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Poor People's Campaign Protest Blocks Traffic, NY Capitol Entrances

Protesters with the New York State Poor People's Campaign marched to the capitol, blocked entrances and snarled traffic Monday.

During the 90-minute march from Central Avenue to downtown Albany, protestors tied up traffic and disrupted CDTA bus routes and schedules. Several arrests were made by state troopers inside the capitol.

Actions by those participating in the "National Call for Moral Revival" didn't sit well with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, who tells WNYT  she'd like to meet with organizers in the coming days to see if she can persuade them to change their tactics.  "Last week, the shutdown of this road resulted in people being late to pick up their children at daycare," Sheehan explained. "We had a woman calling our office in tears because she was one and a half hours late to her doctor. She missed the appointment and still had to make a co-pay."

The group reportedly plans several more downtown Albany demonstrations in days to come.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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