On Monday March 12th, students from Temple University, community members, and members of the Fair Hiring Coalition staged a silent protest at the Temple Board of Trustees meeting. The group protested the university’s uncomfortably-close relationships with corporations such as PNC Bank and Comcast along with an overall failure to remain transparent in its business dealings.
According to activists, the university’s corporate ties are damaging to both students and the North Philadelphia community. The activists covered their mouths with duct tape before they trekked to Sullivan’s Hall where the meeting took place.
During a presentation by Temple University President Ann Hart, students removed the tape from their mouths and called out the school’s administration’s actions. After the meeting concluded, the activists were approached by a member of the board, who applauded them for their efforts.
The undefeated champion Wall Street Bullies took center stage yesterday against the winless Fight for Phillies. The Bullies were looking to extend their remarkable winning streak against the Phillies led by their future “Hall of Shamer” coach, Mr. 1% and their team captain Wayne Greedsky.
The contest featured a tandem of bruising assaults on the 99% by Bullies Cam Steely and Brian Leech, Doug Drillmour, and Mario Blameyieux. While the Bullies and Phillies dueled back-and-forth, in the end, the Fight for Phillies were just too outmanned, out-salaried, and out-cheated. The Wall Street Bullies surged to a shutout victory with a final score of 331,000,000 to 0!
Watch a video of the event here:
In reality, Fight for Philly hosted a mock street hockey game, held in front of the Wells Fargo Building on South Broad and Walnut Streets, to denote the day of Wells Fargo’s 160th Anniversary and to highlight the bad deals that Wells Fargo steered our schools into.
Over 100 people attended the “Thrilla’ in Phila” and flooded Broad Street to watch the Fight for Phillies take on the dreaded Wall Street Bullies. The mock game was a direct representation of how corporate greed has crippled our communities and schools. Time and time again, Philadelphians seem to be outnumbered and Big Banks show very little sympathy in their despicable actions against our communities.
“Players” of the Fight for Phillies voiced their displeasure against Wells Fargo in hopes that their message would strike a nerve with some of the bank’s personnel that ”attended” the game. “We’re here because corporate America is way out of reality with regular working people,” player-protester Earl McCollum from North Philly said.
At the conclusion of the game, Stumpf was given his very own “Wall Street Bullies” jersey, which Mr. 1% personally delivered to the receptionist inside Philadelphia’s main Wells Fargo location.
As Fight for Philly members slowly dispersed from in front of the Wells Fargo building and we chanted “We’ll be back! We’ll be back! We’ll be back!”
Take a look at some of the pictures from the event here:
On Wednesday, Fight for Philly members gathered at Wells Fargo on 15th and Market to spread the word about the “crappy deals” sold to our city and schools by the banks. Huddled in front of the Clothes Pin located a few feet away from the Wells Fargo bank, we handed out rolls of toilet paper with a sticker message: “Banks sold our schools a crappy deal and now our children are paying the price.”
Soon after the action began, Wells Fargo security confronted us and asked us to move our table piled with the toilet paper because we were soliciting items. We kindly explained that we were not soliciting items, but were giving away toilet paper to represent the crappy deals made by big banks like Wells Fargo. The security officers did not seem amused and asked us again to move our action elsewhere because we were on private property.
Even though we thought we were already on public property, we hoisted our arsenal of fliers and toilet paper and moved a few feet further away from the bank. Without a missing a beat, we continued on our mission to spread the word of the bank’s bad deals. We met a bunch of new folks and had lots of conversations about the state of the city and our schools. Most were shocked to hear about these swap deals, and the hundreds of millions of dollars that they are costing our communities; they agreed that we cannot stand by as big banks and corporations continue to operate an economy that works for the 1% with money, influence and power.
People were fired up to join the campaign and were excited to hear about our next big action on March 19: a street hockey game where the Wall Street Bullies take on the Fight for Phillies. Stay tuned for more details on that – you won’t want to miss it!
Last Thursday night, Fight for Philly members attended the School Reform Commission (SRC) meeting at the School District of Philadelphia. The meeting was held to discuss multiple hot button issues concerning the community and children of Philadelphia.
More than 40 people went up to the microphone last night to talk about their concerns, including community members, parents, and clergymen. Issues that were touched on included the ongoing problem of cutting school staff, most notably being school nurses and school psychologists. These positions are essential in the growth and safety of hundreds of special education students throughout the city.
Fight for Philly was there to drive home our point to SRC board members: we need to investigate the swap deals made by Wells Fargo. Most importantly, we need to have Wells Fargo renegotiate these bad deals, and use the recovered funds to plug the hole of the dwindling school budget, and to prevent more school and program closings.
We were not alone in our mission. Jack, a freshmen at Central High School, recommended that a petition be introduced to Wells Fargo to demand them to pay back the money to our famished school district. Another speaker, Rolanda King, even went as far to the tell the SRC members that she would return to her job as a Parent Ombudsman for free if the SRC investigates the swap deals.
