The streets of Manhattan became the stage for a coordinated protest on March 21, 2026, when hundreds of demonstrators assembled at the New York City AIDS Memorial. Organized by ACT UP New York, the crowd set out for the unmarked office building used by Palantir, a company known for providing technology to government agencies including ICE. Speakers and organizers framed the action as a demand for public-health investment, linking federal choices about military and immigration spending to ongoing cuts in services for people living with HIV. The event combined memorial, political protest, and a visual theater of resistance.
At the memorial, activists paid tribute to long-term organizers, notably honoring Mark Milano, a New York activist who died in January after decades of grassroots work on HIV issues. Remarks from local leaders—among them Jay W. Walker—set the tone for the march: a refusal to separate the history of the AIDS crisis from current policy debates. Marchers carried banners, wore buttons representing varied causes, and prepared for a public demonstration outside the Palantir space that would echo tactics from earlier waves of queer activism.
Route, symbols and public performance
The procession moved through downtown Manhattan toward the Flatiron District, where the Palantir office sits behind unadorned scaffolding. Protesters unfurled banners, including one marked with a blood-pattern handprint, and plastered visual messages on the building’s exterior. At street level the crowd culminated in a die-in: dozens lay on the pavement to dramatize lives affected by policy decisions. The die-in is an arresting tactic that draws its power from silence and stillness; organizers described it as a direct link to earlier actions by AIDS activists who used similar methods to force public attention.
Visual tactics and messaging
In addition to the die-in, demonstrators deployed other symbols to sharpen their critique: a modified American flag with skulls replacing stars, slogans opposing transfers of federal funds to ICE and war expenditures, and handmade signs demanding renewed spending on HIV care and public health. Many of the organizers wore vests adorned with buttons from multiple movements, signaling coalition-building across causes. Photographers captured the scene, creating a visual record intended to extend the protest’s reach beyond the neighborhood it occupied.
Why Palantir and what organizers demanded
Organizers targeted Palantir because the company is widely known as a surveillance contractor that develops software used by immigration authorities. The march framed Palantir as a tangible example of federal priorities: contractors and military commitments receiving funding while community clinics and prevention programs face cuts. Speakers argued that this allocation of resources has immediate human consequences, particularly for communities living with HIV, and asserted that changing budget priorities would be a concrete step toward addressing gaps in care and prevention.
Policy critique and public health
Beyond corporate critique, the rally connected two policy threads: opposition to the U.S. war against Iran and resistance to expanded immigration enforcement. Activists maintained that both directions of federal spending divert money from health systems. They called for legislators to re-evaluate spending choices and prioritize investments in services like testing, treatment, and community clinics. The protesters’ demands were rooted in the idea that health policy and foreign or immigration policy are intertwined through budgetary decisions.
Continuity of activism and the day’s legacy
ACT UP’s action on March 21, 2026, deliberately echoed approaches that date back to the 1980s, using dramatized public mourning and civil disobedience to force attention on neglected crises. The group’s 39th anniversary provided both a historical bookmark and an urgent present-tense message: the battles over funding, stigma, and access to care persist. By linking remembrance for figures like Mark Milano with direct protest, organizers sought to situate contemporary policy disputes inside a longer struggle for dignity and resources for people with HIV.
Documentation and outreach
The Advocate published a photo series documenting the march and die-in to provide readers a visual account of the action. This coverage was produced as part of the Future of Queer Media fellowship at The Advocate, supported by a gift from Morrison Media Group, which aims to cultivate emerging LGBTQ+ journalists. Images and reporting from events such as this serve as both testimony and tool, helping activists amplify their message while preserving the memory of collective resistance.