Elizabeth, NJ Is Location For Protest Against Zim Shipping Company On A15 Economic Blockade Day

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Photo Credit: Alexa B. Wilkinson

Editor’s Note: Formerly Beacon-based now Newburgh-based photographer Alexa B. Wilkinson documented and reported on the vehicle protest against Zim shipping Company today on this A15 Economic Blockade day. All photographs by Alexa B. Wilkinson.

Wrote Alexa:

“As part of the @a15actions, early this morning in Elizabeth, NJ Port Workers For Peace with @nyclaborforpalestine and @palawda led a caravan of vehicles through the Port of New Jersey to denounce the Zim shipping company’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Zim CEO Eli Glickman has pledged that his ships will assist Israel’s campaign, even as it leads to mass starvation and the killing of over 17,000 children.

Photo Credit: Alexa B. Wilkinson

“Many port workers are horrified at what’s happening in Gaza,” said Chino May, one of the caravan organizers. “Our labor is being exploited to enrich corporations that uphold mass murder. But we make these companies go, so we can make them listen to us. The killing has to stop.”

“The caravan received mostly honks of support and a few agitated truck drivers. Police flanked the lead car and the group, and at some points attempted to break the line of cars up by merging in between them. At one point the port authority police asked how long they would be there and if there were more coming, to which the police received one word answers and vague responses.

“As we see global action taking place today across thousands of cities and economic choke points, the news will be flooded with Trump and Iran…don’t take your eye off the ball. This is focal point. All eyes on Gaza.”

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

April 2 Leave it Blank on Primary Day, PK & New Paltz Actions, Newburgh Iftar, and More

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This Press Release was distributed by the Beacon Coalition:

The Beacon Coalition was formed while trying to pass the Ceasefire Resolution in Beacon. They continue to send out updates. Below is their latest update:

“As the U.S. continues to undermine progress made towards a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, it is all the more important that we keep up local pressure. There are lots of ways to show up for Palestine this week at the ballot box, in local parks, online, and beyond. Starting with…”

LEAVE IT BLANK NY: Did you know that you can submit a blank ballot in the New York Presidential Democratic Primary on April 2nd (and in early voting), to send a strong signal to Biden that New Yorkers want a permanent ceasefire? While there is no uncommitted or write-in option in New York, blank ballots are counted, and we strongly encourage primary voters to use this powerful opportunity to make our voices heard for a ceasefire. Find out more information on the Leave it Blank Campaign here, and sign up to phone bank here The campaign needs all hands on deck between today and the April 2nd primary, and phone banking is a great way to connect with other New Yorkers about how our tax dollars should be invested at home, not funding the destruction of Gaza. 

THIS WEEK:

  • SATURDAY 3/30 at 8PM: Land Day Vigil (Peace Park, New Paltz). In solidarity with the liberation of Palestine. Flowers & masks encouraged. More info here. 

  • SUNDAY 3/31 from 12-3PM: Poughkeepsie Protest. Gather at Harriet Tubman Park (72 Market Street, Poughkeepsie) in support of Poughkeepsie’s ceasefire resolution.

  • FRIDAY 4/5 at 7PM: Community Iftar at the Newburgh Masjid (25 Washington Terrace, Newburgh). Community event organized by the Newburgh Masjid board and congregation. All are welcome regardless of faith, affiliation, etc. Please be sure to RSVP to info@newburghmasjid.org so that the Masjid can prepare enough food for all to enjoy.

Finally, we’re still looking for folks who wrote to the Beacon City Council and/or who spoke during public comment in support of Beacon’s ceasefire resolution to submit their written letters and speeches to this email address (beaconceasefirecoaltion@gmail.com). These submissions will be compiled and distributed in a public forum that may serve as a reference for other municipalities who are writing letters and speeches for their own councils. So, please be sure to include in your email whether you’d like to be named as the author of your piece in this public compilation (and by what name if so), or if you prefer to remain anonymous. 

Chalk Art For "Free Palestine" Message Gets Splattered With Possibly Permanent Paint - And A Reminder As To "Welcoming City" Meaning

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“Free Palestine” message created by the artist Ryan Manzi, in addition to signs for Beacon, a shamrock for St. Paddy’s Day, and Scooby Do.

The irony of the permanent desecration of the brick building in order to cover up a temporary message of freedom with a layer of a bright blob of permanence is one for poets to ponder.

It is a wonder if the City of Beacon will pursue the graffiti blob maker (graffiti blobs are not art or expressions), or if they will instead pursue the chalk artists, who they are already in hot pursuit of on a regular basis, and have arrested in the past for making chalk art. An arrest that failed, since chalk is temporary, says one of the arrested artists and Beacon resident Ryan Manzi.

This article includes a video interview with Ryan as he pops up to chalk another message of freedom and justice just down the brick from the tagging signed in paint drips. Be sure to scroll down to watch/listen.

Forensic Discovery Of The Paint Over The Chalk

Ryan and his friend Steve first started chalking Beacon last Spirit of Beacon Day. His goal was to chalk spirit all over town. His work has been seen on the sidewalk outside of Towne Crier, outside of the Beacon Car Wash and the Beacon Fade and Shave, and on the big green construction fence/wall at the development site on Main Street that went bankrupt and has been standing still. That chalk space has since been covered up by another artist, in paint however, which may have come with permission, which was done for Beacon Bonfire, without a nod given to Ryan’s original chalk art that started there.

The paint covering the pro-Palestinian CHalk.
Photo Credit: Katie James Inc.

Ryan latest chalk art piece is on the building that used to be Pizza and Stuff, and is the back of Sun River Health. He chalked out FREE PALESTINE with the Palestinian flag. When this happened, ALBB was sent the photo by several people, all of whom were excited to see such expression.

Just days later, the chalk art was covered up by what seems to be splattered paint, maybe from a spray can, or a brush. Said Ryan to ALBB: “I know my chalk, and that's somebody deliberately covering it up.”

The person covering up the chalk used a paint-like substance, than ran down the building in drips. “It's literally spray paint. The running streaks are spray paint. In other words, LITERAL graffiti.” Recently, Ryan and his painting partner Steve have been arrested for their chalk art. Ryan says a call was made by someone who saw them chalking. Ultimately, charges were lifted because chalk is temporary. Ryan’s preferred brand of chalk is Crayola from local boutique Zakka Joy.

THe shamrock, left untouched by the Free Palestine cover-upper. The rain has already begun to wash away the chalk naturally.

