Fight Poverty Not The Poor Capital Region Action

Start: Monday, March 18, 2019 4:30 PM

The New York State Budget is an expression of our state’s values and priorities - and sadly the 2019-2020 budget proposals continue to prioritize a failed status quo over the 50.5% of New Yorkers who are poor and low-income. This budget continues to under-invest in public services, maintains New York’s first-in-the-nation inequality, fails to fix our regressive state and local tax system, and continues to direct our tax dollars to for-profit companies with no accountability. On March 18, the New York Poor People’s Campaign will take action across the state, showing that the poor, activists, and faith leaders of all races and in all regions are united in demanding our state government change course and prioritize ending systemic racism, poverty, militarism and ecological devastation.

We will gather for a brief orientation at First United Presbyterian Church at 4:30 pm. Then at 5 we will march from the Social Security Administration to the Renssalaer County Social Services Agency for a rally and speakout.

In Troy, 58% percent of residents do not earn enough to cover basic necessities. Yet while more and more of us are struggling to make ends meet, our government is eroding the social safety net we rely on. On March 18, we are marching from the Social Security Administration to the Rensselaer County Social Services Agency because the people of Troy and the workers at these agencies deserve a strong, fully funded safety net to meet the growing need. At the same time, we demand massive public investment in housing, education, green jobs, health care, and infrastructure to finally end poverty in our wealthy state.