Sunday 8/26: Canvass for Cynthia Nixon and Jumaane Williams

Grand Street Canvass for Nixon/Williams
Sunday, August 26
1:00 – 5:00 pm

413 Grand Street, Apt. F1007

We have another chance this weekend to tell neighbors about our support for Cynthia Nixon for Governor and Jumaane Williams for Lt. Governor.

We’ll meet in Seward building 2, apartment F1007 with campaign organizers before heading out to contact Seward Democrats personally.

Sunday 8/12: Canvass for Cynthia Nixon and Jumaane Williams

Grand Street Canvass for Nixon/Williams

Sunday, August 12
3:30 – 7:30 pm

550J Grand Street, #11F

After our meeting Thursday with Cynthia Nixon and her campaign team, we are ready to knock on doors on Grand Street to mobilize our neighbors for the primary. GSD member Sarah Richardson has graciously opened her home on Sunday to get this campaign season underway.

Thursday, August 9: GSD Summer Meeting with Special Guest Cynthia Nixon

GSD Summer Meeting with Special Guest Cynthia Nixon

Thursday, August 9
6:00 – 8:00 pm

Seward Park Coop Community Room
266 East Broadway

The Democratic Primary is right around the corner, and Grand Street Democrats will be standing with our endorsed candidates right up until the polls close on September 13.

At the top of our ticket is Cynthia Nixon, candidate for Governor, who will be the special guest on Thursday, August 9 at our Summer Meeting. Nixon and her campaign team will be there to talk about her campaign and how to help get out the vote in our neighborhood.

I really hope you can join us!

Monday July 30: Meet Robert Rosenthal

Meet Robert Rosenthal

Monday, July 30
6:00 – 8:30 pm

550H Grand Street (Lewis)
Apt. GG (ground floor)

Joyce Ravitch and GSD member Ellen Gruber Garvey invite you to meet Civil Court candidate Robert Rosenthal on Monday evening at their home in Hillman.

Rosenthal has been endorsed by Grand Street Dems, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, Councilmembers Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera, and … well, basically everyone. But he still faces a Democratic primary on Thursday, September 13, and is working hard to meet as many voters as possible before then. Please drop by Monday to say hi!

Tuesday 7/31: Support No IDC challengers

No IDC Fundraiser

Tuesday, July 31
7:00 – 9:00 pm

Brass Monkey
55 West Little 12th Street

Over the next seven weeks, we will be asking GSD members to participate in a few meaningful ways in the Democratic primary on Thursday, September 13.

First up: this amazing fundraiser for “No IDC” challengers for NY State Senate.

These 8 Democrats are running to unseat the IDC Dems who formed a coalition with Republicans, blocking most progressive legislation in NY for the last 7 years, including parts of the Women’s Equality Act to codify Roe v. Wade in New York law, GENDA to protect LGBT New Yorkers from discrimination, voting reform, criminal justice reform, campaign finance and ethics reform, and important protections for tenants.

But wait, didn’t you read that the IDC broke up and joined the mainstream Democrats in Albany? Don’t be fooled. They did this only after this year’s legislative session ended, they did the exact same thing during election season four years ago (then stuck with the Republicans after getting re-elected), and they are still running with campaign funds raised illegally by pretending to be an entirely different party.

Luckily, our State Senator, Brian Kavanagh, is *not* part of the IDC, so we don’t need to vote for a challenger on September 13. But the outcome of these primaries will effect the kind of work Sen. Kavanagh can accomplish on our behalf in Albany.

I hope you’ll join Grand Street Democrats in supporting these Democrats on Tuesday, July 31.

July 15: LES Historic District* Walking Tour

Walking Tour of Proposed LES Historic District

Sunday, July 15
2:00 – 3:00 pm

Meet at the corner of Hester & Forsyth

We’ve received a special invitation from LESPI board member (and GSD member) Helena Andreyko:

The Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI) was honored to receive the support of the Grand Street Democrats for the proposed historic district on the LES, and is delighted to invite members of GSD for a free tour of the proposed district, Sunday, July 15, 2:00 pm.

Our tenement buildings have been home to waves of immigrants for generations and were once the center of one of the most vital and bustling centers of commerce in the City. Their facades reflect an era of intricate design and construction that would never be replicated today, but whose intricate features are rarely noticed by pedestrians hurriedly passing by.

Please join Richard Moses, President of LESPI, for a one hour tour as he points out buildings and the beautiful features that make our neighborhood special and worthy of historic designation.

