PRIME OPPORTUNITY

NYC Landlord Paid Protesters to Decry Amazon Pulling Headquarters: Report

The protestors reportedly received $30 an hour to hold signs including “Amazon Left Us!”

After Amazon announced that it would no longer build a headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, landlord Sammy Musovic led a group of protesters in decrying that decision—but Patch reports Friday that some of those protesters say they were paid to be there. Two participants told the outlet that they found out about the protest when they saw a Craigslist ad promising $30 an hour for holding signs. A video obtained by Patch shows an unidentified man giving out wads of cash to alleged hired protesters. Musovic, who claims he spent more than $1 million renovating his building ahead of Amazon’s expected arrival, denied knowledge of the payments. “I don’t know anything about that,” he told Patch over the phone. “We were just trying to get Amazon back on the table.” “It is wrong that the wealthy fake and fabricate grassroots support,” one alleged paid protester told Patch. “It damages the validity of true grassroots campaigns like the protests surrounding the Amazon HQ2.”

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