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Pre-Convention Notes
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 13, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 13, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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You know, even though the fall is our favorite month, Gothamist never looked forward to the end of summer, and thanks to the hell on wheels production of the Republican National Convention, we're hoping that construction on our time-machine keeps progressing. There was yesterday's Daily News report that some extreme/fringe protest groups were devising ways to divert police and bomb-sniffing dogs with "anarchist" tactics, like lacing things with ammonium nitrate and forcing the evacuation of Madison Square Garden. Police Commissioner Kelly freaked out, "Where is the legitimate protest in trying to endanger the public?" Mayor Bloomberg responded to the news by saying, "If people want to come here and protest, we also want to accommodate them, but nobody is going to take away the rights of our citizens to go about their business, go to school, go to work." Gothamist agrees, but we find it funny, because a lot of businesses near Madison Square Garden are going to be closed, because there's so much chaos expected. The management company of Penn South, a co-op near MSG, is telling residents to stock up on food and water, making the comparison of the convention to a hurricane apt. Even though we don't live near MSG, should we assume our landlord doesn't love us, since he doesn't give us memos like that one?
The Daily News has even published an editorial that tells protestors, essentially, to get over themselves. Not that the DN doesn't stump for the good of its everyday readers, it seems a Post-ian move. And Expedia is telling Gothamist we should leave town - and there's no one who knows us better than Barry Diller!! But no worries - we'll be here to bitch and complain with the rest of you.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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