A weekly guide to action.
The times may be dark, but they’re not hopeless. We have the power to join together and fight back. Now more than ever, we need to shore up our bonds of community, activate our networks, and make our voices heard. To this end, Blunderbuss is compiling a weekly roundup of events in our hometown of New York City that offer a chance to push back against the rising tide of hate and authoritarianism. Don’t expect this list to be exhaustive – this city is too full of energy and activism for us to stay on top of everything. But if you’ve got an event you’d like to see listed, feel free to hit up Travis at tmushett@gmail.com. All descriptions are authored by event organizers, and occasionally trimmed for length.
And if you’re going to be in Washington for the anti-inaugural protests, check out our special DC resistance calendar.
Friday, January 20
Retail Action Project #J20 Day of Action
Time: Fri. 1/20, 10:00am
Location: Throughout the city (see below)
[link]
Throughout President Trump’s campaign he has spewed hate, sexist, xenophobic, racist, and anti-LGBTQ words and promises aimed at our communities in order to continue to harm, separate, deport and get rid of us. Our lives and freedom are under attack under his administration. In contrast to the imposed vision of safety as policing, borders, deportations, and incarceration, #SafetyIs equal access to decent work, education, affordable housing, and healthcare. In reimagining safety and belonging, #SafetyIs people of color, immigrants, women, muslim, LGBTQ, workers, youth, undocumented building power from the bottom up to create a world of justice and dignity.
PRESS CONFERENCE
10AM SHARP: meet at RAP (370 7th Ave on the 14th floor in Manhattan)
11AM SHARP: press conference with New York Worker Center Federation at Trump Hotel at 1 Central Park West
RALLY
4PM: meet at RAP (370 7th Ave on the 14th floor in Manhattan)
5PM: massive city-wide rally at Foley Square; it may be difficult to find us in the crowd so we recommend you meet at our office if possible
Freedom City Press Conference & Speakout
Time: Fri. 1/20, 11:00am – Noon
Location: Trump International Hotel & Tower Central Park, 1 Central Park West, Manhattan
[link]
Join the New York Worker Center Federation (WCF) in a press conference and speak out to announce the launch of Freedom City, a new campaign to create safety and freedom for all communities in NYC. Our 6 point platform is: Worker Rights, Safety Beyond Policing, Hate Free Zones, Community Control, Invest in Humanity, and Political Power.
Throughout President Trump’s campaign he has spewed hate, sexist, xenophobic and racist words and promises aimed at WCF communities in order to continue to harm, separate, deport and get rid of us. Our lives and freedom are under attack under his administration. In contrast to the imposed vision of safety as policing, borders, deportations, and incarceration, #SafetyIs equal access to decent work, education, affordable housing, and healthcare. In reimagining safety and belonging, #SafetyIs people of color, immigrants, women, muslim, LGBTQ, workers, youth, undocumented building power from the bottom up to create a world of justice and dignity through Freedom City.
The idea of a Freedom City goes beyond a sanctuary city in which we seek protection for and defined by all: immigrants—documented or undocumented, people with criminal convictions, workers, gender nonconforming folks, the poor, and all people of color. We will not allow others to tell or to define for us the meaning of our safety and survival.
Pre-Protest Postermaking + Preparation
Time: Fri. 1/20, 1:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Theodore:Art, 56 Bogart St., Brooklyn
[link]
There is a call for a General Strike on Inauguration Day. No school, no work, no shopping. We invite you to participate in the strike while actively preparing for the Women’s March on January 21.
On January 20, drop-in to Theodore:Art (56 Bogart) for pre-protest postermaking and reading texts of resistance. ALL ARE WELCOME!
We will provide:
-some postermaking supplies
-tips for protesting safely and effectively
-really good tea
-snacks
Please bring:
-additional postermaking supplies
-your favorite and most inspiring text of resistance
-mug for tea
Staten Island Will Not Be Trumped – March & Rally
Time: Fri. 1/20, 3:00pm
Location: US Post Office, 45 Bay St., Staten Island
[link]
Trump’s inauguration, and the wave of fascist sentiment that brought him into power, is a direct threat to the lives and livelihoods of many Staten Islanders, including women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, black people and people of color, people with dis/abilities, labor unions, and activists. In his own words, he has made campaign promises that if carried out would significantly degrade our quality of life or even kill us while calling it “Make America Great Again.”
