Valley Streamers organize ‘Rally for Love’

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More than two-dozen people gathered on Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream Saturday afternoon to demonstrate against what its organizers said has been a recent resurgence of strife and division both in and outside of the neighborhood.

“We’ve seen a lot of images of hate, bigotry and intolerance, and I just wanted to bring people together to show them that they’re loved, and I wanted to do it somewhere visible,” Valley Streamer Diego Yangali, 27, and one the demonstration’s chief organizers said.

He called it a “Rally for Love,” and said it was at least partially in response to a rally in support of President Donald Trump held two weekends prior that began in Valley Stream before heading east in a car caravan. Saturday’s demostration took place near the corner of South Franklin Avenue.

“Trump rallies aren’t just in support of Trump, they’re also in support of different values and different ways of thinking and feeling,” Yangali said. “. . . That’s not what I know Valley Stream to represent that’s not what I want Valley Stream to represent to other people.”

Attendees consisted of both people from in and outside of the neighborhood.

Mary Jones, 20, drove roughly an hour from her home in Suffolk County to take part in the rally after hearing of it on social media. She said she wanted to not only show support for issues of racial justice in Valley Stream but to also meet other activists.

“Every protest you network with people,” she said. “. . .  Protesting I’ve met a lot of new people, and have opened a lot more doors and opportunities.”

Valley Streamer Stephen Figurasmith, 34, who attended the rally with his family, said he wanted to show his support for efforts to create a better future.

“It’s a desire to be part of the movement for racial justice and do our part to help build the world that we want to see,” he said. He expressed support for calls to divert public funds away from prisons and police departments to social services he said would be better suited to uplift communities.

Divina Davila, 33, from East Rockaway said it was important to show continued support for efforts to undo racial inequities, especially on Long Island, where deep segregation remains.

In particular, she said she was seeking reforms to policing.

“We want to see equality and end injustices in the police department,” she said. “People are getting targeted just because of the color of their skin and the types of cars they drive. It’s ridiculous”