A march for Sanders in January. (Photo: Konstantin Sergeyev)
While a pro-Hillary pantsuit competition brews in Bushwick, NYU is warning its students that “thousands of people” are expected to attend a Bernie Sanders rally in Washington Square park at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. A campus-wide email from the school’s Vice President for Health advises that some streets in Greenwich Village will be closed off and the area will be crowded, but if you’re an NYU student wondering whether this means you get to miss class (or your shift at Bedford + Bowery) — sorry, no.
Over 15,000 people have confirmed, via Facebook, that they’re going to the rally in support of Sanders, who yesterday chowed down at Nathan’s with Michael Stipe and released an ad touting his “values, forged in New York” (take that, Ted Cruz!). The rally occurs the day before the Democratic debate at the Navy Yard and six days before the April 19 primary.
Here’s the email to the NYU community.
A political rally estimated to draw thousands of people will be held on Wednesday evening, Apr. 13 in Washington Square Park at 6 p.m.
All of NYU’s classes and events will go forward as scheduled.
We understand from the NYPD that:
- The park will be closed from midnight the night before the rally
- Some streets in the area will be closed to vehicles, but all should remain open to pedestrian traffic
- Nearby subway stations are all expected to remain open
For members of the NYU community, we would ask that:
- You allow more time to get to classes or activities, because local streets, sidewalks, and transit hubs will be crowded. In addition, it will be difficult to get across the park for the entirety of Wednesday, Apr. 13.
- You make sure you are carrying your NYU ID; Public Safety Officers will be checking NYU IDs especially carefully at the entrances to our buildings and matching the photos with NYU ID holders. If you are missing your ID, please get in touch with Public Safety to obtain a replacement.
Lastly, there will be a police presence throughout the area around the park to ensure public safety at the event; please be mindful of their instructions. And if you see something suspicious, please report it to a police officer, to NYU’s Public Safety Department (212-998-2222), or to 9-1-1.