Several SEIU 503 members and staff were arrested November 17 after sitting down on the eastern entrance to the Steel Bridge. They were part of a contingent of several hundred in Portland participating in a nationwide series of demonstrations declaring an economic emergency for the 99% to call attention to these facts:
- 25 million Americans are looking for work, but Congress won’t pass a jobs bill
- Super-Committee budget cuts could kill millions more jobs
- This economy works for the richest 1%, not the 99%
The Steel Bridge was chosen as Portland’s site because it is structurally deficient and in need of repair. This is work that needs doing, even while thousands in Portland are unemployed!
Bridges like this one are symbols of politicians’ failure to pass a jobs bill or do anything to help the 99%, while the richest 1% keep getting richer.
On Nov. 17th, in Portland and across the country, we said enough is enough. We can’t wait any longer.
