Date | October 23, 2010 |
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Relevant Logs | Better Business, Better Lives |
Channel 4 Late Night News
October 23rd, 2010
"Battery Park was host today to over a thousand people today as business owners and concerned citizens emerged from their homes to bring a message to the City of New York about the curfew. Organized by members of a local Business coalition, they marched on the Homeland Security building to bring their concerns before camera's, reporters in a hope, to have the curfew abolished. Our own Ciara Collins was present, asking people why lifting the curfew was important to them."
A heavily pregnant brunette, looking like she might pop at any time stands beside the reporter, the heavy steel barriers that come to one's hip separating the two of them from each other. She acknowledges the camera and microphone first, then smiling to her side at the reporter just over the border that is the metal fence. Her hands perch in front of her on the rail, the fabric of her skirt fluttering at her ankles. "Why shouldn't it be important to me?"
"It should be on everyone's mind. Imagine the city as one of those ghost towns out west. Now realize that is where it is starting to head." Something creepy to think about! "We have to make sure we have a city left before we go making laws for it. Our next generation is relying on us to make their lives better, and among many things enforcing a harmful curfew does nothing to help that. Taking it away is just one step to better business, and well- better lives."
"But not everyone joined the protest with the thoughts of the business's that are suffering from the curfew. Some people, had more recreational concerns, like Harmony Roberts and her friend Jessica Branch."
The camera cuts to two blondes, both smiling, one more so than the other as Harmony sets into speaking into the microphone after the reporter asks them how the curfew is affecting them. "Negatively." she replies to the question, "I love the night life, and I do most of my activity at night. I DJ, KJ, small gigs and things.. Not usually things you get much business with during the day. Having to be home and making everything close early kinda puts a damper on living it up to the wee hours, yanno? I have a problem sleeping anyway, so just sitting there not being able to go out and do what I wanna do? Yeah, I feel like I'm in middle school all over again. I'm not a child.. I don't need to be told when to 'go to my room'. So yeah, this protest is about expressing those feelings. Get it out, vent.. And hope that someone will listen."
The camera pans to a pudgy man with a salt and pepper beard. "I closed down my store just last week, it's too late for me, but if they would lift the curfew, maybe, just maybe, it won't be too late for the others here who are heading into the same place that I did.
"Many people gathered to shed light and puts faces to the decline of business in New York because of the curfew. They stood before camera's and plead their cases in a tape that will be submitted along with a petition asking the city and the government to lift the curfew. With projected sales down nearly sixty percent and dropping, only eight weeks left in the Christmas shopping season, members of the business community say that Black Friday will be something they'll be asking Santa for this season but doubt, that he will be able to deliver. I'm Ciara Collins for Channel four news"