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julia depinto

Pandemic Diary III – Gentrification During the Pandemic Targets Gowanus Artists

April 21, 2020 By Julia DePinto Filed Under: Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: julia depinto, pandemic diary

Story update as of April 22: “The landlord will be able to provide an extended move-out period, with a final move out date that is 30 days after the lifting of the NY Pause mandate by Governor Cuomo. Currently, this is in effect until May 15th, which extends the move out until June 15th. We will be working closely with the landlord as things evolve. Since Spaceworks still must close operations, Spaceworks’ agreements will still be terminated on May 31, 2020.”

In the height of the global coronavirus pandemic, a group of Gowanus-based artists, working out of an old sweater factory on President Street, are once again falling victim to gentrification and facing displacement.

“Artists are foot soldiers for gentrification,” said Johnny Thornton, an established Brooklyn artist and Executive Director of the not-for-profit organization, Arts Gowanus. “They move into disused neighborhoods and they build communities. Developers come in and raise the rent so much that they are forced to relocate. This is nothing new.”

540 President St Building

Spaceworks, a nonprofit organization and affiliate of the old factory building, operates below-market-rate workspaces and addresses issues of space affordability for artists living and working in NYC. On March 31 Spaceworks announced the untimely decision to shutter their organization, terminating rental contracts with artists and evicting those with rental properties at 540 President Street. The decision to close their doors came after the economic shutdown of New York State, and during the greatest unemployment crisis in US history. 

In a statement, Spaceworks suggested that the decision to close their doors was made in part from mismanagement of the charitable organization; lacking the sustainability model that the business was built upon.

“Thousands of artists have created countless works in our spaces. Ultimately, we could not create a path that would enable Spaceworks to achieve short or long-term financial stability given our organizational model and operating constraints.” 

Johnny Thornton

“Spaceworks told us that after May 25th we would no longer be able to access the building via our entry cards,” Thornton said. “Moving a studio is not a small undertaking. Many of our artists are freelancers and gig workers; all of their work has disappeared. They’re struggling financially. Asking anyone to move during a pandemic is unethical.”

The announcement of Spaceworks departing blindsided the contracted artists, living in the epicenter of COVID-19 cases. The news came a few weeks after Governor Cuomo signed the “New York State On Pause” Executive Order, a 10-point policy closing all non-essential sectors of the state’s economy. The state mandate, signed on March 20, includes a 90-day moratorium on all residential and commercial properties and restricts landlords from evicting tenants and illegally changing locks. 

“Spaceworks wants the quickest and cheapest way to disband,” Thornton said. “They want us out of the building but without any legal ramifications.”

On April 16, Arts Gowanus, a nonprofit organization that promotes local artists and advocates for sustainable arts communities in Brooklyn, published a newsletter desperately urging real estate developers and property owners to help relocate the newly evicted artists. The newsletter explains that neither Spaceworks nor the property owners, PDS Development Corporation, can guarantee that artists unable to move before the deadline of May 25th will have access to their property in the following weeks.

“Artists and developers typically have a symbiotic relationship, so we reached out to the development company,” Thornton said. “We  (Arts Gowanus) offered to take over Spaceworks’ lease so that artists wouldn’t be evicted. The mission of Arts Gowanus is to keep artists in Gowanus and to stop developers from pushing them out. The model that they (PDS) offer is not sustainable.” 

Thornton contacted Tomasz Naklicki, a real estate developer at PDS. According to Thornton, Naklicki showed no remorse for the dismantling of Spaceworks, nor did the company show any compassion for the artists who are being illegally locked out of their studios and forced to relocate during state-mandated stay-at-home orders. 

“It was the same cold language that I’ve heard from other development companies and property owners,” Thornton said. “They want to remodel and remake the space. There was absolutely no regard for our safety.” 

Rachel Selekman

“The development company is not willing to speak with us,” said Rachel Selekman, a mixed-media artist and longtime resident of 540 President Street. “They’re not willing to negotiate. It’s very clear that they aren’t concerned for the health or wellbeing of artists.”   

