ht to Ken Derstine:
As
many as 1,000 protesters, many angry about school funding, blocked traffic and
waved signs in Center City on Monday afternoon, hoping to disrupt or at least
deflect attention from a fund-raising stop by Govs. Corbett and Christie.
"Our
members are here because they're being mistreated," said Jerry Jordan,
president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
Six
people were arrested for obstructing the highway - a summary offense - after
sitting down on 17th Street. Police did not use handcuffs as they led them
away.
The
names of those arrested were not available Monday night, but a statement from
the coalition group Fight for Philly identified them as "parents,
activists, and retired teachers."
The
two Republican governors were scheduled to appear Monday evening at a private
fund-raiser hosted by the Republican Governors Association. The association did
not release details of the event, including its location.
The
Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools spread the word last week
that the fund-raiser was to be held at the Union League, but Corbett campaign
spokesman Billy Pitman said that information was inaccurate.
On
Monday, the crowd at the Union League began moving after members of the
coalition circulated that the men were meeting blocks away at the Comcast
Center. There, protesters got no glimpse of either governor.
In
recent months, Christie has been traveling the country as chairman of the
Republican Governors Association. The group has been Corbett's biggest contributor
in past years - and has given Corbett $1.8 million in his bid for reelection
this year, according to records.
"I
believe, based upon his record of the past 31/2 years, that Tom Corbett merits
my support, and I intend to work hard for him," Christie said during an
event earlier Monday in Camden.
Corbett,
considered among the nation's most vulnerable incumbent governors, trails his
Democratic challenger, Tom Wolf, by a 20-point margin, according to a
Quinnipiac University Polling Institute release last week.
Christie
said the deficit was not insurmountable.
"I
think it's far from over," he said. "Plenty of races have had those
kind of gaps and have wound up closing."
Last
week, Christie attended a private fund-raiser in Pittsburgh with Corbett.
The
two also made a stop at a Primanti Bros. restaurant, an appearance that drew
dozens of demonstrators - some of whom taunted Christie with chants about the
ongoing scandal over traffic closures on the George Washington Bridge last
year.
Others
targeted Corbett with chants of "One-term Tom" and more. At that
event, Christie told reporters that getting Corbett reelected was a top
priority.
Monday's
event came a day after Wolf's appearance at Pride Day, Philadelphia's annual
LGBT parade and festival at Penn's Landing, during which he talked to voters
alongside state Rep. Brian Sims, the state's first openly gay state
representative.
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