Fight for Philly is offering real solutions to our problems. Now it’s up to us to put the pressure on our elected officials, community leaders and the entities that do business with our city. Our future is in our own hands, and it’s up to us to make it happen.
Hundreds of students from across the state gathered in Harrisburg to demand Governor Corbett to rekindle his lo
ve for education.
The “Fall Back in Love with Education” event was held in the Capitol building’s Rotunda and was emceed by concerned students.The students were supported by several Philadelphia based community organizations such as Action United, JUNTOS, Philadelphia Student Union, Youth United for Change, Media Mobilizing Project and representatives of Occupy Philadelphia.
Parents of students who attend public schools in the Philadelphia area voiced their concerns. In particular, a Hispanic woman described the poor conditions of a school her son attends and the lack of bilingual aids in the school where multiple languages are spoken. A student from Pittsburgh explained passionately how the current state of schools is “hurting” and Governor Corbett needs to reform his idea of public education.
The students and protestors chants echoed through the halls of the Capitol building and hopefully those chants reached the ears of Governor Corbett.
There are plenty of resources in Pennsylvania to provide a high-quality education for all. We are continuing our crusade against big banks and as we demand a fair budget for the 99%.
On Thursday, March 1st, Join Fight for Philly and students from college campuses all around Philly on our National Day of Action for Education
Last Tuesday, Fight for Philly members visited multiple Wells Fargo locations around the city in the hopes of delivering “broken-heart valentines” to Wells Fargo Bank Executive Hugh C. Long.
Here’s what happened:
After visiting these locations, we joined together and paid a visit to Mr. Long’s office located on 123 South Broad Street. As Fight for Philly members tried to enter the building, we were quickly stopped by security officers who asked us to leave.
Officers then stood firmly in front of the doors, not allowing us to even step foot inside the building. They even went as far as to lock two out of three main entrance doors and check the IDs of individuals who were trying to enter the building.
Realizing that we exhausted all of options in trying to see Mr. Long, we decided to give him a phone call. Surprisingly, someone did answer and had a brief conversation with one of our organizers. Whether it was Mr. Long or not, he said that he could not comment on the school swap deals and that he could not meet with us. But, Fight for Philly wasn’t about to give up that easily, and we said will not stop calling until we get that meeting.
Finally, we all made our way together to the final Wells Fargo location on Market Street in a final attempt to deliver the precious broken-heart valentine to Hugh C. Long. We were greeted by the bank manager and we asked her if she could deliver our valentine to Mr. Long. Finally, she agreed and we asked for her business card so we could follow up with her and we exited the building.
Fight for Philly will not rest until Wells Fargo agrees to renegotiate the bad deals that they made with our schools and our city. Each and every day—whether it’s because our children’s education is suffering, or the cut after cut that affect our daily lives, we gain a new energy to Fight for Philly.
On Friday, February 10th, members from Fight for Philly, One Pittsburgh, Our DC, and NY United took their message of the 99%, the need to end tax loopholes for the 1%, and the idea that Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney is the poster boy for the 1%, to the streets of Washington, DC.
Hundreds of protesters, each dripping the colors of their respective organizations, took to the streets in front of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel to express their distaste for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) taking place inside.
Before protesters flooded the streets in front of the hotel, members from each organization gathered the National Zoo. With the air filled with excitement and anticipation, members marched steadily to the CPAC event.
The march was led by One DC members holding a sign that read “CPAC: Poising Politics, Killing the American Dreams for the the 99%.” For more than three blocks, the crowd of concerned marchers cheered “We are the 99%” as the sounds of the Fight for Philly drumline filled the air, capturing the attention of many on lookers.
When we finally reached the hotel, chants of “SHAME, SHAME, SHAME” rang out. A few CPAC attendees tried to shout out insults over our chants, telling us to “get a job” (which we would love), but they were no match for our members’ voices.
“We’re bringing attention to the 99 percent,” said Inocencio Quinones, an organizer with the advocacy group One DC. “They’re”—referring to the people attending the annual right-wing confab—”not paying their fair share of taxes. We’re paying more than our fair share.”
Around 2 pm, after hours of demonstrating and feeling that our voices were heard, we made our way back to the National Zoo. Waving signs and shouting “Who’s America? Our America!” we marched back with our heads held high. As we were making heading back to the buses, you could overhear the community members discussing how “we will be back.” To anyone around, it was clear that we will never stop fighting for working families and the 99%.
Watch video of the day here:
This past Tuesday, Fight for Philly joined folks from across the state for a trip to the State Capitol in Harrisburg to call on Governor Tom Corbett pass a budget that stands with the 99%, and to end tax breaks for the 1%. With the rich not having to pay their fair share, financial burdens will be placed on families, children, and the elderly.
