MAY DAY SOS for our Country

Standing Strong

This Friday, May 1^st, (May Day) we have a chance to demonstrate powerful solidarity and organizing while taking action in the fight against the oligarchy, authoritarianism, and our unrepresentative government. With the background roar of the war of aggression with Iran and the massive security failure resulting in an assassination attempt of the Trump and his cabinet at the White House Correspondence Dinner it may have been hard to concentrate on anything else. But this Friday could mark an escalation in America’s economic protesting.

May Day Strong, as it’s being called, is led by multiple unions, DSA, and pro-democracy groups, and is calling for Americans to take off work, school, and refrain from shopping this Friday. We at DSOT are always supportive of these kinds of efforts because we think that the broad scale use of economic power to create leverage and build solidarity is an important and necessary tool for creating the change we need in this country. As we say each week, we need to make our “Representatives” and the oligarchs that control them listen to us in the only language they know: Money.

Think about how broken the political system is in America today. Right now we have an historically unpopular President and Congress, waging unpopular wars of aggression, while new employment falters, prices rise and wages stagnate. Healthcare, housing, and education are all unaffordable and getting worse, meanwhile our political elite, led by Trump, are proposing $1.5 Trillion for a war budget, and telling Americans we can’t afford to pay for childcare. Despite this worsening societal malaise, there seems to be a little attempt by the political class to change the decline of not just American Empire, but American Civil Society.

Moving from stagnation to revitalization takes organizing collective action that is both economic and political in nature. The building of this sort of cross sectoral coalition and the continued calling for economic action is an important process in the long road towards Americans seizing back control from a ruling Elite that has so massively misused the power bequeathed to them. The May Day Strong action is one such event. It builds upon the “No Kings” days of action, while also integrating economic elements from events like boycotts and DSOT.  

However, we know that no matter how successful this single day protest is, one day alone cannot create the change we so desperately need. May 1st is merely a steppingstone along the way, or perhaps a launching point for a new level of more sustained action. So, we hope that you join in for May Day strong, take off work take your kids out of school; join  one of the events or go marching, and of course, don't shop.  

And then, next Tuesday, and each one after, we need to join together in growing solidarity to make sure that the actions taken on Friday continue to ring out week after week, until we build into a crescendo on May 1st 2028 with a general strike and consumer strike. If we recognize our  power, and do the hard work of organizing, we can change the direction of this nation! So get out there, get active, and join together in growing solidarity. Don't shop this Friday, and don't shop on Tuesday!

#DSOT. #UPM