Thousands of people turned out for a protest on Wall Street Thursday to denounce the taxpayer-funded bailout and the role of large financial firms in the nation’s economic crisis. A coalition of union and community groups organized the march as the Senate opened debate on a measure to overhaul financial regulation.

National People’s Action President George Goehl: “We want to send a clear message to them [Congress]: which side are you on? Are you going to side with Wall Street and the bankers, the same bankers that got us in this mess? Or are you going to do what we would think would be the obvious thing and side with the American people?”

Before the march, dozens of protesters crowded the lobbies of buildings housing JPMorgan Chase as well as Wells Fargo and Wachovia.