Friday, March 14, 2025

The Path to Fascism: Picking and Choosing Which Protesters are "Illegal" with No Regard for the Law

The Path to Fascism: Picking and Choosing Which Protesters are "Illegal" with No Regard for the Law

On January 6, 2021, a shameful event cast a shadow on our democracy. Then-outgoing US president, Donald Trump, engaged in actions that, to the minds of many, demonstrated out-and-out inciting of a riot--encouraging his supporters to "visit" (storm) the capital and demand that the 2020 election (which he clearly had lost) be overturned by US lawmakers. Many of Trump's (misguided, I would argue) supporters followed this direction, which famously led to the deaths of five people, including one police officer and one US Air Force veteran. 

As has been typical of Trump's experience as a national leader, he paid zero consequences for these actions, in spite of the fact that Federal Law clearly prohibits the act of inciting a riot (which is exactly what Trump did on that date, with fatal and devastating consequences). 

In spite of the origination of multiple lawsuits against the president for his role in this deeply depressing situation, Trump has yet to be prosecuted for his role in this shameful mark on US history. And with the Supreme Court leaning heavily in his favor, it is doubtful that he ever will be. 

If this all is chilling to you, then you must have a heart. And you must be paying attention. The idea of a president (or anyone) essentially being above the law is, based on my learning about US history (remember Nixon?) fully un-American and against everything that we stand for as a nation. 

Trump versus Khalil: An Ironic Comparison

Fast forward to the present. Let's now consider how a protester who is NOT Donald Trump is being dealt with by the current administration.

Last spring, on the heels of devastating events of the Middle East, recent Columbia University alum, Mahmoud Khalil, of Palestinian descent, co-organized, on the campus of Columbia University, a protest of the slaughter of thousands and thousands of people in the Gaza strip. While the Middle East conflict is famously complex, and Hamas' tactics have, indeed, been nothing short of abhorrent, what has happened to the people and infrastructure of Gaza has been nothing short of devastating and traumatizing at a global scale. Protesting the intensive destruction of these peoples and land should certainly be at least understandable by any reasonable person. Especially when said protests, which sprang up around the world last Spring, were intended as non-violent in nature. 

This protest, which falls fully in line with traditions of our democracy and are protected by the Constitution's VERY first amendment led to no deaths. Further, injuries that were primarily documented were injuries of protesters themselves that were inflicted by law enforcement

Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University (with a Masters degree in Public Administration) was arrested on March 8 of this year by Department of Homeland Security officers. He was then brought to and detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana, where he sits today as I type. He is set for deportation.

Khalil has not been convicted of any crime. He holds a green card which offers him permanent residency in the US. He is married to a US citizen--and his wife is eight months pregnant. 

Think about that.

According to Trump, this is "the first arrest of many to come."

If you don't find these facts chilling, I truly don't know what to say. 

The protests that took place alongside the Columbia protests in Spring of 2024 were widespread across campuses in our country. My own campus, SUNY New Paltz, in fact, had a highly publicized protest that has was ultimately quashed by law enforcement and that led to multiple injuries. I know dozens of people, including one family member, who took part in this protest. The whole thing was (and still is) depressing. What happened at Columbia was hardly isolated. What has been happening in Gaza is outrageous. And outrageous acts SHOULD lead to outrage by people who hold strong moral constitutions. 

That all said, let's compare the actions of Trump and Khalil. Trump incited a riot on the United States capital building--a riot that led directly to the deaths of multiple US citizens. Trump has, to this date, gotten off scott-free for this actions. To add insult to injury, after he regained office, he pardoned all of the protesters whom he had incited, several of whom had criminal records for such acts as rape and domestic violence. 

Khalil, who played a major role in an organized protest at Columbia University, which led to zero deaths, was, in early March of this year, blindsided by law enforcement taken away from his pregnant wife, and detained in an ICE facility more than a thousand miles from his home--slated to be deported. 

Unlike Trump, his actions were fully in line with the US Constitution and with federal law--and, again, led to zero deaths. Further, Khalil was never arrested, suggesting that neither the NYC police nor the administration of Columbia University had concluded that he had done anything wrong.

