NYC, Dec. 3: 5th Annual PPA Action for International Day of People with Disabilities: Money for Elevators, Not Cops in the Subway!

Posted in People with disabilities, Racism & Oppression

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

34th St — Herald Square, New York, NY

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/449681965681961/

The Peoples Power Assemblies will celebrate its 5th annual NYC International Day of People with Disabilities event with a rally and march on Tuesday, December 3rd at 5:30 PM at Pennsylvania Station. Join People’s Power Assembly NYC and The People’s MTA in demanding accessibility justice and an end to racist police terror.

Half of all people killed by police have a disability. With recent police attacks in the subway — on churro vendors, on Black and Latinx youth, through the MTA’s racist fare evasion campaign — the voices calling for public transit to truly serve the riders are getting louder, and are demanding money be spent on services instead. Elevators, ramps and true transit accessibility are at the top of that list.

Governor Cuomo, Mayor DeBlasio and the City Council have chosen to hire more than 1,300 officers rather than invest in the actual safety and well-being of our communities through health care, accessibility services, jobs with a $15/hr minimum wage, education, and alternatives to the police, such as mental health first responders. “Fare beating,” being unable to pay the subway fare, is the number-one cause for arrests in NYC. We fight to protect disabled Black and brown folks from police brutality.

Only 23% of New York City’s MTA’s transit system is accessible for riders who are disabled. That’s 117 out of 472 subway stops. We demand elevators now. Equality in accessibility is a civil right.

Regardless of our race, age, religion, —across the cis, LGBTQIA, gender non-conforming, non-binary spectrum, people with disabilities deserve privacy, autonomy and dignity in our everyday lives.

● We demand 100% accessibility at all stations in the NYC transit system, expanded Access-A-Ride, more bus lines, and increased bus service.

● We demand more seats, more accessible seats, and no police on subways, platforms and buses.