Demonstrators protest at Chicago banker’s meeting
Protesters, joined by civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, marched up Chicago’s Michigan Avenue on Tuesday demanding banking and economic reform as the U.S. banking industry’s largest trade group held a meeting at a nearby hotel.
During a march that stretched for more than a block, participants chanted “the bankers got bail out, we got sold out” as they headed for the hotel where the American Bankers Association was meeting. Organizers of the march included labor unions, community and religious organizations.
“The government needs to change its policies,” said Jackson, who held a sign that read “Bail out homeowners not banks.” “The checks and balances did not happen. This issue to me is not just about the bankers. It’s about government policies.”
Chicago police estimated about 2,000 protesters attended. Some held signs that read “Real financial reform now,” “Reclaim America” and “Bust up big banks.”
“The message is their job is to be stewards for our savings, to help keep putting working families in homes, to lend money to companies that need to create jobs,” AFL-CIO national President Richard Trumka said at a rally after the march. “And we want to tell them right out, they have failed at doing their job.”
The ABA said in a statement that the protesters were focusing on the wrong group of people.
“The men and women attending this meeting are traditional bankers dedicated to serving the needs of their communities,” the statement said. “They are here to learn new ways to serve their customers and continue to rebuild the weakened economy. These are not the people at whom the protesters’ anger should be directed.”
One protester, Nick Kockler, of Woodstock, said he came to support efforts to reform the banking industry. The 59-year-old former carpenter said he had to retire early because there was no work for him.
“We’re cutting back as we go along,” Kockler said.
Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, 53, a community worker from New York City, said she came to send a message to bankers.
“The American dream is slipping away from mainstream America,” Pilgrim-Hunter said.