The deeply ironic and concerning bottom line of this comparison is as follows:

* Trump: Breaks federal law (allegedly) by inciting a riot that led to the death of multiple US citizens. Several lawsuits have been launched to bring him to justice. The federal courts (including the Supreme Court) have, to date, provided Trump immunity in the crimes associated with this case

* Khalil: An individual of Palestinian descent who has been granted permanent residence in the US with a green card and who is married to a US citizen (who is 8-months pregnant at the time of this writing) led a non-violent protest (leading to zero deaths) on the campus of a private university (Columbia University, where he recently received a Masters degree). He was never arrested for his actions. 

Blindsided, and without any apparent due process, Khalil was arrested by Federal Law enforcement and is being imprisoned in Louisiana, over a thousand miles from his pregnant wife, because he led a protest that disagrees with the political stance of the current administration. 

When the Administration Unilaterally Arrests People without the Due Process of the Law, There is a Problem

For a leader in the US government to pick and choose people to arrest and deport based on disagreements with their own political stance--with zero due process of the law--is outrageous and is as Anti-American as is anything. 

The story of Mahmoud Khalil is, to my mind, the ultimate exemplar of how deep the problems currently are in the United States. If you think that the parallels that people are drawing between the US today and Nazi Germany are exaggerated, I would say that you are not paying sufficient attention to what is happening around us. 

Whether you agree with Khalil's political stances is beside the issue. When the president of the United States makes unilateral decisions of this kind--decisions that have the capacity to adversely impact the lives of individuals and families permanently, we all have a problem. 

You're allowed to be a dissident in the United States. This country was formed by dissidents who left Europe so they could start a nation in which freedom of thought and ideology would be built into the foundation of the country. And starting with the Revolutionary War, millions of Americans have sacrificed their lives over the centuries so that we can live in a space where such rights are to be guaranteed. 

If You're Not Outraged,  You're Not Paying Attention

Think about the renowned and poignant protest song The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, released in 1964 by Bob Dylan (on his album The Times They are a Changin'). In this song, Dylan describes the real-life killing of an African American woman who worked for the wealthy Zantzinger family in the South during Segregation. She was killed by William Zantzinger in a killing that largely seemed to stem from his being in a bad mood. As Dylan wrote "(Carroll had) never done nothing to William Zantzinger." The case went to court and Zantzinger was slapped on the wrist with a six-month sentence. 

As Dylan eerily states toward the end the song: 

For those of you who philosophize disgrace

And criticize all fears

Bury that rag

Deep in your face

'Cause now is the time for your tears

To. my mind, what is happening with Mahmoud Khalil--coupled with the actions and rhetoric suggesting that there is more of this kind of thing to come--parallels the story of Hattie Carroll. In both cases, we turn a collective blind eye to our own peril and to the peril of our fellow Americans. 

If you don't think that the Khalil case chillingly anticipates totalitarianism, fascism, and the obliteration of our freedoms, you are not paying attention. When the president of the United States picks and chooses people to be stripped from their families and arrested, in spite of not having been convicted of any crime via our nation's judicial system, fascism looms. 

They may well come for any of us next. For reasons that we might not even be able to anticipate. Think about that.

As Bob Dylan wrote in 1964, now is the time for your tears. Further, I would argue, now is the time for your activism

Interested in what you can do? Here is a post addressing exactly that. And remember, following the model of one our nation's greatest activists, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., peaceful protest is the way to go. It would have been nice if Trump embraced this point on January 6, 2021. 

Note that the views expressed herein reflect fully the views of the author and are not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity. 

Monday, March 10, 2025

What Can I Do about It?

 

March 10, 2025
Glenn Geher

“If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

NOTE: During Trump's first presidency, this blog, The Uprising, was created to help provide people with information and reflections related to the current state of affairs as well as what we can do about it as individuals who care about our shared future. In light of the current state of affairs in the world, we are resurrecting The Uprising. Here, we hope to continue to advance the mission of Move Forward New York--restoring the principles that the United States were founded upon--including the treatment of all people as equal and the creation of opportunities for all. 

