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 be 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.
Friday, December 16
NYC Stands with Aleppo/Protest & Vigil
Time: Fri. 12/16, 4:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Washington Square Park, Manhattan
[link]
The Syrian government is taking over Aleppo and killing innocent men women and children in the process. WE have a voice and WE MUST stand against this injustice. Join us to unite against the forces of oppression.
Join us for a protest and vigil to stand with the Syrian people. NYC STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF ALEPPO!
BRING CANDLES!
BRING FLOWERS!
BRING SIGNS!
BRING YOUR CREATIVITY TO WAKE PPL UP!
Screening + Potluck / On This Land (rough cut)
Time: Fri. 12/16, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Decolonize This Place, 55 Walker St., Manhattan
[link]
Colloquium for Unpopular Culture and MTL + present a rough cut of On This Land, a non-fiction film by MTL on Palestinian life and resistance in the West Bank.
This is the thirteenth in a series of film screenings, dinners and discussions happening every Friday evening through December 17th at Decolonize This Place.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/
Bring friends and food (if you can) // FREE EVENT
#DecolonizeThisPlace
ER ACTION #WeStandWithStandingRock #NoDAPL
Time: Fri. 12/16, 7:00pm
Location: Union Square, Manhattan
[link]
Today on November 26 2016 The Army Core Of Engineers put out a letter to say they are going to evict the camps in #StandingRock. They stated will be given a free speech zone. The same core of engineers also told DAPL to stop drilling and they did not. We are asking all to come out to take a stand with Standing Rock here in NYC because #waterislife. #NoDAPL
El Salón Potluck
Time: Fri. 12/16, 7:30pm
Location: Decolonize This Place, 55 Walker St., Manhattan
[link]
Dear friends, supporters, & collaborators,
Every third Friday of the month El Salón has been gathering for a potluck. The invitation to participate in Decolonize this Place gave us a home for the past months & now we will continue in the new year with new prospects.
“We are all visitors to this time, this place…Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home.”
Australian Aboriginal Proverb
Bring foods, snacks, drinks~
El Salón is a gathering of artists & cultural forces that come together to break bread, nurture ideas, & converse.
Reds Need Green: NYC DSA Holiday Fundraiser and Party
Time: Fri. 12/16, 8:00pm – Midnight
Location: Verso Books, 20 Jay St., Suite 1010, Brooklyn
[link]
NYC-DSA members and friends of socialism in NYC: you’re invited to our annual holiday fundraiser and party, Reds Need Green. For four hours we’ll be pouring drinks, talking politics, and hanging out at Verso Loft in Dumbo
To help us raise the socialist cash we’ll need to to fight back in 2017, we’re asking for a donation at the door. Minimum suggested donation is $10 but please give more if you can (and we take credit cards!). We’ll have donation forms there. No one turned away for lack of funds. We’ll have beer and wine at cheap prices. All proceeds go to building NYC Democratic Socialists of America.
We’ll have a very short program around 9pm, focused on why we’re building DSA and what we’ve been up to in 2016. Speakers include:
– Amber A’Lee Frost, Cohost of Chapo Trap House
– Bhaskar Sunkara, Editor & Publisher of Jacobin, DSA Vice Chair
– Gay Semel, Brooklyn DSA Organizing Committee
– Rahel Biru, Cochair of NYC-DSA Cochair
– Zelig Stern, NYC-DSA Steering Committee
Mayday Mixer
Time: Fri. 12/16, 9:30pm – 2:00am
Location: Starr Bar, 214 Starr St., Brooklyn
[link]
Come meet Mayday Space organizers and comrades after our winter Mayday fam throwdown!
Music by Xicano Boogie
Want to get involved? Learn how at https://maydayspace.org/
Current projects include:
— Derecho A Techo – tenants’ rights organizing initiative & mutual support group
— Language Justice Project – offering language classes & promoting multilingual access
— Mayday Kitchen Collective – cooking communal meals & supporting food justice
— Mayday Wellness Collective – yogis & other instructors promoting health and resilience
— Mayday Radical Library – a project to build out & maintain our 2nd fl lending library
— Mi Casa No Es Su Casa – “artivist” project using illuminated signs to challenge gentrification
— People’s Collective Arts – artists creating powerful visuals for mobilizations & campaigns
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Saturday, December 17
GIVE BACK Holiday Market (Day 1)
Time: Sat. 12/17, Noon – 9pm
Location: Textile Arts Center, 505 Carroll St., Brooklyn
[link]
Mark your calendars for the weekend of December 17 + 18, when our Manhattan studio will be transformed into the Give Back Holiday Market, an exhibition and holiday shopping experience fully dedicated to supporting causes we believe in.
