A cacophony of protesters from across the broad political spectrum that is Occupy Philly gathered this morning to take the trolley over to the DCIU Head Start on West Cobbs Creek Parkway in Yeadon, PA. to protest Barack Obama's jobs speech.The list of grievances varied from person to person. However, there was a unified sense of having been failed by the Obama administration form this but small dedicated group of activists.
Whether the issue they carried with them was jobs or LGBT rights all had been let down by Obama's lack of any real action, despite having two years with a Democratic Congress, before losing it to the Republicans in 2010.
The Secret Service, state and local police closed off all the roads leading to the Yeadon preschool in order to give the President security detail options for his route. However, with the tight security came the consistences of cutting off the media from the people that had something real to say to him.
The protesters took all this in stride, marching the more than five blocks from the corner where the bus dropped them off. A sign leading the way that said “You Can't Elect Change,” as the marchers approached the “no drive zone.”
Upon arrival they were met by a mixed group of several hundred supporters and demonstrators being pushed back onto the sidewalk and up onto the yards behind them. Clearly upset by the police actions toward them, they became a bit frenzied. “They're all crooked. I got to pay to stay where I live,” said Minie Murphy referring to all politicians.
One unheard compliant was that “politicians are looking to hard at the short term and not enough at the long term 10 to 15 years down the road,” said Timothy Spain an Obama supporter.
Amidst the hostile chants of Obama's name directed toward anyone who had a different view from theirs the stalwart protesters stood their ground.
With children holding a cardboard effigy of Obama, and signs fielding questions for Obama to answer for the protest went on, with some people waiting as long as three and half hours just to see the president. He never even came out to meet his supporters. Instead he left by the back, just as he had come in.
Despite this people made remarks like “Bush didn't do anything for the people, so I'm not upset he didn't come out, He's still my president,” said Evelyn Joyner.
Over all the president's lack of respect for his supporters in not at least making an appearance left a bad taste in peoples' mouths. “I'm disappointed but not surprised he didn't appear to talk to us. It was expected, you can't believe the rhetoric and hype", said Emily Rose, a still solid supporter of the president.
Others were clearly angered. “We waited three hours for nothing. Not even a drive by and wave from the so called peoples president,” said Kone Izaac, who came out in support of the president.
The president has consistently failed to address the concerns of real people. The people that he promised to represent in his campaign when he made empty promises of “hope and change.” He has failed create significant and sustainable jobs for the blue collar workers. He has failed to bring about equal rights for the LGBT community, or end the many wars that are raging around the globe. In fact, his policies are so removed from the reality of the people that he has harmed the economy and expanded the number of “police actions” American troops are involved in.
So when Occupy Philly protesters ask "Where are you Mr. President?", and cry out "We have something to say!" They are asking and saying this for all Americans.
The farthest reaching question for the President in the coming election should be" Do you really support the people when you don't care enough about the 99% enough to address their concerns, even indirectly?"
