Yesterday Archy Cary at Big Journalism posted a story about a protest in Montgomery County, Maryland. Doesn't sound all that unusual--this country was built on protest--but there was a thuggish element to this that, unfortunately, we may see more of.
Washington MPD's Civil Disturbance Unit (part of Washington, D. C., police department)escorted 500 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) protesters to the house of Greg Baer, a Bank of America executive, where they created a disturbance in the quiet neighborhood. Mr. Baer was not home at the time, his teenage son was home alone and was terrified by the mob outside.
A personal account of the story written by journalist Nina Easton can be found at Fortune Magazine.
In her story, Nina Easton points out:
"SEIU has said it wants to organize bank tellers and call centers -- and its critics point out that a great way to worsen employee morale, thereby making workers more susceptible to union calls, is to batter a bank's image through protest. (SEIU officials say their anti-Wall Street campaign has nothing to do with their organizing efforts.) Complicating this picture is the fact that BofA is the union's lender of choice -- and SEIU, suffering financially, owes the bank nearly $4 million in interest and fees. Bank of America declined comment on the loans."
Some other details of this event are also posted at Big Government. Protest is a part of American tradition, but bussing a mob of 500 people to a private home is not protest--it's intimidation and needs to be stopped.
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