Three Parks June 2022 Newsletter

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Monthly Newsletter

June 2022

Read more about our grassroots activities.

In This Issue

President's Report

About the Mass Shootings in

Buffalo and Texas

New Republican-inspired District Lines Erase Voters' Choices

The New District Lines in Our Area

Two Democratic Primaries

This Summer

Get Your Absentee Ballot!

TPID-Endorsed Primary Candidates for the June 28 Primary

Let's Get Out the Vote for

the June Primary

Three Parks Acts to Support Legislation to Counter Wage Theft

Three Parks Marchers Say, "Protect Abortion Rights!"

There Is No Second Amendment Right to a Gun

Thank You to the Contributors to Our May 22 Annual Event

STAY HEALTHY!

STAY SAFE!

For the latest official information from NYC

on the coronavirus, click here

or text COVID

to 692-692

To see the percentage of the residents in our area who have been vaccinated, click here. (data updated daily)

ONLINE CLUB MEETING

Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at 8:00 pm

The Future of Public Housing in NYC

Preserving Essential Affordable Housing

Victor Bach

Senior Housing Policy Analyst

Community Service Society

Keith Harris

Community Organizer, former City Council Candidate

Marquis Jenkins (invited)

Residents to Preserve Public Housing

Latrice Walker

NY Assembly Member

AD-55

Join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

Click here

You may also either click on the link below or paste it

into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87025485432?pwd=YTZBeWh3ZEZlRGFkREV4cVNBeTA2UT09

If you are asked for a PASSWORD, enter:

368182

You may also join by using your phone to dial in.

Phone-in number: 1 929 205 6099

Meeting ID: 870 2548 5432

AGENDA

7:45--8:00 pm: Log On / Dial in

8:00 pm: Call to Order

Speakers: Victor Bach, Keith Harris, Marquis Jenkins, Latrice Walker

Questions and Answers

District Leader Report

Adjourn

President’s Report

By Lorraine Zamora

Thanks to everyone who joined Three Parks’ 47th annual celebration on Sunday, May 22, to honor the Honorable Jamie Raskin, US Representative of MD’s 8th Congressional district, and the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH), for their extraordinary efforts to make our corner of the world a better place. Congressman Raskin received the Ted Weiss Public Service Award for leading the investigation of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. WSFSHH was presented the Jesse Crawford Community Service Award for providing safe and affordable housing to eligible members on the Upper West Side.

Senator Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, and Congressman Jerry Nadler, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee were on hand to congratulate the honorees, as well as Robert Jackson, Brad Hoylman, Danny O’Donnell, Linda Rosenthal, Gale Brewer, Shaun Abreu, Helen Freedman, Mark Diller, and Scott Stringer. Also joining were Supreme Court candidates Suzanne Adams, Lyle Frank, Paul Goetz, Judy Kim, Sabrina Kraus, Phaedra Perry, Dakota Ramseur, Lisa Sokoloff and Leslie Stroth, and Surrogate Court candidate Hilary Gingold and Civil Court candidate E. Deronn Bowen. Then, too, in recognition of our Ukrainian community, Three Parks family member Julia Ryvkin, born in Kiev and now living in New York, prepared a special video before leaving to visit her family in Ukraine, thanking the club for all their support to her community and native country. Thanks to all!!!

Equally important, I want to thank our generous contributors—friends, sponsors, patrons, benefactors and angels—who make it possible for Three Parks to continue to elect progressive Democrats and support progressive causes in our city. You will see a list at the end of this newsletter.

The New District Lines in Our Area

US Congress

NY-12: Our neighborhood south of a jagged line running west from CPW along W. 100th Street to Amsterdam Avenue, then west along W. 104th St. to West End Avenue, and then north to W. 113th-114th Streets is now part of a redrawn NY-12 District that now spans both the West and East Sides of Manhattan. In this district, Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Carolyn Maloney will have to run against each other in the August primary.
NY-13: The area to the north and east of the boundary line is in the NY-13 District currently represented by Rep. Adriano Espaillat.

NY State Senate

District 47: Our neighborhood south of W. 101st St.-103rd St. is now in a newly formed District 47. So far, State Sen. Brad Hoylman has announced that he is a candidate for this seat.
District 30: Everything north of that boundary is in District 30, currently represented by Sen. Cordell Cleare.
District 31, currently represented by Sen. Robert Jackson, now extends south only as far as 155th St.

See the New Congress and State Senate District Lines Here .

Find Your New Congress and State Senate District Here.

The State Assembly district lines, also redrawn by Democrats, which govern voting for Assembly members and Democratic Party positions, have so far not been changed. The June 28 Democratic Primary will be based on those lines.

