Poor People’s Campaign

Thousands Marching With Poor People’s Campaign Prevented From Entering Capitol Grounds

June 24, 2018 Anne Meador and John Zangas, DC Media Group Resist! Inequalit, Poor, Poor People's Campaign, Poverty

Thousands of people protesting systemic racism and poverty marched to the Capitol on Saturday but were barred from entering the grounds by U.S. Capitol Police. A long line of officers blocked the South Lawn and halted a march organized by the Poor People’s Campaign–a revival of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s movement 50 years ago—at the Capitol Reflecting Pool. Rev. William Barber and Rev. Jesse Jackson pressed police to allow them to proceed to the Capitol Lawn and conclude their march with the delivery of petitions demanding Congress allocate resources for the poor and struggling workers. U.S. Capitol Police Captain John Erickson, however, refused on the grounds that a large group needed a permit to demonstrate. An agreement was eventually worked out for petition boxes to be carried by individuals one at a time to the Capitol steps.

“Stop The War! Feed The Poor!”: March By Poor People’s Campaign Ends With Arrests In DC

June 22, 2018 By Jessica Corbett, Commondreams.org Resist! Poor People's Campaign, Protesters Arrested, Wars and Militarism

Organized by Rev. Drs. William Barber and Liz Theoharis, the movement takes inspiration from a campaign of the same name launched 50 years ago by Martin Luther King, Jr. Through a series of nationwide demonstrations in recent weeks, supporters have called for an immediate end to "systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the nation's distorted morality." The focus of Thursday's demonstration, Barber told a crowd through a bullhorn, was "policy violence against families and children," which was only partly inspired by the Trump administration's highly contentious family separation policy. "When we talk about policy violence, we mean snatching up not just children—brown children, because it wouldn't be happening any other way—and putting them in cages, but we also are talking about cutting healthcare.

How Rich Are The Ultra Rich?

June 15, 2018 Josh Hoxie, Other Words. Educate! New Economy, Poor People's Campaign, Poverty, wealth inequality

Nearly seven years ago — I know, wow — the Occupy Wall Street movement began highlighting the divide between the top 1 percent and the bottom 99 percent. Since then, it’s become common knowledge that income inequality in the United States is high. But there’s more to the story than just numbers. Income inequality isn’t the defining social issue of our time because your neighbor bought a slightly bigger house or nicer car than you did. It’s because multi-millionaires and billionaires are competing for slightly bigger mega-yachts while our friends set up GoFundMe accounts to plead for help with basic medical expenses.

Resurrection City II Evicted From Dupont Circle Park

June 14, 2018 By John Zangas, DC Media Group Resist! Inequality, Poor People's Campaign, Resurrection City

U.S. Park Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers forced a protest encampment at Dupont Circle to disband Monday evening. The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign set up the camp, which they called Resurrection City II, on Saturday to bring attention to worsening conditions experienced by poor people and the homeless. They had obtained a permit from the National Park Service to be in the park until Wednesday. Police began gathering on the outskirts of the park in the upscale neighborhood of Dupont Circle around 7:00 pm but gave no prior warning to organizers that they would soon evict them. No one was arrested, but police confiscated tents and bedding. About 40 people staying in the park, many of them veterans as well as homeless, took refuge at a nearby church on 16th Street.

Truthdig Correspondent Michael Nigro Arrested While Covering Poor People’s Campaign in Missouri

June 13, 2018 By Michael Nigro, Truthdig.com Resist! Journalism, Poor People's Campaign, Repression

In its fifth week of action, the Poor People’s Campaign is demonstrating in more than 30 cities under the theme “Everybody’s Got the Right to Live: Education, Living Wages, Jobs, Income, Housing.” In previous weeks, the movement has focused on a range of issues, including gun violence, climate change and low wages. As it nears the end of its planned 40 days of action, the group of activists is still going strong across the nation, where Truthdig photojournalist Michael Nigro, supported by our readers, has followed them to document the campaign. You can browse through Truthdig’s past coverage of the Poor People’s Campaign and consider making a donation today to help us keep up the important work of documenting activism across the nation at this historic time.

