What They're Feeding Me

(photo by Lauriel Arwen)
PORTLAND – Unions, activists and advocates organized a protest march in honor of the 2012 celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday Congress and President Ronald Reagan established in 1983 as the third Monday of each January (which loosely coincides with King’s January 15th birthday), one of only three federal holidays (along with Columbus Day and Washington’s Birthday) which honor an individual. The march met at Sisters of the Road Cafe, 133 NW Sixth Avenue, and was at its peak nearly 350 strong, including delegations from Sisters of the Road, a group “seeking systemic solutions that reach the roots of homelessness and poverty to end them forever,” the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union, with over 42,000 members, Dignity Village, “a city-recognized encampment of an estimated 60 homeless people,” Right to Dream Too and Right to Survive, whose first stated goal is “to empower the un-sheltered, the disenfranchised, those of color, oppressed minorities, those who are being treated like criminals because of their poverty,” Portland VOZ, International Socialist Organization, Painters and Allied Trades, NW Carpenter’s Union, and the Western Regional Advocacy Project, umbrella organization for Sister of the Road, Street Roots and Right to Survive.

(photo by Lauriel Arwen) The march continued in the footsteps of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Poor People’s Campaign,” in drawing attention to poor working conditions, low wages, the lack of affordable housing, and the criminalization and exploitation of house-less people through Portland’s odious “sit / lie” ordinance, along with other laws which seek to funnel ever-more money into imprisoning ever-more-marginalized citizens, such as the “show me your papers” law, Arizona’s SB 1070 and Missouri’s Illegal Aliens and Immigration Status Verification law. Speakers began addressing the crowd at 12:10, amassed at the intersection of 6th and Davis.

Chandi, Community Organizer with Sisters of the Road, informed marchers that this was the 19th year Sisters of the Road has organized a march for MLK Day, and after a two-year hiatus the organization felt this year was particularly crucial in the long-term fight for social and economic justice. “We’re back after two years to connect issues that Occupy brought up with our folks in the house-less community, people who are used to getting kicked out of parks all the time,” referencing the November 14th eviction of Occupy Portland from their established camps at Lownsdale Park and Chapman Square.

“We are here to celebrate our struggle,” Chandi proclaimed. “No one is illegal!” And the crowd went wild for the first of many times during the march. Chandi continued, “We want racial and economic justice now. This is at the core of the work that Sisters of the Road has been doing for 32 years. You should not be criminalized just because our society, which is in every way rich, fails to take care of its people.” Applause. “If you’re a person of color in Portland, which is still a hard thing to be,” (laughter and cheers), “if you love someone and want to marry them, if you are an Occupier… YOU ARE NOT ILLEGAL!” Thunderous applause.

(photo by Lauriel Arwen) Leo Rhodes, a Street Roots vendor and board member and US Army veteran, spoke next. “We need to have this kind of energy year-round,” he said in reference to the raucous gathering of young and old, children and pets, drummers, chanters and other ordinary and extraordinary citizens. “When you go to bed, set an alarm for 20 minutes, and get a backpack full of clothes and move somewhere within a two-block radius and sleep for another 20 minutes. Then you’ll know what it’s like to be homeless.” The crowd applauded, though appalled at the sit-lie ordinance whose mention they missed under the cheers. “Martin Luther King had a dream. Homeless people have the Right to Dream, Too.”

Speaking on behalf of the Poor People’s Campaign, and unions, Gabriel Triplett of the ILWU first asked, “Good day to be out in the streets, eh?” The crowd agreed. “Martin Luther King spread the message of the Gospels, a message so radical that killing him was not enough. They had to change his message.” Triplett went on to detail all the historical information commonly omitted from public education, as it related to MLK’s vision. “Our kids will learn about racial justice, but they will not learn about economic justice.” Triplett then described what Dr. King termed “The Triplets of Evil,” racism, economic exploitation and militarism. “Only 7% of America’s workers are in unions, at a time with greater economic inequality than we’ve ever seen, endless wars, racist laws [such as SB 1070], legal slavery in our dungeons and prisons… We must strive to build a better world, that kingdom that Christ spoke of.” Tripletts ended by remarking that the context of Dr. King’s famous “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech parallels the experience of dock workers in Longview, WA, who expect scab labor to fill a ship with grain very soon. An action will take place to prevent the strike from breaking. “Ask not what will happen to you if you go [to the action,] ask what will happen to those workers if you don’t go.”

