Blog moved to ErikMcGregor.com : March 2018

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Vigil for victims of the ongoing US/Saudi bombing in Yemen at Union Square Park

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New York, NY - Members of the NY Catholic Worker, Granny Peace Brigade, Veterans For Peace - NYC Chapter 034, Vigil for Yemen, and Kairos Community; were protesting the ongoing US/Saudi bombing of Yemen at the top of the steps at the south-end of Union Square Park on March 31, 2018; to raise awareness as the humanitarian crisis worsens and voices of hope are being raised.

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In March of this year, Human Rights Watch issued a report detailing 81 documented cases of unlawful attacks on the part of the US/Saudi/UAE bombing campaign in Yemen. In 24 of these attacks US supplied weapons were used. HRW has warned repeatedly that the duration and persistence of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure would entail that weapon suppliers have knowledge of, and are thus complicit in, war crimes.

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On the basis of these and other reports, in June, a bi-partisan group of US Senators, among them Rand Paul (Rep. KY) and Chris Murphy (Dem. Conn.) - put forward a resolution in the Senate to curtail arms shipments to Saudi Arabia. The resolution was very narrowly defeated, 53 to 47, and was thus a sort of victory, suggesting that concern for human rights and the rule of law were not yet dead.

Shortly thereafter we were told that the Saudi's have agreed to purchase a $750 million, multi-year, training program to help prevent unlawful attacks - a sardonically cynical response - followed the bombing of market in Saada, killing 25 civilians just a few day ago.

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Currently, some 17 million - of Yemen's 28 million - people are food insecure. Half a million children below the age of 5 already suffer severe acute malnutrition, which means that, if they survive they are still likely to suffer life long developmental difficulties. Meantime, 7 million Yemenis are on the brink of starvation and more than 3 million are internally displaced. All of this is very much a consequence of the Saudi/US bombing, which for more than 2 years now has targeted civilian infrastructure: Hospitals, schools, factories, markets, funerals, sea ports, electrical power stations and water treatment facilities. More than half of the hospitals in the country on not functioning. Thus, while the armed conflict has directly taken the lives of some 12,000 people, last year alone more than 60.000 children died from a combination of malnutrition and otherwise easily preventable ailments and diseases like respiratory infections, measles, and cholera.

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Most recently, malnutrition and compromised immune systems have been joined by their deadly counterpart, plague. In the past month there has been a vast rise in cholera infections. Three weeks ago 53,000 cases were reported, with over 500 deaths. A week later, over 100,000 cases were estimated and 800 deaths. Last week over 900 deaths are confirmed and suspected cholera cases stood at 125,000. Currently, according to the World Health Organization there are and estimated 179,548 cases and 1,205 deaths.

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#Activism #demonstration #DumpTrump #EndTheWars #HandsOffYemen #humanrights #LetYemenLive #manhattan #NewYork #NewYorkCity #NotMyPresident #NoWar #NYC #PeacefulProtest #PeacefulResistance #RefugeeCrisis #RefugeesWelcome #ResistTrump #ResistWar #SaudiWarCrimes #‎Solidarity #StopEndlessWars #stopthewar #UnionSquare #USmilitary #WarIsARacket #WeWillNotBeSilent #Yemen #YemenCantWait

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

New Yorkers took to the streets to demand justice for Stephon Clark

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New York, NY - Hundreds of people took to the streets on March 28, 2018; to protest in New York City over the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man in Sacramento, California; chanting and carrying signs as they marched from Columbus Circle to Times Square. Police say at least 11 people were detained. It was not immediately clear what charges they could face.

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Stephon Clark was a 22 year old Black man and father of two. He was killed by Sacramento Police officers on March 18, 2018; in his own backyard. They shot him over 20 times claiming they thought he had a gun. He had a cell phone in his hand.

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Clark was killed by officers responding to reports of a man smashing car windows. Police bodycam video shows the officers chase Clark and corner him in a backyard. The officers say in the footage that they believed that Clark was armed; one shouts "Gun! Gun! Gun!" before the officers fired 20 times at him. No weapon was found, only a cellphone.

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For five minutes, no officers approached Stephon or offered him medical aid, instead continuing to shout at him to show his hands. He was not moving. Officers eventually handcuffed his lifeless body. No weapon was in sight.

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As the video continues to roll in the aftermath of the shooting, one officer says, "Hey, mute," and the videos' audio goes silent. Police say their investigation into Clark's death will include why the officers muted their cameras.

