'Pay your bills like adults!': Protesters take to White House after student debt ruling
Following SCOTUS' blocking of Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, protesters from multiple organizations gathered at the SCOTUS building to march on the White House.
On June 30, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled in a 6-3 vote to strike down President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Campus Reform was on-site at Capitol Hill immediately following the decision to capture images of ensuing protests.
Numerous organizations led by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) rallied outside SCOTUS where numerous speakers demanded that Biden keep his promise to forgive over $400 billion in student loan debt.
Representing the NAACP was National Director of Youth & College Wisdom Cole, who went after President Biden’s promise to cancel student debt. “Over the course of President Biden’s campaign, one of the key re-election strategies that he used was his promise to cancel student debt.”
”Time and time again, we have seen elected leaders come into our communities promising this, promising that,” he continued. “It is important for our elected leaders to follow through with their promises. We have a plan in place, and it’s time to implement it.”
Shanna Hayes - an Economic Justice Fellow at the Student Debt Crisis Center who has accumulated over $150,000 in student debt - delivered a presentation in which she broke down in tears over the outcome of the decision.
Shanna Hayes, Student Debt Crisis Center
”We have been here before. Only this time, the reality of our [her wife and her] student loan payments restarting looms large,” she said.
Melissa Byrne, President and Founder of We the 45 Million, also spoke at the protest. She stated in her speech that “Student loan relief is legal and it is a promise from President Biden - that there will be student loan relief. And just like the right wing never ever ever stops, we will never ever ever stop.”
”President Biden must announce another form of student loan relief,” Melissa also demanded.
One individual appearing to be an older male interrupted several speeches shouting “Pay your bills like adults!” and “You are no longer children.”
After the speeches concluded, the attendees embarked on an organized one-mile march to the White House to demand that Biden follow through with student debt cancellation.
Campus Reform followed the protesters who could be heard chanting slogans like “We have nothing to lose but our chains!”, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom!”, and “Fired up! Ready to work!”
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