April 16, 2025 • 43 mins
Coachella Lite? "Berniechella"? In this week's capítulo of Locatora Radio, Diosa and Mala reflect on what they heard and saw at the recent Fighting Oligarchy rally hosted by Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and the California Working Families Party. Together, Diosa and Mala unpack the important themes that came up during each speech: people power, dismantling systems, building community, and class solidarity. In this episode you'll hear memorable comments made by speakers such as, Council member Ysabel Jurado, Council member Eunisses Hernandez, Congressman Maxwell Frost, Congresswoman AOC, and Senator Sanders.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:16):
On Saturday, April twelfth, twenty twenty five, Senator Bernie Sanders
and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortes held their Fighting Oligarchy Rally
in Los Angeles at Grand Park.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Senator Bernie Sanders has traveled all across the United States
to discuss how we move forward to take on the
oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and
influence in this country. By the way, I'm Viosa and.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I'm Mala, and you're listening to loc at Tho Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Today, we'll be breaking down what we heard and what
we saw at the Fighting Oligarchy Rally. Before we dive
into the coverage, let's define what an oligarchy is.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
An oligarchy is what happens when a small group of
people have a huge and unnecessary amount of control over
an entire country, organization, or institution.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Some past examples of that to kind of ground the
times that we're living in are one Elon Musk running Doge.
Billionaires were front row at Trump's inauguration this past January,
like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos and a couple others.
(01:35):
The further we get into lok Atra Radio, the more
we see the importance of recording moments, events, interviews as
part of this audio archive. I arrived to Clodia Molina
Grand Park, which is situated right next to City Hall
in downtown Los Angeles. This was also the very first
(01:56):
time that we applied for press passes. We've never done
that before. Anytime we've gone to cover something, it's very informal,
but this was the first time we went through the
process because we thought this is a historical moment and
it was. I arrived a little after eight am, and
at this time, reporters, journalists, news crews, and content creators
(02:17):
are setting up and around eight forty am the first
wave of people were let in. By ten am, the
park was pretty full, and by twelve pm there was
overflow into the steps of City Hall and the closed
streets surrounding the park.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
One of the first speakers at the Fighting Oligarchy rally
was council member isabel Hourado, who you might recognize as
having done an interview on Locatho radio before she won
her council seat. And Isabelle, along with other local organizers,
union reps, and elected officials, laid out the foundation for
the rally council Member Hourrado discussed how she didn't follow
(03:01):
the Democratic establishment's playbook because it wasn't designed for people
like me.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And I seem on small donor campaigns, and.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
She also highlighted the importance of grassroots organizing, how she
and her campaign knocked on over one hundred and twenty
thousand doors, ultimately resulting in an upset and a win
against a longtime incumbent.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Else because that's what the power of the community has.
It was so special to see council Member isab Huado
because we interviewed her, we saw the work that she
was doing, and she unseated a long time incumbent, someone
that has been an established elected official and was also
caught on the FED tapes in twenty twenty two. So
(03:47):
to see her as the opening speaker was so powerful.
And to know that she was a tenants rights lawyer
and she's for the people. She speaks like an everyday person,
which I think makes her so really and easy to
connect with, and that was just really great to see.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
How did the crowd respond.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
People were so engaged. There was a lot of clapping
and like call and response type moments.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And now as we continue to fight this federal and
administration who's throwing everything they can. Whether we're immigrants, we're clear,
we're trans because when they come after one of us,
they're coming after.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
All of us. And everyone was just like vibing, Yeah,
they were into it. It really felt like the folks
who were in attendance were very passionate about being there,
that there was a sense of urgency, a sense that
they need to get up and do something. And this
(04:47):
question of well what now Trump has been elected and
now what and it seemed to be the question motivating
a lot of folks and their presence there, and more
about that later. We do have some clips from the crowd.
As far as speakers, we also heard from council Member
Oenissas Hernandez, council member for District one and a council member.
(05:09):
Hernandez made a point of saying that if you think
you're not affected by California's progressivism, you're wrong.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
I love this city, I was born and raised in
this city, and I'm right Gala City every day.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
But if you think, but if you think.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Cala doesn't feel the impact with those policies because of
our soul called progressivism, I hate to break it to you.
Look around, Ask the person next to you if they
have a savings, Ask them if they're beret, a student debt,
Ask them if they can afford rent, if they have healthcare,
if they think they'll ever to be able to buy
a house in this city. This administration wants you to
(05:45):
believe that the reason you can't buy.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Councilmember Hernandez also talked about building new systems and cited
police budgets. Forty three percent of the La city budget
is spent on police funding and two times as much
on police uniforms and the entire Youth Development department. A
Council Member Hernandez also commented on Gaza.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Why is there always money to gone children in Gaza
but not enough to make.
