May Day events begin in NYC
Written by Renee Feltz Friday, 01 May 2009 14:35
Workers MarchOn this international holiday to celebrate workers' rights, thousands are marching to demand respect and dignity.
May Day protests started at noon in New York City and are expected to last well into the evening. Many of the city's demonstrations focused on immigrant rights - a topic that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the the nation's streets in 2006. Immigrant worker coalitions from around the city gathered in a rainy Union Square park --site of the first May Day events in the United States, and Madison Square Park.
Community News Production Institute reporters Abdulai Bah and Jacqueline Kook spoke with immigrant workers and activists who gathered in Union Square as the protests began, including: Carla Lopez (La Union de la Communidad Latina), Felix Ortiz (New Immigrant Community Empowerment), Robert Blair (32 BJ of SEIU), Shari Finkelman, Scott Burbridge, David Jimenez (Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York), and Chung-Wha Hong (New York Immigration Coalition).
This story aired as part of May Day coverage on Free Speech Radio News.
