Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
- Protesters swarmed City Hall as New York's city council held its first in a series of hearings about Amazon's HQ2 deal on Wednesday morning.
- Amazon announced on November 13 that it would split its second headquarters between the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens and a region of Northern Virginia that Amazon has named National Landing.
- Many New Yorkers were furious about the deal and gathered outside City Hall, with some eventually heading inside as the hearing got underway.
Protesters swarmed City Hall as New York's city council held its first in a series of hearings about Amazon's HQ2 deal on Wednesday.
Amazon announced on November 13 it would split its second headquarters between the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens and a region of Northern Virginia that Amazon has named National Landing.
As the hearing was set to begin, many angry New Yorkers gathered on the steps of City Hall, chanting "G-T-F-O Amazon has got to go" and "We need money for education, not for banks and corporations."
Between chants, speakers shared stories on behalf of Amazon workers who they said had reached out to them prior to the protest. Others expressed their own fears about what HQ2 means for New Yorkers and communities in Queens.
There were protesters from a number of organizations, including the New York City Democratic Socialists; New York Communities for Change; the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; and the Long Island City Coalition. Individual speakers included assembly member Latrice Walker and city council member Jumaane Williams.
Miguel Adams, a representative of VOCAL NY, which assists formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, said he fears Amazon will continue to gentrify New York and displace working-class families.
"We have been bamboozled by Mayor De Blasio and Governor Cuomo. We must hold Amazon accountable, but we must hold these two accountable too," he said.
Here's what the protest was like:
On Wednesday, New York's city council held its first in a series of hearings about Amazon's HQ2 deal. The council invited both New York City's Economic Development Corporation and representatives for Amazon to answer questions from members and the public.Business Insider/Jessica TylerOn the way to City Hall, there were "Amazon Crime" stickers on nearly every lamppost.Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
It was cold, but there were dozens of protesters outside. The crowd was chanting, "G-T-F-O Amazon has got to go."Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
There were protesters from a number of organizations, including the New York City Democratic Socialists; New York Communities for Change; the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; the Long Island City Coalition, and others.Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
There was also a large group of CUNY Students with signs reading, "CUNY not HQ2."Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
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