Big May Day turnout in New York City

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Nous charges. There were several arrests at a “wildcat” march on the Lower East Side, where anarchists overNEW YORK—May 1 was a day of celebration, rage, and solidarity. Taking to the streets for International Worker’s Day were some 10,000 to 20,000 mostly cally diverse outpouring of workers unaffiliated with working-class New Yorkers. Dozens of May Day actions unions that are tied to the Democratic Party. Workers, culminated in a big rally and march from Union Square both immigrant and non-immigrant, and youth, many in lower Manhattan. The march went south on Broad- of whom face astronomical student loan debts, were turned on by the militant confrontational style of OWS.

The mile-long May Day parade was led by five taxis cupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, some 40 endors- driven by members of the Taxi Workers Alliance, which ing trade unions, the May First Coalition for Immigrant represents thousands of drivers. Close behind was and Worker Rights, and other immigrant and commu- Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents nity organizations. A national call by anarchist forces 38,000 New York subway and bus workers. Local 100 within and without OWS for a general strike failed to was the first union to publicly defend OWS; it initiated two large rallies last October and November in defense In November, billionaire Mayor Mike Bloomberg and the New York Police Department evicted OWS from its Local 100 helped prevent the first major cop attempt Zuccotti Park home near Wall Street. But on May Day to dislodge OWS from Zuccotti Park by mobilizing its they found that they could not kill the spirit of Occupy staff. In October, the TWU filed a court injunction to Wall Street. Winter is over, “let freedom spring” was the stop the NYPD from forcing union bus drivers to haul to jail on city buses 700 OWS protesters. The injunction failed. However, union contingents at the rally were ing on peaceful antiwar and Muslim activists, arrested modest. Local 100’s contingent of up to 100 was persome 85 protesters on May Day. The charges were haps the largest. Other endorsing unions included 32 mostly misdemeanors, with a handful of more seri- BJ, Communications Workers of America Local 1180, way to Wall Street, the capital of the 1%.

May Day was organized by a new coalition of the Ocmaterialize.

message!

The NYPD, scandalized by revelations of illegal spyturned garbage cans. of OWS that rivaled or exceeded May 1. The May Day protesters were in large part an ethnirally in front of the General Post Office. city colleges and universities. opted at the end, is only one example.