Speaker 6 (06:10):
Sure every kid has We don't have a budget crisis,
we have a crisis of our values, and if we're
serious about budding flascism, we have to dismantle the systems
out of holed it.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Because budgets are not neutral. Budgets are fludprints with the
world we are building, were stament of our values and
most importantly, it's your money. It's your money.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
So Councilmember Hernandez really touched on a lot of things
on the minds of Angelino's the budget, the police, debt,
rent health insurance, and Gaza.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, and I think that was really notable because they're
from what I've seen and what I've heard, one of
the biggest frustrations from at least the people that we're
in community with or that we know or that have
been critical the Democratic Party have been talking about their
lack of response or their lack of pressure when it
(07:08):
comes to Gaza and the genocide in Palestine, And so
I thought council member Unisa said an one this calling
this out at the very beginning was really important because
even if maybe more established Dems aren't talking about it, like,
there's clearly some that are, and there's elected officials that
are doing it, and they're taking into account like the
(07:29):
issues that are important to their constituents.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
And I think at this point it's there's an expectation,
you know, that someone in a position of power like
a city council person, make their stance on Gaza known.
And if you're not talking about it, it's not it's
not really an option anymore not to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
It's like if you're not about it, it's it's like
a litmus test for people now and I get it,
and I get it, and so I thought it was
really important that she brought that up pretty early on.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, and it's a really setting the tone I think
of this rally and what it's about. I think that
folks were really going there so to speak. When it
came to the speakers and the folks in the crowd
and the reasons why they were there, I think they
were looking for that.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Absolutely. There was also a Congress member that was in
participation that was actually from Florida, and he is first
gen Z member of Congress and he represents Florida's tenth district.
And this was my first time hearing him speak and
hearing what he was about. And something that I really
I jotted down when he was speaking was he said,
(08:34):
solidary without action is just sympathy.
Speaker 6 (08:37):
And my friends, I'm here today's to say solidarity without action.
It's just sympathy. Solidarity for our movement, for everybody here
and across the country has to be a.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Word and freaking of that word.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Today we have many organizations.
Speaker 6 (08:55):
Failing to make sure.
Speaker 7 (08:57):
You don't we speak with him, don't let your solid leave.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
It's smart without.
Speaker 8 (09:01):
Signing up to do the next thing? Can you do
that now?
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Sampless, and he encouraged everyone to not leave the park
without signing up to do the next thing. In addition
to speakers, there were also vendors. There were also organizations
tabling so that you could do the next thing. And
I thought that that was a really important statement because
so many people are asking that question, what now? And
(09:26):
this event is just one thing that you can participate in,
but there's still so much more to do.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
It's a rally like this is I think meant to
like energize people who already are feeling anxious and who
already want to move on this and to make a difference.
And it's about pumping people up and propelling them forward
into action. This is not necessarily the action itself, absolutely,
you know it is. It's a rally, just like it
(09:52):
sounds like it's like a big pep talk. Yes, you know,
like now go out and do it. We'll be right
back after this break.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
And we're back. We want to recognize that there were
union members and leaders that were prominently represented at this rally.
Some included Local seven to four ilwu Utla, and I
also thought this was such an important factor because it
was showing us the class solidarity and really how important
(10:26):
unions are and that the Democratic Party was at one
point the working Class Party, and unions were so have
so much power and have historically had a lot of
people power. And so I thought that that was like
really important and like very strategic. Like I saw it.
I was like, I see what we're doing here.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
One, I mean, the Working Families Party was heavily involved
in this event, was one of the organizers of the event,
and so it makes sense. Folks are there about very
like concrete issues, you know, working labor, our ability to
(11:05):
support ourselves and to live. I mean, it's pretty basic stuff,
but basic needs. It's basic needs, but it's become so
difficult to achieve those to make sure you're covered in
those basic areas, and it shouldn't be that way. And
I really felt that that energy in the crowd, you know,
we're just fighting. We're fighting for our lives here.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Like figuratively and literally fighting for our lives right now. Yeah,
and notably, this is also this past weekend and this
coming weekend is Coachella weekend.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yes it is, And that also kind.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Of felt like a backdrop of what was happening, and
that even the type of event this was because various
musicians performed at the rally, and I'm not gonna lie,
it kind of felt like Coachella light sure, but for politics.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Yeah, it's political.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
It's a political Coachella. And there were many performers. So
I want to name the performers that were there. Started
with a gospel choir called Rai's Gospel. The Red Pairs
Jeff Ross and Stock Indigo, This SUSA, Dirty Projectors, Joan Bias,
Maggie Rogers, and Neil Young all performed heavy hitters. Yeah,
(12:16):
lots of representation here. And Joan Bias made this comment
that she thought this was like a meaningful woodstock. That
was the energy that she was feeling, like say, my mom.
