New Yorkers are furious about de Blasio’s anti-Trump rally
For once, don’t blame The Donald!
Mayor Bill de Blasio caused traffic mayhem for his own political gains Thursday night as he headed a massive anti-Trump protest in Columbus Circle.
Sand trucks lined the streets around the Trump International Hotel & Tower starting at 6 p.m. — blocking all northbound vehicular traffic along Central Park West for hours — as an estimated 20,000 people turned out for the star-studded event.
Numerous jumbotrons and a giant stage located at 60th Street didn’t help matters, either, and ultimately sparked pedestrian gridlock in and around the 59th Street-Columbus Circle subway stop.
“It’s terrible, I just want to go home,” fumed Mary Aliaj, a 30-year-old Staten Islander who works at the nearby Valery Joseph Salon.
“It is worse [than Trump],” she said. “This is disturbing. I don’t think [the mayor] is going to solve anything. They should’ve done it somewhere that doesn’t stop other people. It’s wasting time and disturbing other people.”
Many residents who weren’t involved in the protest — which was attended by Alec Baldwin, Cher, Mark Ruffalo, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rosie Perez, Shailene Woodley, Robert De Niro and Natalie Merchant — were outraged by de Blasio and how the traffic-snarling protest seemed to be fueled by his quest for the political spotlight and anger toward the president-elect.
“I’m appalled at what’s happening here and I am angry at de Blasio,” said Susan Miller, a local Trump supporter. “[The protest] is a vanity project. The money could be used on housing, veterans, cleaning up the city, etc.”
Amir Shamli, a 39-year-old stylist at nearby Valery Joseph Salon, agreed — saying the demonstration was a “waste of time and money,” on account of all the NYPD cops and sand trucks used to police the event.
“It’s irresponsible of the mayor,” he said. “This is the most stupid protest I have ever seen in my life. The money spent on security should be spent on people in the city who are homeless, don’t have food … This protest isn’t going to affect anything. This protest is bulls–t.”
Tonya Loveday, 41, of the Upper East Side, angrily joked: “Oh yes, de Blasio started his campaign on November 9th.”
Sam, 25, of Hell’s Kitchen, added: “Obviously, de Blasio isn’t a fan of Trump, so he is using this madness for political gains — a typical politician.”
Throughout the evening, the mayor and company called out Trump on his controversial behavior and urged those in attendance to blatantly disregard what goes on in Washington over the next four years.
“Tomorrow there’ll be a peaceful transfer of power. Tomorrow, Donald Trump will have power. But tomorrow you will have power as well!” de Blasio said to the crowd. “Donald Trump may control the agenda in Washington, but we control our destiny as Americans … Tonight is an example of people coming together to make clear what we believe is the future of our country … The country doesn’t reside in Washington, DC, it’s every city and town in America where change is made. We’re here tonight and we should not let anyone define us just by what we’re against. We want to be defined by what we are for.”
But not every New Yorker thinks the mayor’s actions are in the best interests of the city.
A Quinnipiac poll found New Yorkers nearly evenly divided over the issue, with 46 percent against and 45 percent in favor.
The traffic situation around Columbus Circle and Trump Tower has been a heated topic for New Yorkers since Trump was elected — with most blasting the billionaire and calling on de Blasio to do more to fix it.
“To the extent that you can avoid the immediate area around Trump Tower, that will make your own life easier, and everyone else’s life easier,” the mayor said at a press conference back in November.
De Blasio announced last month that he was asking for $35 million to cover security costs between Nov. 8 and Jan. 20 — which comes out to an average of $472,973 per day.
But he didn’t seem to have a care in the world Thursday night — urging more and more residents to show up to the ant-Trump protest, even as the traffic was at a standstill.
“There’s still time to get to 65th & Broadway and join your fellow NYers to stand up for the values of our city! #WeStandUnited,” the mayor’s office tweeted.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment