Hundreds march against East Side resiliency project
BY DEAN MOSES
On April 18, the East River Park Action
group and local residents took
to the streets in opposition of the
East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project
which fi nally got underway this week.
The East River Park is a beloved community
hub for many Lower East Side
residents to jog through, play sports on, and
enjoy fresh air at—especially during the
COVID-19 pandemic. As a cherished communal
focal point, members of East River
Park Action—a group of residents who
stand in disagreement with the proposed
ESCR—have been engaging in a battle for
years, opposing the fi ve-year construction
that looks to pack the area with 8-10 feet
of fi ll in hopes protecting against fl ooding
due to climate change.
While federal and city offi cials alike
say this is a plan to shield the region from
damages akin to what was seen as a result
of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, activists feel
the park’s subsequent closure, lack of
public transparency, and demolition of
trees and land will not be worth the end
product, which includes a slew of new
amenities such as a pedestrian crossing
bridge on Delancey Street and East 10th
street.On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of
New Yorkers gathered at Tompkins Square
Park, many of whom wore “Save East River
Marchers dance and sing their way to East Riverside Park.
Park” t-shirts and brandished signs calling
for the immediate shutdown of work on
the park. Here they set out on a trek from
park to park, concluding at the East River
Amphitheater. However, before the protest
got underway, those attending gathered to
hear speakers.
Emily Johnson is of the Yup’ik Nation,
and is an avid water and land activist. She
is a strong believer that climate justice
is racial justice and is one of hundreds
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
of Lower East Side residents against the
ESCR project. She says that this plan is
only a temporary fi x that will destroy the
trees in the East River Park and prevent
individuals from freely accessing the open
space.
“We demand the city stop the demolition
of East River Park. We demand a comprehensive
outside environmental review of
their plan. We demand immediate interim
fl ood control; we demand a truly resilient
plan. This city, Mayor de Blasio, our Council
Member Carlina Rivera, they want us to
accept their environmentally racist plan,”
Johnson said,.
The East River Park Action group is
pushing for a moratorium on the ESCR,
transparency and accountability in regards
to this project and all construction efforts
and is pushing to keep the park open during
the pandemic.
In response to this rally, Council Member
Carlina Rivera said on Monday that
she is in support of the ESCR project and
believes that it will provide protection for
the waterfront area.
“Council Member Powers, Chin, and I
are proud to support and see the City embark
on this fi rst-of-its-kind project that not
only protects tens of thousands of NYCHA
residents and our larger community from
storms and sea level rise, but ensures permanent
access to our cherished East River
Park where I, as a Lower East Side resident,
have so many memories. We will not let the
protection that our public housing residents
deserve and that has been denied to them
for nearly a decade be allowed to be delayed
any longer. Climate change is here, it’s sadly
not going away, and resiliency projects are
going to need to come to coastal communities
across our nation. That’s why we need
to have the courage to make these investments
now,” said Rivera.
Activists in Union Square say ‘Don’t be Doobious’ of vaccine
BY DEAN MOSES
New Yorkers toked up for a
good cause on 4/20.
Marijuana activists
were blazing away the coronavirus
one joint at a time on Union
Square as members of ACT
Up—an AIDS activist group—
and other groups distributed
free weed rollups to those who
have received their COVID-19
vaccines.
Dubbed Joints for Jabs, this effort
aims to incentivize smokers
to lift their arms up for more than
just a drag of the devil’s lettuce,
it also hoped also to secure the
importance of COVID-19 inoculations.
Led by 74-year-old Dana
Beal and fellow activist Todd Hinden,
this initiative is eager to get
attendees high and COVID free.
At 11 a.m., a small table was
erected directly in front of the
George Washington statue in
Union Square, where adults aged
Union Square was filled with smoke on 4/20.
21 and older who showcased
proof that they have been fully
vaccinated were eligible to receive
their free joint.
Joint for Jabs is aiming to both
celebrate and inspire. In addition
to prompting New Yorkers
to do their part by protecting
themselves and those around
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
them through vaccinations,
this year’s 4/20 is also the fi rst
time New Yorkers can legally
celebrate the low-key holiday
after Governor Andrew Cuomo
and fellow legislators passed
the Marijuana Regulation and
Taxation Act (MRTA), which allows
recreational marijuana use
(permitted wherever smoking is
allowed).
“Everyone is talking about
getting vaccinated. So, we are
trying to encourage people to do
it. By doing so, if you come here
showing vaccination paperwork,
card, proof, we will give you a
free joint,” Todd Hinden, said,
who helped distributed the buds.
Although Hinden believes
making the practice legal is a
good fi rst step, he also believes
there is much more work to be
done. Now that activists have
combined the idea of smoking
weed with vaccines, there is an
even High-er calling.
“We are just trying to get
people aware and teach people
about the bigger picture. Now
that legalization is going in every
state that is just a tiny piece, we
have to get the Black, Spanish,
and people that are in jail for cannabis
crimes out of prison,” Hinden
said, dressed in a suit covered
in cartoon cannabis leaves.
There are, however, a few caveats
to the MRTA. Persons cannot
smoke and drive or have anyone
in the vehicle toking up. Likewise,
retail sale of marijuana begins in
April 2022, New Yorkers can
carry up to 3 ounces or 24 grams
of concentrated forms and grow
up to six plants starting in 2023.
“We are trying to work with
the Federal government on two
things: Support the vaccination
and legalize weed on the federal
level. We are trying to do
both with this event,” Michael
O’Malley, the inventor of Curved
Papers (an easy-to-use rolling
paper company).
O’Malley was contacted by
Joint for Jabs organizer Dana Beal
to help provide the rolling papers
to use for the event. About 25
individuals helped to roll approximately
2,400 joints for Tuesday’s
budding celebration from 11 am
to 4:20 pm.
Schneps Media April 22, 2021 5