Neighborly actions this weekend and onward
Tenant unions, neighborhood cleanup, helping families stay together, and more.
Good morning. Two things that you might like to know:
1) Cafe co-op White Electric opens today in its new, worker-owned incarnation!
2) The City of Providence is slowing down the inequitable and ill-advised “multi-hub” plan to break up Kennedy Plaza!
If you donated to or otherwise worked for the cafe workers’ unionization and co-op, or wrote, spoke, or showed up for better and more equitable public transit in RI, I want you to feel good today and to share a high five, fist-bump or butt-dance with someone you know who strove for these things too. We do better when we act together.
Here are some more things to do with and for our neighbors in the coming days.
TODAY, 5/1, 11:30am-1pm, remotely: Join Tenant Network RI for some basic grounding in tenant unions and why (and how) you and your fellow tenants might want to form one. This is soon, sorry! If you’re not able to get there today, but are interested, ask them when the next one will be and maybe offer to help invite people. The DM here refers to their Twitter and you can also try them on Facebook. They may ask you what your interest is, as they want to make sure that tenants are the ones whose voices are being heard and questions answered.
TOMORROW, 5/2, 10am-2pm, meeting at the Boulevard Plaza Shopping Center (295 Armistice Boulevard, Pawtucket): Residents of Pawtucket can join their neighbors and one of their senators in a trash cleanup. Two things about this: 1) it’s nice to get outside and move your human form around, and 2) it feels better to look at the place where you live without garbage. BYO gloves and trashbags; sign up here.
5/5, 4:30-7pm, meeting at Providence City Hall (25 Dorrance St, Providence): Join this city-sponsored canvassing effort to share COVID-19 vaccine information and help people sign up. Register to be part of this here. If I were you, and I were signing up for this, I would also ask the city if they are going to help people get rides to their appointments, sign people up for RIPTA’s free ride program (which is unfortunately NOT all that accessible) or call United Way at 211 to book people a Lyft to their vaccine appointment free of charge.
Anytime this week: Sylvia’s landlord is evicting her and her five kids who live with her. She needs a new place by June 1st. Please kick in for her moving costs if you can.
Anytime this week, remotely: If you haven’t yet donated to help our neighbor Samnang stay in the only home he has ever known, and you can spare some money this week, please do.
With love,
Kate