Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Shutdown During National A15 Economic Blockade For A Free Palestine

The Newburgh/Beacon Bridge was shut down today, April 15, 2024, at 8am in coordination with at least 65 other cities across the United States who designated April 15th Tax Day to be A15 Economic Blockade to Free Palestine. Organized by a15actions, the mission states: “75 years and 182 days into this US backed genocide we must take collective risk beyond symbolic acts of solidarity. On April 15th, we will block logistical hubs to stop the flow of capital worldwide. This is just the beginning. We will not cooperate with the police. If a blockade in one city faces repression, we will respond in solidarity in other cities. Join us in organizing towards our collective liberation.” See the shutdown in Oakland, CA, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Texts from a reader showing Local radio station K104 was Reporting on Sheriff messages about terrorism, and not about the cause of the shutdown, which was A15 Economic Blockade for a Free Palestine.

@HV4FreePalestine was the first to cover the true nature of this blockade. The radio station K104 focused on parroting messages from Sheriff Offices like Putnam County, to perpetuate fear via the terrorist narrative that this country has accepted as normal with anything related to “the Middle East.”

Reported HV4FreePalestine:

“This morning at 8am, over a dozen Palestinians, Jews and allies blockaded the westbound Hamilton Fish Newburgh-Beacon bridge for over an hour, stopping traffic on I-84 for miles at the peak of rush hour. The action, part of the April 15 Economic Blockade for Palestine taking place in 65 cities across the globe, ended at 9am with 15 arrests.

“Organizer Abdallah Qotate states: ‘As a Palestinian, I wake up everyday worrying whether my best friend in Gaza will live to see another day. I’m forced to be in the street because our elected government refuses to listen to us. How many Palestinians have to die before our government will stop sending our tax dollars to Israel to fund this genocide?’

“As a Palestinian, I wake up everyday worrying whether my best friend in Gaza will live to see another day. I’m forced to be in the street because our elected government refuses to listen to us. How many Palestinians have to die before our government will stop sending our tax dollars to Israel to fund this genocide?”

— Abdalla Qotate

In a non-violent act of civil disobedience, protestors highlighted the federal government and US economy’s role in Israel's genocidal siege against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Activists blocked all westbound lanes of traffic on the bridge for nearly one hour, amidst the busiest time on the bridge, over which 65,000 commuters and 6012 transport trucks travel daily.

During the protest, New York State Police assaulted, pushed and threatened peaceful demonstrators with a baton. In a tweet removed later, the New York Department of Transport for the Hudson Valley reported that as of 8:44am, one lane remained closed during police intervention.

Shutting down a key artery of commerce and commuter transport during one of the busiest hours of morning traffic, demonstrators were part of a global movement shutting down commerce to end the genocide.

“During the protest, New York State Police assaulted, pushed and threatened peaceful demonstrators with a baton.”

— @HV4FreePalestine

Grace Collins, one of the participants, concludes “Months of pleading to my representatives has not slowed the genocide in Palestine. Disrupting traffic to get our message across is a natural next step. If the constituents wont be heard through government channels then we will get our message across in nonviolent ways however we can.”

“From the Hudson Valley organizers: ‘Tax Day is a reminder that the Biden administration has made over 100 transfers of taxpayer dollars in military assistance to Israel since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza. We refuse to allow business as usual to continue while Palestinians are murdered by Israel using American weaponry and tax dollars. Those committed to Palestinian freedom in the Hudson Valley have tried many tactics—we’ve demonstrated, we’ve lobbied our representatives, Pat Ryan and Marc Molinaro, for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, we’ve visited their offices, we’ve educated the public. Those on the highway today are done waiting on congressional representatives. We are committed to keeping up the pressure until the genocide ends and Palestine is free.”