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The Sacramento mayor, Darrell Steinberg, initially released a statement saying he would not “second-guess” the officers, prompting swift backlash. In an interview Monday, he said the videos made him feel “really sick” and that the outcome was “wrong”.

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Citing the “extremely high emotions, anger and hurt” in Sacramento following the shooting death of Stephon Clark by police in his grandmother’s backyard, police Chief Daniel Hahn said Tuesday that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will hold an independent investigation.

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#ACAB #Activism #BlackLivesMatter #BLMGreaterNY #CivilDisobedience #ColumbusCircle #Copwatch #EndBrokenWindows #‎EndPoliceBrutality‬ #EndPoliceTerror #FTP ‪#‎HandsUpDontShoot ‪#‎indictamerica‬ #ItIsOurDutyToFightForOurFreedom #JailKillerCops #KilledByPolice #NewYork #‎NoJusticeNoPeace #NoRacistPolice #NYC #‎NYC‬ShutItDown #ProsecuteNYPD #racism #SafetyBeyondPolicing #SayTheirNames #StephonClark #stillnojustice ‪#‎ThisStopsToday‬ #TimesSquare

Enough is Enough! Emergency rally to save NYC Taxis at City Hall steps

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New York, NY - NYC Taxi medallion owners and drivers gathered at the City Hall steps on March, 28, 2018; to say, “Enough is enough.” The industry is in chaos and tragedy has followed in the wake. Black car, yellow cab, green car, and even Uber drivers themselves have been pushed into poverty as drivers see their incomes plummet, competing for fares in streets swamped by least 100,000 for-hire vehicles and with no relief in sight:

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“NYC cabbies are being driven to the edge of financial ruin and despair as ride-hail apps like Uber and Lyft continue to take their customers. Last week, in the fourth driver suicide since November, Nicanor Ochisor, 65, hanged himself inside his Queens home, depressed over the plummeting value of the taxi medallion he owned that was supposed to finance his home and looming retirement. The value plunged from $1 million to around $180,000 over the last five years.

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Last month, longtime black-car driver Doug Schifter shot himself in front of City Hall over money troubles. And two livery drivers killed themselves in recent months, one of whom, Danilo Castillo, pointedly wrote his suicide note on the back of a Taxi and Limousine Commission summons.”

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New Yorkers for Equal Transportation Access (http://nyeta.org/ ) and the Taxi Owner and Driver Association (http://nyctmoda.com/) will be joining the NY Taxi Workers Alliance (http://www.nytwa.org/) in calling for the mayor and the city council to take immediate steps to address the chaos and restore both fairness and order back into a system that has spiraled out of control.

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Most of the chaos to the industry-and the damage inflicted on NYC businesses and regular citizens-has resulted from the unchecked and under-regulated explosion of For Hire Vehicles, Companies like Uber and Lyft have flooded the city, causing environmental and economic damage in the tens of billions of dollars.

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While all of this was unfolding, the NYC TLC was asleep at the switch, failing to regulate the newcomers and even failing to enforce the rules it has on its books. The four suicides are a wakeup call and one legislator has answered that call.

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Responding to the chaos and the race to the bottom environment, CM Ruben Diaz, Sr., the chair of the newly created For Hire Vehicle Committee, has introduced long needed legislation to create a level playing field that would allow all stakeholders to compete fairly and make a decent living. Chair Diaz will be addressing Wednesday’s rally.

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As NYETA’s Brad Gerstman points out: “The TLC has failed in its regulatory role to protect the taxi medallion owners, the drivers and, most importantly, the financial stability of the medallion itself. It is now up to the mayor and city council to take action, and we applaud Reverend Diaz for his bold initiative”

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#Activism #CabDrivers #CityHall #medallion #NewYork #NYC #NYCcabbies #nyctmoda #NYETA #rally #suicide #TaxiDrivers #TaxiLimousineCommission #TLC #WorkerRights #YellowCab

Monday, March 26, 2018

New Yorkers remind State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to divest the 6 billion in pension funds from fossil fuels

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New York, NY - Members of the campaign to Divest New York State’s pension funds from fossil fuel holdings held a picket outside Arnhold Hall at The New School in Manhattan, on March 26, 2018; where New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli discussed the future of the 6 billion dollars in pension funds.

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Fossil Fuels are a bad investment for NY State Pension Funds. Compared to the general stock index, the value of fossil fuel stocks has steadily fallen over the last five years and is predicted to continue falling. Why put our pension funds at risk?

