When Whites Crash #BlackLivesMatter. And Accelerationism

Is the current moment of political unrest a chance for solidarity between white and black? Or are all the same dynamics of race, gender and class that plague societal progress simply playing out again on the political left?

More to the point: does that question implicitly ignore the third possibility of outside forces working to keep the two apart? Is our thinking too (ahem) black and white?

These have been the questions on my mind as I looked out at the recent massive protests breaking out across the U.S. and particularly in gentrified Brooklyn. At  first glance I felt proud and heartened by the huge number of Caucasians, young to middle-age mostly, lots of beards and tattoos and funky backpacks. I know these (sorts of) people well, and while I complain from time to time, their hearts are typically solid and their voting impeccable. But in many ways this bunch includes just the sorts of people that many black writers and activists have been kvetching about. Sure, the line went, half a million show up for a feminist rally in Washington D.C. the day Trump gets elected. But where's the outrage when black and brown folks are cruelly targeted by racist cops? And why so many white male leaders rather than working with black leaders who are ALREADY on the ground? But hey, across the country, whites are starting to show up in numbers. That's good! But some are committing vandalism, even instigating violence. And black friends and activists wonder - is this helping or hurting?

You don't need a magnifying glass to judge the demographic makeup of this crowd across from my beloved Q. 

And a walk through this enormous turnout last afternoon continued the trend:

Add to that the insanity of your State Senator Zellnor Myrie being pepper-sprayed and handcuffed by cops for nonviolent protest, while the majority of (mostly white) protesters escape unharmed. (Sorry Zell I don't like making use of your pain to sell a point, but this photo proves what's at stake, and I hope you're okay and more determined than ever to bring the police to account. This is so unnecessary. Let the protests play out. Step in if you see someone destroy something, but not before. And go easy. Most protesters are being arrested peacefully.)

White folks helping, or hurting?

One case in point...a pair of sisters with Antifa backgrounds throw a Molotov cocktail into a cop van. Lucky for them the selfie-bomb was a dud, or they'd be facing murder rather than attempted murder charges. The Samantha Sader story is but one example of a white person being really unhelpful to the cause. This single incident will be used often by the media to show that protests of police abuses are not to be condoned. Other white protesters started fires, threw bricks, broke windows - all pretty standard for trying to instigate a larger conflict. But are these efforts condoned by black protest leaders? Is anyone even ASKING?

In Minneapolis, epicenter of the George Floyd murder and protests, we now have multiple credible accounts of thousands of protesters from outside the Twin Cities, often alone or in suspiciously small groups, causing chaos, fires and looting. According to sounds on the ground from folks in the Little Apple, these often body-and-face-covered actors are by and large white, and at least some seem suspiciously white supremacist, and not interested in joining the larger crowds in slogans and marches.

Who are the "instigators" then? 

Maybe it's anti-fascists, or Antifa, who I gotta say are generally cool by me. The brave resistance fighters have no leaders. They confront, they call-out, they don't generally show up with weapons or act violently, though sometimes the property destruction and graffiti is ill-advised. There's no one to hold accountable; individual Antifa do what they please, so in a sense, they're no different than any protester acting out of conscience. They tend to be more emboldened, and god bless. And please, don't criticize unless YOU are on the front lines too. It's easy to quarterback from a distance. Get your hands dirty, and we can talk!

So, like any group of zealots they have adherants who take it all a little too far. There is no Antifa "plan" that promotes violence at protests, and George Soros is not their secret puppet master (the scary anti-semitic trope that has an scary number of believers). But they're brave, and they'll get up in faces. My favorite things Antifa does is to counter-protest white supremacists, and to dox racists and trolls, forcing their hate into the limelight, often getting them fired or ostracized. A nice trick, that. But does Antifa help or hurt the Black Lives Matter movement? Depends on who you ask, but increasingly, they're a thorn in the side of police-brutality protests.

And what about the Accelarationists?

What a great word for a truly fiery global trend. Remember Dylann Roof? Recall just last year's 51 Muslim dead in New Zealand at the hands of a white supremacist? That's "Accelerationism," or the sick practice of forcing ever-greater conflict to instigate a global race war. It's hate, yes. But it's also political. It's political terrorism, meant to incite even greater violence. To think it was simply because Roof hated African-Americans that he decided one day to kill a bunch of them to rid the world of a few of his enemies, that's just nonsensical. Admit it, it never made sense to you either. Even hatred tends to have its internal logic. No. This is a PLAN, and a movement, and rather than label Antifa as terrorists, the Accelerationists need to be spoken of widely in the media and labeled as such, even if "domestic terrorism" has no legal basis, or they will continue to infiltrate protests without consequence and create the conditions more likely to lead to massive civil unrest. Just as they planned. 

