As President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address last night, Brooklyn’s GetOrganizedBK held their first meeting of the year to discuss Democratic activism and engagement.
“Let’s skip watching Trump read from a teleprompter,” the invite read, “and instead focus on how to bring meaningful #PowerToThePolls.”
City Council Member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) and Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Congregation Beth Elohim founded the organization, which describes itself as “Brooklyn residents working together to defend democracy and human dignity, shine a light on corruption, resist hate and injustice, love our neighbors, and protect them from harm posed by the Trump Administration.”
Approximately 200 people gathered in Park Slope’s Greenwood Baptist Church to listen to a panel of activists and politicians.
Liuba Gretchen Shirley, who is running to unseat Republican Peter King in New York’s 2nd Congressional District, spoke of the need to provide affordable health insurance for all citizens, while ripping the recently passed GOP tax plan, calling it a massive giveaway to the wealthiest Americans.
Zellnor Myrie, a candidate for State Senate, rallied the crowd around the necessity of increased affordable housing and criminal justice reform. Myrie is running a primary campaign against Incumbent Sen. Jesse Hamilton, who is a member of the senate’s Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group controversial for their collaboration with Republicans. Offering a stark choice, Myrie said “we can continue to support a fake Democrat, or we can elect a real Democrat.”
Should he be sent to the State capital, Myrie promised to fight for universal health insurance, racial justice, and the most expensive affordable housing program in the country.
Brooklyn native Linda Sarsour, who served as executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, and who co-chaired the 2017 Women’s March, highlighted the activism done in the wake of Trump’s inauguration, while encouraging guests to get involved. “Look I’ve been attacked by the President’s son, but that’s not going to stop me,” she joked.
Following the keynote panel, guests were invited into “breakout sessions,” consisting of 11 representatives of other activist groups such as Turn Blue NY and Racial Justice BK.
Guests listened to presentations, mingled, and were encouraged to support causes and candidates on the local, state and national level.
The mood in the venue was unmistakable energetic, with groans and hissing at the very mention of the president while talk of activism elicited near universal cheer.
Despite the divisiveness and cynicism in Washington, “I am fired up and optimistic,” Sarsour said to a thunderous applause.