Fossil fuel companies are causing climate change!

The production and use of fossil fuels is destroying our planet. Our only hope for survival is to leave reserves in the ground, stop burning fossil fuels and stop building fossil fuel infrastructure. We must transition to renewables now.

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But the state pension fund, which DiNapoli controls, has $6 billion invested in fossil fuels.

* It is fiscally unwise to remain invested in an industry that the rest of the world is committed to transition away from. Coal has already suffered enormous losses. Over the last five years, the energy sector has been the worst performing sector in the market. More losses are coming. We must divest from fossil fuels to protect the future incomes of retirees and taxpayers.

* It is immoral for New York State to support fossil fuel companies with our pension fund dollars, and to seek to make money from an activity that is destabilizing the climate.

* It is bad public policy for the State of New York to be invested in the very industry that its Governor has pledged to divest from; an industry that is subject to potential litigation by the Attorney General, and that New York City is already suing.

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DiNapoli says he wants to stay invested so he can use his power as a shareholder to influence fossil fuel companies. This is delusional! The nation of Norway and the NYC pension boards have given up shareholder activism as futile. The mission of fossil fuel companies is to bring fossil fuels to market, and no amount of shareholder pressure can change that because the industry will never give up its core business model, which is to squeeze every last dollar from fossil fuel extraction—a model that also allows them to pollute with impunity. Shareholder activists will be sidelined and ignored.

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Divestment succeeded in ending apartheid in South Africa. It can also end the suicidal use of fossil fuels. $6 TRILLION worth of endowments worldwide have already been divested. The Governor, NYC Mayor, and Comptroller support divestment. It’s time for the State Comptroller to join them and make New York State a leader in fossil fuel divestment and climate change mitigation.

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Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller since 2007, and graduate of Milano School for International Affairs, Management and Public and Urban Policy (’88) on his efforts as trustee of America’s third largest state pension fund to shape corporate policies and practices on environmental, social and governance issues and achieve strong returns for the Fund. In his tenure as State Comptroller, the New York State Pension Fund has been one of the most active in the U.S. in promoting sustainable business practices among its portfolio companies on a wide range of issues, including climate change, board diversity, LGBT rights and political spending.

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#350BK #350NYC #Activism #ActOnClimate #AndrewCuomo #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #climatejustice #CuomoWalkTheTalk #divest #DivestNY #EnergyDemocracy #energyefficiency #EnergyIndependence #FossilFree #GoFossilFree #GovernorCuomo #KeepItIntheGround #MakeREVreal #NewYork #NYC #NYScomptroller #OffFossilFuels #PecefulProtest #PensionFunds #RenewableEnergy #ThomasDiNapoli

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Over a hundred thousand people at the March For Our Lives in New York City : The Kids have spoken

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New York, NY - Students, families, and supporters of March For Our Lives took to the streets of New York City on March 24, 2018; to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence in our communities and schools today. Over a hundred thousand people participated on the March For Our Lives Rally in New York City, marching from Central Park West down to 6th avenue. Over 800 sibling marches were planned in every state across the country and on every continent. March For Our Lives is a student-led movement to end gun violence in our country.

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#MarchForOurLives students around the world will come together to say #NeverAgain demanding that leaders take action to end gun violence in our schools and communities.

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March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar. In the tragic wake of the seventeen lives brutally cut short in Florida, politicians are telling us that now is not the time to talk about guns. March For Our Lives believes the time is now.

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School safety is not a political issue. There cannot be two sides to doing everything in our power to ensure the lives and futures of children who are at risk of dying when they should be learning, playing, and growing. The mission and focus of March For Our Lives is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address these gun issues. No special interest group, no political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country.

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Every kid in this country now goes to school wondering if this day might be their last. We live in fear. It doesn’t have to be this way. Change is coming. And it starts now, inspired by and led by the kids who are our hope for the future. Their young voices will be heard.

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Not one more. We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school. We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of a firing assault rifle to save the lives of students. We cannot allow one more family to wait for a call or text that never comes. Our schools are unsafe. Our children and teachers are dying. We must make it our top priority to save these lives.

