commitment to continue protesting under Biden’s administration to hold him accountable to the people.

“While we are glad that Trump is out of office, our fight for police accountability is not over!” said Jessica Schwartz of the New York Community Action Project.

The event ended with a commitment from the attendees to stay out on the streets and make sure that Biden listens to the people’s demands.

#NewYorkNY #NY #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP

Mayor DeBlasio claims that several hundred million dollars cut from the NYPD will go to funding for education. However, the reality is that the money currently used to police NYC schools will simply get shuffled around so that it comes out of the Department of Education (DOE) budget instead. To make matters worse, this comes on top of plans to cut hundreds of millions from funding for the DOE. So what DeBlasio calls an increase in funding for education is in reality just a sneaky way to continue over-policing the schools, all while the city saves money on actual education costs.

The budget proposal also refuses to put in a NYPD hiring freeze, even though the number of officers has grown dramatically over the past several years. By contrast, months ago DeBlasio announced plans for a hiring freeze on teachers for the next school year.

While DeBlasio also touts the new budget as beneficial to low-income New Yorkers by moving funding from the NYPD to things like public housing, the budget will also cut $65 million from a program that provides low-income residents with half-price Metro cards for public transit.

People across New York City immediately recognized the lies embedded in the city’s plan to supposedly defund the NYPD. Protests continue daily across the city, and an occupation of City Hall still endures after it began almost two weeks ago. Despite violent police repression, protesters refuse to back down until their demands are met and the NYPD gets truly defunded.

If the recent budget decision shows us anything, however, it makes it clear that we cannot expect the mayor or the city council to ever meet the people’s demands around policing in a meaningful way. City officials will always come up with tricky ways to maintain police funding and resources, because as long as capitalism and private property exist, they will do whatever it takes to ensure that the police continue to protect the interests of the ruling class and the rich.

This is exactly why we need to fight for community control of the police. Organizers in the New York Community Action Project and other groups across the country are fighting for a Civilian Police Accountability Council (or CPAC), which would give elected community members power over the police budget, hiring and firing of officers, and the ability to investigate officers. Only by giving the people power over the police will we see real, meaningful changes that include defunding the police and convicting and arresting all the cops who continue to get away with their crimes against Black and brown communities.

#NewYorkNY #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #civilianPoliceAccountabilityCouncilCPAC #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP

New York, NY – Over 10,000 people gathered in New York City for the second annual Queer Liberation March on June 28. The Queer Liberation March was first organized in 2019 as an anti-corporate alternative to the main Pride March. This year, the theme of the march was standing in solidarity with Black lives and against police brutality, demanding a 50% reduction of the NYPD’s budget and police force. Black trans people were especially honored, due to the increased targeting they face by police and for hate crimes. The march was organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition.

The march met at Foley Square with many different contingents present. The crowd started marching at 1 p.m., passing by the city hall occupation to defund the police, and headed toward the West Village. The route was chosen to highlight significant points of LGBTQIA+ history, most notably the Stonewall Inn, the site of the Stonewall riots in 1969. The Stonewall riots occurred after police raided the gay bar and patrons and the community fought back. This was especially symbolic because the march was on the 51st anniversary of the riots.

The march ended at Washington Square Park, where there were speakers, food and music. Much like the Stonewall riots, the NYPD showed up to cause violence again. Protesters were suddenly grabbed, pepper sprayed, and arrested by police for alleged graffiti. The crowd surrounded the cop car, demanding they release the people inside, and chanted at them so that they would leave the park. The cops eventually left after people refused to move, and the crowd celebrated.

The day’s events showed that the police do not serve the people and can only be held accountable through community control via a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). For more information on how you can fight for a CPAC in New York, please contact New York Community Action Project at nycommunityactionproject@gmail.com or on our Facebook (facebook.com/nycommunityactionproject).

#NewYorkNY #PoliceBrutality #LGBTQ #PeoplesStruggles #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP

New York, NY – On Saturday, June 13, organizers in New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) joined the national day of action to stop police crimes that was called for by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

NYCAP members began the day at The Hub in the South Bronx, doing outreach for their campaign for community control of the police and the creation of a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). Organizers handed out flyers explaining the details of CPAC and were met with very positive community response.

NYCAP later joined a march of around 100 people at Fordham Plaza, which was organized by local community members.

#NewYorkNY #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AsianNationalities #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #civilianPoliceAccountabilityCouncilCPAC #NAARPR #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP

New York, NY – Dozens of cars gathered in different boroughs of New York City on Friday May 1 in honor of May Day, or International Workers Day. Due to the city being on pause, protesters used a caravan to display signs and drive through different neighborhoods in the city, showing solidarity with workers and other oppressed groups. A special focus was put on COVID-19 and how workers, prisoners and immigrants lack protection from COVID-19.

The three contingents started in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Their demands included cancel the rents, hazard pay and PPE, free healthcare and COVID testing, free them all, close the camps, and a relief fund for immigrants. The cars passed by various hospitals, public housing, workplaces on strike (including Target and Whole Foods), and other locations to show solidarity with those most affected by the virus.

All of the contingents then met up in Manhattan and drove by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office in protest of his policies not meeting the demands of the caravan, such as his refusal to cancel rent, not providing financial relief to undocumented people, and using prison labor to make hand sanitizer while they are especially vulnerable to catching the virus.

The caravan was organized and endorsed by a coalition of groups, including NYC May Day Actions for Our Lives, Laundry Workers Center, New York Community Action Project, People’s Power Assemblies, International League of People’s Struggle, and many others.

#NewYorkNY #PoorPeoplesMovements #MayDay #Healthcare #HousingStruggles #NewYorkCity #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP

New York, NY – On April 9, organizers from New York Community Action Project (NYCAP) hosted an live stream about tenant rights and organizing under COVID-19.

Two housing lawyers and NYCAP members provided information on tenant rights and discussed how tenants can organize effectively in light of COVID-19. This included how to safely organize a rent strike. In this discussion, NYCAP member Daniel Espo emphasized the importance of “coordinated mass action” in order to affect change, rather than spontaneous individual action.

The organizers also shared a resource document, https://docs.google.com/document/d/18xX6Z8rlejchirXI8AzMdXvGpfUkEZJx96aAdVoB-OA/edit?usp=sharing

NYCAP continues to organize a campaign demanding that Governor Cuomo suspend all New Yorkers’ rent payments for 90 days. He has failed to act thus far, but local organizers are continuing to put pressure on the government to suspend rent and prioritize people’s lives over profit.

#NewYorkNY #Healthcare #HousingStruggles #tenantsRights #COVID19 #NewYorkCommunityActionProjectNYCAP