NYCsocialist.org

Our Enemies in Blue: Why is the NYPD After Me?

2012-02-17T07:40:00.005-05:00

Panel Discussion
2/22/12

Our Enemies in Blue
Why is the NYPD After Me?
with Mary Black, Alfredo Carrasquillo, Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and Reverend Bernard Walker

Wednesday, February 22
6:30 pm
Harlem School of the Arts
645 St. Nicholas Ave
(btwn 141st and 145th)

The racist practices of the NYPD are nothing new. But in recent weeks and months, the NYPD's brutality has been exposed to the world: from a New York Times op-ed by a young black man who is one of the hundreds of thousands stopped and frisked each year because of the color of his skin, to the videos of the beating and pepper-spraying of peaceful Occupy Wall Street demonstrators, and recent revelations that the NYPD showed its officers the Islamophobic "Third Jihad" film featuring Commissioner Ray Kelly.

And more and more people are standing up, from the outburst of anger after the NYPD's beating of Jateik Reed and murder of Ramarley Graham, to a growing movement against stop and frisk, to marches against NYPD brutality and in defense of Jazz Hayden, who is standing up to retaliation from the NYPD for his tireless efforts in documenting and exposing their harassment of Black and Brown people in Harlem.

Join us for a discussion of the struggle against NYPD racism and brutality, the role of the police in our society, and what we can do to change it.

Mary Black is a Harlem mom speaking out against her son's victimization by stop & frisk.

Alfredo Carrasquillo is an organizer with VOCAL-NY.

Jazz Hayden is a member of the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow and the recent victim of an illegal stop and frisk retaliatory arrest.

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor is a member of the International Socialist Organization and an activist for housing justice.

Rev. Bernard Walker is the father of Jateik Reed, victim of police brutality in the Bronx.

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization.

PLANET OVER PROFIT: How Capitalism Poisons the Earth And How to Stop It

2011-06-13T08:05:00.001-04:00

Meeting on the environment
2/28/12

Planet Over Profit: How Capitalism Poisons the Earth and How to Stop It
With Chris Williams

Tuesday, February 28
7 pm
The Commons
388 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn
near Atlantic Terminal
2/3/4/5/B/D/N/Q/R

The rate of ecological devastation is intensifying as capitalists' reap profits at the expense of workers, the planet and our future. But there is hope. A new, grassroots environmental movement is on the ascent, challenging the order of the day--oil, coal, nuclear power, fracking, deforestation, industrial agriculture and global warming-- and fighting for a just and sustainable future. For us to win the green world we are struggling for we must understand the system we are up against: capitalism and its imperial tentacles. To insure long term and impactful ecological change we must also fight for economic and political change. Socialism, a cooperative society based on human needs and ecological sustainability, is the alternative.

Chris Williams is a professor in the Dept of Chemistry & Physical Science at Pace University and author of Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis (Haymarket Books, 2010). He recently returned from Fukushima Prefecture, where he reported on the ongoing nuclear disaster there and the resistance Japanese activists are mounting to the nuclear industry.

For more information:
nyciso@gmail.com | nycsocialist.org

Sponsored by International Socialist Organization

Still Separate, Still Unequal: Racism, Class and the Attack on Public Education

2011-06-12T22:49:00.000-04:00

Meeting on Public education
2/15/12

Still Separate, Still Unequal: Racism, Class and the Attack on Public Education
With Brian Jones

Wednesday, February 15
7 pm
Walker Stage
56 Walker St.
Between Broadway and Church St.
Tribeca, Manhattan

Public education is under an unprecedented attack. The powerful people who want to privatize our schools are using many different means: charter schools, mayoral control, high stakes standardized testing, school closures, merit pay and attacking teacher unions are all a part of this assault. Often, these "reformers" claim that the sweeping changes they want will bring genuine educational justice for communities that have long been underserved -- especially for African American families. But will privatization actually create racial justice? Or will it exacerbate the problem? Will these "reforms" strengthen the educational rights of students and parents, or weaken them? Will turning education over to the free market lead to less segregated schools, or more so? Who is behind the effort to privatize education and why are they pursuing these changes? Is there an alternative way to reform our public schools? Come to a discussion of these and other urgent questions with NYC public school teacher and activist, Brian Jones.

Brian Jones is a teacher, actor, and activist in New York City. He is the co-narrator of the film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, and a contributing author to the new book, Education and Capitalism: Struggles for Learning and Liberation (March 2012, Haymarket Books).

For more information:
nyciso@gmail.com | nycsocialist.org

Sponsored by International Socialist Organization

NYC-Area Branches

2010-04-06T20:52:00.007-04:00

NYC-Area Branches

Find an ISO branch meeting near you.
Learn more about us, and for details of our politics and what socialism is, read "Where We Stand."
 For more info, contact us through our branches, call us at (646) 421-2035, or write to nyciso@gmail.com.

BARNARD- COLUMBIA
Meets on Thursdays at Hamilton Hall, Room 603
Columbia University, 116th St & Broadway
For more info, email: columbia.iso@gmail.com

BRONX
Meets Thursday Evenings
Locations Currently Vary
For more info, email: bronxbranchiso@gmail.com

BROOKLYN COLLEGE
Meeting Mondays
In the cafeteria closest to the bookstore (its big)
From 4 to 6pm
bcsocialist@gmail.com

CITY COLLEGE 
7pm, Thursdays 
CCNY NAC Building, Room 1/211 
137th St. & Amsterdam Ave. 
Take the 1 to 137th/City College or A/B/C/D to 145th St. 
ISO.Uptown.Branch@gmail.com

DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN 
Walker Stage
56 Walker St.
between Broadway and Church St.
1/a/c/e/n/r/q/6 to Canal St

HARLEM BRANCH
Regularly meets at St. Mary's Church
521 West 126th Street (b/w Broadway and Amsterdam)
Tuesdays at 7pm

HUNTER COLLEGE
Wednesdays
1 - 3pm (Common Hours)
Thomas Hunter bldg Room 305 B
68th St. & Lexington Ave.
 6 Train to 68th/Hunter College  station
hunterisc@gmail.com  
http://hunterinternationalsocialists.wordpress.com/

 NYU 
Wednesdays
7 pm - 9 pm
Kimmel Building, 7th Floor
295 Lafayette Street (corner of Houston &Lafayette) 
Take the 6 to Bleecker, B/D/F/V to Broadway-Lafayette, R/W to Prince
Email: nyusocialists@gmail.com
Call: 203.885.8527

WESTERN QUEENS
Thursdays 7 pm
Diversity Center
76-11 37th Avenue
Jackson Heights, Queens
Email: isojacksonheights@gmail.or

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS
6 PM Thursdays
Washington Heights, Manhattan
For Location Information Contact:
washingtonheights.iso@gmail.com.

Egypt’s Revolution: One Year Later, the Revolution Continues, A Two-Part Panel Series

2010-03-26T21:30:00.000-04:00

January 23 & 25
Egyptian Revolution Panel

Monday, January 23
7 PM

Wednesday, January 25th
8 PM

Alwan for the Arts, 16 Beaver, 4th Floor, New York, NY

Since ousting Hosni Mubarak last year, Egyptians have remained determined to see the revolution to completion. They have returned to the streets, struck their workplaces, and risked their lives again and again in pursuit of freedom and social justice. In retaliation, the successor and offspring of the Mubarak regime -- the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) -- has used a combination of co-optation and repression, including trying civilians in military courts, beating, torturing, and murdering activists on the streets and in prison, and launching brutal misogynistic attacks on female protesters -- all paid for and with the diplomatic support of the US government.

These panels seek to go beyond the mainstream media’s reporting of the revolution and conventional misconceptions and shed light on the underlying causes and current contours of the revolution.

--Panel I, Monday, 1/23, 7PM: A Political Economy of Egypt: Class, Power and the Roots of the Revolution
A look at the roots of inequality and exploitation, workers’ revolts, and the interaction with the millions in the squares of Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Mahallah al-Kubra, and other cities. What would winning the demands of “bread, peace, and social justice” mean for Egypt’s masses? What parallels can be drawn between Egypt's labor movement and the broader struggle of the 99% against the global 1%?

Speakers: Timothy Mitchell, Omar el-Shafei, Heba Gowayed. (Bios below)

--Panel II, Wednesday, 1/25, 8PM: The Rise and Imminent Fall of Egypt’s Military, How did the Military Come to Power, and What Will It Take to Remove It?
An analysis of SCAF’s role in Egypt’s economy, the role of US military aid, and connections with previous regimes. What tactics has SCAF used to maintain its power? What illusions are held about the military, and what has its role been in regional strategic as well as political conflicts? How has the SCAF's current violence manifested against the Egyptian people, especially women, and in what ways are they resisting?

Speakers: Zachary Lockman, Nancy Elshami, Ashraf Khalil, Samah Selim, Menna Khalil (Bios below)

Please Visit the Website:

And RSVP at Facebook

Admission: $5 Suggested (no one is turned away!)

Panels organized by the Ad Hoc Coalition to Defend the Egyptian Revolution. Co-sponsored by the Network of Arab American Professionals-NY & AMEJA (Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association).

Contact: defendegyptianrevolution@gmail.com

Speakers Bios:
Monday:

Timothy Mitchell is a political theorist and historian, teaching at Columbia University since 2008. Prior to Columbia, Mitchell taught for twenty-five years at New York University. His areas of research include the place of colonialism in the making of modernity, the material and technical politics of the Middle East, and the role of economics and other forms of expert knowledge in the government of collective life. Mitchell has published a number of essays on agrarian transformation, economic reform, and the politics of development, mostly drawing on his continuing research in Egypt. Some of his works include: Colonising Egypt (1991), a study of power and knowledge that define the experience of modernity; and Rule of Experts: Egypt, Techno-Politics, Modernity(2002), which draws on his examination of the making of “the economy” and “the market” as objects of twentieth-century politics, the relationship between law, private property, and violence in this process, and the problems with explaining contemporary politics in terms of globalization or the development of capitalism.

Omar El-Shafei is an Egyptian leftist political activist, and independent researcher currently living in NYC. He is a doctoral candidate of International Law at Paris VII University in France. Omar is a founding member of the “Committee of Solidarity with the Struggle of the Egyptian People” in Paris, France, and author of “Workers, Trade Unions, and the State in Egypt, 1984-1989,” Cairo Papers in Social Science, American University in Cairo Press (Volume 18, Monograph 2, Summer 1995).

Heba Gowayed is a researcher on poverty alleviation policy and gendered wellbeing in Egypt. She is currently pursuing her MA at Columbia University’s sociology department with a research focus on the social costs of privatization policies and the hindrances on access to education in Egypt. She comes to Columbia from the American University in Cairo where she worked as a researcher, and monitoring and evaluation officer on the Egyptian Conditional Cash Transfer Program, on a team advising the Ministry of Social Solidarity. Heba received her BA in political science and sociology from the American University in Cairo.

WEDNESDAY:

Zachary Lockman is a Professor of Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and History at New York University. His main research and teaching field is the socioeconomic, cultural and political history of the modern Middle East, particularly the Mashriq. His books include Workers on the Nile: Nationalism, Communism, Islam, and the Egyptian Working Class, 1882-1954, with Joel Beinin; Workers and Working Classes in the Middle East: Struggles, Histories, Historiographies; and most recently, Contending Visions of the Middle East: The History and Politics of Orientalism.

Nancy Elshami is an independent journalist and researcher, whose work has been featured on ZNet, Jadaliyya, and World Policy Blog. Nancy graduated from Barnard College with a Bachelor’s degree in Economic History and Middle Eastern Studies. She is currently a research analyst at Cornell University’s Institute for Compensation Studies, focusing on Egyptian political economy and modern social history.

Ashraf Khalil has covered the Middle East for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, the Times of London and The Economist. He worked as a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in Baghdad and Jerusalem and has been based in Cairo for most of the last fifteen years. He is an Egyptian-American and a graduate of Indiana University. His first book, Liberation Square: Inside the Egyptian Revolution and the Rebirth of a Nation, was recently published by St. Martin’s Press in January 2012.

Samah Selim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Languages and Literatures at Rutgers University. Her research focuses mainly on modern Arabic Literature (19th/20th century) in Egypt and the Levant. Her book, The Novel and the Rural Imaginary in Egypt, 1880-1985, explores the relationship between the rise of the novel genre, the politics of nationalist representation and the peasant question over the course of the 20th century in Egypt. Dr. Selim, who is also a practicing literary translator, is currently at work on a book about translation, modernity and popular fiction in early 20th century Egypt.

Menna Khalil is an independent researcher and writer working between the Middle East and the United States. She holds an MA in International Human Rights Law from the American University in Cairo and a BA in International Studies, French, and Economic Theory from DePaul University in Chicago. Menna’s academic interests in anthropological approaches to language, sensorial mediation, and narrative production have guided her work on translation and forms of storytelling. She has been carrying out ethnographic work on the relationship between citizens and the Egyptian army following the ouster of former President Mubarak.

Socialism: What It Is (And What It Isn't)

2010-03-25T13:48:00.000-04:00

Public Meeting
January 25

7pm

Wednesday, January 25

Walker Stage

56 Walker Street

Manhattan

Trains: 1/2/3/N/R/6 to Canal.

Socialism is a much-abused word. The right wing hurls it indiscriminately as an insult. But even people who call themselves socialists mean very different things: from Eugene Debs, to European center-left parties, to North Korea.

What is the real soul of socialism? Is it the top-down control of the state and economy by an elite acting in the name of the people? Or is it the bottom-up self-emancipation of the working class and the 99%?

If you're trying to figure out how to change the world, whether you think you might be a socialist, or you just want to learn some history behind debates, in Occupy Wall Street and other growing movements, about top-down versus bottom-up models of organizing...

Please join us for a discussion with Sam Farber on Socialism: What It Is (And What It Isn't.)

Sam Farber is a long-time socialist. Born and raised in Cuba, he is the author of numerous books and articles, including Cuba Since the Revolution of 1959: A Critical Assessment.

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization.

Celebrate a Year of Resistance!

2010-03-24T12:50:00.000-04:00

December 10
Holiday Party & Fundraiser
Hosted by the International Socialist Organization

Saturday December 10
8pm
The Spark
161 W. 22nd St. (btwn 6th & 7th Ave.)
near trains: 1, 2, F, M, A, C, E

Entertainment
Haymarket Shop
Radical ‘60s DJ Kyle Brown
Snacks & Treats for All
$20 all-you-can-drink
or $10 cover & $4 drinks

The 1930s Bronx Housing Strikes: Lessons for the Occupy Movement

2010-03-23T23:00:00.000-04:00

December 8
Bronx ISO Branch Meeting

Thursday December 8
6:30pm
BRAC on the Block @ Bronx Art Space
305 East 140th St. #1A
South Bronx

Historian Mark Naison looks at the powerful social movements of the Thirties, like the powerful rent strikes that rocked the Bronx in that decade, and draws some lessons for our movement today.

1968: Lessons from Our Past - 2011: The Fight for Our Future

2010-03-22T08:35:00.000-04:00

Public Meeting
December 16

1968: Lessons from Our Past
2011: The Fight for Our Future

Friday, December 16
6:30 pm
LGBT Center
208 West 13th Street
Manhattan

Trains: 1/2/3/A/B/C/L/F/V to 14th Street.

2011 has seen a surge of movements struggling for a better world, from Egypt to Liberty Plaza. But while these movements are new, they are not unprecedented. What lessons can we draw from the past as we renew the fight for a livable future?

Geoff Bailey, socialist, activist, filmmaker, and author of "The Rise and Fall of SDS", will kick off a discussion on the connections between 1968 and 2011, and next steps for our struggle.

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization.

November 17 - Resist, Reclaim, Recreate - Call to Action

2010-03-21T20:13:00.000-04:00

National Day of Action
November 17

Thursday, November 17
7:00 am - 11:30 pm

On November 17th, Join the 99% : Resist austerity. Reclaim the economy. Recreate our democracy.

*UPDATE - schedule of events*

Wall Street- 7:00 am: RESIST austerity! SHUT DOWN WALL STREET
Enough of this economy that divides us - it's time for an economy that works for all. We will gather at 7:00 a.m., before the ring of the Trading Floor Bell, to confront Wall Street with the stories of people on the frontlines of economic injustice. There, before the Stock Exchange, we will exchange stories rather than stocks.

All Five Boroughs- 2:30 pm: RECLAIM our democracy! OCCUPY THE SUBWAYS

Throughout the boroughs, we will gather at 7 central subway hubs, to listen to a singular story from one of our hardest-hit and most inspirational neighbors.
Bronx: Fordham Rd, and 3rd Ave/138th
Brooklyn: Broadway Junction, and Borough Hall
Queens: Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave, and Jamaica Center Parsons Archer
Manhattan: 125th st, and Union Square
Staten Island: St George/Staten Island Ferry

Then we will take our own stories to the trains, using the "People's Mic". We will rise up from the underground to join thousands of others gathered in the light of day, at Foley Square.

Foley square- 5 pm-: RECREATE our economy! TAKE THE SQUARE
Across the country, our infrastructure is falling apart; our bridges, our roads, our public transit systems are in a state of disrepair. Enough! It's time to revitalize our economy with the creation of local jobs which serve our country as a whole! At 4:00 pm, we celebrate with tens of thousands of people as we gather at Foley square, march to our bridges and demand that we get back to work! The celebration will culminate in a festival of light as we mark the two-month anniversary of the #occupy movement!

Take a sick day, come out from the darkness surrounding Wall Street and into the light!

Resist austerity. Rebuild the economy. Reclaim our democracy.

Www.occupywallst.org
Www.nycga.net

November 17th, join the 99%!

Our Enemies in Blue: Why the Police Are Not Part of the 99%

2010-03-20T15:55:00.000-04:00

Rescheduled for Tuesday, 11/22 due to the attack on Liberty Plaza!

Joint Downtown & NYU ISO Public Meeting

Tuesday, November 22, 7:30pm
Walker Stage, 56 Walker Street
(A/C/E/N/R/6 to Canal)

Is there something fundamentally wrong with the police, or can they actually protect and serve the people, and even come over to our side of the struggle?

Individual officers and even groups have expressed support of certain struggles--most notably, for a time during the occupation of the Wisconsin Capitol last winter. Some participants in Occupy Wall Street, despite regular police attacks, have chanted, "Police are the 99%!"

But the truth is this: The police force is not, and cannot ever be, a force for social justice.

In reality, the police don't do the job that they do on TV: protect regular people from crime and violence. Instead, they serve and protect private property and the existing racist, sexist, and massively unequal social order.

Join us for a discussion on the role of the police and why they are not part of the 99%.

You may also be interested in the following multimedia on the role of the police:

Occupy Columbia University Rally in Solidarity with Sotheby's Workers!

2010-03-19T16:03:00.000-04:00

Sotheby's Solidarity rally
November 14

Solidarity with Locker-Out Sotheby Art-Handlers/Teamsters 814

Monday, November 14
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
@ Columbia Law School (Home of Michael Sovern, Chairman of Sotheby's)
116th Street between Amsterdam and Morningside Avenues
Morningside Heights, Manhattan

Sotheby's has kept its Teamsters 814 art handlers locked out of their jobs for the past 13 weeks. The art handlers would not accept Sotheby's demands that they take a 10% cut in pay and hours, give up their 401(k) plan, and allow their work to be increasingly contracted out to low-paid workers who have no union to protect their rights. Sotheby's grossed over $690 million in 2010 and had a net profit of $161 million. Its CEO, Bill Ruprecht, earned $5.97 million in compensation.

The art handlers' jobs at Sotheby's are historically jobs that people of color worked and fought hard to unionize! They made this job into a living-wage job, something you could raise a family on, but now management is pursuing a racist and classist attack on our sisters and brothers! It is time we say enough is enough! Sotheby's is highly profitable and has No Reason to demand any cuts!

Why rally in front of the law school at Columbia? Because Columbia's 1% is Sotheby's 1%!
The Chairman of the Board of Sotheby's is the Chancellor Kent
Professor of Law at and ex-pres of Columbia University,
Michael Sovern.

We will rally outside the Law School where Michael Sovern works and we
will demand that he End the Lockout! Make your voices heard!
Facebook Event

Defend Public Education; Free Documentary Screening!

2010-03-18T19:30:00.000-04:00

November 10
Film Screening

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman!!

