Nationwide “Workers Over Billionaires” protest in downtown Bay City
Citizens gather in effort to protect their rights
BAY CITY, MI – On Sept. 1, citizens gathered for the nationwide “Workers over Billionaires” protest at Wenonah Park, advocating against the rise of the ultra-wealthy influence in politics and substantial cuts to various government funded programs and organizations.
The protest started with various speakers:
- Cheyenne Warner, Bay City Resistance Outreach Manager
- Kenzie Colton, Bay City Resistance Strategy Director
- Karen Lowry, McLaren Bay Region Union Rep.
- Mason Pressler, Bay City School Board Member
- Benjamin Tenney, Bay City 4th Ward Commissioner
- Kristen McDonald-Rivet, 8th District U.S. House of Rep.
“If you’re standing here with us right now, it means that you’re united by a charitable need, that working people deserve dignity, power and justice,” Colton said. “We stand together today, because no matter what brought us here individually, we’re all fighting for the shared future.”
Pressler, the youngest elected official in Michigan, brought upon the importance that we are seeing “at the federal level, the biggest attack on public education that we’ve seen in decades.”
“Our school district had to vote to take out a loan in order to pay our teachers,” Pressler said.
A ballot initiative was collecting signatures that, if passed, would tax 5% over the first million dollars that a couple makes, or the first $500,000 that an individual makes.
McDonald-Rivet started her portion of her speech by instructing participants to take out their phones and write down Timothy Beson’s, Michigan State Rep., phone number. During her speech, McDonald-Rivet spoke on the “big, ugly bill.”
“[It] added over 2 trillion, almost $3 trillion to the national debt…that wasn’t about balancing the budget. [It] kicked 17 million people off their health insurance. So that’s not about better health care. Millions of seniors and children are losing their SNAP benefits. So let’s see, It’s not about food, It’s not about health care.[It] cut a billion dollars out of our school lunch program. It’s not about education, because it’s not about you,” McDonald-Rivet said. “All of that was done so that we could give the largest tax rates in our country to people who are making over $600,000 a year.”
Sarah Michalski, 20, says she feels she can make a difference just by showing up. “Just kind of a baseline is coming to these things because the more traction it gains and the more media coverage it gains, like it’s going to inspire more people to come out and show up for this.”
Bridgette Plante, 20, said that strong communities are what spark change. “If people don’t show up, we don’t have those strong communities.”
“It’s comfortable to stay home,” Michalski also says. “We got to step outside of our comfort zones, especially with the crazy stuff that’s going on today.”
She urges more young people to get out and be active.
“This is more important than any of us right now.”
