Monday, April 11, 2016
Mass
Convergence in D.C. for 'Sit-In to Save Democracy'
Grassroots coalition launches unprecedented
week of mass nonviolent action to call for campaign finance reform
Hundreds of pro-democracy activists marched
140 miles from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to the National Mall in D.C. to
advocate for getting money out of politics. (Photo: Every Voice/Twitter/cc)
After walking nearly 150 miles over the
course of nine days, hundreds of marchers arrived in D.C. on Monday and
joined thousands of supporters to launch a full week of mass sit-ins and direct
actions in the nation's capitol in an unprecedented protest against moneyed
interests' influence over politics.
The thousands of grassroots activists took
part in training sessions for civil disobedience
upon their arrival in D.C., and announced planned
rallies, direct actions, sit-ins,
and teach-ins to take place throughout the week.
The mass march for democracy was organized by
a coalition called Democracy Spring, and this week the
movement blooms into Democracy Awakening, which has organized the
teach-ins and rallies. Democracy Spring is also coordinating a series of mass
sit-ins in front of congressional offices.
The events will culminate "with a
Congress of Conscience Day of Action on Monday April 18, where hundreds more
from both groups have pledged to risk arrest," Democracy Spring writes.
Besides calling attention to the broader
issue of campaign finance reform, the coalition has several concrete demands.
Democracy Spring is "calling on Congress to pass four bills," the
coalition writes:
The groups are also "calling on the
Senate to confirm a nominee to the Supreme Court who will vote to uphold
political equality."
Hundreds of advocacy groups and unions that
represent a wide range of interests—from the environment, to voting access, to
reproductive rights, to public health, and LGBTQ community advocacy—are taking
part. The organizations are united by a focus on breaking big money's grip on
political power in the United States.
These
guys left Philly last Saturday. They just made it to Capitol Hill 140 miles
later.#DemocracySpring pic.twitter.com/BpODGvEE8p
— Tyler
Creighton (@tylercreighton) April 10, 2016
Democracy Spring argues that
its campaign is headed inevitably toward victory, no matter the reaction of the
powers-that-be:
Given the
current makeup of Congress, immediate reform is extremely unlikely. In fact, we
expect that the defenders of corruption in Congress will choose to put
thousands of Americans in handcuffs instead of passing perfectly-viable,
on-the-table pro-democracy reforms supported by the vast majority of the
country.
But no
matter what happens in the immediate endgame, we win. Because mass nonviolent
action at this moment, on this issue, will focus the nation’s attention—as
never before—on the urgency of this crisis, the existence of solutions to it,
and the strength of the popular demand to enact them.
The activists are fighting for what
"astounding majorities of Americans want," as Public Citizen
president Robert Weissman writes. But "it's plain enough that
public opinion is not enough," says Weissman. "We need massive public
mobilization, to tear down the political barriers that stand in the way of
winning the policies Americans support but plutocrats oppose."
—
Democracy Awakening (@DemAwakening) April 10, 2016
The mass march that set off the Democracy
Spring week of action was partly inspired by last January's New Hampshire
Rebellion, a small group of 25 people who walked 145 miles to the New Hampshire
state capitol in Concord to bring attention to the issue of campaign finance
reform.
Marchers started off on April 2 from
Philadelphia's Liberty Bell, and included Democrats, socialists, Independents,
Republicans, and people from "all racial backgrounds," as Adam
Eichen wrote in Common Dreams on
Saturday.
"You don’t walk 140 miles
for fun; you do it because you believe in your cause. No matter their political
leanings, these voters are frustrated, as they see their voices get drown out
by big money interests. They see no choice but to take their message directly
to Washington," said N.H. Rebellion organizer Brian Beihl.
Full
house at the training on nonviolence to prep for #DemocracySpringpic.twitter.com/QMu50is5Qb
— Derek
Cressman (@DerekCressman) April 11, 2016
On Monday, the groups plan to rally at Union
Station at 11am, to be followed by a mass sit-in at the capitol at 12:30.
Tweeting under the hashtags #DemocracySpring,
#DemocracyAwakening, and #FightBigMoney, participants will chronicle the
historic week-long campaign of civil disobedience.
This work is licensed under a Creative
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Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center,
325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email:
mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives."
Eugene Victor Debs
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