Members of the Occupy Wall Street movement protested outside the 74th Street-Broadway/Roosevelt Avenue Subway station in Jackson Heights on Nov. 17. The crowd of about 50 people spoke out in favor of the movement before heading to downtown Manhattan.
“I’m standing here in solidarity with these people,” said Karina Claudio. The Brooklyn native said she is a part of the movement because the “economic system of the U.S. is not beneficial to the people.”
A Jackson Heights resident, who gave the name Bradley Manning, held a sign that said, “NY Police, Follow the Syrian Example, Side with the People.” The protestor said that he wants cops to patrol the areas close to where they live, because many police officers live outside the neighborhoods where they work.
For people who are against Occupy Wall Street, Manning said it’s all about sitting down with people and talking to them about what issues the movement is hoping to bring to light. “The best thing to do is to open their eyes and make them realize that we’re all part of the 99 percent; even they are,” Manning said.
Occupy Wall Street demonstrators met at various subway stations as part of a planned demonstration after the NYPD informed occupiers in Zuccotti Park of a notice from Brookfield Office Properties, the park’s owners, that they had to leave because the park needed to be cleaned.
Some media outlets reported that the demonstrators would attempt to shut down the city’s subway system during rush hour, but no such plan materialized. Many rode the subway to join the larger demonstrations in Manhattan.
By Luis Gronda
