1/ I want to say a couple of things to put this location & what is going on here in context. First, yes, this is voter suppression. The NYC BOE failed to plan for this & I reckon that's partly since it is the first time we've had early voting in a Presidential and in a pandemic.
2/ This was also a neighborhood hard hit by COVID. Just in my zipcode we've had 2700+ cases & 300+ deaths. This voter line wraps around the former location of one of the state administered covid testing sites, where cars stretched out in lines all spring.
3/ It was also the site of one of the most violent moments I witnessed during the protests this summer. The police confronted a peaceful protest and tried to pen them in on Bedford just behind the Sears. When protestors reversed course the police used force. These are my pics.
4/ So I hear you. This is voter suppression. It's awful we have these lines. But these people have had a HELL of a year, and they were JOYFUL today. We passed out water and snacks to the folks in line and we saw smiles under masks.
5/ So take what you want from this video. But to me it is inspiring.
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And to people replying.... of course it's also suppression! The board of elections failed to plan for this. But I am choosing in this moment to focus on my neighbors, who WILL do whatever it takes.
1/ I want to focus on this segment, which has been touted as a great example of holding a Trump administration official to account on false accusations of voter fraud. Folks are right to praise @HallieJackson but please listen closely to what Gidley is saying, as it is revealing.
2/ When Jackson disputes the idea there is voter fraud Gidley says “You can’t deny what you’ve seen on television in all of these local markets, where people are finding ballots of trash cans, people are finding ballots in ditches and in the back of trucks….”
3/ When Jackson pushes back, citing the FBI Director's statement that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, he says “Your local markets and all types of NBC affiliates are reporting on this in all types of areas across this country, this is rampant, everyone sees that”.
Good morning! Here are the stories I am reading this morning:
A lot of voters are asking these questions right now: How quickly will ballots be counted in the presidential election? Which states will have results — and possibly a winner — on election night? nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Good morning! Here are the stories I'm following today, Indigenous People’s Day:
A "divided Senate Judiciary Committee will kick off four days of contentious confirmation hearings on Monday for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, drawing battle lines that could reverberate through the election." nytimes.com/2020/10/12/us/…
"At least two members of the Judiciary Committee will participate in the proceedings remotely, after being diagnosed with the coronavirus or to protect themselves from the virus." washingtonpost.com/politics/amy-c…