WILPF Branches Poor People’s Campaign Round Up: Weeks 1 and 2

Katherine Flaherty of WILPF DC Metro, Camille Dantzel , a PhD candidate at Howard University, and WILPF US Board member Marybeth Gardam joined hundreds on the Capitol lawn in DC at the kickoff launch for the Poor People's Campaign on May 14, 2018. They held the WILPF4PPC Banner aloft and marched to 1^st Street where they witnessed around 150 arrests.

From Boston to Sacramento, Des Moines to Tucson, New Jersey to North Carolina, WILPF members rallied, marched, and engaged in civil disobedience in support of the first two weeks of the Poor People's Campaign’s 40 Days of Action. Week One’s theme was “Somebody’s Hurting Our People: Children, Women, and People with Disabilities in Poverty” and Week Two’s theme was “Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty: Voting Rights, Immigration, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and the Mistreatment of Indigenous Communities.”

WILPF branches and members have committed to continuing to participate in week three and four activities, with weeks five and six still to come. The campaign’s 40 Days of Action will finish with a Global Day of Solidarity and Sending Forth Call to Action Mass Rally in Washington DC on June 23.

Here is a summary of reports from weeks one and two:

Several California branches reported involvement, including Sacramento, Monterey, Oakland, and Fresno. The Sacramento Branch reported around 200 people at the California State Capitol building at the first event. According to a WILPF participant, “The morning was devoted to training for those who were going to participate in the direct action, then sign making, with a rally scheduled for 2pm which started ON THE DOT (first time in my life I’ve seen that!) and ended at 3pm for the direct action to begin.  Beautifully organized.  I was really impressed with the signs.”

From Monterey, it was reported that Judy Karas attended the Friends Committee on Legislation Lobby Day at the state capitol in Sacramento. We supported SB 1392, a measure to get rid of the extra year enhancements for prisoners' sentences, SB 982, which would increase the Earned Income Tax Credits for those in poverty in the state, and supported AB 3131, which requires local governing bodies to have to discuss and approve any purchase of military equipment by sherriff/police depts., etc. Several other bills were also discussed, including the concept of an oil severance tax for California, and we had good talks with the legislators' reps. We learned about how bills progress, what the opposition to key bills is and what the opposition's arguments are. Judy Karas writes, “I urge that WILPF members set up appointments to meet with their elected officials--either in state capitals or at home. Raise issues related to the PPC, as we did.”

At a later State Capitol event in Sacramento, Oakland Branch WILPF member Phoebe Anne Sorgen was arrested and provided the following account:

I was released yesterday around noon after 15 hours in custody. The first hours with the highway patrol were rather comfy. Not so for the many hours in the filthy county jail, partly because of sleep deprivation and because we did not sing in jail (having been advised that doing so might delay our release) and the air quality and crowding in jail was tough, and the cops nasty. In my experience (atypical as I'm white), cops have treated inmates of conscience with more respect than other prisoners. Not this time because they wanted to discourage us from returning. The cop who released me said so. I'm grateful that they "kept it real" and that I had a home to return to, did not have to post bail, had a public defender and support team waiting outside, and if necessary can dip into retirement savings for the five misdemeanors they charged me with. So I'm not complaining. Just a heads up that—while there was no physical brutality—the most frail amongst us may not want to risk arrest in this case.There are other important ways to get involved, such as supporting those who choose to risk arrest. Large attendance at the Sacramento rallies is much needed this Tues and the following 3 Mondays. (Good to see Tova at the rally.) If you plan to risk arrest, get adequate sleep the night before (my only regret) and have a good breakfast.

The Fresno Branch sent word out to partner groups in our peace, social justice, and faith communities that we will hold a weekly demonstration in front of our Federal Courthouse building. Many involved people in our area are gathering in Sacramento at our State Capital, but we wanted to be sure to have a local action for those who cannot make to Sacramento. About 25 people gathered and our local Raging Grannies sang three songs. Our local branch’s Legislative Committee has been preparing a letter regarding Gaza which we will be delivering in person to our Representatives offices. Our Committee chooses a topic each month, so we will incorporate the PPC Moral Revival issues into our next letters.

Humboldt organized a small contingent of Raging Grannies and reported that future events would include speakers and media coverage.

