{"id":9884,"date":"2020-07-06T22:04:55","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T22:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavozlit.com\/?p=9884"},"modified":"2020-07-06T22:04:55","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T22:04:55","slug":"on-the-attack-on-robert-cuffy-at-the-mass-march-to-defund-the-nypd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/2020\/07\/06\/on-the-attack-on-robert-cuffy-at-the-mass-march-to-defund-the-nypd\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Attack on Robert Cuffy at the Mass March to Defund the NYPD"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 1, 2020<\/b>
\n 
\nNew York City Fight For Our Lives Coalition
\nNew York, NY
\nPhone: (347) 433-8652
\nEmail: GeneralStrikeNYC2020@gmail.com<\/a>
\n 
\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/b>
\n 
\nOn the Attack on Robert Cuffy at the Mass March to Defund the NYPD\u00a0<\/b>
\nStatement of Solidarity,\u00a0<\/i><\/b>
\nCall for Information Accountability and Action\u00a0<\/i><\/b>
\n
\n<\/i>Foley Square, New York, NY, 8:55 pm \u2013
\n 
\nWhile leading Monday June 29th\u2019s\u00a0 Mass March to Defund the NYPD & Abolish the Police<\/a> from Washington Square to Foley Square Robert Cuffy was filming<\/a> the march, when he was blindsided and tackled by an unidentified man who then slammed Robert into another car, <\/b>dislocating his shoulder. Prior to this moment Robert was straining his voice by calling out to marchers \u201cWe\u2019re going to City Hall!\u201d <\/b>but he was not able to continue due to the severity of his injuries.
\nPolice nearby observed the assault, and joked with the attacker before walking him to the Foley Square subway station, where they released the attacker without charges<\/b>. NYPD\u00a0 didn\u2019t even document the attacker\u2019s identifying information.
\nRobert is a well-known revolutionary socialist in NYC, <\/b>and an effective organizer for Black Liberation.<\/a> He is a member of the DSA Afrosocialist Caucus<\/a>, a leader of the NYC Fight for Our Lives Coalition<\/a> (which is part of People\u2019s Strike<\/a>, a National coalition organized by Cooperation Jackson<\/a>), and a founder of the Socialist Workers Alliance of Guyana.<\/a> He is also a leader of the DSA Labor Branch. This made him a target.
\nRobert was put into an ambulance, and was told that he would be taken to New York Presbyterian. Instead, he was driven a few blocks away where Robert waited over an hour inside the ambulance<\/b>, which did not budge from its location at Spruce and Nassau Streets. Fearing for his own safety, Robert texted marchers to gather at the intersection for support and to enforce transparency. Robert was provided no pain control for his injury. This punitive and callous treatment of Black patients, especially of movement fighters, is all too common.
\nRobert had every reason to be afraid<\/b> that medical neglect or overt violence at the hands of police could be life-threatening; from Ferguson to Baltimore to here in New York, incidents like this have ended with the deaths of far too many Black Liberation activists and of other working class people of color. Even when treatment is provided, individual EMTs who are aligned with police will often take activists and other Black patients past the closest hospitals, going out of their way to drop them off at the most overcrowded, underfunded, and dangerous facilities, as a particularly isolating and potentially lethal form of racist abuse and punishment. Robert was lucky to have a caring EMT named Nancy who kept him safe and even got Robert a blanket upon his request after arriving at the hospital
\nOn the short ride to the hospital, his fear, horrifyingly, began to come true; he had been left without a seatbelt and was nearly subjected to a \u201crough ride\u201d of the kind that notoriously ended the life of Freddie Gray in the back of an ambulance in 2015. Without the use of his arm, Robert (just as Gray, handcuffed) wouldn\u2019t be able to physically protect himself from being slammed into hard, sharp metal surfaces inside the vehicle.
\nBy responding quickly and collectively<\/b>, activists can protect ourselves and each other from this treatment by disrupting that isolation. When dozens of\u00a0 supporters mobilized and gathered outside the ambulance, the police were forced to take a statement from Robert, rather than ignore the attack, or worse\u2014spuriously charge Robert<\/b>, potentially making good on the continued threats spewed by his attacker immediately after the assault. That collective support gave force to Robert\u2019s demand that his seatbelt be buckled.
\nToo often, and for too long, Black victims of violence have been routinely subjected to exactly this sort of revictimization by cops<\/b> and vigilantes, even in death. It is impossible to forget that Trayvon Martin was branded a \u201cthug\u201d by his killer, <\/b>or that Mike Brown, described there as \u201cno angel,\u201d was blamed for his own murder in the press.
