Poor People’s Army to March on the Republican National Convention, With or Without Permit
Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) / Poor People’s Army Press Release
For immediate release
July 11, 2024
Press Contacts: Leela de Paula, 413-270-2087
Cheri Honkala, 215-869-4753
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – On July 15 at 4 p.m., during the opening day of the Republican National Convention (RNC), the Poor People’s Army will be marching from King Park towards the Fiserv Forum. They are marching to raise awareness around issues that poor and homeless people are facing in this country, and plan to hold a mock “trial” to determine if the Republican Party is guilty of crimes against humanity. With the recent Grants Pass v. Johnson Supreme Court decision, the Poor People’s Army aims to center stories of people experiencing homelessness. August 3, the group will start marching 100 miles south to Chicago, where they will have similar events as the only permitted march on the Democratic National Convention. Thirty-plus organizations from across the country have endorsed the Poor People’s Army marches.
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (aka Poor People’s Army) applied for a special event permit in Milwaukee in October of 2023. They did not hear back from the city until the end of June, with an email saying “the Department of Public Works is not accepting applications for special events within an area” near the RNC. They provided a link to apply for “a parade permit and speakers platform registration form” that would have put them in a lottery to speak at a slot and place determined by the city.
“One of the last things we have as poor people in this country is our voice, and we won’t let them take that away from us,” said Cheri Honkala, the Poor People’s Army’s national spokesperson. “The city was trying to pen us in and tell us when and how we could speak out about the injustices occurring. That’s not what the First Amendment is about.”
This year, the Poor People’s Army will not only protest the RNC and DNC, but will also join with local groups to hold their own “People’s 1st Convention” in Milwaukee on July 13 and 14. The goal is to provide voter education and alternative electoral choices to people that are fed up with the two-party system. Since 2000, the Poor People’s Army has been building unity of poor and working people with marches on opening day of RNC and DNC as an effort to build unity.
About Poor People’s Army:
The Poor People’s Army is a nonviolent Army of poor and working people, led by poor people, fighting for our survival by any means necessary. For three decades, they have been “reclaiming the basic necessities of life” with free food distribution and housing takeovers of abandoned government-owned properties. They have a forthcoming book, Takeover! A Human Rights Approach to Housing. For more info, press updates, and graphics go to https://www.poorpeoplesarmy.org/
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