News & Updates

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Challenging Days & Nights

We miss you and wish we could ask you in person — How are you, really?

We have experienced so much loss, suffering, and isolation in the past three months of the Covid crisis, but this last week has been especially devastating, seeing Black people killed and threatened with little or no consequence, members of the NYPD escalating violence against protesters, and our mayor not doing enough to condemn and prevent those actions.

Grand Street Dems believes that Black Lives Matter and we strive to be anti-racist in our personal and political lives. This isn’t the work of one book or action, it is an ongoing effort. There is so much information being circulated right now, and we want to highlight a few of the many resources that are important for supporting the demonstrations happening all across the country, and for our own education and ally-ship.

New York City Bail Funds

Donate money to help get protesters out of jail, even more critical as we are still living with Covid-19. No amount is too small.

Anti-Racism Toolkit from Black Lives Matter

A vast reading list and loads of links to national organizations, including bail funds in cities all over the country.

GSD does not exist without its members. Thank you all for joining and hosting our virtual meetings with elected officials. We will do more of those. The NY Primary is on June 23rd, and absentee ballots will be mailed out soon. If you misplaced your absentee ballot application, you can apply online. If you need help voting, please let us know. If you are in need of other assistance, please get in touch so we can direct you to the proper aid.

We wish you good physical and emotional health, and look forward to seeing you in person again.

In solidarity,
Caroline Laskow, Democratic District Leader

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Wednesday 5/27: Cocktails, Crazy Hats, & Conversation* with Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou

*Cocktails and crazy hats optional; conversation guaranteed.

Our Assemblymember, Yuh-Line Niou, faces a primary challenge on June 23. Grand Street Democrats has endorsed Niou and we encourage you to join your neighbors this Wednesday at 7:30 pm for a virtual fundraiser and get-together to support her re-election campaign.

In the midst of all this chaos, Yuh-Line has been a rock for our district, working tirelessly with constituents, providing the most vulnerable with resources, food, medicine, and masks, fighting for relief for small businesses, and advocating for fair policy and budget justice every step of the way. 

We want Yuh-Line to stay in office to keep fighting for our families and communities, but she’s not taking any money from corporate PACs or real estate lobbyists, and during this time, she needs all the support she can get, no matter how much.

Suggested donation for Wednesday is only $10. With New York’s public matching program, your small donation goes a long way.

RSVP

Absolutely no donation is too small, but if you cannot contribute at this time and would still like to attend, please email ylforny@gmail.com!

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Wednesday 5/13: Remote meeting with Councilmember Ben Kallos and Chris Marte

If it’s possible, we’d like to start talking about the future.

On January 1, 2022, New York City will have a new Mayor, new Comptroller, new Manhattan Borough President, and new City Council members in two-thirds of the city’s districts.

Looking that far ahead is not to escape the health and economic crisis we’re in, rather to focus our response to it by exploring what NYC will look like when we finally come out the other side.

And even though we still have extremely important primaries and elections coming up in 2020, these NYC campaigns are already well under way for primaries that will be held in just over a year.

On Wednesday at 7:15 pm, please join us for a conversation with two of those candidates — Councilmember Ben Kallos, who is running for Manhattan Borough President, and Christopher Marte, who is running to represent downtown Manhattan in the City Council.

Councilmember Ben Kallos has announced his campaign for Manhattan Borough President; Chris Marte is running again for City Council District 1.

Join with Zoom, join from your web browser, or call in: 929-205-6099 (Meeting ID: 867 0677 4770, Password: 868734).

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NY Primary is NOT Canceled

Apply online for absentee ballot

Despite the many headlines you may have read today, New York’s primary on June 23 is not canceled. In fact we have two important contests in our neighborhood, and I don’t want anyone to be fooled into thinking these races have been decided.

The State Board of Elections did decide that the Democratic presidential primary, originally scheduled for today and postponed until June, will not be on the ballot, because only Joe Biden is still campaigning for that seat. But in 75% of New York State’s counties, where there are contested local primaries, polls will be open in June for federal, state, and local elections.

In order to increase turnout, last week the Governor announced that absentee ballot applications will be mailed automatically to all eligible voters. If you want to skip the step of mailing that application back in, you can apply for an absentee ballot online right now. Mark the “Temporary Illness” box if you are voting absentee to keep polling place foot traffic to a minimum during the health crisis.

Apply online for absentee ballot

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Virtual meeting on Tuesday with Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou

Our current health and economic crisis unfolded right smack in the middle of Albany’s budget process at the end of March.

Though the Governor’s budget passed, our Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou opposed key provisions of the budget that reduced funds for education, health, and family assistance.

