Taking Democracy from the Polls Into the Streets

Taking Democracy from the Polls Into the Streets
by Chris Crass

On November 3rd the march for democracy went from the polls to the streets. People across the country - in cities including Asheville, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Gainesville, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, Tucson and in San Francisco - are declaring that the people are the decision-makers in society, not just on Election Day, but every day.

In this election between two pro-war candidates, each representing the dictatorship of the rich, there was massive voter disenfranchisement and voter intimidation targeting working class people, communities of color, young people and immigrants who are traditionally progressive/left and vote Democrat. With blatant, public efforts to undermine one of the most basic rights in a democratic society, with outrage at this imperialist system, we took to the streets to exercise our power and announce to the world that people in the United States will continue to fight back.

At the 5pm march called by the anti-war coalition Not In Our Name, the groups Global Intifada, the Heads Up Collective and Siafu called for an Anti-Imperialist Contingent (AIC) to make visible struggles for justice in the US and around the world. Over 300 people marched in the AIC to demonstrate unity in struggle. The AIC included members from people of color and workingclass-led racial and economic justice community
organizations, direct action global justice affinity groups, immigrant led-groups and white anti-racist groups, .

"From Baghdad to the US/Mexico border, women, children and elders suffer and die every day because of the so-called 'War on Terrorism.' Bush has created and aided this plan for empire and Kerry didn't even pledge to stop it," says Lupe Arreola of St. Peter's Housing Committee and a member of Siafu. The AIC action focused on both the attacks against immigrant communities and the leadership of immigrants in social justice movements. St. Peters and the AIC surrounded the Mission police station and led a speak-out with street theatre denouncing the involvment of the SFPD in raids and deportations against the immigrant community. They called out for City Hall to enforce its INS raid free zone/Santuary City resolution.

Arreola continues, "We, as immigrant communities, must be out in the streets on Nov 3, in defense of democracy and in solidarity with other third world immigrants, and with the people of the world - from
Port-au-Prince to West Oakland."

Raeanne Young of Global Intifada and Direct Action to Stop the War worked nationally to build the Beyond Voting campaign of mobilizing people to take to the streets Nov. 3rd. "We recognize that we cannot vote for freedom within this two party system. Real democracy comes from grassroots organizing, leadership and self-determination in our
communities." She explains, "This time around we took it from the polls to the streets."

In vigils, marches and acts of civil disobedience around the country, communities committed to social justice stepped forward to reclaim democracy. Rahula Janowski of the Heads Up collective states, "As a white working class mother struggling to get by, I marched in the streets in solidarity with immigrants, communities of color and all working class people and poor people struggling to get by. We came together in the Anti-Imperialist Contingent not just to march against the Bush regime and this so-called democracy, but to work together to build a truly just society for us all."

Thanks to Ryan Phillips of Siafu and Clare Bayard of Heads Up for help with this article.