Simply put, Antifa want to shut down the police and change the system. Accelarationists want to get the police so mad they crack down even harder. And with their hatred of multiculturism, they TOO want to change the system. The "centrists" that get so much hate from far left and far right? They get blamed as BEING the system. Hard to win, but it's worth remembering that centrists vote, and 

More on the Accelarationist movement. Make no mistake, they are in Minneapolis and across the country, doing their best to make things worse. Again, whites. And in this case, there's no question they are undermining the message.

How low can whites go? There seems to be no bottom to depths of depravity.

And as on schedule, we have this story of the sick prick who torched a historical building in Nashville. A white supremacist. An Accelerationist. A deeply disturbing example of just why Antifa exists. This kids fascism is real, and if "the State" won't deal with him forefully and call out his behavior for what it is?

That's why Antifa is essential, if not perfect. The State, and centrists, aren't brave enough to take this on.

It's true Hank, "that boy ain't right." Bobby Hill, all grow'd up.

."

The Echo Is Here. Death & Life in the Arboreous P.L.G.

For a better looking copy go here

For a better looking copy go here

Eric Adams Is Right: Get Police Out of Social Distancing

When a guy's right, a guy's right. And Eric's nailed it on this issue. Standing within six feet of another person without a mask isn't a crime - it's a bad idea, reckless sure, but maybe unintentional or misinformed. The fact that some cops are rougher, even violent, with people of color on enforcement surprise no one. But is it even an offense they should be policing to begin with?

In the below video, former cop Adams talks about how our City is taking part in a worldwide experiment in "re-culturing." In essence, old behaviors have to be unlearned and FAST. We have to change or we will inadvertently get others sick, killing them or permanently injuring them as COVID ravages their bodies. Crazy, but those are the stakes.

My sister tells me that in north Florida she's in the minority, wearing masks and keeping distance, at the grocery stores and other retailers. People are actively flouting the guidelines to "protest" Bill-Gates-loving-liberals telling them what to do. In NYC, we're generally following good science, and quietly persuading our fellow New Yorkers to do as we do. That's how we slow this thing down - a mass re-education, or re-culturing.

Check out Eric's ideas on how to spread the word without resorting to strong-arm tactics.

The Great Depression Begins - Feed the Hungry

Lots of people hungry. Lots of folks lost their jobs. Lots of folks were reliant on someone who lost their job. Lots of folks can't pay their rent, their mortgage. Lots. Lots and lots.

Sound like the Great Depression? I don't need to tell you this. You don't need to wait for the Federal Reserve to make the statement. We are, for worse and worst, living in a replica of the top of the Great Depression. If you wondered, as I often have, what it must have been like at the START of that fabled era, it would have looked and felt a lot like this, but without the dreadful Zoom meetings. And while history has not been kind to President Herbert Hoover, he was actually a man of conscience and considerable skills. In fact, before the Crash he'd been an American hero, trying to feed the masses, update labor laws and encouraging other upper classies to champion progressive policies and even helped the defeated Germans during their early '20s Great Famine. From Wiki: Hoover had been little known among the American public before 1914, but his service in the Wilson administration established him as a contender in the 1920 presidential election. Hoover's wartime push for higher taxes, criticism of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer's actions during the First Red Scare, and his advocacy for measures such as the minimum wage, forty-eight-hour workweek, and elimination of child labor made him appealing to progressives of both parties

The Q can't tell you what the best way to respond to the unfolding tragedy, but here's a couple options.

Killer Assemblyperson Diana Richardson put together this list of local food delivery sites for those seeking distribution of essentials - maybe share widely, or even make a poster or flyer and share? And my previous post suggested a great place to give money or volunteer - Flatbush United Mutual Aid - if you want to help get groceries to people who can't leave their abodes. If you want to join the group get on Slack, yet another app that a person living in 2020 must be on in order to feel whole. Go here to join FUMA's Slack after you donwload the app (I know, I know old person. It's just how it is...remember when Gramma couldn't figure out the remote control on the TV?) 

