Friends,

The murders of Black Americans by police officers in the

recent news cycle is hard to watch and hard to put into

words. And to be honest, watching these atrocities will never get

any easier. We should never be complacent in our fight for

justice which should always prioritize Black lives and the

safety of all Black people here and abroad. 

Let us take the time to remember the names - Bryanna Taylor,

George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and the

names of all Black people we don’t know who were

murdered by white supremacy and its agents. 

Just this week in New York’s protests, the New York Police

department has shown that their anti-Blackness knows no

bounds. At the Brooklyn Barclays Center protests, Black

lawmakers Assemblywoman Diana Richardson and State

Senator Zelnor Myrie were both pepper sprayed by the

police. The NYPD has increased their presence to protect

property over Black lives. Even the acts of police coming to

protests to “kneel in solidarity” with civilians are performative

actions that are not backed with any promise of systemic

change. 

I attended protests in my community in Jamaica and in Far

Rockaway. This is not the first time I have stood in unequivocal

support for Black lives, and it will not be the last. I believe police

violence against Black people is a direct result of the legacy of

American slavery and capitalism, and therefore the police should

be abolished. The policies I will advocate for in Congress are in

support of ending that life-stealing legacy - I want to

revolutionize the criminal justice system, ensure that the

United States pays reparations to Black communities, and

end the racial wealth gap among other policies that promote

the justice we deserve. 

Incremental policies that refuse to get to the root of the

problem will never end the war on Black lives and I will not

ever support any policy that increases funding for this

nation’s police forces. 

What's more, I encountered my opponent, Rep. Gregory

Meeks, at the Far Rockaway protest two days ago. Before he

dropped out of the presidential race, Meeks endorsed Mike

Bloomberg, the author of stop-and-frisk, for president. Our

team has been asking Meeks for a debate for weeks now, and

he told me to contact a staffer who never got back to me. 

He’s been digging into his corporate funded war chest to

steal votes from us. Our communities are ready for a real

progressive change that is totally un-bought. 

We only have a few weeks left to do this. Meeks has over

$300,000 in corporate money and will use all of it to make sure

we don’t win. We need your help to secure a spot in Congress

for the most marginalized in our communities. We need your

help to secure a real advocate for radical change who will NOT

stop caring after the protests have cleared the streets. 

Will you donate to our campaign today to ensure

radical solidarity with Black lives? 

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  Not me. Us!
 

In Solidarity,

Shaniyat Chowdhury