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#Activism #ArmMeWith #BLMGreaterNY #congress #DisarmHate #DumpTrump #enough #GAGNY #GaysAgainstGuns #GunControl #GunViolence #HonorThemWithAction #KeepSchoolsSafe #MarchOfOurLives #MayorDeBlasio #NeverAgain #NewYork #NotMyPresident #NRA #NYC #Parkland #Republicans #RiseAndResist #SandyHook #SchoolKids #stopgunviolence #StudentsDemandAction #victims #WeAreNotAfraid #WeCallBS #WeWillNotBeSilent

Friday, March 23, 2018

Memorial for the 107th anniversary of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sweatshop fire

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New York, NY - Workers, labor leaders, elected officials, and students gathered in the heart of Greenwich Village today to join families of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire victims on March 23, 2018; to commemorate 107th anniversary of tragic blaze and recommitting to fight for workplace safety for all workers.

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The commemoration began with a musical tribute from the New York City Labor Chorus, and from the singers of Onsite Opera's Morning Star. The names of the workers who perished during the blaze were read aloud, and flowers were laid at a makeshift memorial as while a bell tolled, rung by the Fire Department of New York.

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“One-hundred seven years ago, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire struck the labor community and our great City. When we remember the workers who were killed, what we are remembering is the struggle to fight for justice for working women and men. Now today, we remember and honor all of those victims, mostly immigrant women. And in remembering them, we are reminded that New York City continues to be the home for immigrant women. It is their dreams and hopes that we must carry on. As Speaker of the New York City Council, I am committed to the ongoing effort for equality and justice for all,” said New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911 was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in US history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and 23 men – who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Italian and Jewish immigrant women aged 16 to 23; of the victims whose ages are known, the oldest victim was 43-year-old Providenza Panno, and the youngest were 14-year-olds Kate Leone and "Sara" Rosaria Maltese.

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“On the 107th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy, we continue to remember and honor the lives of the 146 workers who tragically died,” said New York City Public Advocate Letitia James. “While nothing can make up for the lives lost that day, the aftermath of this tragedy led to much needed reforms and protections to ensure that this never happens again. Today we recommit to the fight and demand good jobs, fair wages, and safe work conditions for all workers.”

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The factory was located on the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of the Asch Building, at 23–29 Washington Place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. The 1901 building still stands today and is known as the Brown Building. It is part of and owned by New York University.

The Triangle Waist Company factory occupied the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the 10-story Asch Building on the northwest corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, just east of Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. The building has been designated a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark.

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The nowadays Brown Building (former Asch Building) is a ten-story building that is part of the campus of New York University (NYU), which owns it. It is located at 23-29 Washington Place, between Greene Street and Washington Square East in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, and is best known as the location of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911, which killed 146 people.

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“Though they perished, they did not do so in vain. They were martyrs to whom we owe much.” said New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. “The State of New York, and indeed our nation, is today a stronger place for workers because we refused then and we refuse now to allow the tragedy that occurred here to fade in our collective memory.”

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In the late afternoon on Saturday, March 25, 1911, hundreds of garment workers were finishing up a day’s work when someone dropped a match or burning cigarette on fabric that littered the floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in Greenwich Village. The fire spread quickly from one heap of cloth to the next, quickly taking over the three-floor sweatshop as its 500 workers, many of them young Jewish and Italian immigrant women – some just 14 years old – rushed for the locked exits.

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Because the owners had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits – a then-common practice to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft – many of the workers who could not escape from the burning building jumped from the high windows. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers.

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Many workers managed to escape, but some 200 became trapped on the eighth, ninth and tenth floors as the fire grew. The FDNY rushed to the scene, but even the tallest ladder couldn’t reach above the seventh floor of the Asch Building. Horrified people watched from below as groups of women, some holding hands, leapt from the building to escape the flames; their bodies piled up on the streets and sidewalks. William Shepherd, a United Press correspondent, described hearing “the thud of a speeding, living body on the stone sidewalk” over and over again.

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The fallout from the fire was monumental. On April 5, some 120,000 workers joined a mass funeral in a rainy Manhattan for the 146 victims; another 400,000 people watched from the sidewalks. Sadness turned to anger after the owners of the factory were acquitted of manslaughter. Over the coming years, a flood of landmark legislation was passed affecting everything from fire safety to factory regulations and labor laws. The progressive reforms started in the city and state before spreading across the country. Sunday marks 107 years since the momentous fire changed the U.S. forever. A memorial at the site is expected to open in spring 2019.

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#CityOfficials #FDNY #fire #GreenwichVillage #memorial #NewYork #NYC #safety #TriangleShirtwaistFactory #Union #UnionWorkers #WorkerRights #WorkersUnited