NYC: The World’s Nicest Anarchist Jurisdiction?

It came as a surprise to a lot of New Yorkers when we found out the Justice Department declared that we are living in an anarchist jurisdiction (along with our West Coast friends, Seattle and Portland—hey, y’all!). I’m not sure what folks outside of NYC are watching on the “news”, but as one of the ~8.4 million people who live here, I can confirm that, if this is indeed a city of “widespread or sustained violence or destruction” …it’s, um, still pretty nice?

Are there protests? Of course. It’s a right protected by the First Amendment, and the protests are happening for good reason. There has been no justice for far too many Black people who have been murdered by the police and vigilantes, and there will be protests as long as the murderers are not held accountable. No justice, no peace.

Has there been destruction of property? Some. The vast majority of protesters have been peaceful, but even peaceful protesters have been unjustly accosted and assaulted by police, including the attendees of a vigil for a cyclist killed by a bus driver. Many acts of destruction in cities across America have been linked with outside agitators who are intentionally trying to disrupt peaceful protests to goad police into responding with violence.

Is crime up? Yes, and that is the case in cities across the U.S. In 2020, our country has seen 200,000 deaths from the pandemic (and counting), an economy in recession, a record number of jobs that were lost as inequality continues to rise, and Americans still have no guaranteed healthcare, living wages, or a social safety net to help them survive. It’s a difficult time to live anywhere in the U.S. But even with this year’s enormous challenges and social upheaval, NYC crime levels are still near historic lows.

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And despite the pandemic’s devastating effects on our city, we New Yorkers are just doing what we do best—fighting for our future, surviving as best we can, and trying to be Super Awesome™ to our most vulnerable neighbors.

Lots of Nice Things Happening in Our Anarchist Jurisdiction!

• During the pandemic, public innovation firm Element9 made more than 800,000 emergency food deliveries to people in need across Brooklyn. During the height of the pandemic, they distributed 54,000 meals a week in an effort to “reduce hardships faced by the most vulnerable populations.”
• A baby girl born almost three months premature during the pandemic received months of gifts and supplies donated by generous neighbors from her new Brooklyn community.
• Orthodox Jewish best friends started an initiative called planTogether to give hundreds of plants to seniors quarantining at home and in Brooklyn and Queens nursing homes. The seniors, many of whom have been isolated from their families and communities, appreciate the plants as something to care for and as a reminder that their neighbors care about them.
• A longtime New Yorker has found a “different kind of love and expanded compassion for New York” as the city once again faces significant trauma and comes together to overcome its moment of crisis.
• The Brooklyn Immigrant Community Coalition has raised more than $25,000 for direct relief for the undocumented during the pandemic. Their volunteers—mostly women of color—work with undocumented individuals to help them access the resources they need, from groceries and hot meals to hygiene products and help with completing the census.
• An East Village seamstress has set up shop in a pushcart on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. She works for an upscale designer by day and spends evenings making alterations and mending clothes in a “retro-fitted nut-roasting apparatus” which she transformed into a mobile sewing station.
• The pandemic made it impossible for the Precious Dreams Foundation to continue their in-person visits with kids living in homeless shelters, but they were still able to bring volunteers together in Brooklyn to pack and deliver comfort bags this August. Volunteers assembled 400 comfort bags of brand-new books, pajamas, and journals to help homeless children settle in at bedtime and feel more at home.