Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/327441
nurses tried to speak face to face with their Congressional representatives and asked them to sign a pledge of support for their Wall Street tax. A handful of lawmakers signed, but the majority refused or ducked the question, showing just how much organizing work nurses have ahead of them. "We're here today to ask Representative Dave Camp a simple question: Which side are you on? Are you on Wall Street's side, or are you on Main Street's side?" said Jeff Breslin, RN and president of the Michigan Nurses Association. One of the highlights of the day was a sit- in held outside the Richmond, Va. offices of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, where nurses and community leaders were met by a squad of police officers. The crowd sang, chanted, and kept the demonstration peace- ful while a delegation led by NNU Copresi- dent Karen Higgins, RN was able to have a meeting with Cantor's staff and press the issue of a financial transaction tax. In every state, nurses came up with inno- vative, humorous, and fun ways to make their point. In Boston, a town crier dressed up in period costume unfurled a scroll and read out loud a long laundry list of Wall Street abuses. In Minnesota, nurses held a mock press conference with an 8-foot-tall puppet of Michele Bachmann to illustrate the gap between the interests of her Wall Street backers and her constituents, and also had someone dress up as a greedy chip- munk to symbolize a particular Congress- man. In Michigan, nurses fed hungry sports fans at a tailgate party during a Central Michigan University football game. In Chicago, RNs "sang the blues" for Main Street, and in Las Vegas, nurses braved 104 degree heat to host soup kitchens and speak S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 1 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 5 Opposite page from top: A town crier at the Boston rally spells out corporate crimes; a Wisconsin nurse highlights the poverty rate in budget chairman Rep. Paul Ryan's district. This page clockwise from top left: San Diego RNs staff a soup kitchen; Minnesota RNs turn out for Main Street; RNs in Janesville, Wis. fed the hungry; Florida RNs played with preschoolers at a daycare center for at-risk kids. NewsBriefs_Sept 10/11/11 9:30 PM Page 5