Thursday, April 26, 2012

May Day Rally & March in Detroit

May Day Rally and March in Detroit

May 1, 2012

Gather at Clark Park (Vernor and Clark) - NOON
March to Grand Circus Park (Woodward and Adams)

Schedule:

12:00 Noon, Assemble at Clark Park

1:00 PM, Rally at Maybury School

March to Michigan Train Depot

2:00 PM, Rally at Train Depot

March to Federal Building

3:15 PM, Rally at Federal Building

March to Rosa Parks Transit Center

4:00 PM, Rally at Transit Center

March to Grand Circus Park

4:30 PM, Begin to assemble at Grand Circus Park for rally, picnic, music, food, tables and more — celebration of May Day

6:30 PM Occupy Detroit General Assembly

THEME: Save the workers, defend immigrant rights, save our communities, save the planet. Additional core demands are Moratorium on Foreclosures and Evictions, Green jobs now, defend democracy and union rights, stop attacks on people of color and women, and defend lgbtq rights.

Coalition Statement:

The May day actions planned in Detroit are part May day actions planned across the world. For over a century International Workers Day has been celebrate in most countries. The tradition was revived in the U.S. in 2006 when millions of immigrant workers took to the streets to demand their rights.

“We are glad to be a part and continue the tradition of immigrant rights advocacy on May day,” stated Jose Franco, spokesperson for the immigrant rights group One Michigan. “Now more than ever, in an election year, we need

to let politicians and our community know that we will no longer remain in the shadows. We are undocumented and unafraid.”

All of us—part of the 99 per cent—are outraged by the violent evictions of occupations, the deporting of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants each year, the attacks on labor, women, people of color and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and the destruction of the environment. The consent decree in Detroit and the imposition of Emergency Managers in other African-American communities represent a blatant attack on democratic rights.

"Detroit is a city of hope,” stated Michelle Martinez, Detroit native and environmental activist. “We can show the world how to recover from a toxic industrial decline with human rights at the core. But we can't wait for bureaucrats on their high horses to do this from the goodness of their hearts-- we must demand it, model it, live it now."

Across the Midwest, governors and legislatures undermine union rights. Only 11.9% of workers in the U.S. have a union. Unemployment and precarious work plague most of the younger generation. Many students face mounting debt and few desirable job prospects. Austerity in Detroit has closed many schools and foreclosed many homes. In Michigan 75 auto plants have been closed, most of them in the past decade—these plants could be reopened to create green jobs. This could be part of a massive public works program. Instead we read every day about more layoffs in the public and private sector.

“In such circumstances in which the link between politics and capital neglects the lives of most of everyone, a multitude of general assemblies and coalitions across the world call for everyone to strike and/or participate in direct actions on May Day” stated Stephen Dewyer, a local activist. Dewyer suggests Detroiters “do not go to work or school, shop or bank.”

Occupy Detroit plans to set up camp and re-occupy Grand Circus Park overnight. (quote)

Sponsors: A coalition including Occupy Detroit and local immigrant rights, labor, community, peace, antiwar, anti-nuclear and environmental organizations and activists. Endorsers include: One Michigan (an immigrant rights organization), Occupy Detroit, Rev. D. Alexander Bullock, Peace Action of Michigan, Southeast Michigan Jobs with Justice, Detroit Area Peace and Justice Network, Sierra Club, Moratorium Now! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures, Evictions and Utility Shutoffs, Michigan Emergency Coalition Against War & Injustice, Detroit Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Autoworkers Caravan, Alliance to Halt Fermi Three, the union UNITE HERE and Swords Into Plowshares Peace Center and Gallery.

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