Community Members Protest for Jobs and Needed Services at Governor's State of the State

Outside Gov. Cuomo's Speech, New Yorkers Offered "New Year's Resolutions" that would Create Jobs and Raise Revenues

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Protesters carried giant banners reading, "NY Needs Jobs and Housing! Make Wall Street Pay!"

NEW YORK, NY (01/06/2011)(readMedia)-- On January 5, at the state capitol's convention center in Albany, 35 individuals and organizations from around the state gathered to offer Governor Andrew Cuomo "New Year's Resolutions" that would bring reinvestment into communities, would create jobs for the unemployed and underemployed, and would offer ways to get the economy back on track.

Donning New Years Eve party attire, they pushed the Governor to raise new and badly-needed revenues for the state by extending the existing tax on the richest New Yorkers that is set to expire. If it expires, demonstrators said, the state will lose $1 billion in revenues this year and another $4 billion next year.

"We can't afford to pay for tax cuts for the rich by shutting down hospitals and eliminating social services, but that's what letting the fair share tax expire would do," said Robert Tolbert, a leader in VOCAL New York, formerly known as the NYC AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN), a statewide organization.

The protesters said the Governor needs to help New Yorkers get back to work by creating jobs immediately and fighting for communities and small businesses, not just Fortune 500 companies.

"Wall Street caused the financial crisis and needs to help fix it," Tolbert said. "Balancing the budget on the backs of working and disabled New Yorkers while giving a free pass to Wall Street Banks will just make our state's economy worse. We can't cut our way out of this crisis - Albany should be asking everyone pay their fair share."

Another demonstrator, Rodney Rainey, from the Western New York group People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH), discussed the models they are using to create quality jobs. "We're building a green economy in Buffalo that creates employment opportunities for real people through neighborhood investment and green jobs pathways," Rainey proclaimed.

"Over the past year, I've been trained and employed by PUSH in green construction along with other youth," said Rainey, before turning his sights once again on the new governor. "Now we're asking the incoming Governor to multiply these efforts to create quality jobs that can be filled by another million New Yorkers in need of employment."

The Resolutions offered by the groups and individuals for Governor Cuomo to adopt included:

  1. Halve the Unemployment Rate by 2012.
  2. Exercise More Often.
  3. Reinvest in Communities & Improve Quality of Life.
  4. Provide Job Training for Out of Work New Yorkers.
  5. Eat Healthier.
  6. Strengthen the Safety Net for the Vulnerable.
  7. Provide Support for Public Goods We All Rely On.

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Each of the participating organizations is also a member of the New York Stimulus Alliance (NYSA), a coalition of community organizing groups and researchers who have teamed up to fight for an economic recovery that lifts up all New Yorkers, especially in communities of color and distressed areas. NYSA promote and call for fairness, community participation and transparency under the Recovery Act stimulus package and beyond. For more info on NYSA, visit www.NYStimulusAlliance.com.