PLEASANTVILLE, NY- The morning of July 4th, a group of 30 low-wage workers from the Westchester Chapter of Community Voices Heard marched, rallied and occupied a diner in downtown Pleasantville in their effort to secure a meeting with County Executive Rob Astorino. Their actions came after over 10 attempts to schedule a meeting with the County Executive about the housing crisis in Westchester County. “First we were ignored,” said CVH Member-Leader and Port Chester resident, Jackie Feliciano, “Then we were pushed off to his assistants. We have tried to ask nicely. But we are tired of being ignored.”
The group intentionally held their action in Rob Astorino’s hometown of Mt. Pleasant. “Our goal today is to get Astorino’s neighbors and people he knows to make phone calls to him that push forward our demand that he meets with members of Community Voices Heard about housing,” said Jasmin Jones, CVH member-leader and Peekskill resident, “We want to get on his radar and show him that we mean business.” The group, predominantly Black and Latino, marched through the Pleasantville Diner, where Astorino frequents, and Pleasantville Farmer’s Market chanting “People of color deserve respect! Especially from our county exec!” Several leaders passed out flyers to customers and passersby with details on how to reach Astorino’s office with their message.
CVH leaders came together from Port Chester, Ossining, Peekskill, Yonkers and White Plains for the July 4th action. “The lack of affordable, decent housing impacts over 100,000 Westchester residents. This is truly a county-wide issue, especially for people of color here in Westchester,” said member-leader and Yonkers resident Dorrian Stewart, “We want Astorino to hear our voices because he represents us and makes decisions for us.” The group intends to continue to hold Astorino’s feet to the fire until his office agrees to schedule a meeting directly with him.
Black Westchester
Black Westchester - News With The Black Point Of View is an online news magazine for people of color for Westchester and the Tri- State area of New York at every economic level. Our mission is to promote the concept of “community” through media.
