What's Behind Detroit's Economic Crisis?: Public Forum on April 17, 5:00pm

Detroit students at Cooley High School on March 29, 2010 on the northwest side of the city. The students and alumni were demonstrating to keep their school open. (Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe)
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

For Immediate Release

Media Advisory

Event: What's Behind the Detroit Economic Crisis?, Sat. April 17, 5:00-8:00pm
Topic: A Socialist Perspective on the Current Situation and the Growing Fightback
Location: 5920 Second Ave. at Antoinette, North of WSU Campus
Sponsors: Workers World Party and the Harriet Tubman School
Contact: 313.671.3715 or 887.4344
E-mail: panw@africamail.com
URL: http://www.workers.org

This Event Will Feature the Following Speakers:

Debbie Johnson, Workers World Party Member, Meeting Chair
Ben Prado, Union del Barrio, San Diego--On the upcoming May Day (May 1)actions
Cheryl LaBash, Retired City of Detroit worker--On the 75th anniversary of the WPA
Andrea Egypt, MECAWI, current City of Detroit worker--On the impact of the crisis
Abayomi Azikiwe, Pan-African News Wire editor--On building a fightback movement


Join Us For a Public Meeting on the Economic Crisis in Detroit

Detroit is undergoing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression with a 45 percent unemployment rate, thousands of foreclosed and abandoned homes, dozens of school closings and hundreds of layoffs in education. There are also attacks on municipal unions, the attempted theft of $6 billion in pension funds and the illegal sale of the Detroit Medical Center.

These assaults on working people and the oppressed are to be solidified with the plans to "rightsize" the city by destroying thousands of homes and re-locating tens of thousands of people from their neighborhoods to make room for large-scale land speculation by the banks and real estate magnets.

While at the same time police brutality and political repression are esalating. Private foundations and so-called research centers are dictating the future of Detroit to provide greater profits and power to the banks and multi-national corporations.

Come out and hear a working class perspective on these developments and how we need to build a broad based people's movement to defeat the capitalists and their representatives in local government.