About 50 people showed up with signs held high, collectively chanting “jobs, not cuts” during a protest outside state representative Joe Barton’s office Friday in Arlington.
The public protest group was composed of members and non-members of the Fort Worth MoveOn Council, who are part of a national progressive political advocacy group .They are continuing the movement, “Rebuild the American Dream.” The movement, synonymous with the recent protests on Wall Street, calls for progressive action from political constituents around the nation.
Arlington resident Mike Allen, the first protester in attendance, said, “I’m disgusted with corporate America and how they have immense power”.
Allen, a MoveOn member, provided protest signs to others in the back of his truck, and said the last time he protested was during the Vietnam War.
A mix of reactions was seen from drivers passing alongside Interstate 20 and Little Road, where the protest was held, and ranged from honking and cheering to shaking heads and flipping the protesters off.
Kit Jones, a MoveOn Fort Worth Council Organizer, cited public education, as one of the areas she said needed improvement.
“People in our older generation had the advantages of good public education,” Jones said. “We’re seeing Pell grants just fade away for the young people.”
The protest lasted the planned two hours.
Arlington resident Michael High brought his 10-year old grandson, Nate, along for his first protest. “It’s his future we’re out here demonstrating for.”
Article and photos by Rasy Ran
