Thousands of protesters chanted "the banks got bailed out we got sold out" as they marched through the streets of Chicago on their way to a meeting of US bankers Tuesday. Carrying signs proclaiming "Hold Wall Street accountable" and "Foreclosures ruin communities," they demanded an end to massive bonuses for the bankers who they say helped bring on the financial crisis and credit crunch which dragged the United States into the deepest recession since the Great Depression.
Organised by a coalition of union and community organisations, the protesters called on the bankers to stop lobbying against financial reform and to invest the trillions they received in government bailouts to stem the tide of foreclosures and invest in businesses which will help kick-start the economy.