Tag: Activism

Categories
Culture Outdoor

Help Save The Elizabeth Street Garden

Art by Noel Cuvin for the Elizabeth Street Garden's Call to Artists.
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Art by Noel Cuvin for the Elizabeth Street Garden’s Call to Artists. The video and all quotes below are courtesy of the Elizabeth Street Garden. 

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The Elizabeth Street Garden has been a favorite outdoor spot for so many people in Little Italy and Soho for nearly 200 years. On top of offering a respite from busy city life for the residents of Downtown Manhattan, the garden also offers rentals for video and photo shoots as well as weddings and private events. 

But the garden may not be with us for much longer. The city has proposed the sale of this land to Haven Green (Pennrose Properties, Habitat NYC, and Riseboro) to make way for affordable housing, retail locations, and office space. The Garden states on their website that “the affordability is not permanent,” and that the residence can eventually “turn into market rate housing.” 

The Elizabeth Street Garden has offered numerous alternative sites for affordable housing developments in an effort to save the community’s garden and green space, with these sites providing “more than 10x the amount of affordable units.”

To help save the garden, visit The Elizabeth Street Garden website today!

 

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Categories
Lifestyle Living Wellness

Got the At-Home Blues? Here’s How To Take Care of Your Mental Health

Got the At-Home Blues? Here's How To Take Care of Your Mental Health

Have you noticed family dynamics seem magnified the longer we socially distance? You’re not alone.

 

Families around the world are experiencing unprecedented amounts of time together and, for many of us, the struggle is real.

Have you noticed your family dynamics seem exponentially magnified the longer we socially distance? You’re not alone!

Whether it’s heightened sibling conflict, non-stop bickering, anxious thinking, or adjusting to new routines, many parents feel like they don’t have the necessary tools and resources to get through this period of uninterrupted family time.

Here are six ideas for boosting your mental health while at home with your family:

1. Practice self-care

Self-care can sound like a buzzword for overindulging or emotional numbing. As caregivers, we often find it difficult to prioritize our own needs without feeling guilty or selfish. But we need to change our thinking. After all, our ability to stay centered and balanced during this time of global hardship will be critical to our family’s well-being.

Whether you find something that energizes your mind and body or one that relaxes it, doing a small act of self-care each day can help you feel refreshed and ready to help others.

2. Plan for your child’s energy level

Do you have a high-energy kid who thrives on having places to go and things to do? Or is your child a “homebody” who does best with lots of downtimes? Remember, every child will have a different response to social isolation based on their own unique personality traits, temperament, and energy level. Create a daily routine that matches your child’s natural energy to promote consistently positive behavior.

3. Harness sibling rivalry

Are your children becoming more competitive with each passing day? For many families, sibling rivalry is heightened during this time of togetherness. Rather than trying to stop the competitiveness, parents might encourage a little “friendly competition” such as relay races, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, or treasure hunts.

If you’re feeling really creative, you might even find ways to incorporate housework into these challenges! (Example: “The first person to put on all their dirty clothes, run to the laundry room, and take off their dirty clothes is the winner!”)

4. Limit children’s exposure to news

For many of us, watching the news helps us feel up-to-date and in control during a time when things are very much out of our control. Although we might be comfortable riding the wave of news briefings and global developments, this can lead to more anxiety and uncertainty in some children.

Be mindful of kids’ exposure to information by limiting the amount of time spent watching the news. Depending on your child’s age and developmental level, one or two check-ins per day should be sufficient. If you want more frequent access to information, consider getting updates online to avoid overwhelming children’s ability to cope with current events.

5. Choose screen time wisely

This is understandably probably not the time you’re cutting back on screen time or video games for your kids. But keep in mind that not all games are created equally.

Games that mimic high-intensity situations (such as theft, war, or survival) can actually produce a fight-or-flight response in children. Instead, consider screen activities that foster connection, learning, movement, or problem-solving. Visit www.commonsensemedia.org for expert reviews and hand-picked lists of quality online entertainment for kids.

6. Get creative

Social distancing is stressful and lonely, especially if you can’t be with your children and loved ones. It is especially important to be creative and stay connected during this period of isolation.

You might consider playing games that can be played across screens. For example, Battleship and Catchphrase can be adapted to play virtually over FaceTime or Skype. Send kids on a scavenger hunt around the house, read them stories, or create art projects together. Bring back old games like Pictionary or Charades, ‘I Spy’ or 20 Questions. The most important thing is to find meaningful ways to connect and engage, even from a distance.

Just like caring for our physical health, mental health requires daily attention. Try out these strategies to see which ones help your family during this time.

Reach out for help if you believe your family needs professional support to manage the stress of the COVID-19 crisis. If you or your child are currently working with a therapist, check to see if they offer online ‘telehealth’ therapy. School counselors and previous therapists can also be a valuable resource during this time. 

For families that don’t have an existing relationship with a counselor, now is a good time to seek help from community mental health centers such as NAMI-National Association for Mental Illness.

