As New York City absorbed more sobering news about racism, Roosevelt Islanders responded with an AAPI Stop the Hate Rally. It was organized in just a couple days, but brought dozens out on Saturday.
Photos courtesy of rally organizer Rachel Dowling
Inspired by a mass killing in Atlanta, Roosevelt Islanders quickly spread the word about a rally on Facebook, and it was a typical local event. That is, not like anywhere else. Organizers drew residents as much in support of their AAPI neighbors as in protest.
Six of those killed in Atlanta were identified as Asian.
In the meantime, the struggle in New York brought media coverage with five new hate crimes against Asians.
And Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told PIX11 that NYPD investigated ten anti-Asian hate crimes so far in 2021. For the same period, last year, there were none.
Not without some bumps along the way, the Roosevelt Island community welcomes shifting demographics with culture-rich dynamics.
Saturday’s rally echoed a Black Lives Matter rally held in the same spot during the national George Floyd protests, last June.
- Monkeypox Experts Debunk Myths & Misinformation
Can monkeypox spread on the subway? Can it kill like COVID-19? Is it transmitted through sex? Misconceptions, myths and a lack of public knowledge on the monkeypox virus are widespread. Despite 57 percent of adults recently polled by Morning Consult feeling confident in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s ability to control the spread - Susan Rosenthal’s Lawsuit Failed. Now Here’s Why…Susan Rosenthal’s lawsuit was dismissed this month as was an earlier effort last year. A judge not only rejected its basic claims but also implied that the strategy of both lawsuits was flawed. We asked a legal expert who is familiar with RIOC to give us a review. Here’s what we learned. by David Stone
- Julie Menin Brilliant on Redistricting: Keep Roosevelt Island in ManhattanWhile emotional appeals rally sentiment at public meetings and help fill petitions on Redistricting, City Council Member Julie Menin takes a different track. In a detailed letter (see below), she tells Districting Commission head, Dennis Walcott, why separating Roosevelt Island from Manhattan District 5 isn’t wise. Her logic includes Sutton Place and other pieces of
- Mediterranean Eatery: Now a Great New Food OptionFor six months, Alan Kruvi worked, mostly quietly, building his Mediterranean Eatery on Main Street. An Island House resident, Kruvi finished earlier this month and waited only for FDNY approval before serving up the best new food Roosevelt Island has seen in years. It’s the newest addition to Shops On Main. by David Stone The
- How Gov. Greg Abbott Texas-Sized a Crisis for NYC Mayor Eric AdamsFour months prior, he had announced that the state of Texas was planning to bus migrants from near the Texas-Mexico border to Washington, D.C., a move that drew mixed reviews — even among conservatives — and soon fell off the political radar. But then New York City Mayor Eric Adams began raising alarms about the
