Wisconsin’s 99% Heading to Washington, D.C., on Monday to Take Back the Capitol
More than 150 people from all over Wisconsin are packing up and getting ready to leave on Monday to join others from across the country in Washington, D.C., for three days of spirited and peaceful protests. The thousands of people converging on the nation’s capital intend to counter the power of banks, Wall Street, and big corporations – the nation’s wealthiest 1% – and to make the Capitol the people’s house once more.
“I’m part of the 99% that Congress is ignoring,” said Rachel Matteson, a recent college graduate from Milwaukee who faces repaying student loans without a job. “Balancing the budget on the backs of the 99% is a huge injustice when we don’t have jobs and vital programs like unemployment insurance and Social Security keep getting cut.”
Four buses carrying Wisconsinites will depart from the park and ride lot on Port Washington Road near the Bayshore Mall at about 7:30 a.m. on Monday and are set to arrive in Washington late that night. The Wisconsin delegation will be part of “Take Back the Capitol” on December 6, 7, and 8, an action planned to send a strong message to Congress to focus on jobs, not cuts, and that the richest 1% must pay their fair share.
“It’s time to make our voices heard because we’re not going to allow our country to go backward,” said Edward Jude a retired military veteran from Milwaukee. “We need jobs. It’s that simple. Jobs build our community. They give people self-esteem and dignity.”
