The Minnesota AFL-CIO and members of Minnesotans for a Fair Economy each organized numerous events that at times included the OccupyMN movement, part of the national effort to demand accountability from Wall Street. View two videos.
A common theme was “We are the 99%” – referring to the majority of Americans who did not receive a Wall Street bailout, whose wages have declined and who face massive unemployment.
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| Participants in Friday\'s march blocked and occupied a street corner next to Wells Fargo bank. |
The protestors, marching under the banner “Don’t Foreclose on the American Dream” linked arms and sat down in the street in front of the Wells Fargo offices in while a delegation sought a dialog with bank officials, who had locked down their building and skyways as the crowd approached.
"The big banks crashed our economy and foreclosed on our homes. We bailed them out and now they want us to take more cuts they refuse to pay their fair share. People are hurting across the board, and folks in the African American neighborhoods are hit hardest,” said Sol Marshall, a member of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, one of the organizations sponsoring the march.
View more photos from the action on the Minneapolis RLF Facebook page.
On Wednesday, caregivers from Dellwood Place and Bethesda Care Center, two Cerenity nursing homes slated for closure in November, rallied to stand up for seniors, the disabled, and long term care workers.
During a week that the Congressional “Super Committee” discussed proposals to make drastic cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and public services, those at the rally demanded that major banks and “the top 1%” pay their fair share of taxes to protect public services like quality care for our disabled and elderly.
“These closures will force our residents, who have lived in the community for decades, to move away from their neighborhood and family members,” said Calvin Cooper, a janitor at Dellwood Place. “The big banks crashed our economy and foreclosed on our homes. Now, the continued refusal of the top 1% to pay their fair share of taxes is causing budget cuts and closures of our state’s nursing homes. It’s time to stop being bullied by the big banks and Wall St. and start standing up for dignity for seniors and workers.”
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| Painter John Niedenfuer says the jobs outlook is the worst he has seen in 30 years. Photo by Steve Share |
“It seems like every time things are going good and I’m finally getting my bills paid, I get laid off,” said William Kloster, an unemployed laborer.
“We don’t have confidence the economy is going to improve,” said bricklayer John Herman.
Tina Smith, chief of staff to Governor Mark Dayton, and Mark Phillips, commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, said job creation is Dayton’s top priority and his administration is pursuing several efforts to spur employment, but faces opposition from the Republican-controlled Legislature.
While the many events had a serious tone, participants also found opportunities for levity and satire.
On Saturday, Minnesota Wants To Work hosted a tailgate party before the Minnesota Wild hockey game “to help raise awareness for how the rich are struggling in these hard economic times.”
Hockey fans were encouraged “to hear first-hand just how bad things are for the richest 1 percent and take action by donating 5 cents to help the struggling rich pay their fair share,” with the proceeds going to charity.
Videos
Produced by the Labor Education Service, University of Minnesota
Wells Fargo: We Want to Meet!
Enough!
\'We Are the 99%\'
Share
The Minnesota AFL-CIO and members of Minnesotans for a Fair Economy each organized numerous events that at times included the OccupyMN movement, part of the national effort to demand accountability from Wall Street. View two videos.
A common theme was “We are the 99%” – referring to the majority of Americans who did not receive a Wall Street bailout, whose wages have declined and who face massive unemployment.
|
| Participants in Friday\’s march blocked and occupied a street corner next to Wells Fargo bank. |
Six hundred Minnesotans marched in downtown Minneapolis on Friday to the offices of USBank and Wells Fargo to demand that the big banks pay their fair share, invest in good jobs and fix the foreclosure crisis.
The protestors, marching under the banner “Don’t Foreclose on the American Dream” linked arms and sat down in the street in front of the Wells Fargo offices in while a delegation sought a dialog with bank officials, who had locked down their building and skyways as the crowd approached.
"The big banks crashed our economy and foreclosed on our homes. We bailed them out and now they want us to take more cuts they refuse to pay their fair share. People are hurting across the board, and folks in the African American neighborhoods are hit hardest,” said Sol Marshall, a member of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, one of the organizations sponsoring the march.
View more photos from the action on the Minneapolis RLF Facebook page.
On Wednesday, caregivers from Dellwood Place and Bethesda Care Center, two Cerenity nursing homes slated for closure in November, rallied to stand up for seniors, the disabled, and long term care workers.
During a week that the Congressional “Super Committee” discussed proposals to make drastic cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and public services, those at the rally demanded that major banks and “the top 1%” pay their fair share of taxes to protect public services like quality care for our disabled and elderly.
“These closures will force our residents, who have lived in the community for decades, to move away from their neighborhood and family members,” said Calvin Cooper, a janitor at Dellwood Place. “The big banks crashed our economy and foreclosed on our homes. Now, the continued refusal of the top 1% to pay their fair share of taxes is causing budget cuts and closures of our state’s nursing homes. It’s time to stop being bullied by the big banks and Wall St. and start standing up for dignity for seniors and workers.”
|
| Painter John Niedenfuer says the jobs outlook is the worst he has seen in 30 years.
Photo by Steve Share |
On Thursday, jobless workers called on state officials to take action to create jobs.
“It seems like every time things are going good and I’m finally getting my bills paid, I get laid off,” said William Kloster, an unemployed laborer.
“We don’t have confidence the economy is going to improve,” said bricklayer John Herman.
Tina Smith, chief of staff to Governor Mark Dayton, and Mark Phillips, commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, said job creation is Dayton’s top priority and his administration is pursuing several efforts to spur employment, but faces opposition from the Republican-controlled Legislature.
While the many events had a serious tone, participants also found opportunities for levity and satire.
On Saturday, Minnesota Wants To Work hosted a tailgate party before the Minnesota Wild hockey game “to help raise awareness for how the rich are struggling in these hard economic times.”
Hockey fans were encouraged “to hear first-hand just how bad things are for the richest 1 percent and take action by donating 5 cents to help the struggling rich pay their fair share,” with the proceeds going to charity.
Videos
Produced by the Labor Education Service, University of Minnesota
Wells Fargo: We Want to Meet!
Enough!
\’We Are the 99%\’