It’s been an action packed couple of days here with the Massachusetts delegation at Take Back the Capitol.
On Monday, more than 250 people piled on to buses from Boston headed to Washington, DC, where we joined more than 3,000 activists from across the country. We’ve met people from California, from Wisconsin and people that live right here in DC. We all have different stories and backgrounds, but we have one thing in common: we’ve had enough of corporate influence in politics.
On Tuesday, half of the Massachusetts delegation – more than 100 unemployed constituents in all – arrived at the junior senator’s office to request a face-to-face meeting. Despite being present for a scheduled vote on the US Senate floor, staffers informed those gathered that Brown was unavailable to meet with constituents. Bay State residents waited more than eight hours in Brown’s office and the surrounding hallways hoping to catch him at the end of the day’s session, but left empty-handed.
“We just came to speak to our Senator, but he couldn’t make the time,” said Olivé Hendricks, an unemployed constituent from Roslindale who traveled eight hours to meet with Brown. “Scott Brown has avoided real discussions with his constituents at every turn, but somehow lobbyists and wealthy donors don’t have a problem getting access. I’m hoping one of his corporate backers can tell us what we need to do or spend to get a meeting.”
Senator Brown has not attended a single open town hall or public forum since taking office nearly two years ago, leaving constituents no other option than to seek him out amongst his fellow Washington politicians and corporate lobbyists.
Here’s a video from The Nation about our sit-in:
So on Wednesday, we headed to K St, the hub of corporate lobbying power in DC, to see if we could find Scott Brown there. We joined thousands of other unemployed workers and community activists demanding accountability – both from their elected officials and the corporate lobbyists who have bought their favor through lavish campaign spending.
“If one hundred constituents can’t manage to get a meeting with Scott Brown, maybe we can find him among the corporations and lobbyists that sponsor him,” said Jay Chambers, an unemployed iron worker from Charlestown. “They don’t seem to have a problem getting access.”
But yet again, Scott Brown was no where to be found…