Featuring 60+ well known and emergent artist/designer’s one of a kinds, best sellers, and all around covetable items. 100% of proceeds will go to support the following organizations: Lets Girls Learn, Lambda Legal, Black Lives Matter, Stand With Standing Rock + The New York Immigration Coalition.
Designated work will be on display all weekend long, while many smaller items can be scooped up on the spot. This holiday season, COME SHOP, LEARN, + GIVE BACK.
Not Straight Against Hate
Time: Sat. 12/17, 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Washington Square Park, Manhattan
[link]
The result of this election has left many of us feeling powerless. The next four years will unfortunately have major implications on the evolution of our country, which is why it is more crucial than ever to protect our rights, stand up against hatred, ignorance, bigotry, and USE OUR VOICES. The power of the people always prevails. Donald Trump and Mike Pence are turbulent forces in the LQBTQ community. Come join our march to defend and protect LGBTQ rights and freedoms. PEACE, LOVE, PROSPERITY�️�
This event is not limted to just the LGBTQ community! All allies and supporters are welcome!
To be very clear, this event is going to be a rally as well as a march up 5th avenue toward Trump Tower.
Follow Not Straight Against Hate on instagram and twitter for updates! @nsahofficial
Wish You Were Here: HIV Criminalization Letter Writing Event
Time: Sat. 12/17, 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St., Manhattan
[link]
Abrons Arts Center invites you to join Abrons Art Center and the WHAT WOULD AN HIV DOULA DO? collective to WISH YOU WERE HERE: HIV CRIMINALIZATION LETTER WRITING EVENT as we write letters to people incarcerated due to laws that criminalize people living with HIV.
The event is organized within the context of the ON THE INSIDE exhibition, the group show by incarcerated LGBTQ artists, conceived and created by Tatiana Von Furstenberg in association with Black and Pink.
Paper, pens, envelopes, stamps, and information about HIV criminalization will be provided. Light refreshments will be served.
Neighborhood Anti-Racist Defense: Training Session
Time: Sat. 12/17, 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: The Base, 1302 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
The Kuwasi Balagoon Liberation School presents: an intensive course to prepare groups and to be able to combat violent racists and ICE deportations in the coming months.
Red flags have been raised over Trump’s announcement that he plans to immediately deport or detain millions of people. Even before a team of white nationalists descends on the white house, we have seen a massive increase in hate-based attacks and threatening graffiti across New York City. It is imperative that we take concrete steps to prepare people to defend their friends and neighbors.
We invite groups of friends and neighbors to attend this intensive course to receive the basics of anti-fascist tactics, tech security, and resisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We will cover how to make a neighborhood unwelcoming to bigots, keep your organizing work secret, know-your-rights for dealing with ICE officials and how to create a sanctuary space.
After this training, you and your group will be ready to start the process of defending physical space in a strategic way. We will be holding an assembly of all the associated groups in January to plan future trainings, workshop any problems groups may have encountered, and strategize ways to build our network stronger.
Report Back from Standing Rock
Time: Sat. 12/17, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Alwan for the Arts, 16 Beaver St., 4th Floor, Manhattan
[link]
Join us on Sat., Dec 17th for a report back and analysis on the current occupation of Standing Rock. We will hear from members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), The Native and the Refugee, Paper Tiger Television, and photographer/multimedia artist, Vanessa Teran.
Short video presentations by Matt Peterson of The Native and the Refugeeand Julie Ludwig of Paper Tiger Television followed by a discussion about the indigenous-led resistance of the Dakota Access Pipeline and ways to support the water protectors.
Celebrate Solidarity: MORE UFT Holiday Party & Reflection
Time: Sat. 12/17, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Project Reach NYC, 39 Eldridge St., Manhattan
[link]
Please RSVP here so we can plan to provide refreshments for all: https://goo.gl/forms/
Come together to celebrate and build solidarity! In addition to enjoying food and beverages with awesome people you can find out about MORE’s Chapter Leader network, our work on the Executive Board, our newsletter, campaigns, and what members are planning at their schools for inauguration day and the many struggles ahead.
Friends, family and children are welcome. Food and drink will be provided, but donations are encouraged.
Decolonize This Party
Time: Sat. 12/17, 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Decolonize This Place, 55 Walker St., Manhattan
[link]
Three months of work are coming to a close. So we celebrate our struggles, the resistance, and each other.
We invite you all to continue decolonizing, unlearning, and building. On #D17 come and de-occupy Artists Space with promised performances, words, dancing bodies to the beats of Jive Poetic and with Dominos, Spades, and Nintendo.
