NYC Physicians at @DoctorsCouncil are striking next week due to unfair labor practices at NYC Health + Hospitals and its private affiliates.

Today, I spoke with Dr. Gray Ballinger, a primary care physician at Queens Hospital Center, about why ~1,000 doctors are going on strike. @DoctorsCouncil Dr. Ballinger took her first job out of residency in 2022 at Queens Hospital Center. Working at a public hospital, she's often the first doctor patients ever see.

She began working in Queens so she could more directly work with her community. "I wanted to be a person who helps."

This is a photo of Babri Masjid, a mosque that stood for over 400 years in Ayodhya, India.

In 1992, it was destroyed in a riot instigated by the BJP, now India's ruling party.

On Sunday, Hindu nationalists want to celebrate that atrocity in NYC.

Will Mayor Adams let them? The VHP—a right-wing Hindu nationalist organization—is planning to drive a float of the Ram Temple down Madison Avenue in this Sunday's India Day Parade.

Ram Temple was built atop the ruins of Babri Masjid—the crowning example of a supremacist vision of an India rid of Muslims.

Last weekend, we held the first annual Keffiyeh Cup in Astoria Park—an all-day soccer tournament fundraiser for @UNRWA, one of the leading providers of emergency relief for Palestinians in Gaza.

A 🧵. Our efforts to create this space to gather in solidarity, celebrate Astoria's commitment to Palestinian liberation, and raise funds for Palestinian refugees began more than a year ago.

In August of 2022, I sent Hani Almadhoun, @unrwausa's Director of Philanthropy, this email.

NYC politics operates on an understanding of Palestine that's grounded purely in imagination, w/o any relationship to reality

It's how you get politicians still saying they support the 2-state solution even though settlements mean there isn't even any geography to conceive of it It's how you get politicians lining up to say that they believe in Israel's right to defend itself, on the Monday after the IDF initiated a weekend of terror—targeting apartment buildings and killing 44 Palestinians, incl. 15 CHILDREN, and injuring 360 others.

Our state’s budget was due April 1st

It’s now April 5th, and we don’t have a budget

When you look at what happened this year, it’s clear why our budget is late 🧵 Jan 18th: Hochul announced her exec proposal

Jan 25 - Feb 16: Series of joint budget hearings

March 12th: NYS Assembly released their budget proposal

March 13th: NYS State Senate released their budget proposal

March 14th: Both proposals voted on & passed

CW: Suicide

10 days without food

The City is letting us, @NYTWA, starve

Today, I think of the 9th driver who died by suicide

He was found in his car. He remains unnamed, per his family's wishes

1/8 Today I also think of all the drivers whose names I don’t know, and who suffer out of sight

Those who struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts, who don’t have a support system or access to healthcare

2/8

Drivers have been outside 24/7 City Hall for over a month

Today marks our 9th day on hunger strike

But what are we fighting for?

@NYTWA's debt relief plan with a city-backed medallion guarantee

Here are some common misconceptions & facts about the plan🧵 FYI: @NYTWA is calling for a city-backed medallion guarantee

That means if a driver defaults, the City can buy back the medallion & resell it — instead of a driver losing all their assets & going bankrupt

& a guarantee incentivizes lenders to provide actually affordable rates

TW: Suicide

Today is the 9th day of our @NYTWA hunger strike, and today I think of the 8th driver who died by suicide, Roy Kim

He was 58 when he was found dead in his Bayside home

His son in South Korea couldn’t be reached to inform him of his father’s death

1/8 He had been driving for 4 years

A year before his death, he collected his savings & took out a loan to purchase a taxi medallion

He had been told this purchase was an investment in his future

2/8

TW: Suicide

Today marks the 8th day of our @NYTWA hunger strike

Today, I remember Fausto Luna — the 7th driver that died by suicide

He was 57, a driver from the Dominican Republic who died near his home in Washington Heights

1/4 He worked hard to provide for his loved ones.

At his wake, his relatives said that Fausto had been depressed because he had accumulated debts that were impossible to pay.

He felt there was no way out.

2/4

If you’re in Buffalo, come out and stand with @CWADistrict1 & #strikechs.

It’s been one week since the strike began, and nurses like Jen are out here because they deserve safe staffing, fair contracts, & a hospital that pays its workers more than $12.50 an hour also, shoutout to Jen’s nails

#BillsMafia

Today, the @NYTWA started a 24-hr protest outside of City Hall for debt relief.

@JabariBrisport and I are here to stand with drivers in their struggle for dignity.

Come through- This is Richard Chow. He is 63 yrs old. He has driven a taxi for 16 yrs

He owes $389k to a hedge fund for his medallion. Before the pandemic, he had to pay $2,766/month

His brother Kenny was a taxi driver who committed suicide in 2018 bc of his debts. He owed $580k at the time

On the day we passed #LessisMoreNY, Jose Mejia Martinez, a 34yo jailed on a parole violation, died on Rikers

Now, 3 mo later, @GovKathyHochul signs the bill with an expected implementation of March '22

How many more will die while we wait?

Implement Less is More immediately 🧵 Jose was the 3rd man jailed on a minor parole violation to die on Rikers in 2 months

Another, Thomas Braunson III, was 35 when he died on Rikers on April 19

He was a new father — his daughter, Vinessa, was born just 3 months before his death

thecity.nyc/2021/6/14/2253…

People often ask what socialists mean when we say we want to "decommodify" housing.

Basically, we want to move away from a situation where most people access housing by purchasing it on the market & toward a situation where the state guarantees high-quality housing to all. (1/8) Big Real Estate & the politicians they purchase want you to think that's a fantasy.

But in some places, it's a reality.

In Vienna, 62% of residents live in beautifully constructed social housing, with ample green space & vibrant community life. (2/8) huffpost.com/entry/vienna-a…

This is an old photo of Babri Masjid, a mosque that stood for over 400 years in the Indian city of Ayodhya.

In 1992, it was destroyed in a riot instigated by the BJP, now India's ruling party.

Tonight, Hindu nationalists will celebrate that atrocity in Times Square. (1/8) The BJP promotes the ideology of Hindutva, or Hindu supremacy. They want to transform India from a diverse, secular republic into a Hindu state & erase the legacy of an India where my Hindu grandfather recited Urdu poetry & my Muslim grandfather sang bhajans in Gujarati. (2/8)