Des Moines, IA, reported on a week two event: Showing up For Racial Justice (SURJ) took the lead on organizing an event that started our State Justice Building. Over 60 people came together, including at least 7 WILPF members. We began our rally by singing songs, led by a member of local clergy. We then walked to a monument, titled Shattering the Silence, which was built to memorialize when Iowa, in 1837, even before it became a state, freed a slave and established the precedent that all people would be free in Iowa. We also sang some songs and then a SURJ member lead us in making a public commitment to not be silent when we saw racial injustices. We then marched back to the Justice Building singing a song reclaiming our dignity and humanity. WILPF members, along with members from Catholic Peace Ministry, Methodist Federation for Social Action, Veterans for Peace, Iowa Peace Network, and a member from the Poor People’s Campaign are preparing an event for next Tuesday. In the process we are building our Poor People’s Campaign Coalition in Iowa.

About 30 people including 10 Raging Grannies took part in the Tucson, AZ, WILPF and friends rally for the Mother's Day kick off of the Poor People's Campaign in front of the federal building. Our new WILPF banner wasn't ready but we used the "Peace and Planet Before Profit" one and several people made posters: “Fight Poverty Not the Poor,” “End Systemic Poverty in the Wealthiest Nation in the World.” One friend had Facebook Live going during the rally.

At least one Tucson activist is planning to be in D.C. and committed to taking part in the civil disobedience arrests. A teach-in was held later in the week at the Global Justice Center on the subject "Someone is Hurting Our People," focusing on Women, LBGTQ, Children, and those who are disabled. For week two, WILPF, Code Pink, Veterans For Peace, and Raging Grannies held our Moral Monday/Poor People's Campaign event in front of the Federal Courthouse as a vigil against "Operation Streamline" during the afternoon rush hour. We got lots honks of support from cars and interest from people passing by. A teach in later that week was planned with a Palestinian speaker coming from the group “Southern AZ to Palestine Solidarity Alliance.”

In Boston, MA, a PPC kick off rally was held at the State House with over 200 participants. At 2 pm, a five-piece band walked up to the House steps followed by 75 people holding signs. Twenty-four more people were trained in civil disobedience just before this, making a total of 180 thus far. The talks were inspiring, moving and informative. When the speakers finished sharing, members sang with the band then followed them to the head of State Street and Beacon Street. There 100 people stopped, blocking traffic, singing and chanting for more than one hour. Twelve people were ready to go with the police but the police did not bother them. Another event was held across from the State House for week two, and more than 225 people arrived to listen to musicians, singers, and several speakers representing Blacks, immigrants, Muslims, and indigenous Americans. After the rally more than half of the attendees went into the State House for a teach in, and 20 people trained in CD were ready to stay later than 5 pm when the doors are closed to the public.

On May 14th, the first week of the PPC theme, "Our People: Children, Women and people with disabilities living in Poverty,” the Essex County, NJ branch met at the United Methodist Church in Trenton for more updated training at 11am. About 45 people were in attendance. After a few songs, we were asked to join several groups according to our interest and to brainstorm our roles within the rally. By 1:30 pm, we were ready to congregate outside the church with our signs and posters. As we marched toward our destination, the State House Annex Steps, we were encouraged to sing along to "Everybody's got a right", "When the poor have won their rights", "This little light of mine", 'It's gone on far too long.” We arrived at the State House to find an additional 30+ supporters already waiting. PPC began the ceremony with singing, two women told their stories of hardship within our system, and a member of the clergy spoke on poverty. We left the plaza toward the street, again led by the singers to sing. We stopped at the sidewalk and watched the nonviolent direct action supporters form a line, holding signs and posters in the street. They stopped traffic in both directions, and did not speak to the police except through a pastor (mediator). At first there was one patrol person, then two, and so on until they asked the resistance leaders to go with them to the station.

See the Triangle Branch, NC, eNews item for a week one report in which three WILPF members were arrested. At a week two event, several more WILPF members—Brenda Hines, Mary Jenne, Ruth Zalph, and Lucy Lewis—were among the 13 persons arrested and charged with second degree trespassing when they refused to leave the State Capitol after being asked to. More than 150 people had gathered in Raleigh opposite the State Capitol to hear a dozen powerful speakers address the week's theme, “Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty.” Following the rally, 100 rally participants moved into the Capitol to the offices of Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore to find closed doors. When they were refused meetings, those gathered outside read their demands—including what can be done to address systemic racism in areas including education, criminal justice, environmental degradation, voting and elections, immigration in NC, and Islamophobia—while the group chanted and sang. By midnight the protestors had been released with orders for court dates.

View a slideshow of photos from some of the WILPF branches PPC activities here.

Please continue to write summaries and take photos of your actions, and send them to nancytprice39@gmail.com with the subject line “PPC photos.” Include a caption and photo credit. Your action can be PPC-specific or include the PPC in your other WILPF-US program events.

More extensive accounts of Branch PPC involvement will appear in the next issue of Peace & Freedom, and in the July eNews.