Reclaim Pride NYC, People's March San Francisco.
Cleve Jones writes: "
I encourage folks to attend this action but beg you to wear masks and maintain social distancing efforts as Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the Bay Area. We need you all to stay strong and healthy and protect the vulnerable among us. Thank you! Keep Marching!"
The corporate pride parades, the events
with cops and sponsors, were canceled.
The march liberation was on.
As Micah wrote everyone at Judson:
Reclaim Pride Coalition, with whom many of us from
Judson marched in last year's Queer Liberation March, has
announced details and plans for this year's Queer Liberation March
for Black Lives and Against Police Brutality, which will move from Foley Square
to Washington Square on Pride Sunday, June 28th, starting at 1pm.
All details are below.
RECLAIM PRIDE COALITION ANNOUNCES
QUEER LIBERATION MARCH FOR BLACK LIVES AND AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY -- SUNDAY,
JUNE 28, LEAVING FOLEY SQUARE AT 1PM
MARCH DEMANDS RADICAL CHANGE IN
POLICING — FULL FUNDING OF COMMUNITY NEEDS — SAFETY AND HONOR FOR BLACK TRANS
LIVES
On Sunday, June 28th, at 1pm, the
Reclaim Pride Coalition will be in the streets of Manhattan for its second
annual Queer Liberation March — the Queer Liberation March for Black Lives and
Against Police Brutality. Marchers will gather at 12:45pm at Foley Square on
Centre St and step off at 1pm sharp.
Marchers are asked to wear face
masks to protect against COVID-19 and to maintain safe distancing. Reclaim
Pride can provide a limited number of masks, hand sanitizer and water to those
who need them... This March, like all current protest Marches, does not have a
City/NYPD permit.
“We’re horrified by the police
murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Layleen Polanco, Rayshard
Brooks and untold numbers of others,” said Reclaim Pride’s Francesca Barjon,
“and we’re mourning the endless violent deaths of Black trans women and men
like Dominique ‘Rem’mie’ Fells and Riah Milton. So, inspired by the historic,
Black-led protest movement that has taken to the streets here in NYC and across
the world, Reclaim Pride supports demands for immediate defunding, disarming,
dismantling, and reimagining of police forces.”
Reclaim Pride joins with
abolitionists such as Mariambe Kaba and others in several cities in demanding a
fifty percent reduction in the NYPD budget with a fifty percent reduction in the
police force. Those funds must be dedicated to support and services including
housing, healthcare, education and reparative and restorative justice for Black
communities. New York City must prioritize reparations for those who’ve been
oppressed and murdered for hundreds of years.
While all Black people are at
constant risk of police brutality and murder, Reclaim Pride, as queer and trans
activists , recognizes that Black Trans, Gender Non-Conforming, and Non Binary
people, especially Black Trans Women, are faced with the intersection of
vicious state and societal racism, transphobia, misogyny, and classism. This
must stop now.
For the complete statement of
purpose, go here (or refer to the PDF attached):
Reclaim Pride Coalition (RPC) is
a New York City-based group comprised of LGBTQ+ activists in alliance with
dozens of grassroots community groups, nationally and internationally. In June 2019,
to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, RPC mobilized more than
45,000 people to recreate the original 1970 Gay Pride march route uptown from
Stonewall to Central Park. This March, the Queer Liberation March, was a
people’s protest march without corporate funding, corporate floats, or a police
contingent.
All the way from Brooklyn, cyclists
rode to join the march.
At Foley Square I ran into my friend
Ivy, wearing a dress with the Denver Principles.
She gave me a sticker reminding
everyone to stand six feet apart.
“Bottoms tops, we all hate cops,”
chant a few anarchists, carrying
signs are in solidarity,
Black Trans Lives Matter.
There is no separating queer liberation
with the struggle against racism.
Its all the same thing, says Jay Walker.
Its all the same thing.
“I was part of the first
Liberation parade in 1970 as we walked in traffic, I have never liked the term
Gay Pride I was always about Liberation.
This year it blends with Black Liberation! I salute this as along with Womens
Rights these were the defining politics of my life.”
I run into Jim Fouratt, who was
at the first parade five decades ago.
And Mel pushing Tim on a wheelchair.
Still marching together.
Its hot.
I offer to help but Mel is too
tough.
I just loved jumping off the curb with no police, pens, or separation between observers and participants as usually takes place there. The mutual aid, people helping others in wheel chairs, the solidarity were amazing
Walking, I see my friend Cotter.
The last time we saw each other,
we were getting arrested at the Supreme Court last October during oral argument
around understandings and interpretations of the word sex in the 1964 civil rights
bill. Gay liberation, sexual liberation are
bound with movements for civil rights. The
prime achievement of the civil rights era, one that countless people died for,
is now expanding civil rights for queer people generations later. One step
forward, two steps back.
