There is no Saturday Night Live with the strike going on, and since only 150 people got to see the stage version (mostly SNL insiders) at UCB last weekend, I thought I would bring this to the orange worldwide theater in its place. Today, the Writers Guild of America East held a solidarity rally in Washington Square Park, and oh what a rally it was. Hundreds, if not over a thousand people came to show their support for the writers in Greenwich Village.
Many of course were the writers themselves. I saw a few from the Daily Show hanging in the back, as well as one correspondent, Aasif Mandvi who went up on stage. The event lasted over an hour, but the enthusiasm will last much longer than that, and the passion of the crowd can resonate with the bigwigs at the major studios.
Evan Handler (of Sex in the City fame) started it off a little bit past 12, helping to introduce the majority of the speakers. Most only went up for a minute or two, including Colin Quinn, Danny Glover, Gilbert Gottfried, Randi Weingarten of the United Federation of Teachers, Gary Le Barbera and Ed Ott from the Central Labor Council, Denis M. Hughes who leads the New York State AFL-CIO and Sam Freed who is the Screen Actors Guild President for New York.
Senator John Edwards came up for a little while to speak to the crowd. His speech was also short, but very, very sweet. He mentioned that he stands with the WGA-E, the WGA in Los Angeles and has not and will not cross their picket lines. Whether it is declining to go on "Ellen" or "The View," to potential canceling his appearance at a CBS-sponsored debate if their writers go on strike as well.
One of the most passionate of speakers is a man who is passionate about many causes, whether it is for human rights or for a fair wage for writers. That man, Tim Robbins, blew the crowd away. Clearly, he is experienced at speaking at these types of events.
I should also mention, many unions were in attendance, including parking attendants, the SEIU among others. The crowd was peppered with actors (many I that were recognizable, but sadly for me I can not place their names. If this sounds like a good time to you, being that there's an activist or two that might read this, be sure to check out their next rally here in the city, tomorrow at Columbus Circle from 10am to 2pm.
From The WGA East website:
Wednesday, November 28 Time Warner Center Columbus Circle 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Today's picket is part of the International Day of Solidarity, declared by The International Affiliation of Writers Guilds. They will be holding demonstrations in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain, Mexico, and France. If you can get ahold of a flag from any of these countries, you might bring it along to the picket line. We will continue to hold rallies, informational leaflets, and pickets at various locations around New York City. Wear your WGAE t-shirt to the event and bring your WGAE whistle. Other union members -- wear your union gear proudly! Check the website for updated location information. [If you are a Writers Guild member living outside of NYC or LA and would like to organize an action in your city, please email picket@wgaeast.org. Actions are currently being organized in certain cities.]
Here's a couple more shots for your viewing pleasure:
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