6 clergy arrested in protest

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/BUSINESS/70517029/-1/LOCAL17

Six clergy members engaging in what they described as civil disobedience were arrested today at a Downtown office building where they were protesting what they said were the “poverty wages” being paid to janitors who clean the building.

The Rev. Tom Fox, a Roman Catholic priest, is frisked today before being loaded into a police van after his arrest at a protest in support of janitors. - Robert King / The Star

The clergy blocked the main entrance to the Market Tower, 10 W. Market St., by sitting in front of its revolving doors and crowding an area in front of escalators. About 40 protesters who followed them in a march from Christ Church Cathedral dispersed after police issued a warning.
Led by Speedway United Methodist Church pastor Darren Cushman-Wood, the clergy offered prayers before police came and made the orderly arrests.

“It is unacceptable that janitors in this building are paid poverty wages,” Wood said.


FULL story at link.

[MasonJar]

1. Hallelujah! Go clergy go.

[Contrary1]

2. This will accomplish nothing given the mentality here in Indy:

Comments:

#1
If these "clergy" really want to raise wages for janitors and other unskilled service personnel, they should call for strict enforcement of the nation's immigration laws. It is not citizens of this country who have caused there to be a glut of unskilled workers, which thereby cause the depression in wages for unskilled workers. Janitors are seeing low wages because, if they quit in protest of the wage, there are 100 illegal aliens lined up to take the job.

But, instead, these are the same brand of "clergy" offering "sanctuary" to illegal aliens.

Another solution: Instead of forcing society to pay an inflated rate for janitors, these clergy should use church funds to raise their standard of living. The clergy need to be their own brothers' keeeper, rather than trying to force others to do their charity work for them.


#2
Enough already! Churches harbor illegal criminals, now they are mandating what people are paid.

Worry about your church and flock!
Act Now



#3
Illegal aliens driving down wages...and state government refusing to enforce illegal immigration laws.

Who benefits? Why businesses of course...the rest of us lose because of higher taxes.

ENFORCE OUR LAWS!!!!!!!!!!
Bart


#4
Black on black crime reaching an all time high Indianapolis and these chuckleheads pick this issue to "create tension." Trust me Good Rev...there is enough tension out on the streets of your hood. You don't need to go downtown to defend the trash dumpers and toilet cleaners. Clowns! Is how you want to spend the city's $25 million you are trying to extort?

[Peace Patriot]

3. If "trash dumpers and toilet cleaners" (human beings) were paid decent wages,

and if global corporate predators were not ruling over us all, here and in Mexico--taking all our resources with no benefit to the people, killing family farms by dumping corporate ag products on local markets and gobbling up land--driving family farms into bankruptcy, and driving peasant farmers into urban slums, union busting, outsourcing jobs to cheap labor markets (from here to Mexico, and then, when their workers get "uppity," on to Cambodia), stealing billions of dollars from both governments in unfair tax breaks and just plain looting, driving up the price of the tortilla (staple food of the poor in Mexico) with massive, polluting, corporate biofuel monoculture, and stealing elections in both countries--there would be no illegal immigration "problem."

You think family-oriented poor Mexicans WANT to break up their families in order to eke out a living here, in the hardest of jobs? If they die here, they want their bodies shipped back to their home villages for burial. That's where they WANT to be--at home! You think they WANT to risk long journeys, many hardships and potential death in the desert at the hands of "coyotes" as well as jailing and rough treatment--and wrenching separations from family members, especially children, who are often stranded--for hard labor in the north?

What assholes these commenters are! They can't see that we are all victims of the Corporate Rulers. But I don't believe that this is the majority "mentality here in Indy." These are just the loudmouths. Like the rightwing nutballs who are given a BIG TRUMPET by the war profiteering corporate news monopolies, they DON'T represent the great progressive American majority that has been demoralized, disempowered, and, above all, DISENFRANCHISED by massive Bushite vote stealing, in the form of, 1) "TRADE SECRET," PROPRIETARY programmng code, in all the new electronic voting machines and central tabulators, owned and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations, and 2) systematic purgings of black and other minority voters from the voting rolls, and other large-scale vote suppression, perpetrated by an out-of-control political operative in the White House--Karl Rove--and those whom he controls.

If the great progressive American majority were re-enfranchised, we would have FAIR trade, not global corporate piracy. We wouldn't have "free trade"/World Bank-IMF induced basketcases like Mexico and much of central and south America. We would be making progress toward fair international labor standards, and other good government goals, such as saving our planet. We wouldn't have a war on Iraq, and multiple tax cuts for the rich, draining our treasury--with a deficit now projected to be $10 trillion. Mexico and the U.S. would both have leftist (majorityist) presidents and congresses REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE--workers, the poor, the elderly, and children--and working out any difficulties between the two countries, with reasonable, common sense solutions. And there would be NO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION "crisis."

The padres are right! Look to fair wages! Find a way to attack this massive unjust Corporate Ruler system, that is oppressing both countries, and put your bodies on the line for fairness and justice. That is a noble and appropriate role for priests, acting for those who can't afford to do it--because they are supporting children or the elderly. Movements for fairness and justice ALWAYS focus on the real, the present, the injustice right in front of you. Martin Luther King did the same thing. And the stupid bigoted minority said the same things back then--either deport all the blacks back to Africa, or, maintain black servitude here--with lack of voting rights, shit jobs and poverty--because fairness and justice for blacks will hurt privileged white workers!

It was Corporate Propaganda then. And it is Corporate Propaganda now--that the stupidest element in our society buys into. There is plenty for all! The fatcats are ripping off all the wealth, to the detriment of ALL workers and families in BOTH countries. We are not far from becoming a "Banana Republic" ourselves. Get smart! Throw these fascists and corporatists off our backs, and we will all prosper, in a truly free, creative, people-driven marketplace, with strong government social justice policy to promote education, innovation and common decency.

And where we start is with that "TRADE SECRET," PROPRIETARY vote counting--which is anathema to our democracy. That is OUR obligation, as citizens of the U.S. of A.--to restore democracy HERE.