Dear friends,
This might be wordy for some, my hope is to begin thinking about how we will succeed in Walkers recall. If you make it to the end there is a true victory story here.
Yesterday was a big day, we learned a lot the energy of recalls. Before I get into everyone else's spin on what happened I want to share a part of my experience. My daughter Favian and a new friend Satiya had agreed to join me on a journey to Darling's district. We made signs that said 'join the parade to the polls' and 'vote today for Pasch' and we made a yellow bus that said 'parade to the polls' at the top, Below the windows it said 'freedom bus'. Below that was a 'billboard, like you see on the sides of buses, it said:
*2012 no more state homestead credit
*2012 no more state earned income tax credit
*2011 decreased funding for our schools
*2011 increased funding for corporations
The emphasis was on the financial impact to low income families, through our earlier 'get out the vote' efforts (GOTV) we found that could get folks who initially claimed to have no time to discuss the campaign immediately to switch gears when we mentioned they would not be receiving their tax credit next time. For me, I knew that tax credit was the 'boon of the year' for many young families. Families would wait to buy tires for their car, or be able to pay a deposit on an apartment so they could move out of grandma's...This was the issue that could raise momentum for our movement. We set out to go into communities and gather folks to 'parade to the polls' . We brought our shakers and rattles, strollers and a megaphone. We were gonna start a 'street theatre like' parade. We did some research and decided to go the the low income housing projects in Darling's district. When we arrived we discovered there were no places designed into the complex that supported community. There were no 'green spaces for people to hang out in, no playgrounds for children. Each apartment was surrounded by a thin strip of grass -just big enough to pass in, not large enough to commune around picnic tables. Each apartment had a small porch, big enough for 2 or 3 chairs. We came upon 3 adults that utilized their secluded porch, they weren't going to the polls. They had no hope in the government. It was hard for these 3 black people to admit their disappointment in Obama but that came out. It was obvious to us that we weren't going to accomplish our mission of starting a parade to the polls, not on a whim.
We decided that we should take our street theatre to the polling place but we hadn't noticed where the polling place was (even though we looked for it) and the folks on the porch didn't know where to go either. They said it had been at the school but it was moved. So we headed over to the nearest library which was about a mile away. The librarian didn't know where it was either but she helped us figure out where to vote. We used our GPS but it kept changing and telling us to go in different directions(weird, was this by design or solar flares or what?). After going up and down a busy commercial street we finally discovered it. Not because of the polling signs out in front but because we were looking for the 'police academy', a very large building sitting up on a hill with a squad car in front. We parked and walked to the front where we could see the polling sign, it read 'Attention voters' the writing was white on a red background and was hard to read. The next line down was a white background with red letters that was easy to read the words 'enter here' This was a low profile sign set next to the driveway. There was another sign that was easier to read and stood taller that stated which wards it was for. The problem was that the folks who were driving on this 40 mph road, where cars were speeding down the hill after they got over the bridge, was parallel to the road, you couldn't read it unless you were turning into the driveway. The voter suppression in this primarily black neighborhood was truly sickening. The signage was awful but what was even worse was that in a state where blacks have the highest rate of arrest in the nation the polling place took place in a police academy. With police squads coming in and out it was intimidating for anyone much less for a population that has been historically unfairly arrested. Then, if you drove in you had to go through a high fenced in area to park, which a local said was where they keep impounded cars. This place truly repelled citizens. We placed ourselves at a distance further than the 100 feet requirement in hopes to give drivers a chance to slow down and enter.
We placed 2 'freedom buses' further from us (one was a child's fold up bus that had 'freedom bus' on top and we hoped it would help slow down traffic a bit). We did get folks to slow down. It seemed that some were glad that we assisted them in their mission, like they were intending to vote and we reduced the confusion of where to go. Some clearly 'got it' and moved over from the far lane and turned in. I had to wonder how many were spontaneous, they knew they needed to vote and were taking the time spontaneously. I think we may have risen the number of accomplished votes by at least 2 dozen, maybe more, but that's just a guess. I wished that there were more folks out this day with signs that simply stated 'to the polls' with an arrow. I felt strongly that the huge GOTV push over the last 4 days could have put more effort into voting day strategies rather than making '4 passes' to each house in the district before election day. Both the unions and democrats need to open up a bit on their GOTV techniques to reflect the living, breathing, culture we live in today rather than be stuck on organizing techniques that were developed years ago. GOTV isn't just about raising awareness, its also about raising momentum on voting day that works. With megaphone in hand, getting the impassioned message out about 'taking back our state' 'do it for social justice'...we got a lot of 'solidarity fists' as folks either turned in or flew by. We extended the energy from the protests at the capitol to the voting day streets. Our culture loves 'street theatre', it can welcome others to participate. Anyone can google you tube and spend hours enjoying the magic of what others have done in cities and villages around the world to inspire communal action.
A young woman who was walking on the furthest side of the road responded to my request that she go into vote. She said she couldn't because she just got done with work and had to get her children. I told her that I would help her get her children across the busy street if she came back, she said she would get them and come back. I asked her if she could start a 'parade of people' from her neighborhood and bring them to the polls. She said she would try. After about an hour I began to wonder if she was really going to come back. Shortly after that there she was, pushing a stroller with her baby in it and her 3 year old in tow, along with her friend. She was smiling ear to ear stating 'I told you I would come back'! I laughed and thanked her for coming back to vote, and for bringing her friend too. We were so proud of ourselves! About a half hour later I saw her heading in the other direction when she was done voting. Since I had to get to my next polling place to observe the end of the day elections (that is another story of great importance, coming soon). I chased after her, running up the hill. I thanked her for doing the right thing. I asked her daughter if she was proud of her mama for voting, she hopped up and down and shared an enthusiastic yes! I asked her if she was going to vote when she grew up and she said she already does. I asked her how, she said she votes to go outside to play. Both her and her mama were fully participating in their life's journey. They were seeing what needed to get done and doing it. I was touched by this young family that was obviously poor for having the strength and wisdom to get involved in issues that effected their lives. I gave the little girl the 'freedom bus' and asked her to let her baby brother get in too. She said she would. I asked her where she was going to take her brother in the freedom bus, she said 'to vote'!
-OmaVic McMurray
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