Upon the discovery of his chalk work being covered in paint, Ryan took to being a forensic artist to figure out what happened. Ryan pointed out the drips. Another paint stroke on a brick looked like a deliberate stroke, versus spray paint. Additionally, he noted, his other chalk art of a shamrock, Scooby Do, or the words BEACON were not covered up or deleted by the paint.

“It shows clear and deliberate hatred and bigotry,” Ryan told ALBB. It is not known if Beacon Police will pursue the permanent paint thrower, or only focus on the chalk artist because he is always out on Main Street and is recognizable by most people who live here. Ryan is easy pray for the Beacon Police to come and get.

April Article from the Poughkeepsie Journal

As Ryan popped up to chalk a new message, a person walking by said “I like it,” and another said “Looks awesome!” Some Beacon elementary school kids walking by raised their fists in solidarity.

A white man also approached, eager to take a picture. ALBB wasn’t sure if he was taking a picture for evidence against the chalk art, as he mentioned not liking trash on the ground, saying nothing about Palestinians, but he stood by nonetheless to chat while Ryan finished his work. A Black man approached next, fist bumping Ryan, the two of whom later discussed Ryan’s latest nail polish.

In the video interview with Ryan, he mentions a Poughkeepsie Journal article, which reported on the time in 2017 when Beacon signed a resolution declaring itself a “Welcoming, Safe and Inclusive City.” Ryan had this to say, in 2024, about where the City is now: “Please remind them of their own doings, and then tell me where it doesn't add up, because its nothing new, thanks 🫶🏽💯”

Revisiting The “Welcoming, Safe and Inclusive City” That Beacon Resolved Itself To Be in April 2017

Ryan is not the only one who recalls Beacon’s resolution during the time of Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban, where Beacon and other cities sought to send signals to the federal government and all community members that it did not discriminate based on race or religion.

Palestinian Beacon business owner Kamel Jamal also mentioned this passage during his speech at City Council Meeting in 2024, urging City Council to pass a Ceasefire Resolution, demanding an end to the death and destruction going on in Palestine at the hands of Israel, with aid and support by the United States Government, and several of its local leaders at the state and municipal levels.

This time, in response, Mayor Kyriacou has been trying to “correct” the 2017 recollections of Beacon citizens. During the 2024 night of the passage of the ceasefire resolution by the mostly reluctant City Council Meeting (where Paloma Wake was the lone Councilmember steadily urging that the issue get recognized and pass), Mayor Lee “reminded” the community that he wrote the “Welcoming, Safe and Inclusive City” resolution, and stressed that its purpose was for police directive.

The city was divided then, and remains so. The Poughkeepsie Journal article that Ryan referenced captured the essence of the time. The article quotes below reflect the time, but read the full article here:

Published on April 4, 2017:
“In the City of Beacon, city officials and employees cannot interrogate or arrest someone based on their citizenship status, and will not help enforce federal immigration law.

“Those provisions are among several aspects of a resolution declaring Beacon a “welcome, safe and inclusive city” and designed to help individuals living in the U.S. without legal permission. But while the resolution was passed by the city council by a unanimous vote, the language used in the resolution was meticulously debated, and it proved divisive among area residents who attended Monday's meeting.

“Of 23 residents who spoke during two public comment sessions, 13 supported the resolution and 10 opposed it. Many in attendance wore red or blue to signify their stance on the issue.”

The article continued, describing the resistance to the wording and relevance of the resolution. Relevance is something Mayor Lee Kyriacou continues to push for today, in order to avoid discussion of these sorts of things, which center around racism, Islamaracism and bigotry. He mentioned wanting relevance again during last evening’s City Council Meeting, when he was discussing proper forum and decorum at City Council Meetings and topics taken up.

Back to the 2017 article. It further highlighted an effort by then City Councilmember, Ali T. Muhammad, who is currently participating in protests and ceasefire resolution pushes as a citizen, to include the word “sanctuary,” but received pushback by other councilmembers. As background, the term “sanctuary city” was punished by Trump when he put federal restrictions on funding for such cities:

“While not in name, the resolution offers many of the same protections as designated sanctuary cities. The resolution itself makes no reference to the term ‘sanctuary city,’ and a motion by Ali Muhammad, 4th ward council member, to add the term to the resolution name failed, 4-2.

"Peggy Ross, 1st ward council member, argued that the term ‘sanctuary city’ implied that Beacon would provide food or shelter in some way, which the resolution does not call for. Muhammad, however, said that choosing not to use the term "whitewashed" the resolution.

"Opponents challenged that the resolution was not a matter for the city council.

"‘What sort of benefit does this resolution have to protect our citizens or our police officers?’ asked Joe Galbo, of Beacon."

A Reminder Of The Legal Implications Of Beacon’s 2017 Welcoming, Inclusive and Safe City Resolution:

As reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal: "Under the resolution, city officials and employees cannot ‘stop, question, interrogate, investigate or arrest’ someone based on their immigration or citizenship status or a civil immigration warrant, administrative warrant or an immigration detainer.

"Officials and employees cannot inquire about an individual's immigration or citizenship status unless necessary to investigate a criminal activity by that individual, nor can they engage in the enforcement of federal immigration law, the resolution said."

Demanding Ceasefire Protest Moves To Poughkeepsie For Their Council, Since US Can't Get Their Ceasefire Resolution Right

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Since The United States can’t get their Ceasefire Resolution right (hear from Guyana on what is wrong with the resolution) the protesters demanding a local ceasefire has moved to Poughkeepsie to demand a resolution and vote from their council.

Where: Harriet Tubman Park, 71 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY (off of East-West Arterial, aka Church Street, aka Route 44).
Time: 12-3pm

Protesters will safely occupy the wide, flat sidewalks. There will be cars driving by, so please stay on the sidewalks if you are protesting. If you cannot stand, but can drive through, do honk your horn!!

If you need more reasons to be vocal about liberating Palestine, visit A Little Beacon Blog’s Instagram. All of our posts have been there in the essence of time. We are doing our best to bring them here to the blog for you, for longevity, and for ease of use for sharing to people who aren’t on social media.

These messages were gathered and posted by @sarahofmagdalene.

Public City Council Meeting Tonight March 4 - Wee Tots Playground, Fire Department, And Call For Immediate And Permanent Ceasefire

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Happening tonight, March 4, 2024, at 7pm!

Peek at the agenda below…

1. Authorizing the City Administrator to Execute an Agreement with WBE Fence Company, Inc. for the Wee Play Tots Playground Fencing Project

2. Approving the City of Beacon Fire Department Volunteer Members who Qualify for Length of Service Award Program Contribution for 2023

3. Calling for an Immediate and Permanent Ceasefire and Uniting for Peace

More details here >

See you there?!

