A different kind of election season statement in Grand Rapids

On Tuesday, October 29th, five community-based groups gave statements during a Press Conference about the vitally important work of social movements.

The common theme from all five groups was that regardless of the outcome of the November 5th Election, they will all continue to work on the  issues that they are currently working on – tenants rights and housing justice, immigrant justice, exposing and opposing police and state violence, and ending the current Israeli genocide and ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

Regardless if the Republicans or the Democrats sit in the White House or control Congress, the movement work that these groups are engaged in will continue, since both major political parties in the US have demonstrated for decades that they do not listen to affected communities on these issue, plus they have not delivered on meaningful policies to further fundamental social change.

These 5 groups will not be telling people how to vote or who to vote for. However, they will be telling people that the issues that they work on will not be part of the platform or policy work that either party will commit to working on in the future.

“Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.”  Assata Shakur

Movimiento Cosecha GR

The recent presidential debate was a race to the bottom on who could dehumanize immigrants more, and frankly, it made us sick. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are just two sides of the same capitalist coin.

Movimiento Cosecha refuses to live in the shadows, not ever, and especially not now. Our labor sustains this country, and despite all forms of racialized oppression and violence, we have built strong communities that we will continue to protect. We know that politicians will never do the right thing for immigrants without a show of our strength. 

Join our movement for immigrant rights or any movement. Don’t get distracted.

Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union (GRATU)

Housing has never been a human right that was guaranteed, even since this country was founded. Property ownership has historically benefited and been controlled by white people, especially white members of the Capitalist Class.

Housing insecurity, which includes the unhoused, those that rent and those that have a mortgage, impacts millions of people in this country and thousands of people in Grand Rapids.

The Housing Crisis in Grand Rapids has been a crisis since the federal government decided to bailout Wall Street instead of working class families in 2008. 

Every week we hear from people who are dealing with landlords or Property Management Companies that prioritize making profits over providing people with a safe, healthy and affordable place to live. 

Local, State and Federal government policies regarding housing have done very little to address the current housing crisis, whether we are talking about people being able to own a house, people being able to afford the cost of rent, or adequate temporary housing options for people who are unhoused or those facing eviction. 

The Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union believes that whoever wins the election in November, it will not fundamentally alter the current housing crisis.

GRATU believes that the best way to work towards housing justice is to build tenant power, to challenge and confront Landlords and Property Management Companies that exploit tenants by charging increased rental rates, continue to not make repairs in a timely fashion, fail to maintain the property where tenants live and by constantly threatening tenants with eviction.

GRATU believes that tenant solidarity and tenant power means we can collectively work towards housing justice, that we can demand rent control, that we can make it difficult for Landlords/Property Management Companies to threaten tenants and to work towards a model of social housing. 

It has been the experience of the volunteer organizers with GRATU that we collectively make the changes needed to win housing justice and that both Republicans and Democrats do very little to move our community towards housing justice. Republicans and Democrats prioritize US military spending or funding for police and prisons over guaranteeing that everyone has a descent place to live.

We believe that tenant unions and social movements will move us towards housing justice or any other type of justice, indeed, that has always been the case throughout the history of this country.

Grand Rapids Pullover Prevention (GRPOP)

As organizers, our work isn’t defined by election cycles. Regardless of who holds office, these systems that often fail to protect us will still be in place. That’s why community care is our responsibility—because we know that we keep us safe. Through the power of solidarity, we come together voluntarily, sharing resources and supporting each other without relying on institutions that weren’t built for our safety. The Grand Rapids Pullover Prevention group stands for direct action and collective care. We operate on the belief that when we pool our skills, time, and energy, we can meet the real needs of our community. Our mission is clear: to prevent police violence and create networks of care based on reciprocity and mutual support. Together, we continue this work because solidarity keeps us safe.

Grand Rapids Alliance Against Political Repression

We are a chapter of a national organization, who’s ultimate goal is to achieve Community Control of Police within our respective cities. The Chicago chapter, for example, has made impressive strides, and their city will vote on a final referendum this year. Their successful strategy is what we hope to replicate locally, here in Grand Rapids.

Our organization also works directly with families and individuals impacted by police violence. Spreading their stories, organizing events and action, and educating the community. 

After the recent killings of Patrick Lyoya, Samual Sterling, and Riley Doggett right here in Grand Rapids, there has been no concrete action to achieve accountability for Local Police or justice for their families. Over two years ago, Patrick Lyoya was killed by GRPD officer Christopher Schurr, he has still yet to go to trial. All the elected officials have to offer us is words, apologies, and continuous delays. 

African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asians continue to be oppressed and targeted by police. African Americans continue to be murdered at the hands of police at much higher rates than any other group in this country. 

In the wake of the George Floyd rebellion, Democratic candidate Joe Biden ran on promises of real change, with the proposed George Floyd Bill. Yet all we’ve seen in the last for years of his “Leadership” is the continued increase in police budgets nationwide, and a record number of people killed by the police each consecutive year. 

No matter who is elected next month, we will not stop organizing, we will not stop pushing for meaningful change in Grand Rapids. We want Justice for Patrick, Justice for Samual, and Justice for Riley. Community Control of the Police now!

Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids

Over the past year, Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids has been building the movement for Palestinian liberation here in west Michigan. We recognize that our government is complicit in genocide and crimes against humanity toward the Palestinian people. The theft of land, resources, and sovereignty must come to an end. 

We call for the total liberation of the Palestinian people from violent occupation and US interventionism. We believe on-the-ground organizing, people power, and mass democratic movements are essential components in resisting US imperialism. What is happening globally is a reflection of what is happening locally, and vice versa. Creating safety in our communities means training new organizers to get involved in the struggle. 

Over the past year, Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids has provided an outlet for hundreds of people, including young children and elders, to enter into the fight against Imperialism through educational events, protests, and direct actions. Just as freedom for Palestinians is inevitable, so, too, is the freedom of all oppressed nations in the United States. 

While the international element of global imperialism is obvious, there are deeply rooted connections that we must attack here at home. The so called conflict between Israel and Palestine is a testing ground for repression. Our hard earned tax dollars are being funneled by our elected officials into the hands of a white supremacist regime in order to manufacture conflict against a captive population that has been actively oppressed for generations. We’ve seen this same script play out in the US over and over again: the “manifest destiny” that led to the indigenous genocide on turtle island is the same script being used against Gaza and the West Bank. It’s the same violence that is perpetrated against black communities here in west Michigan. 

With the exponential rise in cop cities around the country, we’ll see the increased reciprocity between the violent and inhumane Israeli occupying forces and militarized police here in the US. We will see an increase in repressive and violent tactics used by the state against our loved ones, regardless of who wins in November. 

It is our responsibility to mobilize and put pressure on every point possible, from our elected officials to the flow of capital in the US war industry, to create liberation for everyone. Everyone deserves safety and self determination, whether it’s from the river to the sea or from lakeshore to lakeshore. Now is the time to join your community in the streets and at the doors of war profiteers. We will not be complicit in the dehumanization and escalation of violence against our loved ones.