Speaker 7 (12:33):
Was.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
And so I loved that example because for me and
of course my age and my like cultural nuance is
going to be Coachella, But for someone like Joan Bias,
it was like, no, it was like this is the
woodstock for us.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I love that for the activists, woodstock for activists and
for just regular people and families, Like there were children there.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
There were children there, people of all ages. Yeah, and
people of all abilities. What's something that I thought was,
I haven't been to a rally like this in a
long time, and I think going as quote press also
gave me access to see things that I may not
have been able to see if I was in the crowd.
And one of the things was very early on there
were folks of all abilities that arrived, and if you
(13:18):
were disabled or needed special accommodations, you had your own entrance,
and there was also seating and there was shade, and
I thought that that was I hadn't seen that before
at a rally, at an event like this. That's not
to say that it doesn't happen or that organizers don't
do that, but it was my first time seeing that,
and I thought that that was really important too, to
really let everyone be involved and invite everyone in and
(13:42):
just so like y'all can like maybe get more of
an insight into the energy. Is that I saw people
climbing over barricades to get closer, and I saw a
handful of people climbing a slide on the children's playground
to get a better view of the stage. And before
the quote political headliners arrived to the stage or entered
(14:04):
the stage, there was musical headliner Neil Young, and he
was singing take America Back, and people were chanting take
America Back Come, which big question mark because what does
(14:33):
that mean? Sure, of course, of course, right, but I
see what they were doing.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Yeah, you know, this, of course is a you know,
it's the Dems. Yes, it's USA. It's literally USA, It's USA,
and so we we understand that too. And I do
think that it's pretty incredible. Like the way that they
even named this rally like fighting oligarchy. I haven't heard
(14:58):
such a straight up yeah like rally title like that.
I feel like usually rallies in protests unless it's like
issue specific, right, like this is an immigration rally, this
is about Gaza, this is about Palestine, this is about
sexual violence, this is about abortion, like issue specific, but
this is really specifically naming the enemy, so to speak, right,
(15:20):
and fighting fighting back and naming the enemy and oligarchy,
like putting that out there. Yeah, it's pretty incredible, it is.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Because that is not a word that I really use
in my day to day life. I understand what oligarchy
is as a concept, and I can see how we
are becoming or already are an oligarchy, but it's not
a word that I generally use. So I feel like,
to your point, part of that is putting it in
the ether and putting it in everyday conversation so that
(15:50):
people understand what an oligarchy is.
Speaker 6 (15:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
I was even like news coverage, right, like broadcast news
coverage to cover the rally. Now they have reporters anchors
on air saying fighting oligarchy, right, even just saying it
on air, just reporting on it. Now everyone's hearing it. Yeah,
And I think it's really clever. It's very strategic. It's
(16:16):
smart the naming of the rally because it's like we're
putting the notion into people's ears. We're fighting and it's
an oligarchy. I don't know, there was just something when
I saw that on the news after having been there,
and then I saw this coverage Sunday the next day,
it just was like it just really stood out to me.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Yeah, you know, that's a really good point, because, yeah,
I'd like, how what better way to mobilize people than
to really like get to the core of like class struggle. Yes,
you know, I think a lot of what I heard
on Saturday was like, how is it beer trying to
divide us by race, by gender, by ethnicity, by our
(16:57):
political differences. But we're like all struggling and we're all
in this like class struggle, and that's what unites us.
And so I think like that's part of the strategy, right,
like you mentioned, is like we're going to mobilize everyone
because we all have like one quote enemy and it's
the oligarchy, it's the billionaires.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Yeah, instead of a sort of a basic like, oh,
rally for hope, rally for change, yeah, you know, which
is I think what we've heard from the Dems. Yeah,
for the past I don't know how many decades forever,
I think it's been very lukewarm. It's been very tepid,
very timid.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Even it's been timid, and I think that's been one
of the biggest critiques is like do more.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, like do something?
Speaker 6 (17:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
So this feels like a shift.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
It does.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
It's a language shift and an energy shift, and I
think maybe a strategy shift. And they're they're really going
for it. So I hope that continues, and I hope
that the people yeah follow suit, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
And I think that but that is what I'm hopeful about,
is that you know, AOC and Bernie are not our representatives, right,
but the changes that they are trying to make. What
I'm hopeful for is like, now all the people that
heard this, Yeah, because there was a live stream also
and you can go back and watch it on the website,
(18:19):
on YouTube. There's multiple news outlets that were streaming it completely.
So regardless of where you are, I feel like this
is now a model that you can take and like
actually make your representative and hold them accountable, put them,
take them to task, and have them like do the
things that you want them to do in the way
that AOC and Bernie Sanders are asking.
Speaker 6 (18:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Now.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Of course, the fighting Oligarchy tour has not been without
its critiques. You know, there are folks of course, who
I mean. I think there's always going to be a
sort of school of thought that politicians are not can't
save us, and so anything that's coming from the Dems
at all is going to have is going to be
(19:04):
tainted in that way or is never going to be enough,
or it's never going to be the full breath of
what we need to establish a democracy. Truly, but I
think that if they're not doing this, then what are
they doing.
