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Could this be the end of the neoliberal hold on New York City?
by Jeremiah Moss
Author of Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul
A piñata hangs from a tree in Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights,
Queens. It is decorated with the face of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and by
the end of Thursday night it will meet the fate of all piñatas. It is
here to celebrate a major victory for grassroots activism in New York
City. Earlier in the day, Amazon announced that it would not build its
planned headquarters in Queens, with or without $3 billion in tax
incentives. After months of intense opposition from a coalition of
dedicated progressive groups and local politicians, the tech giant has
folded.
“This is the best Valentine’s Day present ever,” says one woman in the
crowd. Volunteers hand out chocolate kisses. It is February 14 and you
can feel the love. Activists fall into one another’s arms, bestowing
congratulations. Many are women. Most are young people of color. The
faces here tonight contradict the media’s claim that the Amazon
opposition is mostly made up of white, upper-class NIMBYs. As the crowd
grows in number, Fahd Ahmed, an immigrant from Pakistan and a grassroots
organizer, starts off the speeches. “We just beat the richest man in the
world,” he shouts. The crowd cheers. They are jubilant and they should
be. Together they helped bring down a Goliath that few imagined would
fall. As Ahmed says, “It is a turning of the tide.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/progressive-groups-queens-celebrate-amazons-exit/582922/
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