A group of unemployed community members and local advocates including UnitedNY, New York Communities for Change, and Make the Road New York gathered today on the Brooklyn Bridge to make the public safety case for Congress putting Americans back to work in New York, in part, by repairing structurally deficient bridges. The groups stood in solidarity with groups around the country in supporting President Obama’s speech on his jobs plan, scheduled for this afternoon during his visit to Cincinnati’s crumbling Brent Spence Bridge.
“Up until two years ago, I worked as a laborer. I earned decent wages, and I was able to take care of my family,” said George Joshua of Brooklyn. “Now, my home is in foreclosure, and my wife, grandchildren and I have nowhere else to go. I want to work, and I am hoping that President Obama’s plan helps to create jobs for people like me who just want to work and take care of their family.”
Repairing bridges is a part of President Obama’s American Jobs Act, which would not only bring needed jobs to the community but ensure the safety of all those who rely on these bridges to carry out their day to day activities. The American Jobs Act would invest $50 billion in job-creating projects rebuilding America’s bridges, roads, and transit systems and lead to an immediate investment of nearly $3 billion in New York that would support at least 38,000 local jobs. Current repairs to the Brooklyn Bridge are in part thanks to the American Recovery Act, and if Congress passes the American Jobs Act, thousands of workers in the area will be put back to work on work that needs doing.