What Can I Do About It?

To this point, during Trump's second presidency, steps have been taken to dismantle social programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Steps have been taken that have adversely affected how people around the globe perceive our nation. Fiscal steps have been taken that have significantly damaged our stock market. And more. 

The parallels to pre-Nazi Germany are simply eerie. The current administration is only allowing a subset of media to talk with the president. This practice, in effect, not only flies in the face of the First Amendment. It also moves our nation toward having state-run media (as tends to be found in dictatorships with regularity).

You may be wondering what you can do about it. Hopefully this blog helps. During Trump's first administration, this blog provided a space to help people more deeply understand several of the core issues that are at stake. 

As someone who helped to found Move Forward New York and who played a highly active role in pushing a reasonable and humanistic agenda during Trump's first administration, my suggestions to folks are here:

-Stay organized. Move Forward New York is exactly the kind of group to be part of right now. 

-Note that something is better than nothing—make sure to regularly be doing something about what is going on. This may mean writing a letter to your congress person once a week, writing a letter to the editor of your regional paper once a month, etc. Make sure to act and make sure that your voice is heard. 

-Know your congressional district and regularly write to your representative, expressing your concerns. If you are in the Hudson Valley, there is a  good change that your congressperson is Patrick Ryan. Here is the link to contact him. The more that elected officials hear from us, the better.  And don't be afraid to write to senators, county legislators, state senators, the governor's office, etc. Our taxes pay for them to represent us. 

By default, ask for a response (this is a question asked on the forms when you contact officials) to your questions and comments. 

-Write letters to the editors of media outlets—here is page for information on submitting a letter to Hudson Valley One.

-FACT CHECK CAREFULLY! Don't base fact-based statements on memes, social mefia posts, or questionable media sources. Make sure to fact-check carefully to both ensure that you're right in what you're saying and to avoid the possibility of libel, etc. 

Strong organization, collaboration, and communication are key now. 

As the old adage says, If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention. 

Note that the views expressed herein are expressly the views of the author and are not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity. 


Monday, October 15, 2018

3 Reasons that our Democracy is Failing

By Glenn Geher

Look, our democracy is broken right now. I remain convinced, even through these trying times, that democracy, writ large, remains the single-best form of governance for large human groups. But our current system is, simply, broken right now.

Many people, including myself, have been working hard to elect Democratic and Progressive officials throughout the land as a way to fix things. I understand why. But I also, after having been so close to issues of elections at all kinds of levels for so long, have become convinced that "turning our nation blue" is a Band Aid solution. It doesn't get to the core of the problem. In fact, not by a long shot.

After talking with hundreds of concerned citizens from all kinds of backgrounds over the past several years - and after running my own campaign for office - and playing a central role in the Hudson Valley Progressive movement, I have come to see the following three issues as foundational issues that, ultimately, need to be completely overhauled for us to be able to restore our democracy.

1. Campaign Finance Reform is Foundational

The amount of money poured into elections in this nation is nuts. Just nuts. Billions of dollars a year. To be able to run for congress, for instance, you have to (a) be able to take off at least a full year from whatever your job is (and, really, how many of us can do that?!?) and (b) raise close to three million dollars (and really, how many of us can do that!?!?!?!?!?). And that is just to have a shot at it. And that is just Congress. When all is said and done our current campaign finance system is structured so as to:
A. Make it so that only a small slice of Americans can really afford to run for high-level office.
B. Make it so that money speaks volumes in American politics - and any and all elected officials end up being beholden (to various degrees) to all kinds of individuals, organizations, and special interests.

Further, imagine if all of that money when to health care and education? Seriously.

If we really want to restore democracy and give every citizen equal voice, campaign finance reform must be a top-priority issue.


2. The Electoral College Should be Abolished

The electoral college is based on an antiquated America. These days, it gives an extremely disproportionate amount of power to states with very few people in them. The bottom line here is that a small group of American voters wield a disproportionately large influence on who all is running things in Washington, DC. This very idea of a small group having disproportionate influence is the antithesis of Democracy - and we all know it.

