Occupy Albany protesters turn eyes to Cuomo

Eyad Alkurabi, of upstate Clifton Park, left, during the Occupy... — Eyad Alkurabi, of upstate Clifton Park, left, during the Occupy Albany demonstration with Marylou Wagner and her grandchildren, all of upstate Fort Plain. (Oct. 21, 2011) Credit: AP

By JIMMY VIELKINDTimes UnionOctober 25, 2011

Protesters at Occupy Albany are turning their attention to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo amid reports the governor pressured Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings to have police arrest protesters for staying in Academy Park after curfew.

One of the Occupy Albany demonstrators said Cuomo's refusal to renew a tax on high-income earners is one of the most "paradigmatic examples" of the inequality the movement stands against.

"We're calling him governor one percent," Colin Donnamura, 31, a graduate student at the University at Albany, said Monday. "If you're in the top 1 percent you get a tax cut, if you're in the 99 percent you get service cuts . . . We think it's fundamentally unfair."

Since the protests began on Friday, people have stayed in the park past the 11 p.m. closing time. No arrests have been made.

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