Letter To The Editor: Phoebe Zinman, A Jewish American In Beacon, Implores Beacon City Council To Pass Ceasefire Resolution

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Editor’s Note: Phoebe Zinman also submitted this letter to Beacon’s City Council.

“My grandmother worked very hard to get Jewish families to America during WWII. Not one single member of my family would want this genocidal rampage to happen in Palestine, and certainly not in our name. ”
— Phoebe Zinman

As a 13-year resident of Beacon, a homeowner, an elected trustee of one of our community’s most valuable institutions, and a Jewish American, I am calling on you to pass the ceasefire resolution. My family escaped from the pogroms in Russia and came to this country in the early 1900’s. My grandmother worked very hard to get Jewish families to America during WWII. Not one single member of my family would want this genocidal rampage to happen in Palestine, and certainly not in our name.

This is a horrific ethnic cleansing that we are watching in real time, and also bearing witness to the power of pro-Zionist propaganda at every level of our society and culture. Furthermore, my father’s family were socialists and were blacklisted during the Cold War by the American government for speaking their truth to capitalist power and against censorship of the freedom of expression. Now in 2024, we are witnessing more blacklisting, more censorship, more limits to our freedom to criticize Israel’s actions.

“Is the City Council and the city prepared to stand on the wrong side of history, under the weak pretense that the resolution doesn’t matter?”
— Phoebe Zinman

Is the City Council and the city prepared to stand on the wrong side of history, under the weak pretense that the resolution doesn’t matter? If it doesn’t matter, why are any of us serving our city? This is a time for being clear about the value of human life, and not for favoring those with more power and resources.

You must pass this ceasefire resolution, there is no other choice you can make in good conscience,

Phoebe Zinman

Beacon Residents Marched On Sidewalk For A Free Palestine On February 3, 2024 (Photos And Video)

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On February 3, 2024, some Beacon residents gathered for a rally at Pohill Park, which then commenced down Main Street on the sidewalk. The march was peaceful and calm.

Prior to the march, community organizer with Next Step Hudson Valley, and former Beacon City Councilmember, Ali T. Muhammad, gave a safety pep-talk. In his talk, he encouraged anyone who encountered resisters to remain quiet and calm.

After and during the march, organizers announced that there was a gathering at City Hall the following Monday to ask Beacon’s City Council to consider and pass a ceasefire resolution during Public Comment. Several people did show up for that council meeting and gave their thoughts on why Beacon should consider and draft a ceasefire resolution. Three people spoke against a ceasefire resolution.

Weekly rallies were happening Newburgh to encourage the City of Newburgh to pass a ceasefire resolution, which it did after several drafts and demonstrations. Those rallies will now be held in Beacon until the City of Beacon passes its own ceasefire resolution.

Chants included:

Free Free Palestine
From The River To The 🌊 Sea 🍉
Gaza Gaza Don’t You Cry
Gaza 🇵🇸 Called Out, 🇾🇪 Yemen Answered
Israeli 🚢 Ships Are Canceled
Yemen Yemen Don’t You Cry
We Will Never Let You Die
Biden Biden You Will See
Palestine Will Be Free
Israel Is A Terrorist State
Long Live Palestine
Viva Viva Palestina

Pro-Palestine March Down Main Street In Beacon | Saturday, Feb 3, 12pm, Pohill Park

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Beacon's Demonstration For A Free Palestine! Ceasefire Now!
End the Genocide! End the Occupation! End the Apartheid! Free Palestine!
Day: Saturday, February 3, 2024
Time: 12pm start
Location: Pohill Park (Main Street and Wolcott near Bank Square Coffee)
From the organizers at Next Up Hudson Valley: "We need to wage peace the way they wage war. Join us this Saturday as we continue to disrupt the normalcy in Beacon, New York. #FreePalestine 🍉✊🏾"
Information >

Beacon's Swearing-In Ceremony Disrupted By Pro-Palestinian Supporters Who Were Physically Handled By City Administrator and Veterans

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Congressman Pat Ryan, who represents Beacon in District 18, is being followed everywhere by Pro-Palestinian supporters to demand that he call for a permanent ceasefire of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. The people don’t need to travel far, as they are usually residents of the towns Pat Ryan visits to give remarks to during Swearing-In Ceremonies of these communities.

Like this ceremony at Gardiner Town Hall. And this large protest march in Kingston. And this this 8th night of Hanukkah protest by Jewish constituents and kids at his Newburgh office. Prior to that, this protest also at his Newburgh office by 300 protesters. And prior to that, this first protest at his Poughkeepsie office led by some Beaconites.

The following is a description of what happened at Beacon’s Swearing-In Ceremony, which was captured on video and published below.

On Saturday, January 6, 2024, a four Beaconites, who are regular listeners or participants of Beacon City Council Meetings, were sitting in the audience of Beacon’s Swearing-In Ceremony for new Councilmembers being hosted at the Veterans Memorial Building, waiting to display their message of Ceasefire to Congressman Ryan. It was early in the ceremony, and Senator Rob Rolison (former Mayor of Poughkeepsie) and Sue Serino (newly elected Dutchess County Executive and former NY State Senator) had already spoken.

Congressman Ryan was next to speak. When he did, the four pro-Palestinian Beaconites demonstrating told ALBB that they stood up to unfurl a banner that said "Ceasefire." Say the demonstrators, their intent was to silently stand with the banner as Congressman Ryan spoke. As Congressman Ryan began his remarks, he did so by giving attention the silent visual demonstration in the back of the room by saying: “Before we get interrupted here…” as the display of a banner began to get more audible by opposing Beaconites who wanted to block the banner. The rest of Congressman Ryan’s speech in full is below.

As Congressman Ryan spoke, four more individuals also stood up to block the demonstrators and the banner with their bodies (ALBB is unable to obtain the names of the two Veterans at this time). The demonstrators described them to ALBB as:

  • Veteran with grey hair, wearing black sweatshirt (yellow emblem) & jeans.

  • Veteran with white hair, wearing glasses and black & red sweatshirt.

  • Harold Delamater, Veterans Memorial Building Manager, wearing grey sweatshirt & glasses.

  • Chris White, Beacon City Administrator

The demonstrators said that they tried to hold the banner until they were escorted out of the room under threat of arrest.

One of the demonstrating Beaconites brought his 5 month old baby with him, who was snuggled into a front-facing baby carrier onto his body.

City Administrator Chris White licking his lips in a warm up moment before putting his hands on the smallest protester, who is directly in front of him, while he inched closer to the demonstrator.

