What to do now
Our readers' questions about how to brace for Trump 2.0, answered.
Well, here we are, again. Yesterday we sent out a call to our readers in the wake of the election results, asking simply: what do you need right now? We got a lot of replies looking for ways to get involved and promoting some helpful resources, and we also got despondency along these lines: “I’m just so tired and scared and I didn’t think we would have to do this again. I’m not as young as I was last time.”
This sentiment hits hard but it’s understandable: 2016 sucked, 2017 sucked, and so did the following years. Any year sucks when you are forced to pay attention to one gargling, self-obsessed, badly color-corrected man on TV over and over again. Do we really have to spend the next few months and years calling and protesting and begging legislators to protect our basic rights, let alone maybe improve society somewhat? It was exhausting last time, it’s been exhausting even in the non-Trump years, and yet it's where we are, again.
In a time like this you look around for who is coming to save you and realize there is no one — New York's mayor and governor ain’t it, guys — and that seems bleak. There’s a bit of a gift in that realization though: instead of looking for someone above to help, we are forced to look around at each other and realize there is a lot of organizing, consoling and information sharing here in the city already, doing direct-action work. We’ve got only us, and maybe that’s enough.
Yesterday we asked you all three things: what do you need right now? What resources do you have that others should know about? And, what’s one thing that gives you hope right now? Here, we do our best to answer your questions and connect you with resources, and a summary of the bright spots out there. We’ll keep the line open for more.
What do you need to know right now?
Q: What are direct action volunteer opportunities?
Several people, including Cathy K., wanted to know “what are boots on the ground things I can be doing to help my homeless neighbors?”
The easy answer to where to volunteer quickly is New York Cares. The all-purpose volunteering hub was built with busy New Yorkers in mind, so you can pick and choose volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule. Those range from helping teach English and applying for citizenship, to staffing food banks, meal prep services and parks revitalization efforts. You can help wrap Christmas presents or pack food boxes or whatever you have time for, there is an endless need for volunteers. Sign up here.
Because we live in a city where what other people do in their bedrooms or with their bodies is none of our goddamn business, the city is home to lots of centers that support LGBTQ+ rights, and they’re always looking for volunteers. The Ali Forney Center, for instance, helps LGBT homeless youth on the streets of the city; SAFE helps migrants who are marginalized due to their sexual orientation. Find a list of local volunteer opportunities along these lines here.
Homelessness has been a rising problem under Mayor Eric Adams, and the lack of compassion for literally anything at upper levels of the incoming federal government means that it likely won’t get better any time soon. TimeOut has a great list of local groups that work with people experiencing homelessness that you can volunteer with right now, from Housing Works to Women In Need.
Also, and this is just a personal opinion, but just give money to people on the street sometimes, don't be precious about it. It doesn’t solve the crisis but maybe it helps someone get one meal, and one meal at a time is how we make our way.
Q: How do I get involved in local mutual aid groups?
One of the greatest things that came out of the pandemic was the huge surge in mutual aid groups, even if that surge was just another symptom of the overall breakdown of social safety nets. The groups are found in every borough and most neighborhoods across the city and operate differently than charities: instead of top-down charity distributed to those in need, mutual aid exists horizontally, meaning it’s made of neighbors helping each other with things like food shopping, rent assistance, legal aid and clothing swaps. They're likely to see a big resurgence now too.
Use this finder to locate the nearest mutual aid group to you. Being effective with mutual aid groups requires a little persistence: the nature of their organization can make them a little messy, but that’s what happens when you’re a real grassroots organization and not some nonprofit with a CEO defrauding your travel budget. I spent a lot of 2020 doing mutual aid work, picking up groceries and installing air conditioners for people who couldn’t leave the house. It's honest, fulfilling, sweat work for people you see on your streets, and it feels like tangible help.
Q: Where can I find rights primers and non-violent civil disobedience trainings
Several old dogs in the local protest world have some resources for training non-violent civil disobedience, including Act Up and Extinction Rebellion.
Also check our New York Groove guides to 2024 protest safety in the city, and to your rights when it comes to police encounters in the subway.