Education "reform" funded by the 1% is dismantling our public school system. Join us for a screening of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, a new documentary by teachers and activists that challenges the assumptions behind the education reform movement and the film Waiting for Superman.

6:30 pm
Thursday, November 10
Bronx River Art Collective
305 E 140th Street #1A

Sponsored by The Bronx Branch of the International Socialist Organization

From Egypt to Wall Street: How Are Revolutions Made?

2010-03-17T18:26:00.000-04:00

Downtown ISO Public Meeting
October 26

Join a discussion with Anand Gopal:
From Egypt to Wall Street - How Are Revolutions Made?

Wednesday, October 26th, 7pm
NYU Puck Building, 4th Floor
295 Lafayette (@ Houston)

The exploding Occupy Wall Street movement has taken inspiration from occupations across the world, and most of all from Tahrir Square and the revolution in Egypt. Come hear journalist Anand Gopal give a first-hand account of what he saw and learned reporting from Egypt during the Arab Spring. Learn how the Egyptian revolution developed, who the key players are and what is unfolding today. Then join the conversation about what lessons we can draw and discuss how this applies to the rising struggle here in the U.S.

Anand Gopal has reported for the Nation, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal and a number of other outlets. He covered the revolutions in Egypt and Libya and travels frequently to the region. He reported from Cairo during the fall of Mubarak and witnessed the fall of Tripoli this summer.

Sponsored by the Downtown/Brooklyn and NYU branches of the International Socialist Organization.

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=298895560127232

Twitter:
@SocialistViews
@Anand_Gopal_

Occupy the Panel for Educational Policy!

2010-03-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

October 25
Occupy the Department of Education

Panel for Educational Policy
Tuesday, October 25
5:30 pm
Seward Park High School
350 Grand Street (near Williamsburg Bridge)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

OCCUPY the Department of Education; A PEP Agenda for the 99%

At the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP)* meeting on October 25th, Chancellor Walcott (the 1%) is planning a "conversation on raising standards in the classroom."

But we have some more pressing issues for changing public education.

Join us as we OCCUPY THE PANEL FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY and add your voice and your issues to the agenda.

How do YOU want public education to change? What are YOUR "common core standards"?

*The PEP is an un-elected 13-member body (the majority of whom are appointed by Bloomberg) that makes decisions for the Department of Education. Think of it like a Board of Directors. The PEP meetings are open to the public. ALL ARE WELCOME.

For more information contact:
occupypubliceducation@gmail.com
or find us on Facebook

The Greater New York Marxism Conference

2010-03-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

MARXISM CONFERENCE

New York City at Columbia University

Saturday, November 5th

$10 registration ($5 student / low income)

Columbia University, 116th and Broadway, Hamilton Hall

Are you part of the 99%? Sick and tired of the 1% running the world? Inspired by, take part in, and support Occupy Wall Street? Did you fight like hell to save the life of Troy Davis? Take the streets during Slutwalk to yell "Enough is Enough!"? Then this conference is the place for you! Join hundreds of activists for revolutionary discussion, debate and action.

REGISTER HERE!

Millions of people have come to the understanding the capitalism is no longer working. And millions of people around the world - from Athens to Cairo to New York City - are fighting back.

Marxism provides a revolutionary understanding and strategy for ridding society of exploitation and oppression once and for all. We want more than just resistance, we want to win. Join us at Columbia University in New York City on Saturday, November 5th for the Greater New York Marxism Conference.

Attend special workshop tracks on: Black Liberation and Socialism; Women’s Liberation and Socialism; Capitalism, Crisis and Class Struggle; and, The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx. Then join all conference participants for our evening discussion: From Arab Spring to American Autumn – Can There Be a Revolution in the US?

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization and Haymarket Books.

Register online here.

If you use Facebook, you can RSVP here.

Logistics

Registration and all workshops will take place in Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. By subway, take the 1 train to 116th and Broadway. Hamilton Hall is located on the Southeast corner of the main walk across Columbia's campus if you enter at 116th Street. The evening plenary will take place in Havermeyer Hall. Signs will be clearly posted and directions given. A campus map is available here.

Please register ahead of time so we have an idea how many people are coming. After registering please check back for updates, especially given the current fast-pace of the movement in NYC.

You can download a flyer to help organize for the conference here (8 1/2 x 11in) and here (11 x 17in).

Schedule

Saturday, 5 November 2011

10:30am: Registration

11:00am - 12:30pm: Session One

12:30pm - 2pm: Lunch

2:00pm - 3:30pm: Session Two

4:00pm - 5:30pm: Session Three

5:45: Intro to the ISO Pizza Dinner

**A special "Intro to the ISO" pizza dinner for those interested in finding out more about the International Socialist Organization.**

7:30pm: Closing Plenary: From Arab Spring to American Autumn: Can There Be A Revolution in the U.S.? with Ahmed Shawki, eyewitness to the revolution in Egypt

Workshops by Track

Please choose one track to attend throughout the day.

Track One: Black Liberation and Socialism

11:00am - 12:30pm: The Roots of Racism with Brian Jones

2:00pm - 3:30pm: Black Liberation and Socialism with Ahmed Shawki

4:00 - 5:30pm: Can the Working Class Liberate the Oppressed? with Sherry Wolf, a joint session with the Women's Liberation and Socialism track

Track Two: Women's Liberation and Socialism

11:00am - 12:30pm: Theories of Women's Oppression with Leia Petty

2:00pm - 3:30pm: Socialism and Women's Liberation with Jen Roesch

4:00pm - 5:30pm: Can the Working Class Liberate the Oppressed? with Sherry Wolf, a joint session with the Black Liberation and Socialism track

Track Three: Crisis, Capitalism, and the Class Struggle

11:00am - 12:30pm: How Capitalism Workers with Petrino DiLeo

2:00pm - 3:30pm: How Capitalism Fails: The Marxist Theory of the Crisis with Hadas Thier

4:00pm - 5:30pm: Crisis, Exploitation, and the Class Struggle with Lee Sustar

Track Four: Marx's Theory of Revolution

11:00am - 12:30pm: Marx's Materialist Method with Anthony Arnove

2:00pm - 3:30pm: The Self-Emancipation of the Working Class with Lucy Herschel

4:00 - 5:30pm: Marxism and Political Organization with Geoff Bailey

Have other questions or want to get in touch with us? For more info, contact us through our branches, call us at (646) 421-2035, or write to nyciso@gmail.com.

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization and Haymarket Books.

Support Locked Out Sotheby Teamsters

2010-03-14T20:20:00.000-04:00

Rally with Locked-Out Teamsters Wednesday
November 8

Come join locked-out Teamsters and their supporters Wednesday night, November 9, to rally outside out one of the most important Sotheby's auctions of the year.

Sotheby's, the auction house for the super-rich, has locked out Local 814 members for three months. The local is calling on friends in the labor movement and Occupy Wall Street for assistance in a showdown between the 99% and the 1%.

Sotheby's made $688 million in profits last year, and CEO Bill Ruprecht takes home $60,000 a day. But the company is demanding wage and benefit cuts and the replacement of good union jobs with part-time, temp jobs.

Come out and support this fight against corporate power.

Wednesday, November 9
6 p.m.
Sotheby's - 1334 York Avenue (Between 71st and 72nd Streets)
Yorkville, Manhattan

Take the 6 Train to 68th Street, Hunter College

For more information, contact Julian Tysh, Local 814 Organizer, at 917-399-1461, orjuliant@ibt814.com

America and Israel-Palestine; War and Peace

2010-03-13T20:14:00.000-05:00

Chomsky Meeting
October 17

Monday, October 17
6:00 pm/ Doors Open at 5:00 pm
Lefrak Gymnasium
First Floor, Barnard Hall
Barnard College
West 117th Street and Broadway
Morningside Heights, Manhattan

Sponsored by: The Center for Palestinian Studies at Columbia University

New York Marxism Conference

2010-03-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

Marxism Conference
November 5-6, 2011

November 5-6, 2011
Columbia University, 116th and Broadway
Morningside Heights, Manhattan
$10 registration ($5 student/low income)

Millions of people have come to the understanding that capitalism is no longer working. And millions of people around the world - from Athens to Cairo to New York City - are fighting back.

Marxism provides a revolutionary understanding and strategy for ridding society of exploitation and oppression once and for all. We want more than just resistance, we want to win. Join us.

Schedule for Saturday, November 5
10:00am Registration Opens

11:00am Opening Plenary:
Why Marx Was Right

12:00pm Lunch

1:00pm-6:30pm Workshops in Four Tracks:

Black Liberation and Socialism
1:00-2:30pm: The Roots of Racism
3:00-4:30pm: Black Liberation and Socialism
5:00-6:30pm: Can the Working-Class Liberate the Oppressed?

Women's Liberation and Socialism
1:00-2:30pm: Theories of Women’s Oppression
3:00-4:30pm: What Happened to the Women’s Movement?
5:00-6:30pm: Can the Working-Class Liberate the Oppressed?

Capitalism, Crisis and Class Struggle
1:00-2:30pm: How Capitalism Works
3:00-4:30pm: How Capitalism Fails – The Marxist Theory of Crisis
5:00-6:30pm: Crisis, Exploitation and Class Struggle

Karl Marx's Theory of Revolution
1:00-2:30pm: Marx’s Materialist Method
3:00-4:30pm: The Self-Emancipation of the Working-Class
5:00-6:30pm: Marxism and Political Organization

8:00pm Closing Plenary:
Can There Be a Revolution in the US?

The schedule for Sunday, November 6 is TBA.

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization
nycsocialist.org

Wall Street Is War Street!! UNAC Rally!

2010-03-12T19:12:00.001-05:00

October 15
Anti-War Rally

Wall Street Is War Street!!
On the 10th Anniversary of U.S. War in Afghanistan!!
NO to Endless WARS!

Saturday October 15
Noon Rally at Wall Street
March to Occupy Wall Street Encampment
Liberty & Broadway
Manhattan

October 15 is a day of nationally coordinated antiwar actions in cities across the U.S., the 10th anniversary of the massively destructive and criminal U.S. war on Afghanistan.

When the U.S. government began its attack on Afghanistan 10 years ago, President Bush called it a “war on terror.” It was followed by 8 years of U.S. war Iraq and now war in Libya and drone wars on Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan under Pres. Obama. These are all wars for oil, resources and markets in the interests of corporate power.

At the same time, the U.S. government is carrying out attacks on working people within the U.S., cutting back on health care and education while bailing out the Wall St. banks and insurance companies. Every time people call for money for social services, we are told there is no money, but the government always finds money for its wars. It is increasing repression on Muslims, on Black and Latino youth and on those who protest, as the FBI raids on anti-war demonstrators and the NYPD attacks on the peaceful Occupy Wall St. demonstrators show.

Join us in a march to demand an end to U.S. wars in Afghanistan & Iraq, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and an end to U.S. bombing and destruction in Libya and an end to the growing repression at home.

We NEED
Jobs, Health Care & Education
NOT
War, Racism & Repression
--------------------------------
Followed by a 4 pm Solidarity Meeting with Carlos Montes, a speaker from the Victor Toro Defense Committee, immigrant rights and antiwar activists facing government attack and phony charges, and Cyrus McGoldrick from the NY Council on American Islamic Relations.
At Judson Memorial Church, Washington Square South & Thompson St., NYC
Called by: United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), www.UNACpeace.org
United National Anti-War Committee's National Anti-War Mobilizations on the 10th Anniversary of the U.S. war on Afghanistan!

CALL TO ACTION: DEFEND OCCUPY WALL STREET!!

2010-03-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION: Prevent the forcible closure of Occupy Wall Street!

Tell Bloomberg: Don't Foreclose the Occupation.

Join us at 6:00AM FRIDAY for non-violent eviction defense.
Zuccotti Park
Lower Manhattan

Please take a minute to read this, and please take action and spread the word far and wide.

Occupy Wall Street is gaining momentum, with occupation actions now happening in cities across the country.

But last night Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD notified Occupy Wall Street participants about plans to ``clean the park`` the site of the Wall Street protests -- tomorrow starting at 7:00am. "Cleaning" was used as a pretext to shut down ``Bloombergville`` a few months back, and to shut down peaceful occupations elsewhere.

Bloomberg says that the park will be open for public usage following the cleaning, but with a notable caveat: Occupy Wall Street participants must follow the ``rules``. These rules include, "no tarps or sleeping bags" and "no lying down."

So, seems likely that this is their attempt to shut down #OWS for good. PLEASE TAKE ACTION:

1) Call 311 and tell Bloomberg to support our right to assemble and to not interfere with #OWS. If you are calling from outside NY use this number 212-NEW-YORK.

2) Come to #OWS on FRIDAY AT 6:00AM to defend the occupation from eviction.

Occupy Wall Street is committed to keeping the park clean and safe -- we even have a Sanitation Working Group whose purpose this is. We are organizing major cleaning operations today and will do so regularly.

If Bloomberg truly cares about sanitation here he should support the installation of portopans and dumpsters. #OWS allies have been working to secure these things to support our efforts.

We know where the real dirt is: on Wall Street. Billionaire Bloomberg is beholden to bankers. We won't allow Bloomberg and the NYPD to foreclose our occupation. This is an occupation, not a permitted picnic.

The John Carlos Story; Book Launch at NYU!!!

2010-03-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

John Carlos Book Launch
October 12

JOHN CARLOS, CORNEL WEST, and DAVE ZIRIN to speak at NYU and launch the long-awaited memoir, The John Carlos Story

Wednesday, October 12
7 pm
Rosenthal Pavillion at Kimmel Center NYU
60 Washington Square South
Greenwich Village, Manhattan

FREE EVENT!

But please reserve tickets now online as space is limited:

FREE ticket reservations: http://johncarlosstory.eventbrite.com/

More info at Facebook

Seen around the world, John Carlos and Tommie Smith's Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic podium sparked controversy and career fallout. Yet their show of defiance remains one of the most iconic images of Olympic history and the Black Power movement. Here is the remarkable story of one of the men behind the salute, lifelong activist, John Carlos.

"John Carlos is one of the grand figures of the 20th century. His incredible political courage, indisputable athletic excellence and indestructible spiritual fortitude set him apart from most contemporary celebrities. In fact, his fame derives from his courage, excellence and fortitude. Yet it is only in this powerful and poignant memoir that we learn of what and who made him who he is."
--Cornel West, from the Introduction

See the book trailer for the The John Carlos Story
http://www.vimeo.com/28868181

About the authors

John Carlos (http://www.johncarlos.org) is an African American former track and field athlete and professional football player, and a founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. He won the bronze-medal in the 200 meters race at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where his Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. He went on to equal the world record in the 100 yard dash and beat the 200 meters world record. After his track career, he enjoyed brief stints in the National Football League and Canadian Football League but retired due to injury. He became involved with the United States Olympic Committee and helped to organize the 1984 Summer Olympics. He later became a track coach at a high school in Palm Springs, where he now resides. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2003.

One of America's most provocative public intellectuals, Cornel West (http://www.cornelwest.com/) has been a champion for racial justice since childhood. His writing, speaking, and teaching weave together the traditions of the black Baptist Church, progressive politics, and jazz. The New York Times has praised his "ferocious moral vision." His many books include Race Matters, Democracy Matters, and his new autobiography, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.

Dave Zirin (http://www.edgeofsports.com/) was named one of the "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World" by Utne Magazine. He writes about the politics of sports for the Nation magazine, and is their first sports writer in 150 years of existence. Zirin is also the host of Sirius XM satellite's popular weekly show, "Edge of Sports Radio," as well as a columnist for SLAM Magazine, the Progressive, and a regular op-ed writer for the Los Angeles Times. Zirin's other titles are What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States; Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports; The Muhammad Ali Handbook; A People's History of Sports in the United States; and Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love.

About the book

Price: $22.95
ISBN: 9781608461271
Published: October, 2011
Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Haymarket Books

FREE ticket reservations

SW Editorial: Making Common Cause Against Wall Street

2010-03-09T23:33:00.000-05:00

SW Editorial
October 5

Union support for Occupy Wall Street can give the movement new social power.

ORGANIZED LABOR IS weighing in on the side of the Occupy Wall Street protests--and business is taking notice of the biggest labor-left alliance since the protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999.

The unions--"the city's most experienced agitators," as Crain's New York Business put it--are planning an October 5 rally at Foley Square near City Hall at 4:30 p.m., and then a march to Wall Street.

The entry of major unions--from the big New York affiliates of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to national unions such as the United Steelworkers (USW) and National Nurses United (NNU)--points to the potential for the Occupy movement to deepen its social roots. Ongoing struggles on a number of fronts--from fighting foreclosures to challenging anti-union employers to building a movement to demand jobs--can gain new energy from this mobilization.

Union officials who made the decision to back the Wall Street protests aren't simply responding to calls for solidarity for the Occupy movement, important though that is. They're also reflecting the anger among their own members over job losses, wage cuts and reductions in social spending in a worsening economy, while Corporate America rakes in record profits and the already super-rich get even richer.

That anger is what's driving Occupy Wall Street, which began less than three weeks ago with hundreds of mostly young activists rallying in Manhattan's financial district and establishing a 24-hour encampment in Zuccotti Park--renamed Liberty Plaza in honor of Egypt's Tahrir (Liberation) Square occupation--in the Lower Manhattan financial district.

The action has captured the imagination and sympathies of much larger numbers of people fed up with all the different aspects of a system run by the super-rich 1 percent, symbolized by the Wall Streets bankers and financial speculators. In New York, the regular protests and round-the-clock political discussions in Liberty Plaza keep growing larger, and activists in other cities have organized their own Occupy actions.

In short, Occupy Wall Street has become a lightning rod for all the accumulated discontent in the U.S.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
THE FIGHTING spirit on display in Lower Manhattan today didn't come from nowhwere. It was also behind the uprising in Wisconsin last winter against Republican Gov. Scott Walker's union-busting, and it could be seen in many struggles since. From the lively roving pickets of the Verizon strike in August to the blockades of scab cargo by West Coast longshore workers to the defiance of a judge's order by striking teachers in Tacoma, Wash., there's a new militancy in the air, including among organized workers.

This rebellious atmosphere no doubt influenced the executive board of New York City's Transport Workers Local 100 to endorse Occupy Wall Street--it was the first major union to do so. Local 100, which represents some 30,000 bus and subway workers, has a fighting history, and endured stiff legal penalties and fines for waging an illegal three-day strike in December 2005.
Today, Local 100 leaders talk about Occupy Wall Street as a sister struggle, as union President John Samuelson explained in an interview on the TV show Countdown:

I believe to a large extent, the protesters on Wall Street are singing the same song, and fighting the same battle, that our union has fought for the last 18 months...

There's a sense of desperation, I believe, among working people and working families in this country that the folks in government just don't get. There's a lot of millionaires in Congress that have no idea--a lot of millionaires in the state legislature, for that matter--that have no idea what it's like...to have to feed kids or pay tuition or pay a mortgage. There's a lot of folks in government that are out of touch.

These protests, for one thing, have brought attention to the disparity of wealth in the United States that's developed over the past few decades. I think one of the great benefits that organized labor entering into this fight will bring is an ability to articulate that message...on behalf of working families, whether they are in unions or not in unions.

Labor's involvement in the Occupy movement isn't confined to New York City. Members of United Teachers Los Angeles joined with a community organization and the Occupy Los Angeles group to protest a local bank. In the Bay Area, SEIU Local 1021 members reached out to Occupy San Francisco early in the organizing effort. In the Midwest, members of the reform leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union showed their support for Occupy Chicago, and the Occupy activists in turn voted to endorse a previously planned October 10 protest initiated by teachers and the SEIU.

All these initiatives are highly significant for U.S. unions, which, with a few notable exceptions, have for more than a 50 years shunned almost all the activism of the radical left. From the start of the Cold War in the late 1940s until after the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, anticommunism at home and abroad was central to U.S. labor politics.

That approach had faded by the late 1990s, and hard-pressed unions tentatively looked to allies on the left, such as environmental activists, in the struggle against corporate globalization. It was this "Teamsters and Turtles" alliance that came together in the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, which brought out tens of thousands of union membersfor demonstrations that ended in a police riot.

Unfortunately, that newly born labor-left coalition collapsed under the conservative tide after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Almost every major union lined up in support of the U.S. war on Afghanistan, and some union leaders called for reviving Cold War-era labor-management "partnership" to help in the so-called "war on terror."