Watch:

Please join us this Tuesday to hear Assemblymember Niou talk about why that vote was so important, and what Albany is able to do now to help New Yorkers through this crisis.

GSD Zoom Meeting
with Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou

Tuesday, April 21 at 7:15 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98530958156

Or call in: 929-205-6099
Meeting ID: 985 3095 8156

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4/2/20 remote meeting recap — Councilmembers Carlina Rivera and Mark Levine

Thank you to Councilmembers Carlina Rivera and Mark Levine and GSD members who joined our virtual meeting last night. We had a frank conversation about this health crisis and the challenges to come. If you missed it, and are bored with Netflix, you can watch below:

At the end of the meeting we were able to talk about local volunteer opportunities and resources:

Local food delivery

To help deliver food to local seniors who are part of the United Jewish Council Lunch Club, call UJC at 212.673.9328.

In particular, UJC needs help delivering Passover meals today and Monday in the co-ops.

  • If you can help deliver to Seward, sign up here and meet at the Apple Bank on Grand Street at 11:55 am Friday. If you don’t have your own gloves, mask, or hand sanitizer you may pick up a set at the Seward Coop Management Office on Clinton Street.
  • If you can help deliver in East River, Hillman, or Amalgamated, walk into UJC Friday or Monday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm to volunteer — 15 Willett Street, right next to Bialystoker Synagogue. Or you can email Lee Berman at lee@grandstreetdems.nyc.

You’ll be delivering a few heavy-ish bags, so it it may help to have a rolling cart.

Phone calls to homebound neighbors

If you don’t want to leave your apartment, Councilmember Carlina Rivera’s office has been organizing phone calls to neighbors who are home alone to make sure they are ok. Contact her office at district2@council.nyc.gov.

Rivera’s office has also been posting regular Covid-19 updates on her website. You can also sign up for email updates here.

Health study from Mount Sinai

You can also help collect data about the spread of Covid-19 by participating in a daily survey from Mount Sinai even if you feel completely healthy:

  • Text COVID to 64722.
  • Complete a survey of your symptoms.
  • You’ll receive a daily text to check on your symptoms.

The goal of this survey is to identify infection and transmission patterns specific to our New York City population. Data will be used to alert health care providers about growing clusters of outbreaks in specific communities across the five boroughs, which will enable healthcare professionals to better allocate resources.

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Virtual Meeting this Thursday 7:15 pm with Mark Levine, chair of City Council Health Committee

As chair of the City Council Health Committee, Councilmember Mark Levine’s Twitter feed has become essential reading for anyone keeping up with the demands that Covid-19 is placing on NYC’s health system.

Then he got sick himself, and followed his own very public advice to not get tested, and to not overwhelm hospitals if your symptoms are manageable.

Luckily, Councilmember Levine is on the mend at home. He’ll be joining us this Thursday for our first virtual meeting to talk about the challenges facing the City at this critical moment.

Grand Street Dems Virtual Meeting
Thursday, April 2
7:15 pm

Join via Zoom app:
https://zoom.us/j/102738126

Join via web browser:
https://zoom.us/wc/join/102738126

Call in:
+1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 102 738 126

Why are we starting at 7:15? So that at 7:00 pm we can all clap & play — throw open your window, applaud NYC’s healthcare and other essential workers, then play New York, New York as loud as you can. (You don’t need to wait until Thursday — clap & play is every night at 7:00 pm!)

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Grand Street Democrats endorses Maloney & Niou in hotly contested primaries

One member of Congress faces four primary opponents in possibly the biggest political challenge of her career, while our representative in the NY State Assembly is vying for only her third term against a well-funded challenger. And though Grand Street Dems was borne out of a challenge to the status quo, and has often stood with underdogs and local allies without any bias toward incumbency, this year club members are rewarding the hard work of public service by voting to endorse Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou for re-election.

On Sunday, GSD heard from all five candidates for US Congress NY-12 and voted solidly to back Maloney. (We were all set to practice ranked-choice voting, but Maloney won a majority on the first ballot.) Maloney’s accomplishments in securing funding for 9-11 first responders, her long-standing advocacy for the Equal Rights Amendment, and her recent elevation to chair of the House Oversight Committee gave her the edge over the admirable progressive spirit and energy of her challengers.

Assemblymember Niou is still running high from what was Albany’s most progressive legislative session in generations, and club members had no interest in punishing her for those accomplishments — bail reform, rent regulations, and the Child Victims Act, just to name a few.

GSD members will be carrying petitions for Maloney and Niou to get on the ballot starting on February 25, and then helping to support their campaigns leading up to the primary on June 23.