WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 29, 2020 7
‘No Room for Racists’ march in Middle Village
They don’t want to compromise. They
don’t want to hear who we are. Nothing
we can do but monitor them.”
Papa added that “they’re peaceful
people. We’re the furthest things from
racist. This is the most diverse community,
in the most diverse borough in the
whole city of New York, and we’re proud
of that.”
Papa spoke about RTU being at
the Maspeth protest, which he said
targeted and threatened the wrong Ed
Mullins’ home. When a QNS reporter
who attended the Maspeth protest told
him RTU did not participate in that demonstration,
Papa said, “You’re entitled to
your opinion.”
Juan Ardila, who is running for
Holden’s seat, joined the RTU’s protest.
He, too, agreed that their district is one
of the most diverse in the city.
“As such, it’s important for everyone
to feel like they have a voice,” Ardila told
QNS. “I support peaceful protests that
lift up the voices of those who feel like
they’ve been left behind and unheard by
our leaders. We’ve seen time and time
again that our current Council member
only caters to those that agree with him
and seems to be comfortable ignoring
the majority of our communities.”
The marchers stopped at the Metropolitan
Avenue M station, where they
said they would wait for everyone to go
home, as many of them felt unsafe due to
the proximity and chants from counterprotesters.
At the station, counter-protesters
shouted, “Get the f— out of here.”
Papa, who kept mispronouncing Ardila’s
name, said he’d give him “one last
chance to come out, tell us why we should
vote for you. No comment?”
In once instance, a police offi cer asked
the counter-protesters to stop following
and to “just let them go.” But one person
with the counter-protest group said, “We
will do what you can’t.”
Ardila told QNS he joined the RTU’s
“No Room For Racists” march to “support
the grassroots movement for building
people power from the ground up and
fi ghting displacement.”
“It’s time for a change and peaceful protests
like this one are showing that the
working people of District 30 are ready
to embrace new leadership, despite the
objections of a loud few who are afraid
of it,” Ardila added.
The march ended without any
incidents.
In response to the protest and statements
from RTU, Holden, who did not attend
the day’s events, told QNS he stands
with his neighbors and police.
“I will not be intimidated or deterred
from supporting our NYPD or standing
up for the quality of life in my district just
because a small group of misguided anarchists
scream and yell and block traffi c
in the street,” said Holden. “I stand with
my neighbors and with our police.”
Additional reporting by Dean Moses.
/WWW.QNS.COM
