Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance reports:
Other communities prepare for community activism and support, such as improper detention of US citizens and valid visitor status. We (RIRA) are exploring the interest in having a RI Rapid Response group who could notified and muster a community response. The scope of this effort is to have a readiness – in case we need it – and support the community’s interests, such as individuals, organizations, businesses, and institutions via (as appropriate) protests, demonstrations, advocacy, etc. – all of which Shall Be Civil and Peaceful.
The initial meeting is Wednesday, July 2 at 6 PM at the Church Bell in Good Shepherd Plaza.
We have an X and Instagram handle set up for this effort. In short, community members would get notification if there is an event on the Island of concern to the Roosevelt Island community. I note that our community includes US Citizens, Diplomats, UN Staff, healthcare workers, home attendants, restaurant/hospitality staff, and other important members of our community of varying residency and status.
If you’re interested, come to the Church Bell on Wednesday at 6 PM. This meeting will last just 30 minutes.
FYI, RIRA has lead/coordinated such community advocacy since 1977 as this is part of our core mission, including:
1980s — annual trips to Albany to get budget monies for RIOC, and downtown for City monies on the AVAC
1990s — keeping the third shift on the Tram, and pointing out ongoing corruption/incompetence in RIOC
2000s — advocating for residency requirements for 5 of 9 RIOC Board Members
2009 — advocating for budget transparency in RIOC: going from 5 year look-ahead to 15 years (we discovered RIOC was going bankrupt)
2013 — after our own George Floyd incident and law enforcement abuse (Public Safety’s “maximum enforcement” approach), we advocated for a complete reinvention of Public Safety using the community policing model
2015 — complaint about the carcinogens in the kids water fountains at the parks (got water fountains shut) and park sprinklers feeding goose poop back into our drinking water supply
2020 — supported-collaborated-organized George Floyd protests with other Island activists
2022 — supporting opposition to the City’s councilmember redistricting effort, RIRA provided the regulatory analysis that defeated the redistricting
among many other efforts. Again, like all RIRA advocacy, this is intended to be civil and peaceful. Hope to see you at the Church Bell on Wednesday at 6 PM.
I am not aware of any confirmed activities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Roosevelt Island. There are unsubstantiated reports that ICE was involved in a May 29 action at the Octagon building where about 30 law enforcement agents were seen walking through the lobby. No further info was available on this incident.
