Today's announcement of school closures in NYC demonstrates AGAIN the complete sham that was Mayor deBlasio’s school reopening plan.

From the beginning he hasn’t had a semblance of a coherent plan & AGAIN educators, parents, & students are thrown into crisis. With rates of infection increasing citywide, school closures have become necessary-this should have been a last resort rather than a first step.

Amazingly, non-essential businesses are still open despite reaching the 3% threshold. This begs the question, why are the profits of mega-chains more important than the wellbeing of working class people, their families, and the education of their children?

Non-essential business (like indoor dining and gyms) should have been closed before schools — ESPECIALLY considering in person schools haven’t been linked to any spike in cases in NYC.

The move to remote until further notice leaves per-diem staff such as substitute teachers & substitute paraprofessionals, who have been responsible for ensuring smooth transitions in-person schooling by extending their additional tasks, in a state of uncertainty over future pay

Even with the hopes of a new vaccine rolling out, there is still no new stimulus from the federal government, leaving working people to take on more debt and face potential evictions over non-payment.

This mess is heading towards an even bigger economic catastrophe for working people unless decisive action is taken to prevent all out misery. With the wealth of the 1% increasing by $10.2 trillion, billionaires are lining up to profit massively from our suffering.

This COVID crisis is an indictment of capitalism! We need new stimulus checks, an immediate reinstatement of the $600/month top-up for the unemployed, cancelling rents with extensions of eviction and mortgage moratoriums, aid to small businesses.

The only guarantee for achieving any of these reforms is with a mass movement of working people with its own independent organizations!