BOSTON — Activists showed their fiscal frustration in downtown Boston on Friday in two different protests.
Police kept a close eye on the activists and had to step in as the crowd grew angry.
Outside South Station, people prepared to camp out Friday night. Earlier that day, police said some of the protesters in Boston crossed the line.
The protesters goal: stop corporate greed and take back elections.
“By being here is that you support change, is that you support an economic reform, that you support fairness and equality,” said one protester.
Specifically, protesters said it is the marriage between politics and big business that undermines democracy.
“We’re sick of the 1 percent of the population who owns 50 percent of the wealth in this country, and they’re using that wealth to basically circumvent the democratic system by buying politicians,” another protester said.
Friday night’s rally at Dewey square was inspired by the Wall Street movement in New York and other similar campaigns across the country and capped off a day of protesting in Boston.
A march from the Common to the financial district in Boston led to Bank of America’s doorstep, with an estimated 2,000 protesting big banks, bail-outs, and the foreclosure crisis.
“We want the tax breaks for us not to G.E. and Bank of America and all those,” a woman said.
“Massachusetts ought to be saving people’s houses, not representing the big banks, not letting them get away with grand theft,” one man said.
Though peaceful, the demonstration led to several arrests when protesters ignored police warnings to stay away from the Bank of America building. At Dewey square Friday night, many said they would stay until their voices were heard.
“This kind of demonstration is excellent to show some physical presence of the fury and that is our first amendment right and an important thing to do so that other Americans understand, we’re willing to take time out of our busy lives to come out,” said.
Earlier on Friday, Boston Police said they made 24 arrests for trespassing.
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