Speaker 6 (19:20):
Don't go away. We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
And we are back. So let's talk about the main
the headliners, if you will.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Yeah, the main event, the main event. Well, of course,
shout out to Congresswomen AOC. AOC was elected in twenty eighteen,
sworn into office in twenty nineteen, and represents New York's
fourteenth district. I can't believe it's been so long since
she got elected, I know. I mean her election was
like a big deal and it was top of mind,
(19:54):
and it was huge, and it's and here we are.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
You know.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yeah, she was a I feel like, one of the
first wave of young progressive women that ran for office
and didn't take corporate donors and ran a completely grassroots
campaign and then became part of the squad which includes
like other progressive representatives as well. And so yeah, she
(20:20):
has been I mean now she's been doing it for many.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Years or many years. She's not new anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
With lots of critique, oh yeah, lots of lots of
people have their issues.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Oh yeah, if you know, oh yeah, and it's the
critiques on AOC have range the type of range we
would expect for women in the public eye. So everything
from her policy and her work and what she's talking
about and what she's trying to get done in office.
Her politics. Of course there's critiques on her politics, but
(20:53):
then on the other side, there's always been like real
nasty critiques on her appearance.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Her appearance, she's been the center of a lot of misogyny,
deep fake images. She's gone through a lot of harassment
while being in office.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Yeah, and she's still fighting the fight. And when she
addressed the audience, she pointed out ways that LA has
been showing up in the fight against fascism, and she
used this example, do have power.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
In this moment?
Speaker 3 (21:24):
All of us do, and everyday people do. In fact,
you all showed that this week.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
LA.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
A few days ago, ice officials attempted to enter two
la USD schools to target kids. They lied to school
officials and claimed that they had parents permission to get
to these children when they didn't.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
But it wasn't just a lawyer or a.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Judge that said no. It started with everyday people, school
staff and employees who spoke up when I thought something
was off, And it was the teacher and principles that's
still strong and said no to protect their kids when.
Speaker 7 (22:13):
It could have been easier to say yes, have a fear.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
She gives various examples of the people groups who are
targeted under the Trump administration, and folks like Mahmood Khalil,
Palestinian activist who was detained in New York and sent
to a detention center in Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, and Macmood Khalil has gained national attention because he
was one of the leaders at Columbia University during the
Gaza pro Palestinian encampments, and he's a Green card holder
as well. So the fact that he was detained has
really scared people because if it can happen to a
(22:56):
legal resident quote unquote, then it can happen to really anyone.
So people have been following this case very closely, and she,
you know, called upon his name and called on a
lot of the folks that have also been affected because
of the Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
The Trump administration admits that they have thrown my Mood
in a cell thousands of miles away because he attended
a protest and are detaining him for the content of
his speech and nothing more. In fact, in fact, followed
Trump's detention of someone like ma Mood Caglio for his
(23:36):
speech is anti American and we demand his release, along
with the release of Rumesa Oster, who is also killing
for writing an off ed in her school payer.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Here at USC, a ton of student visas have been
denied for current students. So it's not good and they're
taking real steps to do real harm. So back to
the rally. AOC also went into a definition of oligarchy
and define that for the crowd.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Donald Trump is not an aberration. He is the logical,
inevitable conclusion of an American political system dominated by corporate
and dark money. We aren't here to defeat him, we
must defeat the system that created him. Money in politics
(24:40):
is the hands of oligarchy. Los Angeles, and we are
at a crossroads. We can either have extreme wealth inequality
with a toxic division and corruption that it requires to survive,
or we can have a fan economy that guarantees healthcare
(25:02):
to all for working people, along with the democracy and
freedoms that uphold it. Oligarchy or democracy, but we cannot
have both, Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Additionally, AOC discusses the importance of voting at every level
and supporting democrats who actually fight.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I want you to.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Look at every level of office around and support Democrats
who actually fight, because those are the ones who can
actually defeat Republicans. Some folks, you know what that means.
We have to start working now to give David Valadeo,
(25:50):
young Kin, and Ken Calvert the boot and replace them
with a grallowing democrat you will stand for the working
people of California.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
And I think going back to the critique that's been
the biggest critique that we've seen about this rally and
this tour that Bernie Sanders and AOC have been on,
that it's just funneling frustrated people back into the democratic establishment,
back into the machine, and not enough is being said
about dismantling it. And so when she talked about voting,
(26:24):
I just kind of had my ear perked and I
was like, Okay, let's see where this goes. And then
she said this.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
But beyond elections, LA, our task is to build community
block associations, volunteer groups, church organizations, ptas, activist organizations, because
community is the most powerful building block. We have to
(26:52):
defeat authoritarianism and root out corruption. This is the path
to guarantee health care to every American, to establish a
living minimum wage, to take on skyrocketing rents and mortgages
to tackle the climate crisis and establish a country where
(27:13):
the American dream is actually possible for all of us.