But backing the war effort got labor worse than nothing. Business kept hammering away at unions, wiping out manufacturing jobs and squeezing wages even during the years of economic growth in the 2000s--which left the U.S. working class even more vulnerable when the recession began in late 2007.

The union's response at this point was to pour money and resources into electing Barack Obama in 2008, in the hopes that he would champion pro-labor legislation and pursue economic policies that created jobs. But Obama, of course, made bankers his priority instead.

Certainly union leaders will again pressure their members to organize for Obama in the 2012 election--if not on the basis of hope, than because of fear of the Republican alternative.

But labor's support for the Occupy movement opens the way for a broader political life--and activism--within the labor movement. The statement by USW President Leo Gerard can be used in unions across the U.S. as the basis for a resolution of support for the Occupy movement:

The United Steelworkers union stands in solidarity with and strongly supports Occupy Wall Street. The brave men and women, many of them young people without jobs, who have been demonstrating around-the-clock for nearly two weeks in New York City are speaking out for the many in our world. We are fed up with the corporate greed, corruption and arrogance that have inflicted pain on far too many for far too long.

Labor can also help the movement focus on winning concrete gains. For example, nurses in the NNU have been organizing a "Main Street" campaign that calls for a tax on financial transactions--the union has devoted resources to the October 5 labor march at Occupy Wall Street.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LABOR'S SUPPPORT for the Occupy movement means more than additional resources or big numbers at marches and rallies, however. The involvement of unions in the struggle creates the potential to use workers' social power in the struggle to win important immediate fights, as well as a longer-term battle for a different kind of society.

Consider the experience of the labor protests at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. It was a mass sickout by schoolteachers in Madison--and then across the state--that transformed what had been a mostly student sit-in into a round-the-clock Capitol occupation organized by workers and students alike. Union leaders ultimately shied away from using workers' economic power to win that fight, focusing instead on an effort to recall Republican legislators. But the potential for widening the struggle was there--with a general strike the topic of serious discussion among union activists.

The Occupy movement provides a similar opportunity to revive and build critical links between labor and the left--in order to take action. There's the potential to mobilize for important fights like the battle to save the jobs of 716 teachers aides in heavily Black and Latino schools in poor New York City neighborhoods. The movement can provide a focal point for individual union militants who may have felt isolated in their own unions and workplaces, and it can help revive rank-and-file networks within and between unions.

For the nearly 90 percent of workers who are not in unions, the Occupy movement can provide the impetus to organize their own workplaces. And all movement activists--whether union members or not--can play a crucial role in building support for labor in the contract showdowns that loom ahead, from teachers in Chicago and Los Angeles to the bus and subway workers in New York City.

At a time when the economic crisis once again has top business figures and politicians on the verge of panic, it's important for the movement to project its own vision of a society based on human need rather than profits. Activists need to discuss and debate their priorities and strategies at a local level.

But they should also focus on the big picture--reviving a working-class movement that is capable of defending the interests of all the have-nots in the struggle against the 1 percent.

Socialist Worker Report on Occupy Wall Street!

2010-03-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

Turning up the heat on Wall Street

Participants in the occupation of Wall Street march toward the Brooklyn Bridge (Doug Singsen | SW)
THE STAKES went up for the Occupy Wall Street protest movement this weekend after police escalated their repression with the arrest of over 700 peaceful protesters during a march across the Brooklyn Bridge on October 1.

But the arrests couldn't stop the growing enthusiasm for the movement. On the contrary, similar occupations continued to spread to other cities around the U.S., and the movement in New York City received more endorsements and pledges of support from labor and community organizations, ahead of a major union rally planned for this Wednesday.

Occupy Wall Street and its sister actions around the country have become lightning rods, drawing people fed up with every aspect of a world dominated by the greed and power of the "1 percent" on Wall Street and at the top of U.S. society.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

IN NEW York, Friday and Saturday saw the largest marches yet from the Occupy Wall Street encampment at the renamed Liberty Plaza nearby Wall Street. Between 3,000 and 5,000 people participated each day, first in a protest against police brutality at One Police Headquarters on Friday night, and then the march across the bridge on Saturday.

At the Saturday demonstration, marchers left the camp and took both the pedestrian and vehicle lanes when they got to the bridge, halting traffic. Police didn't block the takeover of the vehicle lanes. Instead, a handful of supervisors lined up before the throng of marchers announced over bullhorns, heard by only to a small number, that those blocking the roadway would be subject to arrest.

Then, as protester Etam Ben-Ami later told the New York Daily News, "it seemed as if they deliberately moved back to allow people onto the roadway." According to the New York Times, whose reporter Natasha Leonard was among those arrested, "There were no physical barriers...and at one point, the marchers began walking up the roadway with the police commanders in front of them--seeming, from a distance, as if they were leading the way."

Once protesters were about halfway across the bridge, police suddenly encircled the marchers in the car lanes, blocking both the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides of the bridge. More than 1,000 were trapped for hours in the pouring rain.

Hundred of marchers who hadn't been caught on the bridge by police gathered on the Manhattan side of the bridge. Some appealed to the cops with chants of "Join us, you're one of us"--but others angrily chanted, "Protect and serve? That's a lie!"

After their arrest, protesters were transported to different precincts in Brooklyn and Manhattan, often remaining in handcuffs for many hours before being transferred to jail cells. Many weren't released until well past midnight--despite the fact that most people were only charged with violations, the equivalent of a parking ticket and not even considered to be a criminal offense.

NYPD spokesperson Paul Browne asserted that the police only arrested those in the front of the march who had heard the warnings not to take the streets, a claim contradicted by numerous eyewitness accounts.

Of course, many New Yorkers had already stopped putting much stock in the words of Browne, who just days earlier had confidently defended the indefensible--the pepper-spraying of peaceful protesters during a march from the Occupy Wall Street site one week earlier.

The police assault in Manhattan's Union Square on September 24 was the focus of the Friday demonstration, which went from Liberty Plaza to NYPD headquarters. The call of "We are the 99 percent" roared through the cavernous arches of 1 Police Plaza as marchers streamed toward the rally called by activists in the Professional Staff Congress-CUNY (PSC-CUNY), the union of professors at the City University of New York.

"I almost cried when I saw them coming through the arch," said Christina Morales. "For the first time in years, I felt like I'm not alone, screaming at the TV with my father, seeing other people suffer, losing their jobs, unable to retire."

Matt, an elementary school teacher who has been involved in Occupy Wall Street since the first general assemblies that planned for the action over the summer, said, "We're experimenting with new ways of living and interacting with each other. I'm not interested in demands. In that sense, we have already succeeded in that we've held this for 14 days."

Matt's comment reflects one of the many debates among activists over how the protest movement should organize and what comes next. Many who participate in the action are asking the question of how to involve wider layers of people in the struggle, including those whose work and family obligations don't allow them to participate in the all-night occupation at Liberty Plaza.

That discussion took on a new significance last week when Occupy Wall Street was endorsed by the women and men who operate New York's trains and buses, members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100.

A few dozen TWU members turned out to the Friday protest. "They're trying to destroy our livelihoods, our present and our future," said a Local 100 vice president, Kevin Harrington. "And they're trying to take away the future for the young people."

More endorsements followed from the United Steelworkers of America, the National Nurses United coalition, and SEIU 1199, which represents 360,000 service workers and is the largest union local in the U.S.

The Beyond May 12 coalition--made up of many of the city's largest labor and community organizations, most notably the United Federation of Teachers and New York Communities for Change (formerly NY ACORN)--announced plans for a solidarity march on Wednesday, October 5, that will go from City Hall to the Occupy Wall Street encampment.

Other unions, led by PSC-CUNY, TWU Local 100 and the health care union 1199SEIU, are planning independently for a rally one week later on October 12 that could be even bigger than the Beyond May 12 march this week.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MEANWHILE, THE movement is spreading to other cities. Most of the occupations--or planning meetings to organize one--are modest in size, but in Los Angeles, the first day of Occupy LA on October 1 drew more than 1,500 people for a march from Pershing Square to City Hall, where activists plan to set up an encampment. That night, more than 500 demonstrators were still on hand for a general assembly meeting.

As the big marches over the weekend showed, the movement is still growing in New York. This spreading support--and the potential for the rebellious mood at Liberty Plaza to reach further among the city's working people--may be the reason why New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg hinted on Friday that a crackdown on the encampment might be coming.

"People have a right to protest, but we also have to make sure that people who don't want to protest can go down the streets unmolested," Bloomberg declared on his radio show--while not citing any report of pedestrian molestation. The mayor also ludicrously claimed that "the protesters are protesting against people who make $40,000 or $50,000 a year and are struggling to make ends meet."

Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase, one of the corporate targets of Occupy Wall Street, recently announced it was making a $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation.

Whether or not Bloomberg and the police escalate their repression, the mass arrests on Saturday are likely to inspire more people to join in at Occupy Wall Street actions--the same way that the widely seen pepper spray attacks by police one week before focused national and international attention on the occupation.

The size and character of Wednesday's protest will be a key marker for the movement. The labor-initiated rally and march represents an important opportunity to help raise the confidence and expectations of thousands of city workers, while deepening the links between the Occupy Wall Street action and the labor movement.

Occupy Wall Street has energized growing numbers of people to take a stand against corporate greed and power, and as the movement grows--along with the threats of police repression, as colder weather sets in--so, too, do the questions and possibilities for the struggle to take up.

Danny Lucia reports from New York City on the latest stage of the Occupy Wall Street movement after the mass arrest of protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge.

NYU Walkout in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street!!

2010-03-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

NYU OWS Solidarity March
October 5

Wednesday, October 5
4 pm
Washington Square Park (by the fountain)
Greenwich Village, Manhattan

March to City Hall to join the Community/Labor March to Occupy Wall Street
Facebook info here
(Come at 3:30pm for poster-making, or bring your own!)

*NYU students and workers: Join us for the National Student Walkout in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street!

*Stop what you are doing/walk out of class/leave the library at 4pm on Wednesday, October 5th.

*We will meet in the middle of Washington Square Park and march together to City Hall, where we'll join the Community/Labor March in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, endorsed by dozens of NYC unions and community groups including the United Federation of Teachers, SEIU 32BJ and SEIU 1199, the Transit Workers Union Local 100, Make the Road New York, New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts, the Alliance for Quality Education, and more!

We will also be joining students from around the city who are organizing walkouts against unforgivable student debt and soaring tuition rates

Join us to protest the arrest of 700 marchers on the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday, while the banksters who wrecked the economy remain free. Join us to protest the horrific inequality that leaves 1 in 3 New York City children in poverty while Mayor Bloomberg sits on a $20 billion fortune. Join us to protest the foreclosure crisis that has driven millions from their homes, while bank profits soar. Join us because We Are the 99 Percent! Join us because a better world is possible!

If your group would like to endorse, please be in touch!

Most importantly, spread the word by inviting ALL of your friends on Facebook, making announcements in your classes, and sharing this e-mail.

Contact: owsnyu@gmail.com

The Unions and Community March on Wall Street!!

2010-03-06T21:52:00.000-05:00

Unions Support OWS
October 5

Wednesday, October 5
4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
City Hall, 250 Broadway

Union workers and community members impacted by the economic crisis have been demanding that Wall Street and the wealthiest New Yorker's pay their fair share of taxes.

Let's march down to Wall Street to welcome the protesters and show the faces of New Yorkers hardest hit by corporate greed.

Sponsored By:
United NY
Strong Economy for All Coalition
Working Families Party,
VOCAL-NY
Community Voices Heard
Alliance for Quality Education
New York Communities for Change
Coalition for the Homeless
Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP)
TWU Local 100
The Job Party
NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
The Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center
The New Deal for New York Campaign
National People's Action
ALIGN
Human Services Council
Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State
Citizen Action of NY
MoveOn.org
SEIU 1199
CWA 1109

NYC: EMERGENCY PROTEST AT NY CITY HALL TO DEMAND AN END TO POLICE MASS ARRESTS AGAINST OCCUPY WALL STREET!!

2010-03-05T17:37:00.000-05:00

Emergency Demonstration
October 3

PROTEST MASS ARREST OF WALL STREET OCCUPIERS!!

Monday October 3
5 pm
City Hall
250 Broadway at Park Place
Government Center, Manhattan

By Subway:
#4, #5, #6 trains to City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge
#2, #3 trains to Park Place
W, R trains to City Hall
C, A trains to Chambers Street
By Bus: M15 to City Hall/Park Row

Everyone - Be There - It's time to be seen and heard

Memorial Service for Troy Davis

2010-03-04T00:16:00.000-05:00

Troy Davis Memorial
October 1

Saturday, October 1
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
South Hall, Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive (Enter on Claremont Ave)
West Harlem, Manhattan

On Wednesday, September 21, the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis. Troy's case, marked by strong doubts about his guilt, touched people around the world. On Saturday, October 1, he will be buried in Savannah, his home.

Thousands of New Yorkers fought for and cared about Troy Davis's battle against the death penalty. Join us to mark his passing, to stand together against the system that murdered him, and to celebrate the struggle that brought so many people together to say, "I Am Troy Davis."

In Troy’s words: "The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davis’s who came before me and all the ones who will come after me."

SlutWalk NYC - Barnard-Columbia Contingent!

2010-03-03T00:54:00.000-05:00

Slutwalk
October 1

Saturday, October 1
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Gather at 116th & Broadway Gates
Proceed to Union Square for Noon

Please join other students and campus groups on October 1st for the NYC Slutwalk to protest against rape culture, victim-blaming and slut-shaming, and sexual and domestic violence!!! We are TIRED of sexism and wont take it anymore!

And please invite your friends!

SlutWalk is coming to NYC on October 1st at Union Square at Noon!

No matter who you are
No matter where you work
No matter how you identify
No matter how you flirt
No matter what you wear
No matter who you choose to love
No matter what you said before:

NO ONE has the right to touch you without your consent. SlutWalk NYC is part of a worldwide grassroots movement challenging rape culture, victim-blaming and slut-shaming*, and working to end sexual and domestic violence.

*SlutWalk NYC’s working definition of slut-shaming: the derogatory, sexist language and policies that are used to shame self-identified women who are perceived as sexual.

----------------

SlutWalk first began in Toronto, where on January 24th, 2011, a representative of the Toronto Police gave shocking insight into the Force’s view of sexual assault by stating: “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised.”

As the city’s major protective service, the Toronto Police perpetuated the myth and stereotype of "the slut." and in doing so have failed us. With sexual assault already a significantly under-reported crime, survivors have now been given even less of a reason to go to the Police, for fear that they could be blamed. Being assaulted isn’t about what you wear (check the stats, research, studies, etc); it’s not even about sex; but using a pejorative term to rationalize inexcusable behaviour creates an environment in which it’s okay to blame the victim. Society teaches "Don't get raped" rather than "Don't rape". It is time to stop blaming the victim!

Since the original walk in Toronto, marches have been held all over the world, from Delhi to Capetown, Seoul to Mexico City, and in cities all across the US. The New York demonstration promises to be one of the largest in the world with thousands already confirmed on Facebook, and a momentum that continues to grow.

SlutWalk is about expressing our unity, fighting to shed the stereotypes and myths of sexual assault and supporting a better understanding of why sexual assault happens, putting the blame where it belongs: on those who perpetrate it. We believe in working toward better partnerships and conversations in our communities to help make this happen.

Though our moniker is the cause of some controversy, SlutWalk NYC’s goal is very clear: ending victim-blaming and gender-based violence. SlutWalk NYC allies itself with diverse communities, activists and survivors who live with and fight the effects of rape culture. Our supporters may wish to claim “slut” as a positive label of sexual freedom, ridicule the arbitrary nature of the insult, or do away with the violence of such language altogether, but ultimately we are strategizing as a group to end sexual violence. We believe that no matter who you are, where you work, what you wear, whom you choose to love, or what you said before: NO ONE has the right to touch you without your consent.

We are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result. Being in charge of our sexual lives, however we choose to express them, should not mean that we are opening ourselves to an expectation of violence, regardless if we participate in sex for pleasure or work. No one should equate enjoying sex with attracting sexual assault.

WE ARE COMING TOGETHER. As people from all gender expressions and orientations, all walks of life, levels of employment and education, all races, ages, abilities, and backgrounds, from all points of this city and elsewhere. We are asking you to join us for SlutWalk, to make a unified statement about sexual assault and victims’ rights and to demand respect for all.

Join us in our mission to spread the word that those who experience sexual assault are not the ones at fault, without exception.

Please also check out:
http://slutwalknyc.com/
http://twitter.com/SlutWalkNYC

*****SlutWalk Sign-Making Party with Radical C.U.N.T.S!****
Friday Sept. 30 - the night before the walk - 8 pm
Malcolm X Lounge (past the security desk in Hartley)

Haymarket's Tenth Anniversary Celebration

2010-03-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

Friday, September 30
8:00 pm - Midnight
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street
DUMBO, Brooklyn

Join Amy Goodman, Jeremy Scahill, Dave Zirin, Chris Lehmann, and other Haymarket authors for an evening of music, drink, politics, and great books.

In addition to great music, drink, conversation, and presentations by a few of our authors, we will have a great display of our titles-- many on sale for $10 each.

Purchase tickets HERE

Haymarket Books seeks to drive a wedge into the risk-averse world of corporate book publishing. In the brief time since we started publishing, Haymarket, a project of the nonprofit Center for Economic Research and Social Change, has published more than two hundred titles. We were recently listed as one of ten publishers named by In These Times magazine as being a key member of "The Progressive Media Network and Its Allies." In 2009, Library Journal's editor Barbara Hoffert called us her "top find of the convention" in a report on "Great Discoveries" at BookExpo America, and we had our first New York Times best-seller, with Amy Goodman's Breaking the Sound Barrier.

Help us to celebrate our first ten years and to lay the groundwork to sustain and expand our work for the next decade.

For more information visit Haymarket Books

Protest Police Harassment, Brutality & Attacks!!

2010-03-01T17:45:00.000-05:00

Police Brutality Protest
September 30

Friday, September 30
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Zucotti Park [Liberty Plaza, opposite WTC]
-- the Site of Occupy Wall Street
With a MARCH to One Police Plaza
Lower Manhattan

NO TO THE NYPD CRACKDOWN ON WALL ST. PROTESTERS !
NO TO STOP-AND-FRISK IN BLACK & LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS !
NO TO SPYING AND HARASSMENT OF MUSLIM COMMUNITIES!
STOP THE RAIDS & DEPORTATIONS!
The NYPD is out of control!

Come out for a demonstration and march to One Police Plaza against police attacks, harassment, spying and raids!

Stop-and-frisk, harassment, marijuana busts - all directed disproportionately at African American and Latino youth - is a constant feature in neighborhoods where unemployment is the highest.

And when people come out to demand jobs and justice, or to protest the racist execution of Troy Davis, they get kicked, tripped, punched and pepper-sprayed.

The criminals on Wall Street go free and enjoy big bonuses while the NYPD focuses its resources on spying on and infiltrating mosques and all levels of the Muslim community.

This on top of the raids, detentions of Muslim and southeast Asian communities as well as Latino immigrant workers, with families torn apart and lives destroyed.

Whether it's police harassment, jails or the death penalty, we need to come together against the state's constant attacks.

JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION [FRIDAY] AGAINST POLICE HARASSMENT AND STATE REPRESSION

AND FOR JOBS, SCHOOLS AND HEALTHCARE

For more information call the Solidarity Center 212-633-6646

Broadway and Liberty SUBWAY: Zucotti Park/Liberty Plaza is a short walk from the Wall Street [subway] stop (on #4, 5) Cortlandt Street stop (R), the Rector Street stop (R), or the Fulton Street stop (2, 3, 4, 5, J, M, Z) [ or take A, C to Broadway-Nassau; or PATH to WTC or E to WTC or Broadway bus or Water St. bus or Varick St. bus; remember there is no W train and there is never N service to Manhattan stops below/south of Canal St. before 10PM; N goes over the bridge instead.
MAPS: -t.]

Supported by: Bail Out the People Movement, Labor-Community Forum/South Bronx Community Congress, BAYAN USA, International Action Center, Jersey City Peace Movement, Pakistan USA Freedom Forum, New Yorkers Against the Budget Cuts,
(List in Formation)

Harlem ISO Public Meeting: WHY THEY MURDERED TROY DAVIS!

