Friday, December 22: Stronger Together
Don't forget about Palestine while you're celebrating the holidays
A recent UN report indicates that more than 570,000 people in Gaza are now 'starving' as a result of the ongoing genocide. The report warned that the risk of famine is “increasing each day,” and blamed the widespread hunger on insufficient aid entering Gaza. None of this is accidental or coincidental. We’re witnessing the targeted starvation of 2 million+ people in Gaza. Perhaps consider bringing that up at the dinner table this weekend and see how quiet the room gets.
Yesterday, Thousands of people marched on AIPAC’s (That’s the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) headquarters in NYC. The protests were led by workers from the United Auto Workers Union, American Postal Workers Union, and other labor organizations. These activists used a light projection to call out AIPAC's commitment to genocide, as well as the complicity of American elected officials who take their donations.
That’s all I’ve got today, because nothing is fundamentally changing until we change it. Our politicians won’t miraculously grow a conscience overnight, and hope is a precious commodity that’s currently in short supply.
Side Items
Shot: A jury in Washington state cleared three police officers of all criminal charges yesterday relating to their 2020 murder of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was tased, beaten and restrained face-down on a sidewalk as he pleaded for breath. If you’re thinking this story sounds familiar, it’s because it happens several times every year in this country with zero consequence. Video of the lethal encounter shows Ellis addressing the officers as “sir” while telling them he couldn’t breathe. In response, the officers respond with, “Shut the (expletive) up, man.” Trying to defund the police was the wrong approach, these guys need to be excommunicated from society and given a one-way ticket to outer space
Chaser: New York City’s police department spent $4 million on police overtime pay in the subway stations last year. This was an obvious waste of money, but it’s nothing compared to the $155 million wasted this year, trying to keep fare evasion down. For $155 million the city could’ve paid for 56 million people to ride the subway under fair fares. Instead taxpayers wasted $155m in overtime for cops who don’t live in NYC nor pay taxes there. All to arrest 1,900 more people for fare evasion. This is a clear case of what the kids used to call “hustling backwards”