Several people were arrested Wednesday morning as hundreds of union members, Brooklyn residents, concerned citizens and elected officials marched on the midtown Manhattan offices of the State University of New York (SUNY) to deliver thousands of signed petitions demanding that SUNY respect a court order and keep open the doors of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital (LICH).



Among those arrested were members of 1199SEIU and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and New York City Public Advocate and mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio.



Marchers chanted, sang, played guitars, beat tambourines and carried brightly colored, hand-lettered signs demanding, “Arrest The Guys From SUNY”, and reminding Gov. Andrew Cuomo, “No Hospital. No Presidency. Save LICH. ” Demonstrators sang a rousing version of “Solidarity Forever” in front of the W. 42nd St building and cheered wildly for de Blasio, New York City Council member Steve Levin, and the union members who were arrested for refusing to move from the doorway of SUNY’s offices. The arrestees were greeted by more raucous applause, cheers and thanks from their brothers and sisters on the picket line as they were handcuffed and led to a waiting NYPD van.



Lois Allen has been a clerical worker in LICH’s social work department for 33 years. She stood with several residents of LICH’s Cobble Hill neighborhood and some of her NYSNA-affiliated co-workers as she spoke. Allen said the fight for LICH was about more than saving a hospital, it was about preserving the long-standing bonds that have grown up in the neighborhoods that LICH serves.



“I’ve been at LICH for so long. I was there when 1199 was on strike and I have always believed that 1199 had our backs,” she said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen 1199 members and NYSNA people get arrested together. They’re doing it because SUNY is taking advantage of our community.”



SUNY has blatantly been ignoring an injunction, issued in March, which orders the hospital to remain open and prevents the SUNY board from taking any action towards closing the institution.



“From the time all of this started, [SUNY has] been dishonest and using dishonest tactics. They do all these underhanded things. It’s all smoke and mirrors with them,” says LICH ICU RN Roslyn Blackman. “I don’t want to say diabolical, but that’s what it is. It’s a plan to get rid of the community and move in the people who can afford to live in those luxury condos, so we have to stick up for our community and for the people who are underserved.”



As the demonstration wound down workers vowed to continue the fight for their institution – and all of Brooklyn’s hospitals. 1199SEIU Exec. VP Estela Vazquez encouraged workers to go back to their institutions and rally their co-workers and community members.



“This is not the end,” said Vazquez. “We are going to keep LICH open and we are going to keep Interfaith open. And we are going to keep fighting.”



For more information about how to get involved and upcoming events log onto www.keepbrooklynhealthy.org.