Grassroots Organization Sends 'Message From Main Street’
WASHINGTON, DC – As Congress debates legislation that would significantly reform the nation’s financial regulatory system, Organizing for America (OFA) supporters are holding a series of actions around the country in support of Wall Street reform TODAY Thursday, May 6. As part of the “Day of Action,” OFA volunteers are calling on Republican Senators in particular to support Wall Street reform that establishes strict consumer protections and reins in the most abusive practices of the biggest banks and credit companies.
“The President has laid out a bold plan to hold Wall Street accountable, to protect American taxpayers by ensuring they'll never again be asked to bail out a big firm ‘too big to fail,’ and to put in place the strongest consumer financial protections ever proposed,” said Mitch Stewart, OFA National Director. “This Thursday, we’ll send a message from Main Street America to Republican Senators still standing in the way of Wall Street reform: the American people are watching very closely to see which side they end up on.”
OFA supporters are engaging in a range of “Message from Main Street” actions, including:
MAIN STREET PHONE BOOTHS. OFA volunteers set up “phone booths” to connect citizens with Members of Congress in their state.
DELIVERING PETITION SIGNATURES. Volunteers will visit Congressional offices in their districts to deliver the signatures of a growing number of Americans around the country who are signing onto a letter in support of Wall Street reform.
LETTER-WRITING AND PHONE-BANKING PARTIES. Supporters will host their friends and neighbors to write letters-to-the-editor of their local newspapers and use OFA’s online call tool to urge citizens in their communities to express their support for Wall Street reform to their Congressional representatives.
Events currently planned include but are not limited to:
CALIFORNIA
Oakland – “Teach In” on Wall Street reform with OFA National Political Director Addisu Demissie and panel of experts.
6PM PDT. OFA Northern California Headquarters (1714 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612).
FLORIDA
Jacksonville – Main Street phone booth with OFA supporters.
12 NOON EDT. Downtown Jacksonville (Laura St @ Hemming Plaza 303 N. Laura St
Jacksonville, FL 32202).
West Palm Beach – Main Street phone booth with OFA supporters.
10:30AM EDT. West Palm Beach Courthouse (205 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401).
MICHIGAN
Detroit – Letter-writing and phone-banking party.
6:30PM EDT. Metro Detroit OFA Office (Metropolitan Center for High Technology, 2727 2nd Ave. Detroit, MI 48201).
Kalamazoo – Letter-writing and phone-banking party.
5PM EDT. Kalamazoo County Democratic Headquarters (3254 S Westnedge Ave. Kalamazoo, MI 49008).
Royal Oak – Rally and press conference with U.S. Representative Gary Peters.
5:30PM EDT. Royal Oak (13 and Woodward, Royal Oak, MI 48073).
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord – Informational table outside office of Senator Judd Gregg urging citizens to voice their support for Wall Street reform in person.
11AM EDT. Senator Gregg's Office (125 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301).
NEW YORK
New York City – Canvassing on Wall Street
11AM EDT. Outside New York Stock Exchange (11 Wall Street, New York, NY 10002).
OHIO
Cincinnati – Signature delivery at the local office of U.S. Senator George Voinovich and Main Street phone booth with OFA supporters.
11AM EDT. Delivery at Senator Voinovich’s Office (36 E. 7th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202) followed by phone booth at Fountain Square (Intersection of 5th and Vine Streets, Cincinnati, OH 45202).
Columbus – Press conference with Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and Main Street phone booth with OFA supporters.
2PM EDT. Downtown Columbus (Southwest Corner of Main and Washington Streets, Columbus, OH 43215).
Dayton – Main Street phone booth with OFA supporters.
11AM EDT. Courthouse Square (3rd and Main Streets, Dayton, OH 45402).
TEXAS
Austin – Phonebank with OFA supporters.
6:30PM CDT. Texas Democratic Party HQ (505 W. 12th Street, Austin, TX 78701).
Dallas – Phonebank with OFA supporters.
5PM CDT. Dallas County Democratic Party HQ (4902 Parry Ave, Dallas, TX 75223).
Houston – Phonebank with OFA supporters.
Multiple shifts. OFA-Houston HQ (1102 Pinemont Dr Suite I, Houston, TX 77018).
VIRGINIA
Charlottesville – Main Street phone booth with OFA supporters.
11:30AM EDT. The Freedom Wall in front of City Hall (605 West Main Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902).
Richmond – Main Street phone booth with OFA supporters.
2:30PM EDT. City Dogs restaurant (1309 W. Main St. Richmond VA 23220).
President Obama is supporting reforms to Wall Street that will create the strongest consumer protections in history—ensuring middle-class families have the information they need to make smart financial decisions—while reining in risky and abusive practices by the biggest banks and credit card companies in the country. The financial reform legislation currently under consideration in Congress would:
· Put an end to unfair and abusive lending policies and require banks and credit card companies to provide clear and complete information about their products.
· Give shareholders and investors greater control over company decisions, like the choice of company leaders or the amount of bonuses to be awarded.
· Require that complicated financial transactions occur out in the open—steps that will help to prevent future economic disasters.
· Close the legal loopholes that allowed big banks to take big risks—endangering not only their own companies, but also the whole American economy.
· Enforce tough new rules that will make sure Wall Street banks pay for their own bad decisions and take taxpayers off the hook for expensive bailouts for institutions some say are “too big to fail.”
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Organizing for America (OFA) is a grassroots project of the Democratic National Committee. OFA's network of volunteers and staff is actively working in all 50 states to promote the President's proposals to strengthen America's middle class by creating jobs, passing health insurance reform, building a clean energy economy, improving education, and reining in the excesses of Wall Street.