3. We Should Change the System so that Gerrymandering is Made Impossible.

Gerrymandering is a process whereby some legislative body works to draw up election-related district lines - a process that is done periodically, ostensibly based on changes in population. Elected officials famously use this process to draw lines that ultimately tip elections toward the party that is predominant in the legislative body that holds most power during the process. Districts are often drawn up in highly contorted ways so as to keep certain high-population areas in districts that need them (for the purposes of winning elections), for instance.

These days, we have math, science, and computers. Coming up with systems for drawing up district lines based on computer-generated algorithms would not really be that difficult to do. To my mind, we should enact laws to do exactly this.

Bottom Line

The three suggestions here are completely non-partisan. They are not about making the country "blue again." They are about the restoring of democracy in a nation that has a fully broken system.

One problem with making the changes suggested above is that, frankly, none of these issues is very exciting. A candidate whose main issue is to stop gerrymandering is unlikely to get many cheers at a rally compared with one whose main issue is to restore human rights, for instance.

But when you look at our system from a bird's eye view, it becomes clear that addressing the foundational issues that are demarcated here is really a primary way to effect real change when it comes to the issues that we actually care about (such as restoring human rights).

If we want to live in a nation where anyone can rise to a high-level elected office - and everyone has an equal voice when it comes to influencing our future, we better look carefully at the foundational aspects of the problem. And, as uninteresting as these issues may seem, we better start electing officials who are bent on addressing these problems that sit at the core of why and how our democracy is broken.
Join the uprising at www.moveforwardnewyork.org

Note that the views expressed herein are expressly the views of the author and are not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity. 

Monday, July 2, 2018


 

For immediate release: Move Forward New York endorses Antonio Delgado for Congress in New York's 19th congressional district.

 

For Immediate Release
July 2, 2018
Contact: Patricia Wilson
(845) 764-7694 bahijahaid@gmail.com

Move Forward New York endorses Antonio Delgado for Congress in NY 19

Gardiner, NY — At a meeting on July 1st, Move Forward New York declared their endorsement of NY-19 Democratic candidate Antonio Delgado, following Delgado’s victory in the recent Democratic Primary.

Move Forward New York, a citizen action group committed to promoting social justice, preserving civil rights, and ensuring environmental conservation by encouraging participation in the political process on all levels through education, collaboration, and activism enthusiastically endorses Antonio Delgado for Congress, in the New York 19th congressional district.

Delgado, a Rhinebeck resident, and Schenectady native, recently won the Democratic primary. Antonio, a lawyer by trade, has also worked to inspire and empower youth, primarily through music. Delgado has spent the last year and a half, or so, traveling around the 19th congressional district, speaking to voters in a variety of forums, discussing his plans to secure universal and affordable healthcare for all, protect a woman’s right to choose, create a tax code that works for working people and the middle class, protect the environment and combat climate change, in addition to other current concerns during this time of crisis in our country. Delgado is a stark contrast to current Congressman, John Faso, who has mostly avoided major interactions with his constituents, while chiefly voting in support of the Trump Administration. Move Forward New York asks our fellow citizens to continue to become informed on the issues facing NY CD19 and believe Delgado is the clear choice to help our district, and our country, move forward.

For more information on Antonio's campaign, including how you can volunteer and/or donate, see his website here.
Antonio Delgado

And for more information on Move Forward New York, check out our website here.

About Move Forward New York

The 2016 election was excessively divisive. Further, the members of Move Forward New York have specific concerns regarding the agenda and decision-making style of the current president of our nation. Among other things, we are concerned about issues of human rights, the treatment of immigrants, the treatment of Muslims, LGBTQ equality issues, racism, issues of misogyny, possibilities of international war, possibilities of civil war, increases in terrorist actions, poor fiscal management at the federal level, adverse changes in health care, and adverse changes in education - among other things. This group, comprised of more than 2,000 dedicated individuals who are mostly from New York (and who include many first-time activists) has as its primary mission to affect US politics on multiple fronts so as to help us reclaim our nation and to help us make sure that the USA continues to serve as a safe haven for ALL people.



