March, 10 2015, 03:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Ricardo A. Ramírez (CPD), rramirez@populardemocracy.org, 202-905-1738
Jacob Swenson-Lengyel (NPA), jacob@npa-us.org, 312-316-3973
Katy Boswell, USAction, kboswell@usaction.org, 202-263-4532
We Rise: National Day of Action to Put People and Planet First
More than 20 events in 16 states including rallies and civil disobediences
WASHINGTON
Tired of politicians rigging the system on behalf of big corporations and the wealthy, families, workers and supporters are rising up across the country on Wednesday, March 11, to reclaim government and demand that elected officials put people and the planet before profits and polluters.
The We Rise National Day of Action will include more than 20 events in 16 states, where families will join with groups around the nation affiliated with National People's Action, Center for Popular Democracy, USAction, and other allied organizations. Families are taking to the streets, parks and state capitols and even engaging in civil disobedience to send a clear message: our statehouses and our cities belong to us. It's time for legislators to enact our bold agenda to put people and planet first.
Working families are under attack, and the story is best told by the nefarious, pro-special interest, anti-worker legislation being pushed at the state level, including:
- Illinois: $1.5b cut from Medicaid and other massive cuts to social services
- Maine: Slashing $690 million in state revenue
- Nevada & Kansas: Elimination of collective bargaining for public employees
- Iowa: Attack on voter rights
These are just a few examples of how lawmakers are exacerbating inequality, hurting low-income families and families of color, weakening our democracy, and putting the environment in peril. We Rise, on the other hand supports another way: A pro-family, pro-worker, environmentally-friendly agenda where our voices are heard over those of large interests: In West Virginia, our groups are supporting reform of the juvenile justice system; in Iowa, Maine, and Nevada, we're fighting to raise the minimum wage. And in Illinois, we're pushing for the closure of corporate tax loopholes.
Events on March 11 include the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois (Springfield), Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (Albany), Ohio, Pennsylvania (seven different events), West Virginia and Wisconsin. For full details, please write to rramirez@populardemocracy.org.
Follow us on social media: #WeRise
People's Action builds the power of poor and working people, in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue campaigns and elections.
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