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- Havdalah #10: Rallies, Food Sovereignty, and Trees!
Havdalah #10: Rallies, Food Sovereignty, and Trees!
11 Shevat, 5784 / January 20, 2024
White Rose RI
January 20, 2024
Hello Neighbors,
Tu B’Shevat, sometimes called the New Year for the Trees, is just around the corner! In celebration, our Sidebar this week includes a collection of our favorite tree photos.
Also, a bit of good news: it looks like we’re past the peak of this winter’s Covid surge. Wastewater levels are still high, but they are decreasing. We encourage you to continue to wear a mask in public spaces and test before large gatherings if you’re able. Be well and stay safe out there!
In solidarity,
Lee
Rally to Support the Palestinian People
When: Tuesday, January 23 and every Tuesday, 3:00pm-4:00pm
Where: Gather at the intersection of Francis and Gaspee Streets across from the Providence Place Mall
The Rhode Island Anti-War Committee will meet every week to express solidarity with the Palestinian people. Make your support visible with signs or use the ones provided. They are calling for: ceasefire now; stop the Israeli onslaught on Gaza; end the siege of Gaza; humanitarian aid to Palestinians immediately; and no U.S. military aid to Israel.
While this is an outdoor event, there is still a Covid surge, and the point of a rally is to come together, so make sure to wear a mask!
DARE Rally for Rent Stabilization
When: Thursday, January 25, 5:00pm
Where: Providence City Hall, 25 Dorrance Street, Providence RI 02903
Providence had the highest rent increase nationwide this past year and we need rent stabilization NOW! DARE is having a rally at City Hall for the official campaign launch.
The Rent Stabilization ordinance will cap yearly rent increases at 4% a year; create a rent board with tenant representation to resolve tenant-landlord disputes outside of the courts; and create eviction protections and a fund for no-fault evictions. This is common sense legislation, by and for the people!
Once again, there is still a Covid surge, and the point of a rally is to come together, so make sure to wear a mask!
ACLU 65th Kickoff: Stories of Defending Justice
When: Thursday, January 25, 5:30pm
Where: Pizza J’s, 967 Westminster Street, Providence RI 02903
The RI ACLU is kicking off their anniversary year with a storytelling event, where a few of their most dedicated volunteers will share tales of the past 65 years, before they turn our attention to the 65 years ahead.
This event is free and open to the public, with food and a drink provided (and a cash bar available). They encourage you to bring a friend, even if they don't already know about the ACLU's work!
Registration is not required, but RSVPs are appreciated.
Once again, there is still a Covid surge, so we encourage you to stay safe and still take Covid precautions and wear a mask if you’re not eating!
Power Half-Hours for Gaza
When: every day, Monday through Friday, 3:00pm EST
Where: online
Jewish Voice for Peace is holding Power Half-Hours for Gaza every day — join us as we channel our fury and sorrow into collective action to stop genocide.
The same link will work every day.
Continuing Actions for Palestine
The siege of Gaza has continued and intensified. Palestinians are in desperate need of water, fuel, medical supplies, and more; however, this aid has been locked up at the border and prevented from entering into Palestine. Please contact your representatives to call on them to work for a ceasefire and to get aid into Gaza.
This toolkit has a variety of links, including call scripts, groups accepting donations, phone banks, petitions, and more:
Telecom services in Gaza are periodically being disrupted. This makes knowledge of what is happening there very difficult to get and to verify. Various social media websites — including and especially Twitter — while vitally necessary in getting ordinary voices heard, have also been full of dis- and misinformation of people deliberately trying to cause trouble. Especially now, be aware of who is sharing information and why they’re doing it.
Al Jazeera reporting has continued to be the most accurate and reliable so far:
RI Food Bank
The Rhode Island Food Bank distributed 16.2 million pounds of food this past year, and with the SNAP benefits partially cut in March, it was sorely needed. While it feels good to drop cans or cereal in collection boxes at your work place or apartment complex, the money goes farther and feeds more people if you give it to RI Food Bank directly (they can buy wholesale! And buy fresh veggies!).
Reoccurring donations, even if they’re a smaller amount than a one off, are often more useful because they mean the organization has a better understanding of its budget.
