Uptown Notes

Political cartoon courtesy of http://www.mikhaela.net/

This Wednesday May 7th at 3pm around the city of New York, Al Sharpton is conducting a set of pray-ins to disrupt normal activity.

“The civil rights activist, who has promised to “close this city down” to protest last month’s verdict, said protesters would stage a “pray-in” Wednesday at half a dozen places in the city, including the police headquarters.”

The locations are as follows:
* Third Avenue at 125th Street;
* Park Avenue at 34th Street;
* Third Avenue at 60th Street;
* Varick and Houston Streets;
* One Police Plaza;
* 415 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.
Hat tip to Gothamist … well, I have mixed feelings about linking there given the comments on the post. Blogs are amazing formats to display unfettered racial attitudes.

On a related note, for the folks who read this and say, “what is protesting going to do?” I think it’s important that we remember that protests are building moments in movements. Civil Disobedience, which was one of the bedrocks of the Civil Rights Movement, can still be used to raise awareness and galvanize people to a point of action. As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Our resistance cannot be confined to a moment, nor should it be defined by a moment. Look at these moments that Sharpton is facilitating as building blocks, not end points.