3rd Annual International Working Women’s Day Rally & March
Saturday, March 6 at 12 PM | Armstrong Park
Contact:New Orleans Peoples Assembly | [email protected]
Join the New Orleans People’s Assembly this Saturday, March 6 as the working women of New Orleans take to the streets to demand that the city:
(1) In the context of the work to abolish the police, we currently struggle for a community controlled civilian review board with TEETH (subpoena powers, investigative powers, and the power to bring criminal charges against police that terrorize and murder people and engage in all forms of acts of corruption). Rather than what we are demanding, the City of New Orleans is trying to slip in a Police Community Advisory Board (PCAB), but it has no teeth, and the Mayor has shared that this group has, quote: “The group does not have any decision-making authority, but will meet quarterly.” We don’t need play boards. We demand a community controlled civilian review board with TEETH.
(2) In the context of the work to end capitalist exploitation altogether, we currently struggle in the demand of increasing to a LIVING wage, which is not $7.25 NOR is it $15.00, which is an amount that was proposed nearly a decade ago. Yes, each and every raise can help workers, however, we know that a minimum wage, and wage increases are not the same as a LIVING wage that aligns with the ever increasing cost of LIVING. As long as the cost of living increases, the wages should increase!
(3) In the context of the work to reclaim the land and have healthy housing for all people, we currently engage in the struggle to demand a FULLY funded relocation for the Residents of Gordon Plaza, who live in the 2nd highest cancer causing neighborhood in the entire state of Louisiana. Once this FULLY funded relocation occurs, then the land can be remediated safely for it’s OVER 18 feet of toxic landfill status (with over 100 toxins, of which at least 49 are cancer causing) as a superfund site. This fully funded relocation must ensure full replacement compensation for their homes, and not devalued due to the the City of New Orleans building the homes on toxic soil. This fully funded relocation must include moving expenses and happen BEFORE any activity for construction or future projects in that area due to health concerns and people with current compromised immune systems – especially under COVID-19.
(4) In the context of the work to reclaim all of our resources back to serve life and people over profits, we struggle to demand that children and families are first, requiring us to FLIP THE BUDGET so that the city resources reflect children and families as a priority. The City of New Orleans currently spends 63% of cops, jails and reactive measures, and only 3% into children and families and a measly 1% into job development. Take a moment to IMAGINE the difference that could be made, if the budget were flipped, 63% of the budget were proactively invested in children and families. Instead of criminalizing Black children and families for what they don’t and don’t do, and the ways Black children and families act in the face of ever increasing exploitation and oppression, how about these dollars be proactively invested into the needs of Black families and children on the FRONT END???
(5) In the context of a toxic white power structure that perpetuates divisiveness of working class people, we will continue to demand that the City of New Orleans FINISH the job in the removal of ALL remaining symbols to the FALSE ideology of white “supremacy” in New Orleans including street names, school names, park/public property names and monuments. The City of New Orleans started with 17 monuments to the false ideology of white “supremacy”. The city was forced to take down 4. The people took down 3 on their own, and the courts removed 1 from its pedestal. 8 were removed from public view, and we have 9 more must go. Finish the job!
