News / Human Rights

Thousands rally across US for racial justice, better woking conditions

Saturday, 02 May 2015 6:29 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 02 May 2015 6:31 PM ]

Hundreds of activists march from the Port of Oakland as part of May Day protests in Oakland, California.

Americans have held demonstrations across the country to denounce police brutality and racial injustice as well as to demand better working conditions during the annual May Day rallies.

Thousands rallied in New York, chanting “disarm the NYPD” in the wake of the police killings of Freddie Gray in Baltimore and other black men around the country.

Protesters also called for a minimum wage hike to $15 and an end to tax loopholes for the wealthiest people in the United States.

“The thing about racial justice, and the reason that the movement has space for the fight for 15 [dollar minimum wage] and workplace issues is that we’re all people, and this is a people problem,” said Sabaah Jordan, a protest organizer.

“Black people are workers too, and the racism and injustice that we see in the police we have to deal with in the workplace too,” she said. “When we say ‘black lives matter’, we’re really addressing justice, not just with police.

“Racial exploitation is a critical issue, and confronting it is really creating a society for everyone. ‘Black lives matter’ is a sweeping statement.”

In Los Angeles, California, activists rallied against recent police killings and campaigned for immigrant rights.

Farther north in San Francisco and Oakland, hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against racism and bad working conditions in the country.

Hundreds of people also came out for marches in Philadelphia, Boston and Detroit, where organizers made diverse appeals for an end to water shutoffs, tax foreclosures and tax loopholes for the rich.

AHT/GJH

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