We are Staten Islanders. We represent some of the beautiful diversity this borough has to offer, and we will not take these attacks on ourselves nor our communities sitting down.
Together we stand, divided we fall.
Itinerary:
3 PM: Meet at US Post Office (45 Bay St)
4 PM: Take Ferry to Manhattan
4:30 PM: Short demonstration at Whitehall
4:50 PM: March to Foley Square to join Student Walkout Against Trump
If you represent a local organization and are interested in speaking at this event, please send us a facebook message!
DAY ONE: A Poetry Reading and Open Mic
Time: Fri. 1/20, 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Poets House, 10 River Terrace, Manhattan
[link]
Poets, writers, and artists commit to voicing our collective dissent on day one through day 1,460. We will feature socially-engaged poets and then open the mic to folks who need to be heard. We will be live streaming and recording the event. Hard Start at 5PM, arrive early to commune and sign up for the limited open mic slots.
We are calling this reading, “DAY ONE” because it will be “Day One” of many where we will have to commune, resist, and be heard. Artists, writers, and poets of this nation are letting it be known that we are prepared to voice the collective dissent each and every one of the next 1,460 days, if that’s what is needed.
Join us as we collectively process and map out the next four years.
NYC Stand Against Trump: Inauguration Day Rally & March
Time: Fri. 1/20, 5:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Foley Square, 111 Worth St., Manhattan
[link]
Donald Trump’s inauguration will be accompanied by protest worldwide. Join us in NYC for a rally and march to the Trump building on Wall Street.
• OUR DEMANDS
– No Deportations of Immigrants
– No Healthcare Cuts
– Black Lives Matter
– Unite Against Hate Crimes
– Defend Women’s and Workers’ Rights
The Anti-Inaugural Ball
Time: Fri. 1/20, 7:00pm – Midnight
Location: The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, 450 W. 37th St., Suite 502, Manhattan
[link]
Musicians from across the NYC experimental and jazz community counter cynicism with sound with performances by
Phyllis Chen & Friends • Jordan Dodson • ETHEL
Flor de Toloache – Mariachi Femenino • Flutronix • Gemini
International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) • JACK Quartet
Darius Jones • loadbang • So Percussion • Adam Tendler
FREE DRINKS served by Stephen King, bartender of The Musket Room
Dancing provided by DJ Robert Maril
On January 20th, 2017, all-star musicians from throughout the experimental and jazz communities of NYC will come together for a marathon fundraiser concert/dance party in the acoustically intimate Mary Flagler Cary Hall at the The DiMenna Center for Classical Music. The concert is FREE to attend, and will provide laptop stations for attendees to donate funds for institutions that uphold America’s democracy and diversity including ACLU, LAMBDA Legal, Planned Parenthood, Southern Poverty Law Center, Hollaback!, and more. Representatives from organizations will be in attendance.
The UnGovernables Dance Party
Time: Fri. 1/20, 7:00pm – 1:00am
Location: Mayday Space, 176 St. Nicholas Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
On January 20th, Donald Trump will take over the largest prison system in the world, will have access to an incredibly sophisticated drone warefare program, indefinite detention capacities, and a surveilance infrastructure that will only become more terrifying over the next 4 years.
This will not be easy.
On inauguration evening we invite everyone to come to the Mayday Space to build, dance, and have a night filled with political intention. This will be our collective deep breath before taking the plunge into a world run by the Trump regime. Come be ungovernable with us.
12$ pre-sale // 15$ door
Anti-Inauguration Viewing Party
Time: Fri. 1/20, 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Verso Books, 20 Jay St., Suite 1010, Brooklyn
[link]
Can’t make it to DC for inauguration protests? Join us for a local watch party for the Anti-Inaugration, featuring Naomi Klein, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Anand Gopal and Owen Jones.
