VTMBH Article: Body
A team of injured workers marching in a protest in Albany ended up in a conflict with police on Oct. 15. The conflict led to the arrests of four organizers, including the executive director of the Chinese Staff & Workers Association, Wing Lam. All four were released when the march was over, but will be charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and must appear in court on Nov. 27.
The protest was organized by the Chinese Staff & Workers Association, the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS), and The Workers Compensation Board. About 400 injured workers marched from the governors mansion to the Capitol to protest Gov. Patakis policies on injured workers compensation, Chinatowns financial assistance after September 11th, and the need for health insurance for working people.
At 7:30 a.m., seven buses of protesters left New York City for Albany. The protest started at noon. Protesters held anti-Pataki signs and chanted Pataki must go. They planned to march from the governors mansion to the Capitol and to hold rallies at the beginning and the end. About 50 New York State and Albany police officers patrolled the march.
Although the protesters had permits from both the state and the county to march, the state police officers refused to allow them to march in the street. Mr. Lam of the Chinese Staff & Workers Association, together with three other organizers, emphasized to the police that their permits were unrestricted. The police still forced the marchers back onto the sidewalk. As the protesters insisted on marching in the street, police officers on horses, motorcycles, and on foot chased protesters. Some protesters were pushed to the ground and said they were injured. Then the four leaders were arrested.
Stan Mark, a lawyer from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), went to Albany to show the support of his organization. He worked as a temporary lawyer for the four leaders after they were arrested. Mark confirmed that the four had been released when the march ended. Two of them, Betty Yu and her mother, both Chinese, were charged with resisting arrest and bailed out at $500 each. They claimed the police had beat them and went to the hospital to have their injuries checked. Mark said that, normally, walking on the sidewalks doesnt require a permit. So the purpose of a marching permit is to allow protestors to walk on the road. But in this case, it seems the police have different understanding of the permit, Mark said.
The arrest didnt stop the march, but the protesters cancelled the rally in front of the governors mansion. At first there was a little bit of panic. But then we realized that we didnt do anything wrong, said Wei Chen, an organizer at the Chinese Staff & Workers Association. This incident clearly showed Patakis altitude toward injured workers and poor people clearly, Chen added. A lot of injured workers went there on wheelchairs and Pataki dispatched many police officers to chase them. How could this kind of person be a governor?
New York States injured workers have a long history of anger with the governorthe organizations representing workers benefits organized many protests on this issue. But yesterdays protest was the first time they confronted the governor in the state capitol. As always, they asked the governor to increase the minimum compensation for injured workers, and speed the process of the compensation judgment. They also addressed the issue of the air quality in downtown Manhattan and asked the governor raise the maximum income for participating in Family Health Plus, a state-funded health insurance for low-income working people.
Mr. Lam and other protesters went to New York Downtown Hospital to have their injuries checked injures after they returned from Albany. Mr. Lam said that they wont be intimidated and would organize another protest in Albany soon.
The protest was organized by the Chinese Staff & Workers Association, the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS), and The Workers Compensation Board. About 400 injured workers marched from the governors mansion to the Capitol to protest Gov. Patakis policies on injured workers compensation, Chinatowns financial assistance after September 11th, and the need for health insurance for working people.
At 7:30 a.m., seven buses of protesters left New York City for Albany. The protest started at noon. Protesters held anti-Pataki signs and chanted Pataki must go. They planned to march from the governors mansion to the Capitol and to hold rallies at the beginning and the end. About 50 New York State and Albany police officers patrolled the march.
Although the protesters had permits from both the state and the county to march, the state police officers refused to allow them to march in the street. Mr. Lam of the Chinese Staff & Workers Association, together with three other organizers, emphasized to the police that their permits were unrestricted. The police still forced the marchers back onto the sidewalk. As the protesters insisted on marching in the street, police officers on horses, motorcycles, and on foot chased protesters. Some protesters were pushed to the ground and said they were injured. Then the four leaders were arrested.
Stan Mark, a lawyer from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), went to Albany to show the support of his organization. He worked as a temporary lawyer for the four leaders after they were arrested. Mark confirmed that the four had been released when the march ended. Two of them, Betty Yu and her mother, both Chinese, were charged with resisting arrest and bailed out at $500 each. They claimed the police had beat them and went to the hospital to have their injuries checked. Mark said that, normally, walking on the sidewalks doesnt require a permit. So the purpose of a marching permit is to allow protestors to walk on the road. But in this case, it seems the police have different understanding of the permit, Mark said.
The arrest didnt stop the march, but the protesters cancelled the rally in front of the governors mansion. At first there was a little bit of panic. But then we realized that we didnt do anything wrong, said Wei Chen, an organizer at the Chinese Staff & Workers Association. This incident clearly showed Patakis altitude toward injured workers and poor people clearly, Chen added. A lot of injured workers went there on wheelchairs and Pataki dispatched many police officers to chase them. How could this kind of person be a governor?
New York States injured workers have a long history of anger with the governorthe organizations representing workers benefits organized many protests on this issue. But yesterdays protest was the first time they confronted the governor in the state capitol. As always, they asked the governor to increase the minimum compensation for injured workers, and speed the process of the compensation judgment. They also addressed the issue of the air quality in downtown Manhattan and asked the governor raise the maximum income for participating in Family Health Plus, a state-funded health insurance for low-income working people.
Mr. Lam and other protesters went to New York Downtown Hospital to have their injuries checked injures after they returned from Albany. Mr. Lam said that they wont be intimidated and would organize another protest in Albany soon.