Eric

@toleranceleft.bsky.social

744 Followers 465 Following

🌹🗽 Socialist organizer in Astoria, Queens, NYC. Mostly focused on single-payer healthcare / Medicare for All, but also labor, electoral, etc. Opinions my own, reposts not endorsements.

My Letterboxd Top Four, the first two (The Tree of Life, Magnolia), matching Chad’s last two watched. (My other two are 2001 and The Best Years of Our Lives.)
me and presumed Congresswoman-Elect Claire Valdez after the NYC-DSA slate victory party last Tuesday
Then mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, in a suit, after doing the January 1, 2025 Polar Bear Plunge at Coney Island beach — the caption is just [screams] — as part of his video explaining one of his main platform proposals, to Freeze the Rent…. which the independent Rent Guidelines Board just did tonight, June 25, 2026, less than 6 months into his first term as Mayor of New York City.
me about 4 or 5 years old (? I have no idea) when I had a ton of red hair, being hugged by my mom, who also had red hair, she would have been 28 or 29 years old then in this picture
Me and the next NY-7 Congressmember, Claire Valdez, my comrade, after the party at 99 Scott was over and clearing out. She changed into her UAW shirt. You can’t tell but I’m wearing a NYC-DSA “Socialist Feminism is the Future” shirt under an open short-sleeve button-down, with a Labor for Claire pin and the campaign’s Workers Deserve it All ballcap
Chinese cookie fortune: “Your Wednesday will be filled with love, happiness, and harmony.” [my actual fortune just now!]
July 2023. Nearly 30 organizers, nearly all of whom I recognize from NYC-DSA, at a UPS Teamsters “practice picket” for a just contract, outside a delivery hub in Queens. We’re holding our fists up ✊ and/or signs. Claire Valdez was there, holding a “Solidarity Delivers the Goods” sign.
Two “on-site” group pictures from this morning’s GOTV visibility canvasses at subway stops in Astoria: at the Broadway (top) and 36th St. (bottom) stations, with smiling canvassers holding literature to re-elect Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and Assmb. Diana Moreno, and to elect Claire Valdez to Congress. I’m in the bottom picture in a red Zohran for NYC shirt from DSA, and a Workers Deserve it All 🧢 cap from Claire’s campaign.
“I’m Voting DSA” graphic with my particular candidates in Astoria, Rep. AOC and Aber Kawas for State Senate
Poster for the tour, 21st anniversary of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, with a blue birthday cake having been cut into and binary code spilling out of it, against a curtained Brooklyn backdrop
My Letterboxd profile (Eric_Cinematic) with my Top 4: The Tree of Life; Magnolia; 2001: A Space Odyssey; The Best Years of Our Lives
Graffiti on a long stretch of wall at Greenpoint Station: TAXING THE RICH IS TEMPORARY EATING THEM IS FOREVER! CLASS WAR!
My Canvass for Claire card, with four out of five shifts completed. Completing it secures one an invitation to an event with Claire + Mayor Mamdani (not a toaster)
The digital card, blue with orange and white lettering: “Complete 5 Canvass Shifts by April 23rd,” with one checked off and a personalized message below it about getting invited to an exclusive event with Mayor Mamdani and celebs once the card is completed
Assemblymembers Emily Gallagher and Claire Valdez and 9 volunteers holding clipboards and literature, in McGorlick Park in Greenpoint I already had 8 signatures by the time this picture was taken 💅
[my] test result from I don’t even know how to retype this — Delta Epsilon OK JND [Just Noticeable Difference] (?!) 0.0025 “You’re seeing differences that most colour scientists would call noise. If you’re not already calibrating displays for a living, you’re leaving money on the table.”
NY State Assemblymember Claire Valdez, candidate for NY-7 Congressional race, smiling at a forum tonight, seated behind a table with a green tablecloth. She is wearing a blazer with a NY League of Conservation Voters button, and has her water bottle with her (which came up as a question about conservation).
