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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

hole in the ground. “Have you ever seen it?” said he to me. I said, “No.”

So we drive out to Queens, and I did not know that there was a demonstration going on at that time, but we drive out there, and there may be 2000 people circling this hole in the ground with sings and yelling and screaming. And we get out of the car, and some of them see me and they recognize me and come running over saying: “Congressman, we're so glad you're here. We'd like you to say a few words.” Well, all you have to do is give a politician a microphone and he's off. So I said, “Sure,” because I had never feared speaking to any group, whether they were for me or against me. I love the combat of the street in politics. So I said, “Keep up the fight -- you can turn City Hall around. They can't impose this on you. It's wrong.” And all the statements that I believed were true then and are certainly true today and they've become true in the sense that others have recognized the validity of them. You can't destroy neighborhoods this way.

Well, there were radio people out there, and this was all carried on the radio. And when I get back to my apartment the calls come in from all of my friends: “Ed, we hear you were on radio and you sound like a racist and what did you say?” and I told them what I said. “Well, it doesn't come over that way. After all, it's Birbach who's out there.” I said, “I can't help it if Birbach is on the same side of the issue or I'm on the same





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