Today is April 17th, which means it’s tax day in the good ol’ USA . Last year on tax day I stood outside at a Bank of America branch chanting, “Pay Your Taxes.” This year the Occupy Movement held a huge event starting in downtown Seattle’s Westlake Center Square and marching to the downtown Wells Fargo to “foreclose” on them.
As we marched the four or five blocks to the bank’s location, we chanted the familiar slogans of, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out,” to some new ones including, “Hey, hey, Wells Fargo, foreclosures have got to go. Hey, hey, Wells Fargo, your corporate greed has got to go!”
I was a bit disappointed in the turnout, only about two to three hundred, but it was a weekday, so most people were probably slaving away at their substandard wage jobs.
Upon our arrival at Wells Fargo, someone got up and bellowed into the crowd that Wells Fargo made billions in profits but only paid 3.5% in taxes. The US tax rate for corporations is 35%. It looks like someone misplaced a decimal point. Next, our speaker started asking for bids up to the amount Wells Fargo got in tax breaks. When the bidding stopped at $70 billion, the speaker continued with, “That 70 billion will go to education, which will educate our kids from kindergarten to fifth grade. We’ll worry about the rest of them later.” Next, the speaker asked how Wells Fargo got that huge tax break? Lobbyists in DC, that’s how. Wells Fargo paid lobbyists $14 million, but they got a good bang for their buck by getting $21 billion in special tax benefits. Getting $21 billion after spending $14 million is a pretty good return. But it’s we the tax-payers who pay for the police to arrest the robber who robs their bank. It’s we the tax-payers who pay for their employees to be educated. It’s we the tax-payers who pay for the roads so their employees can get to work. This is followed by chants of “pay your fair share.” When the chants die down, our speaker continues with announcing that Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf, made $17 million in 2011, which equates to about $12 thousand an hour. She then asks is he worth that much? How many houses could have been saved from foreclosure with his salary? Then the crown jewel of Wells Fargo, their portfolio, was auctioned off. How much was bidding on the Wells Fargo credit line? Bidding ended at $8 trillion. I guess if you get to set the price of your own portfolio, you can pick any number you want. More loud boos ensued. The speaker then says, “We won’t take it any more! We need to put our country back on the right track, which doesn’t mean more tax breaks for the rich. She went on to mention the so-called Buffet Act to increase taxes on these corporations and very wealthy CEOs, was voted down by senate republicans last night. Also, congressman Ryan’s budget also gives more tax breaks for the very wealthy while slashing Medicare and Medicaid and education. She then asks the crowd, “Do we think this is acceptable? Do we think John Stumpf needs more than $17 million?. Resounding Nos echoed through the skyscrapers, followed by shouts of, “Pay your fair share!”
If everyone paid their fair share we could invest in education, infrastructure, and medical care.
Earlier in the day, a small group entered the bank and foreclosed on it. A statement was made about Wells Fargo profiting at the expense of our community and how they’ve foreclosed on us, so today we turned the tables on them. But Wells Fargo isn’t the only tax dodger. All the corporations and CEOs aren’t paying their fair share. This precedes calls to go to Denny Park for a pie eating contest to show Seattle’s own Amazon what a fair share of the pie looks like. Meanwhile, men in black stood guard outside the bank along with what appeared to be bank workers who looked on with amusement.
I unfortunately couldn’t wait four hours for the Amazon protest, so I marched back to Westlake Center, participating in chants of, “Are you fired up? We can’t take it any more!”
As I waited for my bus home, I was approached by a tearful young woman who asked if I had money for her to get something to eat. She sobbed, saying she already asked two people who just laughed at her, and all she was asking for was two dollars. I dug out my wallet and gave her the three dollars I’d saved in case I got hungry while downtown. I wasn’t really hungry and I had food at home. It was only a forty-minute bus ride, so I figured this young woman needed my $3 more than I did and that’s largely what the Occupy Movement is about anyway, to share what we have and to not tolerate those who take from others and hoard all the wealth.
Shortly after I handed over my three dollars, and was putting on my headphones, I was tapped on the shoulder by a smartly dressed woman who said that was a very nice thing I just did. My response was that there have been times when I was down and out and appreciated it when kindnesses were bestowed upon me.
To sum up the event, I will say that the Occupy Movement is alive and well and with thee warmer weather returning, we will be visible once again. This is just the beginning.
All photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