Redistricting will next be applied to NYC City Council lines. Draft maps are expected to be released early this summer.

Two Democratic Primaries This Summer

This summer, instead of the single primary that we were expecting, there will be two primary elections. The first will be the one originally scheduled for June 28 for Governor, other state offices, NY State Assembly, and party positions. The second, scheduled for August 23, will be for US Congress members and NY State Senators.

June 28 Primary

Early voting: Saturday, June 18 – Sunday, June 26
Contests on the ballot: Governor (endorsed: Kathy Hochul), Lt. Governor, Surrogate Court Judge
Contests on the ballot if you vote in the 69th AD: (the above plus possibly one County Committee member)
Nomination uncontested; candidates not on the ballot; US Senator Chuck Schumer, NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, NYS Attorney General Letitia James
Nomination uncontested; candidates not on the ballot if you vote in the 69th AD: The above plus NYS Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, Democratic State Committee members, Judicial Delegates, nearly all County Committee candidates

August 23 Primary

Last day to register: July 29
Early voting: Saturday, Aug. 13 – Sunday, Aug. 21
Contests on the ballot: US Congress member (endorsed for NY-13: Rep. Adriano Espaillat; endorsement for Dist. 12 to come); NY State Senator (endorsed for Dist. 30: Sen. Cordell Cleare; endorsement for District 47 to come)

Get Your Absentee Ballot!

You may vote by absentee ballot if you:

will be out of town for either or both of this summer's two primary elections
are physically unable to go to the polls
are affected by Covid-19 and/or the potential of contracting the virus. Please check the box for “Temporary Illness” on the application.

The last day to receive an absentee ballot application by mail or email is

June 13 for the June 28 Primary
August 8 for the August 23 primary

To download an absentee ballot application, click here.

If I have been issued an absentee ballot, can I still vote in person? NYS voters are no longer permitted to cast a ballot on a voting machine if they have already been issued an absentee ballot for that election. Voters who have already been issued an absentee ballot can still vote in person using an affidavit ballot. Election officials will verify whether the voter’s absentee ballot has been received. If the voter’s absentee ballot has been received, the affidavit ballot will not be counted. If the voter’s absentee ballot has not been received, the affidavit ballot will be counted.

TPID-Endorsed Candidates for the June 28 Primary

Kathy Hochul, Governor

NYS Lieutenant Governor

Three Parks will not be holding an endorsement meeting for this office, but we are co-sponsoring an online candidates' forum

via Zoom.

Date and Time: Monday, June 6 at 7:00 PM

Club members are encouraged to attend and make their own choice. Watch your email for more information and

log-on instructions.

Endorsed but uncontested and not on the ballot

Letitia James, NY Attorney General

Thomas DiNapoli, NY Comptroller

Daniel O'Donnell, Assembly Dist. 69

New York Democratic State Committee

Lynn Thomas

Daniel Marks Cohen

Manhattan Judicial Delegates

Delegates

Alan Flacks

Alfred Placeres

Audrey Isaacs

Aaron Mendelsohn

Josh Pepper

Lauren Williams

Alternate Delegates

Merle McEldowney

Bruce Markens

Elaine Hazzard

Doug Whelan

Robert Bardin

Stephanie Tegnazian

Let's Get Out the Vote for the

June Primary!

The first of this summer's two Primaries, on June 28, is now just weeks away, and early voting starts on June 18. In our area, there will be only a few candidates on the ballot, but it is still important to get out the vote -- and to educate our friends and neighbors about both upcoming summer Primaries, the new Congressional and State Senate electoral districts, and the fall campaign season. Three Parks will be hosting sidewalk tables on weekends and during the Early Voting period. Watch your email for dates, times, locations, and other details and join us whenever you can. Here are some upcoming activities:

Weekend Sidewalk Tabling

Two Saturdays: June 11, June 18
Where: 104th St. and Broadway, NW corner
Time: 12:00 -- 3:00 PM (tentative)

Check the Three Parks website for updated times.

Early Voting June 18 - June 26

Join us to campaign for Three Parks-endorsed candidates on Broadway and outside West Side High School. Check the website for dates, locations, and times.

Note that these events are weather permitting. Check the Three Parks website for updates.

To find your own early voting poll site and times, click here

Mark Your Calendar

June 29: Special Endorsement Meeting for August Primary Candidates

US Congress ✽ NY State Senate

On Wednesday, June 29, at 8:00 PM, Three Parks will hold a special online endorsement meeting via Zoom for candidates running in the August 23 Primary for the following offices:

US Congress, District NY-12. Announced Candidates: Rep. Jerry Nadler, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Suraj Patel
NY State Senate, District 47. Announced Candidate: NYS Senator Brad Hoylman

Watch your email for the meeting announcement and Zoom link. An online endorsement vote will follow. Voting instructions for eligible voters will be posted on the Three Parks website.

