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February 3, 2011

Anti-Walmart Rally at City Hall

By  Linda Schmidt / Fox News


Walmart has been trying to open a store in New York City for years. Once again, the retailer is fighting for that chance.

Chanting "No Walmart," small business owners, workers and their supporters** rallied on the steps of City Hall to urge the City Council to prevent Walmart' from opening in any of the five boroughs.

Mom and pop shops say it will wipe out their businesses.

Walmart officials declined to talk on camera, but issued a statement: "Walmart creates jobs that provide a competitive wage, affordable benefits and the chance to build a career."

Council Speaker Christine Quinn is backing small business over the retail giant. She said research shows that when Walmart moves in, three jobs are lost for every two jobs Walmart creates.

Afterward, at a City Council committee hearing on the potential impact Walmart would have on the city, Quinn criticized Walmart for refusing to attend to answer questions.

But community activist Tony Herbert presented a petition with 30,000 signatures from around the city supporting Walmart building in their communities.

Walmart also said the reason it didn't attend the hearing is because the hearing focused just on Walmart's possible impact on the city and didn't include the impact of other similar stores that already exist here.

The CEO wrote an op-ed piece in a local newspaper, saying "give the company a chance" and that Walmart has been successful in other cities.

**Including members of Make the Road New York (MRNY).

For original article, click here.


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Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

On March 18, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed new legislation to stop federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using NYC’s criminal justice system to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

Building on legislation we helped to win just over a year ago, Local Laws 21 and 22 prohibit not only the Department of Correction but now also the NYPD from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals on behalf of ICE agents for detention and deportation. Each year, thousands of New York families will stay together who would otherwise have been torn apart by overly aggressive, indiscriminate immigration enforcement.

At a moment when the country is debating immigration reform, with these laws, New York City sends a clear message to Washington that tearing apart thousands of immigrant families is bad policy.

With your support, we look forward to winning national reform that keeps families together. We thank our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic and the bills’ sponsors, NYC Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Mark-Viverito, for their courageous leadership.


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