Protesters tie fast-food wages with police shootings

Hundreds of protesters pushing for higher wages for fast-food workers marched through Center City on Thursday, part of a national campaign to mark the two-year anniversary of the first fast-food worker strike in New York City. Organizers said workers in more than 150 cities participated in an effort to raise fast-food wages to $15 an hour.

In Philadelphia, the day began at 6 a.m. at Broad Street and Allegheny Avenue, where protesters, joined by employees striking nearby McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts restaurants, walked through both and then set up a table outside serving an alternative breakfast.

By noon, the group, joined by airport workers trying to raise their wages, met at Broad and Arch Streets, listened to speakers, and then marched through Center City, blocking Broad and Walnut Streets before ending the rally outside a McDonald's at 17th Street and Walnut.

At times, the message switched, with protesters chanting "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" and "I Can't Breathe," the rallying cries of protests stemming from police shootings in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City. - Jane M. Von Bergen