Three Parks Acts to Support Legislation to Counter Wage Theft

By Miriam Rabban

The Board of Three Parks Independent Democrats (TPID) sent a memo of support to members of the Judiciary Committee of the NY State Senate urging them to vote for legislation (S2762) to improve enforcement against wage theft, which occurs when employers do not pay workers for all the hours that they have worked. The memo of support describes the enforcement measures included in the bill. Read the memo here. The Judiciary Committee voted to send the bill to the full Senate, and the bill is now on the Senate floor calendar, ready for a vote as soon as Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins calls for one. The companion bill in the Assembly (A766) has already passed the Assembly, but the legislative session ends on June 2, and if Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins does not call for a vote, the bill will languish. The Board of Three Parks is sending a memo to the Majority Leader urging her to bring S2762 to a vote on the Senate floor.

Next Action Steps: The SWEAT (Security Wages Earned Against Theft) Coalition, which Three Parks Independent Democrats has supported in sustained efforts to get effective enforcement measures passed, has asked for the following steps before the current legislative session ends on June 2:

Call Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins at (518) 455-2585 and urge her to bring S2762 to a vote by the full Senate.
Use social media to tag her, @AndreaSCousins

Messages could stress fairness – that workers should get paid for all hours worked and need effective enforcement measures passed into law. Currently, when workers do not get paid for work that they have done, they often don’t get paid even after court-ordered settlements.

If SWEAT legislation is not passed during this legislative session, the entire process of introducing a bill in both houses of the state legislature will need to be restarted. Let’s get the bill passed now!

Voting Record of our State Senators and Assembly member:

Both State Senator Robert Jackson and State Senator Cordell Cleare are sponsors of the bill in the Senate (S2762). Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell voted for the companion bill in the Assembly (A766.)

Three Parks Marchers Say, "Protect

Abortion Rights!"

By Irene Shrier

On Saturday, May 14, TPID members and friends met at the 96th St. subway station to attend the Bans Off March beginning in Brooklyn at Cadman Plaza and ending at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan. We joined thousands of others holding homemade signs and loudly chanting along the way. The common refrains seen and heard were “abortion is a health care” and “bans off our bodies.” We hope that our voices made an impact.

There is No Second Amendment Right to a Gun

By Steve Max

I wrote the following article in 2013 in the wake of the Washington, DC Navy Yard shooting in which twelve people died. The Newsletter has reprinted it several times after subsequent major shootings. In May, as twenty-one people were killed in a Texas school shooting, we heard the Second Amendment cited many times in opposition to even the most moderate gun control legislation. It is long past time for Democrats to stand up and proclaim that there is not, and has never been, a Second Amendment right to individual gun ownership. Here is a short history of the Second Amendment.

S.M. 05/26/2022

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every discussion of gun control starts with the advocates saying, “Of course I support the Second Amendment but … .” Having given away the argument right at the start, they then ask, “But must there be quite so many bullets in the magazine?” It is time to take the strongest position. There is no individual right to own a gun. The Second Amendment guaranteed the right to have state militias. The gun ownership clause was there to make the militia possible. There have been no state militias since 1903, and there is no longer a constitutional right to gun ownership. It doesn’t exist!

The congressional debate over the Second Amendment is most instructive. The overall context was this: The Constitution (1787) had created two institutions new to the United States, a standing army and a President who was also Commander in Chief. In this combination, many feared European despotism. What if the President made himself a king and used the army against the people? The answer was close at hand. The Governors of the states would call out the militia to restore democracy. But in those days, every militiaman was required to bring his own gun. The states didn’t have any to give them. But, what if the President first took away all the guns? Well, the Constitution would have to say that he can’t, hence the Second Amendment.

As always, nothing is simple. The Federalists (Hamilton) wanted a strong national standing army and hoped that by guaranteeing the state militias, they could overcome popular objection. Many among the Jeffersonian Republicans didn’t even trust the militia, and wanted to guarantee individual gun ownership without reference to militia service.¹ Both sides agreed that the main threat to democracy would be the Army of the United States, and the debate was over how citizens could best defeat the Army.

¹ Strictly speaking, the terms Federalist and Republican weren’t organized parties until 1795, at this time (1789) they were less formal points of view in Congress, and were known as the pro and anti-Administration factions.