2010-02-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

Troy Davis Meeting
September 28

Racism, Capitalism & the Criminal Injustice System!
Featuring BRIAN JONES, socialist, activist, actor and teacher.

Wednesday, September 28
6:30 pm
St. Mary's Church of Harlem
521 West 126th Street (between Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue)
West Harlem, Manhattan

Trains: A/B/C/D or 1 to 125th St.

The execution of Troy Davis was nothing less than a LEGAL LYNCHING! Meanwhile, the real criminals responsible for illegal wars, torture, the racist death penalty and the economic crisis walk free.

THIS INJUSTICE DEMANDS A RESPONSE: we must struggle to overturn this sick, racist system and build a society free of racism, exploitation, and state-sponsored murder.

"The struggle for justice doesn't end with me." -Troy Davis

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization.

RSVP/Post on Facebook:

Citywide Actions in Support of Postal Workers!

2010-02-27T19:04:00.000-05:00

September 27
Postal worker protests

Tuesday, September 27

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
16 Court Street, Brooklyn

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
201 Varick St., Manhattan

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
1651 3rd Avenue between 92 and 93rd Streets, Manhattan

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
163 West 125th St (entrance on 7th Ave between 125-126th Streets), Manhattan

For complete list go HERE

Or email: saveamericaspostalservice@gmail.com

Or call:
APWU: 202-842-4250
NALC: 202-662-2833
NPMHU: 202-833-9095
NRLCA: 703-684-5545

153-01 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
74-09 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
177 Dreiser Loop (Co-op City) , Bronx 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
201 Varick St., New York 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
8002 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
10408 Flatlands Avenue (between 104-105 Streets) , Brooklyn 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
123 Linden Boulevard, Brooklyn 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
16 Court Street, Brooklyn 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
265 New Dorp Lane, Staten Island 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
1651 3rd Avenue between 92 and 93rd Streets, Manhattan 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
163 West 125th St (entrance on 7th Ave between 125-126th Streets), New York City 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
1231 Lafayette Avenue, Bronx 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

EMERGENCY RALLY TO STOP THE EXECUTION OF TROY DAVIS!!!!

2010-02-26T21:07:00.000-05:00

Save Troy Davis Rally!!
September 16

WE ARE JOINING FORCES TO SAVE THE LIFE OF AN INNOCENT MAN!!!!

Friday, SEPTEMBER 16
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Times Square
Midtown Manhattan
Please note the location change the rally will not be at Union Square!!!!!!

Amnesty International USA, Campaign to End the Death Penalty, New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, The Brecht Forum, International Action Center, Theater of the Oppressed Lab NY are joining forces!!!!!!    

EMERGENCY RALLY TO DEMAND THAT THE GEORGIA BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES COMMUTE TROY’S SENTENCE – A FINAL CHANCE TO PREVENT TROY DAVIS FROM BEING EXECUTED!!!!   

GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE:   For more info on Troy:   
The case against Troy Davis an African American man for the murder of a white police officer consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony.   Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis.   www.justicefortroy.org  

Rally for Palestine!

2010-02-25T22:43:00.000-05:00

Palestine Rally
September 15

Thursday, September 15
4:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Times Square march to the U.N.
Midtown Manhattan

Palestinians everywhere are mobilizing to remind the world of their right to self-determination. In New York we are marching to the UN because the world’s attention is focused on the vote on Palestine scheduled to take place there.

For over six decades, the UN has approved numerous resolutions promising Palestinians their basic rights, none of which have been implemented. We come to the UN to demand: Sovereignty, Equality, and the Right of Return for Palestinians NOW!

Rally and March to the UN, Thursday, September 15th!
End All US Aid to Israel!
End the Occupation!
Support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions!

4:30 pm: Gather at Times Square
5:30 pm: March to Grand Central and then over to the UN

For more information, email palestineun@gmail.com
Sponsored by the Palestine UN Solidarity Coalition

Endorsed by: Abna'a Albalad Center for the Right of Return-Damascus, Syria, Action for a Progressive Pakistan, Adalah-NY, Al-Awda NY, alqudsday.org, American Iranian Friendship Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, Arab American Union Members Council, BAYAN-USA, Bergen County Green Party, Coalition for Palestinian Rights (Minneapolis), CODE PINK-NYC, Concerned Families of Westchester, Delaware Valley Veterans For America, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Existence is Resistance, Fight Imperialism Stand Together, Harlem Fightback Against War at Home & Abroad, Freedom Socialist Party, International Action Center, ICAHD-USA, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, International League of People's Struggle-NY LOC, International Socialist Organization, Jewish Voices for Peace-Westchester, Jews Say No!, Labor for Palestine, May 1st Coalition for Worker & Immigrant Rights, Middle East Crisis Response, New York City Labor Against the War, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, Northeast Al Quds Day Committee, Pakistan USA Freedom Forum, Progressive Democrats of America, Radical Women, September15.org, Socialist Action, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Temple U., SJP NYU, Union of Palestinian Women Committees-Palestine, United National Antiwar Coalition, US Palestinian Community Network, Veterans for Peace, War Resisters League, WESPAC, West Queens Greens, Women Against Military Madness: Mideast Committee (Minneapolis), Women in Black Union Square, Workers World Party

Islamophobia 10 Years After 9/11

2010-02-24T22:16:00.000-05:00

Friday Socialism Series
September 9

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, there are many signs that the Islamophobia marking the past ten years will not disappear on its own.

From the Park 51 "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy to anti-shari laws to the Brehvik murder rampage, it is clear that a strong response will be needed to challenge these attacks on Arabs and Muslims.

But the response we need can only be determined after we correctly identify where this bigotry is coming from. Are bad ideas a natural occurrence, or a product of an imperialist drive to dominate the middle east, requiring the dehumanization of Arabs and Muslims?

Come to an exciting and important discussion with Deepa Kumar and other activists about the roots of Islamophobia and how we can begin to challenge it.

Deepa Kumar is an Associate Professor of Media Studies and Middle East Studies at Rutgers University. She has written and spoken extensively on Islamophobia. Her second book, "Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire" (forthcoming from Haymarket Books, 2012), looks at how the "Muslim enemy" has historically been mobilized to suit the goals of empire.

Friday, September 9
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Puck Building, Memorial Room
295 Lafayette Street (at Houston)
SOHO, Manhattan

Presented by the International Socialist Organization as part of its Friday Socialism series.

Poet Kevin Coval to tour for Haymarket Books Release of L-VIS LIVES!: RACEMUSIC POEMS

2010-02-23T22:49:00.001-05:00

Haymarket Book Tour
September 1,2,3,5

4-time HBO Def Poet Kevin Coval to tour NYC for Release of: L-VIS LIVES!: RACEMUSIC POEMS

New York, NY-Spoken-word poet Kevin Coval, co-founder and Artistic Director of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival, and author of ALA Book of the Year finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, and Everyday People, will perform in New York City in support of his third collection of poetry L-vis Lives! Racemusic Poems (Haymarket Books, September).

Coval will appear at the Lower East side's iconic Nuyorican Poets Caf on September 2 , perform in Mike Geffner's Inspired Word series hosted by 3-time Def Poet Gemineye on September 1st, headline a LouderARTS poetry slam at the up-and-coming Bar 13on September 5, and join Style Wars director Henry Chalfant for a conversation on Hip Hop, Youth, and Cultural Resistance at the Brecht forum on September 3rd.

Coval, who has been hailed as "a new glowing voice in the world of literature" by Studs Terkel, explores the dynamic intersection of race and culture in America today with "L-vis," an imagined persona and pastiche of artists who have used and misused Black music. In Coval's poetic novella, L-vis's story is equal parts autobiography and forgotten and re-imagined history. We see shades of Elvis Presley, the Beastie Boys, and Eminem, and meet some of history's more obscure "whiteboy" heroes and antiheroes. A free audio preview of L-vis Lives!, with poems read by Coval and beats by Coolout Chris, can be heard here

Praise for L-Vis Lives!:

"This book is bold, brave and morally messy - twelve rounds of knock-down, drag-out shadowboxing against a shapeshifter. The dark humor, intellectual fervor, and emotional rigor Coval brings to bear animates these pieces, turns caricatures to characters..."
-Adam Mansbach, author, Go the F**k to Sleep

"This book reminds me that if anyone can save this world it will be the artists and poets... Perhaps only through writing as honest and lucid as this, through art as perceptive, can we ever come to terms with our history."
-Henry Chalfant, producer, Style Wars, and photographer

"One of my favorite poets"
-Mos Def

"This is a relentless book, brave and uncomfortable. Nothing like it has ever been written... L-vis Lives! is a cultural touchstone, a book that will easily move into a space that's been waiting for much too long."
-Patricia Smith, author, Blood Dazzler, finalist for the National Book Award

Performance details:

9/1 :: Mike Geffner's Inspired Word
9/2 :: Nuyorican Poets Cafe Friday Night Slam
9/3 :: Hip-Hop, Youth, and Cultural Resistance ft. Kevin Coval and Henry Chalfant
9/5 :: Bar 13 Open Mic

For performance, interview, and review requests, contact:
Jon Kurinsky, Haymarket Books

847-962-3309, jon@haymarketbooks.org

DSK: You Will Not Go Unchallenged!

2010-02-22T20:43:00.000-05:00

Demo Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn
August 23

Tuesday, August 23
8:00 am - 10:00 am
NYC Court House
Center Street
Government Center, Manhattan

Organized by SlutWalk NYC

August 23rd is a scheduled hearing for the much debated case against the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK).

The way this case has been talked about you would think that Nafissatou Diallo, the women DSK is accused of assaulting, is the one on trial. DSK paid ridiculous amounts of money for a publicity firm to do the job of character assassination of the victim. Slander and lies have been used to try to discredit the woman in question while the man who made his millions destroying countries around the world through neo-liberal economic policies is pained as a victim.

We are not going to let DSK off the hook. Diallo, despite everything she has been through, is continuing to push forward with her story. We will stand squarely on her side and do everything we can to expose the racism and sexism that has pervaded every aspect of this case.

Since these charges have been pressed, another hotel worker in France has also come forward as having been assaulted by DSK. A woman at her place of work is not an object. She has a right to say no wherever she is. Shame on DSK and shame on the mainstream media for disgustingly turning the issue of sexual assault into a game of destroying a woman's credibility.

Join organizers of the SlutWalk NYC and other forces and individuals as we aim to re-frame the discussion around this case. We must push for a city that takes rape seriously, this case is a key example of how victims are mistreated when they come forward with their stories.

DSK: You Will Not Go Unchallenged!

Nafissatou Diallo, we are on your side!

Panel Discussion: SOLIDARITY WITH VERIZON STRIKERS!

2010-02-21T13:02:00.000-05:00

Solidarity Panel
August 20

A Fight For Us All!

Saturday, August 20
4:00 pm
Musicians local 802
322 West 48th Street
Theatre District, Manhattan

JOIN a PANEL DISCUSSION with:

Amy Muldoon, Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1106
Vincent Galvin, CWA Local 1101 Rebuilders
Ron Spaulding, CWA Local 1101 Rebuilders

Julie Cavanagh, Grassroots Education Movement (GEM)
Member of the Transportation Workers Union (TWU)
*organizations listed for identification purposes only

SOME 45,000 workers at Verizon are on strike across the Northeast, in one of the largest labor actions in years. If they lose, employers across the country will be emboldened to sharpen their attacks. But if they win, they could galvanize working people to pick up where the struggle in Wisconsin left off.

RSVP: At Facebook

More info/to endorse: 646-421-2035; To request free childcare: julerro@gmail.com
Sponsored by: The International Socialist Organization
Endorsed by: Grassroots Education Movement (list in formation)

Rally to Shut Down Indian Point!!

2010-02-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

Indian Point Rally
August 11

Thursday, August 11
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
47th St. between 1st and 2nd Avenues
Midtown East, Manhattan

The event is being cosponsored by 350.org, Center for Health, Environment and Justice, Citizens Awareness Network, Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, Greenpeace USA, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, NYC Friends of Clearwater, NYPIRG, Radiation and Public Health Project, Riverkeeper, Rock the Reactors, Shut Down Indian Point Now!, Sierra Club - NYC Group, Time's Up, UPROSE, Westchester Citizens Awareness Network, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and other groups.

We will meet at 6:00pm and will keep it going until 7:30pm.
We will be giving out posters so you can show your support and help
raise awareness.

How Can Palestinian Liberation Be Won?

2010-02-19T21:37:00.000-05:00

Palestine Meeting
August 10

Wednesday, August 10
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
CUNY Grad Center
Room 5409
365 5th Ave
(between 34th & 35th)
Murray Hill, Manhattan

Take the: B/D/F/M: 34th St-Herald Sq, 4/6: 33rd St, 1/2/3: 34th St.

While 2011 has seen revolutions topple entrenched dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, Palestinians continue to live under the Middle East's oldest dictatorship: 63 years of dispossession, colonization, military occupation and apartheid. At the same time that protests for democracy and political freedom are sweeping the Middle East, Israel passes increasingly repressive laws against dissent and continues its ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem and the West Bank and the cruel siege of Gaza.

What are the forces that can challenge the Israeli state and the US imperial interests behind it? Join us to learn how Palestinian resistance, workers in the Arab world, and international solidarity have the power to bring down Israeli apartheid.

A presentation and discussion, featuring Laura Durkay, writer and long-time Palestine solidarity activist. Laura was recently detained in Israel as part of the international 'Flytilla' to Gaza.

See Laura's recent SocialistWorker.org article on her detention.
Get updates and details on the event at Facebook.l

ISO 2011 Friday Summer Series: Eugene Debs and American Socialism

2010-02-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

Debs Meeting
August 5

Friday, August 5
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Puck Building 4130 (Memorial Room)
295 Lafayette (at Houston)
SOHO, Manhattan

"While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free." - Eugene Debs

"A lawbreaker at large, an enemy of the human race." - NY Times

Eugene Debs (1855-1926) was the leading figure of the US socialist movement and his struggles for industrial unionism, an end to oppression, and revolutionary socialism from below.

A presentation and discussion on his life, politics, and the lessons we can draw today.

Presentation by Anthony Arnove, co-editor with Howard Zinn of "Voices of a People's History."

Marx in Soho!

2010-02-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

Marx in Soho
July 26

Marx in Soho
A Play on History by Howard Zinn
Performed by Brian Jones

Tuesday, July 26
Doors Open: 6 pm
Performance: 7 pm
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main street
Dumbo, Brooklyn

For more info call 718 222 8500 or go to info@galapagosartspace.com

"Don't you wonder: why is it necessary to declare me dead again and again?" This is the question posed by Karl Marx in Howard Zinn's witty and insightful "play on history." In this one-man performance, history's most famous and oft-misrepresented radical is resurrected after agitating with the authorities of the afterlife to clear his name. Through a bureaucratic error, however, Marx landsin modern-day Soho, New York, rather than his old stomping ground in London, to make his case. Hilarity ensues.

For more information about the play and Brian Jones

A benefit performance for Haymarket Books 10th Anniversary (Join us for a party to celebrate at Galapagos Art Space on September 30th!)

Buy tickets now for Marx in Soho

Haymarket Books Tenth Anniversary celebration, September 30

No Nukes! No Fracking! How Renewable Energy Can Power the Planet

2010-02-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Renewable Energy Meeting
July 14

No Nukes! No Fracking! How Renewable Energy Can Power the Planet
Thursday, July 14
7 pm
16 Beaver Street, 4th Floor 
Lower Manhattan

In a clear indication of just how far removed from reality the debates in Washington have become, the meltdowns that occurred at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan have led to calls by US politicians not for an end to nuclear power, but for its expansion and the growth of other environmentally destructive energy "solutions": hydrofracking, the refining of tar sands, mountain-top removal of coal, the expansion of off-shore drilling.

But movements against nuclear power, fracking and for truly sustainable energy are re-emerging with renewed vitality across the world: due to mass protest, the governments of Germany and Switzerland are closing their nuke plants and 95% of Italians just voted to do the same!

How can we build the movement here? How realistic are wind, solar and geothermal alternatives to power all of our energy needs? What other changes are necessary to bring them about?

Join us for a discussion of how we can strengthen these movements and what solutions a radical environmental movement can put forward for the ecological crisis facing our society.

Featuring Chris Williams,
author of Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis (Haymarket Books, 2010)

Some recent articles by the speaker:
• How to Green the Planet
• Why Nuclear Power Must Go
• No Fukushima on the Hudson

Take the 4,5 to Bowling Green, the R,W to Whitehall, the 1,2 to Wall Street, the J,M to Broad Street, the A,C to Broadway

Sponsored by Haymarket Books and International Socialist Organization; Co-Sponsors: Greenpeace, New York Climate Action Group, United for Action, Green Party (Manhattan), Shut Down Indian Point Now!

Emergency Protest:No to the US/NATO War on Libya!

2010-02-15T23:33:00.000-05:00

anti-war demo
June 27

No to the US/NATO War on Libya!
Stop Funding War - Start Funding Jobs & People's Needs!
June 27 is the end date for NATO's 90 day no-fly zone in Libya.

But NATO has extended it and expanded it: 10,000 bombing sorties attacking and killing civilians and destroying a country.
The destruction hits here at home when the bombs drop overseas.

No to $trillions for war, & destruction of jobs & services!

Join the United National Antiwar Committee at an Emergency Protest:

Monday, June 27
4:30 pm to 6 pm
From City Hall (Broadway & Park Place) to Wall Street & Back
Civic Center, Manhattan

Also supporting Bloombergville - New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts
students, unionists, homeless & others camping at City Hall to oppose the cuts,

More than 60% of the U.S. population is against the U.S/NATO war on Libya…
The U.S. Conference of Mayors says: Redirect the billions now spent on war toward urgent domestic needs. STOP the budget cuts.

NYC does NOT have a deficit - it has a surplus the mayor refuses to use!

Let's force the politicians to stop funding war and fund human needs - Now!

Self-determination for the nations of the Middle East, South West Asia, and North Africa!

Money for Jobs and Education, Not for War!

Called by: United National Antiwar Committee (UNAC) www.UNACpeace.org

Endorsed by:
. Bloombergville - New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts: StudentsoLaboroCommunity United
. BAYAN - USA
. Bailout the People Movement
. Colia Clark for Senate (NY, Green Party)
. December 12 Movement
. FIST (Fight Imperialism Stand Together)
. Freedom Party (Bronx)
. Haiti Libert? Harlem Fightback Against War at Home & Abroad
. Harlem Tenants Council
. Honduras Resistencia USA
. IAC (International Action Center)
. ILPS (International League of Peoples Struggle)
. ISHN (International Support Haiti Network)
. ISO (International Socialist Organization)
. Jersey City Peace Movement
. May 1 Workers and Immigrants Rights Coalition
. NY Free Mumia Abu Jamal Committee
. NY Power to the People Committee
. Pakistan USA Freedom Forum
. People Power Movement
. SI (Solidarity Iran)
. Socialist Action
. Workers World Party
. World Can't Wait

The bombs fall both on Libya and NYC - we say NO!

Bloombergville: Sleep Out, Speak Up and Fight Back Against Budget Cuts!!

2010-02-14T23:50:00.000-05:00

Sleep Out
June 14

Tuesday, June 14 6:30 pm
Through
THE PRESENT at 6:30 pm
East of City Hall
Centre Street
Government Center, Manhattan

Join NYers Against Budget Cuts and many others for a week (or more) of action against budget cuts. We're going to be sleeping out and protesting for as long as it takes to defeat Bloomberg's budget!

They cut taxes for the rich—then slash public services because “there’s no money”. We're not leaving until Bloomberg’s budget is dead! We need a People’s Budget instead!

Make Big Banks and Millionaires Pay!

Endorsed by (list in formation): Bail Out the People Movement, Coalition for Educational Justice, Coalition for the Homeless, Community Voices Heard, New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts, Organization for a Free Society, Picture the Homeless, Teachers Unite

bloombergville@gmail.com | For more information see www.onmay12.org and Facebook

Day of Action for Newburgh 4 Sentencing, Demand Justice!

2010-02-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

Defend the Newburgh Four
June 29

Wednesday, June 29
8:30am - 1:00 pm
New York City Hall - Steps
Between Broadway, Park Row and Chambers Street
Civic Center, Manhattan

Sentencing of Newburgh 4 has been moved to June 29 - 10 am.

THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TAKE A STAND
FOR THE NEWBURGH 4 BEFORE THEY ARE SENTENCED!

The press conference will be followed by a march to the federal courthouse at 9:30 to pack the court for the 10 o'clock sentencing.
Every person counts! Your presence is needed!

You can also help by signing a letter to the judge that we will email out shortly. Please look out for this email, because every signature counts!

Contact:
Alicia McWilliams: 347 299-4973, aliciamcwllms@yahoo.com
Ayesha Hoda: 646-267-5057, hodayesha@gmail.com

More on the Newburgh 4 and The Movement:
As many of you know, the entrapment case of the Newburgh 4 reveals the extent to which the government can and has gone in order to manufacture crimes that sustain and reinforce the 'threat' of 'terrorists.' In the Newburgh 4 case, the government implanted informants in the community with the express purpose of inciting and enlisting men to carry out government manufactured 'terrorist' plots--plots that would later be 'foiled' by the government as well.

According to "Targeted and Entrapped," a recently released report by the Center for Human Rights & Global Justice (CHR&GJ) at NYU, the horror of the Newburgh 4 case can be located in these four findings:

1) That: the involvement of informants took place without any "previous evidence to suggest that the defendants were planning to commit violent acts before the FBI or NYPD intervened"

2) That: "The government informants not only held themselves out to be Muslims but focused their incitement on Muslims." The focus on the targeting of Muslims is most evident in the government informant's insistence that ALL of the men enlisted in the 'plot' be Muslim.

3) That: "The government's informants aggressively pushed ideas about the violent jihad and even encouraged the defendants to believe that it was their duty to take action against the United States." The government even "provided defendants with- or encouraged the defendants to acquire- material evidence, such as weaponry....which would later be used to convict them"

4) That: "the government relied on the defendants' vulnerabilities-poverty and youth, for example-in its inducement methods."

Although the defendants were convicted last October, the NB4 case has brought to the fore several important issues, including the question of government misconduct, racial and religious discrimination and several due process rights issues including the right to a fair trial. Please see CHR&GJ's report, Targeted and Entrapped, for further details about this and other cases involving informants and entrapment.

8:45AM: PRESS CONFERENCE AND RALLY - CITY HALL
9:30AM: MARCH TO COURTHOUSE 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY

VIDEO: Report from Madison, Wisconsin Solidarity Rally and Rally for Women's Health

2010-02-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

VIDEO/AUDIO: Reports from Egyptian Revolution & Wisconsin Uprising

2010-02-11T18:57:00.000-05:00

AUDIO: CLICK HERE for report from Madison, Wisconsin Uprising
by Marissa Torres, NYC Public School Teacher

Victory!! Bank returns monies to Hatem and Naima Abudayyeh!

2010-02-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

Victory!
May 10

Palestinian Community Leader Hatem Abudayyeh and Supporters Claim Victory.
Bank Returns Money, Government Involvement Alleged.

On Friday, May 6th, the bank accounts of Hatem and Naima Abudayyeh of Chicago were frozen. The bank manager at the TCF (Twin Cities Federal) branch could not explain what had happened but stated that the Bank Security Act prevented him from releasing any assets.

In a strange turn of events, the bank admitted today that they shut down the accounts, stating they no longer want to provide banking services to the Abudayyeh family. Simultaneously, TCF management informed the Abudayyehs today that they were issuing them a check for the value of their accounts.

Hatem Abudayyeh is one of 23 anti-war, Palestinian and international solidarity activists who have been subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Chicago. Many supporters of the Abudayyehs and the 23 activists suspected that the FBI and grand jury investigation against these activists was the cause of the seizure of the couple’s accounts.

Michael Deutsch, attorney for the family, said, “In my opinion, the bank did not act out of the blue. I suspect that the FBI and U.S Attorney investigation caused the bank to overreact and illegally freeze the Abudayyehs’ banking accounts that had been there for over a decade.”

In response to the seizing of the couple’s accounts, people across the country called the offices of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in Chicago, and those of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) demanding the return of their money and an end to the repression.

A Code Pink activist from Washington, D.C., called Fitzgerald’s office and was told, “We’ve received hundreds of calls.” The OFAC office was bombarded as well, and journalists from a National Public Radio affiliate, Al Jazeera and other agencies contacted them for an explanation.

TCF is well known for having links to the right-wing think tank the Center for the American Experiment.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression and the Coalition to Protect People’s Rights see the return of the money to the Abudayyeh family and the admission by the bank of their action as a victory for their efforts and an affirmation of the constitutional right of Americans not to be deprived of property without due process of law. However, they are concerned that the actions of TCF management may violate state and federal public accommodations laws by denying the Abudayyehs banking services on a discriminatory basis.

Hatem Abudayyeh expressed his thanks to the many people who called in over the past two days. “Thank you all for your work. The pressure put on the US Attorney and OFAC no doubt caused them to contact TCF, who subsequently broke their silence and ended this frightening incident.”

Solidarity,
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression and
The Coalition for People's Rights

LGBTQ for Palestinian Rights Contingent in NYC Gay Pride Parade

2010-02-09T22:11:00.000-05:00

LGBTQ for Palestinian Rights
June 26

Sunday, June 26
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
NYC LGBT PRIDE PARADE
35th street and 6th avenue
Midtown Manhattan

Taking Inspiration from the Toronto Pride's Queers Against Israeli Apartheid contingent in their Gay Pride Parade ; we in NYC should have our own contingent of LGBTQ people and organizations standing in solidarity with Palestinian human rights and against Israel's apartheid!

Now more than ever is a time to bring this voice and issue to the NYC LGBT Community as Israel has ramped up it's pink washing and palestinian rights groups have now effectively been banned from the LGBT Center for organizing against Israeli apartheid!

The event page is meant to bring together individuals and organizations who would like to collaborate and collectively bring the voice of of human rights for Palestinians and stand up to Israel's pinkwashing! In the future the hope is to have organizing meetings or endorsements, etc., etc!

p.S. whatever we want to call our contingent can totally be decided collectively..whether something with the above title or Queers Against Israeli apartheid.

+ specific note : to be clear this page is for all those lgbtq and supporters of lgbt rights that also support Palestinian rights and want do do a contingent around it in the NYC Pride Parade. This is a not a page for racists and Islamaphobes to talk bullshit. You guys have virtually every mainstream media outlet and the israeli and american governments who express your viewpoints; we don't need them here. Racist comments will be deleted.

Ours to Master and to Own: Worker Control: From the Commune to the Present

2010-02-08T22:13:00.000-05:00

Haymarket Book Event
June 23

Join us in celebrating a book event for:
Ours to Master and to Own: Worker Control: From the Commune to the Present
By Immanuel Ness & Dario Azzellini (Eds.)

Thursday, June 23
6pm
Brooklyn College, Graduate Center (CUNY)
25 Broadway, 7th Floor
Lower Manhattan

From the dawning of the industrial epoch, wage earners have organized themselves into unions, fought bitter strikes, and have gone so far as to challenge the very premises of the system by creating institutions of democratic self-management aimed at controlling production without bosses. Looking at specific examples drawn from every corner of the globe and every period of modern history, this path breaking volume comprehensively traces this often under-appreciated historical tradition.

Ripe with lessons drawn from historical and contemporary struggles for workers' control, Ours to Master and to Own is essential reading for those struggling to bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old.

Praise for 'Ours to Master and to Own'
by Immanuel Ness and Dario Azzellini

Ness and Azzellini have made a major contribution in producing this insightful and exciting collection of essays on the question of workers control ... I didn't even have to open the book to know it is timely and offers great strategic insight.
-Bill Fletcher, Jr., Visiting Scholar, Center for Place, Culture & Politics, CUNY; editorial board, BlackCommentator.com; co-founder, Center for Labor Renewal; immediste past president, TransAfrica Forum; co-author, Solidarity Divided.

The seemingly logical and just idea that workers themselves should make the decisions regarding and reap the benefits of their labor has always been a fraught concept with the potential to topple or reform whole societies ... This ambitious, copiously researched and clearly written text provides a sweeping diversity of examples, analyzed with cool detachment from the specific politics but with underlying passion for the larger concept.
-Kari Lydersen, author of Revolt on Goose Island: The Chicago Factory Takeover and What it Says About the Economic Crisis (Melville House Books, 2009)

With the global capitalist order entering a period of crisis, but also with the dramatic increase in worker's struggles especially in the global South, this collection is extremely opportune. Workers will seek greater control over market forces and workers councils are bound to re-emerge. A must read for labour analysts and activists alike.
-Ronaldo Munck is theme leader for internationalization and social development at Dublin City University and visiting Professor of Sociology at the University of Liverpool

June 16: Day of Action in Solidarity with Carlos Montes

2010-02-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

Committee to Stop FBI Repression
June 16

Take Action in Solidarity with Carlos Montes, Veteran Chicano Activist and Immigrants’ Rights Leader
Join the National Day of Action

Thursday, June 16
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Federal Building
26 Federal Plaza
Government Center, Manhattan

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression are calling for protests on the day that Carlos Montes appears in court in the aftermath of the FBI and Los Angeles Sheriff’s raid on his home.

In an expansion and intensification of FBI repression of political activists, a SWAT Team along with the FBI smashed down the door and rushed in with automatic weapons as Carlos Montes’ slept in his home on May 17, 2011 at 5:00 AM. Carlos is a longtime Chicano activist and active member of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. The raiders ransacked his house, taking his computer, cell phones and hundreds of documents, photos, diskettes and mementos of his current political activities in the pro-immigrant rights and Chicano civil rights movement. Hundreds of historical documents related to the Chicano movement were taken away. He was arrested on one charge dealing with a firearm code and released on bail the following morning.
This attack on Carlos Montes is part of the campaign of FBI harassment targeting 23 peace and justice activists which has until now been centered in the Midwest. Carlos Montes’ name was listed on the search warrant left in the office of the Minneapolis Anti-War Committee last September 24. An FBI agent approached Carlos while he was in a squad car and asked him questions about his affiliation with a socialist organization.

This is an attack on Carlos Montes and an attack on the Chicano movement for equality. Carlos has been involved and a committed leader in the immigrant rights, anti war, solidarity, and quality education movements his whole life. Please stand with Carlos and defend all the movements for equality and justice.

On June 16, Carlos Montes will appear in court. We need your support. Join in protest with thousands across the country and demand:
• Drop the Charges Against Carlos Montes!
• Stop FBI Attacks on the Chicano and Immigrant Rights Movements!
• Stop FBI Repression of Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists NOW!

RSVP on Facebook

Queens ISO Present: A Screening of Gasland!

2010-02-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Film Screening
June 15

GASLAND a film by Josh Fox

As New York counts down to the end of a ban on drilling the Marcellus Shale which includes the watershed for millions here in New York City, the future of our environment and health hangs in the balance. A recent drilling accident in Pennsylvania lead to the evacuation and contamination of local farms and neighborhoods. Claims that it is a "clean" technology have been exploded by a study showing that drilling causes the release of vast quantities of methane--a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon monoxide--into the atmosphere.

Join us for the film and updates on the campaign to permanently ban this risky and unnecessary practice.

Wednesday, June 15
7:00 pm
Diversity Center
76-11 37 Ave
Jackson Heights, Queens

About the film: "The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing has unlocked a "Saudia Arabia of natural gas" just beneath us. But is fracking safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination.
A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is just one of the many absurd and astonishing revelations of a new country called GASLAND.

End U.S. Labor Complicity With Apartheid Israel!

2010-02-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

Support Palestinian Workers
June 13

Picket NYC Israel Bonds “Celebration”

Monday, June 13
5pm -7pm
Gotham Hall, 1356 Broadway (at 36 Street)
Midtown West, Manhattan

Just weeks after Israel massacred a score of unarmed Palestinian refugees for exercising their right to return home, Denis Hughes, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, is accepting a “Peace Medal” from the “State of Israel Bonds” gang.
Chairing the event is Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, and Israel’s leading trade union mouthpiece in the United States.
Such collaboration violates repeated Palestinian trade union calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against apartheid Israel, and is an ongoing stain on the labor movement in this country.

Please support Palestinian workers by picketing labor officialdom’s support for Israeli ethnic cleansing, racism and apartheid.
Endorsers (list in formation): New York City Labor Against the War; Labor for Palestine; Dump Israel Bonds; Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition.

Brooklyn Pride: March with Queers Against Israeli Apartheid Contingent

2010-02-04T12:42:00.000-05:00

Brooklyn Pride
June 11

Saturday, June 11
Details TBA
JOIN NYC Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
We marched in Queens Pride this past Sunday.
Details for Manhattan, Sunday, June 26, to come!

Public Forums / Action Assemblies Against Budget Cuts

2010-02-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Borough Assemblies
June 4 to 14

What’s hitting us?
6000 teachers’ jobs eliminated!
DOE is closing more than 20 schools!
20 fire houses to be shut down!
20+ hospitals closed!
Library services drastically reduced!
Thousands of city workers’ jobs cut!
Housing subsidies cut or wiped out!
Millions cut from child care services!

Who can stop it?
Teachers, Students, Librarians, Parents, Unions, Workers, Community Groups
A Labor-Community-Student Alliance!

They cut taxes for the rich, then slash public services because "there’s no money."
It's time to come together and fight back!
Join a public discussion of what the cuts mean for our communities and what we can do to stop them.

Let’s Really Stop Bloomberg’s Budget: Force a NO vote or STOP IT! We need a People’s Budget!

Public Forums / Action Assemblies in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island
June 4th to 14th

Sponsored by New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts and Staten Islanders for Real Budget Solutions & Against Budget Cuts

Email us at: nocutsny@gmail.com

Bronx / Harlem / Washington Heights:
Saturday, June 4
3-6 pm
Hostos College, Savoy Manor, 2nd Floor
149th St. & Walton Ave.
Bronx

Directions by train: take the 2, 4 or 5 to 149th & Grand Concourse, walk 1 block west
Directions by bus: take the Bx1, Bx2, Bx19, Bx32 or Bx33
Contact: LaborCommunityForum@gmail.com

Queens:
Friday, June 10
6-8 pm
Elmhurst Hospital Auditorium
79-01 Broadway
Elmhurst, Queens

Directions by train: E, F, M or R to Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Ave; 7 to 82 St-Jackson Hts
Directions by bus: take the Q29, Q32, Q33, Q45, Q47, Q49 or Q53
Contact: QnsAgainstBudgetCuts@gmail.com

Brooklyn:
Saturday, June 11
2-4 pm
Bedford Library, 496 Franklin Avenue
Brooklyn

Directions by train: take the A, C or S to Franklin Ave; G to Bedford-Nostrand; coming from the B, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5, transfer to the S to Franklin Ave
Directions by bus: take the B26, B38, B44, B48, B49, B52, B65 or B69
Contact: nocutsny@gmail.com

Staten Island:
Tuesday, June 14
7-9 pm
Bernikow/Mid-Island JCC, 1466 Manor Road
Staten Island

Sponsored by Staten Islanders for Real Budget Solutions & Against Budget Cuts
Contact: nobudgetcutssi@gmail.com

--

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid: Sit-In at the LGBT Center

2010-02-02T23:41:00.000-05:00

Sit-In
June 8

The LGBT Center has done it again. After a brief flirtation with openness, the NYC LGBT Center has capitulated to right-wing pressure – and shut down progressive queer political organizing again.

SIT-IN @ THE LGBT CENTER 
Wednesday, June 8
6 pm 
208 West 13th Street
West Village, Manhattan

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid was supposed to have our meeting at the Center at that time... but since the Center won't stand up for us, we have to SIT IN! Recently the Center responded to community demands that the Center remain open to queers, by finally granted meeting space to Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. But then, after a new round of threats and bullying from the right, the Center canceled all future QAIA meetings. In short, the Center has said that it won't stand up for queers' right to organize if that organizing becomes “controversial.”

Read statements from the Center and QAIA

Please call and/or email Center director Glennda Testone and board president Mario Palumbo (again!) Tell them they can't avoid controversy just by slamming the door on queer activists.  

For info, email NoPrideInOccupation@gmail.com or find QAIA on Facebook.

Bahrain & Syria - Lynchpins for the 'Arab Spring'?

2010-02-01T20:40:00.000-05:00

NAAP Mtg
June 8

Wednesday, June 8
7:00 pm
Alwan for the Arts
16 Beaver Street
Lower Manhattan

Since the beginning of what has been coined the "Arab Spring", we have  witnessed two peoples' revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. These uprisings  have transcended across the region inspiring revolts in several other countries. Unfortunately, we have witnessed brutal military crackdowns on peaceful protesters, such as in Bahrain and Syria, with over 1,000 killed  and over 10,000 arrested. Yet there has been inconsistent media coverage  and limited support from the international community.  In February, members of Bahrain's Shiite Muslim-majority led protests  against the regime's longstanding corruption and discrimination. One month  later, a wave of protests began in Syria calling for reform. Despite the  several economic and political differences between the two countries, there are several parallels between Bahrain and Syria: longstanding autocratic  regimes, sectarian-based rule, and how the stability of both regimes serves  the interests and greatly impacts both regional & global players. Moreover, the demands are the same: freedom and dignity!  

How can these popular uprisings not run the risk of turning into civil wars?  In the event of a regime change in either country, how would that influence the dynamics of other regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey?  Moreover, how would these changes impact US interests and policies in the region?   Join NAAP-NY for a discussion on Bahrain and Syria with our two distinguished guests: Professor Hamid Dabashi from Columbia University and Professor Bassam Haddad from Georgetown University.

Doors open at 6:30 PM
Cost: Donation - no-one will be turned away

Take the 4/5 train to Bowling Green; the J/M/Z* to Broad St.;the R/W to Whitehall  St.; the 1 to Rector St. or South Ferry; the 2/3 to Wall St.; or the A/C to Broadway-Nassau  

  Thank you and look forward to seeing there!  
The Network of Arab-American Professionals of NY  
Visit us on Facebook

Why Are Teachers Being Scapegoated?

2010-01-30T21:44:00.000-05:00

Public Forum - Queens
May 25

The Bloomberg/Banker Attack on Public Education

Speakers:
JULIE CAVANAUGH, Grassroots Education Movement and NYC public school teacher
DANNY LUCIA, Columnist for SocialistWorker.org and PS 69Q parent
& featuring a preview of the documentary "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman"

From Bloomberg to Bill Gates to the Obama White House, we're told that the key to fixing education is getting rid of ineffective teachers. Teacher's pensions and benefits are also being blamed for gaping budget deficits across the country. Behind these attacks is a plan to privatize and corporatize public education through non-union, privately-run charter schools, school closings and a punitive high-stakes testing regime.

But teachers, along with parents and students, are the most reliable allies in the fight for decent public education for all - including public control over education, smaller class sizes and an enriching curriculum. Internationally, teachers find themselves at the forefront of a battle against austerity and an overall attack on working peoples' living standards. Come to a forum to learn how public school teachers and families are fighting back against billionaire-backed education "reform", and how the fight to defend public education plays a leading role in the struggle for a better society.

Wednesday May 25
7 pm
The Diversity Center of Queens
76-11 37th Ave, 2nd Fl (btwn. 76th and 77th Sts.)
Jackson Heights, Queens
Take the E,V,R,M or 7 to 74th/Roosevelt

NO TEACHER LAY-OFFS! NO SCHOOL CLOSINGS!

Sponsored by the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) - gemnyc@gmail.com
& the Queens Branch of the International Socialist Organization - isojacksonheights@gmail.com / (646) 421-2035

Socialism 2011 Party and Fundraiser!!

2010-01-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

Revolutionaries' PARTY
MAY 22

* Raise the roof!
* Raise funds for the socialism 2011 scholarship fund!
* Drink, dance, be merry!

$20 all you can drink/$4 a pop

www.socialismconference.org

Saturday, May 22
7:00 pm - 12:00 am
145 West 122 street
Apartment #3
West Harlem, Manhattan

***

MORE ABOUT SOCIALISM 2011:

Friday, July 1 to Monday, July 4

Everywhere we look in the world there are revolutions and struggles that are challenging dictatorship, economic inequality, and oppression.
Revolutionary Rooftop Party
Ccny Socialists invited you · Share · Public Event

From Cairo to Madison, these struggles show us that "another world is possible." But they also raise questions about what ideas, strategies, and tactics are necessary to carry the struggle forward. Socialism 2011 will provide an opportunity for new and veteran activists to discuss what these events mean for our world, and for our own movements today.