Harold Delamater of the Veterans Memorial Building pats demonstrator Veekas Ashoka on the back after helping him roll up the Ceasefire banner. Herold said he wanted the demonstrators arrested.

After a Beacon demonstrator unfurled the banner, the demonstrators were surrounded by Beacon Police, Veterans of the Memorial Building, and Beacon’s City Administrator, Chris White. At one point, according to the demonstrators which can also be heard in the video posted above, City Administrator Chris ordered the Police to arrest the demonstrators, saying: “Arrest them,” but the female Police Officer said she’d need to get approval from someone responsible for the property, the demonstrators told ALBB.

According to the demonstrators, the Police asked Veteran building manager Harold Delamater (pictured above) if he’d like the demonstrators arrested. According to the demonstrators, Harold said that he did want them arrested. ALBB reached out to Harold for comment, but did not receive a response.

According to the demonstrators, the female Police Officer gave them a warning before arresting. At the warning, the demonstrators agreed to leave without being arrested. It was at that time that the demonstrators began their exit.

Pro-Palestinian supporter Veekas Ashoka and his 5 month year old baby were shoulder bumped by a white man with silver white hair as Veekas left shouting: "How many more people have to die before you support a ceasefire, Representative Ryan? How many more kids like mine have to die?"

After that, Veekas walked backwards out of the room, shouting: "Ceasefire Now!" His 5 month year old baby watched the scene from his carrier. Veekas continued: "How many more people have to die before you support a ceasefire, Representative Ryan? How many more kids like mine have to die?" A white man with white hair who had been standing next to Veekas during the entire encounter, sideways shoulder-bumped Veekas and his baby as Veekas walked out, physically moving Veekas to the left. The man did so with arms behind his back and not one change to his facial expression. The force of his body did move Veekas’ body, which you can see in the video above.

After Veekas left, another demonstrator, the smallest of the group, held his sign up. It read CEASEFIRE!. Harold, who is roughly the same height as the demonstrator, grabbed the demonstrator’s jacket and hoisted him up as the demonstrator held his CEASEFIRE! sign above his own head. City Administrator Chris, who is was taller than the demonstrator, reached in to grab the sign from the demonstrator, who leaned away.

Beacon Police were in attendance the entire time with the peaceful demonstrators, so it is not clear why the property manager or City Administrator got physical with the demonstrators and escalated the situation. It is also not clear why the Beacon Police did not recognize this, and assigned escalation to the demonstrators, when their bodies were being grabbed by a city official and property manager.

Left: Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White, ripping a “CEASEFIRE” Sign out of a Pro-Palestinian’s hands (Middle). On the right a male Beacon Police Officer monitoring the scene.

A male Beacon Police Officer was behind the demonstrator holding his arm as City Administrator Chris was wrestling away the sign. However, the Police Officer was watching City Administrator Chris. Harold kept his hands on the demonstrator, and soon all three men had their hands on the smallest demonstrator. City Administrator Chris succeeded in ripping the Ceasefire sign in half.

City Administrator Chris White pointing the protestor to the door as Veteran’s Building Manager Harold Delamater and a Beacon Police Officers place their hands on the demonstrator to push him forward.

The tallest and third protestor exited the room while chanting “Ceasefire!” and was pushed out by Harold.

The smallest demonstrator holding the small Ceasefire sign was pushed out by a Beacon Police Officer and pulled out by City Administrator Chris. Before he was forced to leave, he chanted “Ceasefire Now!” and a round of applause returned his gesture.

Later, outside of the building, the smallest demonstrator told ALBB that City Administrator Chris called him an “asshole,” to which the demonstrator replied: “You’re violent.” City Administrator Chris apparently repeated the insult, and the two went around again before stopping. There was a Police Officer between between the demonstrator and City Administrator Chris at that point.

A demonstrator shouting “Ceasefire Now!” while being pushed by a Beacon Police Officer and pulled by City Administrator Chris White.

The fourth demonstrator recounted their experience, which was not captured in the video. They described to ALBB:

“I was being blocked by the Veteran with grey hair, wearing a black sweatshirt & jeans. This gentleman kept shouting "stop touching me" while standing in front of me and the "smallest demonstrator" when we first got up. This tactic was to misconstrue the events and make it appear as if we were violent, although two men were forcibly gripping our banner. Our goal was to silently hold the banner within Pat Ryan's line of vision. None of the attendee's would have even known we were there, if these individuals just stayed in their seats. Shouting "stop touching me" turned everyone's attention to us.

“With two men, strongly gripping the Ceasefire banner, I attempted to keep a portion of it open, unaware that I was working against two men which explains why it was so difficult to hold it up. In my attempt to keep the banner up, I was being pulled down into a table behind me. I was then scolded for leaning on the table. You can see the Veteran with white hair & glasses moving the table in the video, as if the materialistic object had more value than my safety. A male Police Officer looked me in the eyes trying to capture my attention, as he saw I was struggling to keep the sign up. I was informed that they will have to arrest us if we don't leave. I let go of the banner and walked out the door before the other demonstrators. Luckily, I escaped the altercation that followed, where the smallest demonstrator was pulled by his jacket by Chris White's hands. I chanted "Ceasefire Now" as I walked in front of Veekas.”

Said Veekas to ALBB after the demonstration: “Many members of the audience messaged me directly to express their appreciation after the event was over. One member of the audience was so moved by the action that she started chanting ‘Ceasefire Now’ and left with us.”

Congressman Pat Ryan’s Speech In Beacon

Congressman Ryan’s speech was brief and addressed the national and global outrage of the massacre in Gaza and awakening to the growing and violent occupation of Palestine by Zionist Israeli military. He said: "When the rubber hits the road, local government making Beacon a great shining example of what a Hudson Valley City can and should look like. The moment we are in the country - the world - at least in my lifetime - really incredible division. Just ask anyone taking this oath. To really reflect on what that oath means. The idea of essentially explicitly making yourself as an individual 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, below a greater common good. Below a city, below a county, a state, below a nation. Really recognizing that in a time of incredible polarization, the only path through this is a recognition that we don't all get exactly everything we want. We have to be willing to compromise and work together and be civil. That comes from ego and self pursuit of those aims is what causes that division."

Pat Ryan may have been implying that ego is what drove the demonstrators to demonstrate peacefully and silently, until they were blocked and physically handled by Beacon's City Administrator and some Veterans in the building. The Congressman should also note that part of why Beacon is a "shining example" is because of the demonstrating that citizens do for a number of different causes. Sometimes being aligned, sometimes working toward alignment.

