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Forum Post: World Socialist Web Site: Anti-Wall Street protesters in New York denounce “Governor 1 percent”

Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 2, 2011, 5:05 p.m. EST by SandyEnglish (60)
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Anti-Wall Street protesters in New York denounce “Governor 1 percent”

Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City scheduled a march to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s midtown Manhattan office on November 1 to demand the extension of the state’s so-called “millionaires’ tax” on those earning more than $200,000 a year, which is scheduled to expire at the end of the year. The Democratic governor has insisted that he will not budge on his refusal to back an extension of the small tax surcharge.

Cuomo, unlike some other left-talking Democratic politicians, has made no attempt to hide his hostility to the Occupy protesters. In fact, as reported in the press and online media, the Governor suffered a rare defeat in a behind-the-scenes attempt to evict protesters from Academy Park in Albany, a short distance from his office.

The protesters, calling Cuomo “Governor 1 percent” and naming their Albany encampment of some 50 tents “Cuomoville,” have centered much of their fire on the demand for the millionaires’ tax. Apparently Cuomo demanded that Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, a longtime political ally, arrest those who remained in the park after an 11 pm curfew. Jennings told the NY Post, “Some of the governor’s people were pretty firm about our not doing this, letting them stay in the park, but basically, we had allowed this before…and my counsel said we’d be opening ourselves up to civil liability if we forced them out.” The Albany District Attorney said he wouldn’t prosecute demonstrators arrested by the Albany police.

Jennings and others have not become allies of the protesters in the fight against inequality. Their fear is that police action will backfire, especially in light of the growing anger over police repression in Oakland, California and elsewhere. District Attorney P. David Soares was quoted in the New York Times as follows: “I expressed the view that if we engage, with all the colleges nearby, we could see the population triple, quadruple in a matter of hours. It would be a mistake to pre-emptively strike.”

http://wsws.org/articles/2011/nov2011/owsp-n02.shtml

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[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

clear focus

the tax on earnings > $ 200.000 is for New York State