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The women's march in 2017 was accompanied by scores (hundreds?) of local actions --- we participated in one in Poughkeepsie, NY with thousands of participants (2-4 thousand by my recollection) -- there were major marches in all majo uran areas --- There is no conflict between the women's march in DC and NY and making room for local folks with neither the time nor money to travel .... JOHN: Is it to lobby the Congress or effect president Trump? Or to sell subscriptions to some publication or books? Or to help sales at museum gift shops?I ME: To put pressure on Congress and remind ourselves that we ARE in the majority against TRUMP -- A mighty coalition similar to the one that helped stop the US imperial war in Vietnam and forced a reluctant Democratic Party (Kennedy in particular) to support the second Reconstruction ... > > > members and friends who can and need to be involved and change the often > narrow > U. S. left, to actually reflect the U. S. working class. Local actions in > Los Angeles where > I reside, have been larger in numbers than those held in Wasgington DC, > the past few > years. And it is not just getting someone to participate in a protest > but to continue > their involvement in groups and becoming more aware of the system and our > history > of working people, who challenged and changed things. It was not the > politicians. > > > ________________________________ > > > A centralized demonstration in Washington DC would be positive, but I think > that localized protests are more important at this stage. There are all > sorts of local movements, some of which actually involve layers of working > class people. For instance, I know in Colorado that there is an > anti-fracking movement of this nature. Here in Oakland, although working > class people, including youth, are largely uninvolved in most protests, > still some are. More importantly, having local protests - all on the same > day - would make it easier and more natural to actually get out into the > working class communities, the working class schools (including community > colleges) and actually to the work places to start to at least start a > dialog with our class. It might not pay off immediately, but it's the > ground work that is absolutely, vitally necessary and - let's admit it - is > simply not being done on any serious scale. > > Then there's another issue: I think socialists should call for the protests > to be held during regular work hours and to involve civil disruption. In > other words, to call for workers to walk off their jobs. That then > indirectly starts to raise the issue of a political strike. This, in turn, > will run us head long up against the union leadership... which is purely a > good thing. > > I make this last point having had some experience with this. Back around > 2009 or so, there was a call for a one-day protest around education issues > here in Oakland. Thousands of students walked out of their schools. In the > coalition organizing for this, a debate arose whether to hold the main > protest during the day or after work hours. All those who didn't want a > conflict with the union leadership supported the second option. At the end > of the day, we won out and held it during the day and into the afternoon. > But I think it was vitally important to have that debate and to get the > majority in favor of calling it during work hours. It was equally important > to have Oakland's working class youth (overwhelmingly youth of color) at > the center of the event. > > John Reimann > -- > > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: > http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/mameerop%40gmail.com > _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
