Sept. 1 (UPI) — Labor organizations and political activist groups are sponsoring more than 1,000 protests in cities and smaller communities across the nation Monday.
Dubbed “Workers Over Billionaires,” the protests aim to emphasize the power of American workers over that of billionaires who fund the Republican and Democratic parties alike
Boston, Chicago and New York City are among the larger cities in which protests were underway.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to keep federal troops out of the city while addressing protesters there after President Donald Trump suggested he would deploy them to address crime.
“No militarized force in the city of Chicago,” Johnson told the unknown number of protesters at the city’s Haymarket Memorial.
“We’re gonna defend our democracy in the city of Chicago,” he said. “We’re gonna protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.”
Johnson concluded his speech by saying: “No matter what comes from the White House, Chicago will always be a labor town.”
The Chicago protest event began at 11 a.m. and included a march to locations in the city’s West Loop that protesters say are connected to Trump’s agenda to “dismantle worker rights,” according to an event news release.
Large groups of protesters attended events in many cities, but organizers did not provide estimates on the number involved, according to USA Today.
“It’s important to show that there is opposition to the Trump-billionaire agenda in every community, big and small,” Saqib Bhatti, executive director of Action Center on Race and the Economy, told the news outlet.
“It’s very important to show the opposition in there in all these places,” Bhatti added.
Vice President J.D. Vance responded to a USA Today request for comment regarding the many protests by referring the news outlet to a recent quote by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“We finally have a president who fights and delivers for the American worker every single day,” Leavitt said regarding Labor Day, as reported by USA Today on Friday.
“President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy and our national identity,” she continued, “which is why he’s championed an agenda that puts them first always.”