We will also have for sale many of the posters and t-shirts of resistance made in the past few months to raise funds for the upcoming Palestine Center in Ramallah.
This is our party that celebrates the work that has no beginning and no end. Liberation is that difficult and that necessary.
On #D17, in the presence of one another, we #Decolonizethisplace and affirm our commitment to indigenous struggle, black liberation, a free Palestine, de-gentrification everywhere, and the global wage worker.
P.S. This party will be lit AF! #decolonizethisplace
“Job Creator” – Art Opening
Time: Sat. 12/17, 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: SLEEP CENTER, 9 Monroe St., Basement, Manhattan
[link]
SLEEP CENTER is pleased to present Job Creator, comprised of selected works by Sam Lavigne. By laying bare the absurdity of self-production, Job Creator intends to offer emotional, physical, and algorithmic tools for reassessing our relationship to labor.
“What does sabotage or strike look like in the age of personal computing, machine learning and automation? How can you break down the factory when the means of production are in your pocket, or on your lap, when it’s tied up in your personal communications, in your identity, in your idea of “self”.
The self has become a natural resource to be mined, as well as an unpaid laborer working, unknowingly, on an invisible assembly line. In response we must engage in a practice of self sabotage. We must hijack the self.”
http://
http://lav.io/
Sunday, December 18
GIVE BACK Holiday Market (Day 2)
Time: Sun. 12/18, Noon – 8pm
Location: Textile Arts Center, 505 Carroll St., Brooklyn
[link]
Mark your calendars for the weekend of December 17 + 18, when our Manhattan studio will be transformed into the Give Back Holiday Market, an exhibition and holiday shopping experience fully dedicated to supporting causes we believe in.
Featuring 60+ well known and emergent artist/designer’s one of a kinds, best sellers, and all around covetable items. 100% of proceeds will go to support the following organizations: Lets Girls Learn, Lambda Legal, Black Lives Matter, Stand With Standing Rock + The New York Immigration Coalition.
Designated work will be on display all weekend long, while many smaller items can be scooped up on the spot. This holiday season, COME SHOP, LEARN, + GIVE BACK.
The March for Immigrant NY – International Migrants Day March
Time: Sun. 12/18, 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Location: One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Manhattan
[link]
With six weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Trump, we must mobilize our communities for the fight ahead. Now more than ever, we are determined to defend and protect immigrants!
On Sunday, December 18th, International Migrants Day, the The New York Immigration Coalition will bring together our members and partners to rally and send a clear message from New Yorkers to President-Elect Trump and his administration: immigrant communities are here to stay and we will fight back against hate and anti-immigrant policies!
Join the movement to protect and defend America’s immigrants!
We will march from the UN Headquarters to Trump Tower – march ends at 4:30pm.
**Note: While we secure permits, the location and time are subject to change on December 18th.
Marxist Feminism: Capital and the Family
Time: Sun. 12/18, 2:00pm –4:00pm
Location: Unnameable Books, 600 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
Red League will be having our 2nd (now) monthly Marxist Feminist Discussion group at Unnameable Books where we will be reading Kinderkommunismus: A Feminist Analysis of the 21st Century Family and a Communist Proposal for its Abolition by K.D Griffiths and J.J Gleeson.
Kinderkommunismus is a return to Marx and Engels’ call to abolish the family. In it [the authors] discuss the role of the family in capitalisms flexible response to crises and offer a Marxist account of clashes between liberals and conservatives over matters of gender and sexuality. As the holidays approach come discuss and imagine a post-family future!
Text (in PDF format): https://
Women’s Prison and BX120 Letter Writing
Time: Sun. 12/18, 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: The Base, 1302 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
With Trump as president, conditions for prisoners will certainly be even more unimaginably horrible than they already are. In the fall of this year, thousands of prisoners took action by going on strike, and in some cases directly attacking the prison itself and the guards that keep them locked up. The struggle continues, and is more intense than ever. Join IWOC to write letters and learn how to get involved. This month we are focusing on women’s prisons, which face some of the worst abuses and are often the least reported on. We will also continue our outreach to the Bronx 120 and beyond, to fight against the oncoming raids facing black and brown communities in New York (for more on the raids, listen to this interview with a mother and an IWOC supporter http://nuarchive.wbai.org/
Candlelight Vigil to Resist Intolerance and Oppression
Time: Sun. 12/18, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
[link]
On the eve of the electoral college vote, let us gather together to harness the light and love and energy we will need to resist intolerance and oppression. Please share widely and BYOC (Bring your own candles).
Support Standing Rock at the Drink!
