Hundreds gather for ‘Workers over Billionaires’ rally in Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - In downtown Savannah and in cities across the country, the “Workers over Billionaires” protest took place. 

Hundreds of people gathered in Emmet Park to march and rally for the working class. 

The mission of this nationwide rally is to spark change in the government.

People said they came to speak specifically against what they describe as “government favoritism for billionaires.”

The Trump administration highlighted the half a million additional jobs that have been created since he took office.

“This Labor Day, we put people over profit. Billionaires have taken enough. It’s time to fight for a country that values workers, families, and communities over corporate greed,” wrote the group in a Facebook post.

Check out our coverage on THE News on WTOC+

At the rally, some speakers pointed to the major announcement by International Paper shutting down operations in Savannah and Riceboro-impacting more than a thousand jobs. 

SEE: International Paper announces closure of Savannah, Riceboro locations

Multiple speakers said that workers haven’t been cared for like the owners of the company. 

“I hate that it’s been turned into a party issue because it ends up putting the conversation off to the side and it gets swept under the rug while the working families are still faced with ‘how do I meet our needs’ this is not being discussed because when it turns into a political issue everybody wants to stay away from it because we really don’t want to talk about politics,” said business developer, Angel Ratcliffe.

There are over a thousand planned events nationwide.

Stick with WTOC for more from speakers at the protest and the Trump administration’s response coming up on The News at 5:30 p.m.