In this case, "willing to compromise" on 23,000 Palestinian lives killed, and Israeli hostages still not safely home, who are in fact equally threatened under Israeli's indiscriminate bombardment using weapons funded by the United States Government, is not something many Beaconites will compromise on.

People Sworn In

The following people were sworn in, except Wren Longo. It had been rumored that she had resigned previously. Her resignation was officially announced at a City Council Meeting later. The Mayor appointed Pam Weatherbee to replace her, and appointed Amber Grant, a former City Councilmember, to return to the Councilmember At-Large position. The Council could have insisted on a public vote, but did not do so at the Mayor’s strong urging.

Paloma Wake, Councilmember At-Large, sworn in by Justice McCray (former City Councilmember)

Pam Wetherbee, Councilmember At-Large, sworn in by George Mansfield (former City Councilmember)
Pam was later moved to Ward 3 after Wren’s resignation.

Molly Rhodes, Councilmember Ward 1, sworn in by Mayor Lee Kyriacou.

Jeff Domanski, Councilmember Ward 2, sworn in by Justice McCray, who he replaced.

Dan Aymar-Blair, Councilmember Ward 4, sworn in by George Mansfield.

Mayor Lee Kyriacou, sworn in by Congressman Pat Ryan.

Watch the entire Swearing-In Ceremony here (does not include visuals of the disruption).

Saturdays And Sundays Are For Supporting Palestine: Weekend Repeat Disruption Rally Locations

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Saturdays
12:30pm
Elting Library, New Paltz, NY
Women in Black. Outdoos on thin busy sidewalk. Areas to sit. Street parking metered, free on side streets (past the library parking lot). No chants, very chill! Ignore counter protestors.

Sundays
12:30pm
Woodstock, NY
Outdoors on sidewalk near Stone Park

Sundays
12:30pm
Newburgh, NY
Outdoors with chants on flat pavement by busy road. Park at Downing Park!

Sundays
1pm
Nanuet
Outdoors with chants on wide sidewalks by busy road. Park at Shake Shack.

WEEKLY MONDAY BOYCOTTS: do all you can to disrupt the machine. Nothing is too small.

ALL DAYS: Go add to the community altar on the fence at Hasbrouck Park, New Patz

FREE KN95 MASKS!

New Partner For Binnacle Books - Laura Bellizzi - Longtime Employee Turns Partner

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Laura Bellizzi is the woman you’ve seen behind the counter at Binnacle Books quite often. You can tell she loves to read, and loves to be surrounded by books. When you try to special order your book from Binnacle Books through her, however, she will side-eye you, and tell you to talk to Binnacle’s website. Which you then do that night, to order your copy of “Secrets of Divine Love” by A. Helwa. When you come back a week later to pick it up, she hands it to you with a smile, saying “Enjoy!” with her classic eyebrow raise.

Laura was determined to work at Binnacle Books. It took her 6 times of coming into the shop, asking for a job. Finally, there was an opportunity to hire her. That was in 2016. She told ALBB: “It’s always been my dream to work in a bookstore, own a bookstore. This bookstore in particular has always been one of my greatest loves. Years later, my business partners offered me the partnership, and it’s a dream come true. I dropped everything else I was doing to come in and do this.” Laura remains committed and pleased to be there as ever, as she regularly styles herself comfortably in her keffiyeh.

Beacon as community supports Binnacle. Laura said: “As an independent bookstore, people want to see them thrive. There was a period of time when there was the fear that Amazon and all of these other forces were going to destroy the bookshop. I think a lot of people, in Beacon in particular, really rallied behind them.”

Tourists come from all over just to come to Binnacle Books in Beacon. “We have a lot of local support. A lot of regulars who pop in all the time.” Anyone can order just about any book from Binnacle’s website, and then enjoy a walk or ride down to pick it up.

“It’s not just a bookshop,” Laura told ALBB. “This is a community resource.” One of Laura’s favorite programs is the Prison Books Project, where incarcerated people write what books they want, and “sponsors” aka regular people, buy the books, and Binnacle Books ships the books to them. Binnacle Books works through the mail system, as opposed to working with the facilities. The Prison Books Project is all volunteer based. Binnacle Books just established a separate 501-C3 status just for this project. Other bookstores are also now involved with the project.

The food pantry at Binnacle Books continues, with Fareground and Beacon 4 Black Lives. It’s one of the only food pantry locations that has a refrigerator and a cupboard.

How LaStar Gorton Followed The Process And Was Still Denied The Ballot For Ward 1 In 2023

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When The Write-In Candidate happened for Beacon's 2023 Mayoral race, it exposed the question of why it can be so hard for some people to get onto the ballot. LaStar Gorton is one such Beaconite who was denied getting onto the ballot by Dutchess County Board of Elections, despite getting all of her homework in on time to run as an Independent. She was also questioned in an uncomfortable way, she says, by the Beacon Democrats Chair, Lisa Jessop, an hour after she submitted her paperwork to the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

LaStar was born and raised in Beacon, and currently lives in Tompkins Terrace with her children. Very important to her is being able to stay in Beacon to raise her children in Beacon. While her income is not nothing, it qualifies her to live in Tompkins Terrace, but makes it difficult to buy a home that fits her family. As Beacon considers the size of new apartments, single and double apartment units, and property in general, it clear in their planning of as many small units as possible it is not thinking of families who are growing out of their tiny apartments.

When Tompkins Terrace was going through the "temporary" re-housing of residents to renovate most of the apartments after the City of Beacon granted it a 40 year tax break to the luxury community managers of the low-income community in Beacon, LaStar joined residents there in being vocal at community meetings about the re-housing, to ensure that residents could return without qualification challenges by Tompkins Terrace management.

When another shooting happened at Tompkins Terrace in May of 2023, LaStar decided to turn it up a notch and run for City Council for Ward 1 as an Independent. She said that she missed the deadline to run as a Democrat, but could run as an Independent. After doing all of her work and hitting all of her deadlines, LaStar was denied by the Dutchess County Board of Elections. She was also questioned in what she felt was an uncomfortable approach by the Chair of the Beacon Democrats, Lisa Jessop, as to why she didn't come to the Beacon Democrats first to ask to be considered by them.

This situation is not the first that A Little Beacon Blog has heard of this happening. The details in this particular situation are the most simple to relay, however. ALBB tried reporting last election on when former Beacon City Councilmember Ali T. Muhammed, a Muslim Black man, was trying to run for Mayor in Newburgh against Torrence Harvey, a Black man. Ali acquired the signatures he needed, but was challenged.

