TOMORROW: Activists To Protest HRC Fundraiser In Los Angeles

Tomorrow's HRC fundraiser in Los Angeles will be jointly protested by GetEQUAL and Occupy Wall Street. Via press release:

[We] will protest the HRC’s Los Angeles fundraising gala in response to their selection of Goldman Sachs CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, as the national corporate spokesperson for marriage equality and for honoring Sachs with the HRC Corporate Equality award. Additionally, the protest will focus on HRC’s role in the equality business that, for the past 32 years, has focused on piecemeal legislation and splintered the community. Activists will wear hazmat suits to reflect HRC’s hazardous practices and to demand that HRC dump Goldman Sachs and utilize its Washington influence to fight for full federal equality.

The action takes place at the Los Angeles Ritz Carlton at 5pm. Facebook page.

NYPD Breaks Up HRC Gala Protest

Despite having been given assurances that they could peaceably protest on the sidewalk outside Manhattan's glitzy Waldorf-Astoria, on Saturday the NYPD broke up the Occupy Wall Street demonstration during the Human Rights Campaign $650/plate gala to honor Goldman Sachs. Via press release:

In NYC Saturday night, February 4, 2012, approximately 80 LGBT grassroots activists from a variety of groups united in common cause and elaborate demonstration to tell HRC: You do not speak for us. Starting at dusk, chanting voices filled Park Avenue as tuxedo-sporting HRC donors arrived at the Waldorf Astoria: “Hey Hey HRC. Where is our equality?” -- and -- “Everyone pays their tax. Everyone but Goldman Sachs” – rang out repeatedly targeting the Gala’s corporate honoree. Up and down the block between 49th and 50th, a catwalk of activists paraded, picket-fashion-show style, sporting a shimmery 15 x 5 banner that read: SEEK FULL EQUALITY, big mylar letters spelling “HELP,” and a huge sign that read: “HRC is in BED with A SACHS Machine”. Occupy Wall Street locked it all together in what was truly an inspirational convergence of NYC's grassroots, and beyond.

Cops moved the protesters across the street to a location where the black-tie crowd could not hear their chants. Still some protesters entered the Waldorf lobby to make their case. Some gala attendees reportedly mocked the protest via Twitter. (I'm looking for those tweets.) Many more photos of the action are on the group's Flickr page.

Sen. Carl Levin Calls Out Goldman Sachs Partner For "Shitty Deal"

And you probably haven't heard "shitty" used ten times in three minutes on C-SPAN.

$100M Bonus For Goldman Sachs CEO?

Goldman Sachs, favorite whipping boy of the teabaggers (and just about everybody else), is said to be considering a bonus for its CEO Lloyd Blankfein that may reach $100M.

Goldman Sachs, the world’s richest investment bank, is facing a potential political storm over how much it pays its chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein. Bankers in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) told The Times they understood that Mr Blankfein and other top Goldman bankers outside Britain were set to receive some of the bank’s biggest-ever payouts, in defiance of President Obama’s attempt to shame banks into cutting bonuses. “This is Lloyd thumbing his nose at Obama,” said a banker at one of Goldman’s rivals. Mr Blankfein took home his biggest bonus so far in 2007, when he was paid $67.9 million. Goldman’s profits last year were $1.8 billion higher than in 2007. This leaves the bank with a justification to pay him even more although payouts will be made in shares rather than cash to make them more politically palatable. Some rival bankers claim Mr Blankfein could receive up to $100 million, though even a much lower figure could prove politically explosive.

Goldman Sachs was one of the first banks to pay back its bailout money.