Anti-Wall St. protesters focus on JPMorgan Chase
By Michelle NicholsNEW YORK, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The Occupy Wall Street
movement protesting U.S. economic inequality will target a
JPMorgan Chase skyscraper on Wednesday, as the number of
rallies on U.S. college campuses planned for Thursday grew to
at least 90 schools.Protesters, who say the richest 1 percent of Americans do
not pay their fair share of taxes, are directing their anger
and frustration at JPMorgan Chase’s high-profile chief
executive Jamie Dimon.They are demanding that New York state extend a so-called
millionaires tax due to expire at the end of the year, saying
that more than $400,000 back in Dimon’s pocket if the tax is
allowed to end.Organizers said they want to tell Dimon that New York needs
the extra revenue for “our schools, our subways, our human
services, and for new public investments to create jobs and
build a more prosperous future for all of us.”Average chief executive pay in the United States is 142
times that of lower-ranked employees, according to Thomson
Reuters ASSET4 data. British bosses pull in 69 times more than
their workers while egalitarian Sweden has an average gap of
only 34 times.Organizers said the number of colleges set to rally in
solidarity on Thursday grew by half overnight to at least 90,
as the movement builds ahead of global protests planned for
Saturday.UNIONISTS SUPPORT RALLIESOffice cleaners will also protest in New York’s Wall Street
financial district on Wednesday afternoon in a march for good
jobs organized by the Service Employees International Union.Since Sept. 17 protesters have camped out in a park in
Lower Manhattan near Wall Street, rallying against billions of
dollars in bailouts banks received during the financial crisis,
which pushed the U.S. economy into recession.Despite the taxpayer-funded bailouts, banks recovered
quickly to earn huge profits while average Americans suffer
high unemployment and job insecurity with little help.About 500 protesters took to Manhattan’s upscale Upper East
Side neighborhood on Tuesday, marching past the homes of Dimon,
hedge fund manager John Paulson, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and
David Koch, co-founder of energy firm Koch Industries.While Tuesday’s march was peaceful, hundreds of people have
been arrested in previous rallies in New York, and police have
used pepper spray on protesters. Demonstrators were arrests in
Washington, Boston and Chicago on Tuesday at protests inspired
by the Occupy Wall Street movement.According to Occupy Together, which has become an online
hub for protest activity, the Occupy Wall Street movement has
sparked rallies in more than 1,300 cities throughout the United
States and around the world.
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