PHOTO ESSAY & INTRODUCTORY TEXT BY CHRISTIAN MILES | On Monday, July 15, at approximately 5pm, members of  Rise and Resist (“a direct action group committed to opposing, disrupting, and defeating any government act that threatens democracy, equality, and our civil liberties”) blockaded the intersection box of 42nd St. and 5th Ave. with orange safety fencing, as part of a non-violent civil disobedience sit-in.

The event was held to protest the abusive policy of family separation (both at the border and within our undocumemted communities), the deplorable conditions of detained migrant men, women, and most tragically, separated and neglected children at our southern border at the hands of our government offices, and the recent threats of ICE raids in our communities by President Trump, that will result in further family separation.

The event lasted approximately 1.5 hours and put traffic in all directions to a complete halt. Several dozen protestors were arrested, as the NYPD was coraling press and creating walls of police between those being arrested and the press, in order to obscure views. The police surrounded individuals in a huddle-like formation, as they were handcuffed and escorted from the scene, in what appeared to be an effort to further obstruct view and any chance of documenting of the arrests. While some protesters were forcibly carried away, the event concluded without violence or aggressive confrontation. Many protestors preferred being arrested to abandoning the sit-in. No celebrities or political figures could be named at the event, although it was a well-supported grassroots demonstration.

Rise and Resist is scheduled to host an Impeachment Parade on Sat., July 20, at Bryant Park.

 

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