Myself and 4 other men holding up (blank) petitions and literature at the start of our shift before heading out to talk with our community
Graphic for today’s Albany Takeover — to “Tax the Rich for a New York We Can Afford” with the phalanx of organization logos at the bottom
my text in the Diana for Queens general canvassing group chat at 8:04pm: DIANA SIXTY MINUTES TILL ELECTED ASSEMBLYMEMBER it got 12 hearts
me as a curly-haired toddler in overalls and a yellow t-shirt, looking at the camera, my head resting on my hand, a lil’ exasperated
The completed New York Times mini crossword from Friday, January 30, 2026. “DSA” is the answer for 4-down, “Left-leaning political org.”
Rodin’s The Thinker
State Senator Jabari Brisport in a suit, me in jeans, a red NYC-DSA sweatshirt, and a blue Zohran for NYC beanie (campaign’s first merch), Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a suit, and State Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest in a suit, at a fundraiser event last night in a Brooklyn restaurant.
Me (in Labor Notes hoodie, Queens is the Future DSA shirt, and Claire Valdez for Queens beanie) taking a selfie with then-Assembly candidate Claire Valdez, Campaign Manager Stef M., and some other volunteers — holding up literature — before knocking doors
NYC-DSA Socialists in Office — City Councilmember Alexa Aviles, State Senator Jabari Brisport, State Assemblymember Claire Valdez, and then-State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani — in “Stop Arming Israel” shirts among a a crowd of other protestors at a demonstration
From my 2025 personal stats on Letterboxd: Most Watched Theme is “Humanity and the world around us,” while Most Watched Nanogenre is “Tear-Jerker, Beauty, Happiness”
A clip from the Inauguration video opening where Mayor Mamdani is speaking about New Yorkers, here the part of the caption is […] “Their Drive [their commitment, is what sets our city apart” and it’s striking Starbucks workers and supporters out in front of a store in the Financial District on 11/20/25, including me in the same winter coat and original Zohran merch blue beanie I wore to the ceremony today. (I’m not in the next portion of the clip, the photo with actual SBU workers posing with Transition Team Co-Chair Lina Khan and now Deputy Mayor Dean Fuliehan.)
A moment from the shared video. Zohran Mamdani sits on the floor in some hotel room on Election Night waiting for results to come in. He says “Oh God I want to die.”
A still from an episode of 30 Rock when Tracy is on Larry King Live. His caption reads “New York as we know it will no longer exist tomorrow.”
Four stills from ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER with one line of dialogue each, of Benicio Del Toro’s character Sensei Sergio St. Carlos being questioned by a cop during a roadside stop, the cop asking in the film “You been drinking today?” “I’ve had a few” “A few what?” “A few small beers” *but here* I’ve changed the captions to “You had caffeine today?” […] “A few small Coke Zeroes”
The leads of The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, dir. William Wyler) — Harold Russell as Homer Parrish, Dana Andrews as Fred Derry, and Fredric March as Al Stephenson — WWII veterans from different services and ranks, who meet on a flight, returning home to different social stations and problems. (This is a beautiful, true ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ film… it swept the Oscars back when that meant something. Wyler directed Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur, The Children’s Hour, The Big Country, The Heiress, The Desperate Hours, and many more… he was a master of genre and this is his best film, you will be better for having sought it out.)
Two stills from the Season 3 finale of Northern Exposure. The top is of the actor Roberts Blossom (aged 68 at the time though perhaps playing much older) as “Ned,” a well-dressed gentleman sitting fireside in a cabin. The bottom is of most of the main cast, gathering around to hear his tale of the founding of their town of Cicely, Alaska at the turn of the 20th Century (in which the actors portray spiritual antecedents of their primary characters’ archetypes). The episode won the Peabody Award and is one of the best episodes of TV ever in my opinion, from my favorite show of all time. I’ll freely admit this episode makes me weep every time from how beautiful it is. You can finally stream the series on Prime of all places. It’s of course a bit of a spoiler but you can jump ahead to this episode, see how special the show was, and then start from the beginning to experience how it got to there and beyond. The pilot is good and necessary but the show gets going in the second episode.