Friday, February 16, 2018

Here is What You Can Do with Your Thoughts and Prayers


How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see? Bob Dylan

At 21 years of age, well before I was even born, Bob Dylan’s prescient mind anticipated the current mass-shooting crisis that ominously stands before us now.

There are many people in our nation today, including many of our elected officials, whose primary response to this crisis is essentially this: “What is needed now are our thoughts and prayers. Shame on anyone for trying to politicize this issue when precious lives have been lost.”

With all due respect, that is such a bunch of garbage and we all know it. It is beyond insulting. This thoughts and prayers right now thing is part of a strategy - one that tries to inflict guilt and one that clearly is designed to deflect attention from the real issue, which we all know to be gun control (at the very least this is the primary issue, and we all know it (see unequivocal evidence for this point here).

Let’s dissect “thoughts and prayers” just a bit and see how American of an idea this really is. First off, the foundation of our nation rests upon a bedrock of separation of church and state. For “prayers” to be a primary response to an event such as Parkland from any government official in our nation slaps our forefathers in the face. Separation of church and state, please. This is the United States of America!

Further, let’s think about “thoughts.” I’m a behavioral scientist by training and by profession. We divide psychological phenomena into mental states and processes (such as thoughts) on the one hand and actions or behaviors on the other. Isn’t this nation built on action? Isn’t that what the United States is all about?

The United States as a Nation of Action

If you’re following this little thought exercise, then please join me in considering the following:

How did George Washington and his revolutionary colleagues respond to unfair treatment from the the British? Was the Declaration of Independence based on the premise that colonists needed to think and pray to solve their problems? Thoughts and prayers?!?

Imagine if the primary response of the United States to Pearl Harbor was “thoughts and prayers.” Right?!

How did Martin Luther King, Jr. lead the civil rights movement. Was it all thoughts and prayers?

What was George W. Bush’s response to September 11? If I recall correctly, it involved a lot more than thoughts and prayers.

And so on.

As you can see, this thought exercise is a bi-partisan exercise - with the primary point being this: The ethos of the United States, going all the way back, is an ethos of action. That's who we are. 

Listen to the Kids of Parkland, Florida

Don’t just take my word for it.* Several of the kids who survived the nightmare in Parkland, Florida are speaking out on social media. And they are saying things like this:

“F*** you. We don’t need your thoughts and prayers. GET BETTER GUN CONTROL.” (Kyra)

“I was hiding in a closet for 2 hours. It was about guns. You weren’t there, you don’t know how it felt. Guns give these disgusting people the ability to kill other human beings. This IS about guns and this is about all about the people who had their life abruptly ended because of guns.” (Carly)

“... don’t want your condolences you f*****g piece (sic) of s**t, my friends and teachers were shot” (Sarah)

On the other hand, Tomi Lahren of Fox News tweeted the following, which captures exactly the problem I’m talking about:

“Can the Left let the families grieve for even 24 hours before they push their anti-gun and anti–gun owner agenda? My goodness. This isn’t about a gun it’s about another lunatic. #FloridaShooting.”

This tweet was not met positively across the board, to say the least. In fact, several students who were in Parkland during the horror chimed in calling this tweet out as incredibly off-target and insensitive. Sorry, Tomi. We are too smart for that kind of political sleight of hand.

It IS about Gun Control. It Just Is.

The “thoughts and prayers thing” is a red herring. It’s a “look over there” political maneuver. And we cannot stand for it. The founding fathers of our nation would be embarrassed by the “thoughts and prayers” thing - and we should be too. We can do better. As the below meme from the Resisterhood states, let’s change “thoughts and prayers” to “policy and change.” Thoughts mean little compared to action. And our nation is premised on this fact. Let’s make our forefathers proud. Let’s look this national crisis in the eye, band together, take action, and resolve it. For our shared future. 




*******************************

If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.

#PoliticizeGunControlNow 


Source: https://www.vogue.com/article/parkland-florida-shooting-student-survivors-respond
****************************************************************************


If ever there was a time to become politically active and rise up, that time is now. Here is to the uprising.

Join the uprising at www.moveforwardnewyork.org


Note that the views expressed herein are expressly the views of the author and are not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity. 