I hope you see that this movement is not about
partisan label or purity tests, but it's about class solidarity.
(27:35):
It is about the thousands of you who came out
here today to stand together and say, our lives deserve
dignity and our work deserves respect, no matter who we are.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
So then came the point in the rally where AOC
introduced Senator Bernie Sanders.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Thank you so much, Los Angeles. And it is my
harm here today to introduce someone who has dedicated his
life to bringing us together. So let's get loud and
let's be grateful because Senator Bernie Sanders.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
And you could literally feel and hear the electricity coursing
through the crowd.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
AA to the.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
PA PA, the gospel choir saying power to the people,
and Senator Sanders cross the stage wearing an LA hat.
(28:52):
By the way, as soon as he starts speaking, the
crowd begins to chant, there are.
Speaker 7 (28:58):
People are half a bottle. Let me.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
No, it's not burning, it is you.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Senator Sanders makes this really beautiful statement about joy, and
I thought that that was also really central to the event.
Speaker 7 (29:29):
And you know why we had all of these great
decisions here that it's not just to entertain you. It's
more than that. We're gonna make our revolution with joy.
Where gonna sing and dance our way to victory against hatred.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
And the visitors.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Before Senator Sanders gets into his speech, he acknowledges everyone
who participated, from the musicians to the elected officials, to
the labor unions, let me thank.
Speaker 7 (30:08):
Our brothers and sisters in the trade union movement for
being here. Let me thank you night here layouna Local
seven four.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
It was clear that unions were central to the rally
because Senator Sanders openly discussed how the Democratic Party has
lost its way with working class people and the class
solidarity and worker solidarity was a through line throughout the rally.
Speaker 7 (30:39):
Know Californi your labor fem rachid hey ul.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Senator Sanders reminds everyone why we are here today.
Speaker 7 (30:54):
We are living in a moment of extraordinary and how
we respond to this moment will not only impact our lives,
but will impact the lives of our kids and future generations.
(31:15):
And in terms of the climate. It will depend We
can depend on whether or not the planet Earth survives.
That's why we're here today.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
She lays out the current political moment, and what's that state.
Speaker 7 (31:31):
Moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and
political life of our country. We're living in a moment
with a president who has no understanding or respect for
the Constitution of the United States, and let us thinke
(31:57):
no doubt about it, moving us rightly taught in authoritarian
form of society, and mister Trump, we ain't going there.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Senator Sanders is, of course addressing the crowd, but in
some ways he's also directly speaking to Donald Trump of.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
The individual obeying Trump's every wish and at a time
of massive income and wealth inequality. Right now, as we speak,
they are plotting about how they can give one point
one trillion in tax ranks one percent and devastate programs
(32:46):
networking family state.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Senator Sanders also says, we're not just fighting oligarchy, but
we're fighting a president who doesn't respect constitutional laws.
Speaker 7 (33:00):
We are fighting. We're fighting a president who on the
minds our constitution every day and threatens our freedom of
speech and assembly, and whose agents are rounding off innocent
people off the streets, putting them in unmarked fans and
throwing them in the tension sentence. That is what happens
(33:26):
in dictatorships, not democracies. And we're gonna stop that outrageous
action on the part of.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
The SID Going back to Israel and Palestine, which again
I feel like is the the litmus tests right and
it's like where the pulse is right now, And there
were a lot of people in the crowds wearing like cuffias.
I saw many Palestinian flags. Senator Sanders made the statement
(33:56):
about how Israel has a right to defend itself.
Speaker 7 (34:00):
Eight million war dollars to go to nepting Yahoo's war machines.
Israel has the right to defend itself against heroism, but
it does not have a right to go to war
against the entire Palestinian people. It does not have the
(34:29):
right to count fifty thousand people injure over one hundred
thousand and destroy the entire infrastructure. And as bad as
that is, as bad as that is, Trump wants to
expel the two point two million people in Gaza in
(34:51):
order to create a playground for his billion half friends.
That is beyond insane and we won't.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
And I feel like he was meeting the crowd where
they were at, like he knew, he knew what what
had to be said.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Yeah, I appreciate that from him. I think that he's
in a position where he probably can't and probably wouldn't
completely disavow Israel as a nation state and as a
(35:35):
global power in a lot of ways, He's just not
going to, you know, but at least he acknowledged the murder,
the genocide.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
And I think that it's one of those issues where
in the critiques that I've seen online is you know,
calling this like a Zionist gathering, right, or the Zionist Democrats.