Last year, more than 1,500 people turned out to Socialism 2010 in Oakland and Chicago.

Don’t miss the chance to meet with hundreds of others like you who want to build an alternative to a system of greed, racism, war and oppression.
Join us for more than 100 talks on topics such as:
Capitalism, Climate Change, and the Future of Humanity • Obama and Black Politics • The future of the Middle East revolutions • Is a Second Recession Coming? • Breaking the Siege of Gaza • Is Human Nature a Barrier to Socialism? • "Ours to master and to own": Workers’ control from the Commune to the present • The ABC's of Marxism • Can a Revolution Happen Here? • "Raunch culture": The new sexism • Teachers vs. billionaires: The fight for real education reform • The myth of "humanitarian intervention" • Wisconsin: The end of the one-sided class war
Featured Speakers:

Anthony Arnove • Omar Barghouti • John Carlos • Mark Clements • Eric Cobb • Paul D'Amato • Steve Early • Egyptian Activists • Sam Farber • Joel Geier • Rayyan Ghumma • Anand Gopal • Glenn Greenwald • Arun Gupta • Dan Lane • Paul LeBlanc • Alan Maass • Marlene Martin • Scott McLemee • Immanuel Ness

• Khury Petersen-Smith • Mostafa Omar • Helen Scott • Liliana Segura • Ahmed Shawki • Sharon Smith • Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor • Jeffery Webber • Sherry Wolf • Elizabeth Wrigley-Field • Dave Zirin

Resisting State Repression!!

2010-01-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

Cmmtt To Stop FBI Repression
May 21

Confronting Police and FBI Repression of Communities of Color & Oppressed Nationalities

Saturday, May 21
7 pm
56 Walker St. 
Tribeca, Manhattan

Take any train to Canal st (two blocks south, between Broadway and Church).

HATEM ABUDAYYEH, a Palestinian human rights activist, will speak about government repression against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims in the US. Hatem's home was raided by the FBI last fall, where he was served a Grand Jury subpoena along with 23 other anti-war, international solidarity, and Palestinian community activists.

A speaker from Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) will talk about the impact of local and federal law enforcement misconduct on South Asian, Arab, and Muslim communities in New York.

Brandon King of Malcolm X Grassroots Movement will speak about FBI, police repression, COINTELPRO in the balck community.   

CCR attorney Shayana Kadidal will give a legal update on the scope of Material Support Laws in the wake of the June 2010 Supreme Court decision, Humanitarian Law Project vs. Holder.

This event is sponsored by: NY Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Al-Awda NY, DRUM, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. --

Blueprint for Accountability: Gaza, Goldstone and the Crisis of Impunity

2010-01-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

May 19
Naomi Klein and the Goldstone Report

A Conversation About the Impact of the Goldstone Report on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Featuring: NAOMI KLEIN, COL. DESMOND TRAVERS, NOURA ERAKAT & LIZZY RATNER

Moderated by: LAURA FLANDERS

With special guest: TRUDIE STYLER

Thursday, May 19
7:30 pm
The French Institute
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th Street
Upper East Side, Manhattan

About the Event:

When the Goldstone Report was released in September 2009, it quickly became the report heard round the world. Last month the lead author of the report, Justice Richard Goldstone, once again made headlines when he wrote an essay in The Washington Post "reconsidering" one of the key findings of the report, the targeting of civilians by Israel. The piece has been seized on by Israel's supporters to try to discredit the report once and for all. Come hear a distinguished panel of experts, including a co-author of the report, discuss the fallout of Goldstone's Op-Ed and the ongoing need for accountability for the crimes of Operation Cast Lead. More than 18 months after it was released, the Goldstone Report remains as critical as ever.

Culture Project and Mondoweiss are pleased to present Blueprint for Accountability: Gaza, Goldstone and the Crisis of Impunity in association with Adalah-NY, Center forConstitutional Rights, CODEPINK, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews Say No, Haymarket Books, The Nation, The Nation Institute and Umbrage Editions.
The evening will feature photos from Kent Klich's Gaza Photoalbum
(Umbrage Editions).

Tickets only $11

To purchase visit ticketmaster.com or call Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787, or visit the Florence Gould Hall Box Office
12-7pm Tuesday-Friday, or 12-3pm Saturday

Buy tickets early and save with discount code: CP5030

Presented by the Culture Project and Mondoweiss

Film Premiere: Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman

2010-01-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

May 19
Inconvenient Truth behind Waiting for Superman

Grassroots Education Movement invites you:

Please join us for the premiere of our movie, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. This event is free and open to the public. Diane Ravitch, among... others, will be our honored guest. For more info go to the movie website

Thursday, May 19
6:00pm - 10:00pm
Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive; West 121St
West Harlem, Manhattan

Tariq Ali: From Cairo to Madison!!

2010-01-25T21:59:00.000-05:00

TARIQ ALI
MAY 17

TARIQ ALI: talk and book signing
From Cairo to Madison -- The Arab Revolution and a World in Motion

Tuesday, May 17
Door: 7 pm | Talk: 8 pm
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street
DUMBO, Brooklyn

For info call: 718 222 8500
Take the F to York Street or the C or A to High Street Brooklyn Bridge

FREE!!

Renowned author Tariq Ali discusses the global implications of the revolts shaking North Africa and the Middle East and assesses their implications for movements around the world for those seeking to challenge neoliberalism and empire. Sponsored by Haymarket Books and Verso Books.

For more information visit HERE

To register, visit HERE

Galapagos Art Space
Haymarket Books
Verso Books

Here’s what’s new at SocialistWorker.org

2010-01-24T23:24:00.000-05:00

Editorial
LIBERAL EXCUSES FOR A BUDGET BLOODBATH
You know official politics have moved to the right when Barack Obama's plan to cut $4 trillion from the U.S. budget over 12 years can be passed off as "liberal."

Comment: Marlene Martin
AFRAID OF AN INNOCENT MAN
During the two decades that Troy Davis has been on death row, media requests to interview him have been routinely denied. What is the state of Georgia afraid of?

Analysis: Nicole Colson and Alan Maass
ESCALATION OF A "HUMANITARIAN" WAR
The Western intervention in Libya has morphed from a "no-fly zone" into a continuous bombing campaign--with new threats of the use of ground troops.

Column: Brian Jones
WHO IS OBAMA'S REAL CONSTITUENCY
Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail, but he needs some new slogans--because "hope" and "change" have been emptied of any content.

Comment: David Russitano
CALIFORNIA TEACHERS STEP UP THE ACTION
California teachers will begin five days of protests May 9 to highlight the devastating cuts planned for K-12 public education.

Comment: Derron Thewatt
THE RIGHT SEES RED OVER PINK
Retailer J. Crew became the target of a right-wing firestorm when it depicted a boy with pink nail polish on his toes in an ad.

Comment: Christine Darosa
THE BIGOTRY BEHIND A TERRIBLE ASSAULT
A 22-year-old transwoman was viciously beaten inside a McDonald's in the Baltimore area--for using the women's restroom.

Interview: Edgardo Lander
WHAT PATH FOR VENEZUELA?
A professor at the Universidad Central de Venezuela explains the dynamics at play in Venezuelan society under Hugo Chávez.

________

Save the date and make your plans to attend...

SOCIALISM 2011: REVOLUTION IN THE AIR
Revolutionary politics, debate and entertainment
JULY 1-4 | CHICAGO
http://www.socialismconference.org

From the Middle East to the American Midwest, working people have come together this year to make their own history. Socialism 2011 will provide an unparalleled opportunity for new and veteran activists and scholars to discuss what these events mean for our world, and for our own movements today.

Last year, more than 1,500 people turned out to explore the history of struggles of ordinary people, to learn about radical figures who led social movements and to debate theoretical questions that can help us change the world. Don’t miss the chance this year to attend more than 100 meetings, browse a huge bookfair, watch films and entertainment--and hang out with hundreds of people like you who want to build an alternative to a system of greed, racism, war and oppression.

Featured speakers:
Anthony Arnove • Omar Barghouti • John Carlos • Todd Chretien • Mark Clements • Eric Cobb • Nicole Colson • Dana Cloud • Paul D'Amato • Steve Early • Egyptian activists • Sam Farber • Joel Geier • Rayyan Ghumma • Anand Gopal • Glenn Greenwald • Arun Gupta • Sarah Knopp • Dan Lane • Paul LeBlanc • Alan Maass • Marlene Martin • Scott McLemee • Immanuel Ness • Khury Petersen-Smith • Mostafa Omar • Helen Redmond • Jennifer Roesch • Elizabeth Schulte • Helen Scott • Liliana Segura • Ahmed Shawki • Sharon Smith • Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor • Jeffrey Webber • Lee Wengraf • Sherry Wolf • Elizabeth Wrigley-Field • Dave Zirin

Visit the Socialism 2011 website for updates

Register today online

Sponsored by the Center for Economic Research and Social Change, publisher of the International SocialistReview and Haymarket Books, and co-sponsored by the International Socialist Organization, publisher of SocialistWorker.org

March On Wall Street!! Make Big Banks and Millionaires Pay!!!

2010-01-23T20:43:00.000-05:00

March on Wall Street
May 12

Join thousands of workers, students, union members, activists, community groups and ordinary people to

Rally and Mass Teach-In

Visit www.onmay12.org for more info

Schedule

4:00 PM: Assemble Downtown (see below for assembly sites)
4:45 PM: March to Water Street (because the police are planning to blockade Wall Street to prevent us from protesting there, the teach-ins will take place on Water St instead)
5:00 PM: Mass Teach-Ins
5:45 PM: Closing Rally / Civil Disobedience Action

Assembly Sites (meet @ 4 pm):

(1) Education (UFT)

City Hall

260 Broadway

(2) Students

Charging Bull

26 Broadway

(3) Transportation/Energy

Bowling Green

1Bowling Green

(4) Immigration

Battery Park

Battery Place and State Street

(5) Housing

Staten Island Ferry

1 State Street

(6) Peace

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

55 Water Street

(7) Jobs

Wall Street Fountain

110 Wall St

(8) Human Services / Safety Net

South St. Seaport

20 Fulton St

Last Friday, Mayor Bloomberg announced his proposed 2011 budget for New York City. His plan would lay off 4,278 teachers and cut $400 million in funding to city agencies that provide vital services for the working people of New York, while leaving $1.5 billion in tax breaks to the city’s wealthiest untouched.

Join us on May 12 to send a clear message that we want the cuts stopped and for millionaires to pay their fair share!

The mayor’s proposed budget is the latest in a nationwide series of assaults on working families under the guise of “austerity.” While unemployment hovers near 10% and inequality in Manhattan is worse than that in Haiti, Bloomberg and others are trying to convince us that the only solution is cutting life lines to our city’s most vulnerable. But it’s not.

We have plenty of money to plug our budget gap, provide needed services, and put people back to work. For example, according a recent report from the On May 12 Coalition, NYC doles out $1.5 billion in tax giveaways to New York’s richest corporations and individuals. This is to say nothing of the $8.2 billion in corporate subsidies that New York State gives away every year or the $135 million it spends on job creation subsidies to companies that fail to create jobs or even cut them.

If our leaders’ priorities lay with working families, their first priority would be to stop the flood of literally billions of dollars going to line the pockets of the wealthiest while the rest of us suffer. Instead they’re shifting the burden onto teachers, working mothers, and low-income children and seniors. This Thursday, May 12, the people of New York will come together to send a strong message to Bloomberg that we expect him to get his priorities straight.

On May 12 at 4pm, an unprecedented coalition of labor and community groups will stage a massive teach-in all over Wall Street expected to draw 20,000 people to protest Bloomberg’s budget and demand that he take a lead from the city council Progressive Caucus’s “People’s Budget” in restoring services by making millionaires pay their fair share of the tax burden.

We hope you’ll join us!

U.S. Attorney Escalates Attacks on Civil Liberties of Anti-War, Palestinian Human Rights Activists

2010-01-22T21:37:00.000-05:00

HANDS OFF HATEM!
Call to Defend Civil Liberties
May 9

Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald first thing Monday morning!
(contact info at bottom of this email)

On Friday, May 6, the U.S. government froze the bank accounts of Hatem Abudayyeh and his wife, Naima. This unwarranted attack on a leading member of the Palestinian community in Chicago is the latest escalation of the repression of anti-war and Palestinian community organizers by the FBI, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Hatem Abudayyeh is one of 23 activists from Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Chicago, and his home was raided by the FBI in September of last year. Neither Hatem Abudayyeh nor Naima Abudayyeh have been charged with any crime.

One of the bank accounts frozen was exclusively in Naima Abudayyeh’s name. Leaders of the national Committee to Stop FBI Repression, as well as Chicago’s Coalition to Protect People’s Rights are appalled at the government’s attempt to restrict the family’s access to its finances, especially so soon before Mothers’ Day. Not only does the government’s action seriously disrupt the lives of the Abudayyehs and their five-year-old daughter, but it represents an attack on Chicago’s Arab community and activist community and the fundamental rights of Americans to freedom of speech.

The persecution of the Abudayyeh family is another example of the criminalization of Palestinians, their supporters, and their movement for justice and liberation. There has been widespread criticism of the FBI and local law enforcement for their racial profiling and scapegoating of Arab and Muslim Americans. These repressive tactics include infiltration of community centers and mosques, entrapment of young men, and the prominent case of 11 students from the University of California campuses at Irvine and Riverside who have been subpoenaed to a grand jury and persecuted for disrupting a speech by Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the US. The government’s attempt to conflate the anti-war and human rights movements with terrorism is a cynical attempt to capitalize on the current political climate in order to silence Palestinians and other people of conscience who exercise their First Amendment rights in a manner which does not conform to the administration’s foreign policy agenda in the Middle East.

The issuance of subpoenas against the 23 activists has been met with widespread opposition and criticism across the country. Six members of the U.S. Congress, including five in the past month, have sent letters to either Holder or President Obama, expressing grave concern for the violations of the civil liberties and rights of the 23 activists whose freedom is on the line. Three additional U.S. representatives have also promised letters, as thousands of constituents and other people of conscience across the U.S. have demanded an end to this assault on legitimate political activism and dissent. Over 60 Minnesota state legislators also issued a resolution condemning the subpoenas.

The Midwest activists have been expecting indictments for some time. The freezing of the Abudayyeh family's bank accounts suggests that the danger of indictments is imminent.

Take action Monday, May 9:
Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300.
Then dial 0 (zero) for the operator and ask to leave a message with the Duty Clerk.
Demand Fitzgerald
-- Unfreeze the bank accounts of the Abudayyeh family and
-- Stop repression against Palestinian, anti-war and international solidarity activists.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression and
The Coalition to Protect People’s Rights

For more info go to StopFBI.net

TAKE ACTION TO DEFEND PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS!!

2010-01-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

Defend Hatem Abudayyeh
May 10

Treasury Department freezes bank accounts of Palestinian human rights activist and his family.
Office of Foreign Assets Control (a division of the U.S. Dept of Treasury) is the source of escalated attack on civil Liberties of Anti-War, Palestinian Activists

Take action Tuesday:
Call the Office of Foreign Assets Control at
202-622-1649 or 202-622-2420.

Demand:
Unfreeze the bank accounts of the Abudayyeh family
Stop repression against Palestinian, anti-war and international solidarity activists.

On Friday, May 6, the U.S. government froze the bank accounts of Hatem Abudayyeh and his wife, Naima. It appears that this is being done by the Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Background
This unwarranted attack on a leading member of the Palestinian community in Chicago is the latest escalation of the repression of anti-war and Palestinian community organizers by the US government. Hatem Abudayyeh is one of 23 activists from Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Chicago, and his home was raided by the FBI in September of last year.

One of the bank accounts was exclusively in Naima Abudayyeh’s name. Leaders of the national Committee to Stop FBI Repression, as well as Chicago’s Coalition to Protect People’s Rights, are appalled at the government’s attempt to restrict the family’s access to its finances, especially so soon before Mothers’ Day. The Abudayyehs have a five-year-old daughter.

Supporters of the Abudayyehs and the other 22 activists have learned that apparently OFAC can block your assets pending an investigation on charges of “material support for a foreign terrorist organization” without a hearing. No evidence is required to freeze assets. In the case of the Abudayyeh family, assets mean money for food and rent. As this statement is written, officials won’t even acknowledge that they are the source of the freeze.

There has been widespread criticism of the FBI and local law enforcement for their racist practices against Arab and Muslim communities across the country. These repressive tactics include infiltration of community centers and mosques, entrapment of young men, and the prominent case of 11 students from the University of California campuses at Irvine and Riverside who have been subpoenaed to a grand jury and persecuted for disrupting a speech by Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the US. There have been no charges against Abudayyeh or any of the other 22 activists; this action by the U.S. government is another example of the criminalization of Palestinians, their supporters, and their movement for justice and liberation.

Six members of the U.S. Congress, including five in the past month, have sent letters to either Attorney General Eric Holder or President Obama, expressing grave concern for the violations of the civil liberties and rights of the 23 activists whose freedom is on the line. Three additional U.S. representatives have also promised letters, as thousands of constituents and other people of conscience across the U.S. have demanded an end to this assault on legitimate political activism and dissent.

The Midwest activists have been expecting indictments for some time. The freezing of the Abudayyeh family's bank accounts suggests that the danger of indictments is imminent.

In solidarity,
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression

StopFBI.net

Siege Busters Tribute to Juliano Mer-Khamis, Screening of 'Arna's Children'

2010-01-21T22:03:00.000-05:00

Siege Busters
May 7

Juliano Mer-Khamis, actor, director, peace activist and founder of the Jenin Freedom Theater was murdered in front of his theater on Monday April 4th. In the wake of this tragic event, we commemorate Juliano's life and life's work by screening 'Arna's Children', a film he directed about his mother's work and out of which he formed the ground-breaking Jenin Freedom Theater.

Saturday, May 7
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Queens Pride House
76-11 37th Avenue, Suite 206
Jackson Heights, Queens

Suggested donation $5

Subway: E, F, M or R line to Roosevelt Ave. or the #7 to 74th St./Broadway.
For more info., see http://queenspridehouse.org/calendar

Please bring your checkbooks, donations will be collected for the Friends of Jenin Freedom Theater.

About 'Arna's Children':
Go to the trailer HERE

About the Jenin Freedom Theater

Support the Jenin Freedom Theater

Co-Sponsors:
The Siege Busters Working Group
The Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theater

'Ecology & Socialism' Book Event with Author, Chris Williams

2010-01-20T20:58:00.000-05:00

May 7
Ecology and Socialism

Around the world, consciousness of the threat to our environment is growing. !e majority of solutions on o"er, from using e#cient light bulbs to biking to work, focus on individual lifestyle changes, yet the scale of the crisis requires far deeper adjustments.

In Ecology and Socialism, Chris Williams argues that time still remains to save humanity and the planet, but only by building social movements for environmental justice that can demand qualitative changes in our economy, workplaces, and infrastructure.

Join acclaimed author Chris Williams for a discussion of the
enviromental crisis—its causes, but most importantly, possible solutions.

Saturday, May 7
7:00pm - 10:00pm
No Space
84 Havemeyer Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Neil Davidson on the US Civil War and Bourgeois Revolutions

2010-01-19T20:36:00.000-05:00

May 6
"The American Civil War Considered as a Bourgeois Revolution"

Friday, May 6th
6:30pm
Puck building, 4th Floor
NYU Sociology Department

Join Haymarket Books (/) author NEIL DAVIDSON for a discussion of his forthcoming work-in-progress, How Revolutionary Were the Bourgeois Revolutions, with a focus on his work
on the U.S. Civil War, which began 150 years ago this month.

Davidson's work addresses two key issues raised by the process of bourgeois revolution in the United States: the relationship between the War of Independence and the Civil War, and whether the nature of the South made conflict unavoidable. While drawing comparisons to the Scottish revolution, he agues that the American Revolution is unique for two reasons: the non-feudal nature of Southern society and the fact that the Northern industrial bourgeoisie, unlike their European contemporaries, were still prepared to behave in a revolutionary way.

All welcome.

