Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, July 23, Vice President Kamala Harris made her first stop as a presidential candidate in Milwaukee, less than a week after the Republican National Convention. For four hours straight, members of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) chanted outside of Harris’ campaign rally.

Protesters were heard for blocks around the site where Harris was speaking. For months, the people of Milwaukee have made it known that genocidal policies will be met with resistance – whether those policies are pushed by Biden, Harris, Trump, or some other elected official.

Notably, no top Democrats could be seen joining the thousands of protesters in Milwaukee during the RNC. As protester Joe Jones put it: “The Democratic Party’s platform for the last 20 years has been ‘We’re not as bad as the Republicans, so you have to vote for us,’ rather than taking action on their words.”

Wisconsin is a sought after electoral arena by Republicans and Democrats alike. The Republicans chose Milwaukee as the site for their convention, with Trump making visits to Green Bay, Racine and Milwaukee in the last six months. However, the real will of the people can be seen in the streets, with over 3500 protesting the RNC and their agenda, and hundreds routinely protesting the Biden administration’s visits at a moment's notice.

When asked why he was out protesting Kamala’s visit, Russell Cutter, a rank-and-file trade unionist and letter carrier, responded, “One reason I came out, as a union activist, is to be in solidarity with the Palestinian trade unions and answer their call to action in October to stop arming Israel.” Cutter continued, “I want Kamala Harris to know that the truth about Palestine can't be hidden anymore.”

Similarly, protester Joe Jones said the facade is off for the ruling class parties. “They claim to be anti-racist while being fully complicit in the genocide in Gaza at the same time. Domestically, Kamala Harris spent her time as DA in California unfairly prosecuting her people while Joe Biden was a strong supporter of the 1994 crime bill which led to mass incarceration of Black people.”

As the demonstration was wrapping up, protesters made it known that they will march on the Democratic National Convention on August 19. There, they will once again bring the people’s agenda within sight and sound of the Democrats and their likely presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. This DNC will be an important one, but the real change will happen in the streets.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Harris #DNC #WCJP