Pissed off at the banksters? You are far from alone.

Video of the massive crowd showing their opposition to bankster corruption in Chicago: (Hat Tip Beans, Rice, and Gold)


Showdown in Chicago is a massive mobilization against the big bankster convention being held this year in Chicago. Here is a description of the coalition behind this efforts to stand up to corrupt interests.

We are everyday people – retirees, farmers, workers, homeowners, renters, students, clergy, and small business owners from across the United States. We are coming together in Chicago because there is so much at stake and no time to waste.

It is clear that our financial system is a mess and the American people are paying the price for it. Whether it be shrinking pensions, rising foreclosures, cresting unemployment, state budget cuts, payday lending, incredulous overdraft fees, and sky-high credit card interest rates – it is clear that the lack of regulation of the financial industry is hurting us all.

America can do better. Now is the time for us to enact significant financial reform to protect consumers and strengthen the American economy. If you believe now is the time to regulate the banks in the name of protecting people, we invite you to join us in Chicago, October 25-27.

The mobilization was quite successful. Thousands of people marched today against the parasitical behavior of the unregulated banksters.

Crowd shots from this protest say a lot.


Photo: Kate Thomas / SEIU



Photo: Carrie Sloan

The banksters have such a sense of entitlement, they even think that the press is obligated to avoid serious coverage of the protests. From The Nation 10/26/09:

Day two of the Showdown in Chicago, a three-day-long protest against big banks, began a bit dismally for The Nation. An email from American Bankers Association spokesman John Hall informed us that our press credentials had been revoked. The reason? Because we'd arrived early to cover a protest outside the ABA's annual meeting at the Sheraton Hotel the night before, he told us, ABA officials believed us to be "moles for the protesters."

The sad thing is that most corporate media outlets back down to this kind of crap, especially from major advertisers like the big banks.