The Green Party of New York (GPNY) renewed its call for justice for Eric Garner in response to the Justice Department’s announcement that it would not bring federal civil rights charges against the New York City Police Department officer responsible for killing Garner, an unarmed citizen, five years ago today.

This post is the first in a series that will break down what Democrats in Albany achieved in the legislative session with their control of both houses and the governor's mansion. Cuomo and other leading Democrats promised "historic" results. Did they deliver? When it comes to the climate crisis, the answer is a resounding "No", as GPNY 2019 Summer Intern Dylan Lynch explains.

The response to New York’s passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) should not be an unquestioning victory party, but rather a skeptical postmortem. The “landmark” legislation, which promises to cut carbon emissions by 85% of 1990 levels (the further 15% will be covered by carbon offset projects) by 2050, and the Democrats supporting it, practice and promote their own form of odious climate change denial. Theirs is driven by a neoliberal obsession with political “maturity” and “feasibility,” given credence by a political class determined to maintain current socioeconomic power structures into a “greener future” rather than fundamentally alter the relations that have led us into oligarchy and to the brink of climate catastrophe. The CLCPA is the type of milquetoast legislation that offends no one, does just enough to warrant calling it a victory, and changes nothing fundamentally significant about our political realities, present and future alike — leaving us perfectly set up for a “milder” climate catastrophe and potential civilizational collapse than the Republicans would deliver.

The Green Party of New York (GPNY) said last night's vote on a ballot measure to introduce ranked-choice voting (RCV) for New York City municipal primaries and special elections was disappointing, as commissioners voted 8-6 against applying RCV to general elections. Party officers praised the six commissioners, including Democrat Sal Albanese and Republican Stephen J. Fiala, who made a strong case for RCV in all municipal elections for New York City voters.

For Immediate Release

ALBANY—The Green Party of New York today called the campaign finance matching funds proposal put forward by the Governor an incumbency protection system, and discriminatory against candidates not running as Democrats or Republicans. Party officials said the legislature needs to pass a full public campaign finance system like Maine and Arizona.

For Immediate Release

NEW YORK—Green Party officials said today that while there were some positives in the Assembly and Senate one-house budget resolutions, they did not move far enough or fast enough on critical issues such as healthcare, ending the drug war, and wealth inequality. Party officers said the Legislature needed to ensure it passed crucial legislation this session outside of the budget process, and that the party and its members would continue to press their agenda.

Instead of moving boldly, now that the Democrats are in total control of the State Legislature, the Assembly and Senate budget resolutions leave important issues on the table. Single payer healthcare, for instance, has overwhelming support among the public and even a majority of Democratic state legislators, yet it still faces an uphill struggle and was not introduced in the budget.

Albany, March 4, 2019 - The Green Party of New York agrees with Monday’s decision by the Democratic Party State Committee to ban electoral fusion, though for fundamentally different reasons. Fusion, often presented as a tool to expand democratic choice, is in reality ballot lines-for-hire used to entrench the two-party system and provide political cover for the Democratic and Republican parties. It enables patronage machines that masquerade as small parties and shifts power from rank and file party members to candidates and campaign donors. And it contributes to an electoral arena where it is all but impossible for legitimate, independent third-parties like the Greens to compete. Fusion breeds confusion.

For Immediate Release 

New York - Members of the Green Party of New York (GPNY) came out in full force to demand immediate and comprehensive action to address the planetary emergency of climate change at New York State Senate hearings held the week of February 10, 2019. Greens called for the elimination of new fossil fuel infrastructure, particularly the building of new gas pipelines and gas-fired power plants, and moving to a carbon-neutral, 100% clean, renewable energy economy by 2030. They emphasized the need for a just transition for workers and frontline communities most affected by climate change.

The Green Party of New York will adopt a new platform at our State Committee meeting on May 11, 2019 and the GPNY Platform Committee needs your help to create it!

We are inviting all registered Greens in New York State, and GPNY Supporting Members not legally allowed to register, to contribute proposed planks and amendments to the draft platform revision on the topics you know and care about most. This is a great opportunity for you to help sharpen our message with a statement that speaks to the issues that concern you. We also encourage Green Party locals and affiliated counties to discuss and submit their ideas for the new platform. The current platform can be viewed and downloaded at www.gpny.org/our_platform.

To facilitate our discussions, GPNY is using an online message board where users can submit and discuss platform ideas. To participate, please fill out the enrollment verification form. Upon verification of your enrollment (or eligibility to participate as a Supporting Member), we'll send you the forum registration link. 

For Immediate Release

NEW YORK—The Green Party of New York denounced the ongoing US-backed coup in Venezuela as the latest in a long line of US imperial interventions in Latin America. Party officers pointed out that the Trump administration has been enforcing crippling sanctions on Venezuela and met with military leaders last year to plot a coup, which was openly reported in US news outlets. The US openly backed a coup in 2002 that temporarily deposed President Hugo Chavez, and the Bush, Obama, and Trump regimes have supported the right-wing opposition and its neoliberal plans for the Venezuelan economy. Party leaders said members of the New York Congressional delegation, including Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Representative Ocasio-Cortez should introduce a resolution to cut off all US support for the coup.

By Michael O'Neil

This year I had the honor of managing Howie Hawkin's campaign for Governor of NY. I've worked on Howie's past campaigns, but this was my first opportunity to collaborate with him on a daily basis. I learned so much from Howie, and over the campaign my admiration for his dedication and courage only grew.

Today is Howie's birthday, and I hope you'll help me honor Howie by supporting something he cares very deeply about.

Howie Hawkins, perhaps more than any other Green in the history of our party, has been a staunch advocate for funding the campaigns and organizing we all care about so much through grassroots methods such as our Supporting Member Dues Program for registered GPNY voters, and sustaining donations from grassroots allies. I hope you will commit to giving through one of those methods today.

How much would that matter to Howie? Let me tell you a quick story.