Selekman explained that many of the renters of 540 President Street began working from home after learning about the severity of the novel coronavirus outbreak is in NYC. 

“A few weeks ago I went to my studio for the last time,” Selekman said. “I want to decrease exposure for myself and for others.” She paused before adding, “We know of one artist who has COVID-related pneumonia.” 

Thornton also expressed concern for the community of 540 President Street.

“This virus is a real detriment to anyone with a compromised immune system. This is about life and death. It’s just not safe for anyone to be moving,” Thornton said. “They (landowners) are hemorrhaging artists. They would rather have empty studios than to offer a subsidy for artists facing an inconceivable situation. My hope is that some sort of concession can be made with PDS without endangering anyone’s life.” 

PDS Development Corporation did not respond to Park Slope Reader’s request for comment.


During this time of uncertainty, we at the Park Slope Reader are committed to serving our community. Please follow us each week as we catalog changes in our neighborhoods while providing the latest medical developments and valuable resources. Park Slope and adjoining areas are unique to the New York City landscape, and we will continue highlighting our neighbors through weekly editorials. This is a challenging and historic time; please know we are committed to getting through this together. 

We want to know how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting you. If you have a story to share please contact us at office@psreader.com. 

Filed Under: Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: julia depinto, pandemic diary

Pandemic Diary II – Identity & Unemployment: A Conversation with Maya McCarthy

April 14, 2020 By Julia DePinto Filed Under: Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: julia depinto, pandemic diary

“I’ve always worked in factories,” said Maya. “I’ve done this since I was 20 years old, and I’ve never really done anything else. I’ve just always done this. It’s very much a part of my lifestyle.” 

Maya McCarthy, 34, is a Brooklyn-based professional artist and self-described, “punk-rocker.” A native to Brooklyn and a child of artistic parents, Maya has always lived and worked in art communities. Gowanus Print Lab, a commercial screenprinting studio, has become a second home to Maya.  She works as a Master Printer, specializing in custom and bulk orders. 

“We’re a cultural enrichment shop,” Maya told me. “We serve clients who need contract-printing services like company t-shirts or paper products printed; but we also serve children, families, and other artists. We offer a variety of classes and supplies for artists. Workspaces like GPL are really fundamental to culture.”

Maya’s daily routine was disrupted in early March, soon after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed the state’s first case of the novel coronavirus. While New York officials determined that the spread of the virus was inevitable, Governor Cuomo, in a statement, assured the public that the patient “knew to take precautions and stay in a controlled situation.”  

“I didn’t really think much of it at first,” said Maya. “I was still wandering down 5th Avenue and going to punk rock shows after my shifts at the print shop. Around the second week of March, our clients began pulling large orders. That’s when I realized how serious this would become.”  

On March 20th, Governor Cuomo issued an On Pause executive order, mandating restrictions to social gatherings and the closing of all non-essential businesses across New York State. The 10-point policy measure was created to assure uniform safety for all New Yorkers and to keep healthcare services available for patients who tested positive for the virus.

“It all happened very quickly,” Maya said. “I put away my inks and organized all of my (silk) screens. I locked the door and that was it. I left without knowing when I would be able to return.”

Like millions of Americans, confronted with furloughed salaries, indefinite unemployment, and stay-at-home mandates, Maya is also facing the loss of income and instability. The halt in her career and interruption to lifestyle is met with an overwhelming sense of confusion and profound unease. 

“My identity is so tied into my job that it is tattooed on my neck,” said Maya. She pauses for a few moments before adding, “This has really affected me emotionally. I want to serve a purpose and be useful.”

Serigrafía, the Spanish translation of serigraphy or silkscreen can be read across Maya’s neck. The delicate cursive letters, blending permanently into her skin, convey an obvious and poignant personal narrative. A silkscreen and the physical act of screenprinting are fundamental to her identity as an artist, while the tattoo serves as an anchor for her individuality. 