A few days before the march, I got
a message from Housing Works about the action:
“Dear Benjamin:
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for
participating in the HISTORIC demonstration that set the stage for the also
HISTORIC 6-3 US Supreme Court decision that protects LGBTQ+ workplace rights. A
number of experts have suggested that this ruling will affect housing and
education, and will be even more impactful than the decision that struck down
bans on marriage equality.
On October 8th of last year, more than 500 of us marched
through the streets and 133 of us engaged in non-violent civil disobedience.
Our voice and message were clear and reverberated through the country. When we
planned the demonstration, we wanted to ensure 2020 presidential candidates
understood that this issue was front and center in the minds of voters. Several
legal experts, however, kept telling us that the back drop of a well-timed
demonstration could actually sway Justice Roberts and possibly reach Justice
Gorsuch.
Well, last Monday, the court ruled in favor of protecting
all LGBTQ+ individuals from workplace discrimination under Title VII of the
1964 Civil Rights Act. This is a huge victory for so many of us around the
nation. And sure enough, both Roberts and Gorsuch broke from the conservative
block, and Gorsuch penned the majority decision.
LGBTQ+ people and LGBTQ+ rights are still under attack all
over the US, and we still have much work to do to create a world where every LGBTQ+
person - especially our Black, Brown, and Transgender community - has safe,
stable housing and healthcare.
But it's important to take a breath and celebrate the
little victories along the way, especially during such difficult times. Thank
you to the 133 of you who put your bodies on the line, and thanks to all of you
who helped plan this national demonstration. Whether or not our actions impacted
the court's decision, you did all you could win a huge victory.
And WE WON!!!
-Jaron & Valerie & Reed”
Past Foley Square, we pass the City
Hall Autonomous Zone, where people camp out calling for a budget cut for the
NYPD.
The march fills Sixth Avenue.
“How do you spell racist?
-NYPD!!!!”
Scream activists.
50,000 of us in the street speaking
out against racism and transphobia and hate, talking and sharing space.
“Do you feel like we are making
progress?” I ask a young woman.
“Yes, of course.”
Anytime we get together to do this,
its progress.
Walking we revel in the lack of
barricades by the police.
We need no barricades.
But the police do.
We have a right to march to petition
the government for a redress of grievances.
The police want barricades and
permits.
And they want violence and control.
Up to Washington Square, we march
in peace the conversation extending in all directions, everyone in masks,
determined to make a point.
Andy Humm writes:
“Great day with a bad ending due
to cops pepper-spraying protesters in Washington Square. Last year, the cops
mostly stayed away from the Queer Liberation March because they were too busy
policing the Heritage of Pride corporate World Pride Parade. Things went well
with today's march until the very end when police started scuffling, spraying,
and arresting protesters. I wasn't a witness to it and reports are still filtering
in. But it is a good argument for A LOT less policing and the billion dollar
cut we're seeking in the $6 billion budget.”
The Reclaim Pride Coalition posted
a statement:
"We
are horrified and furious at the brutal police attack on peaceful marchers,
using pepper spray, violent shoving, and arrests.
At the exact moment that Mayor De Blasio
tweeted about honoring Stonewall and the LGBTQIA+ rights movement, the NYPD
completely overreacted with unprovoked physical violence - including pepper
spraying their own colleagues. The police harassed, assaulted, and arrested
peaceful Queer Liberation March protesters in Washington Square Park, who
gathered to show our collective support for Black
Lives and our dedication to eradicating police violence and white supremacy in
this country and in our city.
Using
pepper spray against the Black and Queer community, beating LGBTQIA+ protestors
with batons and bicycles, and intimidating our right to peacefully assemble,
reflects the wanton disregard that the Mayor, along with the NYPD, have for the
lives and safety all Black and Queer New Yorkers.
Following
a shoving match between NYPD and marchers who demanded that they move away, we
are relieved that our peaceful marchers finally forced NYPD to retreat — but in
the process, several marchers were injured, several were arrested and are now
being held at the 1 Police Plaza.
At
first, the police refused to say exactly how many were arrested, or state the
reasons for arrest or charges. We have just learned that three people were
arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer, which is utter bullshit.
Our
March for Black Lives and Against Police Brutality occurred on the anniversary
of the Stonewall rebellion against police raids and brutality, and two days
before the City Council will vote on a $1 billion cut to the NYPD budget. In
the light of today's NYPD brutality and the arrest of peaceful marchers, we
urge the Council to take immediate action to Defund the Police." - Reclaim
Pride Coalition.
Its
an extraordinary time.
As
I write this, the Supreme Court has just sided with choice, Roberts voting with
the majority.
The New York Times reports:
Precedent endures, stare decisis:
“The chief justice said respect for
precedent compelled him to vote with the majority.”
The precedent on this case is far reaching,
a ton, on privacy, that should remain. It’s like a root of a tree, you can't
pull one root without taking out the tree, the branches and everything around
it.
Liberation endures even if it’s a constant struggle.
We’re seeing something here.
A crack, a glimmer of something…
