RIP FRIEND AND FELLOW CABBIE
This is a picture of Kevin and me that was in Newsweek magazine. During the Republican Convention in NYC in 2004, Cabbies Against Bush organized a protest, and offered to provide free cab rides to Republican conventioneer who wanted to go to the airport to join the troops in Iraq. Fox blow-hard Bill O'Reilly had repeatedly said that while he would not be willing to send his son to fight in Iraq, he would be willing to go. Kevin and I felt it was our patriotic duty to help this noble American fulfill his dream of going into combat, so we stood outside of Fox studios on 6th Avenue, prepared to drive him to the airport. The press conference was not only covered by Newsweek, but by NYPD intelligence unit as well. Those documents were recently released - Kevin had a lot of people looking after him.
This week, a good friend and fellow cab driver passed away. Kevin Fitzpatrick was a dedicated union organizer, who devoted much of his life to working with the Taxi
Workers Alliance. At his funeral, two yellow cabs followed behind the hearse, and his pallbearers were fellow cab drivers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Jamaica. The funeral mass was held in St. Sebastian's Roman Catholic Church in Woodside, Queens, a predominately Irish-American neighborhood. Kevin would have appreciated that his funeral mass was presided over by a priest from Lahore, Pakistan. The church was full of Kevin's friends and fellow cabdrivers, representing many faiths, including Hindu and Muslim. The memorial services, with such a blend of traditions, faiths and race, was a true New York experience, and a reflection of Kevin's life. He will be missed - but you can still hear his voice, but clicking on the links below. Kevin needs not worry - I have it on good authority that there are no TLC members in heaven to bother or fine him.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS OBIT 6-5-07
FITZPATRICK-Kevin Michael. Of Brooklyn. On June 4, 2007. After a lengthy illness from cancer. Kevin is survived by his brother Sean and family in Alexandria, VA., many cousins, and innumerable friends, especially fellow members of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, where he worked to bring economic justice to NYC Taxi workers. Friends may call Wednesday and Thursday, 2-5 and 7-9 P.M. at the KENNEDY-ROTH FUNERAL HOME, 41-45 58th St., Woodside, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, 10:30 A.M. at the St. Sebastian R.C. Church located at Roosevelt Ave. and 58th St., Woodside, NY. Interment will follow at Holy Rood Cemetery, Westbury, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in solidarity to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, 37 E. 28th St., Suite 302, New York, NY 10016.
You can listen Kevin MC a fundraiser for the Taxi Workers Alliance at Rocky Sullivan's in Manhattan last Aug 07
http://www.hackdaddyny.com/
http://www.nysoundposse.com/2006/08/event-save-our-yellow-cabbies-081906.html
This is the tribute show for Kevin on WBAI 99.5 New York. Go to
http://archive.wbai.org/
and scroll down to Radio Free Eireann 6-9-07 and listen
This week, a good friend and fellow cab driver passed away. Kevin Fitzpatrick was a dedicated union organizer, who devoted much of his life to working with the Taxi
Workers Alliance. At his funeral, two yellow cabs followed behind the hearse, and his pallbearers were fellow cab drivers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Jamaica. The funeral mass was held in St. Sebastian's Roman Catholic Church in Woodside, Queens, a predominately Irish-American neighborhood. Kevin would have appreciated that his funeral mass was presided over by a priest from Lahore, Pakistan. The church was full of Kevin's friends and fellow cabdrivers, representing many faiths, including Hindu and Muslim. The memorial services, with such a blend of traditions, faiths and race, was a true New York experience, and a reflection of Kevin's life. He will be missed - but you can still hear his voice, but clicking on the links below. Kevin needs not worry - I have it on good authority that there are no TLC members in heaven to bother or fine him.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS OBIT 6-5-07
FITZPATRICK-Kevin Michael. Of Brooklyn. On June 4, 2007. After a lengthy illness from cancer. Kevin is survived by his brother Sean and family in Alexandria, VA., many cousins, and innumerable friends, especially fellow members of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, where he worked to bring economic justice to NYC Taxi workers. Friends may call Wednesday and Thursday, 2-5 and 7-9 P.M. at the KENNEDY-ROTH FUNERAL HOME, 41-45 58th St., Woodside, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, 10:30 A.M. at the St. Sebastian R.C. Church located at Roosevelt Ave. and 58th St., Woodside, NY. Interment will follow at Holy Rood Cemetery, Westbury, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in solidarity to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, 37 E. 28th St., Suite 302, New York, NY 10016.
You can listen Kevin MC a fundraiser for the Taxi Workers Alliance at Rocky Sullivan's in Manhattan last Aug 07
http://www.hackdaddyny.com/
http://www.nysoundposse.com/2006/08/event-save-our-yellow-cabbies-081906.html
This is the tribute show for Kevin on WBAI 99.5 New York. Go to
http://archive.wbai.org/
and scroll down to Radio Free Eireann 6-9-07 and listen
posted by jmcd at 1:48 PM
6 Comments:
John I am so sorry to hear of the death of your friend Kevin Fitzpatrick. Looks like he had a great send off. His funeral reads like a great tribute to him, and shows how his work was valued. I'm sure he will rest in peace.
Thanks for the e mail about him.
Sorry I didn't get to say bye to you when you were over, but thanks for calling me from Peggy's. Hope she is well. God bless you and yours and take care. Please keep in touch.
The World needs more people like Kevin Fitzpatrick. Thanks for the tribute to him.
I knew Kevin Fitzpatrick for 55 years. I never knew him as Kevin -to me he was Fitz, or sometimes Fitzie. To him, I was Johnny. We grew up across the street from each other, and were very long-time friends.
I can think of many events and times from his life, but his qualities were what made him special.
His sense of right and wrong was without peer, as was the depth of his loyalty, and his sense of fairness and justice.
I was very happy for old Fitz to see so many people at his funeral Mass, and following the Mass, trailing the hearse out to Holy Rood in Westbury. The convoy even managed to survive despite one car's breaking down on Queens Blvd.
At the graveside, one could not help being impressed by the sense of how much he had meant to so many.
I have never known anyone else quite like him, and I doubt I ever will.
He was simply one of the finest human beings I have ever known. He gave much and asked for very little.
Fitzie, old buddy, you were one of the very few really good ones. You will be missed. Guaranteed.
John J. Lanigan Jr.
We the taxi drivers of Philadelphia will greatly miss Kevin who was instrumental in development of the Philly chapter of TWA. His words of wisdom and tranquility of his voice will be deeply missed
Fuck you and fuck your Union Propaganda. Unions and their leaders do nothing for their members unless they see profit in it for themselves. Keep screwing your employer over until you hit the goal.......Unimployment.
Kevin was a great guy and a great friend. We were pals in the early and mid 1970s while both of us lived in the Bronx. I’ll always remember him fondly. R.I.P., bud. - Marty Gaetjens (San Francisco, Ca.)
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