Welcome to the Showdown in Chicago, where the American people have come together to reclaim America and hold Wall Street accountable. It's Day 2 of the annual meet-up of the American Bankers Association, and nearly a thousand taxpayers decided to facilitate a little meet-and-greet between the people that created the financial crisis (and got rich from it), and the people who paid the price for Wall Street's greed--and footed the bill to bail the banks out.

Unfortunately, the banksters letting loose in the Sheraton's lavish ballroom couldn't be convinced to leave their posh party to attend our rally....but 40+ policemen and numerous onlookers turned out and I even saw several cops taking pictures of us. Around 60 taxpayers went into the hotel to invite the bankers to join us one last time, as well as deliver a letter to ABA CEO Ed Yingling. Access to the 2nd floor reception area was completely blocked off, so the taxpayers asked ABA's security to deliver the letter for them instead....and were refused.

Photo © 2009 Heather Stone Photography

Since we weren't allowed to deliver the letter to ABA CEO Ed Yingling, the taxpayers inside the Sheraton decided to speak out demands to the ABA from down in the lobby, loudly but respectfully. We're pretty sure Mr. Yingling he heard us...along with all the other partygoers. Onlookers who gathered to watch seemed surprised at what was going on--but not why we were there to demand an end to Wall Street greed.

I've been to my fair share of great protests, but I was particularly wowed by tonight's energetic chants and stand-out visuals. The hundreds of people chanting "ABA, you're the worst, time to put the people first" and "Enough is enough" rang out pretty powerfully. I think the police's personal favorite though, was our chant "Police need a raise!" The rally featured huge "Wanted" posters showing the poster children of greed, including cutouts of Bank of American CEO Ken Lewis, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf and JP Morgan CEO Jamie Diamon. A rendition of soulful classic "Shame Shame Shame" by Shirley & Company was also belted out by the rallyers (and some of the audience too, I suspect).

"They said the banks were too big to fail," said rallygoer Keya Alvarez from the Alliance to Develop Power. "Well, I got news for them--the people are too big to fail!" We're gathered here in Chicago because we're sick and tired of being sick and tired. We're also here because we have hope--and we know Wall Street and America can do better. Stay tuned tomorrow for more coverage of our Chicago banks showdown, and be sure to follow our live updates on SEIU's Twitter feed.

One day before we celebrate the birth of our nation, Nebraskans gathered at a scheduled healthcare roundtable to call on Senator Johanns to support an American solution to our healthcare crisis.

Instead of greeting the teachers from NSEA, veterans, and SEIU workers Senator Johanns' staff called the police, ordering the Nebraskans to leave the Medical Center grounds.

"Johanns' voters-- teachers, members of the armed forces, and SEIU members-- set up a table with apple pie and signs welcoming the Senator and urging him to support a uniquely American solution to healthcare reform," explained Jane Kleeb, SEIU State Director. "Instead of coming by and saying hello, the Senator walked right by us as we were surrounded by police, and the Senator said 'good luck with that.'"

SEIU received advanced permission from the Nebraska Medical Center to greet the Senator as he started his day of roundtables on healthcare reform. Instead of greeting the healthcare reform advocates at the table, the Senator's staff called the police.

Just as our founders realized the time for hard decisions was upon them, SEIU and our partners know we can not afford to wait any longer to reform our broken healthcare system.

Nebraskans need policies that will make healthcare affordable and accessible for everyone. With our families and businesses struggling, the future of our nation depends on the solutions being debated in DC. It is not a time to slowdown, it is a time to act.
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For more pictures of today's event, visit Nebraska's Change that Works Facebook album. To learn more about what we do, visit our website.

Update: Here at TPM, Jane Hamsher confirms that the police told her Johanns' staff were the ones who called.
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Crossposted on MyDD, OpenLeft and Daily Kos.

This weekend, about 100 union service employees, policemen and firefighters in Orlando, FL, met to discuss budget cuts which would force them from their jobs. In a city that Forbes magazine recently ranked as the sixth most dangerous city in America, many are questioning how having fewer police offers on the streets of Orlando might affect the safety of citizens.

"It's not the unions causing the crisis. The unions are the ones putting out your fires, responding to your domestic problems, picking up your garbage and making sure clean water comes to your house," said Joshua Willis, a solid waste worker and chair of a SEIU local union in Florida. Read about the 222 workers Mayor Buddy Dyer proposes to lay off in order to fix the Orlando budget deficit.