Meet others and discuss why Trump won, what he’ll do, and how we can fight him. Eat pizza, which we’ll have available for purchase. Bring your own drinks. Start planning what can be done locally to build the left over the next four years.
Anti-Inauguration will stream live from the historic Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC. The event is sponsored by Jacobin Magazine, Haymarket Books, and Verso Books.
Nasty Women and Bad Hombres
Time: Fri. 1/20, 8:00pm – Midnight
Location: Freddy’s Bar & Backroom, 627 5th Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
2016 was a rough year, and with the upcoming Inaguration, it’s bound to get a whole lot harder.
With all the crazy the last election,people of all races, creeds, preferences, colors, sexes and genders threatened by the new presidency- it’s time to fight back.
So, join us at Freddy’s on January 20th, 2016 around 8PM.
We will have bands, performances, raffles and drink specials- with proceeds going to help the folks at Planned Parenthood- who risk losing their federal funding.
Let’s raise a glass for those in need.
Silent auction and raffles with amazing stuff, with proceeds going to Planned Parenthood!!
Queer Abstract: What Gets You Free?
Time: Fri. 1/20, 9:00pm – 1:00am
Location: Starr Bar, 214 Starr St., Brooklyn
[link]
Queer Abstract is a curated Monthly Performance Series highlighting QTPOC performers. Each event is a variety show led by a question to probe and encourage us to show up and show out. (QA) is place to showcase new work and celebrate each other, an attempt to blend party and performance communities to uplift and affirm fellowship, creativity and collaboration among the culture leaders of NYC. QA will be a curated variety of singers, dancers, comedians, writers and any creative interested in getting down. Allies are welcomed and encouraged to affirm our magic, QTPOC are welcome and encouraged to fellowship, build and create!
5-8pm Happy Hour
9pm-11pm Show
11pm-1am Dance Party
Saturday, January 21
Women’s March on NYC
Time: Sat. 1/21, 10:45am – 5:00pm
Location: One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Manhattan
[link]
On January 21st, New York City will proudly join the international community to march in support of equality and promote civil rights for every human. This historic and peaceful event is open to the public and we warmly welcome ALL to participate.
We have permits through the 17th Precinct Community Affairs office. For details, route map, and start time see the FAQ on our website http://
Follow Us:
* Website: http://
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
* Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Share with friends that don’t use Facebook via Eventbrite: https://
This is a public event. This is a peaceful event. Please share! Please forward!
Post-Inauguration Fundraiser Against Police Raids
Time: Sat. 1/21, 6:00pm – Midnight
Location: Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, 315 Columbia St., Brooklyn
[link]
Trump takes office January 20. Where will you be the day after?? We hope you will be throwing down w folks suffering at the hands of not just trump, but obama, sessions, deblasio, bratton, and o’neill. Things are only looking more bleak for prisoners and working class and poor black and brown folks around the city with trump and his appointtees, especially federal prisoners with the looming appointment of sentator jeff sessions. come thru to hear amazing political musicians and a panel earlier n the night, enter to win art and massages, and meet family members of those affected by the raids!
Join family members of #freethebronx120 and IWOC, a group for the abolition of prison and police, and others affected by the recent brutal NYPD raids on our communities, and those surviving and fighting the prison slave system. There will be a panel, followed by performances (poetry, music, and more). Also t-shirts and possible live screen printing! This is a chance to chill and have fun, and also to connect around this struggle….In short, its gonna be lit, its for a good cause, bring everyone you know! We’re also still looking for performers so hit us up if you’re political hip hop, punk, performance or poetry! We’re also doing a raffle, so let us know if you wanna raffle something!
To learn more visit http://bronx120.org/
The Realities of Muslim Women Open Mic
Time: Sat. 1/21, 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 E. 3rd St., Manhattan
[link]
America Realities-vs-The Realities of Muslim Women. Features Aliyah Hakim-el, Mikel Bint Rashad, Sadiyah Bashir, and Azzah Sultan.
