99er's to Demand Tier V Unemployment Extension at Wall Street Rally

Unemployed Americans who have exhausted their benefits will gather for a rally in lower Manhattan this coming Thursday to demand the federal government provide them additional unemployment benefits.

The rally will take place August 12th on the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street (across from the NYSE) from noon to 1pm. The location is both ideal and symbolic: It is the heart of the financial capital of the world and it is where George Washington took oath of office.

"We feel this is the place for us to remind elected officials and the public that there was a time when honest debate took place in our halls of government; it wasn't always power plays and positioning for the next election," says Kian Frederick organizer of the rally, which is sponsored by Unemployed Workers Action Group.

Although President Obama signed an extension of unemployment benefits into law in late July, the bill only addressed those who have not exhausted their jobless benefits. The unemployed workers who have gone through all their benefits, nicknamed 99er's for the number of weeks they have collected unemployment, will not see any additional money from the bill signed by President Obama. And this fact is key to why the rally is taking place.

"Our first hope is to begin to educate the public about what a 99er is, who they are, and show the awful reality of what they are going through. We want to make people aware that these folks were excluded from the most recent unemployment extension...we have all found that most people don't know what a 99er is, and if they do, they think we were covered in the recent bill," says Frederick.

99er's will not be the only ones attending and speaking at this rally. Union representatives and members of the religious community are also expected to show their support. According to Frederick, this Wall Street rally will be the first of several demonstrations and other activities to follow in other cities across the United States.

Anyone wishing to attend the rally should try to take mass transit to avoid traffic problems in lower Manhattan due to street closures.

Sources:

Unemployed Workers Action Group Take Action

Email correspondence with Kian Frederick August 3, 2010