Virginia K. Smith
Q: How do I stay better informed on local politics?
Teresa asked about staying more in touch with local politics “out of the election cycles.” It’s the right question to ask, because all change starts at home, and treating voting like it’s a special quadrennial affair is how we keep getting gold in the low-information Olympics. Unfortunately, those local issues get eclipsed by national news all the time, so it can be hard to stay on top of.
Here's how to get more local politics into your rotation: listen regularly to the FAQ podcast from nonprofit news site The City to hear bedrocks of earnest civic reporting like Katie Honan and Harry Siegel yap smartly about what's happening in local government. The other answer, I’m sorry to inform you, is reading a lot of internet. City Limits takes a solutions-focused lens to urban problems. City and State is a wonk’s delight of state and city government news. Hell Gate covers the Adams administration with appropriate ferocity. WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer show dips into both national and local issues every day, but still talks about mayoral corruption, City Council district trash issues and interviews with local candidates. We here at The Groove will always keep you informed of local issues with an eye on how to get involved, and how to make this city better.
Also, a personal note: break out of the algorithms and get an RSS feeder and check in your local news that way. Some of you are too young to even remember Google Reader but RSS readers provide a neat and civilized way to digest news as it's published, not as a tech overlord's programming determines it. Other similar readers exist out there now, like Feedly. Add the above sites to it, and check them and whatever schedule you like. The fascist firehose of Twitter is no way to get your news these days.
If you're able, become a paying member to help support this work, or make a one-time donation here.
Q: Where are the best places to get Plan B and hormones and abortion pills in bulk to have on hand for when they're banned?
One place to start here is AidAccess, which helps send abortion pills by mail and provides other related resources. Also, check the New York Groove guide to finding abortion services in New York.
Virginia K. Smith
Q: How do I get hormone replacement therapy if it becomes illegal to prescribe it to trans people?
A Reddit thread from a few months back addresses this question. The answer is get your refills now and stock up if you can, and then look for DIY resources if things get worse. Another user pointed to queer community smuggling rings that popped up when AIDS medications were withheld.
Q: Why did New York City voters elect Eric Adams, and what can we do to stop that from happening again?
This question I think is not so much about educating voters but just about getting more people to vote, and not relying on the party machinery to do it. Only 1 million New Yorkers voted when Eric Adams was elected mayor, about 21% of registered voters, which means only 13% of New York’s overall population voted. Adams only beat his closest primary challenger by about 7,000 votes. I've been on queues for books at the library that had more people on it.
Our powerful local Democratic parties, like the one in Brooklyn that birthed Adams, are the holy trifecta of irredeemably corrupt, tragically incompetent and eternally power-hungry, and don’t seem interested in adding new voters to their coalition. For example, the group sent out an email yesterday that repeatedly spelled the name of one of their own candidates wrong and patted themselves on the back for how well the election went. It’s the largest county Democratic party in the country. Is this your king?
Look outside the two-party binary for some alternate action like with the Democratic Socialists of America or the Working Families Party.
Q: How do I find general how-tos of how to join Democratic clubs/resources for the upcoming mayoral because that's actually soon WTF!
At this point, you’ve got to find a candidate you like and get involved with their campaign directly in advance of the primary election next June. The good news? At least some of these people seem fairly competent and less overtly corrupt, and none of them are a former cop.
Q: What is the status of congestion pricing?
Not gonna lie, it's not great. It feels like there was a window for this massive attempt to unclog our streets, reduce carbon emissions and tilt the balance of power back to public transit, and Gov. Political Genius Kathy Hochul blew that one. A second Trump presidency is likely to be hostile to the idea, so the time to move is right now.
But the latest update, as our own Dave Colon reported yesterday, is that she’s still twiddling her thumbs on it. Mandatory cars with truck nuts for everyone, I guess!
Q: What’s the likelihood of Eric Adams winning reelection? Any Adams indictments updates?
One of you sent in this request with one of these triple frowns :((( so we know you’re very worried. Whether he will win reelection is impossible to tell at this point: The mayoral primary is about eight months away, and a coterie of seemingly less-corrupt, fairly competent people are lining up to challenge him.
