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Occupiers March for MLK Day

Protesters also hold rallies against Voter ID laws

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 16, 2012 5:13 PM CST

(Newser) – Martin Luther King day inspired an Occupy march on New York and more traditional remembrances across the US today. Among the events:

  • Hundreds of Occupiers staged an "Occupy the Dream" march on Manhattan, stopping to chant, "The banks got bailed out, we got sold out." At least two protesters were arrested, MSNBC reports. "Dr. King dedicated the last months of his life to planning a campaign for the right of all to a decent-paying job," Occupy said in a statement.

  • Schoolchildren played "We Shall Overcome" on violins at New York's African Burial Grounds, where Occupy started its protest, the New York Daily News reports.
  • President Obama, Michelle, and daughter Malia built a reading nook at the library of a mostly black school in Washington, Reuters reports. "For us to be able to come together as a community ... that's ultimately what makes us the strongest, most extraordinary country on earth," the president said.
  • At South Carolina's capitol building and the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, speakers denounced voter ID laws that they said would disenfranchise black voters.

Occupy the Dream demonstrators roll a gigantic die at a rally in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. outside of the Federal Reserve January 16, 2012 in New York City.
"Occupy the Dream" demonstrators roll a gigantic die at a rally in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. outside of the Federal Reserve January 16, 2012 in New York City.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 38 comments
saucier111
Jan 17, 2012 12:14 AM CST
America has not have a two party system since the 1800's, since the replubician-democratic party split to keep any other party from getting a foot holed. I have a question why do people of America keep voting people into office that belong into secret organizations,like the  skull and bones. If your and american look at where that has led us.
FreeThemAll
Jan 16, 2012 6:42 PM CST
Martin Luther King, in his last speech, made the point that (at that time), there was twice as many white people living in poverty as there were black.  There is no compelling  reason to believe that in our time this ratio has changed very much; but  this is a reality of which both lefties and righties seem to lose sight.
Luciano
Jan 16, 2012 5:45 PM CST
If these leftists had any reason to believe that the illegal aliens would be voting Republican, they would be demanding voter ID laws and shouting "Close the border!" till their lungs were shot. Whenever they complain about "voter disenfranchisement", it's only politically correct liberalspeak for "we need to keep the illegals voting or a Democrat president would never be elected again".
 

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