The May 1st Redemption

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http://www.nationofchange.org/may-1st-redemption-part-i-1334671711



Social movement without a history do not exist.

We are now 14 days away from celebrating May 1st International Workers Day in Los Angeles. From any rational logical perspective, a successful May Day 2012 mobilization will place the issues of the 99% as well as immigration reform and legalization for the country’s large undocumented immigrant community on the front burner, before and after the November presidential elections. To be clear, success on May 1st unequivocally means, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands on the streets of downtown LA and in cities throughout the country in addition to the a general strike shutting down Los Angeles. Then and only then will this social movement create a significant political groundswell of the people to not only partake in the defeat of the ultra conservative Republican block in many fronts including the November elections, but also augment the public pressure on Congress and the White House, demanding real solutions to the mega problems faced by the overwhelming majority of Americans, including the large immigrant community.

The last time we had an upsurge of massive street power nationally in America was in 2010, when 200,000 people, mostly Latinos, marched on Washington D.C. demanding immigration reform. Forty days later, on May 1st , over ¼ million people marched in downtown LA on the same issue and against Arizona’s SB1070. Subsequently, for thirty days straight, the City of Phoenix saw continuous protests and on May 30th over 100,000 people marched 7 miles in sweltering heat to the State Capitol, to also demand a stop to the anti immigrant legislation.

However, today, as in 2009, the LA movement is deeply divided and if the efforts now being made to crystallize unity of all the forces fail, once again, we may be on the path to political disaster. What’s at stake in real human terms means the welfare of the millions of Americans and setting the cannons of the people on taking down Wall Street.