Author: Heather Roberson
Who Dares Call it Gerrymandering?
Last week, I testified again at the New York State Legislative Task Force On Demographic Research & Reapportionment (LATFOR). I actually thought my testimony was pretty standard. I’m hardly the first to notice the inherent conflict of interest that arises when politicians are in charge of drawing their own districts. (Didn’t I already say that to them in September?) I’m also hardly the first to notice that, in LATFOR’s first draft for the 2012 redistricting, the upstate districts are by and large smaller … Read More
State of the Union Watch Party
Join ACT NOW, Greater NYC for Change, Democracy for New York City, and many more progressive groups, on Tuesday, January 24th, as we watch President Barack Obama deliver the State of the Union Address. Come on down, and bring your friends! Date: Tuesday, January 24th Time: 7PM-11PM Location: The Forum, 4th Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets RSVP below. Brooklynites, join Drinking Liberally (and other ACT NOWers too cold to trek into the city) at Building on Bond (112 Bond @ Pacific) at 7PM.
Iowa Caucus Watch Party
Well, it’s that time of year again. No, we don’t mean the holidays. We mean that other time of year — okay, every four years — that a relatively small group of Iowans exert enormous power to shape an upcoming presidential election. And we’re watching this one unfold with our pals from Drinking Liberally in the beautiful borough of Brooklyn. What better way to cap off the holiday season? Iowa Caucus Watch Party Date: Tuesday, January 3rd Time: 7:30PM to the … Read More
We’re Having a Holiday Party TONIGHT — and You’re Invited
Join ACT NOW and our friends at Greater NYC for Change tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 14th, as we throw down for a happy hour that will go down in history as the most epic, most thrilling, most socially significant happy hour ever to be had in New York City. 6:30 – 9:30 PM Nightingale Lounge at 213 Second Ave, at 13th Street
Non-Partisan Redistricting: Can You Hear Me Now?
Like Jess, it was not without some trepidation that I sat down to testify at New York’s LATFOR redistricting hearings. For several months ACT NOW has been working to end gerrymandering in New York State, and that means dissolving the incumbent-controlled LATFOR redistricting commission altogether and forming a non-partisan commission in its place. To this end, we have held rallies, we have called our legislators, we have traveled to Albany to speak to them face-to-face. Why do we do all this? … Read More
Testify for Democracy: NYC Redistricting Hearings
This September, as part of ACT NOW’s ongoing campaign for fair, non-partisan redistricting, we are organizing our members to join us in entering official testimony at the upcoming redistricting hearings in New York City. These hearings are an important opportunity to raise awareness of the problem of rampant gerrymandering in New York State and to stand up for your community’s needs as the district lines are drawn. You don’t want to miss out! Please RSVP below with your complete details.
We Stand with Schneiderman
This week, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was removed from a committee of state attorneys general investigating the banking industry’s mortgage abuses. This came after weeks of intense pressure from the Obama Administration and from Schneiderman’s fellow attorneys general to support a broad settlement that would let the big banks off easy for the questionable lending practices that caused our country’s housing crisis. It is not surprising that the banks would favor a deal that would have them exchange a … Read More
Non-Partisan Redistricting — LATFOR Edition
This spring and summer, ACTivists have been out in force to end gerrymandering in New York State and to make non-partisan redistricting a reality. (For background on the issue, click here and here.) Unfortunately, our legislature has still not passed non-partisan redistricting even though they promised, and now the redistricting process has started. No, not the non-partisan process New Yorkers desire and deserve, but the same-old process – LATFOR, for short – that has thus far been responsible for drawing unfair … Read More
Summer Social — Thursday, July 14th
Join ACT NOW and our friends at Greater NYC for Change as we take a break from the campaign trail and party down at our mid-summer mixer! We’ve worked hard over the past several months and now it’s time to celebrate recent victories like the Kathy Hochul race and Marriage Equality, and to dream big dreams of what we can do together in the months to come. So come join us, and bring your party hat! Two-for-one drinks from 6-9PM. Light snacks … Read More
What Victory Means
Thanks to you and other progressives throughout New York, Democratic underdog Kathy Hochul defeated her Medicare-threatening Republican opponent in the conservative 26th Congressional District. This victory sends a powerful message: when progressives fight, we can win. It also exposed the flimsiness of Republican claims to a radical “mandate” from the American people. Yesterday, we all stood up and said “no more!” We have so much more work to do, both this year and next — more volunteers, more buses, more … Read More