By Rachel Heuchert, Conifer Play Therapy as seen in https://lowermanhattan.macaronikid.com/

Categories
Featured Health Nutrition NYC

Get Involved: How To Help Homeless/Displaced LGBTQ+ Youth At The Ali Forney Center

No, you’re not misreading this: LGBTQ youth in New York City comprise up to 40% of the homeless population.

LGBTQ youths are victims of greater levels of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, trauma, HIV infection, mental health issue and substance abuse than their non-LGBTQ/cisgender counterparts. They are eight times more likely to experience homelessness. According to a 2007 study of the NYC Council census of homeless youth by the Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services, 28% of the street youth identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, 5% identified as transgender, and 11% said “unsure.” These statistics are chilling.

Ali Forney was a gay/transgender youth abandoned by his parents at the tender age of 13. After a group home and the foster care system failed him, he took to the streets fending for survival by any means possible, until his tragic 1997 murder in Harlem at just 22. During his short time on earth, he advocated safe sex, HIV prevention, and sought justice for the murders of fellow queer street youth. Forney worked with the staff of the Safe Horizon Streetwork program to help others find solace and safety as well.

Ali Forney. Photo: Meg Handler

After Forney’s brutal murder, the Ali Forney Center (AFC) opened in 2002 as a shelter and counseling center for displaced Manhattan and Brooklyn LGBTQ youth.

As the homelessness levels rise in the city, sending some love to the Ali Forney Center is something you can do that will mean the world to a young person who did not feel safe being themselves, and sought safe shelter.

The Ali Forney Center is very transparent about where donation money goes. If you would rather purchase sundry items that immediately go to those who need it, they have an Amazon Wish List set up on the website, asking for basic necessities and clothing, GED prep textbooks, professional clothing for job interviews, and goods specifically for transgender youth.

Make a difference to someone special who could use a little kindness.

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Categories
Culture Featured Movies

Film Review: Cloud Zero

Cloud Zero
Photo courtesy of Cloud Zero

We’re living in a moment where the public’s politics and concerns for current, life-threatening issues are more polarized than ever. From differing perspectives on access to healthcare and the state of climate change to police brutality and immigration policy, it’s difficult for individuals to not get radicalized in their beliefs and start advocating their worries. And with this generation having greater access to resources, younger activists are emerging and Lamin Leroy Gibba’s “Cloud Zero” acknowledges the nuances of those activist relationships. 

In the film, Cora (Victoria Tamez) is the new girl on the block when she joins a group of radicalized activists based in New York City. Although she hasn’t been involved in their organized operations long, Cora is eager to learn more about the politics of the group and pleads to be more involved despite showing no signs of being prepared to take on more responsibility. Tension amongst the varied relationships in the group form and their collective rage ends up working against each other. Reluctant to return back to a life of isolation, Cora is persistent in holding the group together even if she’s a source of their misfortunes. 

Cloud Zero
Cora (Victoria Tamez) and Gus (Jordan E. Cooper) in Cloud Zero. Photo courtesy of Cloud Zero.

“I don’t want to be reduced to just a place,” says Cora when asked where she’s from by Gus (Jordan E. Cooper) early on in the film. This quote is the perfect setup for the tone of the film as the audience receives no background on how the collective formed, nor do we understand the politics and core activist mission. It serves as being symbolic of how the film doesn’t want to be reduced to a single narrative based on political ideology, but the complexities surrounding relationships and individual desire within radical activist circles. 

Although it’s not much, the audience does receive hints of their politics throughout the film when images of war zones are depicted on screen, several of the characters allude to a power-abusive executive, and a photograph of a black woman surrounded by three white police officers is highlighted. 

Above all, there’s a quality to this film that proves to be authentic and immerses the audience to engage with the plot and develop their own assumptions about the storyline. “Cloud Zero” was shot in the span of a few weeks during the winter with a little-to-nothing budget, being made in an authentic Guerilla filmmaking manner. Audiences would be shocked to learn this as the cinematography for this film was well-thought out, from meticulous dinner scene shots to an overhead shot of a field in Long Island.

Gibba, who is the writer, director, and stars as Edgar in the film, took his limited budget and turned it into a high-quality production ready for any big screen. 

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The film is entirely made up of actors of color – including Renée Harrison, Victoria Tamez, Avon Haughton, Jordan E. Cooper, Arlyne Read Rodriguez, and Lamin Leroy Gibba. Although there is no official release date announced yet, the film is currently under consideration at multiple major film festivals. 

Cloud Zero
Jordan E. Cooper playing Gus in Cloud Zero. Photo courtesy of Cloud Zero
Categories
News

Activists Demand Justice for Layleen Cubilette-Polanco

Layleen Polanco, a transgender woman who was set to be released on the 13th, died mysteriously in her Rikers Island cell.

By Michael Izquierdo

A crowd of hundreds gathered around outside in Foley Square Monday afternoon to demand justice for the death of Layleen Polanco Xtravaganza, a 27-year-old Afro-Latinx trans woman, who was found dead while imprisoned at Rikers Island. Polanco has now been listed as the 10th reported death of a trans woman in the U.S. this year.

