Donald Trump may be a senile idiot who conned his way to the presidency, but the people around him are really getting stuff done (or trying to, at least). Last week, the U.S. pulled out of the UN Paris Agreement, and oh, by the way, there’s a massive crack in the Antarctic ice shelf that grew 11 miles in a week. It’s fine. Everything is fine. We’re all fine.
Anyway, the good news is there are plenty of ways for you to get involved (and help save the planet) this week, including protests, community meetings, and more. As an added bonus, a group of racists is having an anti-Muslim protest (which they’ve branded as anti-Sharia, but just go look at their Facebook page) that you can counter-protest. Speaking of Islamophobia, here’s a video of Trump administration officials calling the Muslim ban what it is, and then backtracking.
Remember this? A number of Trump's top aides say it's not a ban, it's not a ban.
Trump today: it's a "TRAVEL BAN" pic.twitter.com/ZF8yWxB5rd— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) June 5, 2017
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MONDAY (TODAY)
Rise and Resist Marshal Training
The LGBT Center
208 W. 13th St., Manhattan
7pm – 9pm
FREE
Marshals help protesters at demonstrations, including de-escalating potential conflicts and serving as communication between police and protesters. Rise and Resist is providing free marshal training for anyone who wants to get more involved in the group’s direct actions and protests.
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Brooklyn District Attorney Forum
First Unitarian Universalist Society in Brooklyn
48 Monroe Pl., Brooklyn Heights
7pm – 10pm
FREE
The Brooklyn Reform Coalition and other community organizations are hosting the Brooklyn DA candidates for a public forum this week. Attendees will have a chance to hear from the seven candidates and ask questions before casting their votes in the fall.
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TUESDAY
Brooklyn Community Vigil for Refugees
Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon St., Brooklyn Heights
6pm – 7pm
In 1939, the M.S. St. Louis carried over 900 Jewish refugees to the United States before being ordered to return to Europe on June 6. More than a quarter of the refugees on board later died in concentration camps. The Brooklyn Synagogue Coalition for Refugees is having a candlelight vigil for today’s refugees who are similarly being denied entry into the U.S. There will be speeches by several religious leaders, a candle lighting, group singing, and a performance by public school kids.
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Rise & Resist Meeting
Church of the Village
201 W. 13th St., Manhattan
7pm – 9pm
FREE
Rise & Resist hosts weekly meetings at the Church of the Village in Manhattan, where they plan protest actions, policy initiatives and more. The space is wheelchair accessible, and people of all skills, interests, and backgrounds are encouraged to attend!
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Safe Travels: Privacy Rights at the Border
Bluestockings Bookstore, Cafe & Activist Center
172 Allen St., Manhattan
7pm – 9pm
FREE
The CyPurr Collective (formerly CryptoSquad NYC) is hosting a discussion on how you can protect your privacy and assert your rights while crossing the border or taking a flight. Border Patrol officers are (sometimes) allowed to look at travelers’ phones at the border, and they (sometimes) enforce this ability, especially on people they deem “threatening” (i.e., the same people who are already getting a lot of shit by the TSA and in airports generally).
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WEDNESDAY
Citizens’ Climate Lobby Meeting
Friends and Lovers
641 Classon Ave., Crown Heights
6:30pm – 7:30pm
In the wake of Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, local climate policy is incredibly important. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby is hosting their ninth chapter meeting, where they’ll be discussing ways to push for climate action policy at the local and national levels.
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BRN GRL SPK: Open Mic Night for WE ACT
Lot 45
411 Troutman St., Bushwick
7pm – 9pm
$10 suggested donation
This summertime open mic night, hosted by BRN GRL SPK, is donating all proceeds to WE ACT, a local environmental justice organization that pushes for environmental legislation and community empowerment benefitting communities of color throughout the city. Performers can begin signing up at 7pm, and performances begin half an hour later. There will also be drinks for sale!
