Council Member Brad Lander Among Dozens Arrested At ‘Fight For $15’ Rally

At a rally this morning in Lower Manhattan that served as part of the National Day of Disruption / Fight for $15, hundreds of workers, activists, and politicians gathered to demand economic equality for low-income wage employees. Walkouts and rallies have been planned throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Council Member Brad Lander was among dozens who were arrested for disrupting traffic as part of a civil disobedience action.

Lander represents District 39, which includes Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, and Boro Park.

Lander’s office confirmed that he has been processed and released. He will return for a court date, which has yet to be determined.

Lander was arrested along with Council Member Antonio Reynoso, who represents Brooklyn’s 34th District.

The day of action grew out of the “Fight for $15” movement which began in 2012 after fast food workers walked off the job. The movement was championed by many politicians at the time, and has continued to garner their support.

“Where will we find inspiration for the challenging days ahead?” wrote Lander in an article published in The Nation early this morning. “Where can we look, as we struggle to resist a President-elect who stirs up division, and whose policies will erode access to opportunity, even for his own working-class voters?”

The rally began at Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan with protesters marching to a McDonald’s blocks up on Broadway.

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill earlier this year to raise the minimum wage, however, Lander believes President-elect Donald Trump will not contribute to economic fairness for low-wage workers.

“[W]hen Donald Trump fails to bring back manufacturing jobs and restore a version of the 1950s to his voters, the Fight for $15 has something else to offer,” Lander wrote. “Their courage, bold vision, solidarity, and policies of basic economic fairness help advance an America that offers genuine opportunity for workers who feel stuck amid a widening economic gap.”

Next week, the city council plans to introduce legislation which “would require fast-food employers to give their workers a stable schedule, two-weeks advance notice of their hours, and a path to a full-time job for part-time workers who want one,” wrote Lander.

Gothamist cited a National Day of Disruption press release that said the protests will “underscore that any efforts to block wage increases, gut workers’ rights or healthcare, deport immigrants, or support racism or racist policies, will be met with unrelenting opposition by workers in the Fight for $15.”

Lander has been outspoken against Trump’s policies and extremely active since the election. He has led the #getorganizedbk movement, which began with an inaugural meeting on November 15. In addition, he met with Kensington’s Bangladeshi community leaders to begin the discussion of how to move beyond ‘hateful’ rhetoric and potential threats to immigrant communities.

Read Lander’s full article in The Nation here.