Keep Fighting the Good (Oligarchy) Fight

I had the great pleasure of attending the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in Folsom, California on April 15. It’s taken me a couple of days to sit with the messages that were spoken before I felt ready to sit down and write about it. We are currently bombarded with so much chaos in the US right now (it literally changes day-to-day), that I needed time to sit with the experience and assimilate what I heard. What I have been left with is hope and deeper insight on the power we hold as citizens, but also the knowledge that now is the time for action and we have A LOT of work to do. No room for complacency, people.

The doors were scheduled to open at 3:30 pm, though I met a friend at 11am and we got in line, which by then had already started weaving around the corner. There was a very community-oriented vibe in the air and we were told that the line started to form at around 6am. Attendance was projected to be about 10,000, though more than 30,000 showed up, and once the event started, many more lined the streets outside to listen as the stadium was at full capacity. Prior to this event, 20,000 came to Salt Lake City, Utah and 12,000 to Nampa, Idaho (both extremely red states), which to me signifies that the country is way beyond fed up with Trump and his agenda, even for some of those who voted for him.

The day kicked off by music starting with Dogpatch, a female-led indie band with amazing harmonies, followed by The Philharmonik, who energized the crowd with some soulful funk. The first speaker was Jane Kim, the Director of the California division of the Working Families Party, who focused on concerns around the exorbitant cost of living in California. She was followed by Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Labor Federation who rallied the crowd with the question, “Which side are you on?” in reference to the song written by activist Florence Reece in 1931 and a nod to how the current climate is pushing the US back 100 years. After Ms. Gonzalez came Everette Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, who gave an impassioned speech about the lack of federal worker protections, calling out, “This is about every American. If they succeed in silencing us, what’s to stop them from silencing you next?”   

As excitement began to build in anticipation of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez coming to the stage, a small plane started circling over the stadium flying a banner with, “Folsom is Trump Country”. Needless to say, a surge of boos came from the crowd along with a wave of obscene finger gestures aimed up at the sky, myself included. As she took the stage, AOC rallied the crowd by addressing the banner, “I heard that someone started flying a plane with a banner that said, ‘Folsom is Trump Country’. It sure don’t look like it today. I don’t think this is Trump country, this is our country. Because we’re not afraid of them anymore, are we?” to thunderous cheers.

She went on to deliver a powerful message emphasizing unity, grassroots activism, and the need to resist authoritarianism. Her message was clear on the importance of community in combating corruption and urged individuals to stand up for one another, stating "If you are willing to fight for someone you don't know, you are welcome here."

After her inspiring speech, Sen. Bernie Sanders took the stage. His message was laser focused on the threat that oligarchy poses to American democracy and the well-being of working families. He criticized policies that favor the wealthy, such as tax breaks for billionaires and cuts to social programs like Social Security and Medicaid, calling for reforms on wealth tax, and the need for universal healthcare. He also spoke on how implementing stricter campaign finance laws would reduce corporate influence in politics. He did not single out Elon Musk and the Republicans, he also called out that the Democrats are also dominated by corporate interests. He emphasized this by saying, “Today we say loudly and clearly – and I think in saying this I speak for conservatives, progressives and moderates – the time is now to get rid of the disastrous Citizens United supreme court decision and move to public funding of elections.” and was met by a roaring sea of cheers.

As I previously stated, this event left me inspired and the community feeling in the crowd gave me an understanding of how many people in this country are willing to show up to demand change. But this can’t just be a one-off event, we need to keep going. We need to keep protesting, making calls and writing letters to our representatives. We need to continue to join together. I write this on April 19, as I prepare for the next ‘Hands Off’ protest today. I’ll be honest, I’m tired and would love to stay in my PJs, but what is happening in this country is so much bigger than me and I feel the call to action that can’t be ignored. As AOC said in her speech, “Miracles start with mustard seeds and that is what each and every one of you represent today. Small miracles of faith in ourselves, in each other and in the refusal to give up.” So in the wise words of the late civil rights activist Rep. John Lewis, let’s go “get in good trouble”.