Helsinki Hudson, 405 Columbia St, Hudson, NY 12534
https://www.facebook.com/events/218791675286586/
Reclaim NY is a Foil for the Alt-Right Reclaim NY, established by Steve Bannon and funded by the Mercers, is a nonprofit advocacy group that warns New Yorkers of an “affordability crisis,” in the state and uses misleading statistics that color the state in dark tones of despair. Government waste, secretiveness and corruption are to blame, according to Reclaim NY, and alleges a mass exodus of citizens to other, less costly states.
“Build transparency and expose corruption,” is Reclaim NY’s mantra, and they do so using the NYS Freedom of Information Act (FOIL) to “request,” and sometimes sue, for a broad brush of financial and administrative documents from every school, village, and town in NYS. In addition, Reclaim leaders travel the state, giving presentations to build “citizen-owner armies” to flood local schools and governments with more FOIL requests. The aim, according to Reclaim, “to let them know we have our eyes on them.”
Since 2016, Reclaim FOIL and legal actions have disrupted hundreds of town boards and schools, and created financial and administrative burdens on hundreds of institutions. Several have been sued by Reclaim, forcing administrators, aimed at protecting privacy of students or citizens, to meet court demands and hire attorneys. And, to ensure victory, Reclaim produced press releases and letters to editors in local papers alleging lack of transparency and possible misuse of authority of the schools or towns in question, undermining public officials and provoking controversy within the communities. Through these methods, in essence, Reclaim NY is fulfilling Steve Bannon promise to “deconstruct the administrative state”.
But Reclaim NY is only a “foil” itself for a newly established lobbying and political action organization conveniently named, Reclaim NY Initiative. Using the data collected by its nonprofit arm, this insidious new Reclaim NY Initiative is preparing to target NYS laws and regulations, tailor political messages and select Steve Bannon prototype candidates to further dismantle state and local governments.
Public schools and their unions are worthless money drainers, according to Reclaim, so expect attacks on education budgets. Subsidies are of no value, whether they are for business initiatives, government services or public assistance, so funding will have to be eliminated. Medicaid and healthcare further add to already high taxes, and must be reduced.
In fact, students from public schools graduate at higher rates than ever before, with greater numbers now attending college or vocational institutions. Subsidies help revitalize towns and villages, enable fledging businesses to flourish and assist families in need. And, state health care and preventive programs for children and the elderly reduce medical costs and raise quality of life for low income households.
As Reclaim NY, the nonprofit, creates chaos and conflict with its FOILing efforts and establishment of “citizen-owner armies,” it exacerbates political divisions and distrust between New Yorkers and their governments. And, with it’s newly established lobbying arm quietly insinuating itself into the political and social fabric of this state, Reclaim NY has the potential to destroy valuable governmental services and innovative programs that protect and provide for all NYS citizens.
What can we do about it? Use Reclaim NY’s methods on them. Write letters to the editor of your local media, check in with your schools and local governments to see if they’ve been FOILed by Reclaim, write to your officials to ask if they support Reclaim, sign the petition against Reclaim on Change.org, and establish your own “citizen army” to attend Reclaim presentations and confront their misinformation and misleading messages.
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