Poor People’s Campaign protests at Nebraska State Capitol

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Poor People’s Campaign marched on the Nebraska State Capitol on Monday, calling on lawmakers to change course.

The protesters said state senators have not been pursuing policies that help people.

“Nebraska should be the good life for everyone, but our Legislature believes otherwise,” said the Rev. Zac Wolfe, a member of the group’s coordinating committee. “Rather than make Nebraska a hospitable home for everyone, we have seen our senators, most of our senators, turning our state into a space for a very specific demographic. They’re turning our state into a place that cares about the bottom line of business, rather than the embodied life or their constituents.”

Members of the group, which was founded by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., called the day “Moral Monday.”

They spoke about the hardships of poverty.

“There were many times when I skipped meals with my husband, or he would eat one day, and I would eat the next,” said Sierra Edmisten of Hastings. “Once we had SNAP in the third trimester, when they finally counted the baby as a person, we were able to eat once a day.”

She said she’s had to be careful not to make too much money, so she doesn’t lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

“These days, we’re struggling again because I got a 50-cent raise, which I should be celebrating,” Edmisten said.

But that raise ended up costing her. She’s making $80 more a month but lost $200 a month in SNAP benefits.

Edmisten supports Legislative Bill 84, which would keep the income limit for SNAP where it is, rather than letting it drop.