#Westchester People's Action Coalition | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-garbanzo-annex-jr · 5 months

Text

By Isabel Vincent

The cash from Soros and his acolytes has been critical to the Columbia protests that set off the national copycat demonstrations.

Three groups set up the tent city on Columbia’s lawn last Wednesday: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Within Our Lifetime.

At the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” students sleep in tents apparently ordered from Amazon and enjoy delivery pizza, coffee from Dunkin’, free sandwiches worth $12.50 from Pret a Manger, organic tortilla chips and $10 rotisserie chickens.

An analysis by The Post shows that all three got cash from groups linked to Soros. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund also gave cash to JVP.

The fund is chaired by Joseph Pierson, and includes David Rockefeller Jr, a fourth-generation member of the oil dynasty, on its board of directors. The non-profit gives money to “sustainable development” and “peace-building.”

And a former Wall Street banker, Felice Gelman, a retired investment banker who has dedicated her Wall Street fortune to pro-Palestinian causes, funded all three groups.

17Free sandwiches from upscale takeout joint Pret a Manger are on offer at the encampment, worth up to $12, and $10 rotisserie chickens. Cash for the encampment has come from billionaire investor George Soros.NYPJ

Both SJP and JVP were expelled from Columbia University in November for “threatening rhetoric and intimidation.” JVP blamed Israel for the Oct 7 Hamas terrorist attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead.

“Israeli apartheid and occupation — and United States complicity in that oppression — are the source of all this violence,” JVP said in a statement on its website.

SJP called the terrorist strike on Israel “a historic win.”

17Also on offer for the thirsty anti-Israeli protesters camped out at Columbia is free coffee from Dunkin’. Behind the scenes, the groups organizing the encampment have received cash from Soros and another former Wall Street banker.NYPJ

An analysis by The Post shows how Soros and Gelman’s cash made its way to the students through a network of nonprofits that help obscure their contributions.

Soros has given billions to the Open Society Foundations which his son Alexander — whose partner is Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s top aide and the estranged wife of pervert Anthony Weiner — now controls.

In turn, Open Society has given more than $20 million to the Tides Foundation, a progressive nonprofit “fiscal sponsor” that then sends the cash to smaller groups.

Those groups include A Jewish Voice for Peace, which between 2017 and 2022 has received $650,000 from Soros’ Open Society. Its advisers include the academic Noam Chomsky and the left-wing feminist author Naomi Klein.

JVP has been a prominent part of the protests at Columbia and one of its student members was among a group expelled from the university for inviting the leader of a proscribed terrorist group, Khaled, to the “Resistance 101” Zoom meeting.

Soros has also donated $132,000 to WESPAC, called in full the Westchester People’s Action Coalition Foundation.

#george soros #columbia university #open society foundations #rockefeller brothers fund #jewish voice for peace #gaza solidarity encampment #within our lifetime #students for justice in palestine

38 notes · View notes

89845aaa · 5 months

Text

1 note · View note

maryannmccarra-fitzpatrick · 1 year

Text

[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]

Joe Torres Announces Candidacy for Westchester County Legislator Representing District 1

Westchester, NY - Joe Torres, a life-long Westchester resident and community leader, has officially announced his candidacy for Westchester County Legislator representing District 1, which encompasses Peekskill, Cortlandt, and Yorktown. Torres, a former public servant, aims to bring his experience and expertise to the county level and champion issues that matter most to the people of his community.

"I am proud to announce my candidacy for Westchester County Legislator representing District 1," said Torres. "I am running for this position because I believe that we need strong, responsible leadership that listens to the needs of our community and takes action to improve the lives of its residents. I have the experience, the passion, and the dedication necessary to be that kind of leader."

As a local small business owner and Peekskill City Councilman and Uniform Court Officer, as well as volunteer for the Peekskill Emergency Management Office, Torres has a proven

track record of advocating for policies that promote public safety, affordability, and smart development. Joe believes that District 1 is in need of a common sense leader who can communicate goals and strategies clearly, involve community members in the

decision-making process, and be accountable for his actions.

