Protesters from OurDC Storm Frank Wolf's Herndon Office to Demand Jobs

About 200 people from the Washington, D.C. organization OurDC converged on Rep. Frank Wolf's (R-10) Herndon office on Thursday afternoon.

The protesters are upset with Wolf for voting to stop a bill that would have created the Homeland Security Headquarters in southeast Washington, creating 20,000 new jobs. Many of those who attended live in the Ward 8 neighborhood, which has the highest unemployment in the country, according to OurDC.

The organization said the demonstration is part of a number of events showing members of Congress that American families are unhappy with politicians who are siding with Wall Street rather than middle class American families.

"OurDC's Northern Virginia supporters are vowing to hold Rep. Wolf and other politicians accountable in next year's elections and vote out anyone who doesn't invest in creating quality jobs for the middle class," the organization said in a press release.

OurDC pointed out that Wolf voted for $2.9 trillion in tax breaks for big corporations and voted to eliminate more than 11,000 Virginia highway jobs, in addition to the vote that eliminated the 20,000 D.C. jobs associated with the Homeland Security Headquarters.

According to ThisIsOurDC.org the organization is a not-for-profit working to provide Washington, D.C. residents with opportunities to find good paying jobs that have good benefits and good working conditions. OurDC says it invites D.C. residents, churches, civic organizations and labor unions to join them.


The following is a press release OurDC sent out after the protest:

20 Thousand job applications left at rep. Frank Wolf’s Herndon office over 200 protest WOLF’s JOB KILLING policies

Rep. Wolf continues to avoid meeting with unemployed

Washington DC – Scores of unemployed District and Virginia workers streamed through the Herndon district office of Congressman Frank Wolf today leaving behind 20 thousand job applications.  The 30 minute procession of protesters called for an end to the jobs crisis. Wolf was urged to reverse his job killing vote that eliminated 2012 funding for the Homeland Security Headquarters project in Southeast Washington jeopardizing 20 thousand jobs. 

Unemployed workers shared hardship stories as they passed through Wolf’s office. Unemployed District worker Khyron Small said, “I graduated from college last year and I’ve given up on job hunting in the District, I’m searching now in Maryland and Virginia and I’m running into the same thing, no jobs. Politicians like Wolf don’t seem to care. “

The rally was organized by OurDC and led by Executive Director Kendal Fells. At a rally following the office visit Fells called on Wolf to, “remember that you were elected to serve the people, not the bank accounts of corporate America. While your corporate friend’s rake in trillions since the taxpayer bailout, millions of Americans look for jobs that aren’t there. Wolf supports the corporate jobless cycle at the same time he kills jobs in Southeast Washington at Homeland Security.”

A receptionist at Wolf’s office accepted the applications saying he would pass along the workers concerns to the congressman.

Virginia mother Cynthia McVey has been unemployed since 2006, McVey says, “I have two little girls I have to care for, I hit the pavement everyday looking for work. Congressman Wolf doesn’t care about me. It’s like he works for the big companies, not little people like me.”

The OurDC demonstration is part of a growing number of protests against Members of Congress this month by Americans who are fed up with politicians who side with CEOs and Wall Street bankers over middle class families and have failed to create jobs.  Our DC’s Northern Virginia supporters are vowing to hold Rep. Wolf and other politicians accountable in next year’s elections and vote out anyone who doesn’t invest in creating quality jobs for the middle class.