Monday, December 18, 2017

MFNY Annual Report #1

Move Forward New York Annual Report (2017)

By Glenn Geher*

We started Move Forward New York pretty much immediately after the 2016 election. Since then, we have come quite a long way. Our membership now is more than 2,000. And we’ve accomplished quite a bit in our first year. Here is a bulleted report of our accomplishments to date. Check it out when you can - it will remind you that we have not been taking the current national situation lightly! And it will inspire you to keep going!


December 2016

·         Protested outside of the NP Library re: Electoral College  (our first protest!)

January

·         MFNY Planning Session/Fun at the Yard Owl (Jan. 8)

·         National Day of Action supporting the ACA (1/15) outside Faso’s Kingston Office

·         Hosted a summit to bring leaders together from around the 19th

·         MFNY 19 Planning Session on Activism 101 and Electoral Politics with Leslie Berliant (1/16)

·         Attended various Women’s Marches and coordinate groups to attend in Washington DC, NYC and Poughkeepsie (1/21)

·         Meeting with Z. Teachout at Gardiner Town Hall (1/22)

·         Protested outside of Faso’s house and got the video of Andrea Mitchell (1/28)

February

·         Mid Hudson Solidarity March & Rally - Poughkeepsie (2/1)

·         Defend Planned Parenthood Rally (2/11)

·         UC Leg Meeting - protest ban memorializing resolutions (2/15)

·         Attend Citizen Action “How to Lobby” workshop (2/16)

·         Not My President's Day Rally at SUNY NP (2/20)

·         MFNY General Meeting and Action Session (2/26)

March

·         Kingston - People's March for Education Justice - Hudson Valley (3/4)

·         MFNY Steering Committee Meeting (3/5)

·         Voter Resistance Registration (3/12)

·         Free Speech Rally (3/14)

·         MFNY General Meeting (3/26)

April

·         Speed Activism at Rosendale Town Hall (Debra and Rosa) 4/2

·         Wells Fargo, Divest from Pipeline Rally- Kingston

·         Tax March - Bryant Park  4/15

·         Tax March - Goshen 4/15

·         UC Leg Meeting - protest ban memorializing resolutions (4/18)

·         March for Science - Albany  and Poughkeepsie (4/22)

·         People’s Climate March (4/29)

·         MFNY at the Yard Owl - Community Outreach(4/30)

May

·         Spring Canvass (5/7)

·         Save our Health Care Town Hall w/ Congressman Maloney (5/8)

·         ConCon training  (5/17)

·         MFNY General Meeting (5/21)

·         Meeting with John Faso to discuss our concerns and propose a town hall (5/30)

June

·         March for Truth (Where’s Faso & Serino) (6/3)

·         MFNY Team Elect meeting (M. Rider/H.Rodriguez) (6/4)

·         New Paltz Pride Parade and Festival (6/4)

·         Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky  (6/8)

·         Rock the Resistance - Tabled and Spoke Woodstock (6/11)

·         Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky  (6/15)

·         UC Leg meeting testimony  (6/20)

·         Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky  (6/22)

·         PhoneBank for Glenn Geher’s campaign (6/26)

·         HVALF endorsement conference (6/26)

·         PhoneBank for Glenn Geher’s campaign (6/28)

·         Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky  (6/29)

July

·         MFNY Picnic (7/2)

·         Summer Canvass (7/8)

·         ConCon debate (7/10)

·         Gardiner Dems PhoneBanks (7/12)

·         Gardiner Dems PhoneBanks (7/13)

·         Supported increased Gardiner participation at the Gardiner Democratic Caucus to support Lisa’s candidacy for Town Supervisor (7/14)

·         Summer Canvass NY19 Votes (7/23)

·         Plattekill Latino Day - support candidacy of Cindy Delgado, Gladys Figueroa, Juan Figueroa, and Glenn Geher, (7/29)

·         Support Glenn Geher’s run stuffing envelopes (7/31)


August

·         Tabled at the Ulster County Fair (8/3)

·         Candlelight Vigil for Charlottsville (8/14)

