Muskegon, Michigan has had double digit unemployment for years, with U6 unemployment in the 20% range for years. And it's not a particularly HUGE town. So MOST of the time it's pretty easy to find parking in downtown Muskegon, Michigan.
Most of the time.
But not today. We tried outside the CIO hall. We tried down by the LC Walker Arena that overlooks the commercial docks on Muskegon Lake. We tried the hotel parking lot and along the roads. But dangitall if the downtown was flooded with cars bearing mysterious bumper stickers saying things like "boilermakers union" "UAW" "steel worker's union".
Eventually we sort of wedged ourselves between a car and a road sign on a lot where a building once stood. Incidentally the missing building was once a restaurant called Al Capone's so named because Al Capone used to vacation here and supposedly hang out at that establishment.
And then we walked down the street that looked mostly empty wondering where everybody was...an older man passed us by going the opposite direction and said "you here for the rally?"
"Yeah!"
"Well it's right around that block...I gotta go, but you can have my sign." He handed me a cardboard sign saying "Hear Our Voice November 6th!"
Then we turned the corner to find a mass of people protesting Rick Snyder's union busting, removal of the earned income tax credit for low wage earners, taxes on pensions, tax increases for mom and pop businesses, slashes to school budgets and HUGE, 86% tax giveaways to large businesses.