And while there may be a case for that, right,
there's also so much mobilizing that's happening and so many
issues that are being discussed, and I think to completely
(36:07):
like cut them off.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I mean, it's my question is like, if not them,
then who, yes, show me the names of the alternatives
who are doing it better and who can actually get
something done right, not just verbalizing the politics and the
exact way you want to hear it exactly, but who
actually has the power and the influence and isn't in
(36:30):
a position to impact policy and the quality of life
for people in the United States. Absolutely not just talk
about it, you like the way I talk about it,
but I can't actually do anything about it exactly. So
who cares, you know, in a way, who cares? If
you like, like the exact politic to the t, if
there's no power behind it, there's no movement behind it.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Yeah, And I think that's kind of what God is
here is like, if you didn't say it correctly, if
you didn't say it the way someone wanted you to
say it, then you know, we're going to completely shut
you out. What you have to say is no longer
important to us. And I think that that's part of
the problem. And I think that this was part of
the solution absolutely this rally at least.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Yeah, And I think that the crowd was right there,
you know, all these people. There were thirty six thousand
people in attendance. Was I spoke with a few of
the folks in the crowd at the rally in the
overflow section at a point when I arrived, I was
checking in at the press entrance, and they told me
(37:31):
that per the fire Marshal's orders, they were not allowing
anybody in because they were already like two hundred and
fifty people over capacity, and so they just had to
funnel everybody to the overflow, which was fine because I
ended up getting to know some of the motivating factors
why people wanted to go to that rally, and what
(37:51):
struck me was how passionate everybody was. There was a
small group of friends, a group of three people that
I approached, and each one of them, after they finished
their interview with me, they were like almost like they
had chills, they were shaking. They were so energetic about
what they were talking about, so passionate and so angry
(38:13):
and at the same time just so excited to be
there because it gave them a sense of action, you know,
And so that was palpable. Hi.
Speaker 5 (38:25):
My name is Rosie, and what brought me here today is, well,
I'm a teacher, so the future I'm I'm motivated by
the future, so my students and my children, and also
I guess monivated by the past, which is my mom,
who she really has her anger out and I'm angry too,
(38:45):
but I kind of tried to not show it as
much as she is.
Speaker 8 (38:49):
She's AOC said, community is the most powerful weapon we
have and we've needed this. We need to be in community.
We need to be around people, despite party, despite personal beliefs,
(39:11):
despite religion, despite all aspects. The fact that this many
people can come together to fight the oligarchy, community does
that community is powered.
Speaker 9 (39:26):
What brought me out today was on the poster it
said where do we go from here? And that's a
question I've been asking myself since the election, and this
was an answer. There was some sort of relief, some
sort of fight that we haven't seen before. And as
Bernie said, thirty six thousand people participated in it. And
(39:47):
there's just a feeling that you can't get on social media.
You can't get when you're on your device, so you
start to feel helpless. But when you're in a crowd
of this size, with people chanting the things that are
really meaningful to America right now, you can't help but
feel inspired. And I think that's what I leave here today,
feeling is a piece of energy going into a fight
(40:10):
that we have to. We know it's going to be long,
we know it's going to be hard, but at least
there's a fight in anlaces there.
Speaker 6 (40:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum. This
rally energized people and gave people hope. I hear from
so many friends of mine, family members, and just people
that I know that they feel helpless and they have
all this pent up rage, fury, big emotions and that
(40:41):
cannot stay in your body. That has to be channeled somewhere.
And I think this rally allowed people to feel seen,
to feel heard, and to know that they're not alone.
They were one of thirty six thousand people, the biggest
Bernie and AOC rally to date. So just as a reminder,
connect with your local grassroots organizations wherever you are. If
(41:06):
you're in California, there's the California Working Families Party. That's
one place you can start. But the Working Families Party
is also a national organization, so you can get involved
wherever you are. The California chapter co organize this rally
and it's one step you can take to get more involved.
There's also other organizations like Mihinte, La Defensa and Delon.
(41:30):
Go to your local grassroots organizations, go to your local
community centers, just organize your friends, like get connected.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
There's a lot that people can do here at Loka
Thought our radio over the years, we've also talked about
your direct circle of influence, your family, your neighborhood, your school, community,
and those tend to be the places where we have
the most influence and the most impact and the greatest
opportunity to make change and to educate. If you can't
(42:01):
change minds you know in your own family or your
own friends, how do we how do we impact the
world on a larger scale. We we start small a
lot of the time, so I think if you don't
know where to start, start with the people closest to you.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
A thank you for listening to another episode of look
At Radio. This was a first of its kind, so
we hope you enjoyed it. Let us know what you
think and we will catch you next time I see it.
Speaker 7 (42:41):
Thus, look At on AM Radio, Look Alumnia
On Saturday, April twelfth, twenty twenty five, Senator Bernie Sanders
and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortes held their Fighting Oligarchy Rally
in Los Angeles at Grand Park.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Senator Bernie Sanders has traveled all across the United States
to discuss how we move forward to take on the
oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and
influence in this country. By the way, I'm Viosa and.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I'm Mala, and you're listening to loc at Tho Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Today, we'll be breaking down what we heard and what
we saw at the Fighting Oligarchy Rally. Before we dive
into the coverage, let's define what an oligarchy is.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
An oligarchy is what happens when a small group of
people have a huge and unnecessary amount of control over
an entire country, organization, or institution.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Some past examples of that to kind of ground the
times that we're living in are one Elon Musk running Doge.