According to the New York Post, Polanco was found unresponsive inside her jail cell at the Rose M. Singer woman’s facility on Friday afternoon. Medics on the scene tried to revive her for about an hour before she was officially declared dead.

“Any death in our custody is a tragic loss, and we are looking into how this happened,” a Department of Corrections spokesperson said. Polanco was reportedly placed in a housing unit within the facility as it was meant to reduce violence against trans and gender-nonconforming individuals.

Polanco was arrested on April 13th after allegedly assaulting a cab driver in Harlem and being in possession of a controlled substance, The Root reports. Her bail was set at $500. Polanco was set to be released on June 13th according to a GoFundMe account set up by her sister, Melania. The GoFundMe was set up to assist with funeral costs and has now surpassed its goal of raising $9,000 by raising over $12,500 as of this morning.

Even in the midst of the fog that clouded the scene, many supporters for justice persisted to come out and stand in solidarity with the trans community. Those that came out to the event included the many families of Polanco, notable transgender activists, and co-sponsors of the rally such as New York City Anti-Violence Project, Black LGBT Alliance of New York, Decriminalize New York, New York Transgender Advocacy Group, Transgender Law Center, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Voices 4, New York City Anti-Violence Project, and many more.

At 6:05 p.m., the rally began when organizers started to chant “What do we want?” and the audience responding with “Justice!” This continued with, “When do we want it?” and a response of “Now!” Until ultimately ending in “If we don’t get it…” the crowd roared in response with “Shut it down!”’

Image taken from Facebook, coutresy of the New York City Anti-Violence Project
Image taken from Facebook, courtesy of the New York City Anti-Violence Project

One message that was echoed at the event was a demand for justice as it related to a full investigation. This message was first mentioned in the Facebook event post made for the rally, saying “we demand a full investigation into the death of Layleen Polanco Xtravaganza and transparency with [the] community.” This comes after the DOC previously stated they were investigating the death but there was no cause of death issued out.

Members of Polanco’s family and their lawyer, David B. Shanies, discussed that a week and a half prior to her death, Polanco was in the hospital and had a history of experiencing seizures, although that wasn’t the cause of her hospital visit. Shortly after being released from receiving care, she was allegedly put into solitary confinement.

Just a few days ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a monument would be in motion to dedicate two pioneering trans activists, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, for their legacy and contributions to the trans community and LGBTQ+ movement as a whole. “We are sending a clear message: we see you for who you are, we celebrate you, and we will protect you,” de Blasio said at the announcement. Polanco’s family responded to this action in a statement demanding answers following Polanco’s death, stating “the city failed to protect Layleen, and now it is trying to sweep her death under the rug. We will not allow it.”

Polanco, also known as Layleen Xtravaganza, was a member of the legendary house-ballroom community’s House of Xtravaganza, which was founded in 1982 and popularized after the 1991 cult classic documentary Paris is Burning. She was known for walking the category of realness at balls. At the event, her daughters stood alongside the crowd and spoke a few words of her memory.

Indya Moore, an actress from the hit FX series Pose – a show exploring the 1980s/1990s ballroom scene in NYC, spoke a few words at the rally. She discussed how they were both members of the House of Xtravaganza, how much she looked up to Polanco as a role model, and the impact she had on Moore’s life.

Moments after the rally ended and died down, some protestors took over the streets of NYC in respect to Polanco. NYPD arrived on the scene and tried to repress the marching from protestors, but the protestors resisted all attempts to restraints.

“This tragic loss of yet another member of the trans community comes just days after the start of Pride season,” the original Facebook event post. “There is no Pride to be had while trans folks continue to face an epidemic of fatal violence.”

Categories
Events

Activists “Flood Wall Street” to Support Fair Commerce and the Environment

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“Flood Wall Street” 

On Monday September 22nd, hundreds of protestors flooded the streets of Wall Street to advocate their goal of improving fair trade and commerce. Inspired by the massively large Climate March through the streets of New York City just the day before, this smaller group of activists marching for “Flood Wall Street” stormed the streets of Lower Manhattan to promote fair commerce, the equality of fair opportunities and to end the climate crisis.

To add an extra ounce of fight to the previous day’s Climate March, protestors stormed down Broadway in the Financial District, towards the heart of the world’s financial capital. 102 people were arrested or summoned after the “Flood Wall Street” march despite many protestors saying their original goal was to carry out the march peacefully.

DOWNTOWN has always supported the environmental movement and in fact, one prominent figure in the Climate March on Sunday was featured in our Summer 2011 issue. Leonardo DiCaprio appropriately took the place on our cover for our “Green Issue” which covered some of Lower Manhattan’s most eco-friendly businesses, residences and leaders. DiCaprio will be speaking at Tuesday’s UN summit on climate change to raise awareness of the urgency and important benefits of acting immediately to combat climate change in the future.

One protestor told DOWNTOWN, “Tomorrow is the UN gathering on climate change so we are just trying to show them that the environment is very important not only for us, but for the future.”

 -Lauren Price

–Photography by Tara Salvemini  

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“Flood Wall Street”