Cabrera to protest DOE's plan to evict churches Wednesday

Cabrera was arrested last week protesting the DOE's policy.

Oddsmakers are split on whether or not City Councilman Fernando Cabrera will get arrested tomorrow. We're putting the line at +3500 (35-to-1 for those of you not entrenched in NFL betting pools). Obviously, his office is saying there is no civil disobedience planned for tomorrow, but my gambling team (Bronx insiders) note that Cabrera's fellow protesters may want to get arrested to raise the stature of the protest.

At 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 18, Cabrera will join his colleagues in government and religious leaders in a press conference in front of the Tweed Court House (52 Chambers St.) to protest the Department of Education's policy that will evict houses of worship from public schools on Feb. 12. Then, the group will march to the City Council to urge passage of Resolution 1155, which calls upon the New York State legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation amending the New York State Education Law to afford houses of worship maximum access to school property.

“We will continue to fight for equal access,” Cabrera said. “We will be meeting at Tweed and then marching over to the New York City Council Stated Meeting at City Hall to continue to make our position known.”

After the Supreme Court declined to hear Bronx Household of Faith vs. New York City Department of Education on Dec. 5, 2011, the city's DOE announced it would ban Houses of Worship wishing to rent vacant spaces from Public Schools during non-school hours.

Following the announcement, Cabrera and Religious Leaders have organized several protests. These include a Prayerful Protest on Thursday Jan. 5, where Cabrera, pastors and congregants were arrested for kneeling in front of the New York City Law Department in prayer during a display of civil disobedience, and a Prayer Rally during Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City address on Thursday Jan. 12, where over 40 pastors and congregants were arrested while approaching the entrance of Morris High School in another display of civil disobedience (Cabrera was not arrested in that one).