A title card in the It’s Always Sunny style, with this episode being “The Gang Destroys a Bullshit Industry”
The big group picture of the Zohran volunteer appreciation party last night at Brooklyn Roots Collective, with me waaaaay in the back left with a red arrow pointing to me… you gotta trust that it’s me. The Mayor-Elect is the one who looks like Zohran on stage in the center.
A whole bunch of people canvassing for Zohran gathered for a photo, from the Astoria launch at 3pm today
Tomorrow night at this time, I should know if one of the first people I met in NYC after moving here 3 years ago, who: * greeted me as a new neighbor & comrade & wanted to take a picture with me, then gave me a shout-out in his speech that night * has offered me tea & food at events * de-escalated, as if a fellow marshal, a disturbed disruptor at a Tax the Rich rally he spoke at * sat by my side in 2023 in a policy discussion with the NYC-DSA Healthcare Working Group as a co-sponsor of the New York Health Act, then during lunch outside called me over to chat * dutifully represents me & thousands of my new community in the World’s Borough * welcomed & formally recognized the group of organizers I was part of into the legislative chamber in Albany during a #FixTheMTA lobby day * has taken risks with & gone on hunger strikes for bold legislation seeking to better the lives of the underserved & repressed * has served as an example of determination & compassion in organizing, from his role as an elected to putting his body on the line & facing arrest in supporting other movements * has stood up to fascist officials * has faced vile death threats & discrimination, ever-increasing & desperate attacks on his character * even with all that, will still greet me with a smile as a friend, fellow organizer, & neighbor in the People’s Republic of Astoria … will be elected as the (democratic socialist) mayor of the greatest city in the world. He will have achieved this because there are hundreds more like me who have been honored to even somewhat know him, a 100,000 more who have been inspired to volunteer, & millions more who believe he can deliver on his promises to provide the working class — in the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in modern history — a life with greater security and dignity. I reflect on this not because I’m special but because I have had the opportunity through joining DSA. A better world truly is possible, and we can win it through organizing.
Four images from the last moments of the film Good Will Hunting, where the titular Will’s best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck) peeks into his window because he’s not coming outside for their usual hang out, and Chuckie realizes Will’s left, and then a note from Will held by Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), but instead of it actually reading “Sorry, I had to go see about a girl,” it says in a completely slapdash meme way “Sorry, I had to go vote for Zohran Mamdani” The final panel is Sean’s reaction with the adjusted / faked caption “They stole my line”
Side-by-side comparison of the cumulative numbers from the Board of Elections at https://vote.nyc/page/early-voting-check-ins of the Day 6 (yesterday) and Day 7 / Halloween (today) check-ins, with my own math added in brackets showing over 15K in Queens, over 25K in Manhattan, and over 30K in Brooklyn voting today, with 5,175 more in the Bronx and 4,630 in Staten Island. So, a jump of 81,861 voters from yesterday to today. (I did a tiny bit of informal impromptu poll site visibility this morning after voting in Astoria, Zohran’s home turf, and people were excited about the Halloween sticker and to vote for Zohran!)
Two photos, both of me leading canvasses. The top pic is for Bernie, in sunny Oakland, CA in 2019, with over 25 people gathered listening to the training, most in t-shirts, some in shorts. The bottom pic is for Zohran, in cold Sunnyside, Queens NY in March 2025, standing on a bench to address a crowd of what became about 60 volunteers, all bundled up and wearing the original Zohran merch, a bright blue beanie. I feel both energetic and tired after I lead. It is always rejuvenating in spirit to know you’re making a difference. Zohran is asking for you to be a part of his victory, and I’m proof that you can be. If you’re not in NY you can phone- or text-bank, if you’re here you can volunteer in many ways — just go to zohranfornyc.com/gotv and let’s win this together!
A collage of captioned stills from Zohran Mamdani’s interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. In the top picture, Stewart finishes asking Mamdani about the final days of the campaign, “[what do you] got to do to close the deal with New York citizens?” To which Mamdani, in the next two pictures, replies “You know, it is, in many ways, the same thing that got us here, which is canvassing.”
A photo of me with AOC in December 2019 after a town hall, and another photo with me and Queens Assemblymembers Zohran Mamdani and Claire Valdez at a CFU-UAW event outside NYU in November 2024.
