NEW YORK CITY: Banksy Painting Raises $615K For AIDS Thrift Shop

The painting that Banksy donated to Housing Works has sold at auction for $615,000. What an amazing windfall for them.

Banksy Donates Piece To AIDS Thrift Shop

Two weeks ago an "unknown person" paid $50 for a rather mundane landscape painting on sale in the East 23rd Street location of Housing Works, the NYC chain of thrift shops that benefits people with AIDS and the homeless. Today the painting "mysteriously" reappeared in the store's window with the addition of a seated Nazi soldier. Banksy calls the piece: "The banality of the banality of evil." According to Gothamist, crowds are presently taking photos outside of Housing Works, which will put the piece up for auction tonight at a starting bid of $76,000.  Many more photos at the link.

NEW YORK CITY: Thirteen "Robin Hoods" Arrested In World AIDS Day Protest

[Photo Credit: Julie Turkewitz]

Thirteen AIDS activists were arrested in downtown Manhattan today in a joint protest organized by Housing Works, Occupy Wall Street, and others. Among their demands is the institution of an unprecedented tax on millionaires with the revenue specifically directed to fight HIV/AIDS.

Via press release:

In the tradition of the working-class hero of Sherwood Forest, the marchers and the 13 Robins were demanding the implementation of a Financial Transaction Tax on Wall Street and a New York State millionaires tax in order to fund the fight against AIDS here in New York and worldwide. New York City and the federal government have backed away from their commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS in dramatic ways during the past year. “It’s a lie when we’re told there isn’t enough money to fight AIDS,” said Felix Rivera-Pitre, a VOCAL-NY leader who is living with HIV/AIDS and currently in a homeless shelter. “The reality is that Wall Street crashed our economy, and now politicians are saying there’s less money for basic needs like healthcare and housing, or for keeping their promise to fund HIV/AIDS treatment overseas.”

View more photos on the Flickr stream of Housing Works.

UNRELATED: You may recall Felix Rivera-Pitre (quoted above) who made international news when he was sucker-punched on video by a member of the NYPD.

HIV Hysteria From The NY Post

The reliably yellow journalists at the New York Post have outraged AIDS activists with a front-page claim that the hotel maid at the center of an rape scandal lives in subsidized public housing for HIV patients. The Post darkly warns that alleged rapist and International Monetary Fund head Dominque Strauss-Kahn now "has more to worry about" than a lengthy prison sentence. Housing Works weighs in angrily:

“Once again the New York Post proves that they are happy to trample on human dignity to sell newspapers. There is no public interest in knowing this woman’s HIV status—yet the woman herself could suffer greatly from the revelation,” said Housing Works President and CEO Charles King. “The Post’s story is an attack on women and all people with HIV.” The Post story intensifies the stigma surrounding AIDS by implying that HIV is an inherently horrifying disease.

The woman's lawyer this morning denied the Post's claim, saying she "absolutely" does not live in housing for people with HIV. But the story has already been picked up in France, where a new poll revealed that almost half of the nation believes the entire case was a set-up meant to derail the political ambitions of Strauss-Kahn, who was widely pegged to become the next president.

NEW YORK CITY: Nine Arrested At Bloomberg AIDS Housing Protest

Nine people were arrested this morning outside of a breakfast meeting hosted by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a protest about the exclusion of indigent AIDS patients from a state housing program that caps the rent of ill people on public assistance at 30% of their income. More photos from the protest are here. Video is here. At Bloomberg's urging, earlier this year Gov. David Paterson vetoed a bill that would have brought indigent AIDS patients into the program. Paterson said it was the hardest veto he'd ever made. NYC doesn't have the money to help poor people with AIDS feed themselves, but they do have the money to change the fucking font on every fucking street sign.

NYC: Openly Gay State Sen. Tom Duane Among Those Arrested At AIDS Protest

Openly gay and openly HIV+ New York state Sen. Tom Duane was arrested along with several other AIDS activists in a protest at City Hall tonight.

The act of civil disobedience was meant to draw attention to a housing bill that was vetoed by the governor earlier this year. The bill would insure that poor people living with HIV/ AIDS wouldn't have to spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. Advocates argue the bill saves money in the long run, by lowering the rate of evictions and homelessness. Governor David Paterson vetoed the bill at Mayor Michael Bloomberg's urging. Both men call it an unfunded mandate that neither the city or state can afford. Advocates say the bill would affect about 10,000 low income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS.

At the time of the veto, Gov. Paterson remarked that it was the hardest decision he'd had to make since taking office.

