In New York City, members of the group New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts are continuing to camp out near City Hall to protest the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Today marks the start of the second week at the “Bloombergville” encampment. Emily Turonis is an activist with New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts.
Emily Turonis, New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts: “I personally had been at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, in their tent city experience, and as soon as I got back to the States, I was involved in planning for Bloombergville, which was very serendipitous. It’s obviously been a very different experience than what’s going in Madrid. Namely, the police force has been very different here. We often have more police officers than protesters. However, I would say that it’s been amazing to have — to fight these austerity measures here, which are, in New York City, are affecting every single community imaginable. So, while it’s been a different struggle, it’s been absolutely inspiring to see the same type of tactics being used successfully in different global scenarios.”