Beauty And Peace On The East River

We really lucked out. Given the incessant and daily rain we've been subjected to, providence shined on Wednesday night for Brooklyn Parents For Peace and its friends, members and supporters. Hundreds gathered for our annual Summer Sunset on the Barge fundraiser. The "barge" refers to the lovely home of Barge Music which is anchored on the Brooklyn shore, next to the Brooklyn Bridge - the fabulous lower-Manhattan skyline providing an extraordinary view.

And what a night it was - the sun shone through puffy clouds as thick, warm breezes wafted off the river and beautiful boats floated by framed by the magnificent and massive Brooklyn Bridge. Inside the barge a fabulous array of food and drink (donated by local Brooklyn restaurants and merchants) was spread in welcome to the arriving crowd who came to support Brooklyn's leading peace and justice organization. Dozens of volunteers, led by Eleanor Preiss and Nora Gordon, had worked with great energy to make this event the smashing success that it turned out to be.


Arriving for Summer Sunset on the Barge.


A festive occasion - great food and drink galore!


Lots of good people and conversation.

Besides the food, drink and fabulous views, the committee had prepared a program. Speeches were kept to a minimum (this was a night for fun and socializing). A string quartet played lovely and lyrical music and the sun began to set on the river, providing a spectaular light show.


The rhapsodic Strings For Peace provided lovely music.


A fantastic vantage point to watch the river, boats and sunset.

Each year at this event, Brooklyn Parents For Peace (BPFP)honors outstanding persons who are leaders in the ongoing fight for peace and justice. This year was no exception and the honor was extended to Charles Horowitz, labor attorney, a member of the BPFP Executive Board and a long-time fighter for civil rights. Unable to speak due to a long illness, Horowitz was surrounded by loving friends and family as tribute was paid to a long life of struggle. It was quite a moving salute.

Later the crowd thrilled to more music from the Strings For Peace and then the stirring poetry of one of Brooklyn's great writers, Sapphire, who kept the audience spellbound with her dramatic imagery.


Introducing the award given to labor attorney and civil rights activist, Charles Horowitz.


The Horowitz daughters,Allison and Rebecca, pay tribute to their dad.


Thanks to Dr. Oliver Fein who offered invaluable help during Charley's illness.


BPFP Co-chair David Tykulsker with Carol Horowitz, bestowing the honor on Charles Horowitz.


Carol and husband and BPFP honoree, Charles Horowitz.


Poet Sapphire emotes as the sun sets on the East River -- fabulous!


To the woman who made it all possible: Eleanor Preiss. Thanks!


The evening ended with this very beautiful view.

The evening was a very enjoyable night out. And it proved that our organization, which works hard, year round, advancing the cause of peace, fairness and justice, knows how to party and have fun as well. If you didn't make it this year, put it on your calendar for next summer. Meanwhile, check out the website at www.brooklynpeace.org to see how you can work with us to make the fight for peace even more effective. I'm sure you'll agree -- there's a lot of work to be done. Let's go!

Get The Cars Out Of Our Parks!

May 10, 2006

Central Park and Prospect Park were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvin Vaux whose vision was to create oases that New Yorkers could use as a refuge to escape the "confinement, bustle, and monotonous street-division of the city." Concerned, even then in the late 1800's, that a turbid stream of coarse traffic" would disrupt the park’s tranquility, they intentionally sunk the transverse roads (in Cenral Park) eight feet below the Park's surface. Little did they know that cars would come to invade and diminish the havens they had created.

As Transportation Alternatives, the city's premier bicycling and pedestrian advocacy organization, writes on its web page --

"Car were first allowed in the Park in 1899, by permit only, to join the afternoon parade of carriages that had been a fixture in the Park for the previous 30 years. But as the automobile became increasingly common, its drivers cared less and less about taking their place in this parade and more and more about using the park solely to bypass congestion on adjacent city streets. (See "Ban the Cars! A Historical Plea." The New York Times, May 15, 1994.)

"Today, the loop drive's primary purpose for 7 to 12 prime hours of every weekday is as a shortcut for a small number of drivers. Those people who come to the park to relax or exercise are herded into a crowded recreation lane and exposed to dangerous drivers."

A campaign has been waged for many years to restore the Parks to their original pristine conditions -- a place for New Yorkers to rest and recreate free from the hustle and bustle, congestion, pollution and noise of the surrounding city. A place, perhaps the only place, where they can escape car traffic entirely.

