Workers Over Billionaires focus of Labor Day protest outside Lincoln Park Monday

By RICK MILLER

Olean Star

OLEAN — A Texas couple driving to their native New England took time out of their trip Monday to participate with more than 100 other people in a Labor Day protest outside Lincoln Park.

Melvin and Jennifer Lawrence of Kingsbury, Texas, had spent the night in Columbus, Ohio when they decided to check the internet for any Labor Day protests along their route in New York on Monday.

“We didn’t want to miss the protest,” Jennifer Lawrence told the Olean Star. Had they been at home, they would have marched with the Guadalupe County Democrats in the national Labor Day protest Workers Over Billionaires.

“We stopped to add our voices,” she added. “I’m glad we found people we could hang out with for the protest.”

“The more the better,” said Melvin Lawrence.

“They showed up and we fixed them up with signs,” said Jessica Davis, who along with Cara Kretschmer, served as co-hosts of the protest from 4-6 p.m. Davis said she counted 110 protesters.

Davis, who has been active in local protests against President Trump’s policies and Rep.Nick Langworthy that began in March, said this Labor Day workers are finding they have to work longer and harder to keep up. Some states are relaxing child labor laws to find more workers.

Brittany Binz of Black Creek read a statement about how higher tariffs are affecting small businesses, threatening workers’ jobs.

Dave Neely of Olean, who regularly shows up for the Lincoln Park protests, stood on the other side of West State Street with an American flag and a bullhorn as an alternate demonstrator. His most annoying refrain to protesters was: “Donald Trump is your duly elected president. Live with it.”

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