MLK Now, in its third consecutive year focused on the contributions of women to the modern movement for parity in the celebration of the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was held at Riverside Church Jan. 15, 2018, the site where Dr. King gave his controversial 1967 “Beyond Vietnam” speech. The event was co-hosted by Blackout for Human Rights, an activist organization with a membership that includes Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay and Pastor Michael McBride that is dedicated to raising awareness and finding solutions to the human rights violations that plague predominantly Black and Brown communities, and the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, in partnership with Color of Change, PICO National Network and The Root. Read More
Abogan por una recuperación justa y sustentable en Puerto Rico
La población debe comprender que el poder económico y político comenzó a aprovechar la indefensión tras el desastre de los huracanes para impulsar decisiones y proyectos contrarios al pueblo, por lo que se debe prestar resistencia con soluciones de base comunitaria para que la recuperación sea realmente justa y sustentable. Read More
Naomi Klein: “los puertorriqueños hacen lo imposible todos los días”
Un nuevo Puerto Rico es posible, pero no ese aludido como eslogan en la campaña política de quien hoy es el gobernador.
Es aquel que se ha forjado en las comunidades como respuesta a la inacción “de quienes tienen la responsabilidad de atender esta crisis. Y ese es el mensaje que les tengo: que los desastres no tienen que ser estas oportunidades para que los obscenamente ricos se vuelvan más ricos. También pueden ser lo contrario: tener el poder de despertar algo extraordinario en nosotros”. Lo extraordinario, implícito en esa oración, es la capacidad de resolver los problemas por nosotros mismos.
The curse of ‘green gentrification’
Sunset Park, Brooklyn wasn’t always so nice. Today, it boasts a waterfront park replete with baseball fields, tide pools and a seaside esplanade, but not long ago that park was a hazardous waste site.
The credit for that transformation rests, in part, with the residents of Sunset Park, who pushed the city to clean up the waterfront. Over the last two decades, locals have racked up victories faster than Tom Brady. They blocked the construction of a gas-fired power plant, campaigned for a new shoreline walking path, and pressed transportation officials to remake a major street, adding trees and protected bike lanes, among other measures. Read More
Naomi Klein en Puerto Rico: “No es shock, es el trauma lo que se ha estado explotando”
La periodista canadiense Naomi Klein, que ha estado en zonas que se han transformado en terreno fértil para el negocio de grandes empresas luego de crisis económicas, guerras o desastres naturales -como en Irak luego de la invasión de Estados Unidos o en New Orleans después del huracán Katrina- se encuentra en Puerto Rico para reportar sobre un nuevo capítulo de lo que ella apalabró como “la doctrina del shock”.
Interview with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín, Elizabeth Yeampierre and Naomi Klein
Intercept Senior Correspondent Naomi Klein is in Puerto Rico filming with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín, joined by @yeampierre. Watch live now and look out for our upcoming report
Naomi Klein en foro en la UPR
El grupo Profesorxs Autoconvocadxs en Resistencia Solidaria (PAReS) celebrará un foro este viernes con la periodista canadiense Naomi Klien, varias líderes puertorriqueñas y representantes de comunidades, dialogarán sobre la violencia económica, política y social que mantiene a la gente en estado de “shock”, tras el impacto de los huracanes Irma y María. Read More
Políticas que mantienen a la población en estado de “shock” tras los huracanes: Naomi Klein en Puerto Rico
El grupo Profesorxs Autoconvocadxs en Resistencia Solidaria (PAReS) invita al público a un foro a celebrarse este viernes en el que la periodista canadiense Naomi Klien, varias líderes puertorriqueñas y representes de comunidades, dialogarán sobre la violencia económica, política y social que mantiene a la gente en estado de “shock”, tras el impacto de los huracanes Irma y María.
Puerto Rico Still Suffering Under The Boot Of #Sh**hole Republican Politics
Republicans control all three branches of government. Ergo, whatever that government does can be attributed to Republicans. When it comes to Puerto Rico, the harshness of the federal government’s response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria continues to punish the residents of the island for the political sin of not being white people of European descent. There can be no other explanation for how Puerto Rico has fared under the administration of #FakePresident Trump other than the virulent strain of racism he glorifies. Read More
Climate change activists applaud de Blasio fossil fuel move
Climate change activists around the city, including the leader of a Sunset Park group, are praising a decision by the de Blasio administration to divest $5 billion in pension holdings from companies dealing in fossil fuel.
The environmentalists said they are also pleased with an announcement from Mayor Bill de Blasio, Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James about the city’s plans to sue five major oil companies over the effects of climate change. Read More
Princess Nokia Donates to Seven Community Organizations for Hurricane María Relief
Back in September, Nuyorican MC Princess Nokia announced an independent disaster relief fund aimed at supporting Puerto Rico’s recovery from the devastating aftermath of Hurricane María. Joining many of the musicians and celebrities who launched initiatives, today, Nokia announced the results of the crowdfunding campaign on Instagram. The rapper, born Destiny Frasqueri, raised a total of $15,000 for seven community organizations, which include Tainas Unidas, the Maria Fund, Resilient Power P.R., Fondoder Resiliencia PR, Finca Concencia de Vieques, UPROSE Brooklyn, and Colectiva Feminista PR. Each organization will be receiving a $3,000 donation.
