Direct action doesn’t always mean large protests. Subway fares are going up again, and plenty of New Yorkers can’t afford yet another fare hike. If you have an unlimited, be sure to swipe it forward today when someone asks! And remember: the NYPD lied when they said no one can get deported for fare-beating (people can be, and they are). This week includes plenty of ways for you to join the #resistance, from small acts like giving someone a swipe to larger demonstrations, and everything else in between.
MONDAY (TODAY)
Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism
Starr Bar
214 Starr St., Bushwick
7pm – 9pm
FREE
Starr Bar’s latest series, Cocktails and Conspiracy, kicks off with this event, featuring author and activist L.A. Kauffman, who will be discussing their new book, Direct Action, which traces the evolution of disruptive protests since the ’60s to the present and the reshaping of the American left.
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Citywide Planning Meeting for May Day at Union Square
Solidarity Center NYC
147 W. 24th St., 2nd floor, Manhattan
6pm – 8:30pm
Speaking of protests, May Day (also known as International Worker’s Day) is steadily approaching, and it’s best to organize early. This citywide planning meeting will ensure that NYC has a large, successful day of protest on May 1st.
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TUESDAY
Don’t release IDNYC Data
City Hall Steps, Manhattan
11:30am – 2:30pm
The Muslim & Immigrant Coalition and the Bronx Community Council are hosting a rally on the steps of City Hall to speak out against local officials’ – namely Republican Assembly Members Ron Castorina and Nicole Malliotakis – lawsuit to release the personal data of IDNYC holders. The lawsuit could place up to 500,000 undocumented and non-citizen New Yorkers in danger of deportation.
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Protest Medicaid Block Grants
26 Federal Plaza, Manhattan
12pm – 2pm
Rise and Resist is gathering at 26 Federal Plaza to protest Medicaid block grants on Tuesday afternoon. Medicaid is one of the many forms of assistance that is under attack by the current administration: block grants would change it from an entitlement program to a program that would be capped out at a certain amount of money, which would leave thousands of low-income and disabled New Yorkers without access to adequate healthcare.
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Self Care Workshop: New York Guide
205 Hudson St., 2nd floor, Manhattan
5pm – 6:30pm
FREE
#Selfcare is more than just a hashtag people use on Instagram pictures of bubble baths: it’s a way of ensuring you’re taking care of yourself and managing your stress levels in hectic situations (and our current political climate). This workshop will help you identify activities and practices that will support your wellbeing and help you take care of yourself so you feel ready and able to keep fighting.
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Immigration Forum: Los Sures
First Spanish Presbyterian Church
161 S. 3rd St., Williamsburg
6pm
FREE
Southside United HDFC – Los Sures and the Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs are hosting a know-your-rights immigration forum. Immigrants and allies will be informed of their rights and the resources NYC provides for them,
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Tip Top Bar & Grill, Bed-Stuy
432 Franklin Ave., Bed Stuy
6pm – 12am
$2 suggested donation
Since Trump’s inauguration, a group of dedicated postcard-writers have mailed hundreds of postcards, written over a drink or two, to our representatives. They have themed postcards, $5 beer-and-shot specials, and writing prompts for cards you can send anyone you think needs to listen — from Chuck Schumer to NASA. The event is free, but it’s recommended that you donate $2 for stamps and other supplies.
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Rise and Resist Meeting
Church of the Village
201 W. 13th St., Manhattan
7pm – 9pm
FREE
Rise and Resist organizes protests and direct actions throughout the city, and their next meeting is this Tuesday at the United Methodist Church. They send out an agenda ahead of time via email, and you can sign up for their newsletter here. People of all skills and interests are encouraged to attend!
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Cocktails with a Conscience: Feminism in America
Repair the World NYC
808 Nostrand Ave., Crown Heights
7pm – 9pm
FREE
The latest installation of Cocktails with a Conscience explores the intersections of feminism, race, immigration, and other social justice issues. Panelists include Jerin Arifa, an award-winning activist and first-generation Bangladeshi feminist. She’s the founder and president of NOW’s Young Feminists and Allies Chapter and co-created CUNY’s campus sexual assault policy.
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WEDNESDAY
Lunch at Cuomo’s – Rally for Reproductive Rights
Governor Cuomo’s Manhattan Office
663 Third Ave., Manhattan
12pm – 1pm
A group of dedicated activists are rallying every Wednesday in favor of reproductive rights until the State Senate votes on the Reproductive Health Act. Since the proposed “replacements” for the Affordable Care Act completely neglect reproductive health, and Trump and Pence have doubled down on making access to abortion and reproductive health services a “state’s rights issue,” this legislation is incredibly important for New Yorkers.
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How to Get on the Ballot in NYC
House of the New York City Bar Association
42 West 44th St., Manhattan
6pm – 8pm
FREE
Getting involved in politics seems daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. This panel features several election lawyers who will cover topics ranging from evaluating what offices you’re best qualified to run for, the mechanics of petitioning, and more. There will also be information about campaign finance law. Panelists include private election lawyers Martin E. Connor and Sarah K. Steiner, and Matt Sollars and Dan Cho from the city’s Campaign Finance Board. RSVP is required as space is limited. You can email sks4law@aol.com to reserve your seat.
