Salt Lake MLK rally for a People’s Agenda
Salt Lake City, UT – 100 people protested against the outgoing Trump administration and rallied for a People's Agenda at the Wallace Federal Building in Salt Lake City on January 18. The protest started with chants by emcee and FRSO member Adrian Romero: “Hey hey, ho ho! These killer cops have got to go! Hey hey, ho ho! The whole damn systems got to go!” The event was hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Utah Against Police Brutality.
Jacarri Kelley-Brown, Black Lives Matter North speaker started with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr, “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”
Nick Godfrey from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke on the relationship between the labor movement and the Black Liberation struggle, stating, “When they attempt to bury the history of Martin Luther King as ‘the socialist,’ ‘the anti-imperialist,’ ‘the labor leader,’ they tell us which aspects are most important to uphold today. When they smear King as a communist, we learn there is no greater threat to their wealth and power.”
Godfrey continued “I believe King’s vision of an alliance between the labor movement and the movements for oppressed nations is crucial for us today. That’s why I’m a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.”
The People’s Agenda demands included:
-- End the war on the unsheltered – Guaranteed housing for all!
-- Community control of the police now! No more killer cops!
-- Stop the deportations!
-- No more concentration camps!
-- End the Muslim Ban!
-- Defend DACA! Defend TPS! Legalization for All!
-- Fight climate change through action now!
-- No new oil or fossil fuel pipelines! Respect Indigenous sovereignty!
-- Strengthen the social safety net for those most in need! No more bailouts for the rich!
-- We demand immediate economic relief for all workers impacted by the pandemic!
-- Student loan relief now!
-- We demand an end to the American Empire. No more wars! No more sanctions!