The Revolutionary Struggle in Bolivia

2010-01-18T23:59:00.000-05:00

May 4 & 5
From Waters Wars to Today

A presentation by JEFFREY WEBBER

Author of From Rebellion to Reform in Bolivia (Haymarket Books, 2011).

Join Haymarket Books for a discussion of the lessons of past struggles and the current challenges facing the social movements in Bolivia as they continue their fight for liberation.

Sponsored by the NYU Socialist Club, The Queens ISO and Haymarket Books

Wednesday, May 4
7 pm

Diversity Center

76-11 37th Ave., 2nd Fl.
Between 76th and 77th Streets
Jackson Heights, Queens

Thursday, May 5
8pm
Kimmel Center Room 909
New York University
60 Washington Square South
Greenwich Village, Manhattan

The Muslim Question: Islamophobia on the Rise

2010-01-17T21:14:00.000-05:00

Islamophobia Meeting
May 3

Graffiti found today on Portland Maine's Muslim Community Center just hours after Pres. Obama announced that U.S. forces had killed Osama bin Laden.
It included comments such as "Go Home," "Long live the West," and "Osama Today Islam tomorow(sic)"
 Is it really liberty and justice for all? Why not? What can we do?

Panel of Speakers:

DEEPA KUMAR * IMAM KHALID LATIF * SHERRY WOLF * IMAM SIRAJ WAHAJ * LAMIS DEEK, Esq.

Tuesday, May 3rd, 6:00PM
Brooklyn College (CUNY)
SUBO Building, Gold Room, 6th Floor
1 Campus Road - Brooklyn, NY (11210)

Our speakers will be covering different sides of Islamophobia -from the legal aspects and its effects on Muslims, to the U.S. Foreign Policy and justifying the War on Terror, to the domino effect in other countries. We will hear from both Muslims and Non-Muslims all against racist oppression and in support of justice, human rights and the freedom of religion.  History is repeating itself with a cycle of hatred.  Let us understand the roots of this bigotry and break the misconceptions of Islam that cause injustice and discrimination around our nation and world.

On facebook

THIS MAY DAY, MARCH WITH THE SOCIALISTS!

2010-01-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

May Day March!!

You're invited to march with the International Socialist Organization's contingent at this year's May Day.

May Day is the international worker's holiday that has been celebrated in countries all over the world - except for the US. But, since the historic Immigrant worker's marches of 2006, May Day is back!

In 2011, there's still plenty to fight for. Last year, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 which actually legalizes racial profiling. The state of Georgia looks set to pass a copy-cat bill. And, while President Obama promised to fight for immigrant's rights, deportations and the militarization of the border have actually escalated under his administration.

And with the organised working class standing up to basic attacks against its right to join Unions, it's time to stand up and say, enough is enough! We demand FULL legalization for ALL undocumented immigrants, an end to the deportations, an end to the militarization of the border, an end to racist scapegoating, and a repeal of SB1070! We demand a end to the scapegoating of public sector workers! We stand with the teachers in their fight for quality public education and against privatization!! time to Fight Back!

What better way to commemorate May Day than fighting for international worker's rights and marching with socialists?

For a world without borders! For a better world for all workers!!

See these articles at Socialistworker.org

Meet up at Union Square! Right across the street from WholeFoods
11:45am
14th Street
Manhattan

Join the ISO Monthly Student Meeting!!

2010-01-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

April 30
Socialist Student Meeting

Are You a Student? A Socialist Too?

April 30th
4pm
Thomas Hunter 305 B
Hunter College
Upper East Side, Manhattan

Take the 6 train to 68th Street. Bring ID

This month....

Which way forward for the student budget cuts movement?
&
Getting on the bus to the Socialism 2011 conference in Chicago!

Queens ISO Meeting: Syria's Unfolding Revolution

2010-01-14T22:02:00.000-05:00

April 27
Meeting on Syrian revolt

The revolt in the Middle East continues to grow! Syria's population is rising up to challenge the dictatorial police powers and repression of the Assad regime following the detention and torture of a group of young boys for writing graffiti. As the revolution enters its second month, the movement is spreading rapidly among the population.

Join a discussion of the movement, the role of Syria in the Middle East, and how we can support the Arab Revolutions here in the US

Wednesday, April 27
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Steinway Street
Astoria, Queens

For localtion information contact; nyciso@gmail.org

The Case for Socialism - NYC ISO Tour

2010-01-13T20:29:00.000-05:00

BARNARD- COLUMBIA
Thursday, April 14
7:30 pm
Hamilton Hall, Room 603
Columbia University, 116th St & Broadway
For more info, email: columbia.iso@gmail.com

BROOKLYN COLLEGE
TBA
bcsocialist@gmail.com

CITY COLLEGE 
Thursdays, April 21
12:30 pm
CCNY NAC Building, Room 1/209
137th St. & Amsterdam Ave. 
West Harlem, Manhattan
Take the 1 to 137th/City College or A/B/C/D to 145th St. 
ISO.Uptown.Branch@gmail.com

DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN 
Thursday, April 14
7:00 pm
Walker Stage
56 Walker St.
between Broadway and Church St.
1/a/c/e/n/r/q/6 to Canal St

HUNTER COLLEGE
Wednesdays , April 13
7:00 pm
Thomas Hunter 305B 
68th & Lexington Ave.
Upper East Side, Manhattan 
hunterisoclub@gmail.com  

 NYU 
Thursdays, April 14
7:00 pm 
Puck Building, 4th Floor 
295 Lafayette Street (corner of Houston &Lafayette) 
SOHO, Manhattan
Take the 6 to Bleecker, B/D/F/V to Broadway-Lafayette, R/W to Prince
socialists.club@nyu.edu

PACE UNIVERSITY
TBA

QUEENS
Saturday, April 16
1:00 pm
diversity Center
76-11 37th Avenue
Jackson Heights, Queens
nyciso@gmail.org

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS
Thursday, April 14
6 pm
St. Catherine Church
506 W. 153 st, between Broadway & Amsterdam
Washington Heights, Manhattan

CCNY Invite You: Students Against Fracking Rally!!

2010-01-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

April 20
Anti-Fracking Rall

An Invitation to ALL: Get On the BAN Wagon!!
Stand Up for a Clean Energy Future, Demand State Wide Ban on Fracking!!
Please join the NYS Student Community in calling for a state wide ban on Hydro-Fracking!!

The Students Against Fracking coalition will be joined by Reverend Billy and the Earthaluja Choir, Al Appleton, United for Action, student speakers and performers, water system and environmental experts, activists and elected representatives.

Wednesday, April 20
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
West Washington Square Park, Manhattan

Stop Fracking Now!
Before it contaminates our water supplies, destroys our precious ecosystem and poisons us & future generations.
GREEN ENERGY NOW!

Misleading the public under the false claim that natural gas is a “clean” energy, the oil and gas industry is currently using a toxic and hazardous process for natural gas extraction called hydraulic fracturing (“hydrofracking"). This process, currently ongoing in thirty-four states, is causing irreparable damage to the environment, poisoning humans and animals, making farms, homes and large tracts of land uninhabitable.

After several years of devastating many Western states, gas drilling companies are now descending on the East—especially West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. They have already leased large areas including the Susquehanna and Delaware River Basins, and are poised to contaminate the water supplies of 41 million people from the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. These drilling companies have already ripped through western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, leaving these areas in ruins.

How does hydrofracking work? Gas companies drill down, through our aquifers, then horizontally through the shale (see image below), and pump in millions of gallons of fracking fluid—comprised of millions of gallons of water, tons of toxic, carcinogenic chemicals and sand. It’s pressurized to such a high degree that it causes small explosions, fracturing the shale and releasing the gas. However, it also releases tons of toxins such as heavy metals and radioactive materials. These toxins seep through the fractured rock, through the vertical fault lines and other cracks in the ground and enter into our water supplies.

• •

Once the water and the earth are poisoned, there is no going back. The chemicals used in fracking do not biodegrade. Worse, there is no known technology to treat or filter the fluid waste. The small percentage of waste extracted usually ends up re-injected somewhere else, or worse, dumped. These toxins will be in our soil, water, and air, for thousands of years – and all for a short-term energy plan.

This process should be illegal, but it’s not. The Halliburton Loophole, inserted into the 2005 Energy Policy Act, exempts hydrofracking from the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act and Superfund Act—all of the environmental safeguards that have been created to protect us. So now, it’s all going on completely unregulated, and no one is watching out for us!

Sponsored by Oxfam Club at NYU, United for Action, NYU Sustainability

Join us here

Queens ISO: Revolution in the Air!!

2010-01-11T22:09:00.000-05:00

Why You Should Be a Socialist!
April 16

From Wisconsin to Cairo ordinary men and women have taken to the streets to resist undemocratic, pro-business laws and leaders. Join a discussion for local activists and socialists about the crisis facing working people and why capitalism ultimately must be replaced with a society based on human needs and equality.

Saturday, April 16
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Diversity Center
76-11 37 Ave
Jackson Heights, Queens

Meeting in English with Spanish interpretation

Take the R,G,M,E,F or 7 train to 74th Street

Calling into Question Israeli Democracy w/Omar Barghouti & Joseph Massad

2010-01-10T21:02:00.000-05:00

April 11
Omar Barghouti

Calling into Question Israeli Democracy: why Palestinians understand Israel as an Apartheid state and how they seek to change it through Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions.

Hosted by Joseph Massad, featuring Omar Barghouti

International boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) efforts helped topple South Africa’s brutal apartheid regime. In his urgent book, Omar Barghouti makes the case for a rights-based BDS campaign to stop Israel’s rapacious occupation, colonization, and apartheid against the Palestinian people. This considered, convincing collection contributes to the growing debate on Israel’s violations of international law and points the way forward to a united global civil society movement for freedom, justice, self-determination, and equality for all.

JOSEPH MASSAD is associate professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia University. He is author ofColonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan (Columbia U. Press, 2001), Desiring Arabs (Harvard University Press), and The Persistence of the Palestinian Question: Essays on Zionism and the Palestinians.

OMAR BARGHOUTI is an independent Palestinian commentator and human rights activist. He is a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the Palestinian Civil Society Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

Monday, April 11
7:30pm - 10:30pm
Schermerhorn building, Room #501
Columbia University
Morninside Heights

Praise for Omar Barghouti's new book, Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights:

“Omar Barghouti’s lucid and morally compelling book is perfectly timed to make a major contribution to this urgently needed global campaign for justice, freedom and peace.”
—Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“No one has done more to build the intellectual, legal, and moral case for BDS than Omar Barghouti. The global Palestinian solidarity movement has been transformed and is on the cusp of major breakthroughs.”
—Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine

“When powerful governments will not act, ordinary people must take the lead... Essential reading for all who care about justice and the plight of an oppressed people.”
—Ken Loach, filmmaker

BACK TO THE STREETS!Rally Against the Wars at Home and Abroad

2010-01-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

APRIL 9

Back to the Streets! Rally Against the Wars at Home and Abroad
on April 9th (New York City) and April 10th (San Francisco)!

WHO ARE THE WARMAKERS?

THEY are the government, corporate, and financial powers that wage war, ravage the environment and the economy and trample on our democratic rights.

WHO ARE THE PEACEMAKERS?

WE are the vast majority of humanity who want peace, a healthy planet and a society that prioritizes human needs, democracy and civil liberties for all.

WE ARE DEDICATED TO A WORLD
OF PEACE AND JUSTICE.

All Out April 9, 2011, NYC!
United National Antiwar Committee

An Anti-war Teach-in on U.S. Imperialism and Resistance to it

2010-01-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

Anti War Teach-in
Barnard-Columbia ISO

Thursday, April 7
7:30pm 
Hamilton Hall, Rm 603
Columbia University
Morningside Heights, Manhattan

For over half our lives the U.S. has been in a state of full-scale war. From Afghanistan to Iraq and beyond, the so-called 'War on Terror' has terrorized the lives of countless civilians, and as a result, the consciences and material realities of most U.S. taxpayers. During the 8 years of U.S. terror in Iraq an estimated 100-700 thousand Iraqi civilians have died. With 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, that is at least 400 times as many Iraqi civilian deaths for the death of every U.S. soldier. During the 10 years of U.S. terror in Afghanistan, an estimated 1,500 US soldiers and at least 20,000 Afghani civilians have died. By 2009, U.S. military expenditures had grown to roughly 45% of worlds military expenditures. In other words, almost half of the money spent on war in the entire world is spent by the United States of America alone. With roughly 800 military bases world-wide and two full-scale wars ongoing -- not counting the Libyan "air-strike", and extensive 'counter-insurgency' activity and funding throughout the world-- the U.S. is the world's foremost imperial power. However, these imperial acts have not gone without resistance from those who are targeted by it.

Join us in a discussion on the wars abroad and the war at home and how people are fighting back.

Sponsored by the Columbia-Barnard International Socialist Organization

UNAC Organizing Meeting for April 9 Demo!!

2010-01-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

Antiwar Organizing Meeting
March 30

Wednesday, March 30
7 pm
1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East
310 West 43rd Street
Times Square, Manhattan

* This Thursday, 11am March 31, 100 Imams for April 9 will hold a press conference at City Hall!
* Updates on the Peace Trains on commuter lines into NYC on April 9.
* Reports of reserved buses from dozens of cities are coming in!
* A growing number of Contingents are marching together on April 9 - What are YOUR Plans?
* Sign-up for the tables and displays at Foley Square Peace Fair, 2 to 5 pm on April 9
* Pick-up THOUSANDS of beautiful glossy color flyers for April 9 in SIX Languages, along with English/Spanish lit.

At the meeting Wednesday we will have a detailed discussion about logistics, contingents, marshaling, fundraising..
And the growing political importance of April 9th:
* Imperialist attacks on Libya are widening far beyond a no-fly zone;
* Fears of an imminent large-scale attack on Gaza are increasing;
* Student and anti cutback actions across the country and here in NYC are spiraling;
* Killings, arrests and other repression in Iraq, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, along with new drone attacks in Pakistan and increase targeting of civilians in Afghanistan

This is our last meeting before April 9th, we need a big, well-organized, efficient meeting with lots of ideas and volunteering!
Spread the word!

Stop the JNF - Campaign Launches on Land Day

2010-01-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

Stop the Jewish National Fund
March 30

The Palestinian BDS National Committee has called for a Global Day of Action to commemorate Palestinian Land Day.
On March 30, 2011, join the international campaign to Stop the Jewish National Fund

Palestinian Land Day is the annual commemoration of the 1976 general strike and marches against massive land expropriation by Israel in which six Palestinians were killed and hundreds of others were jailed and wounded. Since then it has been a day to recall many decades of Palestinian resistance to historic and on-going displacement and dispossession.

A key pillar of the colonization of Palestine - from the founding of the State of Israel to the present - has been the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael (KKL), commonly known in English as the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The JNF enjoys charity status in over 50 countries. This is despite its role in the on-going displacement of indigenous Palestinians from their land, the theft of their property, the funding of historic and present-day colonies, and the destruction of the natural environment.

Land Day 2011 will welcome the launch of internationally coordinated campaigns to challenge the JNF-KKL. As part of the global movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), in solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle, and until such time as the State of Israel respects and implements international law, the Palestinian BDS National Committee and many other organizations call on global civil society to join in a campaign to challenge the JNF.

Join the campaign to Stop the JNF. The campaign is already underway in Britain, Canada, France and the US, and challenges to the JNF continue across Palestine, including in Israel.

To join the campaign:
Sign the international call at:http://www.stopthejnf.org/callforaction.html
Include the JNF in your BDS and Palestine solidarity work.
Bring the campaign to your city or region.
Tell us about your activity at us@stopthejnf.org.
Click here to download the Stop the JNF Campaign fact sheet.
For more information about the campaign, email us at info@stopthejnf.org.

To join regional campaigns, email the following:
Britain: gb@stopthejnf.org
Canada: canada@stopthejnf.org
Palestine:palestine@stopthejnf.org
United States: us@stopthejnf.org

www.stopthejnf.org

Barnard-Columbia ISO Events

2010-01-05T20:19:00.000-05:00

Should Columbia Allow the Military to Train on Campus?

TUESDAY
Tuesday, March 29th
8 pm -10 pm
Intercultural Resource House
552 West114th Street
Morningside Heights, Manhattan

On April 1 the Columbia Senate is likely to vote on the resolution to bring ROTC to Columbia, even though there has been an acute lack of transparency in disseminating information by the Senate Task Force on Military Engagement.

This was obvious in the town halls organized by the Task Force, and yet the Senate still may vote this Friday.

WEDNESDAY

Barnard Forum on Emancipation and Politics*
Presents:

Chris Hedges: The Death of the Liberal Class

Author of "War is a Force that Gives us Meaning" (2002)
and most recently "The Death of the Liberal Class" (2010)

Wednesday, March 30
6:15 pm
James Room
Barnard Hall (4th Floor)
Morningside Heights, Manhattan

* The Forum is organized by Bashir Abu-Manneh and
Frederick Neuhouser

THURSDAY
Columbia-Barnard ISO Branch Meeting
7:30 pm
Hamilton Hall room 603
Morningside Heights, Manhattan

Join us for a discussion on how to mobilize Columbia students for the United National Antiwar Conference protest against the war on Saturday, April 9th.

We will also be discussing how to do outreach for our exciting upcoming summer conference, Socialism 2011. For more information, visit: http://www.socialismconference.org/

Lethal Injustice: Standing Against the Death Penalty and Harsh Punishment

2010-01-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

MARCH 20

"Lethal Injustice" is a speaking tour to look at what’s behind our massive prison build-up, why so many people of color are locked up and what we can do about it. This national speaking tour will be featuring panelists including exonerated prisoners, family members, activists, lawyers and scholars.

From death rows to super-maxes, over 2.3 million mean and women sit behind bars today. "Lethal Injustice" speakers are organizing on the front-lines of the fight against criminal injustice, taking a stand against the racist, prison build-up and harsh sentencing.

**Left Forum Conference
Pace University
Sunday, March 20 - 12 PM

JOSEPH "JAZZ" HAYDEN - former Attica organizer
and prisoner rights activist
LAWRENCE HAYES - former Black Panther
and New York death row prisoner
ANTHONY PAPA - Rockefeller drug law survivor;
author, 15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom
LILIANA SEGURA - independent journalist and Board member,
Campaign to End the Death Penalty
MARC CLEMENTS - police torture victim;
convicted of life without parole as a juvenile
BOB GANGI - Executive Director, Correctional Association
AMIR VARICK - Rockefeller drug law survivor and activist

**City College/CUNY
NAC Ballroom
Wednesday, April 16 - 7 PM

Book a Tour stop today! Bring Tour speakers to your campus or community. Email nyc@nodeathpenalty.org for more info.

NYC ISO Newsletter

2010-01-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

To receive our regular newsletters, please write: nyciso@gmail.com

Over the last few weeks events in Wisconsin have transformed the words "Solidarity Forever!" from a phrase from the history books into a living, daily reality. What began as protests by students and rank-and-file unionists and a sick-in by teachers in the capital city of Madison mushroomed into a massive occupation of the state Capitol building.

What direction the struggle in Wisconsin goes in is yet to be determined. But we can be sure of one thing: The long, one-sided class war in the U.S. looks a lot different. Our side was fighting back--and showing that it has the power to win.

Here in New York, where Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg are determined to reduce state and city deficits on the backs of working people, the example set by workers and students in Wisconsin couldn't be more relevant.

Cuomo has called for drastic budget cuts across the board, while Bloomberg enthusiastically pledged to gut public pensions and teachers' tenure, threatening to lay off six percent of the city's teachers. Meanwhile the state's "millionaire's tax," a surcharge on people earning more than $200,000 a year, is set to expire, despite the fact that it could bring in $4 billion - $5 billion.

To stop these attacks on working people, we will need to bring some of that Madison spirit to New York!

Check out the list of report backs below, to hear from NYC teachers, students, and other activists that took part in protests in Madison over the last couple of weeks!

REPORT BACKS FROM MADISON!

