Occupy Portland's Next Big Protest: "Shut Down the Corporations," Coming Feb. 29

Occupy Portland is planning its next big event for Wednesday, Feb. 29, a protest called "Shut Down the Corporations."

Occupiers call it "F-29," and while the idea originated here in Portland, it has spread to an estimated 60 cities nationwide

The protest will target corporate members of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a lobby group that Occupiers say helped draft the anti-union legislation in Wisconsin last year and Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, a controversial anti-illegal immigration bill that passed in 2010.

The group is gearing up for the protest but won't reveal specific plans.

"Some of the actions, like if they're going to go in and shut down a bank or something, they're not going to say when and where that will be," says Occupier Gina Ronning.

The event has already gained some press elsewhere in the world, and Occupy Portland expects hundreds of protesters to take to the streets next Wednesday.

Members of ALEC span the corporate world and include American Express, Bank of America, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Chevron, Coca-Cola, Comcast, FedEx, General Motors, John Deere, McDonald's, Motorola, Pfizer, Quaker Oats, State Farm, and Verizon, among many others.

Absent from the list of corporate monoliths—Oregon's Nike.

Seattle's giants—Microsoft, Boeing and Amazon—are all on the list of ALEC members.

Union Pacific, the railroad company that has been getting millions in handouts from the state of Oregon, can also be found there.

 

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