An ASL interpreter signing “Tax the Rich” repeatedly, responding to the stadium full of people chanting it last night as Governor Hochul spoke
What ended up being a crowd of about 60 volunteers, dressed warmly including the brand new bright blue Zohran beanies we all got, back in early March during petitioning in Queens (all NYC candidates must collect signatures for all races, whether insurgent or incumbent, every time, from AOC on down). We are gathered round for training at a park; I stood on a bench to be better heard.
(my four favorite films: The Tree of Life, Magnolia, 2001, and The Best Years of Our Lives)
Posters of My Four Favorite Films on Letterboxd: The Tree of Life; Magnolia; 2001: A Space Odyssey; The Best Years of Our Lives
The Tumbler aka Batmobile, shown here in The Dark Knight
@iamjasonlevin.bsky.social — the pathetic twerp volunteering stupid ineffectual memes for Cuomo
Jackson Heights volunteers, numbering well into the 80’s if not 90’s, including some absolute all-star leads and healthcare workers
Sunset Park canvass, I count at least 55 volunteer canvassers
Astoria canvass at Athens Square Park — over 120 volunteers total. I’m in the back next to a column.
My hand holding up a DVD of BOB ROBERTS (Tim Robbins’s directorial debut) in front of a portion of the trilogy / screenplay / film texts / DVD side of my rotating mostly Blu-ray tower. The top shelf (trilogies) and two bottom shelves (more books and said DVDs) are out of frame. (I also highly recommend his next film as director, DEAD MAN WALKING, on the shelf here alongside its shooting script.)
A screenshot of the Zohran for NYC merchandise at the NYC-DSA online shop: 2 shirts for $29.99 each: a grey shirt with an illustration of Zohran - “A Better New York is Possible!”; a red shirt with that text in white but an illustration of a rose; a bright blue button with orange and red lettering for $3; a lively bright blue illustrated “A City We Can Afford” poster for $9.99 with the same color scheme and Zohran’s policies incorporated with drawings of the Statue of Liberty, buses, apartment buildings, grocery cart, etc.; a peek at a red sticker (sold individually or in packs) with ZOHRAN FOR NEW YORK CITY in white text. Get ‘em while they last!
Paul Newman speaking at a function in the 1960’s: “The times are much too critical, too crucial, for people to not participate. I’m fed up with apathy.”
Two photos of canvassing crowds, with me addressing them. The top photo is captioned “Oakland 2019, for Bernie.” I’m in a red DSA for Bernie shirt in a park, training over 25 visible people, in shirts and tank tops, some wearing shorts. The bottom photo is captioned “Queens 2025, for Zohran.” I’m in a red NYC-DSA sweatshirt and heavy coat, with a brand new blue Zohran beanie, outside a park, standing on a bench training over 40 visible people (there were 60 that day), who are also all bundled up for the cold weather, most of them wearing the new beanies as well.
From the New York Times detailed map of the 2025 mayoral primary https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/24/us/elections/nyc-mayor-primary-results-precinct-map.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare, showing the neighborhood / precincts near and along 3rd Ave (where the pathetic Cuomo ad was shot), between 87th and 96th Streets. The Upper East Side largely went to Cuomo but Zohran still fared well, winning several precincts including in where the ad was recorded.
Against Me! — Reinventing Axl Rose The Antlers — Hospice Fiona Apple — Extraordinary Machine Arcade Fire — Funeral Bright Eyes — Lifted or […] Johnny Cash — American IV: The Man Comes Around DJ Dangermouse — The Grey Album The Flaming Lips — Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Fleet Foxes — Helplessness Blues Hayden — Skyscraper National Park Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins — Rabbit Fur Coat Nine Inch Nails — With Teeth Angel Olsen — Burn Your Fire for No Witness OutKast — Speakerboxxx / The Love Below Queens of the Stone Age — Songs for the Deaf Radiohead — Kid A Rilo Kiley — More Adventurous Run the Jewels — RTJ2 Paul Simon — You’re the One Spoon — Kill the Moonlight Sufjan Stevens — Illinois The Strokes — Is This It Wilco — Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wye Oak — Civilian Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Fever to Tell