February 19, 2019
A month ago President Trump teased the idea of declaring a national emergency to build a barrier wall on the border with Mexico but made no formal declaration. Then Friday, in the Rose Garden, he announced that he would sign one after all. Even as he predicted legal challenges and Supreme Court vindication lawsuits were being drafted. In the days since his address pundits have taken to the airwaves, print, and social media to expound for and against. On Presidents’ Day several hundred New Yorkers converged on Union Square to weigh in on the against side. They were joined by a handful (3) of pro-wall individuals who hollered from the 14th Street sidewalk at passersby. One intrepid MAGA Periscope lady plunged into the rally to stream her POV to viewers unable to attend the event. Dozens of NYPD stood by, observing the peaceful gathering and shifting metal barriers around to manage the flow of evening rush hour foot traffic on 14th Street.
Among the speakers were Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten and U.S Rep. Jerrold Nadler, as well as reps from immigration rights organizations. The temperature was freezing cold and the wind was gusting, but the warmly dressed crowd appeared far more concerned with the national political climate than with the local weather.
Mark McKinnon from HBO ‘The Circus,’ City Council Member Brad Lander, Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten, Rep. Jerrold Nadler.
