What Democracy Looks Like
Five of the “Bloomberg eight” smile—before they realize they are about to spend the night in jail
On Tuesday, some 70 community activists peacefully crashed Mayor Bloomberg’s $250/a head luncheon in order to draw attention to the impact the mayor’s agenda has on the city’s working class and poor. After the protesters were escorted out, Bloomberg remarked, “In most other countries, they would be thrown in the slammer.” Well, that happens in America, too.
Because of some of the mayor’s overzealous security guards, eight of the protesters were held for more than 24 hours, including two AIDS activists with the New York City AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN). “Bloomberg’s detail got us locked up,” said Jeremy Saunders. Saunders, the lead organizer for NYCAHN and the New York Users Union (VOCAL), said the event was intentionally peaceful and the group did not expect arrests.
Chevelle Johnson, also a member of NYCAHN and VOCAL, was one of eight arrested and locked up. Johnson said when Bloomberg’s security asked him to help move protesters out of the conference room, he agreed, but that shortly afterwards, he was arrested.
Saunders attempted to negotiate with security but was arrested, too, as were members of FUREE (Families United For Racial and Economic Equality), Mothers on the Move, Fierce, Community Voices Heard and Urban Justice Center.
Perhaps Bloomberg’s meatheads’ pride was piqued. The protesters crashed the party just by walking in—having calmly taken four escalators to get there.
See NBC’s coverage of the security’s aggression and a video below by the New York Observer of the interruption to the Mayor’s speech:
Goin’ democratic on protestors
The demonstrators were all members of the Right to the City Alliance, a national coalition of community-based organizations that fights the negative effects of gentrification. They crashed Mayor Bloomberg’s meeting with New York’s business elite—screaming “Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!” Their goal was a meeting with the mayor and his deputies about how the city’s economic crisis affects the city’s poorest.
The protesters included members of CAAAV/Chinatown Tenants Union; Center for Social Inclusion; Community Development Project, Urban Justice Center; Community Voices Heard (CVH); FIERCE; Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE); Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ); Make the Road New York; Mothers on the Move (MOM); NYC Aids Housing Network/V.O.C.A.L. NY-Users Union (NYCAHN/VOCAL); Picture the Homeless; Red Hook Initiative; West Harlem Environmental Action (WEACT).
“I understand it takes money to run the city, but if you’re having a meeting about the future of New York City, you should have a meeting with all New Yorkers. Someone had to step it up and say ‘Give the little people the voice,’” Johnson said.
After the group was arrested, they went to jail and were shuffled through different holding cells for 12 hours, until being taken to Manhattan Central Booking at 4 a.m., where they lucked out by happening upon corrections officers who were not Bloomberg fans. According to Saunders, the group was originally put in the main bullpen, but then transferred to their own private bullpen by an officer who proclaimed, “These guys are my heroes for the night!”
The group was formally charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct Wednesday, and released at 3:45 p.m. They will be sentenced on March 13.
The Mayor’s office did not return request for comments by deadline.
Posted on February 6, 2009 at 12:30 am
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