Count Every Vote & Poor People’s Hearings
This past week Healthcare Rights Committees across the state demanded that every vote be counted and a full democracy for the poor and dispossessed!
It is our duty to make clear that as we support the democratic process, we won’t experience democracy as the poor and dispossessed – across party lines – until we actually have healthcare, housing, living wage jobs, transit, education, and freedom from discrimination, criminalization, incarceration, and detention.
We have been in crisis – before COVID, since COVID, before the election, and that crisis will continue after the election. To achieve democracy, in addition to voting and counting every vote, we need to:
- Organize, organize, organize to build power for poor and dispossessed people across race and geography in Pennsylvania.
- Unite to overcome the divide and conquer strategies that pit white people against people of color and urban, suburban and rural people against each other.
- Build clear, competent, committed and connected leaders from every race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, immigration status, and region.
On Wednesday, Karim Nathan from the Philadelphia HRC spoke at the Count Every Vote Action in Philly. Here is a live stream of Karim’s remarks:
https://www.facebook.com/PutPeopleFirstPA/videos/1231479130572726/
Pittsburgh/Mon Valley HRC took action the day after the election with Socialist Alternative in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh and Mon Valley HRCs were represented by Briann Moye during the Socialist Alternative’s Event: Don’t Let Trump Steal the Election! This event took place the day after the election and was held in order to advocate for all votes to be counted in Pennsylvania, regardless of the outcome of the election. The event called for the rejection of the two party system and the dangers inherent in the parties being run by corporate interest. Below is an excerpt from Briann’s Speech, and a link to the speech on Facebook:
“Every two to four years, every election we face is the next biggest crisis… but we recognize that the day after the election nothing in our lives fundamentally changes… I want to pose a question to everyone here in this crowd: What, to the poor and dispossessed, is democracy? What to the 140 million poor, near poor, dispossessed, working class folks in the United States is democracy? When these elections happen and the balance of power shifts from one ruling class to another, we realize our lives aren’t any different!”
Link to video on Facebook: Briann Moye’s Remarks on the Outcome of this Election
Briann urges us to think critically about how the two-party system, despite the outcome of the election, will never be a democracy for the poor and working class Americans. This is why we must reject partisan politics, reach across the aisle, and speak with each other so that we can work TOGETHER for a better America. If we do not do this critical work, our country will continue to divide over issues that, in the end, only benefit the ruling class. The two party system has no place in the politics of the working class and poor people of the United States.
Remarks from Denyne of the MonValley HRC on recent actions and upcoming Poor People’s Hearing:
The MonValley HRC has been teamed up with Pittsburgh HRC and we are an incredible force together. Our team has been able successfully perform several live actions together in a safe manner during this Pandemic. All of which helps develop us through the leadership pathway and strengthen us as an organization. We have even gained new members to both HRC’s and the amount of enthusiasm in these newcomers is enough to prove that we must Continue the work that we do. They’re out there waiting to hear the words…. of the movement they’ve been waiting for…..People are fired up and ready to act…..We must continue to educate ourselves and develop ourselves to be ready to move people along…. we must read it , research it, study it, just do it so they do not lax into boredom…. Lets Go!!!! — Denyne Pollard, MonValley HRC
Last week, Members of the Northeast PA Healthcare Rights Committee took action. At the #CountEveryVote action in Wilkes-Barre Rose Yanko of the NEPA Healthcare Rights Committee, demanded true democracy for the poor and dispossessed. Watch the livestream here: https://fb.watch/1HC2S2h7RR/ .
Here are remarks from Alex in Wilkes-Barre:
“It’s going to take social movements for the foreseeable future, to make sure that Northeast PA [interests] are protected by whoever is in power… for too long Harrisburg has not prioritized the needs we have. We have low wage jobs… non-union jobs… and the fact is this [happens] even when our [people] power was the most significant in our society and in PA…”
- Alex Lotorto from NEPA HRC
On Saturday in Philly, Nijmie spoke at the Voters Decide: a Rally for Life, Liberty and Democracy Here are Nijmie’s remarks and the live stream of the event: https://www.facebook.com/phillywerise/videos/407904960379043/
My name is Nijmie Zakkiyyah Dzurinko and I am a co-founder and co-coordinator of Put People First – PA and co-chair of the PA Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. As we stand here on Lenni Lenape land today I bring you greetings from my tribe, the Occaneechi band of the Saponi nation.
