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In This Issue
Three Parks Annual Benefit
Thank You to Our Benefit Contributors
President's Report
Democratic State Committee Report
Black Lives Matter
Help Get Out the Vote for Rep. Jerry Nadler and Other Endorsed Candidates in the June 23 Primary
The June 23 Presidential Primary Is Reinstated
Make Sure to Vote in the Presidential and Federal/State Primary on June 23
The Take Back Congress Team Tackles
the Census (cont.)
Letitia James, Doug Kellner, and Danny O'Donnell Speak to TPID
Mark Your Calendar
Trump's Attack on Free Speech Online
Take Baking Lessons from Silver Moon--and Support Local Health Care Workers
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ONLINE CLUB MEETING
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
8:00 pm
New York State's Budget and the COVID Pandemic
Speakers:
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera
Chair, Health Committee
James Parrott
Director of Economic and Fiscal Policies, Center for NYC Affairs,
The New School
Join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Or paste this link into your browser:
Meeting ID: 820 4914 8313
You may also join by using your phone to dial in.
AGENDA
7:45--8:00 pm: Log On / Dial in
8:00 pm: Call to Order
District Leader Report
Speaker:
Gustavo Rivera
Questions and Answers
Speaker
:
James Parrott
Questions and Answers
Adjourn
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NEXT ONLINE CLUB MEETING: Wed., July 15, 8:00 pm
Watch your email for program details and log-on instructions.
This meeting will take the place of the summer picnic, which is deferred until large gatherings in the park are again permitted.
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Three Parks Annual Benefit
Sunday, June 7, 5:00-6:00 pm
Virtual Event
Join the event from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Watch your email for log-in and dial-in instructions.
Three Parks needs you to support Democrats who are fighting to restore our democracy.
Please contribute at one of these levels:
✽
Angel
✽
Benefactor
✽
Patron
✽
Sponsor
If you would like to submit your payment online, please click on
Fundraiser
at our website,
ThreeParksDems.org
.
You can also call Lois Safian at (917) 453-5910 or email her by clicking
here
.
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Thank You to the Contributors to Our June 7
Virtual Benefit
(
List in process of formation.
)
Angels
Hon. Daniel Marks Cohen
Hon. Jerrold Nadler
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Hon. Brian Benjamin
Hon. Cynthia Doty
Hon. Adriano Espaillat
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Hon. Helen Freedman
& Henry Freedman
Hon. Brad Hoylman
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Elizabeth Kellner
Hon. Daniel O’Donnell
Doris Schreiber
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Hon. Gale Brewer
Jock Davenport &
Batya Miller
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Hon. Robert Jackson
Brenda Morgan
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Ralph Andrew
Hon. Curtis Arluck
Best Copy
Hon. Bob Botfeld
Alvin Bragg
Rosemarie & Vincent
Brancato
Corinne Constantine
Wendy Dannett
Mark Diller
Wendy Diller
Daniele Gerard
Hon. Brad Lander
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David Lazarus
Hon. John Liu
Merle McEldowney
Bruce Markens
Lynn & Steve Max
Josh Pepper
Hon. Bill Perkins
Lois Safian
Irene Shrier
Roschel Holland
Stearns & Michael
Stearns
Hon. Scott Stringer
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Carolee Thea
Hon. Lynn Thomas Ellen Werner
West Side Federation
for Senior &
Supportive Housing,
Inc.
Lauren Williams
Lorraine Zamora &
Richard Luna
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Theresa Canter
Timothy Eckersley
Irene Dess
Susan Dess
Ellen Flax
Jessica Haberstock
Adam Haridopolos
Jacqueline Huey
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Genora Bennett
Johnson
Helen Karlan
Mary Ann Marks
Janos Marton
Penelope Pi-Sunyer
Miriam Rabban
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Lenore Richter
Ray Schwartz
Carol & Gillian Siegel
Steve Strauss
Deborah Thomas
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President's Report
By Lorraine Zamora
Typically in our newsletter’s June issue, we report on the success of our annual fundraising benefit. It’s usually been held on a Sunday afternoon in early May at an Upper West Side restaurant. This year, Three Parks had to change its plans.
This year, our 45th annual fundraiser will be held virtually—on Sunday, June 7, from 5:00-6:00 pm. Three Parks will be honoring Hon. Michael Gianaris, State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader, with the Ted Weiss Public Service Award, and Dominicanos USA with the Jesse Crawford Community Service Award.
This is the first time we’re doing a virtual fundraising event. It promises to be an exciting program, and it’s taken a lot of work on the part of many board members.
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Democratic State Committee Report
By Daniel Marks Cohen
Greetings all. First order of business: thank you. I am grateful to have been the beneficiary of the club’s petitioning efforts getting me on the ballot for another term as State Committeeman. This will be my fifth term and my tenth year in the position – and since I have no opponent, I will begin my sixth term after the June primary. Thank you once again.