State Governments have cautiously shut down many sectors of the economy, leaving over 16 million Americans unemployed and contributing to the worst financial crisis in US history. Many New Yorkers have gone weeks without a paycheck, while a surge in unemployment claims overwhelms the Department of Labor. New York State’s online application system is waiving the 7-day waiting period for Unemployment Insurance benefits for those out of work due to novel coronavirus closures, self-quarantines, and stay-at-home orders. A bipartisan $2 trillion economic relief package, recently passed by Congress, offers assistance to tens of millions of individuals and households affected by the pandemic. The historic extension of unemployment benefits includes expanded unemployment insurance, a one-time stimulus check, and low-interest loans and grants for businesses. 

“The subsidies will help me pay rent and buy food but they aren’t enough to keep everyone moving,” said Maya. “They’re not enough for people who have kids; a lot of people are still waiting on the deposits. This hurts us all.” 

As of Monday evening, April 13, health officials have laboratory-tested and confirmed 104, 410 cases of COVID-19 in the five boroughs, and 195,031 cases in New York State. New York City remains the epicenter of the global pandemic, with a state death toll of more than 10,056. In a news briefing, Governor Cuomo announced that he is extending the executive order, “New York State on Pause” through April 29. While the economic shutdown is slowing the spread of the virus, it offers little hope for essential workers who are at the greatest risk of exposure.

“Essential workers are the most affected,” Maya told me. “They don’t all have the resources to protect themselves or their families, and they’re not being compensated enough. They should be paid more. It’s appalling that people have to compromise their health just to keep their jobs and pay their bills. People are negotiating on so many levels. There’s no fucking easy way to do this.”

I asked Maya if anything has kept her hopeful during this dark and ominous time.

“Yes,” said Maya. “People are connecting and uniting on a true grassroots level. They’re donating food and resources; they’re making masks for essential workers; they’re grocery shopping for the elderly. People are doing what they can to help small businesses stay afloat. There are “mutual aid” groups on Facebook for almost every Brooklyn neighborhood. It’s really inspiring to see people connect with strangers. It makes me smile through the madness.” 


https://www.gofundme.com/f/park-slope-reader-covid19-relief

During this time of uncertainty, we at the Park Slope Reader are committed to continually serving our community. Please follow us each week as we catalog changes in our neighborhoods, while providing the latest medical developments and valuable resources. Park Slope and adjoining areas are unique to the New York City landscape, and we will continue highlighting our neighbors through weekly editorials. This is a challenging and historic time; please know we are committed to getting through this together. 

We want to know how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting you. If you have a story to share please contact us at office@psreader.com. 

Filed Under: Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: julia depinto, pandemic diary

Ghost Bikes: A History of Grief and Activism

April 9, 2020 By Julia DePinto Filed Under: Community Tagged With: ghost bikes, julia depinto

Rachel Grobstein, Ghost Bike

On a late spring morning taxis accelerated and commuters hurried down the street while she was making her way to work. The earth was tilted toward the sun, approaching its solstice beneath golden rays that take their time in leaving.

It was a Thursday. She took no time at all in leaving. It was a moment that forever changed our lives.

Her name was Elizabeth.

She was 28 years old.

Sara Padilla posted these words to her blog on June 8, 2015. Ten years after the death of her younger sister, Liz. 

On the morning of June 9, 2005, Liz Padilla, a pro-bono lawyer, was killed near the corner of 5th Avenue and Prospect Place during a routine bike commute through Park Slope. Padilla, who lived on Berkeley Place, attempted to pass a 10-wheel Edy’s Ice Cream truck, when the driver of a parked P.C. Richards truck carelessly opened his car door. Swerving to avoid the open door, Padilla hit the side of the moving ice cream truck, and fell beneath the vehicle.  Kevin Caplicki, a member of the art collective Visual Resistance was also biking down 5th Avenue that morning, when he happened upon Liz’s body. The following day the art collective built a “ghost bike” by stripping a discarded bicycle down to the skeletal metal frame and painting it white. They chained the bike to a corner post near the collision site and hung a wooden tomblike plaque that read: 

Liz Padilla

28 years Old

Killed By Truck

June 9, 2005

Rest in Peace

The ashy white bike installation was a shell, a haunting symbol of a senseless loss, but it was also poetic; it told the story of Liz Padilla’s life and the pain that lingered after her death. It became a powerful symbol on an anonymous residential intersection. It was also the first ghost bike to be installed in NYC. 

