| In the weeks leading up to the elections, injured workers and victims
of September 11 have organized a series of protests in Albany and
New York City to denounce Governor George Pataki's destructive health
policies for working people. Both times that injured workers marched
to the Governor's Mansion in Albany, they were met with police intimidation,
harassment and eight unwarranted arrests. On Monday, November 4, Federal
judge Thomas J. McAvoy ruled on the right of injured workers to march
on the streets in Albany.
On October 15, after issuing a permit to march to the Governor's
Mansion, the police used violence and brutality to illegally prevent
injured workers from marching in the street. By forcing disabled
workers and 9/11 victims to the sidewalk, the police jeopardized
their safety by squeezing them under dangerous construction scaffolding,
and onto walkways that were not wheelchair accessible, making it
difficult to exercise their First Amendment rights. Only later,
after many arrests, did the police admit that they had issued a
permit to march without restrictions. For the second protest on
October 30, Albany police outright denied injured workers a permit
to march in the streets.
In response, injured workers of the It's About Time Campaign for
Workers' Health & Safety filed a request for an injunction in
Federal court to uphold their constitutional and civil rights to
march. Last Friday, November 1, the judge agreed to review our requests
for future marches, heard our testimonies, and promised a decision
on Monday, November 4.
However, on November 4, the judge declared that we would not be
allowed to march in front of the Governor's Mansion. Outraged by
the decision, dozens of injured workers from the It's About Time
campaign held a protest and press conference that same afternoon
in front of the James T. Foley U.S. Court House at 445 Broadway
in Albany. We declared that we will not be silenced, and that our
struggle to be heard and to have our rights recognized will not
end here.
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