Joy Hecht
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joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Joy Hecht
@joyhecht-life.bsky.social
9 followers 16 following 60 posts
I am an environmental economist, a data geek, an artist (see @joyhechtarts.bsky.social for that), a rower, and various other things. In the hopes of keeping the politics off my arts account, I'm trying to put it here instead!
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joyhecht-life.bsky.social
It was freezing out there, but totally worth it! I think I can only post four photos - maybe more in the comments? See Alt text for details.
Zorhan Mamdani's inauguration (and those of Mark Levine and Jumaane Williams) seen on the jumbotron at the "block party" on Broadway. This photo is of City Hall from a distance. Zorhan Mamdani's inauguration (and those of Mark Levine and Jumaane Williams) seen on the jumbotron at the "block party" on Broadway. Close-up of Mamdani with the subtitle "would most want to be trapped with in an elevator." LOL, me too! Zorhan Mamdani's inauguration (and those of Mark Levine and Jumaane Williams) seen on the jumbotron at the "block party" on Broadway. Photo of Bernie Sanders, his wife, Alexandria Acasio Cortez, and other VIPs on the stage. The photo is shaky, it looks as if everyone is shaking with cold! Zorhan Mamdani's inauguration (and those of Mark Levine and Jumaane Williams) seen on the jumbotron at the "block party" on Broadway. Photo of Mamdani's parents as he is thanking them. Yipes, they look younger than I am!
January 1, 2026 at 10:15 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
In case anyone isn't aware of it, NYC No Kings protest is Oct 18, 11:00. Meet at 47th and Broadway, march to 14th St & 7th Ave. BE THER! www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
ANCHOR EVENT: NYC SAYS NO KINGS! · No Kings
**In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.** 📍 Where: Father Duffy Square, 47th st. and Broadway 📅 When: 11:00 AM ET, October 18, 2025 NOTE: this will be a march, not a rally! Enter from the...
www.mobilize.us
October 14, 2025 at 6:21 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
If you're not doing everything you can to push back against the Trump administration, you are part of the problem. It doesn't matter if you are discouraged, burned out, or whatever. YOU MUST FIGHT BACK. Suggestions in the comments.
Text reading "silence = complicity" in white on black, with a red (MAGA-type) cap with a raised fist on it.
September 4, 2025 at 10:37 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Please share this - a woman arrested in Texas for going over her time during public comment. Yes, ARRESTED. Please do not let them hide this.
www.tpr.org/education/20...
Edgewood parent activist arrested during school board meeting, charged with criminal trespass
The Edgewood ISD Police Department arrested a parent activist and charged her with three misdemeanors after escorting her out of the district’s school board meeting Tuesday evening.
www.tpr.org
August 29, 2025 at 4:33 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Front and back of poster for the August 16 NYC protest on Gaza. (www.answercoalition.org/sat_august_1...) It's not what I wanted to put on the poster - but what I wanted to put was too confrontational. I feel I've copped out by making this instead.
Poster reads "food is not a weapon of war." It is illustrated with illustrations of vegetables - carrots, olives, corn, eggplant, pomegranate, mushrooms, asparagus, red pepper, green peas. The word "food" is in a soft friendly font, in shades of green. The rest is in a militaristic gothic font in black, with "not" in red and "war" in black highlighted with red. Other side of protest poster. It reads "no genocide with our taxes." Across the bottom is a silhouette of destroyed buildings. Two large bombs are falling, one with an Israeli flag and the other with a US tag. The font is a variant on a militaristic gothic font, and the "s" of taxes is a dollar sign.
August 16, 2025 at 4:39 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Not sure how the NYC mayoral primary will actually be counted now that we go to ranked choice voting? This website explains it very simply. www.nycvotes.org/how-ranked-c...
How ranked choice ballots are counted
See how ballots are counted in a ranked choice voting election--using some of NYC's favorite wild animals!
www.nycvotes.org
June 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
My signs for today's No Kings protest in NYC. Great event, packed with people despite steady rain.
Poster for the June 14 protest in New York City. Text reads "Democracy, not dictatorship." The word "democracy" is in rainbow bubble letters surrounded by butterflies against a blue sky. "Not dictatorship" is in military-like stencil letters, red against black. The poster shows military planes turning into butterflies as it moves from the black background to the blue sky. (IMHO, as the artist, it's a clever idea but could have been executed better!) The other side of the same poster. This side is just text, reading "Free speech is not insurrection. Peaceful protest is not insurrection. Immigration is not insurrection. Stand up. Fight back." I lost the inspiration to create more artwork for this poster! The protest was splendid, though, Fifth Avenue packed solid with people walking down a one-mile stretch from the 42nd St Library to Madison Square Park for hours. Peaceful. Some police there, they were peaceful and chatty. Great poster. Lots of rain, it wouldn't stop us.
June 15, 2025 at 3:19 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS New York City March” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
NO KINGS New York City March · No Kings
**In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.** NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allie...
www.mobilize.us
June 10, 2025 at 3:19 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
@joyhechtarts.bsky.social Poster about New York State's proposal to reclassify the Harlem River so they are no longer required to make it fully fishable-swimmable.
Poster showing the Henry Hudson Bridge stretching over the Harlem River at a dramatic angle, with green hills on either side blue sky above, and water below. Two racing shells are beneath the bridge, three seagulls are above it and one below. The text reads "from Hellgate to the Hudson, Clean Up Our River!" Hellgate is a dangerous area where the Harlem River, the East River, and Long Island Sound meet, at the south end of the Harlem River. The Harlem then runs north on the east side of Manhattan to connect with the Hudson River just past the Henry Hudson Bridge.
June 9, 2025 at 2:26 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Be there!!!
May 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=5...