Lauren Davis’ (Ghost) Bike

Ghost bikes first appeared in St. Louis in 2003 after bike mechanic, Patrick Van Der Tuin, witnessed an accident near his home. The original project, Broken Bikes, Broken Lives, marked the sites of bike-related fatalities and non-fatal injuries.  Van Der Tuin viewed the bikes as tributes to the victims, while also serving as powerful public signifiers of the dangerous conditions that cyclists are subjected to every day. They brought consciousness to car-culture, poorly designed streets, lack of bike lanes, and the overall vulnerability of riding unsheltered. Van Der Tuin sparked a national conversation through what some cyclists and city officials argued was a subversive act, in the same vain as guerilla street art. Van Der Tuin’s first created bike was removed within 24 hours of installation. 

The term “ghost bike” was coined in Pittsburg by a small group of cyclists and activists who picked up the momentum of installing white bikes in Pennsylvania. Following the death of Liz Padilla, the group registered ghostbikes.org, eventually bringing the movement to New York City. In 2007 the NYC Street Memorial Project was developed to include both cyclists and pedestrian deaths, while also cultivating community and compassion for survivors and families of the victims. The grassroots group, NYC Ghost Bike Project, established alongside the NYC Memorial Street Project, erect the bike monuments and organize memorial rides and walks to highlight prevalent safety issues. 

Liz Padilla’s original Ghost Bike on Prospect Place near Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, not far from scene of the accident, 2005; NYC Street Memorial Project (© All Rights Reserved)

Although Patrick Van Der Tuin’s initial white bike was removed, his activism generated a global movement. In a 2015 Grist report, he states, “I don’t think anyone does something like this with the intention of it becoming a model that is repeated and taken around the world on such a grassroots level.” He notes that families of the victims and community members often turn the ghost bikes into ad hoc sanctuaries, adorning them with flowers, candles, articles of clothing, and other objects that belonged to the departed. Van Der Tuin’s says that the bikes “were never designed or intended to become permanent memorials, but that is what those families have turned them into.” Now visible in over 200 major cities throughout the world, ghost bikes provide inclusive spaces that allow the public to mourn and work through trauma.

For many years local businesses and community members preserved Liz Padilla’s ghost bike. It became a makeshift shrine, decorated with flowers and letters. Sara Padilla wrote a “reaction” to her sister’s bike memorial:

“While words cannot adequately convey the depth of our loss, I believe the Ghost Bike Project makes a difference by providing a powerful visual image of a life taken from us senselessly and also by revealing our sadness publicly; in the hope that others – cyclists, pedestrians, and most importantly, drivers, will help prevent these accidents from happening again.”

Liz’s ghost bike memorial has since been removed.  

Since June 2005, 164 ghost bikes have been installed in NYC to commemorate 198 fatalities, including 54 unknown cyclists. The NYC Street Memorial Project exposes the vulnerability of cyclists and pedestrians and considers the fragility of life for all who share the road. 

Brooklyn-activist and member of the NYC Ghost Bike Project, Mirza Molberg, previously restored Liz Padilla’s ghost bike by painting over years of rust, dirt, and grime. As a dedicated cyclist himself, Mirza installed his first ghost bike in 2011, coinciding with the Occupy Wall Street movement. He attended memorial rides and bike lifts for fallen cyclists; listening to the families of the victims tell their stories over a shared sense of outrage for the countless number of preventable deaths. At times, Mirza questioned the practicality of the project and his involvement. This changed in 2016 when his life was transformed by the loss of his partner, Lauren Davis. 

