The Democratic National Convention doesn’t start until tomorrow, but protesters are getting an early start: According to organizers, 2,000 to 3,000 people (the local police say it was more like 800 to 1,000) marched through the streets of Charlotte on Sunday, making stops at Bank of America’s headquarters, Duke Energy’s headquarters, and the Bank of America Stadium, where President Obama will speak on Thursday night.
The demonstrators included representatives from Code Pink and Occupy Wall Street, along with anti-war activists and people calling for increased labor and immigrants rights, increased financial regulatory reforms, and justice for Trayvon Martin (among many other things.) In the spirit of the original Occupy protests, one sign read simply, “I Am Generally Displeased With Our Current State of Affairs.” While there were two arrests, the march was largely peaceful, and organizers said they hoped their presence would “signify a change for Charlotte,” a major banking town that is — at least for now — “not known as a protest” hotbed.
