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Hundreds of people and communist activists rallied Saturday in front of the Capitol to demand a “moral resurgence” in the country and demand better treatment for poor people.
“There are a lot of hidden things. Sometimes the owners of the companies tell you that they give you, in my case, a salary of a thousand and a half dollars, but they deduct five hundred in taxes,” explained Carlos Rojas, a restaurant worker who traveled from Pennsylvania. Rojas believes that it is his employer who charges him taxes, not the state.
Carlos’ annoyances are only part of the messages that were heard, as the march’s organizers, Poor People’s Campaign, try to bring together various leftist movements.
“We are 140 million poor and low-wage people,” could be read on many of the banners people waved in front of the stage, where a procession of religious leaders, social leaders, and activists gave speech after speech demanding less corporate greed.
In addition, among the signs that were raised in the crowd, the names of different states of the country, such as Maryland, Kansas, Illinois, or Florida, could be read, indicating the origin of the demonstrators.
The unemployment rate in the United States has been at 3.6% since March, very close to the 50-year low reached in February 2020 (3.5%).
Many Americans are concerned about the economy because of the historic rise in inflation: most people believe it is “the biggest problem” facing the country, according to a May survey by the Pew Research Center.