Due to the outstanding activism of Transporation Alternatives and its supporters, over 100,000 New Yorkers have signed petitions demanding car-free Central and Prospect Parks. Slowly, the authorities (who have forever given priorty to cars over walking and cycling New Yorkers) have curtailed the hours that cars could enter the parks.

In recent days, Mayor Bloomberg has again cut back car use by partially curtailing either northbound and southbound traffic during certain hours. That's progress but still not nearly enough. Advocates have demanded 24/7 freedom from cars for at least three months as a trial to prove that banning cars from the parks would not lead to catastrophic congestion in the surrounding streets as car-use proponents have suggested would happen.

Legislation has been introduced in the City Council that would allow such a trial. Supported by councilmembers from neighborhoods adjacent to both Central and Prospect Parks, the bill, if passed, would mandate such a three month trial.

I stood on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday. A press conference had been called to announce the launching of Intro. 276 which, if passed, would close the park loops to vehicular traffic and return them to the exclusive domain of recreating New Yorkers from June 24th through September 25th. (Note that under the bill Prospect Park's loop would remain open to cars on weekdays from 7-9 am). In addition to several dozen NYC residents, transportation experts, civic leaders and others were prominent political leaders, including John Liu, head of the Council's Transportation Committee, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Upper Westside Councilmember Gail Brewer and Brooklyn councilmember Bill DeBlasio.

Interested New Yorkers can help out by signing the petition online and volunteering time and finances to help build support. Better yet, New Yorkers can call on their councilmembers to support Intro. 276. Find out who represents you in the City Council right here.


John Liu, City Councilmember from Queens and chair of its Transportation Committee, makes a strong statement on behalf of car-free parks.


Applause for John Liu for his strong support of Intro. 276.


Paul Steeley White, Chair of Transportation Alternatives, introduces Councilmember Gail Brewer.


White, Brewer and Manhattan Borough Pres Stringer.


Bill DeBlasio, councilmember representing Park Slope, supporting car-free parks.

The Newspaper Of Record ... NOT.

Apr 30, 2006

Yesterday saw hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers march down Broadway in a mighty protest of the Bush war against Iraq. Their demand: turn our country around! You'd think that's big news, right? As his poll numbers plummet and the majority of Americans oppose his war based on deception, you'd expect the media to highlight a massive outpouring of protest against that war.

It was with that expectation that I pored over the pages of today's New York Times looking, in vain, for prominent coverage of yesterday's giant peace parade. Nothing on the front page. Instead, the editors did see fit to print another of what might appear to be tongue-in-cheek articles dealing with that shining example of humanitarianism - the Bush administration. Last time it was U.S. unhappiness with out-of-control Sunni militias in Iraq. Seems the folks we installed in power there have taken to midnight round-ups of Shiite men, whose disfigured bodies are then discovered dumped alongside the road, the victims of the most horrendous torture and murder. This time around, the front page reports that the Administration wants to repatriate the almost 500 prisoners being held at Guantanamo but is "stymied ... because of concerns that the prisoners may not be treated humanely by their own governments." Huh? Now just wait a second. Isn't this the same Guantanamo that has been exposed as a hell hole of torture and abuse? The Guantanamo whose torture tactics were then used as a guide book for Abu Ghraib and U.S. prisons in Afghanistan? The Guantanamo where prisoners are being kept for years without charges brought against them or trials held to ascertain their guilt? And isn't this the same government whose CIA has been using rendition (a k a kidnapping) to send alleged terrorists back to countries that are known torturers? To be fair, The Times article did raise these questions, albeit half-way through the article. The headline, however, hardly reflects the content and makes it appear otherwise: U.S. Says It Fears Detainee Abuse in Repatriation.

But I digress - I was looking for an article on the peace march. Wait! There, on page 3 is an article on a demonstration: Big Protest in Kyrgystan reads the headline. Seems 10,000 people were demanding more democracy in the former Soviet republic, (now part of Rummy's New Europe, one of the new "democracies" that is being used as a base for U.S. troops in the mid-east). I leafed onwards. No mention of the demonstration in all of the national section. I supposed that since it was a New York protest, The Times, in its wisdom, had placed the coverage in the Metro section. And my supposition was correct. There, on page 35, tucked inside the Metro section, in a rather smallish article, was The Times' coverage. Never mind that the march had drawn people from all over the country and was, thus, an event of national importance. Never mind that our country's future, indeed its constitution and its very democracy, stand at a crossroad. Never mind the urgency of our times - an urgency that demands massive protest and action to reverse course. Never mind all that. According to The Times - these protests are, well, just old hat and don't warrant reportage in any way that reflects their importance. And so millions of Americans across our land are kept in the dark - their own opposition to the Bush policies kept in check - unable to link up with the growing protests by millions of their fellow citizens.