Ali told ALBB: "Someone has to challenge your petitions, then Board of Elections rules on the signatures...This is a tactic to keep candidates off the ballot. If not voter suppression, it's lack of democracy. My signatures were challenged from the Democrat line. They started weaponizing that tactic/tool against me since 2016. I’ve won a couple court cases to reverse the ruling. I’ve been disqualified in a couple races because of the rulings, with no resources to fix."

LaStar's story is part of why Reuben Simmons threw his hat into the ring for Mayor in the final hours before election day. Before ALBB’s interview with LaStar, Reuben shared his light-bulb moment of when he started questioning the process of getting onto the ballot. Reuben’s reaction happened after Coucilperson Justice McCray proposed increasing the small salary the councilmembers currently get, in the name of increasing accessibility to people who want to serve, but may need more money. This is not a new proposal. Paying Beacon City Councilmembers is suggested every now and then within different administrations.

Said Reuben to ALBB: “When you want to serve, public service, it is a service, not to supplement your income, when you have workers who can't afford to live here...Maybe this increase in Council dollars will entice people to run. It just made me think, LaStar wanted to run for her ward. She seeked out the signatures and she went through the process. I witnessed her party actively work against her and become a barrier. So it made me question the hypocrisy of 'what is the raises really for?' Star is here and she can share the process she went through. When she initially was running...we share similar support groups so to speak. I was aware and kept my ear in to what was going on; just given my little education on it. If people who want to run can't even get on because a certain party has us in handcuffs so to speak, and has a lock on the election process, I'm not exactly sure the contradiction of these stories.”

As for the Republican party in Beacon, and why there were no contenders in Beacon, ALBB cannot speak to why there were no candidates put forward. The Republican party in Beacon was quite stained after Trump, making wins for Democrats easier. If a member of the Republican party wants to speak to ALBB about their issues, they can do so.

ALBB asked LaStar to tell us the entire process for her to do try to get onto the ballot. This is what she said, which you can also here in this interview, and has been transcribed in full below:

"I originally did not know what the entire process was. I live down in Tompkins Terrace, and a shooting had happened [in May 2023]. I went to our rehab meeting because they are about to redo the entire complex. I went to speak on it. Our Councilwoman Molly [Rhodes] was sitting in the back not really saying anything. All of my friends were like 'Instead of you just going to a City Council meeting and voicing your opinion, why don't you go run for this election.' I'm like 'Ok, cool!' I went onto the Board of Elections website, and found out I was too late to run as a Democrat, but I was still in time to run for the Independent. So I came up with a whole party name for myself; I wrote up my ballots; I sent them to the County as well as our city Board of Elections to ensure that my ballots were correct before I got them signed. My petitions: I got the signatures that I needed. I handed them in on the last day, the 30th of May. I went there, and I handed them in.

"About an hour after I handed in my petitions, I got a text or email from Lisa Jessup, the head of our Beacon Democrats here, saying that she would like to speak to me. We had a very long phone call. She asked me why I didn't run as a Democrat. I said at the time I did not know, and this issue just came up, and I was passionate about trying to save my part of the city, and make it batter for the people that live there.

"There were a couple of odd things said, like 'We could back you off the ballot if we wanted to...I'm not sure your petitions are all correct.' I said I know that every signature is not correct, but I have more than enough to be put on the ballot. But none the lease, in order to accept it, I received a letter in the mail on June 3, that said I needed to accept the position by June 2. But the letter was not mailed until June 1 [letter was postmarked June 1].

"But Lisa received this phone call on May 30 when my ballots were handed in stating that I handed in my ballots. I did call the County Board of Education and went there myself personally and spoke with the Dutchess County head there, and she told me that Lisa had FOILed for my petitions in order to see them.

"I said 'well how did she know to FOIL for them if I just handed them in? Who informed her that I handed in my petitions on the very last day at 12pm in the afternoon? Someone had to let her know that they were there in order to FOIL them. For her to get them so quickly, and be able to call me so quickly within the hour and to ask for a phone conversation. But you mail me out my letter on June 1 so that I don't received it until June 3, and I had to accept it by June 2.'

"I went there [to the Board of Elections] in person on June 5 to ask if there was any way I could accept it. She said 'well hold on, let me ask the Republican side. We have to be in agreeance in order for you to be able to accept.' She went away for 2 seconds, came back and said that they said no. So that was it.

"I did email the Enforcement Agency in Albany but I have not received an email back regarding it because I believe it was done on purpose and maliciously [it is November 5th as of this interview, and LaStar emailed the Enforcement Agency in May].

"Lisa and Molly both still reach out to me wanting to talk. They had a very long conversation asking me my ideas. Afterwards, I was like 'Oh, you dummy, you just gave them all of your ideas that they probably didn't know of the issues actually going on in Ward 1.'

"Molly actually knocked on my door Friday. Saying 'I just want to make sure you knew we are voting, since this is closed down. I still want to meet up with you and talk to discuss this whole Council process.'

LaStar's response: "I'll see you in 2 years. And I'll be starting from the top."

ALBB emailed Lisa Jessop on November 9th for comment on these events, and did not receive a response. On that same day, ALBB shared an election results article, “Beacon Election Results: The Significance Of The Unopposed Party, And A Few Other Races,” which pointed out that the Write-In Candidate for Mayor won 16% of the vote, when other Write-In results for other seats were 1%. A representative from the Beacon Democrats’ Instagram commented in that thread: “This post is misleading. Anyone can run for office, but NY state and Dutchess County have filing requirements. If you go to elections.dutchessny.gov, you’ll find all the requirements spelled out in great detail—gathering of signatures (which are sometimes challenged), financial statements, etc. It’s not like someone wakes up on Nov 6 and says, ‘I think I’ll tun for City Council, vote for me tomorrow’. Is it a perfect system? No. Could it be better? Yes. Anyone who wants to get involved with how elections are tun should contact the Board of Elections—they’re slways looking gor more help.”

The Beacon Democrats IG representative than posted a correction Comment: “Apologies for misspelled words in last paragraph—it posted before final edits. It should say: Anyone who wants to get involved with how elections are run should contact the board of elections – they’re always looking for more help.”

Over 150 Jewish, Palestinian and Allies Protested Outside Congressman Pat Ryan's Office in Poughkeepsie On Oct 25th Demanding Ceasefire

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A group of Jewish, Palestinian and Allies protested outside of Congressman pat Ryan’s office in Poughkeepsie demanding a ceasefire, near the Vassar Campus. Despite the large “Space For Rent” sign, Pat Ryan’s office is apparently inside.