·         Run with Glenn (8/12, 8/19, 8/26)

·         Fundraiser for Plattekill Dems (8/20)

·         Gillibrand Town Hall (8/26)

·         Town Hall with John Faso (8/31)


September

·         Supported U-Act Forum on the Con-Con (9/10)

·         MFNY General Meeting (9/17)

·         Campaigned for Glenn Geher, Lisa Lindsley, and Tracey Bartel

·         Tabled at Community Community Action Festival at Hasbrouck Park (9/24)

·         NY 19 Votes - Canvass (9/24)

·         Canvass Gardiner Dem to support Lisa (9/30)

·         Served on the Co-ordinated Campaign Committee for Ulster County - various dates

·         Renewable Energy Now forum at New Paltz First Reformed Church 

October

·         Tabled at Applestock in NP (10/7)

·         ConCon debate SUNY New Paltz (10/16)

·         Campaigned for Glenn Geher, Lisa Lindsley, and Tracey Bartel (numerous dates throughout the month) - Canvassing & Phone banking

o    Jam with Glenn and Rock the Vote (10/20)

·         Melissa Servant presented on the Con-Con in Hudson (10/22)

·         Attended/Supported Tracey Bartel at Fundraiser (10/25)

·         MFNY General Meeting and GOTV (10/29)

November

·         Campaigned for Glenn Geher, Lisa Lindsley, and Tracey Bartel (11/1-11/7) Canvass & Phone banking

·         Get out the vote - increased knowledge and turn-out (11/1-11/7)

·         Attended forum with Jeff Beals and pushed out the date for Cronin Art Gallery (11/3)

·         Faso Friday - Education/Tax Reform Rally (11/10)

·         Tax $cam Press Conference & Rally (11/15)

·         Sponsored Faso Friday in Kingston (11/17)

December

·         Hosted Pat Ryan for a meet and Greet (12/4)

·         Renewable Energy Now Rally in Albany (12/6)

·         Co-sponsor and tabled of the Candidate forum at SUNY NP (12/6)

·         Attended forum with Brian Flynn and pushed out the date for Cronin Art Gallery (12/8)

·         Co-sponsoring Democratic candidate forums with U-Act (12/10)

·         Attended Climate Smart Gardiner to support moving this process forward (12/12)

·         Executive Meeting to plan goals for 2018 (12/17)

Other

·         Collaboration with Schumer’s office

·         Collaborative Ulster County Group Leaders Meetings

·         Coordinated meetings with U-Act, March On NP

·         Many Letters to the editor and news articles connected with MFNY

·         Updated Calendar of Events and Website

·         Attend various Democratic Committee Meetings and Town Meetings

·         Social media initiatives: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter presence

·         The Uprising: The official blog of Move Forward New York

·         The 86th Federalist Paper: The official newsletter of Move Forward New York

·         Move Forward New York the Next Generation / Internship Program: We have more than 20 middle school and high school students volunteer on behalf of the cause - many of whom have received service credits for their work

·         Several letters to elected officials and to newspapers that played a key role in the release of New Paltz resident (and husband and father), Joel Guerrero

Looking ahead - 2018

January

·         Co-sponsoring Democratic candidate forums with U-Act (1/7)

·         Women’s March - Various Locations (1/20)

·         Co-sponsoring Democratic candidate forums with U-Act (1/21)

June

·         CD 19 Primary

November

·         Take back Congress!!! (11/6/18)

 

During this time in our nation’s history, complacency is not an option. It is a privilege to live in a democracy. And we are fortunate to have the First Amendment as a foundation for our voices. Working together, the MFNY community has accomplished quite a bit in our first year. This said, each day the news tells us that we do not have the luxury of sitting back. So thanks to everyone in the MFNY community who has helped us make many advances to this point. And here are to the next steps. Here is to moving forward.

 

*NOTE: The lion’s share of the content of this report was written by MFNY founder, Debra Clinton.

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If ever there was a time to become politically active and rise up, that time is now. Here is to the uprising.


Join the uprising at www.moveforwardnewyork.org


Note that the views expressed herein are expressly the views of the author and are not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity.