Andrea Hebert joins protesters outside of City Hall Park in New York on Monday, July 9, 2012 to demonstrate against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to regulate the size of soft drinks sold in the city. RICHARD B. LEVINE/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: lrphotos070428
Monday, a small group gathered outside of City Hall in New York to protest against a proposed ban on the sales of high calorie drinks in sizes larger than 16 ounces. To be honest there was more media at this protest than protesters, probably at least at a ratio of two to one.
Media photographs protester Eric Moore outside of City Hall Park in New York on Monday, July 9, 2012 at a demonstration against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to regulate the size of soft drinks sold in the city. The mayor’s proposal would prohibit food establishments that the city licenses from selling high calorie drinks such as cola in containers larger than 16 ounces. RICHARD B. LEVINE/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: lrphotos070430
Basically, although some at the demo thought that it wasn’t right to sell drinks that are larger than the capacity of the human stomach, they didn’t want the government, or more specifically, Mayor Michael Bloomberg telling them what to do.
A 64 ounce “Double Gulp” from a 7-Eleven store in New York on Thursday, May 31, 2012. New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has proposed banning huge sized sugary drinks in an effort to combat the epidemic of obesity. Bloomberg wants to impose a 16 ounce limit on sweetened beverages sold in graded food establishments and mobile food carts (businesses that the city has control over) with no restrictions on beverages with less than 25 calories per 8 ounces. RICHARD B. LEVINE/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: lrphotos069626
Called the Million Big Gulp Rally, the idea of the city (or the government) regulating what you eat or drink sticks in the craw of many folks. After all, sales of soft drinks are actually down nationwide, and the obesity epidemic that is sweeping the country is probably caused by the lack of exercise as much as super-sized portions. The ban would only effect establishments which the city has its control over, which means graded restaurants and mobile food carts. The alleged prime offender, 7-Eleven, would not even be effected and you could still buy your Big Gulps.
Photographer
RICHARD B. LEVINE
Elyse Troise smokes a cigarette during a protest on March 24, 2001 against the proposed City Council bill which would ban smoking in bars throuhout New York City. About two dozen noisy, smoking demonstrators marched from Battery Park to City Hall to let elected officials know about their opposition. The bill sponsored by mayoral candidate and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone is claimed by some bar owners that it would put them out of business. RICHARD B. LEVINE/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: showcasepix063628
The city has succeeded in banning other sinful activities in the past. The smoking ban has been successful and lighting up in offices, parks, restaurants and bars is now verboten. About the only place you can grab a cigarette now is either in your home (and there are non-smoking apartment buildings too) or in the middle of the street.
Members of Transportation Alternatives protest midtown pedestrian barricades on December 30, 1997. Mayor Giuliani decreed that pedestrian barricades be set up and manned by police officers to prevent citizens from disobeying the law and crossing in a convenient intersection instead of being routed to another intersection where it was decreed as safe. The barricades, originally meant to be temporary have been replaced with permanent ones. FRANCES M. ROBERTS/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: lrphotos070458
Whether the the soft drink ban actually happens or fizzes out remains to be seen. But it does bring back fond memories of Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s 1997 attempted ban on jaywalking. We realize you can actually get a ticket for it in most cities, but in New York, perhaps because people are in hurry to get to where they are going, or maybe they just don’t like to be told what to do by the mayor, the jaywalking ban failed miserably.
Richard Levine and Frances Roberts, of Levine Roberts Photography, are a husband and wife team of photographers covering politics, environmental issues, the economy, business, and social and cultural issues in the Big Apple. See more photos from their collection on Newscom.
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Tags: 7-11, levine roberts photography, new york city, sugary drinks, the big apple