NYC healthcare workers take a stand on racism

CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan (WABC) -- Healthcare workers, joined by locals took a stand against racism on Saturday.

Many have cheered for them at 7 p.m. for months, now their dedication is on a higher platform - joining in the fight peacefully. They started from East Meadow in Central Park and marched on 5th Ave. for equality.

"We had corona come through, and now we have racial injustice kind of springing ahead," said Dr. DJ Apakama.

Their voice is for everyone, including patients in the healthcare system, saying that black, Hispanic and poor patients are treated differently with much less access to care and medicine.

Some healthcare workers were just ending their long shifts to be part of the movement. They made the two-mile route to 58th Street, and at 7 p.m., the time of the daily cheer, there was silence as they took a knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds - the exact length of time George Floyd was on the ground. NYPD officers stood by to watch the calm.

"The black community has dealt with so much for decades, and it's up for all of us to speak up," said Dr. Radhika Parikh.

With the curfew in place, the NYPD allowed peaceful protesters to gather past 8 p.m. if they used the pedestrian path, but this march promptly and responsibly ended by 7:15 p.m.