May Day protest in St. Louis
Today, about 200 people gathered at Aloe Plaza in observance of May Day, International Workers’ Day and a nationwide boycott. Gatherers protested a wide range of issues, such as the war in Iran, data centers, actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the economy under the Trump Administration. The gathering’s picnic-like atmosphere seemed […] The post May Day protest in St. Louis appeared first on St. Louis American.
Black News 
Today, about 200 people gathered at Aloe Plaza in observance of May Day, International Workers’ Day and a nationwide boycott. Gatherers protested a wide range of issues, such as the war in Iran, data centers, actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the economy under the Trump Administration.
The gathering’s picnic-like atmosphere seemed to match the weather: cool, breezy and pleasant. Free food was served to the crowd. Young people with upturned red buckets roped around their necks drummed a beat in unison. Though the causes differed, a collective sense of solidarity was evident.
A little girl sat upon an adult’s shoulder holding a letter-sized sign that read: “We want pizza, not ICE!” Some signs stated: “Immigrant’s rights are Worker’s rights.” Others warned Trump to “Keep your hands off our unions.” Dozens adorned red T-shirts emblazoned with the words: “Power to the People” or “Workers not Billionaires.”
A woman, who sat next to the fourteen bronze statues directly across from Union Station, would only give her first name, “Wanda,” but she described herself as “a good, strong healthcare worker” before listing her concerns.
“I’m here in support of the working class, we’re being mistreated, mishandled,” Wanda said. “We need better wages. Prices at the store and at gas stations are sky-high. They’re cutting food stamps and other programs. How do they expect us to live?”
Her friend, Janice Jernigans, an elderly woman dressed head-to-toe in purple, including Prince’s “Purple Rain” earrings, said she was there for one main reason.
“I want to get rid of Donald Trump,” Jernigans said, holding up her black & white banner with an expletive aimed at the president. “I’m an ordinary person, here with ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things,”
Reportedly, the rally and march were organized by Missouri Workers Center and Party for Socialism and Liberation, but several other organizations such as Action St. Louis participated.
Terry Coats with the organization held a placard reading: “Hands Off STL,” which she said pertained to the State-appointed police board and their attempts to inflate police salaries at the taxpayer’s expense.
“It’s May Day and we’re not doing anything today in support of capitalism: no shopping and hopefully, the kids took off from school and came down here to get a little political education about what’s going on in our country,” Coats said.
The protestors took to the streets toward Energizer Park before marching in front of Maggie O’Brien’s Restaurant and Irish Pub, owned and operated by Edward McVey, one of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s appointments to the police board.
National Organizers of other May Day events say more than 500 labor unions, student groups, community organizations and other groups participated. The grievances nationwide and in St. Louis had one issue in common: The Trump administration’s policies — and what activists describe as a “billionaire takeover of government.”
A statement from the White House refuted that accusation saying that the Trump administration “has never wavered from standing up for American workers, from renegotiating broken trade deals to securing trillions in manufacturing investments to slashing taxes on overtime to securing our border. President Trump will always have the backs of American workers.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.
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