Reclaim Philadelphia Accomplishments
2016
June
Reclaim begins!
Direct action against the dnc host committee - calling for the resignation of David Cohen (Comcast), Ed Rendell and Daniel Hilferty (IBX)
September
Direct action at TD Bank, in solidarity with protesters at Standing Rock, demanding disinvestment from the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Lobbied city council to pass a resolution opposing the trans pacific partnership
November
Emergency meeting after Trump was elected. Over 200 people attended.
2017
January
Supported Keith Ellison for DNC chair and organized a called in to Marcel Groen with over 600 people participating.
January - May
joined a coalition of movement groups to organize #DumpWells campaign, successfully demanding that Philadelphia move 2 Billion dollars out of Wells Fargo due to its racist lending practices.
January - May
In coalition with movement groups and mass liberation allies, we canvassed over 57600 doors for Larry Krasner’s epic primary campaign.
October - November
Knocked almost 30,000 doors for Larry Krasner’s general election campaign.
November
As a member organization of the Our City Our Schools commission, we celebrated the end of the School Reform Commission after years of organizing and the return of local control of Philly schools.
December
Organized the Coalition for a Just DA with other allied Mass Liberation groups.
Organized a call in campaign (again) to Marcel Groen to demand a state party sexual harassment policy or his resignation. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party created that policy and Groen resigned at the Governor’s request.
2018
April
Organized a congressional forum for the 5th district, held in Delaware County.
Helped create the West Philly Participatory Defense Hub
Spring primary season - 4 endorsed state reps elected
Elizabeth Fiedler
Chris Raab
Daniel Friel Otten
James Roebuck
Volunteers participated in Elizabeth Fielder’s campaign which knocked on 50,380 doors in South Philadelphia.
January - May
In partnership with Neighborhood networks, organized and supported over 230 candidates for local democratic committee person races. 200 of them won!
September
Judge Accountability Table started.
September - November
Knocked on over 52000 doors to defeat a racist and xenophobic Republican challenger in the PA governor race.
2019
January
Joined our coalitional partners at Alliance for a Just Philadelphia in holding the People’s forum, where city council candidates answered questions from our movement organizations and committed to progressive leadership.
Judge Accountability Table held its first Judicial Forum, creating a candidate questionnaire and requiring judge candidates to state their values clearly on issues like cash bail.
February to May
In partnership with Free the Ballot and 215 People’s Alliance, we knocked on over 70000 doors for Helen Gym, Erika Almirón, Isaiah Thomas, Justin DiBerardinas and Ethelind Baylor and a full slate of judges, recommended by the Judge Accountability Table.
September - November
In partnership with 215 People’s Alliance, knocked on almost 30,000 doors for Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke
2020
January
Reclaim Housing Justice Taskforce joins national campaign ‘Homes Guarantee’ which demands housing as a human right through the creation of social and public housing nationwide.
February - June
Over 500 Reclaim volunteers joined campaigns for endorsed candidate Rick Krajewski, Nikil Saval and Elizabeth Fiedler, calling hundreds of thousands of voters across the city.
March
Supported harm reduction advocates in supporting overdose prevention sites in Philadelphia. Joined POPN - Philadelphia Overdose Prevention Network to continue to support this effort
March - May
Joined the No215Jail Coalition and through our #FreeThemAll campaign, reduced the jail population by nearly 20% during the start of the pandemic (March through May organizing)
April - May
Joined Mass Liberation groups in calling for the city to release vulnerable populations from prison as COVID 19 escalated. Held Judges accountable through JAT - Judge Accountability Table for their weak response to petitions for release due to COVID.
May - June
Our Mass Liberation Taskforce engaged hundreds of community members in testifying against a proposed budget that gave an increase to the PPD while cutting vital social services. Due to overwhelming outreach to city council, the proposed increase to the police budget was removed.
June
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the Reclaim community demanded police accountability and justice for all of the Black and Brown people killed by police. Mass liberation leaders led protests and direct actions to demand accountability and structural change.
Our Housing Justice Taskforce supported the Emergency Housing Protection Act, passed on June 18th which froze evictions and offered avenues of relief to renters
Rick Krajweski (state rep 188th), Elizabeth Fiedler (state rep 184), Chris Rabb (state rep 200th) and Nikil Saval (state senate 1st district) ALL WON!
Reclaim Housing Justice Taskforce supports Camps James Talib Dean and Camp Teddy - two homeless encampments demanding permanent housing from the city.
August
A’Brianna Morgan was the Mass Liberation Issue Expert for the the Political Healers 2-Day Summit & Act 111 Teach In Drew in 200 people from across the state (Rep. Rick & Rabb + labor lawyer facilitated)
September
Justice for Jacob Blake Rally, #FreeOurYouth Townhall, FOP contract Teach In
October
Mass Liberation again led our community in demanding justice for Walter Wallace Jr and demanding the city stop offering meaningless reforms instead of real change.
Safety We Can Feel survey launch, our leaders called folks in Southwest Philly to have meaningful conversations about community safety
Reclaim community demands justice for Walter Wallace Jr and fights back against calls for reforms and more funding for police.
JAT teach in
Camp JTD wins housing for 50 mothers and children to be created from city owned property, placed in a community land trust.
November
Reclaim community members, led by our Mass Liberation Taskforce, testified in a city council hearing about police oversight. Over 100 people testified and the public comments lasted over 5 hours
In response to advance notice of Trump supporters aiming to protest the counting of votes at the convention center, Reclaim joins a coalition of movement organizations and plans dance parties, actions and rallies to bring joyful celebration in support of counting every vote.
