Mayoral Hopeful Bill de Blasio was one of several arrested as a display of civil disobedience today. (James Messerschmidt)
Mayoral Hopeful Bill de Blasio was one of several arrested as a display of civil disobedience today. (James Messerschmidt)
Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio was cuffed this morning while protesting the closure of two local hospitals.
“We have to stop our hospital from foreclosing,” de Blasio shouted as he was loaded into a paddy wagon, his hands cuffed with zipties, along with Council Member Stephen Levin and about a dozen others as a crowd of a hundred workers, patients and community members chanted beside them.
Moments earlier, Levin turned in a petition with 7,000 signatures to Leydi Zapata, SUNY’s Director for Strategic Engagement and Branding, outside the doorway the college of Optometry.
“We urge SUNY to fully comply with the letter of the law and court orders. Take those ambulances off this dangerous diversion and fully restaff and reinstate Long Island College Hospital.”
De Blasio demanded SUNY “open up the books and tell us what’s going on and tell us who can save Long Island College Hospital?
“Can you tell us right now that SUNY will stop sell off assets of Long Island College Hospital? Because right now we’re losing this hospital as we speak.
“If you can’t tell us that we aren’t going anywhere.”
Zapata responded, “No comment,” leading De Blasio to trumpet, “We’re going to stand our ground because all SUNY is telling us is they have nothing to say.”
Cops gave two warnings over a megaphone before arresting the group that was block an entrance to the building.