Next, Executive Director of Portland VOZ Romeo Sosa let off a chant of “Si se puede,” the motto of the United Farm Workers coined by migrant workers’ rights activist Caesar Chavez. Sosa spoke briefly, ending with “If Martin Luther King were here, he would be marching with us!” The crowd roared once more.

(photo by Lauriel Arwen) The march commenced, marching down Davis to 4th, then up 4th toward Burnside, stopping in front of the Right to Dream, Too camp for a special announcement from R2D2 activist and resident Claudia “Mama Chewy” Long. Long spoke of actions all Portlanders can take to defend the space from the threat of eviction, such as calling City Commisioner Dan Saltzman and Mayor Sam Adams to request they take emergency measures to keep the camp in place. “We want housekeys, not handcuffs,” Long said, a motto from the WRAP organization. She quoted Mohammed Ali, Martin Luther King, the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and finally Malcolm X. Her message was simple, “We need our own property, even if it’s just a tent in a rest area like R2D2.”

A banner then dropped from the parking structure at SW 4th and Ash, visible to the march, which read “Stand with Greater Determination” in three languages. The crowd cheered.

(photo by Lauriel Arwen) The march proceeded up Burnside to Broadway, then South on Broadway to Salmon, and East on Salmon to 4th, the North-western corner of the former Occupy camp. “Whose Camp? Our Camp!” the crowd called and responded. A speaker produced a bullhorn to briefly mention the indignities of Wells Fargo in funding racist laws like SB1070, and their profiting from the GEO Group and CCA, the two largest private prison companies in America. “While our schools are closing down, prisons are opening. Now with the NDAA, we’re all going to be in these prisons for as long as they can make money off our backs.” Speaking of a thin piece of fabric Wells Fargo used to hide their activities during a recent direct action, the speaker informed the crowd, “It’s our job to burn that veil down… We have not yet exhausted the nonviolent direct action we can take. We have not yet exhausted the civil disobedience we can commit.” She then spoke of the February 29th “Shut Down The Corporations” action, which intends to target corporations individually for such wrongdoings as those of Wells Fargo.

The march then proceeded to the steps of the Justice Center at SW 3rd and Main. A speaker asked, “Are you cold?” and the crowd replied in near-unison “NO!” with a few scant “yeah”s mostly lost in the mix. At that moment, snow began to fall from the sky.

(photo by Lauriel Arwen)The next speaker was Paul Bowman from the Western Regional Advocacy Project. “First of all, congratulations from Los Angeles, Sacramento, Berkeley, and Oakland.” Bowman mentioned recent actions held in those cities, including a consensus supporting the Portland march. “They are all in solidarity with you. … The movement starts when we say ‘no more bullshit.’” The crowd, getting colder, produced a sustained cheer. “Don’t be mistaken,” Bowman continued, “America is building housing for poor people. It’s building jail cells.” Bowman continued upon that theme, connecting new laws criminalizing poverty and ethnicity, and the increase in correctional spending. “We don’t ask for charity, or for sympathy. We demand our human rights. So we’re gonna organize, we’re gonna build a movement, and God damnit, we’re gonna win.” The crowd issued a grand round of applause before continuing the march.

(photo by Lauriel Arwen) The last walking-leg of the rally led to City Hall, SW 4th and Main, where Occupy Portland Food Team waited with hot baked bean dip, spinach quiche, chicken noodle soup and a rice-and-vegetable medley. Hungry and cold marchers gobbled up the goods. Ibrahim Mubarak, founder of Right to Dream, Too, closed off the ceremony with a reliably-inspiring message that filled the crowd with joy. “A lot of people are keeping the dream that Martin Luther King envisioned. We don’t want to forget about the people who fell through loopholes, people who slipped through the cracks. It’s a simple idea: when you have enough, you share.” Mubarak stated as he closed the ceremony that the name of such a system is irrelevant, be it “communism” or “democratic Socialism,” as the point is “human dignity.” Ibrahim led chants of “Up with the workers, down with capitalism” to a raucous and energized crowd of approximately 300. Portland Police ordered marchers to clear the street, and the march dispersed shortly after 2:00pm.

Sister of the Road and Right to Dream, Too have requested that marchers from Monday’s event who wish to continue in the fight for economic justice would return to City Hall at 8:30am on February 1st for a public action to defend the R2D2 camp from eviction. The organizations also encourage citizens to contact City Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s office to tell him how you feel about R2D2. His number is 503 823 4151.

More photos from the march are available at Lauriel-Arwen’s photostream.