Saturday, February 23, 2019

L.I.C. landlord bribed people to protest in support of Amazon "HQ2"


Patch

 Protesters who supposedly gathered to express outrage after Amazon dropped plans for a Queens headquarters included mercenary activists paid to turn up, according to video and some participants.

The crowd picketed outside the retail giant's brick-and-mortar store on West 34th Street Feb. 15 in a protest spearheaded by Long Island City landlord Sammy Musovic, who said he'd borrowed money to renovate his four-story apartment building in anticipation of the company's arrival.


Flanking Musovic was a group of about 10 men holding up signs reading "Boycott Amazon!" and "Amazon Left Us!"



But two of those participants told Patch they had responded to a Craigslist post recruiting people to hold signs for $30 an hour. A video obtained by Patch shows a man handing out cash to a group of protesters after the event.


"I was just looking for jobs and came across that gig — I thought it was advertising-related," Donny Radwell, one of the protesters, told Patch.

 Charlie Perry, 21, another protester who spoke to Patch, said the ad was deleted right after the event, but he recorded a video of protesters receiving the cash payments. The video shows an unidentified man handing wads of cash to several protesters, including Radwell. 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

https://www.defeatgianaris.com/?fbclid=IwAR3QnRiF3peaXW2byl0Yp_ahbxkacwumbcsB1xPP4sAU4PMndMm7Cg2zKuE

Long overdue

Both Costa and 'Mystery Mike' Gianaris are getting lots of flack from people on Facebook and elsewhere - unheard of that any politician in Queens getting that kind of abuse.

Should be fun folks. The ride is just starting. Better buckle up!

Rob iN Manhattan said...

".... a protest spearheaded by Long Island City landlord Sammy Musovic, who said he'd borrowed money to renovate his four-story apartment building in anticipation of the company's arrival....."

That leech probably spent more on the "protest" than on that "renovation".

CBS local radio had a brief acutuality of some landlord complaining (through think accent) "I am losing thousands of dallahs".

F--- him.

Rob In Manhattan

Jussie Sayin' said...

According to Robert Mujica, New York State’s Budget Director, Amazon opponents also pay people to protest:

"Second, some Queens politicians catered to minor, but vocal local political forces in opposition to the Amazon government incentives as 'corporate welfare.' Ironically, much of the visible 'local' opposition, which was happy to appear at press conferences and protest at City Council hearings during work hours, were actual organizers paid by one union: RWDSU." (Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union)

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/open-letter-new-york-state-budget-director-robert-mujica-regarding-amazon

ron s said...

We live in an era where everything is likely to be fake. There were probably paid pro-Amazoners as well.

Anonymous said...

@ron s said... "We live in an era where everything is likely to be fake"
Like Fake news ? #cnn

TommyR said...

Free market at work! hahahah

Anonymous said...

Rob in Manhattan is a perfect example of the modern Progressive bigot hypocrite. The racist Rob feels that his left-wing orthodoxy gives him a pass to mock hard-working Eastern European immigrants, complete with typographical errors "...though think (sic) accent...I am losing thousand of dallahs." Did your schmatta trade ancestors speak perfect English, Rob?