"I am committed to being a voice for the people of District 1 and fighting for the issues that matter most to our community," Torres added. "I believe that we can create a brighter future for all Westchester residents by working together to address our shared challenges." Torres' campaign will focus on building a coalition of supporters from across the district and engaging with voters through community events, outreach efforts, and online

platforms. He is committed to running a positive, issues-based campaign that prioritizes leadership, transparency and accountability.

For more information about Joe Torres and his campaign for Westchester County Legislator representing District 1, please visit his website at FriendsOfJoeTorres.com.

Contact:

Sean Echols

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 914-424-6284

#peekskill ny #peekskill new york #peekskill n.y.#city of peekskill #hudson valley #hudson valley ny #city of peekskill new york #westchester #hudsonvalley #westchester county

0 notes

lisabelkin-yahoonews · 7 years

Text

The women who marched in 2018

Marchers passing the Trump International Hotel. (Photo: Jackson Freiman)

The marchers stretched for 30 city blocks along Central Park West, from its starting point in from of the Trump International Hotel at 59th Street all the way back to the Museum of Natural History, at 86th. The crowd filled the side streets along that stretch, too. They stood shoulder to shoulder on 71st and 75th, waiting for the police to remove the barricades and join the sea of people.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office estimated the crowd size as 120,000 people.

The result was a stretch of bright pink hats and largely hand-drawn signs, supporting a swath of causes. The atmosphere was that of a New Orleans funeral — a mix of high spirits and deep mourning, interspersed with marching bands and a smattering of costumes. Down Central Park West it wound, onto Sixth Avenue, ending at Bryant Park in Midtown.

Diane Carlson holding her sign and Roseanne Ryan. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Diane Carlson and Roseanne Ryan took a train from Stony Brook University at 7:40 a.m. and headed for the hotel room they booked in Manhattan tonight. They had been at last year’s march in Washington, and anticipating similar crowds here, they decided to stay overnight rather than fight traffic going home.

They put their signs together at the hotel. “Make America Kind Again,” it read. There would have been pictures too — of the Statue of Liberty kicking Donald Trump with her boot — but they forgot to pack them, and once at the march they decided that was for the best. “It wasn’t the kindest image,” Carlson said. “Now this is a completely kind sign.”

Jonni Lane. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Other sign makers were not as considered with being kind. Using the president’s “own language,” flight attendant Jonni Lane drew a picture of Trump with the poop emoji spewing from his mouth. “Shithole-In-Chief”, it read, and was one of hundreds of curse-filled signs held by marchers. “It’s been a rough year,” Lane said of her reasons for marching. “I’m here to protest, to make my voice heard, to vent. A little shouting never hurt anyone.”

Evy Lieberman, right, and Nancy Gillon. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

More complicated but on the same theme was the “Dump Trump” sign carried by Evy Lieberman and her friend Nancy Gillon, who had driven in from Tenafly, N.J. Attached to the sign was an actual roll of toilet paper, each sheet of which carried a picture of the president.

“I’m here because she marched last year and said it was an incredible experience surrounded by all those determined people,” Gillon said, pointing to Lieberman. “I needed to experience some of that energy.”

“And I needed to get it back,” Lieberman said. “I’m here because I’ve been miserable.”

Yisel Fernandez. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Officially, march organizers are describing the events taking place in cities around the country and the world as “marches” rather than “protests” — and they stress that the purpose is to encourage voter participation in the 2018 midterm election and beyond.

In that spirit, Yisel Fernandez carried a sign that said “I’m Hispanic, I’m a Mother and I Vote.” She was marching for her 2-year-old daughter, she said, who she was going to bring but decided to leave at home because, despite the unseasonably warm high of 51 degrees, it was still “really cold” for a toddler.

Loveena Rajanayakam. (Photo: Kadia Aretha Tubman/Yahoo News)

Loveena Rajanayakam was also marching for her young daughters, and she brought them along, bundled up in matching purple winter coats. Together they held signs that read “ReSISTER” and “I Love Naps But I Stay Woke.”

“It’s very important for them to understand that they can do anything, shouldn’t take anything for granted and have a voice that needs to be heard,” she said.

Amanda Hambrick with 1-year-old Skylar. (Photo: Kadia Aretha Tubman/Yahoo News)

And Amanda Hambrick, was marching with 1-year-old Skylar, who was almost kind of marching for herself. The toddler did her best to toddle along with her mother, a sign around her neck that read “I marched before I could walk.”

