The Line Reminds Politicians, Business About Unemployed

From 8:14AM to 8:28AM on Tuesday, 6 March 2012, a minute for every one million unemployed Americans, more than 5,000 people lined New York City streets holding pink slips over their heads as part of a protest known as The Line.

Wall Street pink slip protest 6 March 2012. Photo Timothy Krause

The Line, which extended nearly 3 miles through New York City, is means of calling attention to the more than 14 million unemployed Americans, according to its organizers.

The protest was timed to coincide with the so-called Super Tuesday Republican presidential primary elections that took place in numerous states.

“If all 14 million jobless Americans formed a single unemployment line, it would stretch unbroken around the borders of our entire country, from Portland, Maine to Seattle Washington to San Lucas, California, to Miami, Florida and back to Portland,” said Kristin Marting, Artistic Director of HERE, one of The Line’s organizers, in a press release. “The Line will remind Congress and corporations about their responsibility to put America back to work. Creating jobs is the key to a productive America.”

While the economy is showing signs of meager growth, numerous people have joined the ranks of the long-term unemployed who have simply given up looking for work. Studies show this group of former workers has been growing after each of the “jobless recoveries” in the United States, where a return of economic good times was not accompanied by job creation.

“Things are getting better and Obama’s policies have pulled us back from the brink. That is true, but there is still overwhelming unemployment in America and Congress is doing nothing to help,” said Tal Yarden of NY America, one The Line’s organizers, in a statement. “We need bipartisan collaboration to support the President’s call to action to pass job creation bills that put America first and get us back to work.”