Today, Wyclef Jean played a free concert in New Haven to show his support for the struggle against Yale New Haven Hospital and its plans for building a new cancer center. No one outright rejects the plans; YNHH is a great and respected establishment. Employees of YNHH, with support of SEIU 1199, demand the right to unionize, fair wages, affordable housing and neighborhood improvement programs, a clean environment and affordable health care. There is no reason for the first question when one walks through the door to be “Where's your insurance” instead of “Where does it hurt”.

New Haven mayor John DeStefano Jr spoke, as well as many union members and YNHH employees. The tensest moment was that between the final speech and the announcement that after a quick break, Wyclef Jean would play. The crowd had been listening to the speeches with enthusiasm, but would have quickly dwindled to half its original size had this man not appeared. While he's no Jimi Hendrix, I've never seen an rapper/hip-hop artist able to play melodies reminiscent of Santana with the guitar behind his back, or freestyle in seven languages.

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