Dear Friend,
The coronavirus crisis has put into sharp relief the inequalities entrenched in our communities and our state government has an opportunity to make sure our most vulnerable New Yorkers are not left behind. Instead, Governor Cuomo and legislators in Albany passed a disastrous budget that fails our communities, once again in the name of austerity. Funding for Medicaid is slashed in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when the most vulnerable neighborhoods and frontline health care workers are currently suffering and dying from coronavirus. This shameful budget will put a freeze on public school funding which will put children, teachers, and staff in already underfunded schools. Crucial criminal justice reforms on bail are rolled back and the desperate need for housing reform and rent relief was ignored. Instead of leveraging the organizing and activism done to create revenue by taxing the rich, our Democratic majorities in the State Senate and Assembly chose to balance the budget on the backs of poor New Yorkers of color.
The budget also fails in addressing climate change by including zero dollars in new funding explicitly for climate justice. With millions of people losing their jobs due to coronavirus, coupled with the looming threats of natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, we need a people-powered economic stimulus that puts people to work while tackling our climate crisis. The Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA) points us in that direction, which will raise $10 Billion a year by fining corporate polluters which would fund the creation of 150,000 good, clean energy jobs.
To respond to the budget and fight for the CCIA, can you take a short, minute-long video of yourself saying what climate justice funding would do for you and your community? To see an example, click here. These videos have proven to be very effective when shared widely online. Once you’re done, upload it to Facebook and Twitter and tag @NYRenews, @NYGovCuomo and your state legislators with the hashtags #GreenJobsNoCuts and #NYBudget. If you don’t have social media, upload it to this google drive folder and we will upload it for you.
During these unprecedented times, people have found ways to organize themselves and take care of one another. The failure of our government and employers to provide adequate protection from the coronavirus has pushed essential workers in New York and around the country to walk out and demand health and safety in their workplaces and communities. We condemn our elected leadership’s disastrous budget which fails the most marginalized New Yorkers. Now is our opportunity to organize and take the bold steps necessary to transform the economy to meet the needs of working people.
In solidarity,
Maritza Silva-Farrell
Executive Director
ALIGN NY
