The day started
with a prayer vigil at 7 AM, as the freedom riders gathered with their friends
and supporters. The! group then marched from the Liberty Bell to Schmidt's
Brewery, an abandoned factory that is a symbol of the decay caused by our
changing economic conditions. At the Brewery, a panel of prominent allies
of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union served as judges in an economic human
rights tribunal. The crowd chanted "indict, indict, indict!" as
people fought through tears to give their testimonies of economic human
rights violations - being denied education, having their kids taken
from them, being homeless, being unable to find a job that pays a living
wage. After this powerful event, the freedom riders stepped onto the bus.
Later in the afternoon, the
bus! arrived in Boston Massachusetts, where it joined a rally at a lot in
the South End of Boston where neighbors were fighting for the lot
to fill the desperate need for affordable housing, in the face of Northeastern
University's efforts to buy the lot for student dorms. At the rally, they
were joined by many supporters, including Dottie Stevens of the Massachusetts
Welfare Rights Union (and first VP of the National Welfare Rights Union),
Ed Bruno of the Labor Party and State Representative Byron Rushing, among
others. SEIU Local 285 provided a space to camp for the night.
[Images: 1) Marching
for Economic Human Rights 2) On the Bus 3) Rep. Byron Rushing
and Dottie Stevens]
The day started
with a prayer vigil at 7 AM, as the freedom riders gathered with their friends
and supporters. The! group then marched from the Liberty Bell to Schmidt's
Brewery, an abandoned factory that is a symbol of the decay caused by our
changing economic conditions. At the Brewery, a panel of prominent allies
of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union served as judges in an economic human
rights tribunal. The crowd chanted "indict, indict, indict!" as
people fought through tears to give their testimonies of economic human
rights violations - being denied education, having 
their kids taken
from them, being homeless, being unable to find a job that pays a living
wage. After this powerful event, the freedom riders stepped onto the bus.
neighbors were fighting for the lot
to fill the desperate need for affordable housing, in the face of Northeastern
University's efforts to buy the lot for student dorms. At the rally, they
were joined by many supporters, including Dottie Stevens of the Massachusetts
Welfare Rights Union (and first VP of the National Welfare Rights Union),
Ed Bruno of the Labor Party and State Representative Byron Rushing, among
others. SEIU Local 285 provided a space to camp for the night.