BE THERE!!!!!
No Kings
On June 14—Flag Day—Donald Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. ...
www.nokings.org
May 27, 2025 at 3:44 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Read to the bottom - the budget bill includes a measure that eliminates judges' only option to enforce their decisions. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A hidden measure in the Republican budget bill would crown Trump king | Robert Reich
The bill could stop federal courts from enforcing their rulings, eliminating any restraint on Trump
www.theguardian.com
May 27, 2025 at 3:02 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
May Day, Foley Square, NYC - 5:00 pm. Be there, it matters!!! For more information, go to www.mobilize.us/mayday/event...
Poster showing hands clenched in fists, text reading "National Day of Action. Stop the Billionaire Agenda. We are the Many. They are the few." Image with details on the May 1 event in New York City. Foley Square (lower Manhattan), May 1 from 5:00 to 7:00. Organized by 50501 NY.
April 22, 2025 at 3:32 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Posters for the April 19 protest in NYC (well, two sides of the same poster. It was a great event.
Protest poster showing a brown face of the Statue of Liberty with tears running down her face and the words "give me your tired, your poor..." Protest poster showing the skyline of New York City and the words "immigrants belong here."
April 21, 2025 at 4:19 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
My poster is all set for the protest tomorrow (well, today, it's after midnight). Different images on each side.
Protest poster. Black background, white lettering reading "silence = complicity." Between them is a MAGA-type cap with a black fist raised up in protest. All set for the April 5th Hands Off protest. On the other side of the poster, a white background with lettering reading "Republican Congressmen: stop putting YOUR JOBS over OUR DEMOCRACY." "Republican Congressmen" and "your jobs" in red letters, "our democracy" in blue, the rest lettered in black.
April 5, 2025 at 4:22 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
I've been focusing my artwork on political graphics lately. What else can we do?

WE CAN PROTEST! April 5, protests nationwide. To find one near you, go to www.mobilize.us/handsoff/map/

In New York, it's at Bryant Park, 1:00 to 3:00.

Be there!
Protest graphic reading "silence=complicity" with a red MAGA-like cap with a clenched fist
March 29, 2025 at 6:38 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Please, wherever you are (at least in the US), protest tomorrow. Not My Presidents' Day! Info on protests here: events.pol-rev.com #protest #democracy #coup
Image with details on the protest at 1:00 pm February 17 at Union Square in New York City. Please come!!! URL for list of many protests on Feb 17 at website fiftyfifty.one.
February 16, 2025 at 3:20 PM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
In MS Word, Excel, Power Point - you may want to disable "connected experiences" to avoid AI scraping by Microsoft. See Alt text for instructions.
In Word (and then in Excel and other MS packages), go to preferences, and click "privacy." This will open a window in which you will see this "connected experiences" option. If you enable them, that will allow microsoft to take your data and use it to train AI systems. If you want to prevent that, click on "Manage Connected Experiences." Now on to alt text for the next image! Here there are three options that you turn off. The default is that they are all turned on. Mine doesn't show that way, since I took this screenshot after I'd already turned this off - but the three boxes would be clicked and the text allowing them to analyze your data and download content would be black, not light gray. And probably it would say "turn off" instead of "turn on!" Click all the boxes to turn off their use of your data, and don't forget to click "OK" once you're done. After that, do the same in Excel, Power Point, and any other Microsoft apps that you use.
February 4, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Reposted by Joy Hecht
marisakabas.bsky.social
New — USAID staff received an email just a few minutes ago letting them know HQ would be closed to all personnel Monday. It’s likely some employees will miss the overnight email, show up and be turned away.

It was sent by Gavin Kliger, one of the young guys at DOGE doing Musk’s bidding.
To all personnel: At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025. Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership. Further guidance will be forthcoming.
February 3, 2025 at 6:37 AM
joyhecht-life.bsky.social
Places are still beautiful.
Photo at dusk taken in Central Park looking south at the skyline of Central Park South.
February 3, 2025 at 3:45 AM