I grew up on the other side of the state, in Westmoreland County, and I was raised by my grandparents. My grandfather was a steelworker. The first award I ever won was in 4th grade when I wrote an essay about the importance of unions, so I salute all of my union siblings here today.
I want to thank everyone who worked, who organized, who mobilized, who gave 1000% to ensure that those who COULD vote did and to protect our democratic right to vote!
In the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, we connected with two million poor voters of all backgrounds across this country through our program of Mobilizing, Organizing, Registering and Educating which trained THOUSANDS of everyday people in organizing conversations and registering people for a MOVEMENT, who will vote.
Today is such an important day! It’s a day to celebrate the working class power that we demonstrated through this election. It also seems to me a great synergy that today is the 103rd anniversary of the Russian Revolution, one of the great examples in history when the working class kicked the ass of the ruling class!
And as we celebrate today we also must remember that Democracy for Indigenous people, for Black and Brown people, for AAPI people, for houseless people, for disabled people, for immigrants, for queer and trans people, for ALL poor and dispossessed people in this country – over 140 million of us and counting – is still a distant dream.
Our political rights and our civil rights will not and CANNOT be fulfilled until healthcare is a right! Until housing is a right! Until clean water is a right! Until quality education is a right! Until freedom of migration is a right! Until freedom from incarceration and detention is a right! Until freedom from state violence is a right!
That’s why I’m so glad that we continued with today’s action. Because the wealth of billionaires grew by over 800 billion dollars while our class is being thrown into the streets. Because hospitals like Hahnemann right down the street are CLOSED as we have another huge spike in COVID cases. Because Walter Wallace Jr. was killed by police in MY NEIGHBORHOOD while mental health services are stripped away.
Because we must ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE the WHOLE WORKING CLASS across all lines of division and across urban, rural and suburban places in every county in this state and across every state in this country. Not just on election day, but every day! When I say “All power” you say “to the working class”! WE ONLY GET WHAT WE ARE ORGANIZED TO TAKE. Join us! THANK YOU!
On Sunday, the Montgomery County Healthcare Rights Committee took action with a Poor People’s Hearing on Democracy in Norristown. Here are photos from the event and Remarks from Serissa Homa:
I’m 15 years old and I am a part of the Montco HRC of Put People First – Pennsylvania. Being 15, I know what it’s like to not be heard because of your age, a lot of people don’t understand that kids are more mature than they think and that we are more aware of what goes on around us. I believe that we all need to organize to make change. And the change I want is healthcare for everyone. My mother Stephanie and I have been denied the healthcare we need and deserve for a very long time, like most of you here today. From our medications we need to survive like heart meds and inhalers to braces and oral surgery, etc. We have had Aetna my whole life and they barely have ever helped us. We have paid thousands of dollars over the years on hospital visits and medications. That should not be the case. I know many of you have this struggle and I’m so sorry that the system has screwed you over as well. They have made so much profit over the working class people and I’m sick of it! Under a democracy we would have health care and not have to worry about dying because you can’t afford your medications! I hope that more of today’s youth like me will also stand up for what they know we need HEALTHCARE! — Serissa Homa, Montgomery County HRC
Photos https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.203024501344589&type=3
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Healthcare Rights Committee took action with Poor People’s Campaign partners, Co-Emceeing the event with Act UP! Here is the live stream of the event and remarks from the Poor People’s Hearing in Philadelphia:
“It’s time for everybody to come together…this is for the poor people, the struggling people, the people who are willing to put their lives on the line to see that justice is served. No longer will we be coming to City Council begging…for a human right!…Our ancestors thank you for giving us the light to travel and withstand all of this oppression: police state, national guards! Instead of tripping on each other…on which white person in power is going to take care of us, it is time for us to take care of each other!” – Sam Druton
https://www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaPPC/videos/1052831098515948/?vh=e&d=n
Yesterday, PPF-PA joined the Movement of Immigrant Leaders in PA and other organizations for the Unity in Power Parade in Harrisburg where we celebrated our community power. Here is the livestream of Desi from MILPA speaking: https://www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaPPC/videos/386736309116325/?vh=e&d=n
During this time it is more important than ever for us to be united as a community and fight for our Human Rights!
Unete con nosotros para celebrar el poder de nuestra comunidad cuando nos unimos! Durante estos tiempos es mas importante que nunca que nos unamos como comunidad y luchemos juntxs por nuestros Derechos Humanos!