Over 1,000 community, labor and occupy movement activists marched together Dec. 7 on K Street, the infamous center of corporate lobbying in Washington, D.C. The demonstration was part of a series of actions and an encampment called “Take Back the Capitol” that took place Dec. 5-9.
The day’s demonstration was meant to draw attention to the collusion between banks and corporations and the government. Lobbying is one of the principal mechanisms the 1 percent uses to issue orders to its capitalist state.
Marchers began massing near the Occupy D.C. encampment at McPherson Square. The crowd broke up into several contingents and headed to major lobbying firms, chanting, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!”
Protesters successfully shut down a large stretch of K Street, occupying multiple intersections and blocking traffic. Eleven activists participated in a civil disobedience action in the intersection of 16th and K and were taken away by police. A total of 62 demonstrators were arrested during the day’s actions.
Working people from across the country traveled to Washington to take part in the action, including a large and spirited contingent from Wisconsin. The march on K Street, along with other “Take Back the Capitol” demonstrations, sent a strong message after the brutal police raids on Occupy movement encampments across the country. Their significant numbers and militant character made it clear that the movement against the dictatorship of the 1 percent is in no way over.
