Occupy Protesters On MLK Day: 'Banks Have Crippled America'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A few hundred people assembled in an almost-vacant Loop Monday for an "Occupy the Dream" rally near the Federal Reserve Bank.
As WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports, the demonstrators piled up crutches and walkers at the doorstep of Bank of America downtown.
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"You're going to follow the ministers across the street to Bank of America, peacefully, to place a cane, a crutch, a walker, at the foot of the bank door, symbolizing that the banks have crippled America," the leader of the demonstration directed protesters. "The banks have crippled America, and today we say, no more."
Afterward, they stacked the crutches and walkers at the bank's door, which was shut for the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King.
Meanwhile, two women, Janice and Josephine, stood on the periphery of the demonstration. But that didn't mean they didn't have an opinion about the plight of Americans.
"Nobody's looking for a handout," Janice said. "They want to be independent. They want to be in their own homes. They want to get educations. But they don't want to have to pay a fortune for it or go into debt.
"I know of people who are $60,000 in debt - $70,000 - for a student loan," added Josephine. "I mean, we're talking about a bachelor's degree. It's outrageous."
"And it's not only African Americans," Janice added. "It's across the board. Everybody should be concerned about this."