Protesters geared up in all black t-shirts with white lettering reading “Gov. Corbett, whose side are you on? Stand with the 99%.”
Before Governor Corbett gave his lackluster budget address, Budget Secretary Charles Zogby already laid out a bleak fiscal picture. Close to 200 people – including members of ACTION United, Fight for Philly, Occupy Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, One Pittsburgh, Philadelphia Economic Advancement Collective, Philadelphia Unemployment Project, and Pittsburgh United – packed themselves into the hallway of the Capitol building and eagerly waited for Mr. Zogby to leave the budget briefing.
When Mr. Zogby entered the hallway, he was met by swarms of protesters and they fiercely shouted, “SHAME, SHAME, SHAME.” When asked about the protesters who said the governor’s budget was unfair, Charles Zogby replied that “they are mistaken. The governor’s plan is fair and balanced for Pennsylvanians. Our revenue is constrained while many costs are rising. We will keep a huge bulk of the social safety net programs [in the Department of Public Welfare].”
Governor Corbett’s proposed $27.1 billion spending plan calls for large cuts to 14 state-owned universities including Temple University, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. This is Governor Corbett’s second budget plan and he continues to cut down spending in the costliest state departments – Education and Public Welfare. Democratic Senator Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia said “He’s spent a year putting his foot on the neck of working people and the poor…its sends a message to where the governor’s head is at. He doesn’t give a damn about low-income people.”
We weren’t alone in our criticism of Gov. Corbett’s drastic cuts. State Senator Mike Stack called Governor Corbett’s budget plan “a slap in the face to the middle class. The average family will continue to dig deeper into their pockets while wealthy corporate interests sit and watch their banks rolls grow.”
Energy was high on the bus ride home to Philly, and it was clear that folks were fired up to keep fighting for a fair budget that puts working families and the 99% ahead of more special breaks for the richest CEOs and biggest corporations.
Watch local TV news coverage of our day here:
As our schools face unprecedented cuts—$61 million more, this time around—it is telling that only one Council person is looking for creative ways to solve our schools’ ever-growing deficit. The lengths that these proposals go to fix part our schools’ problems show just how desperate the situation is.
Last Friday, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown introduced legislation that would “allow advertising on the city’s 1,250 school buses,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. This kind of advertising would “yield roughly $1 million a year to help the school district.”
While it’s no doubt that $1 million would certainly help our schools, it’s just a tiny fraction of the problem. Another of Councilwoman Reynolds Brown’s proposed solutions is to keep bars open until 3 AM to help our schools. While creative, these two solutions are band-aid solutions that don’t solve the real problem.
For weeks, Fight for Philly has been voicing our opposition to the bad deals that Big Banks like Wells Fargo steered our schools into. According to a recent report by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, these bad deals—known as “swaps”—put our schools on the wrong side of declining interest rates and led them to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars:
While we’re always hoping that our elected officials work to find solutions to these problems, we also need to encourage them to get to the real heart of the problem. That’s why we’ve been asking our elected officials to work with Wells Fargo to re-negotiate these bad deals and save our schools many millions for decades t come.
Call your City Council member and urge them to investigate these bad deals and solve the real source of our schools’ funding problems.
At last week’s press conference and policy briefing, Fight for Philly and the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) announced some major findings on how Big Banks like Wells Fargo steered our schools into bad deals called “swaps.” Our goal: convince the banks to return money collected through these bad swap deals and to renegotiate the currently-active swap deals.
Because of our policy briefing, newspapers including the Philadelphia Inquirer, the City Paper, Bloomberg, Newsworks, and the Philadelphia Business Journal are now shining some light on these business deals made by Big Banks.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on this, saying that the PBPC and Fight for Philly “collected data on swaps losses from dozens of city financial filings and presented them Tuesday at a City Hall meeting attended by laid-off school employees and public-school parent activists.”
The Inquirer even went on to ask Philadelphia Treasurer Nancy Winkler for comment. According to their report, she disagreed with our conclusions about the cost of the swaps, but she explained that city officials were unable to give more precise numbers representing actual costs and benefits of swaps. “It would take an extraordinary amount of work,” Winkler said.
But that raises a lot of questions. We think it is important to know. Every million counts when our schools are dealing with cut after cut.
Not satisfied with this answer, the Inquirer talked to Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner, who explained that these kinds of swaps are “highly risky and impenetrably complex transactions that, quite simply, amount to gambling with public money.” The Inquirer went on to report that “Wagner’s investigation uncovered ‘deceptive’ practices and he is calling for law enforcement to investigate the ‘swaptions’ and help localities recover lost funds.”
All in all, the press seemed to understand how we fix this, with Newsworks quoting Fight for Philly political director Anne Gemmell, who said that “we think it is only fair that the banks that our city and do business with every day, renegotiate harmful deals that are currently active.”