Poor People-Led Poor People’s Campaign Comes To Washington, DC

June 12, 2018 John Zangas and Anne Meador, DCmediagroup.us Resist! Poor People's Campaign, Washington DC

An advocate for the poor and homeless was arrested today at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) while attempting to speak with Secretary Ben Carson. Federal Protective Services police took Cheri Honkala into custody Monday afternoon when she refused to leave the lobby of the HUD building. “All I wanted is a meeting on behalf of poor, homeless families across the entire country,” she said as police pulled her toward a vehicle. “Poor people deserve to eat. One fucking meeting!” The arrest took place during a protest at HUD organized by the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, which has set up an encampment in Dupont Circle. Honkala was Jill Stein’s running mate and the Green Party candidate for vice president in the 2012 election.

Poor-Led People’s Campaign Marches To Resurrect Resurrection City

June 10, 2018 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, Clearing the FOG Radio. Podcast Homelessness, Poor People's Campaign, Poverty, Resurrection City

For the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign and Resurrection City, poor and houseless people marched from the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia to Washington, DC where they are setting up a Resurrection City in DuPont Circle. We speak with Tiny (aka Lisa Gray-Garcia), co-founder of POOR Magazine and a participant on the march, about the reality of poverty in the United States. Tiny describes the march and the intersections between poverty and many other areas such as mass incarceration, health and colonization. This is a poor-led people's campaign that is not only resisting the policies and systems that drive the current crises, but is also putting forth poor people-led solutions, such as the Bank of Community Reparations and Homefulness.

Poor People’s March To Arrive In DC, Set Up Resurrection City

June 9, 2018 Poor People's Economic and Human Rights Campaign, Popular Resistance. Organize! Poor People's Campaign, Poverty, Resurrection City

Washington, DC - This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Poor People’s March on Washington. This effort, organized by Martin Luther King, Jr., united poor people from around the United States to demand economic justice. Upon reaching D.C., this multiracial movement set up Resurrection City so that the issues of the poor could no longer be ignored. To observe this anniversary and to highlight what we call ‘The Ugly Road’ walked by the poor in the U.S. and abroad everyday, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) has organized the 2018 Poor People’s March on Washington, D.C.

Black Alliance For Peace Calls On Congressional Black Caucus And Leadership Of Poor People’s Campaign To Demand The Dismantling U.S. African Command (AFRICOM)

May 30, 2018 Staff, Blackallianceforpeace.com Create! AFRICOM, Congress, Poor People's Campaign

On May 25, African Liberation Day, the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) called on the United States government to dismantle the U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) and withdraw all U.S. forces from the African continent. This demand is in line with the main objective of the newly formed Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases—of which BAP is a founding member—which was formally launched in January. The coalition demands the closure of 800-plus U.S. military bases in other countries, which would save more than $150 billion that could then be re-allocated to realize the economic human rights of the working class and poor in this country. In our statement on African Liberation Day we called on the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to publicly oppose the aggressive militarization of the African continent, ramped up by the Obama administration and being continued by the Trump administration.

Hundreds Arrested Nationwide As Poor People’s Campaign Demands ‘End To The War Economy’

May 30, 2018 By Jake Johnson, Commondreams.org Resist! Arrest, Class Struggle, Poor People's Campaign, Repression, Social Movements

"We have a long history of wars against other people, mostly people of color, around the world. It's time we stopped calling it the Defense Department and started calling it what it is: the Department of War." Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s warning that "a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom," the Poor People's Campaign launched its third week of action in cities nationwide on Tuesday with the aim of confronting the American war economy, which pours resources that could be used to provide healthcare and food to the poor at home into the killing of innocents aboad.

