Miami Final Dispatch: March on the Mayors Conference
by Joseph Phelan, Miami Workers Center Friday, Jun. 27, 2008 at 10:49 PM
joseph@theworkerscenter.org

The historic Right to the City March on the Mayors is over. Last week grassroots members of community organizations from throughout the country flooded Miami to launch a national fight for the right to live, work, build community, and govern their cities. After a summit and a rainy march residents and city community members from across the U.S. spent two days discussing strategies to build a national movement. At the end of Sunday people left our tropical city, ready to return home and build a mass movement, bringing with them lessons and new connections to strengthen their work.

200_strong.jpg, image/jpeg, 500x333

Go here for photos:

* Saturday and Sunday Strategy Round Tables
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82285926@N00/sets/72157605754422101/
* Dance, Dance Revolution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82285926@N00/sets/72157605749273442/

Final Report

After a summit on Thursday June 19th (Juneteenth) and rainy but inspiring march on June 20th, the Right to the City Alliance held two days of movement strategy round table discussions.

During these two days over 200 resident delegates of grassroots organizations from cities across the U.S. elevated the dialogue. Instead of discussing the need to build a national urban movement for justice the weekend's conversation centered on how to build that movement now.

During the round table discussions resident delegates addressed 5 challenges facing the Right to the City Alliance organizations as it begins to build a broader movement.

Challenge #1 - Building the base of grassroots organizations to scale and building the leadership of the base.
Challenge #2 - Expanding alliances with new and different sectors to win power
Challenge # 3 - Amplifying our voice and shifting public debate.
Challenge #4 - Building democratic and economic institutions in order to maintain and support our work.
Challenge #5 - Building public governance through voter engagement and participation in governmental structures.

In between the two days of strategy conversations, on Saturday night, RTTC through a party. Lifted up by the funky sounds of the Power U Band and the beats of DJ Doormouse and DJ Madame Turk, people danced into the night. "We can't spend all of our time in meetings or actions, some things we need to work out on the dance floors. Our movement needs to be grounded in the cultures we come from," said Gihan Perera of the Miami Workers Center.

While RTTC delegates were debating strategy and movement building outside the mayors' conference LeKedra Robertson was inside lobbying mayors to divest from corporations found to be profiteering from Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. She spoke with:

* Mayor Fenty's office from DC: Rebecca Thompson & Eric Jones
* L. Douglas Wilder: Mayor of Richmond
* Samuel S. Brown: Mayor of Lauderdale Lakes, FL
* Kwame Kilpatrick: Mayor of Detroit

Several Mayors from the Carribean:

* Muscadin Jean-Yves Jason: Municipal de Porta-au-Prince
* Murcison Brwon: Port of Spain
* Desmond Anthon McKenzie: Mayor of Kingston & St. Andrew
* Simeon Lopez: City of Belmopan

According to Le'Kedra "Everyone was receptive of information. Having the Carribean a part of the solidarity is important as Carnival Cruise is one of the companies we are focusing on."

As Sunday wrapped up and delegates carried their bags to airport shuttles many stopped to say goodbye to each other, tired but smiling. In the end, a fabulous fiesta for self-congratulating politicians was marked by public scrutiny. As it should be. The Right to the City Alliance is joining a global movement to bring the public back into politics. This is a movement that takes aim at gentrification and the global role of cities, grasps the tools of human rights and democracy, and rests on the foundation of resident and community power. We are blending the best of mobilizations and direct actions with community-based power building and long-term campaigns for change.

This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for anniversary activities for Hurricane Katrina and the U.S. Conference of Mayors 2009.
_______________________________________________________

SHOUT OUT!

Organizations from across the county mobilized to the March on the Mayors. Together we started building a national urban movement. A big shout out and much love for the organizations listed below.

* Boston/Providence - RTTC:
Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) - http://www.ace-ej.org/
City Life/Vida Urbana - http://clvu.mayfirst.org/
Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE) - http://www.daretowin.org/
Olneyville Neighborhood Association

* Bay Area - RTTC:
DataCenter - http://www.datacenter.org/
Just Cause Oakland - http://www.justcauseoakland.org/
People Organized to Demand Environmental Rights (PODER) - http://www.podersf.org/
People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) - http://peopleorganized.org/
South of Market Community Action Network - http://www.somcan.org/
St. Peter's Housing Committee - http://www.comitedevivienda.org/

* DC Metro - RTTC:
Advancement Project - http://www.advanceproj.org/
ONE DC - http://www.onedconline.org/
Tenants and Workers United - http://www.tenantsworkers.org/

* Los Angeles - RTTC
Korean Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) - http://www.kiwa.org/
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) - http://www.saje.net

* Miami - RTTC:
Florida Legal Services - http://www.floridalegal.org/miami.htm
Miami Workers Center - http://www.miamiworkerscenter.org
Power U Center - http://www.poweru.org
South Florida Jobs with Justice - Vecinos Unidos - http://www.sfjwj.org/

* New Orleans - RTTC:
Dirty Dozen
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) - http://www.fflic.org/
Safe Streets/Strong Communities - http://www.safestreetsnola.org

* New York City - RTTC:
CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities Center for Social Inclusion - http://www.caaav.org/
Community Voices Heard - http://www.cvhaction.org/
FIERCE! - http://www.fiercenyc.org/
Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) - http://www.furee.org/
Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) - http://www.goles.org/
Make the Road NY - http://www.maketheroad.org/
Mothers on the Move - http://www.mothersonthemove.org/
NYC Aids Housing Network - http://www.nycahn.org/
Picture the Homeless - http://www.picturethehomeless.org/
WeACT! - http://www.weact.org/

* Local and National Allies:
Coalition to Protect Public Housing - http://www.limits.com/cpph/
Southside Together Organizing for Power - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/81698
Grassroots Global Justice - http://www.ggjalliance.org
Jobs With Justice National - http://www.jwj.org/
Coalition of Immokalee Workers - http://www.ciw-online.org
RISEP - http://www.risep-fiu.org
Take Back the Land - http://www.takebacktheland.net/
FANM - http://www.fanm.org
Miami Dade Green Party - http://www.miamidadegreenparty.org
Florida Immigrant Coalition - http://www.floridaimmigrant.org
Miami For Peace - http://www.miamiforpeace.net/
Interfaith Action of SW Florida - http://www.interfaithact.org
Clean Water Action - http://www.cleanwateraction.org/
We Count - http://www.we-count.org/
Code Pink - http://www.codepink4peace.org/

add your comments