MP, SWL&P linemen line up to help Puerto Rico Newburgh Gazette
Hundreds of thousands of customers remain without electricity after powerful hurricanes hit the island in September. Ahead of crews' arrival in early January, APS is transporting vehicles and equipment via barges from the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
About 3,500 lineworkers from Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the New York Power Authority, Con Ed and Army Corps of Engineers contractors are working in Puerto Rico now. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are planning to go to Puerto Rico to meet with local officials and see firsthand the work that remains to recover from Hurricane Maria. "Sanders", Blumenthal said. "We can not allow this administration to abandon fellow Americans and declare mission accomplished while half of Puerto Rico remains in the dark, clean drinking water is unavailable and thousands of people are living in temporary shelters". Read More
Anger Builds 100 Days After Maria Hit Puerto Rico
One hundred days ago, powerful Category 4 Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico leaving the island severely crippled and the more than 3 million U.S. citizens desperate for help.
Now, Puerto Ricans on the island and U.S. mainland are feeling angry and the lack of progress and they are organizing to demand help for Puerto Rico. Read more
24+ Groups Rally at Union Square for Puerto Rico on Friday 12/29
This Friday December 29th at 6:00 PM members of more than two dozen New York City and other community groups who are seriously concerned about the situation in Puerto Rico, now that more than 100 days have passed since the devastation that hurricane Maria brought to the island, will converge on the south side of Union Square to have their voices heard. All residents of New York are invited to attend, but particularly those living in the East Village, Gramercy Park, Murray Hill and the Lower East Side.
100 days after Hurricane Maria, barely half of Puerto Rico has power
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico authorities said Friday that nearly half of power customers in the U.S. territory still lack electricity more than three months after Hurricane Maria, sparking outrage among islanders who accuse the government of mismanaging its response to the Category 4 storm.
Officials said 55 percent of the nearly 1.5 million customers have power, marking the first time the government has provided that statistic since Maria hit on Sept. 20 with winds of up to 154 mph. Officials had previously reported only power generation, which stands at nearly 70 percent of pre-storm levels. Read More
New York City groups are helping to bring Puerto Rico out of the dark
Hurricane Maria knocked out the power in Puerto Rico and destroyed thousands of homes, but residents have shown resilience with the help of climate justice activists providing them with the necessities they need to survive.
El Puente, a Latino organization based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that focuses on social justice, education and climate change issues, has raised enough money to purchase thousands of lanterns — which Puerto Ricans on the island view as a glimmer of hope to help guide them through the dark.
Our Top 10 People-Led Grassroots Organizations in New York City for 2017
Last year we highlighted the people-led organizations doing the hard work to keep New Yorkers in their rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods that hold police violence accountable and the politicians that side with wealthy interests over constituents. We highlighted organizations made up of people like you and me that are here and demanding an affordable New York that honors our cultural legacies. We called on you to divest your money from Trojan Horse businesses with no regard to community–to us the long-term residents and businesses of New York City. Read More
Brooklyn’s Industry City powers surge in property prices
When Hurricane Sandy hit the south Brooklyn waterfront, 25m gallons of water — enough to fill 39 Olympic swimming pools — cascaded into the basements of Bush Terminal. The former manufacturing hub, which had become a base for artists and light industry, was devastated.
The flood might have been the coda to the area’s industrial story but, five years later, the waterfront is awash once more — this time with capital. Following an initial $250m regeneration led by Jamestown, Belvedere Capital and Angelo Gordon & Co, Bush Terminal has been reborn as Industry City: 6m square feet of hip retail concessions, workshops and office space sprawled across 16 warehouses. “There’s no bigger adaptive reuse project in the city right now,” says Andrew Kimball, Industry City’s chief executive.
Locally, there has been opposition to the expansion. Ryan Chavez, from Brooklyn community organisation Uprose, is scathing of what he calls “Industry City’s stale vision of post-industrial chic and artisanal consumption”. The proposed re-zoning, in Chavez’s view, “has sent shockwaves of real estate speculation throughout the neighborhood”. Kimball, who previously led the regeneration of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is unmoved by the criticism. “There are always voices of opposition and concern when there is change in NYC,” he says, “but we’re feeling pretty good about the positive response we’ve received to date.” Read More
DOT partners with advocacy group to improve Sunset Park
BROOKLYN -The New York City Department of Transportation has been partnering with Uprose, a Sunset Park-based advocacy group, for the past two years on a new project to improve the neighborhood.
The goal is to improve connections between the residential and commercial neighborhood, as well as the industrial and recreational waterfront.