Some see the mayor as angling for a pardon from Trump, which is why he pulled his punches recently and was eager to congratulate him on Tuesday. Adams doesn’t face trial until April, a lifetime from now in Trump administration years.
Q: How do I take my mind off this for a minute?
One of you asked for “a mixture of fun stuff to enjoy during these dark times.” We’ve always believed in fun as a core New York City value, so we’ll keep the spigot of good times open for you, because if we’re not finding ways to see each other and build community through all this, then we’ve already lost.
We’ve got our FOMO Calendar for our paying members, which will help you keep track of those “man I really should have gone to that!” things each year, plus this roundup of all the ways to never be bored again.
All this weekend, for instance, you can do a big communal group scream at House of Yes at midnight. Also, this month’s installment of Vocabaret — the show I co-host with four other pun-addled freaks — is coming up on Friday and it’s part of the New York Comedy Festival. It's a silly good time.
For a mix of fun with serious politics (probably going to be our default setting for a minute), join this NYC For Abortion Rights orientation at Francis Kite Club in the East Village on Nov. 16, which will feature Eric Adams trivia.
What info or local resources do YOU have that you think other New Yorkers could benefit from right now?
Ursula recommends getting involved in “any and all mutual aid orgs."
Cathy K. said: “I’d recommend checking out The Interference Archive for their work collecting ephemera from resistance movements, I find it really inspiring.”
Jennifer White Karp, the managing editor of BrickUnderground, pointed to her site's work protecting tenants: “Brickunderground.com has resources on NYC housing issues like: Rent-stabilized apartments, Good Cause eviction protections, housing vouchers, security deposits, dealing with landlords, and a lot more."
One of you said you host a “coffee and bread” get together in the park once a month on Saturdays. “It’s really chill. People seem to really like it. I recommend doing it. Bring coffee and carbs for people and good convo follows.”
Another of reader had a two-handed approach: “Faith in a higher power. Truly what is getting me through,” and added, “Also, FM 21-76 (U.S. Army Survival Manual), because you never know.”
Tell us one thing that gives you hope today. It can be political, personal or local, just share the bright spots you see right now.
New York vs. everywhere
“I guess it’s heartening that we’re all hurting through this together. It sucks so bad but I don’t feel alone walking through the city,” Cathy K. responded.
The next generation
“Even though today is a sad day for them, I am thrilled that my daughters (18 and 15) are so politically aware and engaged,” Karp said.
New rights for New Yorkers
“NY ERA”
'I can't not hope'
“There is a part of me that still believes everything won’t crumble; that despite appearances, at its core humanity is more good than it is evil; and that the systems we have built will protect us from the worst of the absolute chaos. I think this is just an uncrushable part of me, and I am hopeful that this exists in enough other people too. I don’t know if that’s too YA Protagonist or Resist Lib of me, but I can’t not hope. I can’t be cynical.”
Scraps of love
“So many New Yorkers toting their food scraps to compost at Union Square Greenmarket.”
In bocca al lupo
“I have an Italian friend, who, after offering his condolences, reminded me that he has lived under three Berlusconi terms as prime minister, and now Meloni. And while it's sometimes frustrating and sad, life goes on,” Gene responded.
Shipping out of Boston
“Last time Trump won I lived in Boston, so at least now I'm back in NYC.”
Reality bites
“Our shock and grief has evolved. No one is wallowing as much as in 2016. All rose-colored glasses are off. We know this country’s reality.”
Spooky season cont'd
“While I was crying today, my host mother told me: it is necessary for evil spirits to exist, to show us how to conquer them.”
Shower and yap
“1. Took a great shower. Not taking hot running water for granted, either!
2. Great conversation with adult offspring. Not taking THAT for granted,” Ursula offered.
Dinner is served
“For all Americans to thrive, the work has to happen at the grassroots level. Wait, no. Actually, it needs to happen at the Kitchen Table,” Munira responded.
Crotch rocked
“After being defeated by the dumbest asshole of all time for the second time, maybe the Democratic Party will pull its face out of corporate America's crotch,” Cassandra said.
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