The NY Democratic State Committee has not met since last October. We are due for another meeting, shortly after the primary, but with COVID likely preventing us from meeting in person, it will likely be on Zoom, if at all. I had raised the concern previously that the State Committee elects a dozen members to the DNC, with Jay Jacobs serving on the DNC
ex-officio
by the virtue of the fact that he is chair of the NYSDC. That leaves a remaining 11 positions, and they are (alphabetically): Stuart Appelbaum, Vivian Cook, Jennifer Cunningham, Maria Cuomo Cole, Hazel Dukes, Emily Giske, Carl Heastie, Christine Quinn, Michael Reich, Gerard Sweeney, Robert Zimmerman.
A few of these people make sense: Appelbaum is the head of RWDSU and a significant labor leader. Cook is an Assemblywoman from Queens. Hazel Dukes is a Civil Rights activist and past national president of the NAACP. Heastie is the Assembly Speaker. But the remaining seven are more questionable.
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Black Lives Matter
By Jessica Haberstock
I was born and raised in St. Louis, a city that has geographically segregated itself. As I got older, it became clear to me that under the surface there were things at play that allowed me, as a white person, to live a life different from those of people in my city with a different skin color. When Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, a neighborhood just a short drive from where I grew up, I started reading more about race. I became a regular listener of a few podcasts that dive into racial issues. But black men and women continued to be killed by police with no justice. They continued to run up against institutionalized racism within the system, whether that be healthcare, education, or criminal justice. I haven’t done enough. White people haven’t done enough.
Below I’ve provided some links to a variety of resources. Some are action items we can all take to push the change that needs to happen in the city, state, and country. Some are organizations to support and follow. Some are books, movies, and podcasts we can consume to better educate ourselves. I urge each and every one of you to dive into these, take action, have hard conversations, and educate yourself and others.
- Call to action to repeal 50-A in New York State: click here.
- Google doc with Anti-racism resources: click here.
- Active campaigns at Color of Change: click here.
- Anti-racist reading list: click here.
- Bails Funds by State/City: click here.
Note: These are in no way all the resources available. There are many great organizations doing a lot of good, hard work. I encourage you to seek them out and see how you can help!
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Help Get Out the Vote for
Rep. Jerry Nadler and Other Endorsed Candidates in the June 23 Primary!
Three Parks is partnering with the campaign to re-elect Congressman Jerry Nadler and with Village Independent Democrats to get out the vote for the June 23 Primary. You can help by text-banking to voters from your home.
Join our text-banking event via Zoom.
Thursday, June 4.
Log on for training at 6:00 pm
.
We will provide training and easy-to-use text-banking software that dials voters’ numbers and inputs texts automatically. All you need to do is click “Send”!
We need to alert everyone to apply for their absentee ballot and return it in time to vote on June 23.
To volunteer, click
here
.
And stay
tuned for more get-out-the-vote events in partnership
with the Nadler campaign.
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The June 23 Presidential Primary Is Reinstated
By Steve Max
The presidential primary is back on the ballot for June 23, the courts having rejected an unconstitutional effort to eliminate the election by the State Democratic Election Commissioners.Three Parks had stated its strong
opposition
to canceling the election.
Because both Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang have endorsed Joe Biden for President, the problem of which candidate can best defeat Trump is not an issue in this Democratic primary election. Voters can freely use the election to express support for the policies and programs of the candidates, as well as adding to Bernie’s delegate count, which will give him some voice in the Party program and convention rules. Yang’s delegates will be too few to play a significant role at the convention.
“Plaintiffs and Plaintiff - Intervenors have shown irreparable injury because they face a violation of their constitutional rights,” said U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in a 30 page
decision
favoring the Sanders/Yang campaigns. The judge noted that both candidates had asked to remain on the ballot and that canceling the election deprived New York voters of the right to chose delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Judge Torres was unconvinced by the State’s argument that the COVID crisis necessitated canceling the election as a health measure. She observed that in most election districts of the state, balloting would continue for other offices, and that absentee ballot applications were already being mailed to all voters. The Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit affirmed the lower court’s findings. Justice was done.
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Make Sure to Vote in the Presidential and Federal/State Primary on June 23
The Democratic Presidential Primary has been combined with the Democratic Congressional and State Primary on June 23. The ballot will be two pages long. Page 1 will list the Presidential candidates and then all the delegates, with the candidate to whom they are pledged listed to the right of each delegate’s name. Voters can vote for up to any 7 of the delegates, regardless of the candidate to whom they are pledged. Page 2 will list the Congressional candidates (all four incumbent Manhattan Congress Members have challengers) and candidates for State Senate, Assembly, State Committee, and Judicial Delegates.
In the 69th
AD, we have a primary only for Congress and the 31st Senate district.
Voters have three different ways to vote in this election: by Absentee Ballot, at an Early Voting poll site open for nine days starting June 13 though June 21, or at a poll site on election day, June 23.
To vote by Absentee Ballot, voters need to fill out an application requesting a ballot to be mailed to them at the address they specify.
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The Take Back Congress Team Tackles the Census (cont.)
