Once again we're a little late with the story but we've been having problems with the Internets. Anyhoo, yesterday, May 12, was the day a whole bunch of pissed-off New Yorkers took over Wall Street to protest budget cuts. Reports The Nation,
More than 20,000 protesters descended upon Wall Street Thursday to demand an end to Mayor Bloomberg’s draconian education cuts and his soft touch approach to billion-dollar companies.
The May 12 event began as a series of splinter cell protests in the radius surrounding Wall Street that ultimately converged on the financial district.
Those in attendance included Reverend Al Sharpton, the United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, and various members of the City Council.
At the education protest, teachers came out in droves to protest Bloomberg’s recent decision to lay off thousands of teachers. Additionally, educators were demanding Bloomberg ask his rich friends on Wall Street to sacrifice along with everyone else.And the New York Times is worth quoting on this one:
To the thousands of protesters who inundated Lower Manhattan on Thursday, New York’s billionaire mayor seemed a fitting symbol of much that they found wrong with society, including the wide gap between rich and poor and the call to lay off teachers.
Teachers wore black shirts reading, “ ‘The Education Mayor’ Really?” Others called Mr. Bloomberg out of touch. One man carried a sign comparing him to Mr. Burns, the cold-blooded businessman from “The Simpsons.”
Mr. Bloomberg’s popularity has suffered in his third term, and public criticism has escalated since last Friday, when he proposed laying off 5,400 city workers, the majority of them teachers, to balance the city’s budget.The Days of Rage will continue, with a rally Saturday in Wisconsin over the budget, Monday in Chicago over Rep. Paul Ryan's plant to end Medicare and Tuesday in Columbus against JPMorgan Chase.
