Protest at Bloomberg's Bagel Breakfast on World AIDS Day 2010 Housing Works

Twelve arrested at Mayor Bloomberg's World AIDS Day Bagel Breakfast in Demonstration

About a dozen protesters dressed as bagels were arrested outside of the Mayor's annual World AIDS Day Bagel Breakfast. Among them Housing Works activist Johnny Gualupo and Housing Works president Charles King.

According to the Housing Works Press release, "Dozens of outraged bagels plan to boycott Mayor Bloomberg's annual World AIDS Day Bagel Breakfast. They will picket outside the breakfast, which takes place at 7:30 AM, December 1, at the Brooklyn Public Library on Grand Army Plaza.

The baked goods are angry that for the last three years the mayor has hosted a bagel breakfast where he professes his commitment to combating New York City's AIDS epidemic—and a month later proposes a budget that would devastate services for low-income New Yorkers with AIDS, especially AIDS housing services.

The bagels are calling their boycott a "schmear" campaign.

"Mayor Bloomberg is like Marie Antoinette. His attitude to poor people with AIDS is 'Let them eat bagels!'" said Charles "Sesame" King, president and CEO of Housing Works Bagels' Schmear Campaign. "We bagels refuse to be implicated in the mayor's World AIDS Day hypocrisy. I invite all New Yorkers to join us on Dec. 1."

* In 2008, despite a city budget surplus, Bloomberg forced City Council to enact a $6 million cut to AIDS services, including needle exchange and HIV prevention.

* In 2009, he proposed $10 million in cuts. More than $6 million were enacted, largely to AIDS housing.

* In 2010, he proposed crippling cuts to HASA, the agency that oversees housing, nutrition and other benefits for 45,000 poor New Yorkers with AIDS and their families. A Housing Works lawsuit stopped him.

* Bloomberg influenced Gov. Paterson to veto the 30 Percent Rent Cap legislation.

After the Bagel Breakfast Boycott protest, the bagels plan to participate in Housing Works' annual 24 hour vigil in City Hall Park. Hundreds of New Yorkers will read the names of those who have died of AIDS for a continuous 24 hours, beginning at 12:01 AM, December 1. All New Yorkers are welcome.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Housing Works
• Charles King
• Johnny Gualupo
• World AIDS Day 2010
• ACT UP

[JohnnyAppleWeedTV]

its obvious one voice fuel a group

the mayor of new york is a worthless sack of unintelligence if he thinks the weather is gonna make the movement go away

[Michael Bloomberg is Marie Antoinette & and both of them are a JOKE to the 99%

good work!