Citizen Reporter @bryanne_af reported that she was happy to learn she had been stuck in traffic for a cause during her Kid School Drop-off morning, telling her Instagram friends: “Hudson Valley shut down the westbound Newburgh Beacon bridge for Palestine today!!! 😭🇵🇸😭 I had no idea what was going on and had to drive over an hour to get home from dropping my kids off to school - so happy and proud to discover it was comrades doing worthy and noble work! So very thankful for their bravery and that I got to bear witness to the incredible impact they had on the Hudson Valley this morning - the blockade here went for six miles beyond the bridge, toward Fishkill [down 9D passing Stonykill Farm and the Heritage Financial Stadium] - if this inconvenienced you, just IMAGINE how Gaza suffers from what our tax dollars are doing in blocking their food, their medicine, their freedom to live! From the river to the sea!!! 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

Another reader, Citizen Reporter Cowboy, responded to the news of the shutdown by telling ALBB: “I gotta go check Whacker Wire to see if my Mom was arrested today.” Their mom has been arrested 4 times during this extermination of Palestine, including once at Grand Central Station.

Police Activity At Long Dock Reportedly Related To Person Who Jumped From Newburgh/Beacon Bridge On Wednesday

On Wednesday morning, while police activity increased for some neighborhoods related to the stabbing of Scout, people also saw police activity down at Long Dock along the Hudson River, where the kayak rental locker stack is, atop the boat load-in ramp area. The dock was marked off with yellow caution tape. Meanwhile, morning commuters on I-84 reported a traffic build-up on the Newburgh Beacon Bridge.

As first reported by Mid Hudson News, a person did jump from the the Newburgh Beacon Bridge from the north span side. According to someone familiar with the event, police do set up a catch location down the river to receive the person if a “talk down” does not work, where professionals will try to talk to the person contemplating jumping.

Mid Hudson News reported that the person did jump, and that their body was recovered by the Newburgh fire boat, who found the person in the river. The article states that the person was brought to the Beacon side of the river, and given to authorities.

ALBB has not confirmed which police entity was at Long Dock. There are several police entities that can patrol or serve Beacon, including the MTA Police, Dutchess County Sherriff’s Department and New York State Troopers.

ALBB Reminder: The Lenape people, who were native to this region, called the river Muhheakunnuk, The River that Runs Both Ways.

Newburgh-Beacon Bridge At Risk For Toll Increases and Declining Repair, Area Lawmakers Say Of Proposed Merger

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Do you ever think about who manages the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge as you pass by it, or pay its tolls? Hudson Valley lawmakers and area leaders are up in arms about a potential management switch proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in his budget, released in January 2020, to merge the New York State Bridge Authority into the New York State Thruway Authority. What's the main difference? One deals with Hudson Valley local bridges.

“The Assembly and Senate are fighting to have the proposed merger taken out of the budget. The deadline for the final budget is April 1, 2020.”

— Assemblymember Jonathan G. Jacobson's Office

Assemblymember Jonathan G. Jacobson (D-104) organized a rally on February 20, 2020, bringing together Assemblymember Sandy Galef (D-95) and other area leaders to express their opposition to Governor Cuomo’s proposed merger of the New York State Bridge Authority into the New York State Thruway Authority, which could impact tolls and improvements made to the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. Leaders expressed their fears that residents of the Hudson Valley would suffer from toll increases and a decline in bridge maintenance should this merger happen, according to Assemblymember Jacobson's press release.

According to Assemblymember Jacobson’s office, “The Assembly and Senate are fighting to have the proposed merger taken out of the budget. The deadline for the final budget is April 1, 2020.”

Anthony Adamo, President of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), said, “The hardworking men and women who work every day to keep the bridges safe and well-maintained should not be sacrificed for a bureaucratic plan hatched in Albany.”

“ To date, no-one has been able to give us a concrete answer as to how much—if any—money this proposed consolidation may actually save New Yorkers. ”

— Senetor Sue Serino

Established in the 1930s, the Bridge Authority is responsible for the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, the Mid-Hudson Bridge, the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, and the Bear Mountain Bridge. Tolls are kept the same for each bridge and are currently $1.25 with EZ-PASS and $1.50 cash. The proposed 2020 increase to $1.65 EZ-PASS/$2.15 cash will still be the lowest in New York State. The Thruway Authority currently charges $4.75 to motorists crossing the Mario G. Cuomo Bridge (formerly known as the Tappan Zee Bridge) with a proposed 2020 increase to $5.75.

Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-106) wrote to say, “This is a true case of ‘if it’s not broken, why fix it.’ The Bridge Authority was established in 1932 by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt to ensure smooth and affordable travel across the Hudson River and to keep these bridges independent and locally operated. Tens of thousands of residents use these bridges each day as local roads, not highways, and the Governor's proposal threatens to change that dynamic. Abolishing the Bridge Authority runs a real risk of increased tolls for drivers and a seriously negative impact on our Hudson Valley economy and communities.”

Assemblymember Jacobson said, “The proposed plan is nothing more than a solution in search of a problem. This merger would have a detrimental impact on both the economy and the overall quality of life in this region. Our fear is simple:

• First, that tolls generated in the Hudson Valley will be diverted to fund the new Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

• Second, that the Thruway Authority will raise tolls on these bridges while simultaneously allowing their condition to deteriorate.
  

"This merger is unnecessary, ill advised, and unfair. It is also just plain wrong. Wrong for the bridges, wrong for the communities, and wrong for the residents of the Hudson Valley,” Assemblymember Jacobson said.

State lawmakers and leaders made their statements in front of the Bridge Authority Headquarters in Highland, where they were joined by:

• Anthony Adamo, President of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)

• Richard Gerentine, Chair of the Bridge Authority Board

• Frank Castella, President of the Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce

• Senator Sue Serino

• Representatives of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and Assemblymember Kevin Cahill

• Town of Lloyd Board Member Mike Guerriero

• Bridge Authority Board members Roger Higgins, Roderick Dressel, Diane Jablonski, and Henry Stanton.

“The Bridge Authority was established in 1932 by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt to ensure smooth and affordable travel across the Hudson River and to keep these bridges independent and locally operated. Tens of thousands of residents use these bridges each day as local roads, not highways, and the Governor’s proposal threatens to change that dynamic.”

— Assemblymember Didi Barrett

Richard Gerentine, Chair of the Bridge Authority, said, “The Bridge Authority is run by a board of local volunteers who have always championed efficiency, maintenance, and safety. We already collaborate with the State to find savings on purchases, so there is nothing to be gained and everything to lose.”

Assemblymember Aileen Gunther (D-100) wrote to say, “We need to be keeping our money in the Hudson Valley. The Bridge Authority is one of those avenues that allows us to keep our money local. We shouldn’t be fixing something that isn’t broken.”

Senator Serino (R-41) said, “Our communities have always been wary of mega-authorities because of our experience with the MTA, a situation where our community is barely given a voice and where our residents are treated as nothing more than a piggybank and an afterthought. To date, no one has been able to give us a concrete answer as to how much—if any—money this proposed consolidation may actually save New Yorkers. We also have not gotten guarantees that the tolls on our bridges won't rise, or that tolls paid on our bridges won’t ultimately be used to subsidize the Thruway, or that these local jobs our residents depend on would be protected. Additionally, I do not see any reason why the two Authorities can't already share services to keep costs down... I have yet to see how this proposal would directly benefit the residents that we serve, which is why I am urging my Legislative colleagues to reject this proposal."

Assemblymember Galef said, “The Bridge Authority has, for decades, successfully ensured that the five major bridges in the Hudson Valley region remain safe and usable, and they have done so for decades while keeping costs low. These bridges have, in turn, allowed Hudson Valley residents to easily cross the Hudson River to work, shop, and [take part in] a great many other activities that have stimulated our local economies. I fear that by dissolving this Authority, constituents that live and work in the Great Hudson Valley region will experience higher tolls and a potential decline in road conditions.”

Assemblymember Kevin Cahill (D-103) added: "The Bridge Authority works and works well. The Thruway Authority works and works well. Both are highly efficient operations."