Vol. 75/No. 27      July 25, 2011

The woman was referring to a notorious racist assault in Howard Beach that year by a gang of Caucasian youth who attacked three Black men who stopped at a pizza shop in the area. One of the three, Michael Griffith, was chased onto a highway where a car struck and killed him. The woman, who was Caucasian, was pleased to see campaign supporters getting a good response in Queens.

An ironworker signed the petition in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and bought the Militant. He said he recently joined coworkers who walked off the job and marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to the bosses’ office to protest stalled contract talks.

Two women originally from Russia signed and got copies of the paper, which one of them had seen previously at Borough of Manhattan Community College. Both were unemployed, one of them facing eviction. “How can I keep looking for a job when I can’t even get into my apartment?” she asked.

A woman in Queens said, “Tell the candidate we need a one-day strike over the high cost of subway fares.”

Mark Legall, a state worker, said he was angry with Gov. Andrew Cuomo: “He wants us to take nine furlough days and freeze our pay for four years.”

A young woman born in China said, “The problem is, a minority gets all the money—both here and in China.”

“How far do we have to be pushed before we do what they did in Egypt?” said another woman who signed a petition.

A young woman outside a grocery in Sheepshead Bay where she works carrying bags described conditions in the area, including the lack of recreation facilities. After signing and urging a few shoppers to do so, she argued with someone who said socialism is no good and capitalism is the only answer. Hoeppner, the young woman said, is the type of fighter her neighborhood needs.

Peter, a 23-year-old part-time grocery worker wearing a United Food and Commercial Workers union button (the store is organized), described problems getting medical coverage for his wife, who is disabled, and for their son. He said he voted for Ralph Nader in 2008 because the Democrats and Republicans had nothing to offer, and was excited to find out about the SWP campaign. He signed, bought a Militant, and put his name on the campaign mailing list.
 
 
Related articles:
Socialists file for N.Y. ballot spot
Socialist Workers Party joins fighters on picket lines, in the streets
Support an independent working-class campaign!
‘We face same problems workers face worldwide’  
 
 
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