By Gary Martin
Gary B. Martin is an illustrator and animator who has lived on the Upper West Side for more than 30 years. His illustrations appear in the Rag on Sundays, chronicling life in the neighborhood, New York City, and the Universe. See them all here. For a broader range of Gary’s work, including animations and other motion graphics, please visit www.martoons.com
Listen to Rag Radio’s interview with Gary Martin — HERE.
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$2 Billion dollars per day—PER DAY!!— to achieve higher gas prices, food prices, and housing prices….while cost of healthcare goes completely ignored by the MAGA party. Shame on “America First” for putting Americans last.
Pretty accurate depiction of who attended the march.
Also, it sums up a lot of what the UWS is becoming. – fossilized.
Young people move in daily. Go outside lol
Hi Ari,
I am not sure what you mean by UWS becoming fossilized?
Like most places there are demographic shifts and trends at different times.
For example, if you look at photos of the UWS in the 1970s, 1980s you’ll see many older people.
Or for example, used to be that many residents grew up in NYC – now many more suburban transplants.
The comedian Jordan Peele grew up on the UWS – his mother was a teacher.
These days, it would be pretty tough for a single parent on a teacher’s salary to be able to afford an apartment here
Eight million people marched on Saturday – I saw every age, every demographic at the main march in Manhattan. Far as the UWS being fossilized, then where do all the strollers in my hallway and down in the lobby come from? And in front of JCC? How is it that the Elephant Playground in Riverside Park is so crowded with children, they have to wait their turn for a swing? And all those groups of tiny tots holding hands, tied together with little ropes, coming back from the park to various day cares up the block around here, are they fossilized? I call BS.
At least eight million. One American out of ~43 showed up to denounce tyranny, making it the largest single-day protest in U.S. history (not that protest was limited to this country). I hope we do even better on May 1.
“Pretty accurate depiction of who attended the march.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2026/mar/28/no-kings-protests-across-the-world-in-pictures
I’m not spotting a lot of fossils there, are you? Or is “fossilized” merely your derogatory term for the elderly? It might better be reserved to describe the dwindling flocks of hardcore Trumpists pathologically incapable of accepting, let alone admitting, they’ve been taken for a ride by a veteran con artist.
Have you actually looked at the cartoon? It depicts older and aged “marchers” feeling the aches and pains of the event.
While your imaginary “flocks of hardcore Trumpist” fits your desire for mockery, that is not what the cartoon shows or the testimony of many of the participants.
Yes, we were all there protesting the evil orange one, but running your brain on overtime to come up with a comeback line is childish. Indeed, fossilized seems to be the right word.
The dwindling flocks of hardcore Trumpists are quite real, and they are obviously(?) NOT the group Gary’s cartoon depicts. Yes, I actually looked.
Pardon me if your fondness for “fossilized” in reference to the arthritic elderly led me to suspect your sympathies leaned rightward. (They’ve been busy wrecking Medicaid, Medicare, and healthcare in general, you know.)
Plenty of younger folks were there as well but it’s hard to afford the UWS as a young person these days
UWS Dad,
In my building, vast majority of people moving in are under 45.
In my experience, UWS restaurants typically full with people under 40.
Walking around UWS in good weather, outdoor seating at restaurants packed with people seemingly under 40.
Actually younger people on UWS seem to have a lot more money than older people
So true.
Based on a true story!
Knees are weak. Spirit is strong.
I actually fell and injured my old knee, but zero regrets!
That is indeed the spirit! Hope your knee is feeling better.
So true
Ain’t it the truth.
My aching back!
“I love Cuba!” declared Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan).
At least Gale Brewer was at this vile conference, throughly embarrassing the Upper West Side.
https://nypost.com/2026/03/28/us-news/viva-cuba-activists-pols-turn-cuny-conference-on-commie-country-into-anti-american-hatefest/
Only domestic dictatorship is acceptable here, right?
Boy is that the truth!
Fewer marches; more sit-ins!
HAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, I don’t identify with that at all – HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
So true!
The UWS’s civic-minded, aging-joints set can take comfort in knowing the next major scheduled protest will involve minimal exertion: the May 1 national general strike (https://paydayreport.com/no-kings-organizers-pivot-to-may-day-general-strike/). Prepare to prop your legs up, relax, and conserve money.
On that note, and since EVERY day should be a No Kings Day, here’s something one can ‘passively’ do for the cause between formal events: https://theicelist.org/index.php?title=Category:Boycott . I’m actively (so to speak) engaged in it at this very moment.
America hasn’t had a king for 250 years, and still doesn’t. The protests must be working!
Here in the United States of America they’re not CALLED kings, naturally.
They’re called Trump.
I was at the match yesterday and was very disheartened to see how few marchers were in their 20s – or 30s. By the time they look up from their screens, it will be way too late!
I appreciate everyone who gets out there! Cool to have so many elders with us.
I’m old, too. I was a driver and honker – with my shih tzu in the passenger seat.
Lots of honking.
Honestly, thank you for the accurate depiction. I’ve wondered if there is a generational gap going on, because I dont know anyone under 55 who goes to these things anymore. What does it accomplish? You meet like minded people? You feel like you did something? You can reassure your equally liberal friends that yes, you attended?
I had a huge group of students marching behind me, and families on every side. My friend and I (neither of us senior citizens) were marching with my friends 15-year-old daughter and her 16 year old friend. Plenty of younger folks were participating.
We all need to protest any way we can: sitting, standing, walking, marching, screaming from the rooftops. What is going on is NOT ok.
What are you referring to? Enforcement of existing immigration laws?
Beautiful details here — Gary’s hands and nose pressed against the windowpane among them.
It cannot be go to a march, protest and stop. Everyone needs to take more actions. Write postcards, canvass, help get people to vote.
People did vote. Trump won two elections.
And here’s how: https://hartmannreport.com/p/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won-c6f . It’s hardly surprising, then, that only a third of the populace approve of him now. (Those finding 33% an impressive figure should remember that 30% of Americans believe in astrology. I suspect a significant overlap.)
Yes, just write postcards, it will help.
I like “it was more fun to be 20 in the 60’s than 60 in the 20’s.
Not mathematically possible.
There were tons of young people at the March. The comment section is so ridiculously negative again. Do you seriously believe that the sea of people meeting and marching were mostly seniors? That’s laughable!
Ari, you are the epitome of an ageist. Why do you feel so comfortable saying discriminatory things against people because of their age? Would you feel at ease publicly saying negative things against women, black or Hispanic people? Ageism is an epidemic with people like you believing it’s fine to defame older people simply because of their age. It isn’t Okay. Stop this ugly behavior and treat older people with the same respect as is given to every other person and group of people. To do otherwise is inappropriate, unacceptable and discriminatory.
Right on, man!