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AIDS activist group ACT UP
commemorated its 25th anniversary Wednesday by joining Occupy Wall Street (OWS)
protestors for a demonstration in lower Manhattan. The recently allied groups
are calling for a Wall Street transaction tax that they say could generate $400
billion annually for the provision of universal health insurance.
“Today, we have reinvigorated AIDS
activism, building this new coalition with [OWS],” said Eric Sawyer, ACT UP’s
co-founder. He said OWS “has been a breath of fresh air for standing up for
social justice. Something ACT UP has always done.”
ACT UP, which stands for AIDS
Coalition to Unleash Power, formed in 1987 to advocate for greater access to
HIV/AIDS treatment. “Our first action was Wall Street and protesting high
prices for AZT,” said member Andrew Velez.
Wednesday’s march from City Hall to
South Street Seaport and back up to Broadway featured some 500 demonstrators
holding signs reading “ACT UP & Occupy” and “Tax Wall Street: End AIDS.”
Organizers said 19 people were arrested after they chained themselves together
and then to a lamppost, blocking traffic near the Stock Exchange.
Sawyer said he believes a tax on
stock, bonds, and derivative transactions to fund health insurance “will
happen.” He noted ACT UP successfully lobbied for the creation of the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