\nThe ambulance eventually transported him around the block to the hospital where his partner, mother, and other comrades were waiting for him. NYC Fight For Our Lives Coalition, Peoples Strike, and the DSA are SEEKING FOOTAGE AND DOCUMENTATION<\/b> of the attack, the attacker, the license plate of his car, cars parked in that location, the ambulance, and its driver\/EMT, as well as badge numbers and identification of the police involved. Any information, including witness statements,<\/b> may be useful.\u00a0<\/b>
\nThe attack on Robert Cuffy was not an isolated incident. Police and far-right vigilantes are threatening coordinated attacks <\/b>on protestors, particularly as the calendar nears July 4. <\/b>As the #GeorgeFloyd<\/b> Uprising<\/b> continues to flourish, and as protests and rallies nationwide call to defund, dismantle, and disarm police<\/b>, law enforcement and their backers have been stoking the fascist fire, encouraging lone-wolf attacks to terrorize supporters of the fight against police brutality.
\nThis is a reminder that the movement will need to increase security measures and step up our game.<\/b> We have to collectively prevent further attacks and protect ourselves as the movement grows, continues to win reforms, and pick up steam. Go out into the streets with your friends and comrades, use the buddy system, and coordinate security to protect the movement\u2019s leaders as we continue this rebellion. Remember that we are all leaders in the fight to get free<\/b>.
\nWe call on the NYPD to identify and to immediately fire and hold accountable the officers who not only ignored this attack, but aided the attacker.\u00a0<\/b>
\nIf you have any relevant information<\/b>, or to connect with and support the work that Robert has dedicated himself to, contact NYC Fight For Our Lives Coalition at:\u00a0<\/b>
\n 
\nPhone: (347) 433-8652<\/b>
\nEmail: <\/b>GeneralStrikeNYC2020@gmail.com<\/b><\/a>
\nTwitter: @fight_nyc<\/b>
\nInstagram: @fightforourlivesnyc<\/b>
\nHashtags:\u00a0<\/b>
\n#FireAndThunder
\n#DefundNYPD
\n#DefundDisbandDisarm
\n#AbolishNYPD
\n#WeKeepUsSafe
\n#FireFranciscoGarcia
\n#ChargeVincentD\u2019Andraia
\n#WeCantBreathe
\n#NoWorkNoRent
\n#BlackLivesMatter
\n#BlackLiberation
\n#BlackPower
\n#FightForOurLives
\n#PeoplesStrike
\n#GeneralStrike
\n#FreeThemAll
\n#StrikeForOurLives
\n 
\nJoin Us, July 4th:\u00a0<\/b>
\nFire and Thunder: Movement for Liberation <\/b><\/a>Broadway Junction, Brooklyn, July 4th @ 4pm
\n 
\nEvent Intention:<\/b>
\nInspired by Frederick Douglass\u2019 famous speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”<\/a>, the NYC Fight for Our Lives Coalition is calling a march for freedom on the 4th of July. It will begin with a meditation and community grounding in recognition of the history of the U.S. as a nation founded on the systematic murder abuse and exploitation of Black people.
\n 
\nStatement Endorsers in Solidarity:<\/b>
\nOrganizations<\/b>
\nNYC Fight For Our Lives Coalition
\nPeoples Strike
\nDSA Afrosocialist Caucus
\nSocialist Workers Alliance of Guyana<\/a>
\nCooperation Jackson
\nRed Bloom Communist Collective
\nAmazonians United NYC
\nSpectre
\nEmerge Caucus, DSA
\nDSA Racial Justice Working Group
\nCounterPower \/ContraPoder
\nUnity & Struggle
\nMay First Movement Technology
\nMarxist Center
\nRed Union
\nRevolutionary Socialist Network
\nRank and File Action, (PSC CUNY)
\nMovement of Rank and File Educators (MORE )
\nMid-Hudson Valley DSA
\nLeft Voice
\nCooperation Northfield
\nDenver Communists
\nSVPRESS
\nNew Politics
\nVenezuelan Workers Solidarity
\nSolidarity Winnipeg
\nQueens Club, Communist Party of NY
\nBlack Internationalist Unions (BIUs)
\nSyria Solidarity New York City
\nPoliFem
\nWorking Class Heroes Collective
\nGlobal Prison Abolitionist Coalition
\nThe Local Fightback Coalition
\nSolidarity, A Socialist, Feminist, and Anti-Racist Organization
\nLeague for the Revolutionary Party
\nResistance Studies Initiative
\nSocialist Resurgence
\nThe Abolition Collective
