Jesse Jackson Marches on Miami
Hundreds marched with the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the streets of downtown Monday
Justin Sullivan
SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 18: Rev. Jesse Jackson carries a sign during a demonstration against home foreclosures in front of the Federal Reserve Bank September 18, 2009 in San Francisco, California. Rev. Jesse Jackson led dozens of people in a protest and prayer against home foreclosures asking for loans to be restructured instead of foreclosing on property. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Rev. Jesse Jackson was in town for the Super Bowl and decided it was such a nice day Monday, he'd organize a march on downtown Miami.
Joined by more than 100 people, Jackson walked to Miami-Dade County Hall to protest the city's high unemployment numbers. The Civil Rights marching vet focused his preaching Monday on the seedy wedlock between banks and the governments that bail them out.
"People want to work and need to work and we are going to keep on marching until it happens," said Jackson, who has organized similar rallies all over the nation.
The march snarled traffic downtown for a few hours. But when Jackson and his crew made it to the doors of County hall, they were met by police not Mayor Carlos Alvarez. The mayor and his buddies were unavailable to sit and chat with their famous visitor.
But that didn't stop Jackson from doing a little preaching on the county steps. He said financial institutions like Bank of America are bleeding the people on Main Street dry, while governments enable the banks by issuing foreclosures and not forcing lenders to modify loans.
"There must be changes fundamentally to put America back to work. It must be bottom to top. It cannot be top down," he said to a cheering crowd.
Posted Monday, Feb 8, 2010 - 6:14 PM EST