Mirza Molberg

Lauren’s death shocked the public. A reckless driver failed to yield, striking her in a designated slow zone. Family members held a memorial service for Lauren at Greenpoint Reformed Church and organized a memorial ride, led by Borough President Eric Adams. The night of Lauren’s passing, Mirza rode his bike to the collision site, only to realize that there was no evidence of the accident. In a way, it felt like she was invisible. He collected her mangled bike from the local precinct, painted it white, and installed it at the corner of Classon Ave. and Lexington Ave. Mirza explains how Lauren’s death made the ghost bike project more meaningful. He says, “Making the ghost bikes is something that I am now completely embedded in. It’s more present and real and necessary. I ride more carefully, knowing that this could happen to anyone at any time.”

We asked Mirza what he believes can be done to make the streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians. He replied, “It’s hard to implement street safety without the help of politicians and advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets. They have really helped change the laws. Bloomberg and de Blasio have helped improve street safety by creating projects like Vision Zero to end all deaths, but the improvements aren’t throughout. The DOT (NYC Department of Transportation) could still paint more bike lanes and there could be better road structure in all the boroughs.” Despite the efforts of Mayor de Blasio and City Council to improve conditions for cyclists, 2019 had a drastic increase in bike-related deaths. 29 fatalities occurred, almost tripling the death toll of 2018. He ends with, “What we need is a fundamental change to car- culture.”

Since June 2005, 164 ghost bikes have been installed in NYC to commemorate 198 fatalities, including 54 unknown cyclists. The NYC Street Memorial Project exposes the vulnerability of cyclists and pedestrians and considers the fragility of life for all who share the road. 

For more information, including ways to donate, please visit: streetmemorials.org and ghostbikes.org

For information on upcoming workdays, follow: @nycghostbikes (FB) and @nycstreetmem (IG)

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: ghost bikes, julia depinto

Pandemic Diary I- I Knew I Would Get It: A Conversation with Dr. Dara Kass

April 7, 2020 By Julia DePinto Filed Under: Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: julia depinto, pandemic diary

 “Once it came to New York, I knew I would get it,” said Dr. Dara Kass, an Emergency Medicine Physician in Manhattan’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The Park Slope resident and mother of three, is working on the frontlines of the novel coronavirus pandemic in New York City. The highly contagious respiratory illness, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was first identified during an investigation into a coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, with the first case dating back to November 2019. 

“This is running like wildfire through our city and we’re seeing younger generations test positive for infection,” Kass said. “The level of impact is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”

Kass tested positive for COVID-19, after caring for patients in the ER. A few weeks later, news broke that the New York metropolitan area, surging in novel coronavirus cases, had emerged to the epicenter of the global pandemic. By March 31, New York City had topped over 38, 000 confirmed cases of the infection. The Trump Administration’s lack of preparedness, including budget cuts for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and allowing for a contract to lapse, maintaining stockpiles of ventilators, has fundamentally contributed to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals throughout NYC are overrun with an influx of infected patients and strained by the limited resources available. Shortages in test kits, personal protective equipment, and life-saving ventilator machines are making both patients and medical personnel vulnerable to infection. In many ways, the Federal Government, lacking a uniform response to the novel coronavirus, set up the healthcare system for failure.   

As a native New Yorker, Dr. Kass has lived and worked through some of the city’s greatest catastrophes, including the coordinated terrorist attacks of September 11 and the unprecedented flooding of Hurricane Sandy. 

“This is a continuous thing,” Kass said. “These other events, like 9/11, were traumatic, but this is much bigger and riskier to people’s lives. It’s very dangerous and unpredictable. It will keep infecting people.”

Dr. Kass watched as the coronavirus spread throughout China, Asia, and Europe, planning for when the virus would eventually come to NYC. 

 “We had to mobilize quickly,” Kass explained. “We were all thinking about policy, and we didn’t know exactly how it would come to NYC, but we knew that it would come and that we would see it through. I sent my kids to stay with family.” 

After testing positive for COVID-19, Dr. Kass took drastic measures to protect her husband. She wore a mask indoors while quarantining herself in a separate living area of their home. She was able to continue assisting her patients remotely through telemedicine, a medical practice that relies on technology to connect patients and physicians without in-person visits. 

