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On Tuesday a small demonstration for the right of affordable accommodation went from the Hill District downwards. My feet are touching here more tarmac than during the past months. Again down to “Downtown”!

Target of the protest: the immense banking-tower of the Mellon Bank. In 1813 already Thomas Mellon founded this bank, the family earned millions with coal and steel and today you encounter their name anywhere: ice-hockey in the Mellon Arena, study in the Carnegie Mellon University. Within the framework of the finance crisis the bank was bailed-out with 3 billion US-dollars.

The list of accusations against the bank is long. As coal-baron already the Mellons showed hardly any consideration for the rights of their employees. As the Mellon Tower rises above most of the other buildings in the city the march to it is an obvious contribution to the G20-protests.

At the foot of the bank some activists and homeless are speaking. Around them the demonstrators with their sign-boards are walking until their feet are hot. The contrast is steep: a young homeless from Detroit talks about his live without a fixed shelter. He reports about a woman who survived the loss of her house for only a few days. In suits and briefcases under their arms employees are rushing into the banks. Police is taking position close to the entrance but are not intervening.

[These picture were given to me by Andre Martin from Detroit. Mine were also nice, but fell victim to an error during downloading into a computer. Thank you, Andre!]

(translation by Paul Woods, Coorditrad)