By Chuck Wall
During May, the TPID Take Back Congress team continued its drive to reach out to our friends and neighbors to remind them to complete and return their census forms. Volunteers began by phoning lists of current and former Three Parks members. Then they moved on to calling neighbors in the surrounding Assembly district. By the end of May, team members had made more than 540 calls, many to people who were glad to be prompted to return their forms. Thanks go to all the volunteers who have made this campaign a success!
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Letitia James, Doug Kellner, and Danny O’Donnell Speak to TPID
At the Three Parks Club meeting held via Zoom on May 13, nearly one hundred club members and friends logged on to hear from NY State Attorney General Letitia James, NY State Board of Election Co-Chair Doug Kellner, and Assembly Member Danny O’Donnell.
Attorney General James described the many activities that she and her staff have undertaken during the current COVID pandemic. Her office has worked to remedy the racial disparities that were evident in police enforcement of social distancing and mask-wearing rules. It has also monitored the moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent and aided victims in the domestic violence cases that have increased under the stay-at-home order.
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NY State Attorney General Letitia James.
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Mark Your Calendar
Thursday, June 4.
Log on for training at 6:00 pm.
Online Text-Banking to Get Out the Vote for
Rep. Jerry Nadler and Other Endorsed Candidates
in the June 23 Primary
To volunteer, click
here
.
Sunday, June 7 at 5:00 pm
Three Parks Virtual Benefit
Join the event from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Watch your email for log-in and dial-in instructions.
Tuesday, June 23
New York Democratic Presidential Primary
New York Democratic Federal/State Primary
By no-excuse-needed absentee ballot.
Or at poll sites and hours to be announced.
Early Voting Period is June 13 -- June 21.
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Trump's Attack on Free Speech Online
By Daniel Tsadok
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, usually referred to as CDA 230, states that "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." That means that websites are not liable for the content posted by the people who use them. CDA 230 protects, for example, Twitter and YouTube from liability for the billions of tweets and videos, respectively, of their users. This is important because it allows most people to publish their views without having to go through a centralized approval process. Content can be taken down after the fact if it violates the platform's terms of service, but the presence of CDA 230 means that there is no gatekeeper. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) calls it "the most important law protecting internet free speech." They go on to say that "[t]his legal and policy framework has allowed for YouTube and Vimeo users to
upload their own videos, Amazon and Yelp to offer countless user reviews, craigslist to host classified ads, and Facebook and Twitter to offer social networking to hundreds of millions of Internet users... CDA 230 makes the U.S. a safe haven for websites that want to provide a platform for controversial or political speech and a legal environment favorable to free expression."
President Trump's recent Executive Order targets CDA 230 directly.
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Take Baking Lessons from Silver Moon--and Support Local Health Care Workers
The Silver Moon Bakery at Broadway and 105th
Street has long been a neighborhood favorite. Now Judith Norell, an owner of the bakery, has added online baking classes that also benefit our healthcare workers. She is giving a series of weekly Zoom sessions on Tuesdays, charging a minimal optional fee. The proceeds go to provide treats for health care and other emergency workers in the neighborhood. Recipes, ingredients lists, and other necessary materials, are provided to those who sign up. The series has already included lessons on how to bake challah and how to make a simple rhubarb tart.
To take one of these weekly Zoom baking classes, consider a $10 suggested donation plus a $1 Eventbrite fee. For more information, visit
silvermoonbakery.com
.
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Sunday, June 7,
5:00 pm
Three Parks Virtual Benefit
Wednesday, June 10
, 8:00 pm
Three Parks Online Club Meeting
Wednesday, June 24,
8:00 pm
Three Parks Online Board Meeting
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Wednesday, July 15,
8:00 pm
Three Parks Online Club Meeting
Wednesday, Aug. 26,
8:00 pm
Three Parks Board Meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 9,
8:00 pm
Three Parks Club Meeting
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The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors of the articles and are not necessarily representative of Three Parks
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President
Lorraine Zamora
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Editors
Chuck Wall
Richard E. Luna
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District Leaders
Bob Botfeld
Cynthia Doty
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State Committee
Lynn Thomas
Daniel Marks Cohen
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Print, cut out, and mail this form.
2020 MEMBERSHIP FORM
New Member __________ Renewal __________
Membership Category
(
check one
)
Individual ($25) __________
Family: two adults in the same household ($40) __________
Low Income ($15) __________ Low Income Family ($20) __________
Sponsor ($50) __________ Patron ($100) __________
Name _____________________________________________ Date __________________________
Address ____________________________________________________ Apt. # _______________
City _______________________________________ State ____________ ZIP _________________
Phone (Home) ________________________________ (Cell) ____________________________
Email _______________________________________________________________________________
Check here ______ if you prefer to receive the newsletter
solely
by email.
Please pay your dues with a check, money order or via PayPal by following this
link
to the Three Parks website. Please make out all checks to Three Parks Independent Democrats.
Mail to: Three Parks Independent Democrats
Cathedral Station, P.O. Box 1316
New York, NY 10025
Attention: Treasurer
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