Protesters rally outside of Brooklyn VA
With picket signs waving and car horns blaring, dozens of veterans, union members and supporters of the Brooklyn campus of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System rallied outside of the hospital (800 Poly Place) to protest the privatization of the healthcare system – a decision that, while still in up in the air, has a lot of local supporters up in arms.
Signs reading “Veterans for a strong VA” and “Stop the privatization of the VA” could be seen upon arrival at the hospital on Tuesday, June 28, while cheers of “hey, hey, ho, ho privatization’s got to go” could be heard for blocks.
Cheryl Jones, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 862, was leading the day’s efforts and weighed in on why standing against privatization is so important.