The state mandate to close all non-essential businesses and NYPD enforced social distancing guidelines, are part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s stay-at-home executive order, termed “New York State on PAUSE.” New data offers evidence that vigilant measures, including restrictions to social- distancing and non-essential gatherings, are slowing the spread of the virus.

“Flattening the curve keeps our hospitals open,” Kass explained. “What we know is that a vaccine will take about a year to develop, but until then, we have to stop people from getting infected.” She added, “Cuomo has been extraordinary. He is exactly what we need. He has treated the New York hospital systems as a whole, and I look forward to his press conferences every day. He has really been remarkable.” 

In a New York Times feature, Dr. Kass and her co-authors urge government officials and authorities to make mask-wearing a national policy. The editorial explains that in a randomized control trial, participants who wore a surgical mask were 80% less likely to contract a respiratory illness. Kass and co-authors ask the public to restrict buying N-95 masks while offering resourceful alternatives, including cloth masks and handmade face coverings. While surgical masks should be given to workers in essential jobs, cloth masks can reduce the viral spread of the virus and avoid a second wave of infections. 

Recently, President Trump announced in a news briefing that new guidance from the CDC urges Americans to wear cloth face coverings in public. President Trump rejected the advice from the CDC and his administration’s counsel, by adding,  “This is voluntary. I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.”

At the time of publication, New York State has  123,160 laboratory- tested and confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 4,159 deaths. There are 67,551 cases in the five boroughs. 

16, 479 New Yorkers are currently being hospitalized throughout the state. 

Although Dr. Kass has made a full recovery from COVID-19, she is planning to move out of her home for the duration of the pandemic. The decision was made in part to protect her family, and also to be readily available for her patients and colleagues. 

Dr. Kass and her husband wearing one of Diana Kane’s homemade masks

I decided to ask Dr. Kass something that I’ve wondered about regarding all medical professionals and essential workers: has the coronavirus pandemic made her regret going into the medical field.

“No, not even a little bit,” she told me. “I did my job, and I’m going to go back to do this job until the end. Emergency medical people live for this. This will always be who we are.”


Dr. Dara Kass (@darakass) is an ER Doctor, Professor of Emergency Medicine, public speaker, political activist, and founder of FemInEM, an online platform that cultivates a community for females working in emergency medicine. 

For information on cloth masks in Park Slope: Diana Kane https://www.dianakane.com/products/liberty-print-mask

https://www.gofundme.com/f/park-slope-reader-covid19-relief

Filed Under: Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: julia depinto, pandemic diary

Park Slope Pandemic Diary

April 2, 2020 By Julia DePinto Filed Under: Community, Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: community, covid 19, julia depinto, pandemic diary

To Our Readers and Park Slope Community, 

By now, you are familiar with the novel coronavirus. You’ve read about its emergence in Wuhan, China and watched it spread to South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. You’ve learned that President Trump restricted travel to China a few days after Italy detected its first coronavirus case. You’ve watched the Italian Prime Minister announce a nationwide lockdown, followed by chilling videos of panicked and quarantined residents. You’ve listened to their stories, a disturbing foreshadow of the inevitable. “Don’t say you weren’t warned,” they cautioned Americans. 

On March 11, The World Health Organization declared the rapidly spreading coronavirus a global pandemic. After learning this, you probably read the CDC’s recommendations for self-preparedness and researched ways to counter infection. You may have listened to “Ask the Mayor” segments on The Brian Lehrer Show, trusting Mayor de Blasio to keep a sense of normalcy while your world quickly began to unravel. Within a matter of days, your neighborhood was unrecognizable. Your neighbors have left indefinitely, playgrounds are empty, the windows of boutique shops are boarded up, and your favorite café is only serving drip coffee in a to-go cup. As a New Yorker, you’re used to sacrificing your privacy and coexisting in shared spaces, but now what? Now you are on “Pause,” and mandated to practice social distancing in all public places. Recently, you have probably read a headline in all caps: BREAKING NEWS–U.S. LEADS WORLD IN CONFIRMED CORONAVIRUS CASES. 