“This is not justice. Justice doesn’t mean vengeance, it means dignity and freedom for all, including Palestinians. MHVDSA condemns violence against civilians, whether by Hamas or Israeli forces, and we also firmly believe that Israel cannot bomb its way to peace.”
— Andrew Hiller, with MHVDSA

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, more than 150 Hudson Valley residents rallied outside Congressman Pat Ryan’s Poughkeepsie office, “calling on him to support Rep. Cori Bush’s CEASEFIRE NOW resolution, pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and end U.S. funding of Israel’s war crimes,” according to a press release by the organizers. Led by Beacon resident and Beacon Hebrew Alliance member Dara Silverman, a delegation of Hudson Valley-based Jewish and Palestinian leaders met with Ryan’s staff and delivered a petition that had 523 signatures as of October 25th.

”We are filled with both sadness and anger. Sadness and anger that our beautiful country has come down on the side of genocide. Anger that our government pretends it is being done in the name of the Jewish people,” said Felice Gelman of Jewish Voice for Peace-Hudson Valley.

The group organized to reach Congressman Pat Ryan (representing New York’s 18th District) by marching to protest outside of his office, resulting in a meeting inside with Jewish and Palestinian representatives.

Congressman Ryan made his opinion known weeks prior, on X, formerly Twitter, when he reacted to the October 8th pro-Palestinian protest held in New York City the day after Hamas broke out of Gaza and attacked and killed 1,400 Israelis citizens, and took over 200 hostage. Congressman Ryan Tweeted on October 8: “Let’s be clear what happened yesterday: Hamas terrorists massacred hundreds of Israeli civilians, including women and children. They took dozens more hostage, including Holocaust survivors and American citizens. Jewish families around the world are still awaiting answers, wondering if their loved ones are alive. To know all this, and choose to hold a protest in New York City, home to the largest Jewish population in the United States, is blatant antisemitism.”

While for many in the world, this may have been an unexpected attack, there have been escalations on both sides occurring for decades, one most recent in May 2021 with the attempted eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah. While murder of anyone is not justified, context is necessary in the occupation by Israel of Palestinians.

When the DailyFreeman reported that a Kingston family’s relatives were killed with children kidnapped in the October 7 Hamas attack, Congressman Pat Ryan Tweeted: “We are grieving alongside the entire Ulster County community for the Shnaider family. This is a devastating reminder that the atrocities committed by Hamas are being felt by communities not just in Israel, but across the United States. I’m receiving regular updates from the Defense Department on ongoing hostage recovery operations, and will not rest until all Americans get home safely.”

It has been 29 days since the 200+ Israeli hostages were taken by Hamas. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not secured their release. Instead, he, with the support of the United States, has bombed Palestinian civilian buildings, hospitals, ambulances, mosques, a church and other locations in search of Hamas. The Washington Post reports that as of November 2, at least 3,700 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli air strikes, in the newspaper’s article titled: “Gaza becomes ‘a graveyard for children’ as Israel intensifies airstrikes” Today, some Israeli citizens protested at Netanyahu’s home, calling him a “murderer” and expressed frustration at not knowing where the Israeli hostages were or what condition they were in, as Gaza is being reduced to rubble.

Pro-Palestinian Supporters outside of Congressman Pat Ryan’s office in Poughkeepsie near Vasser College Campus.

Back to the local protest in Poughkeepsie at Congressman Pat Ryan’s office on October 25th, the organizers stated in a press release: “1,400 Israelis and 5,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed since October 7th—how many more is enough?,” said Andrew Hiller, whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, and who spoke on behalf of Mid-Hudson Valley DSA. “Of those killed in Gaza, 40% were children. This is not justice. Justice doesn’t mean vengeance, it means dignity and freedom for all, including Palestinians. MHVDSA condemns violence against civilians, whether by Hamas or Israeli forces, and we also firmly believe that Israel cannot bomb its way to peace. An unfathomable number of lives have already been lost—we need an immediate ceasefire, and ultimately an end to Israeli apartheid.”

In this video, hear the words of Palestinian leader Sereen Jamal, who has spoken at other pro-Palestinian rallies, like this one in Newburgh in 2021 that marched to then Rep. Sean Maloney’s office.

The organizer of the October 25th Hudson Valley protest continued: “Veterans For Peace is an international organization composed of veterans from every war and peacetime back to the second world war. We know the horror of war,” said Tarak Kauff, former national board member of Veterans for Peace. “We have sent delegations to the West Bank to see with our own eyes Israel’s occupation and apartheid. We condemn the genocide now happening on the innocent people in Gaza on children on women and families. There is no excuse for it. Absolutely no excuse.” Read what Tarak has written about Israel as an occupier, and its military the IDF

“The Zionist State of Israel has betrayed the very essence of everything good and decent about being Jewish. Instead of being kind, compassionate and empathetic to the oppressed and dedicated to truth, Israel has become a most vicious oppressor. I saw Palestine children brutalized. They are killed on almost a daily basis. Children! Many are languishing in Israel prisons for throwing rocks at occupying soldiers or for just being suspected of that. Israeli soldiers often break into Palestinian houses in the dead of night, terrorize the family and arrest children. And there is no such thing as a fair trial. If you are arrested, you are guilty. Palestinians are considered vermin.”
— Tarak Kauff, Jewish, and Former National Board Member of Veterans For Peace

“It is absurd that we need to call for something as basic as a ceasefire. This isn't about who's right and who's wrong, this is about protecting innocents from further death and injury,” said Talal Jabari, Palestinian journalist and documentary filmmaker. “We are asking our representative to sign onto the Ceasefire Now resolution and be on the right side of history.”

“The call for a ceasefire is not a fringe stance held by a loud minority. In fact, recent polling shows that across party lines, the majority of Americans support a ceasefire and a de-escalation of violence in Gaza; a view shared by an overwhelming majority of the United Nations Security Council. This widespread popularity is evident by the large turnout at today’s rally, by Palestinian and Jewish community members and others who stand for peace. Speakers of all backgrounds told personal stories, read poetry, and chanted “Ceasefire Now!”. When the group of representatives who met with Rep. Ryan’s staff finished the meeting, they shared that his office agreed to continue the conversation with the group. His office made no other commitments to ending this violence.”

As for other political leaders in the area, former Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro and current Congressman for the 19th District is staunchly supporting Israel and has made little acknowledgement for the loss of Palestinian lives, which as of today has passed 9,000 and consists of thousands of children. So far in his Instagrams, he refers only to Hamas, which is a dehumanizing tactic for Palestinians or Arabs and is Islamaphobic.

