Hundreds rally at ‘Keep the Promise’ AIDS concert in Downtown Brooklyn
Rev. Al Sharpton: ‘A civil rights issue’
Hundreds gathered at a bandstand and Jumbotron set up in Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn on Saturday to hear advocates, politicians and entertainers call on the government to “Keep the Promise” on AIDS funding in New York City.
Speakers said a recent $2.7 million budget cut as a result of sequestration will mean 68,000 fewer HIV tests in the city.
The Reverend Al Sharpton drew cheers as he said the cuts are a civil rights issue. “If we don’t fight for civil rights for everybody, then we don’t fight for civil rights for anybody,” he said. “There’s one standard, one world and one promise.”
Council Member Stephen Levin (D – Downtown, Brooklyn Heights) said that more people are getting their HIV diagnosed late. “Thirty percent of women in New York City receive a late diagnosis. Eighty percent of people receiving a late diagnosis die. Is this the time to cut funding?”