St. Louis Area Residents Demonstrate Against Government Shutdown
Federal workers and their supporters gathered at Goodfellow Federal Center on 4300 Goodfellow Blvd. in St. Louis today to demonstrate the current shutdown of the federal government.
“We want the shutdown to end because we want to go back to work,” said demonstrator Shelia Harrison.
Harrison, a member of the American Federation of Government Employees and a resident of St. Louis, and others held signs that said “Federal Workers Lives Matter,” “Stop the Shutdown,” and “We Want to Work Now.”
Harrison works for the rural development section of the United States Department of Agriculture. She said she will miss a paycheck on Friday if the government doesn’t reopen.
“I’ve had to lower my medicine, I’m a breast cancer survivor,” Harrison said. “I’m running low on groceries.”
The government shutdown entered its 19th day on the day of the demonstration. The shutdown occurred because President Donald Trump and Congress were unable to agree on an appropriation of funds for fiscal year 2019 in December of 2018. The disagreement came about due to a demand by President Trump for $5.7 billion in federal funds to build a United States/Mexico border wall. Harrison coordinated the demonstration because she wanted the public to know the issue spreads beyond our nation’s capital.
“This is not just a (Washington) D.C. issue,” she said. “This is a local issue. If the government is not opened soon, there will be a ripple effect and it will affect everyone.”
The demonstrators repeatedly chanted “open the government, we want to work.” Some motorists honked in approval as they drove by. Demonstrators were bundled up in more than one layer of clothing and shivering in the 26 degree weather. Although he isn’t a federal employee, David Gerth – a resident of St. Louis and the director of Metropolitan Congregations United – marched for the cause.
“People are out here in the cold and they’re saying ‘I just want to work,’” Gerth said. “I figure if there are folks who want to stand here in the cold because they want to do their job then I want to stand with them.”
Emma James, a resident of Ferguson and an employee of the USDA in the multi-family housing section, talked about the impacts of the shutdown on the people she works with.
“The people we work with are not receiving justice,” she said. “They can’t get their loans serviced, and they can’t get their rental assistance. Yes, we want our paychecks. and we want to work, but this also affects the customers we service and our local economy. You have 1,200 people in this compound who are not working and that means 1,200 people who are not out shopping in businesses.”
Jane Pryor, a resident of St. Louis and a USDA employee in the area of rural development, carried a sign that said “Proud Public Employee.”
“This impacts not just employees at 4300 Goodfellow, but federal employees all over the country,” Pryor said. “We do a wonderful job for this country. Starting this weekend, people will most likely not get a paycheck, and people have mortgages and rent. They need to buy food and gas. It’s crazy that the people in (Washington) D.C. voted to get their checks while we don’t. It’s sad. This is a sad time.”
