On Saturday at Fort Tryon Park in uptown Manhattan, a white supremacist group unfurled a giant banner that read “STOP THE INVASION, END IMMIGRATION.” Before heading to the park, the group, Identity Evropa, “staged a provocation downtown at the Mexican consulate,” The Uptown Collective noted. “Their message was clear and unequivocal: ‘We will not stand by while we are replaced in the land of our forefathers – this country is ours.” Now, the community – many of whom are people of color – are fighting back against the hateful message left right in their backyard.
Today, The Uptown Collective, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Uptown Progressive Action and more are standing up against racism and xenophobia with a community vigil. Elected officials, including Congressman Adriano Espaillat, will attend tonight’s event.
While New York is generally seen as a place where people of all backgrounds are welcomed, the truth is that the city isn’t immune to the same bigotry that plagues other parts of the country. For The Uptown Collective, this event is necessary to show the group that this community will not tolerate hate. “We can no longer pretend that we are immune to the Trump Effect,” the media company wrote. “The ill winds of bigotry are now blowing through our backyard. The white supremacist in the Oval Office has emboldened the worst elements of this society and has opened up a Pandora’s box of hatred, racism, and xenophobia. This is, nothing less than, a fight for the soul of our nation. The question becomes: How will we respond?”
The vigil takes place tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Billings Lawn at Fort Tryon Park.