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Photos From Bryant Park Tax Day Protest: Rage vs. Apathy
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 18, 2011
Modified Apr 18, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 18, 2011
Modified Apr 18, 2011
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There's still no grass in Bryant Park—unless of course you count this afternoon's grassroots protest against the capitalist swine who pay no income taxes. MoveOn.org sponsored the rally, which was intended to shame companies like Google, Verizon, General Electric, and Bank of America for dodging their tax bills and expose the "America is broke" lie that both parties parrot. But the hundred-something protesters were outnumbered by the weary grey drones who silently slid Chipotle down their numb gullets, thinking less of grabbing a pitchfork and more of the episodes of True Blood they're going to catch up on this weekend.
Still, those who showed up seemed energized and vocal, and while lame chants ("I pay / You pay / Why doesn't BOA?") seem infuriatingly dated, they were belted with gusto by a notably diverse crowd. Carlos, an unemployed EMS technician from the Bronx called Boehner and the Republicans "economic terrorists," and likened the revolving door of businessmen within the SEC and the Treasury to "the fox guarding the chicken house."
Heather, a writer from the Upper West Side (her son Parker snug in his Baby Bjorn), was outraged to find that Verizon dodged their taxes after she got slapped with $17 in "taxes and fees" on her last phone bill, so she cancelled her account. "If the Supreme Court says corporations are like people," she said, referencing the Citizens United decision, "they should pay taxes like normal people." We also asked five men wearing three-piece suits to comment, but all declined before slipping back into a fiery orifice that opened up on the Earth's crust. Drop the burritos and pick up the chant sheets, sheeple!
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Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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