Asked why she was marching Hambrick said, “We’ve got to show up for each other. There’s too much at stake.”

Small part of the 100 members of an Asian-American coalition marching to increase voter registration. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

In a marvel of logistics, large groups of marchers managed to meet up on a variety of street corners and march together. A group of 100 Asian-Americans did so on Broadway and 69th Street, representing a collection of advocacy groups, including the Asian Woman’s network, the Korean American Service Center, and Asian Women United.

“Power to the polls, that’s our cause,” said Joyce Samoa, one of the marchers. “We want Asian-American women to start voting. We are the poorest group in New York City and we are underrepresented on the voter rolls and in public office.”

Marc Allen, Barbara Spitzer, Ann Marie Morris. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Ann Marie Morris, Barbara Spitzer and Marc Allen stopped on their way toward the march to shop. They already had their signs. “Truth, We Miss You,” Allen’s read, “Build A Wall Around Trump, I’ll Pay For It,” read Morris’s.

But they added messages from one of the many button vendors lining the sidewalks. “Go Fact Yourself,” was one purchase. “Michelle Obama 2020” was another.

“He’s a disgrace, he’s an embarrassment,” Morris said of why she was marching. “We wouldn’t accept this behavior from a CEO, a Hollywood actor, no one else is allowed to act like this.”

Lois Hoffmann and the family and friends who helped her cross “attend women’s march” off her bucket list. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Lois Hofemann turned 80 this year and the Woman’s March was “on my bucket list,” she says. So her daughters invited her down from her New Hampshire home and brought her to protest.

“There is no force more powerful than a woman determined” read her sign, which she held while her daughter Catherine Sorenson pushed her wheelchair.

“Not this Grandma’s President” read Janet Mehan’s as she walked beside.

Ruth Rosar was born before women could vote nationwide. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

There was no one keeping track, but odds are that Ruth Rosar was the oldest marcher present in New York City. She was born on March 3, 2016, she said, making her 102 years old.

Her mother was a suffragette, marching for the women’s vote, and now Rosar was decked all in red, wearing a button that said, “Another Nasty Woman Against Trump,” and attracting a crowd.

“I have been watching Donald Trump and the 68 million people who voted for him tear down our nation agency by agency. I can’t really march,” she said, pointing to her walker and explaining that she would spend the day on a quieter sidewalk greeting passersby. “But I can be here.”

Ana Lombardo. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Women like Rosar were on Ana Lombardo’s mind as she marched. “Grateful to the Women Before Me Who Fought For My Rights,” her sign read.

Others were on her mind as well. On one side of her handle she’s pasted a photo of her friend Christine, who died of breast cancer three years ago, and “who would have absolutely been here,” Lombardo said.

And on the other side was a photo of her friend Sal, who died of AIDS less than a year ago. Sal was too sick to attend the 2017 march with Lombardo, but she carried his photo there as well. “And he made me promise that if I went this year, I would take him with me in spirit again,” she said.

Shawn Gutcheff. (Photo: Kadia Aretha Tubman/Yahoo News)

A different woman was in Shawn Gutcheff’s mind — and on her sign. She brought a poster of Oprah Winfrey with her from Salt Lake City, Utah because, she said: “I’m marching for Oprah. For everything that is the antithesis of Donald Trump.”

Mya Stein, Ally Dolmanisth, Haley Prisloe, Kate Gregory, Sophie Dolmanisth. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Mya Stein, Ally Dolmanisth, Haley Prisloe and Kate Gregory are all 17 years old and will all vote for the first time this year. They take that responsibility seriously, they say, and came to march so that others would register.

“I think our generations needs to experience these things so that we can build our own future,” said Dolmanisth’s 15-year-old sister Sophie. So the group put sparkly facepaint on their cheeks and used bright colors on their signs.

“Without Hermione Harry Would Have Died in Book 1,” read Stein’s.

“Girls Just Want to Have FUNdamental Rights,” read Dolmanisth’s.

Susan Ferziger. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Many of the marchers were second-timers, having participated in the 2017 march in New York or elsewhere.