During this time of uncertainty, we at the Park Slope Reader are committed to continuing to serve our community. Please follow us each week as we catalog changes in our neighborhoods while providing the latest medical developments and valuable resources. Park Slope and adjoining areas are unique to the New York City landscape, and we will continue highlighting our neighbors through weekly editorials. This is a challenging and historic time; please know we are committed to getting through this together. 

Lastly, we want to know how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting you. If you have a story to share please contact us at office@psreader.com. 

In Solidarity,

PSR 

Filed Under: Community, Pandemic Diaries Tagged With: community, covid 19, julia depinto, pandemic diary

Brooklyn For Warren: She’s Got a Plan

September 18, 2019 By Julia DePinto Filed Under: Community Tagged With: brooklyn for warren, election, elizabeth warren, julia depinto, park slope politics

Brooklyn for Warren members meet Elizabeth Warren in New Hampshire

If you support Elizabeth Warren, what is your plan? She’s got a plan; what’s yours?“

This is the mantra of grassroots organization, Brooklyn for Warren, a group of Brooklyn- based activists who are ALL IN for a Warren- 2020 Presidency. The preliminary idea for the canvassing chapter began in April 2019, not long after the Massachusetts Senator brought her presidential campaign to Long Island City. This is the same city where Amazon withdrew its plans to build a corporate campus, a decision Warren supported. Founder of Brooklyn for Warren, Milo, began holding sessions in his Brooklyn home, inviting the public to join in conversations regarding the need for structural change. These conversations led to the discussions of a future- America under a Warren Presidency. Networking with the digital community of “All In for Warren” quickly spread the word to Warren supporters living in the five boroughs, that a local group was organizing. By June the small group was visible to the public, in ways of canvassing, marching in parades, hosting happy hours events, and spreading their work throughout Brooklyn. They are also visible on multiple social media platforms and are recognized for crafting “Elizabeth Warren’s Comprehensive Meme Plan,” a database of appropriated images that pair Warren’s policies with pop culture references.

“We are all about creating visibility,” says Milo. “Warren appeals to ALL people and protects ALL people. This is why we are building a community of her supporters. We want to help her become the next President of the United States.”

We connected with the leaders of Brooklyn for Warren’s Policy and Social Media Teams to discuss the fundamentals of grassroots organizing, and to learn more about Warren’s plans for structural change. We wondered how her plans might affect the five boroughs.

As a note, Brooklyn for Warren is not part of Senator Warren’s official campaign and cannot speak directly for her or her campaign. They do not have insider knowledge of policies that have not already been made public. The following questions and answers include policy proposals that Warren has publicly discussed.

A local member of Women with Warren and Brooklyn for Warren outside the Park Slope Food Co-op

In a little over four months’ time, Brooklyn for Warren has grown from an idea to a dynamic grassroots organization with seven teams, 17 team leaders, and an email list with over 1,300 subscribers. Can you tell me how the policy team evolved? 

I attended the second house party hosted by Milo, back in April. As we began to grow, we developed our “Policy of the Week” segment for our biweekly happy hours. These sessions teach volunteers about one of Senator Warren’s policy proposals and give them talking points for how to discuss them when they are out canvassing, phone banking, or tabling. As the program quickly developed, it became clear that we should have a dedicated policy team, which I now co-lead. We organize the policy of the week segments and are working on additional tools to give volunteers easily digested summaries of Warren’s policies.

What is the impact social media can have on a campaign? Do you have any examples of how social media has increased awareness of Senator Warren’s presence, policies, and presidential campaign in Brooklyn?

It helps us organize events and get people involved and active. Warren herself tweeted out about our presence in Prospect Park with Cardboard Liz a couple of months ago. It definitely helped raise attention to what we’re doing here in Brooklyn. I have great conversations via DM (direct message) on a daily basis with people wanting to not only get more involved but also want to learn about her plans. Some of these people reach out because they feel more comfortable with one-on-one conversations. Also, people have been offering to send handmade Warren merchandise including buttons, stickers, and bath towels as a token of appreciation for our work.

