Dozens of Brooklynites and several elected officials met with Assembly Member Walter T. Mosley and Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo last night at Fort Green’s Bishop Laughlin Memorial High School to brainstorm ideas on how to handle the incoming Trump Administration.
President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in on January 20, and many Brooklyn residents are scared for their futures in Trump’s America, especially given Trump’s anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric utilized in getting elected.
“It’s time for everyday Americans who still believe in the bright, optimistic, big hearted future of this nation to organize and mobilize in defense of the defenseless, to provide hope for the hopeless and continue to pursue bravely and passionately the reality of the American dream for every American,” said Mosley.
The president-elect has made some recent appointments that have left many minority groups worried about the future in the coming four years, specifically that of Stephen Bannon as the White House Chief Strategist. The position is responsible for developing, communicating, executing and sustaining corporate initiatives.
Bannon is a leading executive of Breitbart News, a conservative news website that started back in 2007. The website has been described by the new Chief Strategist as “the platform for the alt-right”.
“It’s not just about him [Trump], it’s about the Supreme Court, it’s about Congress, but it’s also about the priorities of our citizens,” said New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who then proceeded to Mayor de Blasio, who he is rumored to consider running for mayor against next year. “There’s nothing wrong with this country that one good election can’t cure.”
Many Brooklynites came to the town hall meeting looking for guidance and leadership in order to appropriately organize themselves to fight against the serious issues facing the U.S. within the coming years. Cumbo urged the attendees to join her on January 20, the day of the Presidential Inauguration, in solidarity to show resistance to the new president in Washington D.C.
The real estate titan ran on a platform that included hate speech toward immigrants and minority groups and called for a decrease in funding for federally funded programs including healthcare and public assistance. Since Trump’s election, many of the largely Democratic and progressive elected officials have been working to quell citizens fears and promote organization and empowerment.
“I wanted to come by because I love a good fight and we will not normalize hate. We’ve got to organize and we’ve got to resist efforts to roll back the clock on our civil rights and our civil liberties,” said Public Advocate Letitia James. “This will continue to be a country of liberty.”
Trump has eight more weeks to go until he has to fully fill all of his major cabinet positions. Besides Bannon, his current appointments include Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor, Reince Priebus as the White House Chief of Staff and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to be the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Some of the more significant positions left are C.I.A. Director, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasury Secretary, and Defense Secretary.
