FREE SPEECH ZONE | Occupy the Capitol Rally Planned for Opening Day of MN State Legislature, January 24, 2012.

On January 24 2012 , the opening day of the legislative session there will be a rally from 12-1 pm at the MN  State Capitol.

Angel Buechner of the MN Coalition for a Peoples’ Bailout said, “In the spirit of the Occupy movement, we are coming to the capitol to bring the demands of the 99%.  We are rallying and introducing legislation to stop foreclosures and to tax the rich.”

Linden Gawboy of the MN Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) said, “This rally, organized by the MN Coalition for a Peoples Bailout and the WRC, is to demand that politicians in this state stop the attacks on the 99% and instead make the rich pay for the economic crisis.”  She continued, “The politicians, and the rich that they work for, need to stop targeting working people for cuts. What MN needs is to stop cutting schools and healthcare and instead to tax the rich and fund humans needs.” 

 “Tens of Thousands of Minnesotans are becoming homeless because of foreclosures.  With high unemployment and low wages, people have been unable to keep themselves in their homes. In addition, thousands of Minnesota tenants have been made homeless because their landlord was foreclosed on. This is unfair to tenants who, due to no fault of their own, find themselves suddenly homeless,” said Angel Buechner, of the MN Coalition for a Peoples Bailout.

Gawboy added, “We have worked with Senator Hayden and Representative Hornstein to craft a bill to tax the rich and with Senator Dibble and Representative Clark on a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions from foreclosed properties.  We plan to introduce these bills on opening day.”

This Occupy the Capitol Rally is organized by the Minnesota Coalition for People’s Bailout and the Welfare Rights Committee. Initial endorsers include: ADAPT MN, AFSCME Local 3800, Anti-War Committee, Communities United Against Police Brutality, General Assembly of OccupyMpls, Marriage Equality MN, MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, MN Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), MN Tenants Union, MN Peace Action Coalition, Occupy the Hood, Occupy Saint Paul Tactical Working Group Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation, Students for Democratic Society (SDS), Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Universal Health Care Action Network of MN, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM)

Steff Yorek