The march for justice goes on in Manhattan
even after Chauvin’s conviction
BY DEAN MOSES
Although the trial of Derek Chauvin
for the murder of George Floyd
took place in Minneapolis, 1,198
miles away from New York City, the
overwhelming sense of justice found in
Chauvin’s murder conviction Tuesday
fl ooded the Big Apple like a tsunami.
For nearly a year, protesters have taken
to the streets of Manhattan and the outer
boroughs driven by despair and fury following
the killings of not only George
Floyd, but also Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud
Arbery, and so many more. After calling for
justice, clashing with NYPD offi cers, and
marching under the scorching sun, through
the pouring rain, and amidst snowfall, the
marchers could fi nally take a victory lap
and rest in the wake of a hard-fought battle.
Yet that didn’t happen.
The city was besieged with an array
of protests Tuesday evening and several
hundred demonstrators, from Brooklyn
to Midtown Manhattan. Marchers seeking
systemic change in the justice system
say that when it comes to the way in
On 7th Avenue and 34th Street, those rallying took a knee.
which Black and Brown lives are treated,
Chauvin’s conviction was only the fi rst step
for accountability.
As night fell Tuesday, they took to the
streets to remind the city and country that
more work needs to be done.
“This is a big step to justice but there is
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
more that we need to do, and that more is
abolishing this whole damn system,” Larry
Smith exclaimed holding onto a microphone,
stating that the protesters present
are survivors of injustice. “This isn’t justice
today; this is a start. Every single day we
will continue to organize.”
The Times Square protest, which began at
7 p.m., saw well over one hundred individuals
march Downtown carrying signs reading,
“People’s verdict: Guilty.” Hauling speakers
along with them, the crowd ensured their
message was heard. Bellowing voices echoed
off luxury buildings with the words “Your
whole damn system is guilty as hell!” and
“No Justice, No Peace!”
As the evening turned to night and dusk
fell, protesters blocked the roadway on 7th
Avenue and 34th Street by taking a knee
for several minutes. Here, members of the
NYPD and obstructed motorists watched
the symbol of solidarity unfold.
After the abrupt stop, they continued toward
Lower Manhattan where they ended
their rally at Union Square. Although the
group was closely followed by NYPD
bikers, the protest remained peaceful
throughout.
While the night was centered on pushing
for future changes and additional accountability
for offi ces who abuse their power,
protesters did allow for some semblance of
celebration, however — clapping and cheering
at the image of Chauvin in handcuffs.
Nonprofi t seeks to blow hole through Cuomo’s Empire Station vision
BY MARK HALLUM
A non-profi t organization is calling
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Empire
Station Complex an antiquated
approach to improving transportation
capacity while missing an opportunity to
provide eastward commuter train service
at Penn Station.
ReThinkNYC, which is among the opponents
to the proposal to expand Penn
Station to south by possibly demolishing
buildings a block to the south, says the
40% increase in capacity is based on an obsolete
transit template and should instead
include through-service for Amtrak, New
Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road.
Penn is currently the terminus for these
three lines while the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority continues its efforts
to provide LIRR service to Grand Central
via the East Side Access project which
will double capacity from Long Island into
Manhattan.
“There is no justifi cation for the state
not to be moving to a through-running
platform. Through-running has been the
emerging international norm since as early
as the 60’s. While some proponents chortle
privately that through running is a “unicorn”
or something for Paris or London but
Commuters through Penn Stations LIRR concourse on April 7.
not New York, their own responses make
clear through-running is feasible. The
only reason it is not being considered is its
proponents steadfast refusal to look at the
full economic and quality of life benefi ts
which follow from through running to the
entirety of the region.”
According to the organization, throughrunning
service would increase capacity
for 20% more NJ Transit commuters and
nearly 50% more LIRR riders. MTA
PHOTO BY MARK HALLUM
Spokesman Aaron Donovan, however,
dispelled the notion that a more seamless
system running from New Jersey through
Long Island would be feasible without a
prior expansion of Penn Station.
“The MTA, Amtrak and New Jersey
Transit have studied through-running as
part of the Master Plan for the expansion of
Penn as part of the long-hoped for Gateway
program. We have included plans for additional
through running in the future in
all he scenarios we are considering. But so
far expert analysis indicates that this – like
the many other paper plans we have seen
from others – doesn’t obviate the need for
additional tracks and platforms to accommodate
the signifi cantly larger number of
trains that will be coming across the Hudson
once the Gateway Tunnels are built.”
ReThinkNYC has overviewed their proposal
on alternatives to redeveloping Penn
Station through a series of videos on Vimeo
and based some of their recent assertions
on the matter of through-running service
on a 2014 analysis by Amtrak that weighed
the benefi ts and investments necessary to
make the conversion.
One of the observations made by Amtrak
at the time near the conclusion of
the study was that through-running was:
“technically feasible but would bring many
operational challenges and likely require
very large investments to make it reasonably
successful.”
About $1.3 billion has already been set
aside in the state’s fi scal year 2022 budget
for the expansion to the south, something
that has opponents concerned for the availability
of housing in Midtown as well as
historic features in the community such as
the 150-year old St. John the Baptist Roman
Catholic Church.
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