Occupy Wall Street demands free subway rides for the jobless
Protesters with the Occupy Wall Street movement plan to march Friday at 11 a.m. for a very specific demand: No subway fare for the unemployed.
A press release sent by protester Tony Murphy, who identified himself as a member of the jobless working group, said, “The MTA is giving $2 billion to Wall Street firms and big banks, while half a million New Yorkers are suffering with no jobs or income.”
“People think of the MTA as government agency that runs on taxes, and in actuality they run on bonds that they sell on Wall Street,” Murphy said.
Murphy said focusing on the MTA was a natural progression for a movement that is all about the 99%.
“The MTA can afford to finance people. They should really reduce the rate for everybody,” said Murphy. “We are all for this demand leaning towards reduction of fare for anyone who needs to use public transportation, as well as improvement and services, which have gone down drastically. The system has really been dismantled.”
The march is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the southeast corner of Zuccotti Park.
Patrick Bruner, a designated spokesman for Occupy Wall Street, said Thursday afternoon that he had not yet heard of the plan for this march.