The tour is free but we request an RSVP below.

*Proposed Historic District (so far).

DOT has no proposals yet for Grand/Clinton congestion

Staff from the NYC Department of Transportation presented to Community Board 3’s Transportation Committee on Thursday, June 28, 2018 in regards to the traffic on Grand, Clinton, and East Broadway.

DOT promised elected officials a traffic study of the area in 2017, but by the end of last year could say only that no conclusions could be drawn until after Essex Crossing construction is completed. Additional pressure from community leaders and elected officials this year brought DOT back to the neighborhood … but its report last week was still inconclusive.

The DOT says that data traffic collected this spring still needs to be analyzed. Aside from minor changes to signage and light-timing, no new proposals were presented for review by the CB3 committee.

What we did see were slides indicating a dozen or so proposals from the community that DOT has said it will be considering in the coming months, plus an estimated timeline that pushes any real proposals to the end of 2018. No date has been set for a return to CB3, and it was noted that this timeline pushes right up against considerations for L Train shutdown mitigation beginning spring 2019, which will make it even more difficult to implement.

In the past two months, DOT has made small changes to make drivers aware of other ways to the Williamsburg Bridge:

  • signage southbound on the FDR has removed the word “alternate” from the Houston Street exit;
  • new signs have been placed on Grand to let drivers know that both lanes will get them to the bridge (using Clinton and Norfolk); and
  • a “no-honking” sign has been moved slightly east on Grand to warn drivers earlier to lay off their horn.

Coming soon:

  • A new traffic agent will hopefully be assigned to the Clinton/East Broadway intersection to help pedestrians cross there during rush hour and keep drivers from blocking the intersection.
  • DOT is also experimenting with light timing along Grand Street to increase the flow of traffic.

Now DOT is modelling more far-reaching proposals based on recent data:

  • Eliminate Clinton access to bridge. Create dedicated left turn from Essex to Delancey (safer than before). Can Essex and Allen Streets handle the additional capacity? Estimated analysis completion: Aug. 2018.
  • Reduce Clinton traffic by eliminating left turn from East Broadway, Henry, and Madison during rush. Can Essex and Allen Streets handle the additional capacity? Estimated analysis completion: Aug. 2018.
  • Open access on Delancey Street from FDR to bridge. DOT is not sure Delancey has the physical characteristics for this to be possible. Parking in the neighborhood would be reduced, and the NYPD and FDNY at Pitt and Delancey would need to be accomodated. Estimated analysis completion: Dec. 2018.

CB3 will invite DOT back in the fall. In the meantime, we believe that continued pressure from elected officials and community leaders, including members of Grand Street Democrats, will be critical in forcing DOT to recognize that Clinton Street is not an appropriate approach to the Williamsburg Bridge.

Here are the slides from DOT’s presentation on June 28:

Families Belong Together — sign-making today, rally tomorrow

Our friends at Manny Cantor Center are taking the lead in organizing our community’s protest of Trump policy to separate families at the border. Despite his executive order last week, the threat to children still exists and we feel compelled to continue resisting this fascist program.

GSD will be making signs later today (Friday) and marching tomorrow (Saturday). Please see below for details.


Dear friends,

In the past few weeks members of our Manny Cantor Center community have attended a rally organized by Families Belong Together and signed a banner in our lobby in support of those seeking asylum and the families that have been detained or separated across our nation.

This afternoon, we will meet as a community to prepare for tomorrow’s rally, and tomorrow, along with our friends from the 14th Street Y, we will meet together to mobilize with #FamiliesBelongTogether.

We invite you to raise your voices and join us:

Rally Sign Making | BYO Materials
TODAY, 4PM-6PM | Manny Cantor Center, 4th floor

#MCCMobilize to Attend “Families Belong Together” Rally in Foley Square
TOMORROW (Saturday), 9:15 AM | Meet in Front of Manny Cantor Center to walk to Foley Square

Thursday 6/28: Can DOT stop the traffic madness?

With our elected officials’ help, we’ve been pushing the Department of Transportation to make good on its promise to provide a solution to the traffic problem that plagues Grand Street, Clinton Street, and East Broadway.

On Thursday, we might finally get a chance to hear the DOT proposal at a special CB3 meeting:

Thursday, June 28
6:30 – 8:30 pm
301 Henry Street
(Henry Street Settlement Youth Services Gymnasium)

If you can, please show up (wearing your pink Grand Street Dems shirt) so DOT knows just how important this issue is to our neighborhood.