Arrests At Poor People’s Campaign Rally Inside Pa. Capitol

May 22, 2018 By Dan Gleiter, Pennlive.com Resist! Pennsylvania, Poor People's Campaign, Repression

Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival protesters were arrested inside the Pennsylvania state Capitol in Harrisburg. Twenty-four people were arrested as part of the organized protest. The arrests came after a one hour rally in the Capitol Rotunda. Those arrested were taken into custody peacefully. Seventeen will be issued summary citations by Capitol Police for disorderly conduct. Another seven who have a prior arrest will receive a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and will be processed at the Dauphin County Booking Center, said Troy Thompson, a spokesman for the state Department of General Services, which oversees the Capitol Police.

Poor People’s Campaign Begins With Rallies & Mass Arrests Across The Country

May 14, 2018 Kevin Zeese, Popular Resistance Resist! Poor People's Campaign, Poverty, Single payer health care

The Poor People's Campaign kicked off 40 days of civil resistance calling for a new economy where workers have a wage "commensurate for the 21st-century economy," everyone has healthcare through a single payer system, homelessness is ended and war and militarism no longer dominate the economy. Today's Poor People's Campaign comes 50 years after the campaign Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was doing when he was assassinated. Today's Campaign officially launched on Monday with advocates for economic justice rallying in Washington, D.C. and more than 30 state capitols nationwide. Hundreds were arrested in Washington, DC alone. Rev. William Barber called for a "moral confrontation" stressing that 140 million people live in poverty in the U.S.—one of the world's wealthiest countries—and the abandonment of American workers indicates a profound moral failing of the government. On poverty, he added, "250,000 people are dying every year from poverty and low wealth."

Barber Sermon On Militarism Reveals Philosophical & Political Limitations Of The Poor Peoples Campaign

May 12, 2018 Bruce A. Dixon, Blackagendareport.com Strategize! Militarism and War, Poor People's Campaign

The 70 minute lecture on militarism by the Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign earlier this month is no small thing both for who was talking, and for what was said. The best version is 2 hours 20 minutes on Facebook here , but Facebook doesn't allow us to share videos except to other Facebook pages. We've embedded a somewhat shorter YouTube version that's nearly as good here, and again at the bottom of this article. Both of these produced by Repairers of the Breach, part of PPC's own communications shop. all of it worth a serious listen, in order to get a sense of who and what the PCC and its world view are abd again, what they’re saying.

Bring Back May Day

April 27, 2018 By Saurav Sarkar, Otherwords.org Create! Class Struggle, May Day, Poor People's Campaign

Most of the world recognizes May 1 — May Day — as International Workers’ Day. Here in one of the few countries that doesn’t, it’s worth pausing to ask how U.S. workers are doing. At an event last December, Fight for $15 organizer Terrence Wise recalled “going to bed at night, ignoring my own stomach’s rumbling, but having to hear my three little girls’ stomachs rumble. That’s something no parent should have to endure.” Wise was marking the launch of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Last month, the Institute for Policy Studies and the Poor People’s Campaign released The Souls of Poor Folk, a report on 50 years of change in the issues that affect working people, and particularly those at the bottom. We looked at systemic racism, poverty, militarism, and ecological devastation.

Poor People’s Campaign Training Attacked By Pepper Spray

April 24, 2018 By Chris Klint, Ktva.com Resist! Poor People's Campaign, Repression

Several members of a left-leaning political group meeting in Spenard say they were sickened and temporarily blinded Saturday afternoon, after police say a man filled the room with pepper spray. Officials with the Alaska Grassroots Alliance said they had been gathered at the Anchorage Community House, a small venue attached to the Church of Love near 36th Avenue and Spenard Road, shortly after 2 p.m. About 15 members of the group were there training to participate in non-violent demonstrations, set to begin shortly after Mother’s Day, when the incident occurred. APD spokesman MJ Thim said officers were called at 2:09 p.m. to the Church of Love, at 3502 Spenard Rd., for a report that about 10 people had been sprayed. "Apparently the suspect walks in and sprays pepper spray and walks out," Thim said.

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