HEART series launch
Communities not cops rally (connecting the fight against police violence to ICE -- fight to stop 28 children from deportation -- and conditions in jails and with the courts)
December
Reclaim Housing Taskforce joins two direct actions - one targeting Biden and demanding Housing as a human right, the other targeting the Office of Homeless Services and city administration for evicting 175 residents of the Holiday Inn Express Covid Prevention Space.
2021
January
Ran successful candidate cohort training with 10 potential candidates for state house and senate in Philly and 10 from around the state
March
Gender Justice Caucus led a Trans Day of Visibility workshop, inviting Reclaim community members to explore gender. Proceeds from event were donated to Morris Home.
JAT convened two Judge the Judges forums, asking Judicial candidates questions based in our values of mass liberation.
West Philly and Ward 1 & 39 Neighborhood Groups canvass to provide vaccination information
April
Mass Liberation Fund What Works panel discussion
Point Breeze/Grays Ferry Neighborhood Group canvasses to provide vaccination information
April - May
Reclaim community makes 186,036 attempts to reach voters across the city in collaboration with Free the Ballot and 215 People’s Alliance, in support of Larry Krasner and a slate of judges.
May
Completed the first ever Mass Liberation School - unpacking abolition over a nine week online course with several facilitators from allied organizations.
Re-elected Larry Krasner, elected Gregory Yorgy-Girdy to MC, elected Michele Hangley, Cateria McCabe, Wendi Barish, Nick Kamau, Betsy Wahl, Chris Hall, Dan Sulman
Peoples March to demand a People’s Budget
City Council Budget - Reclaim organizes hundreds of people sign up to testify and call city council against tax cuts for the rich and to demand investment in our communities
June
Pressure on City Council members continued as Reclaim leaders and allies took over the Mayor’s office to demand no tax cuts for the rich and investment in our communities.
Two tax cut bills were defeated and the negotiated budget included our demanded $3 million for eviction defense, $7 million for mobile mental health units and a total of $155 Million for violence prevention including $46 million for community organizations who have been leading the way.
Queer Liberation Caucus launches their speaker series with Stonewall Was a Riot.
October
Our Mass Liberation taskforce canvassed to talk to Philadelphians about community violence and learn about what solutions people want to feel safe. We also asked them to share their perspective on shifting resources from the police budget to go directly into our neighborhoods to fund community services.
Our Housing Justice Taskforce also canvassed to learn what Philly tenants wanted to see on a tenant bill of rights. We define tenant as a renter who is a tenant of a landlord, a mortgage holder who is a tenant of a bank and members of the houseless community who are tenants of the city.
December
We led a 3 day training that supported the leadership development of 35 leaders!
Climate Justice caucus collects petition signatures to stop trains transporting natural gas from running through residential working class neighborhoods in Philly.
2022
January
5 year strategic planning
In January staff and steering committee discussed investing in support for a 5 year strategic planning process. This process is intended to engage leaders at all levels of Reclaim to create methods to hear from members, allies and movement leaders about their experiences with Reclaim, our strengths and weaknesses and what they want us to prioritize as we shape a 5 year agenda for our organizing. In March of 21, this plan was launched and will continue for a full year, until March of 2023.
May
Endorsed candidates Elizabeth Fiedler, Rick Krajewski, Chris Rabb, Tarik Khan, Ben Waxman were elected State Representatives! Progressive incumbents Fiedler, Rabb and Krajewski faced attack ads that flooded their districts, attempting to villainize their commitment to criminal justice reform. Philly voters rejected the narrative and re-elected our incumbents by huge margins!
Reclaim leaders recruited and organized 183 candidates to run for committee person, the most grassroots elected position in the city. Politically, our city is divided into 66 wards. Committee people are elected to represent their division of the ward, a district of a few blocks. They help get out the vote for elections, connect their neighbors to constituent services and at the beginning of their 4 year term, they vote for their ward’s ward leader. Candidates that Reclaim leaders support will be voting for a ward leader who agrees to ‘open’ the ward, meaning that the ward’s endorsements will be voted on by all committee people instead of being decreed by the ward leader. The very large majority of wards in Philadelphia are closed wards that carry establishment endorsements. Endorsements that maintain the status quo that is not working for Philly’s working class majority. Open wards can endorse candidates who are accountable to the people and are often shut out of the pay to play politics that have been the reality for too long.
On May 17th, 157 of 183 candidates supported by Reclaim leaders won their election. An additional 32 candidates were supported to run write in campaigns in divisions where there was a vacancy on the ballot.
April
Healthcare caucus led a meeting to educate leaders on harm reduction and overdose prevention sites.
March
Healthcare caucus lobbied Dwight Evans to push him to commit to supporting Medicare for All
November
Reclaim volunteers knocked more than 12,000 doors to get out the vote for John Fetterman (US Senate) and Josh Shapiro (PA Governor)
December
Climate justice caucus in coalition with Reclaim’s Point Breeze neighborhood group and our allies at Philly Thrive support the South/southwest coalition for healthy communities in community benefits hearing for Philadelphia Energy Solutions, the refinery that closed after a fire in June 2019.
2023
March
Our year of Strategic Planning comes to a close, resulting In a strategic framework to strengthen and focus our organizing.
MArch to May
We mobilized over 280 volunteers to knock more than 34,000 doors to support our endorsed progressive candidates for Mayor, City Council and Judicial seats.
May
New neighborhood group launches in Northwest Philly!
July
Reclaim volunteers collected over 1000 petition signatures for WFP candidates Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke.
September
Reclaim Philadelphia officially becomes Reclaim Philadelphia Action, newly incorporated as a 501(c)4 after seven years of growth as a fiscally sponsored project of larger organizations!
November
Reclaim endorsed candidates for City Council at Large, Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke, win their elections and kick Republicans out of all City Council at Large seats. Reclaim volunteers mobilized to canvass with Working Families Party to support the victory.