Impeach! hundreds in Foley Sq. cry
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Several hundred protestors gathered in Lower
Manhattan’s Foley Square Saturday afternoon as
part of a national day of action to call for an impeachment
inquiry of President Trump. More than 100
cities nationwide held similar demonstrations.
The rally was organized by a coalition including Empire
State Indivisible, Need to Impeach, Indivisible Nation
BD, Black Lives Matter Greater New York, CREDO
Mobile, By the People, The New York Immigrant Coalition
and more. Among politicians speaking at the rally
was Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, whose district
includes the East Village, part of the Lower East Side, a
bit of the Village, Midtown and the Upper East Side.
“After carefully reviewing evidence laid out in the
Mueller Report, after attending numerous hearings, after
listening to the concerns of my constituents and after
a good deal of soul searching, I have come to the conclusion
that it is necessary to open a formal impeachment
inquiry concerning the president of the United States,”
Maloney said early on during the rally. The sign-waving
anti-Trump demonstrators erupted in cheers.
The congressmember added that what pushed her to
publicly call for an impeachment inquiry was President
Trump’s recent admission to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos
that he would accept negative information on
a political opponent during his 2020 re-election campaign.
“If somebody called from a country, Norway, ‘We
have information on your opponent,’ I think I’d want to
hear it,” Trump declared during the interview.
Former Congressmember Elizabeth Holtzman added
there were “other grounds for impeachment” for
Trump.
Among some of those others mentioned were the
continued separation of immigrant children from parents
at the nation’s southern border, sexist remarks
made during his 2016 presidential campaign, a lack of
basic knowledge of the Constitution and abuse of executive
privilege.
During the rally a small group of pro-Trump counterdemonstrators
were present, but held their position,
as well as members of the Revolutionary Communist
Party (Revcom). One Revcom member, Davis Parker,
speaking through a handheld loudspeaker, interrupted
a speech to say that it not just President Trump that is
corrupt, but the entire American political system.
“People think they are woke in this society but the
reality is they are sleepwalking through a nightmare,”
Parker proclaimed.
“Trump needed to be impeached yesterday,” said
protester Monique Ann Gaylor. “I cannot understand
why Pelosi is not moving.”
Hotlzman served on the House Judiciary Committee
during Nixon’s impeachment inquiry.
“Some say, let’s not start an impeachment inquiry because
it divides the country,” she said. “It united us as
Americans because what we said was that more important
than anything is the rule of law.”
PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Protesters at last Saturday’s anti-Trump impeachment
rally in Foley Square.
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