Help Defend Freedom of Speech - The People's Forum
In an assault on free speech not seen since the McCarthy Era, the Trump Administration has targeted The People’s Forum, a movement hub that has emerged as a prominent space for political education, organizing, and community-building in recent years. Because The People’s Forum has stood firmly against Trump’s war on Iran, the genocide in Gaza, the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president, and the blockade on Cuba, members of Congress have made unsubstantiated accusations that the organization and its leadership are acting as agents of a foreign government. Their accusations are only compounded by the fact that the People’s Forum serves and is led by people of color, immigrants, and children of immigrants.
Such “foreign agent” accusations are a common trope used to marginalize and potentially criminalize organizations that disagree with the administration’s policies. Republicans in the House Ways and Means Committee have issued subpoenas, demanded internal communications and private organizing data as part of a witch hunt in the spirit of the House Un-American Activities Committee of the 1950s.
It is not irrelevant that The People’s Forum is located at the heart of New York City. Having elected our first Muslim mayor, a wildly popular and effective Democratic Socialist, while continuing our collective defense of our neighbors regardless of immigration status, NYC has become an object of vitriol that often reeks of desperation by this president.
The Community Church of New York has always stood at the forefront of social change, championing and incubating organizations that have altered the landscape of political life locally, nationally and globally. In the face of this new attack, we are again declaring our unwavering support for freedom of speech and assembly, stating clearly that the administration’s attack is unconstitutional in addition to being wholly opposed to the core values of our faith.
The Community Church of New York calls on our partners and friends to support The People’s Forum in their fight. Together we must withstand the temptation to ignore this attack on civil liberties, lest our own freedoms be equally curtailed. With our voices and our wallets, we need to be bold in our opposition and resolute in our collective resistance against the profound moral corruption at the core of this attack. We must not cede ground to a government seeking to dismantle our core values. Together we can create a network of support strong enough to save The People’s Forum and whomever they come for next because our vision of a world sourced by Love will not be defeated.
