A Melting Point NYC protest rally bounced electronic beats off the courthouse walls in Foley Square on Thursday. They whisked cobwebs gathered during jury duty out of my head. A WTF? moment quickly turned to Why not?
In the summer of ’68, we didn’t have the sonic power of synthesizers to grab attention, but our tactics were similar. We cleaned up to rally straights to our cause: electing Eugene McCarthy president, our one real hope for ending a poisonous war.
Bobby Kennedy was killed in June. In July, Clean for Gene buttons and posters appeared.
I shot a video, for the record, maybe an article, before getting the details.
About the Melting Point NYC Protest Rally
I soon found that the noise wasn’t there to drown out Trump but to raise money to help immigrants legally.
A young man handed me a zine, really no more than a many-folded 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of typing paper, a message in black and white.
“Melting Point is a collection of artists created to help raise funds and support for Al Otro Lado.” It was more than just noise.
Roughly translated, al otro lado means “at the other side of” in English.
“We are a bi-national, direct legal services organization serving indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico.”
And raising money for the work is what the Melting Point NYC protest rally was all about.
On their Facebook Page, Melting Point NYC pitched the protest rally: “Please be respectful of the park, each other, and others…”
Its how to win friends appeal struck the right note. And anyone can help.
Click here to donate to Al Otro Lado’s mission. Follow them at @alortolado_org and Melting Point NYC at @meltingpointnyc.
Melting Point, they say, “parties for the people.”
I’m not big on “party” as a verb. But I liked what they were doing and how they were doing it.
Introduce Yourself Again
On June 18, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Real Estate Development Advisory Committee gathered to discuss ground leases, retail agreements and pieces of the west-side waterfront that had been waiting patiently for the government to remember them.
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