Suzannah B. Troy's Speech Supporting Veterans - Mercer Hotel Protest
New York City artist and political blogger Suzannah B. Troy gave an impassioned public speech outside the Mercer Hotel to protest what she called unfair treatment by the Mercer Hotel of Armed Forces Veterans, who work as sidewalk vendors in New York City.
In the area around the Mercer Hotel, located in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, many sidewalk vendors set up tables on sidewalks to sell arts and crafts. Many vendors complain that the Mercer Hotel calls the police to give citations or tickets to the sidewalk vendors in a systematic program to rid the block of sidewalk vendors outside the chic boutique hotel.
In her speech, Ms. Troy cited an example of how the Mercer Hotel has questionably used the loading and unloading zone along Mercer Street for what has been alleged to be private or valet parking.
Following her speech, over one dozen protesters gathered to demonstrate against the perceived injustice by the Mercer Hotel. Activists blame the hotel's manager, Michael Rawson, for the systematic mistreatment of Veterans, who work as sidewalk vendors, while the hotel has allegedly made use of the loading zone for questionable hotel parking.
