The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has sparked numerous protests. Some of these protests have occurred in the US. These protests flew under the TPP = Betrayal campaign that occurred in many cities.
We’re continuing to cover the TPP protests that have taken place all around the world. Today, we wanted to turn our attention to the US where the protests spread across the country earlier this month.
The nationwide campaign to halt the TPP started back in February 3 in front of the White House and was known as the TPP = Betrayal protests. The protests were organized by Flush the TPP. From the campaign website:
“There is widespread opposition to the TPP by groups that advocate for a variety of issues. Relationships are strengthening across borders to oppose the TPP because of the negative impacts it will have on people in the United States as well as in other countries,” said Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance whose campaign, Flush The TPP, has organized the nationwide protests. “The TPP is opposed by a broad movement of movements because it has an adverse impact on so many parts of our lives including safe foods, access to healthcare, income inequality, worker’s rights and jobs, the future of the Internet, banking regulation as well as the environment and climate change.”
In front of the White House today, people representing the Alliance for Democracy, the American Medical Students Association, Beyond Extreme Energy, Friends of the Earth, Popular Resistance, Veterans for Peace and more spoke out against the TPP.
In the days since, the campaign proved that this wasn’t a one day or one time occurrence. The protests then moved to Los Angeles where protesters marched on the streets and took the protests to the Chamber of Commerce where letters were delivered expressing concerns over the agreement.
In Portland, Maine, protests took place raising awareness of the implication of the TPP. In New Jersey, police put a damper on the protests, though a loophole in the city ordinance allowed the protest to move ahead.
In Seattle, protests took place at City Hall, and moved to the Federal Building to send a message to senators that people are not happy with the TPP. Protests also took place in Delray Beach.
In Baltimore, the protests took a musical turn as people sung out their opposition towards the agreement. Meanwhile, people in Phoenix, Arizona joined the nationwide protests demanding John McCain to oppose the agreement.
Protests also took place in Tampa, Florida where things got a little wet from the rain. Still, the people marched on the streets and political representatives were confronted.
Protests also took place in Poughkeepsie, Santa Rosa, Northampton, Medford, Dallas, San Francisco, St. Louis, Iowa City, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Spokane, Detroit, Bellingham, Illinois, Oxford, Boston, Sacramento, New York, Grand Rapids, and Denver.
If anything, these protests do show that Americans do pay attention, they do care about the TPP, and they are not happy with what they see and feel strongly enough to take to the streets to voice their opposition to the agreement.
At this point in time, the movement within the US isn’t slowing down as the campaign turns to putting political pressure through legal channels onto political representatives. We will keep an eye on this movement as the developments of these agreements crop up.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