Assemblywoman Sarahana Shrestha called ‘to end Israeli occupation’ on Monday, while other Mid-Hudson Valley politicians stand behind Israel, as reported by the Daily Freeman.

In this video, Veekas Ashoka addresses the participants to update them on the meeting going on inside of Pat Ryan’s office with Jewish and Palestinian leaders.

In this video, Palestinian leader Raz Sadiq-Keyes (we are getting the confirmation of her name spelling) and Jewish leader Dara Silverman.

Podcast Episode With Tina Bernstein :: A Jewish Voice Wanting To Be Heard Regarding Palestine And Israel

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After A Little Beacon Blog reposted a “Jewish Voices For Peace” post on Instagram, a few of our Jewish friends in Beacon reached out to ALBB. They wanted to contribute their voices. They wanted to feel safe, so ALBB agreed to meetings with them on and off the record.

Tina Bernstein agreed to an audio interview right away. Tina is an outspoken advocate for local housing issues here in Beacon, and immigration. She spoke to us as an individual, not affiliated with any group she participates with for other causes. “I felt I had to say something,” said Tina, “because there needs to be an alternate view... It's very hard to speak out and it's very hard to take a stance against this.”

It was important to Tina to make a distinguishment about "some Jews" on this or any subject. That there are many beliefs within the Jewish community on pieces of life. During the interview, she stated: “I don't think that Jewish lives matter any more than Palestinian lives...I am very concerned that the Israeli government will have their acts reverberate for many years…The Israeli government, and I'm not talking about the people, but the Israeli government. [What they are doing] goes against everything I believe in. I cannot be secure if everyone is not secure."

In describing the Jewish community, Tina expressed: “It is a very hard time if you are secular Jew who goes against the majority opinion. It's not easy. But I felt it very important to speak out.”

As the interview concluded, Tina forced back tears. There is much more in Tina’s interview that is only 17 minutes. She shares her personal experience, as well as that of her family from Poland. Please listen to the interview in its entirety. Click on it in the top of this article. Comments that are antisemetic or Islamaphobic will not be approved.

SOON IS NOW - A Festival Of Climate And Eco Art, Performance And Activism - Here In Beacon - September 23, 2023

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SOON IS NOW is an afternoon of art and live performance about climate change and the ecological in Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park, a former industrial site and brownfield transformed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects, the Scenic Hudson Land Trust, and others, into a sustainable park on the Hudson River in Beacon, NY. This site is on the unceded land of the Wappinger, in a region with a vital history of environmentalism rooted in Scenic Hudson’s fight to save Storm King Mountain from industry and Pete Seeger’s fight for an unpolluted Hudson River.

Twinkle Burke, What We Give Back, by Madeline Sayet, photo by Lucas Millard 

Audience walking to the next performance, photo by Flynn Larsen

Part reverence for the River, part cry for what is lost to climate chaos, part response to the pollution and rejuvenation of the park's ecosystem, SOON IS NOW places art in conversation with the landscape and brings audiences into an immersive experience with original works. 

Actors, dancers, musicians, performance and visual artists are curated throughout the park (many of them Beacon-based): Edwin Torres, Alex Waterman, Raven Chacon, Bob Bellerue, Koyoltzintli, Elise Knudson, Elisa Santiago, Randy Burd, Cecilia Fontanesi, Tom King, Jim Fletcher, Jaanika Peerna, Twinkle Burke, Jojo Gonzalez, Camille Seaman, Andrew Brehm and Jean Brennan.

Edwin Torres, Water’s Way: A Poet’s Choir for the Hudson River with E.J. McDonald, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Tamalyn Miller, Kristin Prevallet, Urayoán Noel, Jayden Featherstone. photo by Flynn Larsen  

The Resistance Revival Chorus will be performing a special concert at 5pm including a new song about climate change. 

The Resistance Revival Chorus, photo by Ginny Suss

On SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd at 2pm the day starts at the River Center (the red barn) in Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park with a visual arts exhibition. Meet activists including Beacon Climate Action Now, Climate Reality Hudson Valley & Catskills and Fareground, and learn what you can do. Sign up for an 80 minute tour of performances throughout the park that start at 2:30, 3pm and 3:30pm, first come, first served. Even if you don't get on a tour you will be able to experience performance, visual art in the River Center and the concert by The Resistance Revival Chorus at 5pm. Poppy's Farm 2 Trailer food truck will be at the event selling tacos. Parking at Long Dock Park is limited. Park at the Metro North Beacon Train Station where all parking spots are free on the weekends, a short walk to the event. Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by Climate Reality Hudson Valley & Catskills and HV Climate Solutions Week. Part of Climate Change Theatre Action's 2023 season. Funded by Arts Mid-Hudson, the Clara Lou Gould Fund for the Arts administered by Beacon Arts, and many local businesses and individuals. 

Tom King, photo by Lucas Millard

Jaanika Peerna, Glacier Elegy, photo by Flynn Larsen

Liz Zito, Eric Magnus, Andrew Brehm, The Oysters, by Miranda Rose Hall, photo by Lucas Millard

Elise Knudson, Sentinels, photo by Flynn Larsen

For more information: soonisnow.org or contact evemorgenstern@gmail.com.

About Eve Morgenstern:

Eve Morgenstern, Director/Founder/Producer is a photographer and filmmaker. She has been awarded artist residencies at The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace and MacDowell, and grants for her work from The New York State Council on the Arts, Chicken and Egg Pictures, The George Gund Foundation, The Park Foundation and Arts Mid-Hudson. Her environmental film Cheshire, Ohio has screened in festivals in the US, Canada and Asia and is distributed by Bullfrog Films and ovid.tv . Her photographic project Facades of Crises had its solo Museum premiere at Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden. Eve is also co-chair of her Climate Reality Hudson Valley & Catskills chapter. She lives in Beacon, NY with her daughter Chloe and her beloved mutt Amber. “This started as an experiment to produce plays from Climate Change Theatre Action, a project that uses storytelling and live performance to foster dialogue about our global climate crisis. The project grew to include visual art and original live performance created in dialogue with the site. The idea to curate works throughout Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park as a tour for audiences is intentional and meaningful as this site was once a brownfield, remediated and revisioned into a beautiful climate resilient public park on the Hudson River.”

CREDITS SOON IS NOW:

Eve Morgenstern, Founder, Director

Connie Hall, Producer

Brian Mendes, Producer

ALBB is a Media Sponsor of this event, and is proud to partner to help get the word out.