March 30 Mass Action Against Austerity in New York: One Activist's firsthand report
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On Tuesday the New York State legislature passed Governor Andrew Cuomo's austerity budget. 1500 children, parents, educators, students, and activists rallied outside the Senate and Assembly chambers to defend their interests. Citizen Action and other NPO lobbyists were kept out, 100 plus State Troopers were on duty, and anti-Austerity forces were literally swept underground. This was a teachable moment for the left, and a declaration of war upon the poor from the Powers-That-Be.
As we arrived later at 3:00pm to the capitol, the contingent from Buffalo was herded single-file (which broke down rather soon) across the street. The buses were organized by Citizen Action (CA) and Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), with People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) and local student organizers (e.g. Buffalo State Students for Peace) recruiting locally. On the way to Albany we received the message: sleeping bags and blankets were not allowed into the state capitol. As we entered the state capitol, we were immediately ordered into a line that curved line to enter the security barrier that was staffed by no less than 4 security guards and 1-2 state troopers throughout the day. People were turned away not just for bedding but, their security crackdown also extended to arresting someone for accidentally hitting a guard with a gong later into the afternoon.
