Eric Adams, the mayor that everyone in NYC despises, recently announced the construction starting in 2026 of a Cop City in Queens. The budget is projected at $225 million, but we know it will far exceed that number.
This police facility will consolidate training for municipal enforcement agencies including the NYPD.
This is in addition to the construction of a “Jailscraper” in Chinatown.
The US-Israel training and weapons exchange directly impacts Palestine, exploitation in Congo and Sudan, and militarization by Empire around the world. It also keeps the people within the imperial core unhoused, unfed, uncared for, surveilled, and repressed.
Due to the critical work of Stop Cop City organizers in Atlanta, we are not starting from scratch in our resistance. Here is some of their advice for us:
We must be organizing now.
Talk about NYC’s (and every) Cop City at every event, every conversation, through our art, fliers, canvassing, and talking with our communities.
Assemble our specialized crews for research, press, canvassing, education, medics, jail support, care, etc., and train others to join. We have people who have been doing this work for a long time. Collaborate.
Identify the actors and organizations responsible for the project and make this information publicly accessible and digestible. Think also construction, funders, board, staffing, permits, contractors, suppliers, etc. Fascism hides behind bureaucratic language and processes.
Foster patience that allows newcomers to learn and find where they fit in best. Give everyone the space and trust they need to pursue their initiatives.
Don’t criticize other activists on social media or on the news. Honor your conflict by keeping it away from the eyes of the state. Open space early in your campaign for navigating conflict in person. Large online chats are especially vulnerable to destructive conflict.
Treating all organizing as urgent leads to burnout. Can we achieve more if we do the work at a slower pace? Can we reach out to others for help?
Everyone has a role. Everyone is needed for liberation. There are so many ways to be in movement with each other. Let’s go.
We are the waves. 🌊🌊🌊
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