Tomaquag Museum: Food Sovereignty Virtual Program
When: Monday, January 22, 12:00pm-1:00pm
Where: Online, Zoom
Culture, tradition, family, and love are embodied in the foods we eat. The Tomaquag Museum with everyone joining them will explore the lasting legacy of indigenous foodways and the indigenous-led movement to protect, preserve, and pass on these traditions.
Join the Tomaquag Museum for a monthly virtual presentation on Indigenous history and culture. Grab your lunch and take a break with them!
AMOR Info Session: Driver’s Privilege Card, ITIN Numbers, Health Insurance for Undocumented Children
When: Tuesday, January 23, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Where: Online, Zoom
If you are interested or know someone who wants to apply for a driver's privilege card, health insurance for undocumented children or both programs this presentation is for you!
AMOR will explain step by step how you can apply for the new driver's license law if you do not have immigration status. They will also explain how you can get health insurance for children who do not have immigration status.
Note: Presentation will be in Spanish
Legislative Advocacy Training
When: Saturday, January 27, 10:00am-12:00pm
Where: Cranston Public Library, 1400 Sockanosset Cross Road, Cranston, RI 02920
Want to take action this year on issues you care about, but don't know where to start? Join the ACLU of Rhode Island at their free Legislative Advocacy Training.
They will explain the legislative process, talk about some bills that are being heard this session, and leave you equipped to take action. Plus, a state legislator will join the event to provide an inside look and be available to answer any questions you may have.
This event is not endorsed by or affiliated with the Cranston Public Library.
This free, beginner-friendly training is open to the public.
Once again, there is still a Covid surge, so make sure to wear a mask!
In honor of Tu b’Shevat, this Sidebar is dedicated to the beautiful neighbors we share this earth with.
Send us your tree pictures, and we’ll show them off on Tu b’Shevat itself either by a special edition of our substack or on our instagram. Join us to kvell more about our tall friends!
Needle Drop: “What A Wonderful World”, Reuben and the Dark x AG
So, you may have noticed, either from our newsletter or just from walking around, that there’s a certain type of deeply obnoxious sticker that keeps popping up around Rhode Island. NSC-131, Patriot Front, sometimes just lonely little racist or fascist standalone stickers, without any group connection at all.
If you do come across one of these wretched little adhesives of bigotry, we very much do encourage you to destroy them, whether by scribbling over them with marker, covering over them with a different sticker, or by scraping and pulling them off. If you do the latter, however, it’s good to have a little bit of caution — it’s a standard warning in the lefty community that these sorts of stickers sometimes have razors or similar sharps pasted behind them.
Now, this has all the hallmarks of an urban legend — someone who knows someone who knows someone’s cousin who had it happen to them — and some clicking around on the internet turns up that it started in 1970’s Britain, which has its own fun history with fascism, so they’d know. Still, there are enough people asserting — personal experience, Reddit forums, and so on — that while razors are unusual, they’re not actually as rare as hens teeth; better to be safe than sorry, if you can.
However, we are certainly not recommending leaving these wretched things in place. If you have the space and can remember, bring a marker to deface the sticker (consider just having a sharpie live in your bag), and make sure to particularly destroy active information (QR codes, phone numbers, websites, etc.). Even better, cover it up with a different sticker, with whatever slogan you prefer; there’s any number of online vendors that sell both premade and custom.
If you still want to try and remove the sticker, use gloves and a scraping tool — keys work! Especially if you just want to deface the thing instead of getting it all off.
Also, report the stickers so people can keep track of what hate groups are active, and where, but try not to give the assholes free publicity by talking about it online. If you truly can’t resist the siren song of social media, absolutely don’t put pictures of it online.
Groups to report the stickers to:
Us! Email us at: [email protected]
The SPLC also has a Hatewatch map
Your local police - ACAB, obviously, but hate groups in RI are something I’d like them to be aware of, actually. Obviously, if you feel unsafe around the police, skip this, but a lot of them have tip lines and such. I’ve called in white supremacist highway banners to their front desk and they just wanted to know where I had been when I saw it.
The Rhode Island Legislature has swung into session. If you feel the urge, you can watch their business on Capital TV, streaming from their website. They’ve already got a host of bills introduced, nearly 200 each in the Senate and House as of writing (January 12) and more are coming. Generally in our experience, the more complicated bills are introduced a bit later, as the kinks get worked out, so we’ll let you know as soon as we’re made aware of any particular bills. And if you’ve got one you want to make a fuss about, let us know!