Or if you have extra in the pantry, just drop some appropriate foodstuffs by Diana's office. It's a makeshift food pantry, open to anyone on Friday at noon.

Flatbush Mutual Aid Needs You

Overwhelmed? Of course you are. It's okay to feel that way, but it's not good for the ticker and gray matter to stay that way. The back doesn't like it either.

Some folks are dealing with a deep loneliness at home. And just as the grass is always greener over the septic tank, the Q years for a bit of alone-ness. The girls, at 8 and 11, are doing "distance learning," which basically means homeschooling with an active modem. Work is weird and bizarrely busy, like everyone in the non-profit world is trying to prove how valuable they are, when in fact many of us feel guilty just for having a job at all, fueled by money donated by others.

So, what to do? Here's a tip. Join or donate to the Flatbush United Mutual Aid Society. If you're even the slightest bit tech-curious, you can join them on Slack.com, and while joining yet ANOTHER social media site might make your fingers weary just thinking about it, Slack is basically a glorified texting aggregator that makes it possible for many people to join together to solve problems. You can be on it constantly or 10 minutes a day. You can do work from home (like intake and organizing) or shop and deliver groceries to neighbors who request help. No questions asked. You need something, the community does its best to abide. I've been doing some grocery shop/deliveries and let me tell you, it takes the edge off big time. Talk about one-to-one aid. Give money!

There are literally hundreds of aid groups, but this one is full of your neighbors, and just imagine, when this whole thing is over, you'll have made a bunch of new friends you can maybe finally meet in person.

Anyhoo, head over to the Flatbush United Mutual Aid Facebook page (not the other FMA website) and read about them here on the reliable BKLYNER

TO JOIN THE SLACK GROUP

or

TO GIVE VIA PAYPAL (Much Needed!) 

Send $$ to mutualaidflatbush@gmail.com (name of recipient Janine Cunningham)

Testing and Self-Delusion

Wondering if you've got the demon bug? You can actually get tested, if you're in one of these high risk groups.

Given that Essential Workers is a huge category these days that includes everything from the postwoman to the food workers to medical workers to building supers to sanitation and MTA to ConEd to HVAC to hardware stores to veterinarians to journalists to check-cashing places to custodians to good lord just about everyone who actually matters during a crisis which means ultimately that what I've often feared was true IS in fact true, that I'm not essential in any way, and maybe you're feeling the same, that there is nothing inherently needed about what you do for a living and this whole question of whether you're just taking up space on this planet while shuffling towards death has been answered, full stop, and there's really no reason not to crawl up in a ball and hibernate til the whole thing is over, because basically your primary utility is to purchase things to keep the economy moving for the next batch of self-deluded middle-class fools.

CUNY-Medgar Evers College has partnered with One Medical and will be providing COVID-19 testing onsite to essential workers, inclusive of those who work in adult care centers.  Additionally, constituents who are 65 years older with pre-existing medical conditions are also eligible for testing at this site.

Please note that testing will be conducted Monday - Friday from 9am-6pm by appointment only.  For those seeking to be tested, please call 1 (888) 663-6331 or by logging onto onemedical.com to schedule an appointment and for specific campus location details.

The New Regular Is Really Not Regular

As a man past 50 I'll tell you a little secret - the Q is lost without his Metamucil. For years I wondered why I couldn't depend upon regular and satisfying bowel movements, but like so many men my age and older I suffered in silence. During a difficult period one vacation I gave psyllium husk a try and I've never let it far from my sight. Solid, greaseless and regular B.M.'s have resulted, and I wouldn't trade that for all the tea in China. I even save money on toilet paper.

You might think that's gross. But is it? Aren't YOU the one who's cheating yourself out of one of life's little luxuries? Psyllium has been used since way before the white man arrived on these shores, and it'll probably still be in use once the white man is eradicated by a new small pox that effects his people but spares the natives, a centuries-long come-uppance for genocide.

Where was I...oh, yes, the Pandemic of 2020. This morning I ran out of Psyllium Husk and so readied myself as for battle with my adorable handmade green polka-dot mask (fashioned by a book club friend of Mrs. Q) and latext gloves, plus a bit of sanitizer in the old coat pocket, and headed around the corner to the Duane Reade, or as the Q's girls still call it the Don Reed, which gives the Q a kick of joy every time he hears the name uttered.

