Big Protest in Chicago at Bankers Convention

[snapple candy]

Check it out:

George Goehl, a member of a broad coalition behind the organization of the Showdown in Chicago, which will take place October 25-27, sees this action as a way to target the banks and direct a message to Congress that they need to stand up for the American people and pass real reforms.

The Showdown in Chicago aims to convince Congress to put more support behind the creation of a strong Consumer Financial Protection Agency. It will also urge leaders to break the stranglehold on democracy that a handful of banks, which dominate the financial market, currently possess.

People from 20 states and from 40 to 50 organizations will participate in actions during the American Bankers Association convention:
“[On Sunday] there will be a People's Commission where a panel of everyday Americans will hear testimony from everyday Americans ---people affected by shrinking pensions, foreclosures, unemployment, state budget cuts, etc.,” says Goehl.



He continues, “On Monday, there will be a demonstration at the Chicago headquarters of Goldman Sachs and then a demonstration at the American Bankers Association.”


And finally, “On Tuesday, the numbers will grow much larger in a march of over 5,000 people, [which] will take off from Stetson and Wacker and head to the Sheraton Hotel."


Skeptics would suggest that this is going to be just another event that produces little political momentum for real change. But, the setting of Chicago ensures that there will be a fiery energy to any action that takes place during the Showdown.



for more of the article, check out : OpEdNews - Article: A Broad Coalition to Take on the Banksters


and : Showdown In Chicago

[caldwellb02]

I was born in Chicago. Wish I could be there this week!

[snapple candy]

I wish I could be there too. I hail from Detroit and this is my old stomping ground. Maybe we need to hook up with others who are already out there and organizing this stuff? These websites look pretty impressive and so are the coalition of organizations. We do have a voice, it just needs to be directed effectively. Check out the line up for the next couple days:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2009
If you wish to join us on Sunday, please fill out a Sunday Registration Form. Attendance for Monday or Tuesday does not require registration.
3:30pm – Welcome & Conference Orientation (Hyatt Regency - 151 E. Wacker Dr, Gold Level)
4:30pm – Put People First: Showdown in Chicago
Hundreds of everyday Americans come together to launch the Showdown in Chicago. A peoples’ Commission will hear testimony and evidence from everyday Americans, well known public figures, and elected officials on how Wall Street banks created the foreclosure crisis and sent the economy into a tailspin. Commission findings will be shared with the Obama Administration, Members of Congress, and the Angelides Commission.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009
10:30am - Goldman Sachs Chicago Headquarters, 71 S. Wacker
The American People will ask Goldman Sachs to 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.
12:00pm – American Bankers Association convention, 301 East North Water Street
Big banks are spending billions to prevent reforms that would protect taxpayers from their future abuses. Nearly a thousand Americans will take our message directly to the American Bankers Association at their annual convention.
No registration required for Monday's action.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009
MARCH TO THE BANKER'S CONVENTION

10:00am - Prayer vigil on Wacker, east of Michigan Avenue
10:30am - March: starting at Stetson and Wacker
11:00am - Rally at the Sheraton Hotel (301 East North Water Street, Chicago)
No registration required for Tuesday's march. For more information, visit www.stopbankgreed.org or contact rozwadowskik@seiu1.org

[AnotherGA Gal]

I received an email today about this march:

What happened outside the bankers' conference on Tuesday was a reminder of the power of our voices together.

For three days, thousands of us from every corner of the country and all walks of life came together to demand change from the Wall Street banks.


Together we stood up to the big banks that have done so much harm to our communities;

Together we marched through the streets of Chicago, 5,000 strong, forcing the bankers to answer for their actions;

Together we showed the world through stories and pictures and words that our voices united can make a difference.
See pictures and video from the bankers' conference in Chicago: SEIU | What's next?

But, as amazing as Chicago was, everyone I talked to had the same question:

"What's next?"


What's next for the family having their home foreclosed because mom and dad lost their jobs? What's next for the ABA lobbyists using our tax dollars to fight reform? What's next for the big bank CEO paying himself billion dollar bonuses with our money?
The answer is up to us. For too long, we've let Wall Street write the story - and we know how that one goes. Staggering unemployment. Record foreclosures. And complete financial meltdown as their final act.


Chicago was the end of that chapter, will you help us write the next one? SEIU | What's next?

If the big bank CEOs think what happened in Chicago was the last they've heard from us, they're very, very wrong. We're just getting started.

There are millions of our friends, neighbors, and coworkers who want to see an end to business as usual on Wall Street. Will you show them what we did in Chicago, and what we can do if we all work together?


Click here to get started: SEIU | What's next?

Thanks,
Anna Burger
Secretary-Treasurer
SEIU