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THURSDAY
Impact Hour: Engagement Beyond the Choir
Brooklyn Art Library
28 Frost St., Williamsburg
8:30am – 9:30am
FREE
You know all that stuff about confirmation bias and people living in bubbles? It’s kind of true. This meeting at the Brooklyn Art Library is designed to help you talk about social change to people outside your circles from artistic, academic, and activist perspectives. Special guests include creative director Christine Arroyo, activist and organizer Nantasha Williams, and Lisa Zaval, a postdoctoral research scientist at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions.
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Kids Activism Day
Dizzy’s Diner
230 5th Ave., Park Slope
9am – 10am
Younger kids can color while older kids, teenagers, and parents write to their representatives at this family-oriented activist event hosted by GetOrganizedBK. Attendees can write to any representative they want, and there will also be a campaign directed at Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
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OSA Community Organizing Meeting
El Puente
211 South 4th St., Williamsburg
6:30pm – 8pm
FREE
Come discuss Greenpoint and Williamsburg’s park issues with NYC Parks officials and leaders from OSA end El Puente at this meeting. A light dinner will be provided.
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FRIDAY
Petitioning: Save the EPA
14th St. & University Place, Manhattan
12pm – 2pm
Food & Water Watch needs help gathering petition signatures urging Chuck Schumer to fight against Trump’s least-climate-friendly policies, including slashing 31 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and laying off 20 percent of its workers. They’ll be meeting on the corner of 14th St. and University Place, and anyone interested in helping out should RSVP to [email protected]
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Photographers for Planned Parenthood
Brooklyn Grain
1166 Manhattan Ave., Suite 302, Greenpoint
6pm – 10pm
FREE
More than 25 photographers are selling their works, all priced below $300, with all the proceeds going to Planned Parenthood. Many of the artists will be in attendance, and beer and wine will be served.
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SATURDAY
Protest the Islamophobic “March Against Sharia” Rally
Foley Square
111 Worth St., Manhattan
9:30am – 12:30pm
ACT for America, one of the largest anti-Muslim hate groups in the U.S., organized a march against Sharia with speakers including Gavin McInnes, a self-described “western chauvinist.” These “activists” stereotype all Muslims as radicals and contribute to the climate of Islamophobia that has been growing since Trump took office. Counterprotesters plan on driving them out (or at least drowning them out) and showing the world what most New Yorkers actually stand for.
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NYC Loves Muslims Rally + March
New York City Hall, Manhattan
10am – 2pm
Another pro-Muslim rally is kicking off at City Hall Park, from where protesters will march to a still undisclosed location. Organizers are encouraging everyone to bring signs as long as they aren’t on poles or tubes.
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No Platform for Fascism: Noise Demo Against Hate
Foley Square
111 Worth St., Manhattan
10am – 2pm
Antifa and others are leading this noise demo to drown out ACT’s Islamophobic rally, and they’re making it clear it’s about more than the First Amendment or “free speech.” Language that incites violence against certain groups (in this case, Muslims and people who “look like Muslims”) unsurprisingly often leads to violence.
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SUNDAY
Feminist Self-Defense in Prospect Park
Prospect Park, near entrance from Grand Army Plaza
11am – midnight
donation based
This one-hour self-defense workshop is based in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and participants will learn skills including how to evade and escape physical control, neutralizing an attacker, and more. The workshop is donation-based, and donations of more than $10/person will help pay for courses for women with financial need.
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Solidarity for Chechnya March
Christopher St. Pier, Manhattan
12pm – 2pm
Protesters are gathering at Christopher Pier in Manhattan to protest and bring awareness to the “gay purge” occurring in Checnhya. A reporter from Novaya Gazeta who said at least 100 men were imprisoned on suspicion of being gay has gone into hiding, while Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov claims the extermination of gay men is fake news because no gay people exist in the region – anyone who identifies as LGBT is a “fake” Chechen.
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