Chicago Countdown Continues! Massive Protest to Fight Bank Abuse, Oct 25-27
Thursday, 10/22/2009 - 11:55 am by Lynn Parramore | 7 CommentsIt’s always a good day at the office when you get to rock out with Rob Johnson. He just emailed me the lyrics to Graham Nash’s classic song “Chicago”, which makes a perfect anthem for the upcoming SHOWDOWN IN CHICAGO scheduled to commence Oct. 25. As Congress moves toward a vote on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, a massive, 3-day mobilization of pissed-off taxpayers will be held to coincide with this year’s American Bankers Association Conference.
If you’ve been manhandled by mortgage brokers, overwhelmed by overdrafts, bowled over by bank bonuses and screwed by sky-high credit card rates, then “please come to Chicago” for a little old-fashioned rabble-rousing. Ordinary folks from around the country are coming to the Windy City to protest the banking industry’s tireless (and often taxpayer-funded) efforts to block the financial reforms needed to prevent another crisis.
On Monday, protesters will convene at the Goldman Sachs Chicago Headquarters to demand that the firm donate its entire projected $23 billion dollar bonus pool to “prevent every foreclosure in America in 2010 AND lift one million families out of the poverty and joblessness that was caused by Goldman Sachs’ gambling with our economy.” Then on Tuesday, a prayer vigil will be followed by a march to the Sheraton Hotel, where the Bankers’ Convention will be held.
Will someone please make a sign that says.
“Take the Gold out of Goldman”
Posted by Steve | October 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I’m assuming this gets no mention on Fox.they’d rather go after easy targets without lobbyist $ like ACORN. I’d like to think I’m wrong, but know I”m not.
Posted by Alan | October 22nd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
You never know, they might spin it as either a bunch of anarchists who want to break windows, or a fake ACORN event.
Posted by Zach P | October 22nd, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Steve - I love it! I think I’ll use that as the title of a post, crediting you, of course.
Alan–you’re probably right, but hopefully there will be a lot of viral coverage on the Web/social media outlets.
Zach–I think they’ll have a tough time selling that angle–the populist rage against banks does seem to transcend the traditional progressive/liberal split.
–Lynn Parramore, Editor
Posted by FERI | October 23rd, 2009 at 4:18 am
Thanks! No credit required. (That sounds familiar)
Posted by Steve | October 23rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
This has warmed my heart. As long as we are free to go after the bastards, we are still healthy as a people. I was told one time in an AA Group that the definition of an alcoholic was someone who picks their nose at a red light and doesn’t think anyone saw them. Doesn’t that ring true as a great description of these Wall Street bankers? They really feel justified in what they did. It’s like we bred a bunch of sociopaths in captivity and accidently let them out. We need to round them up and put them back in their cages.
Posted by Katie Chenoweth | October 25th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
this is fantastic - it was high time that someone told the truth about the goldman bandits.
how come not one single soul has gone to jail when they brought the house down for a dirty dollar!
how come no one is asking paulson (forme goldman ceo and treasury secretary) to return the nearly $1billion he made in bonuses from goldman while selling with one hand and shorting with the other the very Homes that people OWN and live in!
go Chicago!!
Posted by M | October 26th, 2009 at 12:03 am