September 01, 2004
Tight-Lipped & Pink-Slipped
Posted by The Editors | 11:11 AM
A spooky silence cut through Midtown's rush-hour commotion at 8:13 a.m. Wednesday as about 5,000 people holding signs signifying the ubiquitous pink slips of unemployment stood single-file along the length of Broadway. The Unemployment Line, organized by People for the American Way, stretched from Wall Street to 32nd Street, as close as it could get to Madison Square Garden.
"We don't have to say a word," block marshal Jo Hook said. "We don't need noise. The economy, what Bush has done to the economy, speaks louder than we could." She turned to reassure the line: "Just so you know, it's working."
As the gathering neared the 15-minute mark, the quiet began to wear off as protesters handed out extra pink-slip signs and talked to passersby. By 8:28, full volume had returned and the line dissipated, but two women at the head of the line were still trying to give cards to nearby police officers, who nodded and looked at the signs -- silently. -- From Gwen Glazer, NationalJournal.com
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