Activists Gather in Danvers, MA to Protest Sen. Scott Brown Voting Against Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act

Approximately 50 activists showed up at the Co Co Keys Hotel in Danvers on Wednesday evening to express their disapproval of Senator Scott Brown’s “anti-jobs record.” As mentioned in an earlier New England Post story, Senator Brown was at the hotel to serve as the keynote speaker for the North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner.

A large contingent of police officers was stationed outside of the hotel when the protesters arrived, preventing them from demonstrating on hotel property. Instead, the demonstration took place across the street.

As Nora Boedecker of the MassUniting coalition told New England Post, the protesters chanted “Scott Brown Stop Voting Against Jobs” and held signs decrying Brown’s latest vote to block funding for teachers and first responders. Area teachers and first responders addressed the crowd, speaking about their experiences and the consequences of Brown’s recent vote.

Courtesy of the Associated Press

Last week, Brown voted against the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, which was the first stand-alone measure to be salvaged from President Obama’s failed jobs bill. The act promised to provide $30 billion for creating or protecting nearly 400,000 education jobs, as well as $5 billion for keeping thousands of police and firefighters on the job.

“We were there to express our outrage and frustration with Scott Brown’s long standing anti-jobs record, particularly his most recent vote to block the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act,” Boedecker told New England Post. “Scott Brown has not held a single public forum or town hall event since taking office, so we’re bringing our voices to him. Given the large number of police officers present in advance of last night’s demonstration, I think it’s fair to say he knew we were there.”

Protesters at the Danvers demonstration argued that Brown does not represent ordinary, working class people and that he fails to recognize the importance of keeping first responders on the job as well as the importance of keeping teachers in the classroom.

“Scott Brown, we know that you went to DC promising to represent ordinary people,” said Edward Chambers, a Boston Public School teacher. “Well here we are, why don’t you come out here and face us?”

“Scott Brown went to Washington to make Massachusetts a better place. How are we a better place when you vote against teachers, firemen and police officers?” said Matthew Reddy, a firefighter from Lynn. “When you don’t put firemen in the neighborhood firehouse and you call for help and we’re not there, it doesn’t help. Just because he drives a pick up truck, doesn’t mean he understands people like us.”

“Every year, we bite our nails and worry about whether we’re going to have a job next year,” said Jennifer McCabe, a teacher from Malden. “These classrooms are overcrowded and our teachers are exhausted. We need staff in our schools. We’re here to tell Scott Brown that we’re not backing down.”

Wednesday’s demonstration occurred without any arrests or confrontations. According to Boedecker, despite blocking protesters from gathering directly outside of the hotel, the police “were very respectful of our right to make our voices heard off hotel grounds.”

“We were there in a peaceful demonstration in support of teachers and first responders — including police officers — who would have been protected from layoffs had Scott Brown not blocked this bill,” said Boedecker.

Related posts:

1. Teachers and First Responders to Protest Sen. Scott Brown Appearance in Danvers, MA
2. Republican MA Senator Scott Brown in Hot Water over Comment about Democratic Senate Candidate, Elizabeth Warren
3. The Funeral for American Jobs: Unemployed Workers Gather to Mourn the ‘Death’ of the Jobs Act at Mass. GOP Headquarters
4. @crazykhazei Account is Shut Down After Brown’s Adviser Admits He’s the Man Behind the Tweets
5. Moammar Gadhafi Killed by Rebels; Senator Scott Brown Comments on the Death of Libya’s Long-Serving Leader

Short URL: http://www.newenglandpost.com/?p=6727

Posted by erik devaney on Oct 27 2011. Filed under General, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry