West Philly Strike and Rally flyer.
In an effort to provide an opportunity for West Philly residents and businesses to protest the decisions by the current administration and to show solidarity with the general strike that is taking place across the country, a West Philadelphia Community Strike and Rally is being planned for Friday, Feb. 17.
Neighbors and businesses in West Philly will be gathering for a rally in Clark Park from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. the rally that will include interactive work by Theater of the Oppressed, puppets from Spiral Q, and a speaker from local activist organization West Philly Forward Together. Participating local businesses will be closing their doors from 12 – 2:00 p.m., if not for the entire day, according to event organizers, local activists Thomas Morello and Jessica St. Jacobs.
“Another aspect of this event’s purpose is in the location, as travel to Center City presents a barrier to some members of our community and does not highlight and empower our specific neighborhood as such,” Morello wrote in an e-mail.
“…this location for the general strike aims to welcome more fully those of us that have not historically been included in the political sphere. There will be space to express feelings about the current administration and celebrate the diversity in our community.”
Morello and St. Jacobs, along with activists Josh Zolten, Stephanie Barrele, and Ian Cohen, have done some canvassing on foot in the neighborhood to inform and invite local businesses to participate in the strike. They have also done outreach via online networks, as well as local radio.
The event has a Facebook page, so go there for more information and updates.
So far the following businesses have confirmed their participation and will be closed on Friday:
Vix Emporium (12-2 p.m.)
Firehouse Bicycles
Wolf Cycles
Snapdragon Flowers and Gifts
Zed’s Last Minute Gift Shop
The Satellite Cafe
The Nesting House
Tampopo
Honest Tom’s Taco Shop
February 16th, 2017 at 4:28 pm
Ho-hum. Another protest. Another strike. For those who can’t travel to Center City. Barriers it seems. Close the stores, go to the park. And the reason? “Protest the decisions by the current administration.” Which ones? Or is this just another whiny tantrum can’t believe Trump won? Some of us need to work and would rather contribute to society by working than milling around in the park with handmade signs. Maybe it’s time to become a professional “activist” so I can go around “activating” rather than work.
February 16th, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Oops. My bad. Should’ve looked more closely at flyer. “Not My President’s Day.” Really? Listen, I didn’t vote for Obama, didn’t care for many of his policies, but he was my president because I’m an American. Maybe it’s time for some people to go somewhere to get the president they want. Come to think of it there were plenty of people planning to go to Canada if Trump became president. Don’t think it happened. No ban? He won’t be the first president to ban people from certain countries. No wall? – there’a already one (or fence) which both Clinton and Obama supported. No DAPL? How many people even know what that is?
February 16th, 2017 at 6:34 pm
Cool story bro.
February 16th, 2017 at 10:30 pm
This seems like more party politics in disguise from the faux left. At least very bad at articulating a more inspiring vision than “some other politician besides Trump.” A genuine general strike would be a great thing, but would involve a level of unity and shared analysis going beyond the ranks of young white liberals and “anarchists.”
February 16th, 2017 at 11:16 pm
WP & Golden Monkey:. How’s the weather in Moscow comrades?
February 17th, 2017 at 8:57 am
Trump’s news conference yesterday (full transcript at NYT):
“I know you can say, oh, Obamacare. I mean, they fill up our alleys with people that you wonder how they get there, but they are not the Republican people our that representatives are representing. So we’ve begun preparing to repeal and replace Obamacare”
February 17th, 2017 at 10:12 am
@SB. No defense of Trump. I don’t have the time, interest, or patience to listen to news conferences. It’s just that at some point people need to settle in for 4 years of who knows what. The protesting, strutting, t-shirts, kneeling, lawn signs at some point become “sound and fury, signifying nothing.” We get it. Many people are not happy the queen wasn’t crowned. I have no idea how so many people can take off work or aren’t working to attend all these protests. Plus this protest lumps a bunch of disparate issues in one protest basket. Ban, wall, DAPL. How about marching for veteran care, against violence in the hood, against killing the unborn, against human trafficking? Now there’s some things that might get me out in the street. But in the end what we do day in and day out in how we love our neighbor will have a greater impact on society.
February 17th, 2017 at 10:45 am
@WP: By your logic, we all know that you think people should stop protesting Trump, so you can stop posting the same comment on every article about people protesting Trump. Thanks in advance.
February 17th, 2017 at 11:04 am
How’s the weather in Moscow? I wouldn’t know as I’m not Russian or traveling to Russia or currently in Russia.
It is ironic, however, that you bloviate continually about others making their voices heard. As a lifelong Republican who appreciates free speech, I don’t attempt to drown out others’ opinions with blather. On the other hand, you seem to have taken a page from the Stalinist playbook, where anything you disagree with becomes offensive and worthy of censure.
Hang in there snowflake.
February 17th, 2017 at 12:25 pm
@Hello! I could care less if people protest Trump. That’s their right as long as they don’t bother me, stop traffic, or riot (which we’ve seen). Do I think they are for the most part wasting their time? Yes! So, no I won’t stop. That’s my protest.
February 17th, 2017 at 1:10 pm
@WP: Saying that “at some point people need to settle in for 4 years of who knows what” in the context of a protest, along with your general sentiment that people are wasting their time protesting, sure sounds to me like you’re saying people should stop protesting.
Given your frequent comments complaining about protests, saying that you “could care less if people protest Trump” also rings as disingenuous.
You also seem to believe that these protests are rooted in an unwillingness to accept that Trump is the president, rather than in opposition to his specific policies, which is largely inaccurate.
February 17th, 2017 at 1:29 pm
@Hello! I think people should stop protesting because it’s not constructive and don’t care if they do because that is their righr. Nothing disingenuous about it. And if I read the flyer correctly it says “Not My President’s Day.” Here’s the rub. If he’s not your president why does anyone think he will listen to their protests. Doesn’t make sense. So they can protest for 4 more years and wait for another chance to protest at the ballot box. That’s what many did in voting for Trump. It was a protest.
February 17th, 2017 at 2:05 pm
@WP: “I think people should stop protesting because it’s not constructive ….”
My point is that these protests are at least as constructive as you constantly complaining about them on a neighborhood blog. So, if you think people should only raise complaints that are likely to produce results, you should stop, because of your complaining is not going to stop people from protesting.