Billionaires were front row at Trump's inauguration this past January,
like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos and a couple others.
(01:35):
The further we get into lok Atra Radio, the more
we see the importance of recording moments, events, interviews as
part of this audio archive. I arrived to Clodia Molina
Grand Park, which is situated right next to City Hall
in downtown Los Angeles. This was also the very first
(01:56):
time that we applied for press passes. We've never done
that before. Anytime we've gone to cover something, it's very informal,
but this was the first time we went through the
process because we thought this is a historical moment and
it was. I arrived a little after eight am, and
at this time, reporters, journalists, news crews, and content creators
(02:17):
are setting up and around eight forty am the first
wave of people were let in. By ten am, the
park was pretty full, and by twelve pm there was
overflow into the steps of City Hall and the closed
streets surrounding the park.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
One of the first speakers at the Fighting Oligarchy rally
was council member isabel Hourado, who you might recognize as
having done an interview on Locatho radio before she won
her council seat. And Isabelle, along with other local organizers,
union reps, and elected officials, laid out the foundation for
the rally council Member Hourrado discussed how she didn't follow
(03:01):
the Democratic establishment's playbook because it wasn't designed for people
like me.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And I seem on small donor campaigns, and.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
She also highlighted the importance of grassroots organizing, how she
and her campaign knocked on over one hundred and twenty
thousand doors, ultimately resulting in an upset and a win
against a longtime incumbent.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Else because that's what the power of the community has.
It was so special to see council Member isab Huado
because we interviewed her, we saw the work that she
was doing, and she unseated a long time incumbent, someone
that has been an established elected official and was also
caught on the FED tapes in twenty twenty two. So
(03:47):
to see her as the opening speaker was so powerful.
And to know that she was a tenants rights lawyer
and she's for the people. She speaks like an everyday person,
which I think makes her so really and easy to
connect with, and that was just really great to see.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
How did the crowd respond.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
People were so engaged. There was a lot of clapping
and like call and response type moments.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And now as we continue to fight this federal and
administration who's throwing everything they can. Whether we're immigrants, we're clear,
we're trans because when they come after one of us,
they're coming after.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
All of us. And everyone was just like vibing, Yeah,
they were into it. It really felt like the folks
who were in attendance were very passionate about being there,
that there was a sense of urgency, a sense that
they need to get up and do something. And this
(04:47):
question of well what now Trump has been elected and
now what and it seemed to be the question motivating
a lot of folks and their presence there, and more
about that later. We do have some clips from the crowd.
As far as speakers, we also heard from council Member
Oenissas Hernandez, council member for District one and a council member.
(05:09):
Hernandez made a point of saying that if you think
you're not affected by California's progressivism, you're wrong.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
I love this city, I was born and raised in
this city, and I'm right Gala City every day.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
But if you think, but if you think.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Cala doesn't feel the impact with those policies because of
our soul called progressivism, I hate to break it to you.
Look around, Ask the person next to you if they
have a savings, Ask them if they're beret, a student debt,
Ask them if they can afford rent, if they have healthcare,
if they think they'll ever to be able to buy
a house in this city. This administration wants you to
(05:45):
believe that the reason you can't buy.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Councilmember Hernandez also talked about building new systems and cited
police budgets. Forty three percent of the La city budget
is spent on police funding and two times as much
on police uniforms and the entire Youth Development department. A
Council Member Hernandez also commented on Gaza.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Why is there always money to gone children in Gaza
but not enough to make.
Speaker 6 (06:10):
Sure every kid has We don't have a budget crisis,
we have a crisis of our values, and if we're
serious about budding flascism, we have to dismantle the systems
out of holed it.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Because budgets are not neutral. Budgets are fludprints with the
world we are building, were stament of our values and
most importantly, it's your money. It's your money.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
So Councilmember Hernandez really touched on a lot of things
on the minds of Angelino's the budget, the police, debt,
rent health insurance, and Gaza.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, and I think that was really notable because they're
from what I've seen and what I've heard, one of
the biggest frustrations from at least the people that we're
in community with or that we know or that have
been critical the Democratic Party have been talking about their
lack of response or their lack of pressure when it
(07:08):
comes to Gaza and the genocide in Palestine, And so
I thought council member Unisa said an one this calling
this out at the very beginning was really important because
even if maybe more established Dems aren't talking about it, like,
there's clearly some that are, and there's elected officials that
are doing it, and they're taking into account like the
(07:29):
issues that are important to their constituents.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
And I think at this point it's there's an expectation,
you know, that someone in a position of power like
a city council person, make their stance on Gaza known.
