Why Marches and Rallies May Not Work

I just read an article by Catherine Fenton of Long Island’s CodePink chapter why she will go to the September 15th rally in Washington, D.C.. She has many legitimate reasons for attending but there are some of us who won’t go for legitimate reasons. Ms. Fenton says:
You know who not only won't stop the war that week, but who won't scare,
or change the vote of, one Congressperson? You who stay home, because
it's "hopeless." Because it's "just another protest." Because many
protesters will "go back to business as usual on Monday

I think this statement assumes too much about those who don’t attend the rallies and marches. I have no plans to go to this rally or any other rally in the near future as long as the peace coalition is predominately white and fails the communities of color and those marginalized.

I’m not taking a hopeless position but a realistic position of believing my time and energy are best served working at a grass roots level to help bring new people into the movement against the injustice and the imperialistic wars of our nation.
I’ve been to rallies and marches, dating back to the 70’s, and in all honesty feel they have no effect on the politics and policies of this nation. The money and time spent organizing and getting people to these national marches and rallies seems incongruent with the effects.

The mainstream media, which is the true indicator of whether the message gets out to all Americans and not just the “choir” of activists that predictably show up at the rallies and marches, seldom mentions the actions.
Getting arrested for the cause is an expensive proposition in emotional and monetary ways but, again, few people other than the activist community know or care about these arrests and the following court cases.

I don’t make this argument to discourage others from doing what their heart tells them to do. I do want to point out; however, the endless marches and rallies have done little to discourage the tyrants from doing exactly what they planned on doing. It seems new tactics and new measures are called for.

It seems new faces in a true “rainbow coalition” of American citizens must be gathered to confront these tyrants.

Where are the young and the black faces of this coalition?

Where are the Hispanic, Latino/Latina, Mexican and Chicano faces of the movement standing on the speaker’s podium?

Where are the clergy from all faiths?

Where are the labor unions besides those who are speaking from a Marxist mindset (and I do respect the Marxist philosophy)?

Where are the healers such as doctors and nurses declaring, as groups of professionals, the sickness of what occurs?

Where are the educators who must endure erosion of truly effective ways to educate for the sake of teaching young people false information and imperialistic motivation?

Where are our feminist sisters who may not desire to wear pink but have endured the misogyny and inequality of their nation since birth?

Where are the GLBT communities standing proud and equal next to all the other brothers and sisters of the activist community?

Where are Hip-Hop Nation and the youth movement they represent?

And the ultimate question must be why so many of the brothers and sisters mentioned haven’t joined in the marches and actions as groups of outraged citizens that have endured the neglect and outright oppression our government imposes?

This may be the failure of the activist community that seems stuck in reruns of the 60’s and 70’s but only has a portion of the coalition that existed at that time to go against the Orwellian tactics of a regime that has taken control of all branches of government, the media and the means to making a living.

Some in the movement talk about electoral process as if it’s a magic cure for the loss of all semblances of democracy in our country.

The Constitution and Bill of Rights are on life support and their existence is expected to end at any time.

I don’t say this as a hopeless citizen of the U.S. but as an outraged citizen who doesn’t feel marching and rallying is enough. And continuing with the charade of elections that can never bring change doesn’t meet the criteria of urgency needed.

Even should we stop the war tomorrow, what then? Does the oppression and injustice go away or just hide out until the masses go back to the “American dream” of watching the tube and hoping to stay employed in order to make a house payment?

It seems unless we become creative enough to bring the true face of the American people to the doors of Congress and the steps of the White House there is no fear by the tyrants oppressing the many.

Not only does it seem emergent to end the wars but we must begin to end the tyrannical grip of Democrats and Republicans on the governing of this nation.

When the true “rainbow coalition” of all Americans rallies in numbers far exceeding anything seen so far in this generation of wars, the tyrants will take notice and become fearful of losing power.

Right now the numbers of activists marching and taking part in rallies only brings smirks and laughter from the bastards who have co-opted the world’s justice and peace.

They see the divisions they’ve created among the large number of different groups making up the population of this nation.

They see their successes in fomenting racism, sexism, homophobia, sectarian hatred, social castes and militarism in the wedges driven between the many they’ve oppressed.

They don’t fear a large number of people in the streets because so many are the same people isolated from the rest of the oppressed of the nation.

Professional and dedicated activists are isolated from the men and women who can’t afford to take days off to march and rally for fear they’ll lose jobs and fail to feed children.

These activists don’t necessarily speak for the poor, the black or others unable to march and rally.

The movement presumes to know what the marginalized need and want but fail to lure enough of the actual people who are marginalized to the streets to demonstrate their outrage.

It saddens me to think of the money spent to do the repetitive actions the movement sticks with. It seems this money could do so much more in building a greatly diverse coalition of people demanding peace and justice.

It seems we need only look at the 9th Ward of New Orleans to see the possibilities of demonstrating our desire to bring those without voices into the movement.

It seems visiting churches and synagogues to question the spiritual leaders of this nation about their inaction in the face of such evil would be far more useful than a visit to a member of Congress bought and paid for by corporate interests.

It seems embracing Hip-Hop Nation as the powerful voice of the young it has become would be better than endless petitions that are ignored by the “selected” members of the Congressional tyranny.

I won’t go to the rallies and marches until we change ourselves into a movement to represent all people who are oppressed.

I won’t be arrested for symbolic reasons that won’t effect changes.

This is not a helpless position but one that recognizes the work to be done isn’t in marching but in networking and growing the movement into a healthy and diverse coalition that will strike fear in the hearts of the beasts.

The urgency to stop the wars is clear and palpable but we fail our future if we don’t stop the reasons we are continuously at war.

The military-industrial complex must be transformed into the peaceful-cooperative complex.

The wealth and power of this nation must be equally and justly distributed to all who contribute to it.

The social classes that have become caste systems and fiefdoms must end and a true democratic nation that truly practices “all men and women are created equal” must evolve.

Living wages, health benefits and adequate education must become the right of all citizens to have rather than a luxury given by the rich to the oppressed.

Marches and rallies, arrests and petitions have become weak tools to do this until we are truly representative of all the people of our nation.

So, I’m staying home to talk with people about the need we have for them to join us in a movement they can count on having a voice in.

I’m staying home trying to tell people about the horrible effects the wars have had on our young people and our entire nation.

God bless the peacemakers, however they choose to express the cause of peace and justice.
It doesn’t have to be in a march or rally, however. And the impact can be just as important.

Peace and solidarity,

William Terry Leichner, RN
VVAW member –Denver
USMC combat veteran