New York, NY – Thousands of people rose up across New York City on Saturday, May 30 all throughout the boroughs in various actions organized by different groups. All of the actions were in solidarity with the Minneapolis rebellion and demanding justice for George Floyd.

One action was a car caravan that went from Harlem to the Bronx. Over a dozen cars gathered as part of the National Day of Protest with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The cars taped up posters with the demands of Justice for George Floyd, stop killer cops, and solidarity with the Minneapolis uprising. The caravan was organized by New York Community Action Project, The New Abolitionist Movement, Justice for Lynne Stewart, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Pueblo-People Party, and Struggle – La Lucha.

The caravan started in Harlem and first drove by a rally organized by Harlem’s Coalition Opposing Modern Day Lynching. The cars honked and chanted with the protest of over 600 people, who were met with police in riot gear. They continued driving around the neighborhood, receiving solidarity from the community, before heading up to the Bronx.

The caravan ended at the Bronx, where some of the attendees joined a protest organized by Peoples Power Assemblies. Over 300 gathered at the Hub, an area with heightened NYPD presence and harassment. After the march ended at St. Mary’s Park, the crowd chanted “Leave the park!” at the cops, who eventually left after being unable to intimidate the protesters.

Other actions were also organized in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Protests in Brooklyn have been especially escalated, with actions happening Friday and Saturday nights that have included the smashing and burning of NYPD vehicles. The NYPD is an especially militarized police force, with a long history of its own murders of Black people and other oppressed groups. All of these demonstrations have shown that the people are fed up and are ready to fight back.

#NewYorkNY #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #PuertoRico #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #NewYorkPoliceDepartment #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #MinneapolisUprising

These comments are ridiculous, considering that the homeless people sleeping on the subways do not have a choice. Capitalist forces have stripped them of access to work and shelter. Mayor de Blasio said the city is offering 200 extra shelter beds – a pathetic attempt at a solution, considering the city’s homeless population is roughly 70,000. Yet instead of blaming New York City’s lack of effort in organizing enough sanitary homeless shelter facilities, Cuomo and the NYPD are directing the blame towards homeless people.

By placing the blame on homeless people, the NYPD and New York officials divert attention from the city’s own failures. Instead of blaming the ruling class for failing to provide shelter to all people, they are trying to make us believe that homeless people are the problem. The problem is capitalism. If the government based its decisions on the needs of poor and working people, they would understand the need to provide adequate shelter for the homeless, and to provide low cost housing and free healthcare for all. This would not only give homeless people somewhere to sleep other than the subways, but would eventually prevent homelessness from becoming an issue at all.

But clearly the ruling class would rather criminalize the homeless than provide for people’s basic needs. As New York officials and the NYPD continue to ignore these blatant contradictions, it becomes increasingly clear that there is only one solution – we need to organize to overthrow the capitalist system that causes homelessness in the first place. The solution is socialism.

#NewYorkNY #PoorPeoplesMovements #Healthcare #HousingStruggles #Homeless #COVID19 #NewYorkPoliceDepartment