In the aftermath of a grand jury not indicting the New York City police officer whose NYPD-banned “chokehold” and handling (along with subsequent lack of attention by people on the scene, including the EMT) killed Staten Island resident Eric Garner, and as a response to deaths involving police around the country with no resulting charges, demonstrations have been taking place all week in New York City and nation-wide. A large event, Millions March, is being planned for Saturday, December 13th. It begins at 2 p.m. at Washington Square Park.
Information on Millions March NYC is here and on Facebook.
Also, see Raging Horse Blog on former NYC Mayor Giuliani’s recent statements: Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani uses death and aftermath of Eric Garner to Bash the Teacher Union. He concludes: “Sometimes I think it a miracle nearing the level of the virgin birth that, after eight years of this mean spirited, myopic and divisive man followed by twelve years of maniacal, spiteful Mike Bloomberg, New York City is still standing.”
Doesn’t it feel like so long ago since Mike Bloomberg was in power after he manipulated his three terms? And yet we are living with the aftermath of his policies in so many ways (parks and privatization, non-stop shutterings of long-time small businesses, mega-development, the favoring of developers over communities, the uber-rich – many based outside of the U.S. – as the only ones who can afford living in Manhattan, extending now into Brooklyn, the imposition of endless testing of children and the state of NYC schools, etc. etc.).