OccupyMaine at Lincoln Park
Yeserday afternoon OccupyMaine rallied in front of Merrill Lynch at 350 Fore Street, Portland.
This action was taken in response to the attack on zuccotti Park by police on November 15th. OccupyMaine stands in solidariwy with OccupyWall Street and all other occupations (including Oakland and Portland, Ore.) that have bveen targeted for alleged health and safety violations. We hold that any violations incurred by these occupations are nothing in comparison to the real and rampant assault on public health and safety by Wall Street. Every day corporations destroy our environment and banks drive people from their homes, while our government allows our social programs and infrastructure fall into disrepair. This is a double standard we will no longer stand for.
We are outraged that Merrill Lynch is allowed to broker deals on behalf of the State of Maine and by extension the people of Maine, after brokering the toxic Mainsail 11 deal, whch cos this state $20,000.000 in 2008 when the hedge fund defaulted on a loan. This money could have been used to bolster Maine’s economy, provide better social services and help our stretched education system. Despite this swindle, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch is still underwriting bonds for the State of Maine. Even more egregious, they are the underwriter of bonds totalling over $280 million dollars issued by the Maine Health and Higher Eduation Facilities Authority, many of which were created in 2010. OccupyMaine finds this reliance on Wall Street to be a much bigger threat to the health and safety of Mainers than any assemblage of concerned citizens could ever be, according to a press release issued by occupymaine@gmail.com
Please see: (http://www.mhhefa.com/documents/OfficialStatements/2010SeriesA(OS).pdf) for more.