Hundreds of people showed up in Tompkins Square Park last night for a protest against Donald Trump’s immigration policies. The “Lower East Side Rally Against Hate” was organized by City Council member Rosie Mendez.
In opening remarks, she referred to the the park’s legacy in the protest movement, including the 1988 riots over the city’s homeless crackdown on the Lower East Side. Mendez said her community has always cherished diversity and inclusiveness and that, “people (in her district) will stand up against hate and bigotry any day of the year.”
Her colleague, City Council Margaret Chin, was also among the speakers last night. As a proud immigrant, a refugee, who came to this country in 1963, said Chin, she’s determined to fight the Trump administration’s executive order. “The United States is strong,” said Chin, “because of immigrants, because of the diversity of this country, and we have to make sure that it stays that way. We will resist, we will fight back, because the people united will never be defeated!”
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Public Advocate Tish James also spoke at the rally. We posted a couple of live videos on Facebook last night. You can view them below.
