GARY, INDIANA, October 29 — Today a multi-racial group of nearly 30 demonstrators gathered in downtown Gary, Indiana for the second week in a row to show solidarity with the growing Occupy movements that have been developing all over the world. In a city like Gary, that has suffered racist capitalist oppression and neglect for decades, such a turnout is definitely a step in the right direction.
Despite its political limitations, the Occupy movement has been useful because it allows workers to recognize their collective power. The crowd was multi-racial and included people of all ages. During both demonstrations, there were a number of younger activists involved, several of whom were experiencing their first exposure to working-class struggles. It was also encouraging that activists from other cities in Northwest Indiana attended the Gary rally, because racist stereotypes often keep workers away from Gary.
Several PL’ers and friends attended the rally. Our militant signs and chants were well received by the group and observers. After rallying near a major intersection for over an hour, the group held an assembly, discussing a practical political direction for the group and future actions. Several local reform groups were represented, but when the subject was broached the collective decided to remain separate from MoveOn, the national pro-Obama group and continue to host weekly demonstrations.
Although participation is limited so far with the Gary campaign, we can turn a bad thing into a good thing. For example, while the organizers of Occupy movements in big cities like New York and Chicago put forward goals like “Destroy Wall Street,” the workers coming to the Gary demonstration have a more tight-knit connection and can express more specific grievances against capitalism, such as lack of jobs or health care. This gives us the opportunity to struggle with them over the inherent flaws of capitalism on a useful one-to-one basis.
As with the rest of the Occupy movements, there is still much work to be done to pose a serious threat to capitalism, but with Occupy Gary we have the opportunity to build a base among some of the most exploited members of the working class.