Susan Ferziger was one of those, and now she was back carrying a sign that said “Last Year I Was Scared, This Year I Am Angry.”

“It’s worse than I’d feared,” she said, listing more than a dozen administration actions with which she disagreed. “So I’m back.”

Nina, Charise and Lauren Fisher. (Photo: Kadia Aretha Tubman/Yahoo News)

It was also not Charise Fisher’s first march. When she was 12, her mother brought her to a protest against South African apartheid and she says, “I will never forget the day Nelson Mandela got out of jail.” To carry on the legacy of protest she brought her daughters, 7-year-old Nina and 9-year-old Lauren along today.

“As black women we stand on the legacy of the people who marched before,” she said. “So this generation has to continue marching.”

Clarissa Rodriguez, left, and Eliza Mendel. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

All along the route there were political conversations, and one of the more common themes was exactly what these large gatherings of protesters actually accomplished.

Clarissa Rodriguez and Eliza Mendel, both classmates from SUNY Purchase in Westchester, said they were marching because they believed in the power of hundreds of thousands of voices.

“People said last year that the women’s march wasn’t going to do anything, it wouldn’t change anything” Rodriguez said. “But it created real action — the #MeToo movement, the voter registration drives, all those women running for office.”

Ellie Engstram. (Photo: Kadia Aretha Tubman/Yahoo News)

Ellie Engstram, who travelled to the march from Ohio, also agreed there was value in the gathering. If nothing else, she said, being together in one place was reinforcing for those who participated.

“It’s important to get together to have our voices heard and to have conversations rather than just tweeting,” she said, carrying a sign that read “Liberty is a Lady for A Reason.”

John Cadue. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

John Cadue was dressed head to toe in rainbows, carrying a sign that said “Only Love Can Drive Out Hate.”

When asked why he was marching, he swept his hand down the length of his multi-color clad body and said: “Doesn’t this speak for itself? Activism is alive and well.”

Doria Bachenheimer. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Cheryl Snow wasn’t sure what sign she would carry today. Then she woke up to the morning news and was certain.

1/2017 Trump Inaugurated, 1/20/18 Fed Gov Shutdown,” she wrote in red marker on white poster board. “Trump said that he would run America like his businesses.”

Her friend Doria Bachenheimer, who carried that sign, said she and Snow were marching for many reasons — “for human rights, for basic human decency, for democracy…”

Monica Martino. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Artist Monica Martino realizes she has made a nice living off of Donald Trump. A year ago, the Atlanta native painted a poster showing a ripe orange peach topped with a shock of blonde hair and the message “ImPeach.” She put it on her website and has sold quite a few.

This year, her poster had a picture of the Statue of Liberty and the message “Girl, Hold My Earrings,” as Lady Liberty prepared for a fight. She put her web address on the poster and figures she will sell a number of these images, too.

“It’s good for business by terrible for my morale,” she said of the current administration. “I want to put myself out of business. I want to go back to drawing animals and other cute stuff.”

Cochan Yves and his brand new bride Veleama Virginie pass the march on their way to take wedding photos in Central Park. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

On the sidewalk along Central Park South, as a stream of marchers passed by, Valeama Virginie and her brand new husband Cochan Yves stood confused.

She was in her white gown, he was in his brown suit, and they were headed for Central Park to take wedding photos immediately after their ceremony when they encountered quite a crowd.

From a French island off the coast of Madagascar, they had come 20,000 kilometers to be married in New York, but had not heard there would be another big event happening.

“What is this for?” Virginie asked. “It’s against Trump,” a passerby told her. Bride and groom smiled and pumped their fists.

Candy Fitts, right, and Barbara Posner. (Photo: Lisa Belkin/Yahoo News)

Two hours after the march first began to move, with no sign of its end in sight, Candy Fitts and Barbara Posner, both from Connecticut, stood watching from the sidewalk wearing the ubiquitous pink pussy hats and holding a sign that read “We’re Still Here! 2018.”

They were already thinking of next Jan. 20, and wondering whether there would be a need to march again. They were fairly sure there would — that the march represented a real change in the political landscape and the those who were marching, once emboldened, would not go quietly to their former lives.

“Our message is that we’re not going away, nobody’s giving up,” Posner said. “This will continue until we’re heard.”