I believe that a crucial element of democracy (a favorite topic of The Times when favorably comparing the U.S. to virtually any other country in the world) is the informing of the citizens - i.e. the access of its people to information so that reasoned judgments can be made. The intentional and conscious marginalizing of the peace movement, the blackout of press coverage by a complicit and cowardly news media are body blows to democracy. The slanted coverage by The Times during the run-up to the war in Iraq, the scandal that surrounded its ace reporter, Judith Miller and the aid and comfort given her by the editor and publisher have already tarnished and damaged the reputation of The Times as the paper of record. But, it seems, The Times continues to pursue the very same policies and in that sense cannot be depended on to protect our democracy in any consistent manner while our constituion is under attack from those who would destroy it. Only the people, in the streets and in the voting booth this November, can do that.


Labor against the war - thousands of people lined the side streets waiting to march.


Brooklyn Parents For Peace on East 19th Street with other community groups.


Brooklyn Parents For Peace moves out into Broadway.


The DECIDER was there.


Puppet Bush with his Puppeteer Cheney and our earth.


Amen!


Billionaires For Bush were there.


Looking uptown, the marchers stretched on forever!


Two lovely peace marchers.

Working Class Hero

Apr 24, 2006

Thousands of working New Yorkers took to the streets today in solidarity with Transit Workers Local 100 leader, Roger Toussaint. Unbelievable, but true, that here in New York city, a labor town, a union leader was being sent to jail for the crime of leading his union brothers and sisters in a strike to defend their living standards. Forced to the wall by the notoriously corrupt MTA, the workers had no choice - it was give back or fight back! Under Toussaint's leadership the transit workers chose to take a stand. They demanded to be treated with respect and dignity.

When France's conservative government, in U.S. style, tried to take away job security from young French workers, all hell broke loose. The students and workers took to the streets in unending demonstrations against the new law. And they didn't quit until they had forced the government to back down and withdraw. NY Times reporters bemoaned the "rigidity" of French workers and praised the "spirit of adventure" of American labor, as if living through the hell of endless givebacks, cutbacks and layoffs is an exciting part of life that Americans just can't wait to try. Just where do they get this crap from?

When the transit workers went on strike they were taking action on behalf of all American workers, organized and not. And thus they won the emnity of the New York ruling class from Pataki to Bloomberg to Kalikow. The full force of the media was brought out to attack these hard working public servants. Bloomberg, resorting to overt racism, called them thugs. Clyde Haberman, NY Times reporter, who generally hewes to a liberal line, snootily referred to them as slugs, blaming the split contract vote in Local 100 on the union leaders rather than the divisive and ugly tactics of the MTA. Informal polls showed wide support amongst the population for the courage of the transit workers. But Haberman painted a picture of popular anger at the strikers, quoting Barry Feinstein, a discredited, former Teamster mis-leader who now sits alongside the millionaire bosses on the MTA. What a scoop, Clyde! Perhaps you'll win a Pulitzer for your talented rhyming of "slug" with "thug."

Today's rally and march across the bridge could and should be the start of a militant upsurge by New York workers. Perhaps the judge in his black robes, representing the wealthy elite of our city, did us all a favor by jailing Roger Toussaint and attacking the union with draconian fines and a suspension of the dues checkoff. It might just be the start of a new civil rights movement. We haven't forgotten that the great leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, died as he was giving his support to striking sanitation workers in Memphis. They were also despised and attacked by those in power. But King knew the value of labor -

I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions.

This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream — a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.

That is the dream...

Today's rally was chaired by a feisty United Federation of Teachers President, Randi Weingarten, who was joined by the leaders of dozens of NYC unions. Community leaders, City Council members and Congressman Major Owens also spoke along with Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Herbert Daugherty. Thousands of union members, Black, Brown and white, filled the plaza in front of Brooklyn's Borough Hall and the streets reverberated to the sound of thousands voicing their solidarity as Toussaint mounted the platform to lead the march across the bridge and to prison in the Manhattan tombs. It was a beautiful and moving sight. The message was clear -- Tomorrow is another day ... the fight continues.


Roger Toussaint (in red shirt) enters the rally, surrounded by supporters.


Roger Toussaint, entering Borough Hall plaza, surrounded by his supporters.


Communication Workers turned out to show their support.


Rani Weingarten, President of of the United Federation of Teachers, chaired the rally.