The new normal means that one will stand in line OUTSIDE the joint waiting to enter at a clip that keeps the Don Reed less than its usual density to the tune of about 15 per. There are markings on the floor to keep even the cashier line separated. A man whose meds weren't ready was freaking out - they were his "crazy" meds as he called them. The pharmacist calmed him down and said he'd front him a few while they worked things out with the insurance company. Little heroes seem like Churchills right now.

Tense. Eyes are sunken. A few drunks across the street tossed their bottle into the planter. I was aware of the spit that was inevitably coming from their mouths and I was glad to be on the other sidewalk. For myself I knew they weren't actually free of the reality, just hiding from it for a time, and who am I to begrudge them.

Listening to reports from hospitals is more than the heart can take, but it seems somehow a must to be there with the doctors and hospital workers as much as possible, to at least not be numb to the pain of so many dying alone, their families unable to say good-bye, except perhaps by FaceTime, as the bodies are lifted into refrigerator trucks to handle the overflow from the morgues.

It's dark dude. It's really, really dark, and getting darker.

It's All In the Hands (and face)

It's getting hard to talk to friends about how this COVID-19 gets transmitted. So much fear and hype that I try to stick to the experts and not argue. No one likes a know-it-all, especially in a pandemic I'm finding.

This is perhaps the best video I've seen on the issue of how the coronavirus moves from human to human. It's not nearly as easy to transmit as you might think BUT (and this is a big but) we will have to drastically change the way we touch our own faces. That's why the mask is a useful part of the equation - not surgical grade masks mind you - but any mask. Even the Scream mask would work. Because what you're doing is training yourself not to touch your own face. For some, easier than others, amiright?

Of course everyone needs to be careful in the way that makes them most comfortable. But the idea that you're getting this thing from every surface you touch is not so helpful - touch whatever you like - just don't touch your face until you wash or disinfect.

Additionally, if you DO make a mistake, don't freak. The primary way this thing moves is through SUSTAINED close distant contact and mucous to mucous contact. You know kissing, potentially hugging, getting coughed on. The idea that it just jumps from one person to another like a bug is a poor analogy, and makes people more afraid than is necessary. (A fair amount of fear is obviously justified - but not to the point of complete mental breakdown).

So here it is. I encourage sharing Dr. David Price's common sense video as widely as possible.

https://vimeo.com/399733860

You Know It's Serious When the Bagel Place Closes

Took a walk up the Flabenue this morning. Typically it would be full of action even early, folks getting ready for a relaxing start to their weekend, early brunch, Adventists going to church, businesses readying for a weekend of heavy traffic. Nothing. Lefferts has ground to a near-halt. Sure folks are walking about, but mostly they're "essential" workers. Earlier this week the Q took a train to JFK to rent a car. The subway stations were spooky quiet. Cops at every turnstile, on platforms, not yet enforcing what will surely become some sort of "why are you out and about" kind of ban. Because...

This was the week it all became real. Really real.

I thought it might be good to grab a dozen bagels from Flatbush Bagel at the corner of Maple. Typically bustling by this time, it's closed. Closed due to Coronacrisis. What's crazy about that is that we're JUST GETTING STARTED. A NYC neighborhood without bagels is like a cow without flies. It's like a flap without mud. Skin without pores. A capital without a capitol. (Oh who am I kidding. Lefferts didn't have proper bagels til a couple years ago. still...one would think bagels were more than just essential.)

The grocery stores are the only reliably open shops right now. Half the restaurants have closed, most having laid off staffs. There's still food on the shelves, but very specific items have been horded. Toilet paper is the most silly but apparent. Usually there are thousands of rolls to be had at literally dozens of stores. But somehow, New Yorkers with their tiny living spaces, have bought up every truckload that comes in. And this, despite NO indications that there will be shortages of paper products of any kind. It's not a hurricane, and most paper is produced domestically. To put it plainly, people are hording toilet paper because OTHER people are hording toilet paper.

Guess it tells you something about our priorities. When the shit hits the fan, we want to be sure to have something with which to wipe our asses. I mean, after all, isn't this truly what separates us from the beasts?

