Community Leaders Do Series of Direct Actions Throughout Capitol to Demand Proactive Response to Trump on Issues Facing Ordinary New Yorkers
Coalition of Organizations Release New Issue Platform Under “My Family, Our New York” Banner – Calling for Focus on Working Families, Not CEOs & the Rich
Albany, NY – Hundreds of New Yorkers from across the state participated in direct actions throughout the Capitol on Tuesday, calling on New York’s leaders to address the concerns facing communities across the state. The day of action culminated with a rally at the Million Dollar Staircase where more than 20 organizations released a new issue platform under the banner “My Family, Our New York.” The full platform can be seen at OurNYPlatform.org.
Participants traveled to Albany from across the state to call for legislation that would prioritize working families over CEOs and billionaires, defend undocumented New Yorkers and advance democracy, equity and opportunity.
The progressive issue platform includes an agenda for New York State to defend against against attacks promised by Donald Trump, including proactive steps to meet the needs of New York families. It includes plans to protect the people who Donald Trump and his administration have specifically targeted, including a plan to make New York a “Sanctuary State.” A strictly defensive agenda does not go nearly far enough to meet the challenges posed by the Trump Administration. So the platform is built around a proactive agenda designed to for New York to set a progressive example for the nation in how to make progress in the age of Trump. The platform will meet the needs of all families in New York by advancing policies that will create economic fairness, protect our climate, and strengthen our democracy.
The “My Family, Our New York” Platform centers around seven issue areas:
- Protect human rights and all New York families
- Tax the rich and hold Wall Street accountable
- Protect and extend our public investments in schools, health care & housing
- Reform New York’s criminal justice system
- Create thousands of new, good jobs & protect all New York workers
- Lead the nation in climate protection and clean, cheap energy
- Create a functioning, meaningful democracy
Throughout the day, participants met with their elected leaders to discuss the struggles facing many of their communities, why supporting the platform is important to working class New Yorkers and how the state will respond to a Trump administration that has an uncomfortably close relationship with Wall Street Billionaires and Hedge Funders.
As the Trump administration takes office, New York state will play a key leadership role in responding to likely program cuts that support basic human rights like health care and housing. What happens here will surely influence the way that other states decide to respond to the new administration.
Organizations endorsing the platform include:
ALIGN
Alliance for Quality Education
Citizen Action of New York
Communities United for Police Reform
Community Voices Heard
Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
Katal Center for Health, Equity, and Justice
Long Island Progressive Coalition
Make the Road NY
Metro Justice
MPower Change Action
National Institute for Reproductive Health
New York City Coalition for Educational Justice
New York Civic Engagement Table
New York Communities for Change
NYS Labor-Religion Coalition
Strong Economy for All Coalition
Urban Youth Collaborative
VOCAL-NY
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