Emily Y, Brooklyn, NY
On Sunday, comrades from the Brooklyn 5 cell held a paper sale at the Lorimer St. train station and McCarren Park. Beforehand, we had a political discussion where we reviewed articles from the paper and planned our tactics. We knew the station’s high foot traffic allows comrades to quickly communicate a few basic ideas to many people, while the park offers space for longer conversations where ideas can be fully developed.
After 30 minutes at the station, two police officers approached, citing a complaint from an MTA worker. We showed them MTA regulations confirming our right to make political solicitations, and they acknowledged our activity was legal. Still, they said they’d interrupt our activity until we left, so we relocated to McCarren Park.
At the park, three people approached us, expressing interest in canvassing for Zohran Mamdani, the DSA candidate in next month’s Democratic mayoral primary. They didn’t want to buy papers, but were curious about our position. We explained our criticism of Zohran’s reformist program and, especially, the need for workers to break with the rotten Democratic Party, which is a party of the class enemy, and build a party of our own. After our discussion, all three changed their minds: they bought papers and gave us their contact information. Conversations where comrades offered political clarity about Zohran won multiple people over during the course of the sale.
We made 12 contacts and $66 from 13 papers. Comrades sharpened their ideas through lengthy conversations in the park. Our pre-sale political discussion helped us adapt to police interference and prepared us to address Zohran-related questions with clarity and confidence. Comrades should analyze the benefits and drawbacks of paper sale locations and choose based on what their branch needs and where they find the most promising contacts.