NEW YORK: AIDS Activists Protest Gov. Paterson Over Housing Bill Veto

AIDS activists protested outside the Manhattan office of Gov. David Paterson today over his reneging on a pledge to support a bill that would cap the rents of people with AIDS at 30% of their income. Via press release from Housing Works:

Paterson had agreed to sign the 30 percent rent cap bill in both 2009 and 2010, but went back on his promises yesterday, claiming that it would prove too expensive during a difficult budget year. Since, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, as well as council members Annabel Palma and Helen Diane Foster, have sharply criticized the governor’s action. The bill would have helped nearly 10,000 low-income New Yorkers with HIV/AIDS, according to July numbers released by the HIV/AIDS Services Administration, by capping their rent at 30 percent of their income. Today, a state policy forces many poor state residents with HIV/AIDS to pay as much as 75 percent of their income toward rent, causing them to make difficult choices between medical care and paying their landlords.

More photos from today's action are here.

Obama Unveils New AIDS Strategy

This afternoon President Obama unveiled a new strategy for fighting HIV/AIDS, saying that he hopes to cut the number of annual new infections 25% by 2015. The new plan includes a meager $30M in additional federal funding

In addition to slashing the infection rate, the strategy calls for increasing patients' access to care so that 85 percent of those infected will receive care within three months of being diagnosed, compared with 65 percent who do so now. It says that 90 percent of all people who have HIV or AIDS should know they are infected, up from the current 79 percent. A further goal should be to reduce the HIV transmission rate by 30 percent. The report says the twin aims of cutting new infections and increasing the number of patients who receive care will advance Obama's goal of making the United States "a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination." The strategy does not call for a massive spending increase.

REACTIONS

Human Rights Campaign:

“President Obama has put forward a bold and historic framework for addressing HIV and AIDS in the United States. The Strategy importantly acknowledges the continued impact HIV/AIDS has on LGBT people, as well as the failure to put adequate attention and resources toward addressing the epidemic in our community. But the goals and timetables laid out in this document cannot and will not be achieved without strong leadership and robust resources,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “All of us – including the administration and Congress, state governments, service providers and advocates – must commit to ensuring that the bold vision of this plan is fulfilled, and ‘[t]he United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.’”

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force:

This plan offers much-needed relief by focusing on high-risk communities, directing money to states with the highest need based on reported cases of HIV/AIDS, and by recognizing the unique needs of affected populations. The administration has taken a historic step today in the fight against HIV/AIDS. However, the plan doesn’t yet go far enough in ending new infections and helping those already coping with the disease to manage it. The government must make available the necessary resources and life-saving medicines for those in need. Adequate attention to and funding for implementation as well as aggressive timetables are essential to the success of this plan. This ongoing national tragedy requires an immediate, potent and cohesive federal response that is appropriately funded.

Housing Works:

“The president’s plan is so flawed that it might actually represent a step backwards in combating HIV and AIDS in the United States,” said Housing Works President and CEO Charles King. “Since his days on the campaign trail, President Obama has repeatedly said that he wants to lead the fight against AIDS. Unless he commits significant new resources intended to make major inroads against the spread of HIV, he will be regarded as a leader who did next to nothing about the most devastating epidemic of our time.” The president’s plan sets insufficiently ambitious goals for reducing the number of annual HIV infections in the U.S. while, at the same time, the plan fails to provide adequate funding to reach even the modest HIV prevention and treatment goals that it sets out.

I don't see anything in the plan about addressing the ADAP crisis. Note that even the Democratic lapdogs HRC are clapping half-heartedly.

NYC: Eight Activists Arrested At Massive Protest Over Obama's AIDS Funding

Eight AIDS activist were arrested in Manhattan late Wednesday night in a massive protest outside a $15K-a-plate Democratic fundraiser featuring an appearance by President Obama. Housing Works has the story:

In addition to those arrested, 500 protesters from around the world chanted and marched holding signs reading “No More AIDS Lies! Treat People Now!” and carrying body bags. “While they are inside sipping champagne and caviar, Obama’s broken promises for global AIDS funding mean people will die because they cannot afford a ‘cocktail’ of HIV/AIDS medication,” said ACT UP Philadelphia member Henry Bennett. “Obama gave them hope, then he took it away.” On the campaign trail, candidate Obama pledged to provide at least $50 billion by 2013 for the global fight against HIV/AIDS and to “at least double the number of HIV-positive people on treatment.”

But, as the New York Times reported, Obama’s commitments to fighting AIDS have not even kept pace with inflation, let alone increased to the level he promised. Flat-funding for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) means that people who were tested for HIV under U.S.-sponsored programs and promised treatment when they got sick are now being turned away. Although $50 billion was approved for five years, both of the budgets Obama submitted have flat-funded treatment.

Visit photographer Kaytee Riek's site for many more photos of the protest.