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Action Working Group Meeting
Project Reach
39 Eldridge St., Manhattan
6:30pm – 8:30pm
FREE
SURJ’s mission is to encourage white people to fight racism, particularly in their own communities. This month, SURJ’s Action working group is exploring power mapping and strategy tactics as a way of building powerful, supportive, and effective anti-racist resistance.
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General Meeting with Indivisible Nation BK
Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
53 Prospect Park W., Park Slope
6:30pm – 9pm
FREE
Martin Brennan, district director for Senator Chuck Schumer, will speak about how constituents can have an impact on the legislative process and fight Trump’s agenda at the local level. You can also sign up for tabling and upcoming working meetings, and will break into smaller groups to discuss federal and state level political action, research, writing and communications.
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SDNYC Meeting on Immigration
LGBT Center
208 W. 13th St., Manhattan
8pm – 9:30pm
FREE
LGBT immigrants face challenges and obstacles particularly when filing for asylum and, in the worst cases, in ICE detention facilities. Council Member Carlos Menchaca; Sebastian Maguire, Co-Founder of Seeking Asylum & Finding Empowerment; Luis Mancheno, the attorney who helped secure the release of five detainees at JFK; and more speakers TBA will be speaking about the needs of NYC’s LGBT immigrants at this free panel.
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THURSDAY
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: NEA Edition
The Well
272 Meserole St., Bushwick
4pm – 11pm
FREE
Each month, the Well hosts a fundraiser in support of an organization that’s under attack by the Trump administration. This month it’s the National Endowment for the Arts, a vital program that supports artists of all backgrounds and makes up just 0.004% of the national budget, meaning it costs far less than Melania Trump’s Secret Service detail, FYI. The lineup includes InDaze and The Makeout Club, the bar is serving Brooklyn Brewery beers for just $2 each, and there’s a raffle featuring prizes from Steve Madden and Manhattan Beer Distributors.
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Together to End Solitary
Staten Island Ferry Terminal, Manhattan
6pm – 7:30pm
Tell Governor Cuomo to end the torture that is solitary confinement in New York State! Activists are gathering on the 23rd of every month to speak out against solitary confinement (the 23rd specifically, because it represents the minimum 23 hours per day that people in solitary confinement are required to stay in their cells). Kayla Gerdes and Marilyn Reyes will be speaking, survivors of solitary confinement, and telling their stories at this rally.
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FRIDAY
Jon Trickett MP: Can the Left Be Rebuilt?
Verso Books
20 Jay St. Suite 1010, Dumbo
7pm – 8:30pm
FREE
Liberalism’s political power is declining everywhere, not just in the US. Jon Trickett, Labour MP and member of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet will speak to Jacobin editor Bhaskar Sunkara about how the left can rebuild and benefit from the liberal center’s decline in order to fight the right and stand up for workers.
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SATURDAY
Your City, Your Voice: Activist Training 101
TransAlt Office
111 John St., Suite 260, Manhattan
11am – 6pm
FREE
TransAlt trains New Yorkers on the best way to get involved in their communities. This training session will teach you the best strategies for direct, local action for a variety of causes, ranging from safer streets to environmental justice and equitable housing.
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Anarchism 101: Ask an Anarchist
205 Hudson St., 2nd Floor, Manhattan
3pm – 6pm
FREE
What is anarchy? Where are anarchists movements alive and well in Brooklyn? Rebekah Schiller, professor of physics and anarchist educator, will answer these questions and anything else you’ve been wondering about anarchy in practice, with a specific focus on eco-anarchy and directions eco-anarchists are taking around the world to halt pipelines and other infrastructures that will damage the environment. The day will end with a letter writing activity for those who are incarcerated for environmental direct actions, and tea will be served!
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Futures Without Walls/Welcome Home Maliki Shakur Latine
Mayday Space
176 St. Nicholas Ave., Bushwick
4pm – 8pm
$10
This event celebrates the release of Maliki Shakur Latine, a former Black Panther who was released from Shawangunk Correctional Facility on December 6, 2016 after 37 years of incarceration. Various artists will be performing and showing their art, including Spiritchild, Squala Orphan, and more. If you want to support the event but can’t attend, you can donate here.
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Before the Wall: A Benefit to Support Immigrant Communities
Littlefield
622 Degraw St., Gowanus
7pm
$12 – $50
Armo, Innov Gnawa, and Rafiq Bhatia / Chris Pattishall will be performing at this show benefitting the Arab American Association of New York and Community Voices Heard. A $12 cover gets you in the door, there’s a $25 raffle, or you can pay $50 for a ticket, raffle, and a drink.
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SATURDAY
Rally for Culturally Relevant Education
1 Pace Plaza, Manhattan
12pm – 2pm
Activists are asking for NYC schools to be a bulwark against racism, sexism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and all other forms of violence by implementing a curriculum that teaches historical truths. Protesters will start at 1 Pace Plaza, near the first African Free Schools, then march to the NYC Department of Education.
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People for Free Press – Rally and March
Bryant Park, Manhattan
12pm – 3pm
The president seems to be constantly fighting with one news outlet or another, and his dislike for a free press is more than a little concerning. Protesters will be gathering at Bryant Park in support of the free press before marching to the New York Times building at 242 West 41st St. Organizers are asking attendees to RSVP here.