Dec. 8, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
Queens residents will have the chance to learn self defense at a free class hosted by Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer next week.
Though not an expert himself, Van Bramer has enlisted several community groups to host a self-defense and anti-bullying class next Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Sunnyside Community Services, located at 43-31 39th Street.
Representatives from the Women’s Initiative of Self Empowerment (WISE), a group founded to help Muslim women protect themselves from attacks, and the Center for Anti-Violence Education will lead the session.
The class is the third in a series of post-election events Van Bramer is hosting to bring the community together and to make those who feel targeted feel safer. It comes after a Community Speak Out and a #QueensValues march across the Queensboro Bridge to Trump Tower in the weeks following the election.
“Hate crimes and bigotry are on the rise. Just this weekend, three drunk men harrassed and attacked a Muslim woman on a train platform, while onlookers did nothing,” Van Bramer posted on Facebook. “That’s why our third #QueensResponds mass action is a self-defense, anti-bullying, upstander and de-escalation training, so we all know how to respond in hateful situations.”
According to the organizers, the event will teach self-defense and de-escalation, as well as “upstander tactics,” or how to act when one witnesses wrongdoing.
The idea for the training rose out of Van Bramer’s Community Speak Out, the first post-election event that he hosted, when a community member said that they did not feel safe after the election, and suggested self-defense training.
The workshop comes as hate crimes are on the rise. According to police, hate crimes are up more than 30 percent in New York City this year compared to 2015, which the Police Commissioner attributed to the hateful rhetoric surrounding the election.
The class is free and open to the public. To reserve a spot, call 718-383-9566 or email eehrenberg@council.nyc.gov
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18 Comments
Jimbo you are so right, people who voted for Hillary just can’t seem to realize SHE LOST !!!!!!. Recounts were fruitless/pointless by Jill Stein and her 2% of the vote as a judge said. Trump actually added 131 votes in the one recount they did finish.
TRUMP WON , GET OVER IT
Paranoid delusions.
9/11/2001 – Not all muslims are terrorists, don’t judge them by the actions of a few.
Dec. 2016 – Trump supporters are all violent, bigoted racists, feel free to judge them by the isolated, random acts of a few knuckleheads.
Seriously? Considering Trump is not even in office yet this seems a little early and a bit ridiculous.
it wasn’t nice what happened to them but it happens everywhere JVB is inciting alot which is very bad he is just pissed that Trump won – he should just stick to what he does best putting up street signs –
Can’t follow your logic. Are you saying that these type of incidents are happening with the same regularity prior to the 2016 campaign/election or that they are happen more frequently but we and our elected officials should not do anything about it or just not talk about it, hoping that it goes away? I believe the people that are inciting, are the people that are committing these awful acts and not the people trying do something about them.
I am saying things like that have happened prior to Trump winning this election it has been reported many many times in all boroughs which is very sad but JVB is making it worse – you never once heard him say anything like this prior to this presidency before –
Why do you say JVB is good at putting up street signs? He held a rally to get a sign at 5th Street and 46th Avenue almost a year ago and still no sign.
I guess there was no money to go into his pockets again and again –
JVB made sure to see thru the installation of the Pink playdoh mess on Jackson. Street signs to address safety can certainly wait! What a joke.
Jimmy sure is milking this post election pity fest for all it is worth.
I am sure that the two Muslim woman that were attached in Grand Central Station agree with you.
I’m sure the 3000 9-11 victims’ families might disagree as well as the victims of scores or Muslim terror attacks since then.
More tools> Clear browsing data> Get a life
Logically, if what you say is true, then you should see a large number of down votes for you comment, yet you don’t.
Get over with it Jimmy
Yes I would like to join this class