On Friday morning, New Yorkers learned that a children's playground named in honor of late Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch had been graffitied with Pro-Trump messages and drawings of swatstikas. Within 24 hours, locals and elected officials organized an anti-hate rally at the park and this afternoon, more than 500 people gathered to honor Yauch, who died from cancer in May 2012, and to "stand up against hate."
Though the rally was organized at the last minute, Beastie Boys member and lifelong New Yorker Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz made an appearance and shared a few words with the gathered crowd via megaphone about not only his bandmate of 30 years, but the current political climate. "We elected a president that is giving our children the message that it's okay to attack people of color. This is real," Horovitz told attendees. "We've gotta stand up against hate. If you're able to give money, give to Black Lives Matter. Give to Planned Parenthood and the United Way of Flint, Michigan. Give what you can. If you're able to protest, protest. If you're able to volunteer, volunteer."
"If you're a musician, write that anthem. Take what you're good at and give to the cause that you care most about," he continued. "And please keep your eyes open. Stand up for each other. I reject Donald Trump's mission of America. Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten, from the Battery to the top of Manhattan. Black, white, New York, let's make it happen!"
Watch the full clip of Horovitz's speech above.
