New York, NY – On February 22, a Wisconsin delegation invited a conference of nearly 60 organizations to join a major protest at the Democratic National Convention taking place in Milwaukee in July.

The members of the Coalition to March on the DNC made their announcement on the second day of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) national conference. The UNAC conference is a major gathering of international solidarity and anti-oppression activists from across North America, taking place at the People’s Forum in New York City.

The coalition is calling on all progressive, left, democratic and socialist organizations to join the March on the DNC. Points of unity include an end to all U.S. wars and interventions; community control of the police; legalization for all; taxation of the rich; Medicare for all; immediate action on climate change; expansion of workers and union rights; a war on poverty instead of on poor people; and peace, justice and equality for all.

Coalition to March on the DNC spokesperson Adelana Akindes, of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, told the hundreds in the audience, “So be it the DNC or the RNC, we need to show up each time and demonstrate that the people’s movement is where our energies need to go, and that the people’s needs are the true priority.”

The group’s appearance in New York came as new questions were raised about the Democratic Party’s process for nominating a presidential candidate. Widespread skepticism about the Iowa caucus results were compounded by last week’s televised debate, in which all Democratic candidates, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, endorsed the party’s complex system of superdelegates who can override popular vote results at the summer convention.

Repression in Milwaukee

“Mayor Tom Barrett is currently attempting to stifle our march. The coalition applied for a permit to march as early as last April, and yet Barrett and the city of Milwaukee are refusing to grant us our permit,” said Akindes. “It’s a disgusting disregard for our First Amendment rights.”

“Despite all the attempts the city is making, whether it be sabotaging our efforts, denying us permits, or widening security parameters, let’s be very clear: we will still be marching on the DNC,” she continued.

Akindes highlighted how the same city leaders denying the coalition protest permits have failed to improve conditions for residents of the DNC host city. “The city of Milwaukee has extreme problems,” she explained. “Most Black people living in the state of Wisconsin live in Milwaukee. Milwaukee currently holds the record as the most segregated city, not in Wisconsin but the entire United States. Gentrification is on the rise, pushing Black and brown people from their historic neighborhoods. Police brutality and police funding are on the rise. Milwaukee has some of the highest incarceration rates of Black people in the country. The homeless population is being cracked down upon. And in many areas, the rates of lead poisoning from lead water pipes is even worse than Flint, Michigan.”

“We invite you to mobilize with us in Milwaukee on the morning of July 13 and march together on the DNC,” concluded Akindes. “We want to show all who are watching the DNC that the people have the power. We are excited to see you all there!”

Early endorsing organizations include UNAC, Milwaukee and Minnesota Anti-War Committees, Sunrise Movement chapters from Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago, the recently refounded National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, the International League for People’s Struggle, CODEPINK, and dozens of others. More information can be found at MarchOnDNC.org.

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