Movimiento Cosecha May Day action once again pressures State Legislators to win Driver’s Licenses, but with a new tactic

Yesterday, during their annual May Day action, about 100 Movimiento Cosecha organizers and supporters came to the Lansing State Capital to demand driver’s licenses.

People came from different parts of Michigan and arrived in Lansing around 11:00am. The Cosecha action began in front of the State Capital, with some announcements and to inform participants of what would be happening throughout the day. 

From the very beginning the energy was high, the banners and signs were plenty and the bi-lingual chants were passionate.

First, the roughly 100 participants marched down Michigan Street, passed the Lansing Police Station and around the roundabout. However, instead of just walking around the big traffic circle, those holding banners were strategically placed at all four exits of the roundabout, which prevented vehicles from entering. This allowed the rest of the marchers to take the streets for the next half hour, which included chants and caused traffic to back up, or in some cases, motorists just turned around and went in the opposite direction. Interestingly enough, the police didn’t even bother to show up and force the marchers off the street. 

Eventually, the Cosecha May Day action moved back towards the State Capital, where people re-grouped in front of the Capital steps. At this point several Cosecha organizers spoke about their work and the campaign to win driver’s licenses. Cosecha organizers then invited other organizations to speak about their work and the importance of building cross-movement solidarity, which was delightful to witness.

After about 30 minutes, Cosecha organizers then explained the next part of their May Day action, which was to go up to the 3rd floor about the same time that the Michigan State House of Representatives would be starting a session.

Participants then entered the State Capital one at a time, since the Capital Police require everyone to go through metal detectors. Once we were all in the rotunda area, people began walking up the steps to the 3rd floor where the State House session was about to start. 

The area outside of the State House chambers is not terribly spacious, but about 75 people were packed into that space, chanting and disrupting the proceedings. Members of the State House and some of their staffers had to weave through the crowd of Cosecha activists and supporters, while other politicians decided to take pictures of those protesting. 

All of this was very familiar, since Movimiento Cosecha has utilized very similar tactics in previous protests at the State Capital. What was noticeably different about yesterday’s action was what people were chanting. People were chanting the phrase, No Licencias, No voto!, meaning if you (elected state officials) don’t pass the driver’s licenses bill, we will not be voting for you! Movimiento Cosecha organizers had made up enough patches for everyone to pin on their shirts, with some in Spanish and others in English. In fact, one Cosecha organizer has shared with me that they will likely follow the model of the uncommitted vote in the upcoming August Primary Election, where people will withhold their vote for State Representatives if they do not pass the Driver’s Licenses bill. As a Cosecha organizer said, “we are leveraging out vote to make demands of politicians. If they want us to vote for them, then they need to give us what we have been demanding for years.”

After another 30-40 minutes those who came to the Cosecha May Day action then descended back down to the ground floor of the State Capital and went outside to share refreshments that had been prepared for them.

The 100 or so immigrant justice activists sat on the grass, shared food, shared laughter and shared affirmations about what the day had meant to them. A few Cosecha organizers then used their portable sound system to offer thanks and gratitude to those who came out to the annual May Day action and those who contributed in a myriad of ways. The Cosecha May Action 2024 action most definitely demonstrated the power of organized people and the hopefulness of constant struggle. Once again, I felt a sense of pride to be part of this movement.