Time: Sun. 12/18, 5:00pm – Midnight
Location: The Drink, 228 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
While we are elated that the Obama administration has denied the final Dakota Pipeline easement, we are very aware that this victory can be quickly overthrown by the new administration in January. (The president-elect has been clear that he is in support of the pipeline.) With the opposition weakened, it is time for us to double down on our support for Standing Rock.
One way you can help out is to join us for a drink at the Drink on Sunday the 18th! We will be selling art and holding raffles for other items as some of the Drink’s favorite DJs spin some tunes for us. We will also be collecting goods to send as many protesters will stay at their posts well into the winter.
Please contact us if you are interested in contributing to the event in other ways!
See you there!
This is Fine: Podcast Launch Party
Time: Sun. 12/18, 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: The Brooklyn Inn, 148 Hoyt St., Brooklyn
[link]
Next weekend we’ll be recording episode 1.3: the media is the message, Finers, and afterwards (and afterwords) we want you to join us at a low key Launch Party at the Brooklyn Inn. Possibly we will even spontaneously argue about something non-political.
We would love for our listeners to come and hang out and get to know each other. Please RSVP so we know how many of you to expect!
Monday, December 19
Showing Up for Racial Justice NYC Chapter Meeting
Time: Mon. 12/19, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Ansche Chesed, 251 W. 100th St., Manhattan
[link]
Join us for our December chapter meeting on Monday, Dec. 19. Our last meeting introduced the larger strategies of our chapter as we expand to resist Trump. This month, the meeting will present an upstander training in collaboration with the Center for Anti-Violence Education. The Center for Anti-Violence education is a nationally-recognized organization that develops and implements comprehensive violence prevention programs for individuals and organizations, with a focus on empowering women, LGBTQ individuals, young people, and survivors to build leadership skills, heal from past abuse, and break cycles of violence in their lives and communities.
If you are a new member, please arrive at 6pm for new member orientation.
Fight Training: Women, Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender Noncomforming
Time: Mon. 12/19, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: The Base, 1302 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn
[link]
We come together and learn together to forge those new relationships, to gain confidence in using our bodies to protect our loved ones and neighbors, and to form communities of resistance against white supremacy and patriarchy.
This is a non-cumulative course, part of our Monday series of fight trainings. 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.
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!
This class will meet every other Monday!
Tuesday, December 20
Trump Resistance Town Hall
Time: Tues. 12/20, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., Manhattan
[link]
An agenda will be sent out via email ahead of time. If you are not yet on our email list you can sign up using this form: tinyurl.com/
And if you haven’t joined our Facebook group, please click here: https://www.facebook.com/
We’re in the beginning stages of developing a flat, all volunteer group united in anger, organized into working groups, and committed to direct action. We’re focusing on everything from policy and data analysis to organizing protests to ensure that we have the largest impact possible.
We need people with all skills and interests. Whether you are an artist or a software developer or just somebody who wants to get involved, everybody’s contribution is valuable.
NOW! Journal presents: Shut It Down!
Time: Tues. 12/20, 7:30pm – 10:30pm
Location: Interference Archive, 131 8th St., Brooklyn
[link]
An evening of radical cinema, radical discussion, and radical organizing.
Wednesday, December 21
What is Fascism?
Time: Wed. 12/21, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Queens Pride House, 76-11 37th Ave., 2nd Floor, Jackson Heights
[link]
In the lead up to Trump’s victory, liberals and parts of the political establishment, as well as sections of the Left, began to call Trump a Fascist. While there is no doubt that Trump’s presidential victory has emboldened a far right wing, there has been significant debate on whether or not Trump himself can be considered a Fascist.
However, far too often both sides of the debate have made arguments that border on the ahistorical or alarmist. But how can we make sense of Fascism? What would it mean for there to be a Fascist movement in the US? What implications would that have for the Left in how it organizes now in preparation for the future?
Join us for a conversation in Queens about what Fascism is, where it comes from, how we can identify it and how we can organize against it.
Thursday, December 22
The Center Will Not Hold: #DumpTrump on the Road to Revolution
Time: Thurs. 12/22, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Starr Bar, 214 Starr St., Brooklyn
[link]
Rebel cities, pipeline shutdowns, and communityself-defense will be necessary to resist the neo-fascist forces emboldened by the Trump presidency. However, to move beyond resistance, our movements will need a shared vision and program to revolutionize society from below. Join the Organization for a Free Society at the Starr Bar in BK to learn about the analysis, vision, and strategy of participatory socialism, and how such a perspective can guide our movements from the defense of people and planet, to achieving a democratic, egalitarian, decentralized, and ecological society.
Organization for a Free Society fights for participatory socialism, and helps build power and strategy in social movements, from occupy wall street, to low wage worker campaigns, to black lives matter.
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Illustration by Yvonne Martinez.