However, as our communities have long known, police have often produced the opposite of safety. This divergence has long historical roots in the origins and political development of policing in the US. Our Advisory Board Member Chenjerai Kumanyika brought to Brooklyn a live edition of his award-winning podcast, Empire City: The Untold Story of the NYPD, cosponsored by The Action Lab, Crooked Ideas, and a range of other community partners. The conversation offered practical tools to help arm organizers in their efforts to mobilize communities against the current wave of federalized police forces invading cities, the rebranding of broken windows policing, and much more. Enjoy the photos below highlighting the lively events of the evening!
More From This Initiative
Take a Breath: November 2026 Residency Applications
Take a Breath: November 2026 Residency Applications
Apply by October 16 for a free, self-guided residency at Bailey Farms from November 14–19.
Welcoming Union’s Buddhist Studies Program as an Anchor Partner
Welcoming Union’s Buddhist Studies Program as an Anchor Partner
The partnership connects Buddhist scholarship, spiritual care and social justice with movement learning.
Welcoming Sixth Street Community Center as an Anchor Partner
Welcoming Sixth Street Community Center as an Anchor Partner
The Lower East Side community center supports education, wellness and food justice.
Turkey Learning Delegation: Strategies for Resistance
Turkey Learning Delegation: Strategies for Resistance
Thirty labor leaders, organizers and communications strategists gathered in Istanbul to learn from Turkish movements organizing under authoritarianism.
Youth Organizing Institute: The Next Generation of Organizers
Youth Organizing Institute: The Next Generation of Organizers
Thirty-three young people from seven partner organizations completed a week of political education, organizing training and campaign development.
Welcoming Flatbush Tenant Coalition as an Anchor Partner
Welcoming Flatbush Tenant Coalition as an Anchor Partner
The member-led coalition builds tenant power in Flatbush, East Flatbush and South Crown Heights.
More Highlights
Mexican Indigenous Artists Use Rap to Defend Their Languages and Identity
Mexican Indigenous Artists Use Rap to Defend Their Languages and Identity
teleSUR English covers the Mexico City festival and The Action Lab’s role in creating independent spaces for Indigenous artists, languages, and stories.

Amalia Oliva Rojas | Artists in Action
Amalia Oliva Rojas | Artists in Action
Meet playwright Amalia Oliva Rojas and watch an excerpt from her work exploring love, immigration, identity, family and belonging.
Rap en lenguas originarias, el hip hop que convierte la resistencia indígena en música
Rap en lenguas originarias, el hip hop que convierte la resistencia indígena en música
El Informador examines Indigenous-language rap through the Mexico City festival, including Ángeles Solís’s account of The Action Lab’s work supporting independent cultural platforms.
El rap defiende las lenguas indígenas en el Festival Hip Hop Indígena de México
El rap defiende las lenguas indígenas en el Festival Hip Hop Indígena de México
Agencia EFE’s video report follows Indigenous artists using rap to defend their languages and identities at the festival in Mexico City.
El rap indígena alza la voz por las lenguas originarias
El rap indígena alza la voz por las lenguas originarias
Aristegui Noticias covers the Indigenous Hip Hop Festival in Mexico City and quotes The Action Lab’s Ángeles Solís on building independent platforms for Indigenous languages and artists.

10,000 NYC Families Off the Child Care Waitlist
10,000 NYC Families Off the Child Care Waitlist
Providers Organized for Power shares an update on access to low-cost child care for 10,000 New York City families.