NYU
contact:socialists.club@nyu.edu

DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN
Thursday, March 17 @7:00pm
Location TBD
contact: isodowntown@gmail.com

PACE UNIVERSITY
Time/location TBD
contact: ecologyandsocialism@gmail.com

HUNTER COLLEGE
Tuesday, March 8 @3:30pm
& Wednesday, March 9 @7:00pm
Thomas Hunter 305B
68th & Lexington Ave.
6 to 68th/Hunter College
contact: hunterisoclub@gmail.com

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY / BARNARD COLLEGE
Thursday, March 10 @7:30pm
Hamilton Hall 603
Columbia University
1 to 116th/Columbia U
contact: columbia.iso@gmail.com

CITY COLLEGE
Thursday, March 10 @12:30pm
CCNY NAC Building, Room 1/211
137th St. & Amsterdam Ave.
1 to 137th/City College or A/B/C/D to 145th St.
contact:ccnyiso@gmail.com

HARLEM
Thursday, March 17 @7:00pm
Location TBD
contact: edna.bonhomme@gmail.com

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS
Time/location TBD
contact: marissaltorres@gmail.com

QUEENS
Saturday, March 13 @1:00pm
76-11 37th Ave, Room 204
Jackson Heights
7,E,F,R,M trains to 74th St./Roosevelt Ave
contact: isojacksonheights@gmail.com

QUEENS COLLEGE
contact: queenscollegeiso@gmail.com

BROOKLYN COLLEGE
Wednesday, March 23
Location TBD
contact: sarahpomar@gmail.com

TEACHER HAPPY HOUR!
Friday, March 11 @5:00pm
Gossip Bar & Grill
733 9th Ave (B/t 49th & 50th St)
A/C/E/1/2 to 50th st.
Teachers: please RSVP to kprosen@gmail.com

State of Emergency Protest:Day of Rage Rally Against the Cuts

2010-01-02T23:15:00.000-05:00

MARCH 24

National Student/Labor/Community Walkout called by the Natl. Committee to Defend Public Education. Local/campus actions earlier in the day.

Jobs, Not Layoffs! Affordable Housing Now! No Cuts to Social Services! No Union-Busting or Privatization! Stop the School Closings! Fire Cathleen Black and End Mayoral Control! Free Tuition and Open Admissions for CUNY! Extend the Millionaire's Tax! Close Corporate Tax Loopholes! Bring Back the Stock Transfer Tax!

Rally at Greene Street & Washington Place
5pm Thursday, March 24
near Washington Square
Greenwich Village, Manhattan
March to Wall St. at 6 pm

Next Planning Meeting at DC 37 Headquarters
6pm Wednesday, March 9
125 Barclay Street (@ West St.), Room 6
1/2/3 or A/C to Chambers St, the E to Park Place, or the N/R to City Hall

All Are Welcome!

Endorsed by (list in formation): the CUNY Mobilization Network, DC37, the Bail Out The People Movement, the Freedom Party, the December 12th Movement, the Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública, Queens College STAND, Students Without Borders, Social Workers for a Free CUNY, the Freedom Socialist Party, and Radical Women. Find us on Facebook by searching for “State of Emergency Protest: Day of Rage Against the Cuts.” To endorse or for more information, email march4ny@gmail.com.. To endorse or for more information, email march4ny@gmail.com.

Eyewitness to Revolution: The Revolution in Egypt and the Arab World

2010-01-02T14:52:00.000-05:00

MARCH 20

Special event at The Left Forum featuring five eyewitness accounts of the revolution in Egypt.

The revolutions first in Tunisia, then Egypt and now sweeping across the Arab world have re-shaped the world as we know it. Decades old dogmas collapsed in weeks as ordinary people toppled a US-backed dictator and, in the process, posed a challenge to the current balance of power in the Middle East.

This panel will feature report-backs from five journalists and activists who were in Cairo during and after the revolution. It will examine the dynamics that led to the revolution, the events of January 25-February 11 as well as subsequent developments. Panelists will also discuss the impact the revolution is having throughout the Middle East and implications for U.S. imperialism.

Panelists:

ANAND GOPAL is an independent journalist who has reported on Afghanistan for the Wall Street Journal and Christian Science Monitor. During the revolution in Egypt, he reported from Cairo for the Nation and other outlets, including Foreign Policy. Read some of his reporting from Cairo here, here, and here.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS has been a producer for Democracy Now! since 2003. He has reported from Baghdad during the Iraq War, New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and Haiti following the hurricane that devastated the lives of millions there. Most recently he provided live coverage of the developments in Cairo throughout the revolution in Egypt. He grew up in Cairo, Egypt. A selection of footage from his reporting can be found here.

AYMAN MOHYELDI is an Arab American journalist and a Middle-East correspondent for Al Jazeera English. He is currently based as an Egypt correspondent in Cairo, where he has been reporting extensively on the Egyptian revolution that started in January 2011. Ayman was previously based in Gaza, and he was one of the only international journalists to report from inside Gaza during Israel's war on Gaza in 2008-2009, for which his reporting was nominated for an International Emmy Award. He has also reported on sectarian violence in Lebanon, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, human rights abuses in the Gulf and on political and social issues from across the United States. Some articles about him can be found here, here, and here.

MOSTAFA OMAR is an Egyptian socialist who is reporting from Cairo on the revolution and subsequent developments. He is a contributing author to The Struggle for Palestine (Haymarket Books). A selection of his articles and reporting can be found here, here, and here.

AHMED SHAWKI is the editor of the International Socialist Review and the author of Black Liberation and Socialism (Haymarket Books). He is also on the editorial board of Haymarket Books. Originally from Cairo, Egypt, he returned there to participate in and report on the Egyptian revolution. He is currently on a national tour titled "Revolution in Egypt: Another World is Possible". A selection of his speaking appearances can be found here, here, here, and here.

Eyewitness to Revolution:
The Revolution in Egypt and the Arab World
at The Left Forum
Pace University
Schimmel Auditorium
March 18-20

Register and find more info at leftforum.org

This panel is sponsored by the International Socialist Review and will be moderated by Jennifer Roesch, a member of the journal's editorial board.

Pack the Court - Defend the Newburgh Four!!

2010-01-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

Join the Movement Against the FBI's use of Informants and Entrapment Against Communities of Color!

Thursday, March 24
8:30 am - 12:00 pm
500 Pearl Street
14th Floor, Courtroom 14C (or outside vigil)
Government center, Manhattan

Take the 6/R/J to City Hall; or A/C to Chambers)

Judge Colleen McMahon has granted the requests for oral argument on the defense’s motions over the prosecution's objections. The sentencing has been postponed as a result. As the judge considers these motions, it’s crucial to show popular support for Newburgh 4, and resistance to the FBI’s use of informants and entrapment techniques, and the government’s overbroad and discriminatory terrorism prosecutions.

Who Are the Newburgh Four?

The Newburgh Four are African–American men from an impoverished area of upstate New York, one of whom is schizophrenic. The four were lured by a government agent with offers of cash and cars to consider engaging in terrorist activity. All evidence shows that these men engaged with the agent provocateur for money, that they did not have the means to carry out any terrorist actions, and that they would have never considered getting involved with any such plot had it not been for the informant’s prodding and plotting, all of which preyed on the men’s vulnerabilities. The men now face life in prison for this government-constructed plot.

For more information on the case and these techniques and prosecutions, see this article in the Village Voice or this article in Socialist Worker!

Weekly Vigil: Justice for the Newburgh 4!

2010-01-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

March 14 (originally scheduled for March 10)
Come out and show your support!

Four African-American men were convicted of terrorism last fall, entrapped by an FBI informant. Their trial preyed upon the worst fears of anti-Muslim scapegoating and racism. Stand with us to demand prosecutors drop the charges or grant a new trial!

Join the weekly vigil outside the federal courthouse at

Monday, March 14
8:30 am - 10:00 am
500 Pearl Street
Government Center, Manhattan

Take the #6 train to Brooklyn Bridge - City Hall

**READ ABOUT THE CASE HERE – THE COVER STORY OF THE VILLAGE VOICE THIS WEEK!!

--

Academic Freedom and the new McCarthyism

2009-12-31T20:57:00.000-05:00

Presented by the Adjunct Project's new Workshop Series
March 14

Monday, March 14
6:30pm
CUNY Graduate Center
Concourse rm 201 (basement level)
365 Fifth Avenue
Garment District, Manhattan

Take the B/D/F/M/N/Q/R to 34th St-Herald Square

Panel and discussion featuring:

Frances Fox Piven
Professor of Political Science and Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center, author of Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America

Ashley Dawson
Professor of English, CUNY Graduate Center, co-editor of Dangerous Professors: Academic Freedom and the National Security Campus

Carol Smith
Retired faculty, The City College of New York, curator of the online exhibit "The Struggle for Free Speech at CCNY, 1931-42"
Kristofer Petersen-Overton
Adjunct Lecturer of Political Science, Brooklyn College.

RSVP/share

Our university is once again under attack. Two opponents of academic freedom, Glenn Beck and NY Assemblyman Dov Hikind, have recently targeted CUNY faculty members Frances Fox Piven and Kristofer Petersen-Overton, respectively, in the worst academic witch-hunts seen in years. Moreover, David Horowitz--author of the neo-McCarthyite work The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America and coordinator of the virulently anti-Muslim "Islamofascism Week" at U.S. colleges in 2007--spoke at Brooklyn College's Library last Thursday, where CUNY students and faculty protested his lecture.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaTtj9Mc000

Many education advocates have begun to ask what political strategies are needed to challenge the right-wing assaults on academic expression that Beck, Hikind, and Horowitz encourage, especially given the hidden origins of McCarthyism in the CUNY system itself. Indeed, intellectual silencing may further grow in the absence of a principled defense of freedom both in and outside the classroom. Join us for this first gathering in our new Adjunct Project Workshop Series at the Graduate Center, which will bring together these speakers for a discussion on the struggle for academic freedom.

For more info on this event and the Adjunct Project's new workshop series, contact conortomasreed@gmail.com.
Save the date! The next workshop will be "'I'm Stickin' to the Union!': Nuts and Bolts of the PSC and the Contract Campaign," March 30th, 6:30pm, GC rm5414

*Brought to you by the Adjunct Project*
site: www.cunyadjunctproject.org
email: theadjunctproject@gmail.com
office: CUNY Graduate Center, room 5494

Queens ISO Public Meeting: Eyewitness from Madison

2009-12-30T23:33:00.000-05:00

March 12
Bringing the Fight to New York

Saturday, March 12
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
76-11 37th Avenue
Rm 204
Jackson Heights, Queens

What can we learn from the Wisconsin protests? How can we organize against Bloomberg’s and Cuomo’s budget cuts and anti-union legislation? Come to this discussion with a Jackson Heights public school teacher who spent his vacation inside the Madison capitol building.

Take the 7,E,F,R,M to Roosevelt Ave/74th St.)

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization
Contact: isojacksonheights@gmail.com
Info: nycsocialist.org, socialistworker.org

NYU ISO: Intro to the ISO Meeting: Revolution in the Air!

2009-12-29T23:50:00.000-05:00

March 11
Breathe deep, New York City...
Revolution is in the air!

Do you consider yourself a radical and want to get organized? Already consider yourself a socialist? Inspired by the revolutions shaking the Arab world and think another world is possible? Think Madison should come to NYC?

Been to an ISO meeting and want to learn more about us? Wanna know what it means to be a member? Do you want to build a branch of the ISO on your campus or in your community?

Come to a meeting that will explain the politics of the International Socialist Organization and get your questions answered! All who are interested in learning more about and joining the ISO are welcome. Feel free to bring any friends, coworkers and fellow students who also might be down!

Please RSVP to leia.petty@gmail if you plan to come. The Puck Building is located on the corner of Houston and Lafayette and is accessible by the 6 (Spring St) and B/D/F/M (Broadway/Lafayette).

Friday, March 11
6:30pm
Puck Building, 4th Floor
295 Lafayette Street
SOHO, Manhattan
[MAP]

"Where We Stand" are the points of unity of the ISO. Please read them and come with questions and ideas.

Protest Hate Speech at Brooklyn College!

2009-12-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

March 10
David Horowitz is NOT welcome here!

This is a CUNY/Community call for people to come out this Thursday night to Brooklyn College to protest against the racist pundit David Horowitz speaking on the Israel/Palestine Conflict. Horowitz is one of the leading neo-McCarthyites who has made a career out of targeting left-wing academics around the U.S., and he was responsible for the bigoted "Islamo-fascism Week" coming to various U.S. colleges. For anyone who's heard his thoughts on the Israel/Palestine conflict, needless to say there will be lots of Arab-bashing and terrorist analogy-flinging. We say that we refuse to respect such hate speech!

Details: He's speaking at Brooklyn College Library, Tanger Auditorium (1st floor) this Thursday. The lecture starts at 6pm. You need to rsvp to get inside at horowitzlecturebc@gmail.com. Join the protest both outside before the event and inside once it begins. Make sure to get there at around 5:30pm to make/hold posters and begin talking to attendees as they arrive.

It's people like Horowitz who are seen as the major threats to CUNY educators like Frances Fox Piven and Kris Petersen-Overton (both of whom will be speaking at the Adjunct Project 3/14 event). No doubt Horowitz is coming to BC in connection to Kris' reinstatement there... On Thursday, come join this protest and help raise the issue that "academic freedom" can't be vaguely touted to support such Islamophobic hate speech that Horowitz will be presenting that night. Let's bring out the community to show that we don't support Horowitz speaking at one of our CUNY schools!

Thursday, March 10
5:30 pm
Brooklyn College Library, Tanger Auditorium (1st floor)
Brooklyn

Meet outside library

RSVP/share here

Rally Against Islamophobia!

2009-12-27T14:47:00.000-05:00

MARCH 6

Join in UNITY & SOLIDARITY
With our Muslim brothers and sisters

Congressman Peter King's hearing, beginning March 9 in Congress to “Examine the Threat of Islamic Radicalization” is a “witchhunt” intended to spread fear and division. In the past King has said that there are “too many mosques in this country” and that Muslims are “an enemy living amongst us.” His hearings will fuel an ugly climate of racism, bigotry and further attacks on Muslim people.

Don’t be silent!
An injury to one is an injury to all

Together let’s send a message to Congressman Peter King:
Today, I am a Muslim too!

Join with peace groups, Islamic, Jewish and Christian groups and diverse community organizations in a massive, strong and respectful rally.

Sunday, March 6
2 - 5 PM
Times Square
42nd St & 7th Ave

Initiated by a coalition of Muslim, Jewish and Christian organizations standing in unity with Muslims under attack.

Supporters include: International Action Center, Pakistan USA Freedom Forum, United National Antiwar Committee - NYC, Peoples Video Network, NYC Coalition to Stop Islamophobia, Bailout the People Coalition and many more.

Update from the AFSCME Wisconsin Action Center!

2009-12-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

Just when you think our campaign for worker rights couldn't get any more amazing—it jumps to the next level. What started as a few hastily-planned rallies at the State Capitol has become a movement.

Rallies and town hall meetings are popping up all across the state. Wisconsinites are overflowing with outrage about Scott Walker's attacks on the middle class.

Just this past weekend, our supporters and friends fanned out into neighborhoods to fill page after page of _recall petitions_
() —sending the
strongest possible message to Republican Senators who refuse to stand up to Gov. Walker's destructive proposals.

In just the first weekend, 25% of the signatures needed to trigger a recall were collected in one Republican Senate district. Energized volunteers collected 20% of the target in another district.

Overall, the first weekend goal of 10,000 signatures was exceeded by more than 35%, with more than 2,000 volunteers hitting the streets! To find out more and learn how you can help, _click here_

It started with outrage over Walker's budget "repair" bill that would deny bargaining rights to thousands of workers. But since Walker announced his full budget proposal, citizen outrage is spreading like wildfire.

The more we learn about Walker’s budget, the scarier it is. He continues to attack education, seniors and working families by putting the budget burden on their backs. Meanwhile he is asking for no shared sacrifice from the extremely wealthy and corporations who funded his campaign.

The opposition to Walker's bleak vision for Wisconsin is beginning to come together in a new broad coalition called We Are Wisconsin.

We Are Wisconsin's coming out party will be this Saturday at a day of action and massive rally at the State Capitol. Be there if you possibly can make it. It's another chance to be part of history.

In Madison and around the state there will be a number of ways to learn more about, and take a stand against, Gov. Walker’s horrendous budget bill. Grassroots volunteers will continue to circulate recall petitions for Republicans supporting Scott Walker’s extreme budget bills.

And the day will conclude with a huge 3pm rally in Madison at the Capitol. AFSCME will run a full schedule of buses from across the state on Saturday. Check back _here_ for bus schedule specifics later in the week.

Saturday and Sunday will offer many grassroots volunteer opportunities in your hometown. For a list of local actions around the state, click here

And if you live in an area represented by one of the Republican eight, please join the recall effort

We are pushing to make Saturday's rally for worker rights one of the biggest yet at the State Capitol. If you can possibly make it, please come raise your voice with the growing multitude of opponents to Walker's schemes.

Our rallies so far have broken all records, but they have not yet broken through the wall Walker has built between Republicans and working families.

Between Madison and the districts, hundreds of thousands are standing together against Gov. Walker’s attacks on workers and on Wisconsin's middle class.

Come stand together again this weekend and let Gov. Walker know that we are not going away.

We are Wisconsin!

Thanks for all you have done and continue doing. This is a tough fight,
but we are winning because of your tireless efforts. We all need to keep
pushing.

In solidarity,
Jim Garity, President
AFSCME Council 40

Bob McLinn, President
AFSCME Council 24

Brian Stafford, President
AFSCME Council 48
Rick Badger, Executive Director
AFSCME Council 40

Marty Beil, Executive Director
AFSCME Council 24

Rich Abelson, Executive Director
AFSCME Council 48

Paid for by AFSCME Council 11, Doug Burnett, Executive Director

AFSCME Wisconsin Action Center

For Updates write: info@wiafscme.org

WHOSE SPACE? OUR SPACE! Protest the LGBT Center's Discrimination

2009-12-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

MARCH 5

NYC's LGBT Center is trying to choke anti-Apartheid organizing.

The LGBT Center's director, Glennda Testone, cancelled a big Israel Apartheid Week fundraiser this week. She acted just hours after a Zionist activist threatened to organize donors to pull Center funding. Glennda also decided that SiegeBusters can't meet at the Center anymore; and that airing Israel's violent repression of Palestinians -- LGBT or not -- violates the Center's "safe space."

WHOSE SPACE?! PROTEST the LGBT CENTER'S DISCRIMINATION.

Stand up for anti-Occupation queers, Palestinian queers and self-determination!
Stand up for the right to organize against the Israeli occupation! The LGBT Center belongs to all of us. Safe space for queers and ideas, not for donors!

Saturday, March 5, 6:30-7:30pm
208 West 13th Street (near 7th Ave.)
Bring noise and glamour to take back our community's home!

This isn't the first time the Center is labeling community members "good" or "bad": it's not so long since trans people were literally thrown out when trying to attend Center events. We fought back then, and we'll fight back now. No silencing of voices calling for liberation.

Faced with bad press and a torrent of criticism, Glennda "offered" to substitute the fundraiser with a closed meeting about the Center's policies. We're not distracted by Glennda's bad-faith deal. And we don't have to have a meeting to know that the LGBT Center belongs to all of us.

************
Endorsed by (list in formation):
SiegeBusters
Existence is Resistance
Israeli Apartheid Week
Irish Queers

Revolution in Egypt; Another World is Possible!!

2009-12-25T19:08:00.000-05:00

Eyewitness Reports from Egypt!!

Saturday, February 26
7:00 pm
LGBT Community Center, Room 301
208 West 13th Street
(between 7th and 8th Avenue)
 West Village, Manhattan

In a matter of weeks, the seemingly impenetrable 30 year dictatorship of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, suddenly found its days numbered. A classic revolutionary situation is unfolding in Egypt, with masses of people taking to the streets, confronting police units and Mubarak’s thugs, as they hold firm to their demands: “Go Mubarak, Go!, The Regime Must Go!”

Every day new developments unfold – protests grow in size and militancy, strikes are breaking out throughout the country, and broader questions about which course the revolution should take are coming to the fore.

Join us for an EYEWITNESS REPORT from Egyptian-American activist and author, Ahmed Shawki, recently returned from Egypt, as we discuss the revolution in Egypt, and what activists here can do to build solidarity and put an end to our own government’s backing of this brutal regime.

Sponsored by International Socialist Organization
www.socialistworker.org/www.nycsocialist.org
646-421-2035/ NYCISO@gmail.com