Wall Street/Bank Protests Spread

Wall Street/Bank Protests Spread; "Pay Us Back" Actions Begin Today

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET is going swimmingly, but certainly those Americans not currently in New York will not be left out of the protests. Today, "Pay Us Back" begins its 10-city protest against big banks demanding restitution for their self-created foreclosure crisis that left countless Americans destitute and even homeless. From New Bottom Line:

The first of 10 direct actions will take place on September 20-21 at Suncadia, a mountain resort near Cle Elum, WA, where The Association of Washington Business (the statewide chamber of commerce) will be holding their annual policy summit. Two hundred low- and middle-income people allied with Washington Community Action Network will demand that banks, corporations and wealthy individuals pay their fair share of taxes. On September 21 from 12-1 p.m., protesters calling for an end to corporate tax loopholes will gather at JPMorgan Chase Bank in Seattle after Phyllis Campbell, Northwest Director of Chase Bank, speaks at Suncadia.   

The weeks of rolling actions (schedule below) will also publicly launch The New Bottom Line, a new nationwide coalition representing more than 1,000 faith-based and community organizations that seek to hold Wall Street accountable and find solutions for struggling and middle-class families.

“We are struggling with less and less, while the big banks profit more and more. The big banks have done nothing but dodge taxes, throw people out of their homes and choke small business, all the while draining our wealth to pad their bottom line. It’s time for JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo to pay US back,” said George Goehl, Executive Director of National People’s Action, an organizational member of The New Bottom Line. “We are fighting to build an economy that works for all of us. Our bottom line means good jobs, healthy communities, and a government that fights for everyday people.”

The peoples' demands of the banks are simple: they want them to pay their fair share of taxes, to stabilize the housing market, and to invest their overflowing coffers in American jobs, rather than sitting on them Scrooge McDuck like. Easy enough! After Seattle, the protests, actions and occupations will spread to San Francisco, Boston, LA, Chicago, NYC, Minneapolis, Denver, and Honolulu. For a full list of dates and times, go to New Bottom Line.

Sourced from Alternet 

Posted at September 20, 2011, 10:16 am