Sunday, January 22
Queer Workers Project – Training to Defend Yourself at Work
Time: Sun. 1/22, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: AJ Muste Memorial Institute, 168 Canal St., 6th Floor, Manhattan
[link]
Please join the Queer Workers Project for our first Organizer Training; In this meeting we will develop strategies for protecting ourselves and our coworkers from discrimination and bullying at work in an era of heightened racist, homophobic, transphobic and xenophobic attacks and discrimination.
Monday, January 23
A Planned Parenthood Benefit with Alex Cameron, Rips, KVS, Cones
Time: Mon. 1/23, 8:00pm – Midnight
Location: Baby’s All Right, 146 Broadway, Brooklyn
[link]
A Song A Day presents A Benefit for Planned Parenthood featuring:
// Alex Cameron //
// RIPS //
// Katie Von Schleicher //
// Cones //
Baby’s All Right // Jan. 23 // 8pm // $12 adv., $15 doors
46 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY
Proceeds go to Planned Parenthood
A huge thanks goes to Baby’s for working with us on this show. They’re pretty incredible people.
We honestly couldn’t be more stoked to come together to support Planned Parenthood and the incredible work they do.
Tuesday, January 24
Food & Water Watch’s Resist Trump! Volunteer Meeting
Time: Tues. 1/24, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: New York Society of Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St., Manhattan
[link]
It’s critical that we join together to resist Trump’s extreme anti-environmental agenda and fight for clean water, climate justice, and safe food.
Learn about and get involved with Food & Water Watch’s plans to protect our most vital resources.
For more info, or to RSVP, contact Greta Zarro: 347-774-4597; gzarro@fwwatch.org
Queens DSA Inaugural Meeting
Time: Tues. 1/24, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: WeWork Studio Square, 35-37 36th St., 2nd Floor, Astoria
[link]
Amazing food, great parks, a baseball team that occasionally wins games. Queens has it all! Everything except its very own branch of the fastest growing Democratic Socialist organization in America…until now.
With the failure of traditional liberals to stop the rise of Donald Trump and his right-wing allies, the time is now for a new form of politics: one by and for a diverse working class. DSA is dedicated to fighting for reforms that will weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of working people.
We are activists committed to democracy as not simply one of our political values but our means of restructuring society. Our vision is of a society in which people have a real voice in the choices and relationships that affect the entirety of our lives. That vision is now under attack from both Republicans and the Democrats that refuse to stand up to them.
So please join us as we begin to educate ourselves, organize together, and fight back!
Questions? For more info contact alex.salta@gmail.com.
Wednesday, January 25
Rise & Resist People of Color Caucus
Time: Wed. 1/25, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Location: Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, 521 W. 126th St., Manhattan
[link]
Join us for the second Rise & Resist People of Color Caucus!
-People of Color Caucus is meeting from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.(for POC only)
-White allyship caucus will meet from 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (for all those looking to build a stronger, more inclusive and cohesive movement for LGBTQI and PoC folks in cis white donated spaces)
We look forward to seeing you there!
Resist! Film Series Presents: Born in Flames
Time: Wed. 1/25, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Unnameable Books, 600 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
Join us for our second installment of the Resist! Film Series, a monthly showcase of films and documentaries that focus on radical resistance, historical and contemporary activist movements, and intersectionality.
Born in Flames is a 1983 documentary-style feminist science fiction film by Lizzie Borden that explores racism, classism, sexism and heterosexism in an alternative United States socialist democracy.
Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/
Thursday, January 26
Paper Lives. The Little Known Story of Foreign Jews Interned in Italy
Time: Thurs. 1/26, 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Location: Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
Anna Pizzuti, curator of the database and historical portal on foreign Jews in Italy during World War II, presents her work.
Film screening, E42 by Cynthia Madansky, produced during her fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.
In 1938 the Racial Laws stripped of their citizenship Jews who had acquired Italian citizenship after 1919 and ordered all “foreign” and “stateless” Jews to leave the country by March 12, 1939. Approximately 9,000 Jews managed to leave with the assistance of Delasem and the Joint Distribution Committee. Another 4,000 had no means and place to go and remained in Italy in a precarious situation. When Italy entered the war in 1940, Mussolini ordered the immediate arrest of all foreign Jews who had remained in the country.
