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PHOTO: QPhotoNYC
Northern Manhattan came out to show its support of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement this past Monday morning, as hundreds gathered on the corner of West 181st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.
Local residents came out holding signs, megaphones and banging on drums to take on the 11-mile trek along Broadway all the way down to OWS central at Zuccotti Park where protesters have been camped out for nearly two months.
Made up of neighbors, community leaders, elected officials and supporters who came out in their walking shoes, participants looked to echo a sentiment they claim is alive throughout the neighborhood: We are indeed the 99%.
Shouting, “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido [The people united will never be defeated],” Victor Guzman, a resident of Washington Heights for more than three decades, said he joined the march to protest the lack of jobs.
Guzman has not been able to find steady work since being laid off from his construction job over a year ago. “I am here today to let everyone know that we are in support of this movement. That the people of Washington Heights need a change; our community has been most affected by the financial irresponsibility of others,” he said as the march snaked through Broadway, past street vendors, bodegas, and morning commuters who stopped to watch the 400-plus people moving through the neighborhood. In a show of solidarity, business owners handed out water bottled to the marchers.
David Hunt, co-owner of Coogan’s Restaurant on West 168th Street and Broadway, came out to distribute water and show support. “These are all our people,” said Hunt, who looked out to the crowd in what he described as “disbelief.”
“These are our customers, our regulars, they keep us open and we want them to know that we are in this with them. This is an incredible turnout.”
Organized by a host of elected officials and community leaders, including the offices of New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat and New York City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, the march attracted community representatives, local unions, neighbors, and supporters who joined along the way.
“I feel so proud to be here today surrounded by so many of my fellow Northern Manhattan residents,” said Councilmember Rodriguez. “We have to keep pushing for affordable housing, extend the millionaire’s tax and make sure our communities get their fair share.”
The “End to End for the 99% March,” as it was billed, was an effort to bring black and Latino residents, labor leaders, elected officials, and organizers into a protest movement in which some have argued their voices have been absent.
“We need to educate people about the OWS movement; our communities need to know this movement is about them, do more outreach and make sure it hits home,” said Fernando Wilson, originally from Panama, who said he struggled to put his children through college and now lamented they could not find “a decent job.”
“We want jobs; we want better education; we want decent rent and housing. We haven’t had that for decades here,” said Senator Espaillat. “We are marching to show solidarity and give this movement a new face. This is not just a Wall Street thing, this is a Washington Heights thing, a Harlem thing, an East Harlem thing.”
Relying on a wheelchair to move around did not keep Alma Albeniz from traveling the 11 miles down Broadway on her way to Zuccotti Park.
“I am here to represent the disabled people of the City who are often ignored and disregarded by this City,” said Albeniz, who has lived in Washington Heights for over 23 years, and said she can no longer afford the therapy she needs. “The resources we so desperately need keep getting cut and taken away from us.”
Joining the march just at the end of Washington Heights on Broadway and West 155th Street was Public Advocate Bill De Blasio, who said he joined the march to show respect and support.
“This is about every kind of New Yorker,” said De Blasio. “OWS is not a few people with a small agenda, they represent a much bigger idea that you can feel all over the City.”
As the “End to End for 99%” march made its way out of Washington Heights and into Harlem, they were joined by the Transit Workers Union who received them with a cheer, and a rousing speech delivered by Charles Jenkins, Director of Organizing for TWU Local 100. Speaking into the megaphone, Jenkins said, “We’re here until the 99% gets jobs. This is historic. We are proud of the working class and the Transit Workers Union stands with you in support and solidarity.”
And the march went on.
As they approached Times Square in the late Monday afternoon, Mino Lora, co-executive director of the People’s Theater Project tweeted “My feet hurt, legs are cramped. But I’m still going.”
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