Ernest feelings of pride and a determination to fight back were very evident.


Michael Fishman, President of SEIU Local 32B, addresses the crowd.


Congressman Major Owens shows which side he's on.


Rev. Al Sharpton gave a rousing speech!


Roger Toussaint gets support before the march across the Brooklyn Bridge.


Leading the march across the bridge: Toussaint, Weingarten, Sharpton and Daugerty.

You Can't Erase History

Apr 22, 2006

I've been out on the streets of my community again -- with a table and flyers -- trying to build support for the April 29th March for Peace, Justice and Democracy. Nine initiating organizations, representing broad sections of the population, called the action: United for Peace and Justice, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, National Organization for Women, Friends of the Earth, U.S. Labor Against the War, Climate Crisis Coalition, People's Hurricane Relief Fund, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition and Veterans For Peace. Now hundreds of additional indivduals and organizations across the country have signed on and it's shaping up as giant outpouring against the war and for a change of direciton in our country.


All out for April 29th - NYC!

Brooklyn Parents For Peace, my local peace group, has been putting teams of members with tables, posters and flyers throughout downtown Brooklyn, distributing 1000's of flyers and talking to hundreds of Brooklynites, urging attendance at the April 29th march.


My table at Flatbush Avenue and Sterling Place.


Collecting signatures at a table at Fort Greene Park.

The reception has been warm and it's obvious that the word is out as many have said they're already planning to participate. While there's been virtually no hostility and most people on the street seem to destest Bush and his policies, there's also a lot of apathy, particularly among young people who pass by, refuse a flyer and seem to have blinders on. It brings to mind that acerbic bumper sticker: "If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention." It saddens me, coming from the activism of the 60's, to see so many young people without a sense of idealism and a burning desire to change things that was the hallmark of my generation during the Vietnam war.

.......

Talking about Vietnam, and so relevant to today, a new film is being shown, directed by David Zeiger. It's playing at the IFC Center in the Village (6th Avenue and West 3rd Street) and is titled Sir! No Sir! This is the story of the enormous resistance movement among GI's that developed inside the Army during the Vietnam war. That's a movement that has been erased from American history. History rewritten to turn a war of immorality and depravity into a heroic event.

Jane Fonda spoke at the opening benefit last Monday along with filmmaker David Zeiger and some of the stars of the film: GI's -- then young now 60-year oldsters but heroes who went to jail rather than kill people fighting for their independence. Jane looked really fine but more than looks, I was impressed by her principled stance in connecting the dots from yesteryear's war to the present disaster in Iraq. Her message and the film's message: Those who cannot learn from history are bound to repeat it. Jane, who toured with actor, Donald Sutherland and others in the FTA (Free The Army) show for GI's during Vietnam, is featured in the film.

The film will be shown only through Sunday, April 23rd. If you can get down to IFC in the Village tomorrow you'll be impressed by a film that says no to the rewriting of history to fit the plans and schemes of Bush and his band of chicken hawks who would send another generation of youth to fight another Vietnam all over again.


Hurry on down to the IFC for Sir! No Sir!


Jane Fonda and David Zeigler at the benefit for Iraq Vets Against The War at the IFC last Monday.


Jane makes a point.

Thousands Say That Rachel Corrie Did Not Die In Vain

Mar 24, 2006

The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.
- Dante, 14th Century

An uproar has ensued over the cancelling of the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie by the New York Theatre Workshop. It seems that discussion and examination of controvertial issues in the world of theater has been put on hold while McCarthyism raises its ugly head once again.


Rachel, dressed in dayglo orange with megaphone in hand, saying NO to a Caterpillar bulldozer in Rafah, a town in Gaza.

As has happened so many times in our country's history, ugly wars lead to increasing protests which, in turn, lead to ugly repression from a government that cannot tolerate opposition to its inhumane policies: a terrible war justified with lies, warrantless wiretaps, unprovoked arrests and detentions of Arab residents and citizens, the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo infernos, loathsome smear attacks on Senators who demand accountability -- and now it seems, once-brave theater companies pitifully back-pedaling and caving in to the atmosphere of intimidation that is being fostered in our country today.


Rachel Corrie - a beautiful young woman who stood up for justice and solidarity with her fellow human beings.