By the end of the war roughly 10,000 Jews were interned in Italian concentration camps and confinement locations. Of the approximately 7,000 who found themselves in the Italian Social Republic, 2,400 were deported to death camps. The others emigrated for the most part to the US and some to Palestine.
What remains of their lives are thousands of letters, petitions, and request buried in the archives of the police and the censorship agency. With a patient, compassionate and highly critical eye, Anna Pizzuti tried to conjure, from these records of oppression fragments of lives, personalities, beliefs and hopes of people who were trapped in a limbo of abuse, which, upon learning about the horrors of the extermination, those who survived, called refuge.
Book Launch – What Now?: The Politics of Listening
Time: Thurs. 1/26, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Art in General, 145 Plymouth St., Brooklyn
[link]
Join us for the launch of What Now? The Politics of Listening, a publication that reflects on the 2015 symposium of the same title, organized by Art in General in collaboration with the Vera List Center for Art and Politics. The event will also mark the launch of the dedicated What Now? Website and a special performance of P2P by artists Salome Asega and Dyani Douze in collaboration with the world champion FloydLittle’s Double Dutch Team.
What Now? The Politics of Listening is the first in a new book series relating to the What Now? Symposia produced with Black Dog Publishing. Examining the idea of listening as a political act, a pedagogical process, and a protocol for engagement, the publication brings together a selection of transcripts from the symposium alongside newly commissioned essays and illustrated inserts that reflect on the breadth of issues covered. The book will be available for purchase at the event.
Fight Training
Time: Thurs. 1/26, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: The Base, 1302 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
This is a non-cumulative course, part of our Thursday series of fight training. We will be covering the usual areas one would find in a martial arts class (stretching, conditioning, technique, theory), but in a context that uses the experiences of attendees to shape the direction of the class. The class will focus on creating an inclusive discussion that would allow for each attendee to find their own motivation for their being a part of the class, with the hope that each individual’s motivations and drives will benefit the environment of the class as a whole.
This will be a fight training skillshare. A trainer trained in Tae-Kwon-Do (3rd Degree Black Belt), as well as some experience in Muay Thai, and Boxing will be present to facilitate, but we also encourage people to come who are trained in other fighting arts. We can exchange skills and knowledge and practice together. Beginners are welcome and encouraged!
Participants should wear clothing in which they are comfortable stretching and sweating. We’ll have equipment on hand, but if you have gloves, mitts, hand wraps, jump ropes, or anything that could be useful, please bring it along. Let’s work it out!
The Freya Project Inaugural Event
Time: Thurs. 1/26, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: 113 Franklin St., Brooklyn
[link]
The Freya Project is a series of monthly fundraisers that will donate money to small organizations located in communities that do not embrace the vital work they perform. Every month, five women will read personal essays on a theme loosely related to the organization receiving that month’s donations. All proceeds from tickets sold to our reading on the 26th – and a portion of bar sales – will go directly to La Frontera Fund, a south Texas organization that pays for lodging for women who have to travel for abortion care. For more details, or to buy tickets, please visit freyaproject.com.
Finally Got the News: Exhibition Opening
Time: Thurs. 1/26, 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Interference Archive, 131 8th St., Brooklyn
[link]
Finally Got the News uncovers the hidden legacy of the radical left of the 1970s, a decade when vibrant social movements challenged racism, imperialism, patriarchy and capitalism itself. It uses original printed materials—from pamphlets to posters, flyers to record albums—to tell this politically rich and little-known story.
These printed materials were made to be ephemeral and disposable, making collecting and preserving the paper legacy of ‘70s radical activism especially difficult. But many materials have survived and offer an irreplaceable insight into this period. This exhibition will bring together printed materials produced by these organizations, from flyers to buttons to posters to the ubiquitous party newspapers. The majority of the material is from the archive of Brad Duncan, amassed over twenty years of collecting and activism. Additional items are from the collection of Interference Archive.
______________
Illustration by Yvonne Martinez.