The food runs make more sense, pasta and peanut butter etc., but I was really surprised by the empty sugar shelves. Guess a lot of people turn to baking, both to save money and for comfort. Still, in the US of A, it's strange to see ANY shelves empty. Anywhere. Even the Ideal and Associated supermarkets are asking customers to maintain distancing, a near impossibility in City groceries, but remarkably it's happening. Though occasionally someone grabs the space between and butts in line. Which normally would cause fisticuffs, but right now, people seem to be forgiving. And given that life has slowed considerably for many, maybe it's just that folks would rather stay out of their homes a few more minutes anyway. Something productive to do, an escape from the four walls.

Bodegas, generally, seem to consider themselves exempt from the entire affair. No masks, no gloves. The local delis around me are mostly manned by Yemenis who seem to have decided that precautions be damned. It's a bit scary really - one can see mosques and Arab run delis being a potential Corona spreader. Though lately I've heard more rumor-mongering about Chasidic Jews holding weddings and ignoring social distancing - though frankly I can find no evidence that ultra-religious Jews are taking the crisis less seriously than anyone else. People do love to blame Jews though, don't they? The New Rochelle outbreak two weeks ago was linked to the Jewish community, but that was TWO WHOLE WEEKS AGO, which seems like a lifetime. Back then the pandemic seemed almost theoretical.

The news outside NYC is filled with horror stories about NYC. In NYC, we hear horror stories about states and elected officials OUTSIDE NYC not taking the crisis seriously. In just a week, governor Andrew Cuomo went from annoying alpha male to beloved compassionate leader, so they say, though I will note that his daily updates on the conditions are pretty damn impressive. The guy lays it all out there - the problems, the work being done, the goals, the reasons behind various rules and suggestions. It's like he was born for the job of crisis manager. Between him and his brother, Chris Cuomo of CNN, Mario's boys have become a one-two punch of diligence and chops. The fact that they keep invoking their mom Matilda is endearing and puts a human face on the "old people" most at risk during the crisis. I attach the belowe Cuomo update mostly for posterity. It gives an excellent snapshot of the situation as of March 27 in the year of the Lord 2020.

Snapshots of lockdown Week 1:

It Will Take Someone Famous Dying...

The Q hasn't felt much like blogging lately. Blogging is SO 2010's. But with my nearly decade of shit-shooting about the neighborhood, the Q at P has become something of a history of this time in the life of Flatbush Lefferts. So to future generations, looking for anecdotal evidence of this Coronacrisis, I type this missive. Because much like the 9/11, and the Great Recession, this is a moment that will be referenced for centuries to come in history textbooks. Will it be but a blip, like the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918? I think not. Partially because there's SO much media accompanying the craziness, but also because it comes during the single most divisive and destructive presidency of the modern era. And 50 years after Nixon, that's really saying something.

Been thinking lately that in a few days someone famous will die, despite the sort of expert treatment that only the rich can receive. "How did this happen?" they'll say. "It's a wake-up call" they'll say. "But Lou Dobbs was such a dick!" they'll say. "And I thought Ted Nugent was so healthy!" they'll say. Let's just hope it's not a beloved podcaster. That would be SO 2020.

And then the seriousness will sink in even to the willfully ignorant. You think you've seen panic? Real panic begins when Salman Rushdie or Kevin Costner goes. Imagine, surviving a Fatwa, or Waterworld, only to be felled by a microscopic bug.

I kinda liked the shadow. No signs of pandemic here.

So I give you a taste of Flatbush on March 21. Spring has clearly sprung. Forsythia blooms. The hint of cherry blossoms. Yesterday it topped 70 degrees. I considered wearing shorts, then remembered that I once complained that only white guys wear shorts before and after it's actually appropriate. Today, I saw three (3) white guys wearing shorts. They looked ridiculous. Good call, Q...

To the right you'll see that PARKSIDE pizza notes that delivery is your only option. To future gens: this was the week that the governor officially called for all restaurants and bars to stop serving in-house. A drive around last night showed that cops were enforcing the ban.

Bea of Sensory Street is moving. Probably to high rent for Flatbush storefront.

Most hair salons are still hopping. Curious what will happen when the ban goes into effect tomorrow night since the nabe has 20 within a six block walk of m'home. These places have always been the lifeblood of the neighborhood, and crucial to the life of communities of color. What will happen come Monday?

Bonafini (nee Blessings) typically packed for Saturday brunch.

Errol's warns - no more than 3 customers at a time.

Tafari Tribe: Last day to buy local gifts and clothes?

Sign of the times. And the true onslaught hasn't even begun

Westbury Inn shutters