As we go Marching Marching, the Dems go Barricading Barricading!
Imagine this, the scariest thing they’ll ever see:
Poor people demanding power!
Drawing by Andy Willis
Behind the scenes, the Democratic Party—locals and Feds—are sending their lawyers to bend the rules and keep us as far away as possible!
They already messed up once. The City of Chicago responded 1 day too late, according to their own law, when they tried to deny our permit. So, we got a court order for them to approve the permit as requested, making it the first major march for which we’ve ever had a permit!
But they can’t let that happen!
They saw how we challenged the RNC in Milwaukee, bringing a citizen’s arrest for the Republicans’ crimes against humanity. And the Dems see we are marching 90 miles from Milwaukee to Chicago to bring the same focus to their Party of War and Genocide. But more and more people are waking up to the fact that these two parties are controlled by different sides of the rich, corporate elite. The “Liberals” and “Conservatives” disagree on some things and play up their differences, but each are fronts for larger economic forces at play.
Poor People’s Army March on the RNC 2024, with Jill Stein. Photo by Erick Jusino
As we’ve come to repeat in the last year,
We’re not the Left, we’re not the Right, we’re the BOTTOM coming for the TOP!
We welcome all the people that came out in Milwaukee and are coming to Chicago to march with us and to join other marches. We are not a part of the Coalition to March on the DNC, the “march for Palestine” as it’s come to be known. We will be sending a delegation to this and another march, to speak and partake, and to invite them to join our march Monday Aug 19th at 4pm from Humboldt Park to the United Center.
As you may know, we’ve marched as KWRU, PPEHRC, and Poor People’s Army for 3 decades, and been at RNCs and DNCs since 2000. We always believe it’s important to have a march led by the organized poor of this country, the richest country in the history of the world. We know the organized poor have important lessons to teach our class about survival and unity in the face of adversity. As Gaza is a hint of things to come for all of us, the Poor and most vulnerable in our own country experience what the rich and powerful have in store for everyone in the coming years.
As technology and science make great advancements, human labor is coming to be replaced in more and more aspects of industry and production.
The corporate elite are planning for a future where more and more people will be permanently unemployable.
They know they have to tighten surveillance and control to keep hoarding all the resources and power. The liberals and conservatives in power are planning for this.
And they know that if we at the bottom come together, regardless of ideology, to fight for what is necessary to survive, their system will come crashing down.
This is the message we are bringing to Chicago and the central focus of our organizing coming out of these marches. We have to find ways to highlight the contradictions and increasing disparities in society. Our new book, Takeover! A Human Rights Approach to Housing, does exactly this. We will be touring and discussing the book and training people on how to do housing takeovers. It’s been amazing to meet people across the country in the lead-up to the RNC and DNC who share our vision. We will continue traveling to build networks across the country, as well as building our base locally in Kensington, Philadelphia.
We’ll be gathering for a Human Rights Retreat in Philadelphia in December 2024, around International Human Rights Day. Save the Date! We invite you to join us.
But first:
Support our marches.
Join us Sunday, Aug 18 for our People’s Fest free concert in Chicago.
Join us Monday, Aug 19 at 4pm to March on the DNC.
