Fight for your right
A diverse group celebrates May Day with a common connection of working class identity
Jered Fisher - jeredf@vg.pdx.edu
May 04, 2004
Union members, presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich and his supporters, anarchists and socialists gathered in the North Park Blocks to march through downtown Portland this Saturday in recognition of May Day, also known as the international workers holiday.
"May Day started out as the struggle for the eight hour day," Mark Downs, an International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 19 member, said.
The controversial theme of this year's march was the quickly approaching presidential election. Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich spoke at a planned stop in the march.
Some felt Kucinich's presence at the march was not fitting with the history of May Day. "We hate that a presidential candidate is here - we didn't come here for that," said Jane, a PSU student, "We are here because we care and want to show support [for workers rights]."
"Politicians have sold us working people out before," Dan Davis, a former PSU student and member of the Industrial Workers of the World, said. "His people hijacked a lot of other people's organizing for this event. This is May Day. I kinda feel like [Kucinich] should leave us alone." Davis said he supported a grassroots approach to political organizing.
Kucinich responded to criticism of his presence by saying he came from a labor background and has been a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees.
"My presence here today is in solidarity with...(Full Story)
A personal quest to promote the use of wind energy and hydrogen technology in the Great Lakes area of the United States. The Great Lakes area is in a unique position to become an energy exporting region through these and other renewable energy technologies. *Update 2014: Just do it everywhere - Dan*
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