TOMORROW: Coalition Protest Against Bloomberg's HIV/AIDS Budget Cuts

Over 40 groups will protest tomorrow at the office of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg over massive cuts to the city's HIV/AIDS budget. Via press release:

What: Protest against Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed FY 2010-2011 budget cuts, followed by a press conference on City Hall steps
Who: 200 protestors from 40 diverse groups, including Housing Works, the People’s Budget Coalition, the New York State Nurses Association, City Worker Union DC37, New York Immigration Coalition, and the Brooklyn Council of Churches
Why: Bloomberg’s Draconian cuts to health services for poor and low-income children, poor and low-income people with HIV/AIDS and other disadvantaged New Yorkers
When: 11 AM, May 12, 2010, followed by NOON press conference
Where: Protest is on the East side of City Hall near Brooklyn Bridge Subway Station; press conference is on City Hall Steps

Housing Works: NYC Relief Agencies Assist Haiti's HIV-Positives

Housing Works CEO Charles King is in Haiti coordinating relief efforts for the country's HIV-positive residents, many of whom are now cut off from their HAART medications. I recommend following King's blogging from the scene.

About 5 o’clock yesterday evening, Edner and I left the compound where we are storing the supplies in order to to rent a vehicle to distribute them. As I stepped out of the compound, an elderly man with a weathered face grabbed my hand. “You must come with me,” he said in Spanish. “I will show you what God has done to us.” Gripping my hand tightly, he led me down a flight of steep concrete steps, badly broken by the tremors. At the bottom was a small terrace high in the bank of a creek. Turning me around, the man pointed to his tiny house, already half-fallen into the creek, and the other half listing in the same direction.

On the way to the airport, we passed CEPOZ, an HIV/AIDS clinic and psychosocial support center. The two-story building was completely flat. Edner didn’t have to explain that anyone who was there when the quake struck never had a chance. And, if the strong stench was any indication, the clinic had been fully occupied by both patients and staff. We later passed a second AIDS clinic. This one is still standing but clearly not for long. PHAP+ desperately wants to open a temporary clinic for the surviving patients of these two clinics.

Housing Works is accepting directed donations for their work helping Haiti's HIV-positive population. With AID For AIDS, they are also accepting your unneeded medications which will be shipped directly to Haiti. Donated meds should be sealed and unexpired.

How To Help Poz Haitians

Many of Haiti's estimated 200,000 HIV-positive residents are now cut off from their critical HAART medications. NYC's AID For AIDS, a group that sends unused or unneeded HIV meds overseas, tells us how to help, because individuals cannot send drugs directly there.

And people can send medications directly to you in New York?
If they’re in the New York City area, they can call our office at (212) 337-8043. People can also check our website: aidforaids.org. If they are out of state, they can mail it to us, they can call and arrange how we can pick it up. Once we get it, we can get it to Haiti in two days. We send shipments everyday. We sent a shipment today, we sent our first [on Thursday]. We’re going to need to do this for a while — the situation in Haiti is bad, it's really bad. It’s not going to get stable right away. Some people are skeptical about donating money to organizations — this is a way to help. Even if you buy a bottle of Advil that you don’t use, send it to us. Anything helps in Haiti right now.

As noted at the above link. non-HIV meds such as antibiotics, Advil, whatever, are all welcome. AID For AIDS is working with NYC's Housing Works to ship everything they get by the next day. Donated medicines must be sealed and unexpired.

(Via - Advocate)

AIDS Activists Arrested In Demonstration At NYC's Gracie Mansion

Ten AIDS activists have been arrested at NYC's Gracie Mansion at a protest over Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent $6M cut to the city's HIV/AIDS budget. Via press release from Housing Works:

To expose the hypocrisy of Mayor Bloomberg’s Annual World AIDS Day Breakfast at Gracie Mansion, ten Housing Works’ protesters, including President and CEO Charles King, staged a sit-in at the entrance to Gracie Mansion today. All ten were arrested while chanting “People with AIDS under attack, what do we do? Act up, fight back!” “Another World AIDS Day breakfast, another year of Bloomberg failing to address the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS,” said King before his arrest. “We will not come here every December 1 and pretend that the Mayor cares about the well-being of New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS until he proves it with his budget and his policies.” Just after the arrest, some 50 people from the New York City AIDS Housing Network marched to Gracie Mansion and then harangued the mayor, chastising him for his opposition to 30 percent rent cap legislation for poor HIV-positive New Yorkers in supportive housing. Down at City Hall Park, hundreds gathered for Housing Works annual 24-hour World AIDS Day Vigil, where the names of people who have died of AIDS are read for 24 continuous hours.

Housing Works is also demanding the restoration of the NYC Mayoral Office Of AIDS Policy, which Bloomberg discontinued in 2001.