Huge March on Wall Street: “Good Jobs Now!”

Chanting “Good Jobs Now! Make Wall Street Pay!” and “They Got Bailed Out! We Got Left Out!” more than 15,000 union members, unemployed workers, community activists and progressive citizens jammed the streets of Lower Manhattan yesterday to march for good jobs and Wall Street reform.

Before leading the huge crowd in a March on Wall Street AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told the rally that the big banks had crashed the economy, put us 11 million jobs in the hole, and that it’s time they paid to restore American jobs.
(photo at right by Will Fischer)

Working America members, supporters and organizers were on hand. And everywhere you looked there were signs telling Wall Street “I Am Not Your ATM“.

The event marked the single largest jobs rally since the onset of the Great Recession, and capped a week of actions nationwide.

The huge rally heard from speakers including New York unionists, teachers, students and progressive religious leaders — each expressing their outrage that while 15 million Americans are unemployed, and millions more have lost their homes, it’s back to business as usual for the big banks.

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous told the rally:

this is the time to take back America from the Big Banks. He said while money can buy votes, money can’t vote and all the newly registered voters in the 2008 election will make a difference in 2010.

Kim and Jamison were part of a Working America contingent on hand from Philadelphia.