\nPeace in Kurdistan Campaign
\nResistance Studies Initiative
\nJews for Palestinian Right of Return
\nRevive the Peace Movement (RPM)
\nLocust Review
\nSocial Service Workers Uprising Now
\nDenver Communists
\nCommunist Party of New York
\nTwin Cities DSA
\nResistance in Brooklyn
\nThe Abolition Collective
\nNYU Law Prison Reform and Education Project
\nMacalester College Young Democratic Socialists
\nSENS-UAW
\nSixth Street Community Center
\nWorkers’ Voice \/ La Voz de l@s Trabajadores
\nSENS-UAW
\n 
\nPublic Officials & Candidates\u00a0<\/b>
\nRossana Rodriguez-Sanchez , Chicago Alderman, Ward 33,\u00a0 & Chicago DSA
\nJabari Brisport, Candidate for State Senate
\n 
\nIndividuals<\/b>
\nCharlie Post
\nDavid Roediger
\nKate Doyle Griffiths
\nEileene\u00a0 Vicencio
\nStuart Chen-Hayes
\nMara Phelan
\nKit Wainer
\nVikramjit Gill
\nAaron
\nWende Marshall
\nEric Tien
\nHaley Pessin
\nJason Schulman
\nMike Pappas
\nJoel Schwartz
\nDavid McNally
\nJulie Harting
\nMeredith Schafer
\nJustine Medina
\nCharles Wynns
\nElizabeth Lalasz
\nMithra Lehn
\nMarcela Onyango
\nOlivia Suter
\nSean Petty, RN
\nJordy Cummings
\nMichael Brown
\nsam salour
\nLeslie Akst, Ph.D
\nZachary Levenson
\nOctavia Leona Kohner
\nEthan Young
\nMolly Golanka
\nPeter Solenberger
\nAaron Berman
\nAlyce Currier
\nJohn Snowden
\nBryan Doniger
\nAndrew Abreu
\nlynk bella hues
\nNantina Vgontzas
\nLee Cyphers
\nMae Smith
\nRachael Kurland
\nMax
\nRust Gilbert
\nEmily Cunningham
\nJoy James
\nTing Lau
\nAnya Snyder
\nJoy Ming King
\nSabrina Koetter
\nJanine Jones
\nRoxy Chang
\nTed Miin
\nRichard Owen DeWald
\nPamela Cote
\nVincent Wong
\nIra Pollock
\nKatherine Yanney
\nAnthony Alessandrini
\nJanet Goldner
\nAmy Wilson
\nJamie Partridge
\nJohn Hitzfelder
\nElizabeth Oh
\nLinden McEachern
\nAlex C
\nAsher Wycoff
\nTed Mineo
\nMichael Truscello
\nannalea racibarskas
\nJames Young
\nPaul Werner
\nLucy Livingston
\nErica Caparelli
\nStephanie Flores
\nFiona McTeigue
\nGabriel Solis
\nARTORICAL
\nJavier Sethness
\nJohn Hitzfelder
\nJuan Garcia
\nSteve Leigh
\nJennifer Siqueira
\nDanielle Mikos
\nSamantha Pinsky
\nDaniel Fischer
\nJack Ganley
\nLiza Featherstone
\nJohn Ferretti
\nBrett Story
\nQueen Arsem-O’Malley
\nCamille Brown
\nGabriel Berlin
\nScott McLemee
\nEric M. Fink
\nVicki Niu
\nSusan Daum
\nKeshet Sivan
\nSaurav Sarkar
\nSina Zekavat
\nEdward Hon-Sing Wong
\nTristan Sloughter
\nDelaney Lee
\nZoe Carey
\nBlair Rogers
\nRafaella Spielberg
\nNatasha Pasternack
\nGretchen Ludwig
\nSylvia Gorelick
\nEric Josephson
\nRosa Zedek
\nMarc Polite
\nEmily Weinrebe
\nYves Menshikova
\nKimberly Wirt, MSW
\nMichael Z. Letwin
\nAlexander Billet
\nAlexandra Poole
\nLaura Rhymer
\nTimothy Schermerhorn
\nAlexandra Poole
\nPano Karambelas
\nAlexander Billet
\nWilliam Johnson
\nJawanza James Williams
\nLaura Rhymer
\nAvilda Whittmore
\n 
\nTo Sign This Statement in Solidarity, click below:<\/b>
\nOrganizations in Solidarity<\/a>
\nPublic Officials<\/a>
\nIndividuals<\/a>
\n 
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

July 1, 2020   New York City Fight For Our Lives Coalition New York, NY Phone: (347) 433-8652 Email: GeneralStrikeNYC2020@gmail.com   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   On the Attack on Robert Cuffy at the Mass March to Defund the NYPD\u00a0 Statement of Solidarity,\u00a0 Call for Information Accountability and Action\u00a0 Foley Square, New York, NY, 8:55 pm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13882120,"featured_media":9886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27832],"tags":[30176,30177,28699,27838,30194,27839],"class_list":["post-9884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-litla-voz-declaracionesstatements","tag-blm","tag-justice-for-george-floyd","tag-nyc","tag-repression","tag-robert-cuffy","tag-solidarity"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.5","language":"es","enabled_languages":["en","es"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"es":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t