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Bronx residents, neighbors, Occupy Wall Street organizers and supporters gathered in the Grand Concourse section of the Bronx on Thurs., Nov. 17th to take part in “Day of Action.”
Story by Debralee Santos, Gloria Pazmiño, Sherry Mazzocchi, Adrian Cabreja and Marisol Rodriguez
Billed as the “National Day of Action” by the organizers of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, this past Thurs., Nov. 17th marked the two-month anniversary of the establishment of the Zuccotti Park encampment. In that time, the tent and tarp village had become the literal, and symbolic, headquarters of the movement that had spread across the country, and the world, with “Occupy” groups popping up in Seattle, Orlando and Dusseldorf.
The recent eviction of the camp just two days before, as directed by Mayor Bloomberg, had sparked calls for renewed resistance and a greater show of support from all quarters on Thursday. As such, there was a round-the-clock series of activities, rallies, and protests throughout the city, including on the subways, at public parks, and major intersections.
For Bronx resident Evelyn Alvarez, the response was immediate.
She met a group of fellow Bronx residents at the 6 train stop on 138th Street and 3rd Avenue to travel down to Foley Square together, as part of the day’s “Occupy the Subway” activities. She took her son out of school early so that he could join in the protest, because, she said, she wanted to show him how important it is to stand up for your beliefs. Paraphrasing Malcolm X, said Alvarez, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
Local residents responded to the call to galvanize by amassing at different meeting points throughout the Bronx and northern Manhattan together with elected officials, and with colorful, hand-drawn poster boards and slogans at the ready.
In Washington Heights, residents met up at the corner of 168th and Broadway, holding signs that read “Somos los indignados [We are the indignant].”
“Tenemos que hacer esto [We must do this],” said an older woman who refused to give her name. “¿Si no lo hacemos nosotros, quien lo hara? [If we do not, who will?].”
The group on Broadway was made up of young and old alike, with Spanish mixing readily with English as protestors meticulously packed up bright orange signs and banners in the rainy mist, in preparation for the trip downtown.
Across in the Bronx, union members of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) gathered at noon at the Verizon parking lot between East 199th Street and Bedford Avenue to march from the Bronx downtown.
They were joined by New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, State Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, and New York City Councilmember Fernando Cabrera.
“Shame on the Mayor of New York,” said Councilmember Cabrera. “Our flag stands for the 99%....We are changing the conversation about the economy.”
Chris Shelton, vice-president of CWA Northeast, and resident of the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, said that he was marching because of the problems the union has been having with Verizon, and to show solidarity with OWS.
“The working class in this country keeps having to pay the freight and give concessions to employers who make billions of dollars in profit,” he said.
Later in the day, approximately fifty Bronx residents, neighbors, OWS organizers and supporters gathered on East Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse. Holding “Occupy the Bronx” and “Somos los indignados” signs, the group traveled through the bustling commercial corridor.
A cotton candy street vendor watched as the protest passed. He said he knew about the protests downtown, but spends his days working.
“I like what they’re saying, but I need to make sure I sell this candy,” he said.
Just in front of Audio Town Electronics on the corner of East Fordham Road, Jorge, a store employee, lifted his fist in support as the group marched past.
“I am lucky to have a job, and that’s why I’m here, making sure I keep my job,” he said, leaning on a row of refrigerators. “I support them, even if it’s just from the window.”
Others took a different view.
Such was the case with Jacky, who walked alongside the group as they entered the subway, but said she didn’t understand what they were doing.
“I see what they’re all doing and I’ve been watching the news, but I need to get to work,” she said.
On the 4 train at Fordham Road, the 6 train at 138th Street in the Bronx, and the 1 train at 168th Street in Washington Heights, protestors chanted, held their signs aloft, and peaceably swiped their MetroCards as they passed through the turnstiles, making certain to remain together.
At the138thStreet station, South Bronx resident Dao Tran traveled with her 3 year-old daughter. The little girl was tucked into a stroller, onto which had been affixed a sign that read, “I’m a child, not a test score” on one side, and on the other, “Mayor Bloomberg, you can’t evict my future.”
Tran challenged the notion that the reach of OWS was limited. “In the Bronx, like everywhere else, it has started a conversation,” said Tran. By way of example, she noted how she’d recently overheard some men debating whether the protesters should be at Zuccotti Park. Unbidden, she spontaneously joined the conversation.
"I couldn't have done that two months ago,” said Tran. "We need to sit down and discuss how we continue the movement and challenge the powers that be."
As the various groups stepped into Bronx and Manhattan subway cars, they were met with appreciation and support from some, and also the studied indifference of veteran commuters who preferred to read and nap instead.
Protesters shared their stories “open mic” sessions filled with information and personal tales of how the socio-economic status quo had failed them.
On the Washington Heights train, posters had been taped to the subway car walls that read “Decolonize Wall Street”.
Holding a sign that read “Corporate greed is the root of all evil,” Carlos Rivera stood up during the train ride downtown and spoke about possibly losing his home after not being able modify his loan.
“I might join the 41,000 homeless individuals that live in New York City,” he said.
A fifty-year-old woman who identified herself as Barbara, dressed in a construction uniform and hardhat, listened intently to the protestors on the train. Saying she supported the cause, she commended the energy and information the group was sharing. “Collectively, everybody can do more. This looks like a good start.”
Many of the protestors sharing their stories throughout the day spoke out on the high costs of education and student loans.
At Union Square Park as hundreds of students and supporters gathered in a rally to demand that City University of New York (CUNY) education be free.
Christina, a BMCC graduate who now attends Hunter College addressed the crowd.
“Because of CUNY, I have a better chance,” she said. She told the crowd that the school used to be free until the mid 1970’s, but tuition has increased during every fiscal crisis.
“It is not fair that students have to pay for mistakes they didn’t make,” she said.
A small group of local City College students from Washington Heights clustered at the end of the park. “It doesn’t make sense at this point, to bother with school; ¿pa’ que? [For what?]” said one young man dejectedly.
At one point, a scuffle broke out in the crowd when one person grabbed another. The aggressor was surrounded by OWS members and escorted out of the park while people chanted, “This is a peaceful protest. This is a peaceful protest.”
And while a line of police officers flanked the park’s perimeter, unlike earlier in the day, there were no direct confrontations with the police during the CUNY protest, and none reported during the subway travels of the protestors.
The day’s full roster of activities had all led to one major gathering point and time: Foley Square, 5 pm.
As protestors from all corners and squares and subways of the city poured out into downtown streets, they joined thousands more for the mass rally.
Despite the pronounced police presence, and strategic street closures, the groups that had traveled together from the Grand Concourse and from Broadway, from the South Bronx and El Alto de Manhattan stayed close together, joining seamlessly into the crowd that would march across the Brooklyn Bridge.
“We made it,” said one of the marchers. “We’re here too.”
To hear from student protestors at Union Square Park, please visit http//bit.ly/t7yR90.
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