This past Wednesday night at Manhattan's Riverside Church thousands of New Yorkers rejected the repression and said NO to the silence. The came together to reaffirm democracy and to hear the eloquent words of a beautiful, brave young woman, Rachel Corrie. Her 23-year old life was cut short by the treads and tonnage of an American-made Caterpillar bulldozer. These machines have been used by Israel to immorally demolish 8,000 Palestinain homes in Gaza and the West Bank and to uproot over 200,000 olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers. Rachel was trying to stop one such house demolition when she was mercilessly run over by a bulldozer operated by an Israeli soldier. A solitary young woman, armed only with her belief in justice, standing up to an enormous and powerful machine - the image sears the imagination and the conscience. What is more beautiful and more noble than a young girl, filled with feelings of solidarity and sympathy for her fellow human beings, saying no to the violence used to enforce Israel's brutal occupation?

Examined from that perspective, the cowardly and obsequious accommodation of the New York Theatre Workshop to the new McCarthyism is all the more shameful. The dark forces that are running our country do not want Americans to hear Rachel's words for if they were allowed to be spoken openly and clearly they would ring forth with truth and justice and would rally indignation in millions to oppose the war in Iraq and its exemplar - the Israeli occupation in Palestine.

The evening at Riverside Church was a magnificent and uplifting event that kept the audience spellbound despite the three hour length of the program. Interspersed with music and poetry, actors, writers, artists and activists offered their thoughts and read from Rachel's letters and writings. Those who couldn't attend offered testimony via video - there were statements by poet Maya Angelou, singer Patti Smith, actor Kathleen Chalfant and playwright Eve Ensler, among many others.

The evening ended with a poignant video of Rachel as a 10-year old delivering a speech at school against pervasive hunger among the world's peoples. Here was the future young woman with her fervent commitment to justice seen in the earnest pronouncements of a sweet, little girl. Rachel may have been murdered by a bulldozer. But her life, her beauty, and her commitment to high moral principle and decency will live on and inspire others for years and years to come.

A sampling of my photos follows.

To see all my photos just click here.
To see a slide show of my photos click here


The church was overflowing with New Yorkers who rejected the notion of keeping silent when decency demands that you speak up.


Anne Petter, Tom Wallace and Jen Marlowe organized the amazing event in a very short time.


James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institue and Amy Goodman, anchor of Democracy Now!, the award-winning and uncensored news program.


Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidary Movement (ISM). Rachel was working with ISM when she was killed by the Israeli bulldozer.


Betty Shamieh, Palestinian playwright and author of the Off-Broadway hit "Roar", reads from Rachel's emails home.


Suheir Hammad, a gifted young poet, reads a poem dedicated to Rachel which brought people to their feet.


Craig and Cindy Corrie, Rachel's mom and dad, listen to her words read aloud.

To see all my photos just click here.
To see a slide show of my photos click here .

What You Doing This Sunday?

Mar 16, 2006

Been riding my bike around Fort Greene with my friend Sam. Been pasting up flyers and asking storekeepers in the neighborhood to post flyers in their window. This, in prepration for this Sunday's meeting at a local church. Sponsored by Brooklyn Parents For Peace, Black Veterans For Justice and the office of Congressman Major Owens, the meeting will allow local residents to hear first-hand testimony from NYC veterans who have returned from Iraq.

They've returned to face nightmarish conditions: unemployment, homelessness, health problems and, most outrageous of all, cutbacks to veterans services. Sent by the President to fight his war, they fulfilled their obligations only to find themselves ignored or abandoned by the President, Congress and the Media.

The organizations sponsoring Sunday's meeting decided to bring these serious issues to the community. Wanting to penetrate the curtain of silence that surrounds the problems of returning soldiers, the meeting will feature opening remarks by Congressman Owens, who has opposed the war from day one because it has robbed funds from services for his constituents and devastated the communties he represents. Also speaking will be Job Mahariki, the founder of Black Veterans For Social Justice. This group serves returning soldiers as they try to re-integrate into society. They provide job counselling, guidance and help finding services that the veterans so desperately need.

The high point of the afternoon will be testimony from returned soldiers who will relate their stories to the assembly so that people can hear, first hand, some of the severe problems they have to confront.

If you're in Brooklyn or nearby, this is sure to be an interesting and informative several hours that you shouldn't miss.


Fort Greene has been plastered with notices for Sunday's meeting.


A closeup of the flyer for Sunday's meeting.

BACK FROM IRAQ

NYC VETS SPEAK OUT

SUNDAY, MARCH 19th, 2pm

at the LAFAYETTE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
(corner of South Oxford Street and Lafayette Avenue - Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

Don't miss it!

Love Is Blind

Love is blind - or maybe it just can't read.

Newkirk Avenue station - Q train.
March 1, 2006.