How is Senator Warren going to help rebuild state and local infrastructure? Are there any plans to rebuild infrastructure in NYC?

Senator Warren has not released an infrastructure-specific plan, but a number of her plans address infrastructure in various ways. For instance, her plan for rural America invests $85 billion to create a public option for Broadband Internet access. Her green manufacturing plan invests $2 trillion over the next ten years into green energy research, green energy manufacturing, and exporting that technology around the world. Much of this, necessarily, would be devoted to infrastructure in various ways. Her plan for economic patriotism would create millions of good-paying domestic jobs.

There are massive shortages of affordable housing across the country. NYC’s affordability crisis affects New Yorkers of nearly every income group in every community across the five boroughs. Does Senator Warren have a plan to combat high rent and lack of affordable housing in NYC?

Her plan is a national one, not specific to NYC, but it would certainly help the severe lack of affordable housing we face here. The plan would make a historic investment in affordable housing that would bring rent down by 10% across America. It also creates 1.5 million new jobs through construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing and addresses the historic impact of the racist and discriminatory policy of redlining, where the government subsidizes mortgages for white families, but not black and brown families. Warren will subsidize down payments for first-time homebuyers in historically redlined communities, which will help close the wealth gap between black and white families. It is fully paid for by imposing an estate tax on inheritances over $7m.

Warren’s own story is not unlike the stories of many working-class Americans and single-parent families who struggle economically. How does she appeal to voters differently than her opponents?

Warren’s approach and tactics become a part of every conversation. She is able to communicate through ideas, not guise or rhetoric. Current and previous Presidents have based their politics on slogans like “hope” and “great.” Warren’s politics are based on ideas and plans, not slogans. She’s really in charge of the conversations, and if you have something that is consistent and tangibly sound, then you can speak to all voters.

©Brooklyn For Warren

There are a number of Democratic presidential candidates who effectively speak to core American values and present a strong vision for the future of our country’s economy. What makes Senator Warren especially unique to the other presidential candidates?

The thing about Senator Warren is that, although it looks like she has all these plans to solve all these different problems, at their core, every single one of her plans is addressed at fixing one core problem–the vast inequality in American society. It’s the problem that she has spent her entire career studying and trying to remedy. What makes her array of plans different than in any other campaign we’ve seen is that they resonate with people–they’re not just a disparate array of white papers–they show that she has a deep understanding of all the different ways people are hurt by inequality, whether it is the racist history of redlining, the huge power imbalance between the 1% and everyone else, the ways corporations have changed the rules of the game to their advantage, the ways working mothers are held back by the lack of child care and so many more.  And they present an optimistic vision of how our society can be equal. While her plans are bold and visionary, they are also very practical. They are fully paid for, and she has talked about the need to eliminate the filibuster so that they can actually become law.

I believe down to my toes (to borrow Warren’s phrase) that once people get to know Senator Warren, those who are open to having their minds changed will become convinced that she is an exceptional candidate who really stands out from the rest. There was some interesting polling earlier this summer that measured how closely people were paying attention to the primary–among those paying the closest attention, Warren was in the lead. To me, that says that once people have the opportunity to learn about her, many of them will end up supporting her because of the strength of her ideas and conviction, her toughness, her record of getting things done, and her innate goodness that just shines through.

How can our readers contribute to your cause?

We welcome anyone of any ability. Everyone has something to give for the fight– we see it daily in our group. From broke students to those who are able to do more than their $2,800 campaign limit. We welcome those in Park Slope and elsewhere who want to use their energy to support the strongest economic and social justice candidate to represent ALL of Brooklyn. Our success is based on community building around Elizabeth Warren, and our team members are all a reflection of her. It’s a further testimonial to her inspirational personality and candidacy, and to the people who have come together to build something. It’s a positive reinforcement daily.


For more information on Brooklyn for Warren, including upcoming events and ways to contribute, please visit: brooklynforwarren.org


Filed Under: Community Tagged With: brooklyn for warren, election, elizabeth warren, julia depinto, park slope politics

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