Bushville Tent City in DC

The Poor People’s March for Economic Human Rights marched from Mississippi to Washington, DC and entered Washington DC on Saturday Aug 23. The march set up Bushville tent city and left one week later. During that time, the March set up a tent city two times, was stopped by police twice, joined the 40th anniversary of King’s “I Have Dream” speech, marched for housing rights and local housing issues, sponsored teach-ins and forums, lead a labor rights march, distributed food and provided medical outreach. Thanks to support by local hosts, Bushville was able to work from and sleep at St Stephens after Park Police closed down Bushville. Bushville brought poor people’s organizers from across the country to one place, helped local organizations make connections and speak out and continued the work of the poor people’s movement to end poverty. It was an exciting week, with rallies drawing several hundred protestors, 17 arrests on the first night of Bushville and an army of volunteers supplying food and water for the marchers and locals joining the event. Thanks to Bushville. The event sparked donations for t-shirts, media equipment and also lead to a feature story in the Washington Post for Friends and Residents, a local housing rights group. These sparks help in a major way to seeing demands met and improving the lives of the poor in Washington. Vist both Friends and Residents and KWRU websites for more information on the week.

http://friendsandresidents.org
http://kwru.org

POOR PEOPLE’S MARCH
AUG 26 (WASHINGTON DC)
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC), spearheaded by KWRU and hosted by local housing and poor people’s organizations, marched from the National Mall in DC to Freedom Plaza today to demand the right to housing. Today Bushville Tent City focused on local issues, from the closing of DC shelters to the planned demolition of Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg in SE. Backing local organizers was a united poor people’s movement, with poor people from California to Florida to New York joining the march. And although the theme of the day was local housing struggles, local organizers spoke loud and clear that what is going on in the District is going on all across America.

Friends and Residents is a poor people’s organization fighting the demolition of our neighborhood with will reduce affordable housing with the city. We are a resident-led organization with the immediate aim of saving our homes and the long-term of ending poverty by securing our economic human rights. A member of the PPEHRC, Friends and Residents helped host Bushville.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON CLOSURE OF TENT CITY
AUG 25 (WASHINGTON, DC)
On Monday August 25 organizers of Bushville in Washington DC held a press conference to demand that the Park Police allow Bushville to reconvene. Cheri Honkala, spokesperson for the March and Executive Director of KWRU, along with other PPERHC groups and local allies to the Campaign, cited concerns beyond the closing of the city. Specifically, the police did not merely arrest the protesters, but instead woke up protesters throughout the night with flashlights and high beams from squad cars. From midnight to 7:00 AM, protesters were harassed and kept awake. The police also removed and have not returned a 30 by 60 foot American flag and other protest equipment.

Friends and Residents, a local Campaign member organization that is helping host Bushville, participated in today's press conference. Debra Frazier, an organizer with Friends and Residents, spoke about the powerful role of the tent city in helping the public housing residents who make up Friends and Residents as they face removal from their homes. "It is outrageous that when our friends from KWRU and the Campaign come up to visit our city and to help us in our struggle that the police kick them out of our park to silence the united voice of the poor. But we're here to say no, they will not silence us here and they will not tear down our homes."

Despite the closing of Bushville, all planned events for the week will continue. This includes Tuesday's Right to Housing March. Meet at 7th and Madison on Tuesday August 26, 10:00 AM. http://friendsandresidents.org http://kwru.org


FIRST NIGHT OF TENT CITY
AUG 24 (WASHINGTON, DC)
The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC), spearheaded by the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (http://kwru.org) and hosted by local DC poor people's organizations including Friends and Residents (http://friendsandresidents.org), marched from Mississippi to Bushville Tent City in DC. Yesterday the marchers arrived in DC, joining the anniversary of the March on Washington and setting up Bushville in the place of Dr. King's Resurrection City 35 years ago. The Park Police threatened to arrest Bushville protesters, but as of 3:30 AM no arrests were made.

Despite a well-coordinated and early submission of permits by the PPERHC for Bushville, the Park Police refused to issue permits for the duration of the PPEHRC’s week-long nonviolent tent city to protest for an end to poverty. Instead the police issued a 13-hour permit, ending at 11:59 PM on the first night of Bushville. Park Police threatened arrests starting at the 11:59 deadline, claiming that the space needed to be cleared for an NFL event that is planned to start a week after the final day of Bushville.

Marchers from PPERHC groups from California to Florida to Ohio and Pennsylvania arrived and set up camp. Since the PPEHRC is made up of groups organizing the poor and led by the poor, marchers were from all ages, races, occupations and regions of America. Grandparents, parents and children set up the city together joined by labor and human rights allies of the Campaign. The camp included a Statue of Liberty, signs calling for an end to poverty and a 30 by 60 foot American flag.

Just before the 11:59 deadline, marchers formed hand-in-hand around the flag and sang together. Inside the ring of singing marchers, volunteers for civil disobedience quietly sat in the center of the flag – prepared to resist police efforts to silence the voices of the poor. Marchers continued to sing, but police had not yet arrived. Camera and video crews taped the marchers, framed by the large flag in the shadows of the Capitol and Washington Monument.

At about 12:30 Park Police drove to the protest sight. The marchers kept singing as the police entered Bushville. At first it was unclear if there would be immediate arrests. Meetings between Bushville organizers and the police were held. Police informed the organizers that arrests would occur only once the media had left the site. Thus beginning a three-hour standoff that continued until at least 3:30 AM. The police parked cars outside of the tent city, but entered the site every hour to wake up sleeping marchers with flashlights and high beams from squad cars. At 3:30 the police left the site, but organizers were unsure if the police planned to return.

Regardless of arrests, organizers plan to remain in Washington to hold events throughout the week.
Friends and Residents and other housing rights organizations in DC are organizing a Right to Housing March on Tuesday August 26. The march starts at 10:00 AM at the corner of 7th and Madison. For more information, visit http://friendsandresidents.org.

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