The D5 event was enthusiastic and well attended, with information tables, creative signs, puppets, music and theater. I'd say about 700 people met underneath the Hawthorne bridge to get acquainted and prepare the march to PSU.
Along the way there was a tug of war between the people and the wealthy at the Federal building, and at Hoffman Hall, wealthy men with cigars collected money and stuffed it into their pockets, dolling out pennies to the people.
At the Hall, various speakers addressed issues within the theme of Fair Trade.
Speakers at the Rally were: Lori Wallach (Global Trade Watch), Francisco Lopez (CAUSA Oregon), Barbara Byrd (Oregon Apollo Alliance), Brent Foster (Oregon Department of Justice), Ken Allen (Oregon AFSCME). The gathering was also entertained by musical acts Jim Page and Dr. Atomic's Medicine Show.
All praised the victory over the World Trade Organization (WTO)and the corporate Free Trade Agenda in Seattle in late 1999. But, Lori Wallach, Director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch division, went further, saying that stopping the WTO, in Seattle and other places, is only the first step. The next and most important step would be "to turn it around."
Many who attended this event were also in the streets of Seattle in late 1999, to participate in the global resistance to corporate hegemony of our trade policies. These policies subordinate labor and environmental regulations, as well as national sovereignty, to the avarice of international corporates whose only goal is to maximize profits. Many of these people are still working and organizing to insure that the people have an equal say in the disposition and application of labor and capital world wide.
A successful event topping off many months of planning by a wide range of 75 labor, environmental, faith, immigrant rights and community organizations.
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