And if you're not talking about it, it's not it's
not really an option anymore not to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
It's like if you're not about it, it's it's like
a litmus test for people now and I get it,
and I get it, and so I thought it was
really important that she brought that up pretty early on.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, and it's a really setting the tone I think
of this rally and what it's about. I think that
folks were really going there so to speak. When it
came to the speakers and the folks in the crowd
and the reasons why they were there, I think they
were looking for that.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Absolutely. There was also a Congress member that was in
participation that was actually from Florida, and he is first
gen Z member of Congress and he represents Florida's tenth district.
And this was my first time hearing him speak and
hearing what he was about. And something that I really
I jotted down when he was speaking was he said,
(08:34):
solidary without action is just sympathy.
Speaker 6 (08:37):
And my friends, I'm here today's to say solidarity without action.
It's just sympathy. Solidarity for our movement, for everybody here
and across the country has to be a.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Word and freaking of that word.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Today we have many organizations.
Speaker 6 (08:55):
Failing to make sure.
Speaker 7 (08:57):
You don't we speak with him, don't let your solid leave.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
It's smart without.
Speaker 8 (09:01):
Signing up to do the next thing? Can you do
that now?
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Sampless, and he encouraged everyone to not leave the park
without signing up to do the next thing. In addition
to speakers, there were also vendors. There were also organizations
tabling so that you could do the next thing. And
I thought that that was a really important statement because
so many people are asking that question, what now? And
(09:26):
this event is just one thing that you can participate in,
but there's still so much more to do.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
It's a rally like this is I think meant to
like energize people who already are feeling anxious and who
already want to move on this and to make a difference.
And it's about pumping people up and propelling them forward
into action. This is not necessarily the action itself, absolutely,
you know it is. It's a rally, just like it
(09:52):
sounds like it's like a big pep talk. Yes, you know,
like now go out and do it. We'll be right
back after this break.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
And we're back. We want to recognize that there were
union members and leaders that were prominently represented at this rally.
Some included Local seven to four ilwu Utla, and I
also thought this was such an important factor because it
was showing us the class solidarity and really how important
(10:26):
unions are and that the Democratic Party was at one
point the working Class Party, and unions were so have
so much power and have historically had a lot of
people power. And so I thought that that was like
really important and like very strategic. Like I saw it.
I was like, I see what we're doing here.
Speaker 5 (10:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
One, I mean, the Working Families Party was heavily involved
in this event, was one of the organizers of the event,
and so it makes sense. Folks are there about very
like concrete issues, you know, working labor, our ability to
(11:05):
support ourselves and to live. I mean, it's pretty basic stuff,
but basic needs. It's basic needs, but it's become so
difficult to achieve those to make sure you're covered in
those basic areas, and it shouldn't be that way. And
I really felt that that energy in the crowd, you know,
we're just fighting. We're fighting for our lives here.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Like figuratively and literally fighting for our lives right now. Yeah,
and notably, this is also this past weekend and this
coming weekend is Coachella weekend.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yes it is, And that also kind.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Of felt like a backdrop of what was happening, and
that even the type of event this was because various
musicians performed at the rally, and I'm not gonna lie,
it kind of felt like Coachella light sure, but for politics.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Yeah, it's political.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
It's a political Coachella. And there were many performers. So
I want to name the performers that were there. Started
with a gospel choir called Rai's Gospel. The Red Pairs
Jeff Ross and Stock Indigo, This SUSA, Dirty Projectors, Joan Bias,
Maggie Rogers, and Neil Young all performed heavy hitters. Yeah,
(12:16):
lots of representation here. And Joan Bias made this comment
that she thought this was like a meaningful woodstock. That
was the energy that she was feeling, like say, my mom.
Speaker 7 (12:33):
Was.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
And so I loved that example because for me and
of course my age and my like cultural nuance is
going to be Coachella, But for someone like Joan Bias,
it was like, no, it was like this is the
woodstock for us.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I love that for the activists, woodstock for activists and
for just regular people and families, Like there were children there.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
There were children there, people of all ages. Yeah, and
people of all abilities. What's something that I thought was,
I haven't been to a rally like this in a
long time, and I think going as quote press also
gave me access to see things that I may not
have been able to see if I was in the crowd.
And one of the things was very early on there
were folks of all abilities that arrived, and if you
(13:18):
were disabled or needed special accommodations, you had your own entrance,
and there was also seating and there was shade, and
I thought that that was I hadn't seen that before
at a rally, at an event like this. That's not
to say that it doesn't happen or that organizers don't
do that, but it was my first time seeing that,
and I thought that that was really important too, to
really let everyone be involved and invite everyone in and
(13:42):
just so like y'all can like maybe get more of
an insight into the energy. Is that I saw people
climbing over barricades to get closer, and I saw a
handful of people climbing a slide on the children's playground
to get a better view of the stage. And before
the quote political headliners arrived to the stage or entered
(14:04):
the stage, there was musical headliner Neil Young, and he
was singing take America Back, and people were chanting take
America Back Come, which big question mark because what does
(14:33):
that mean? Sure, of course, of course, right, but I
see what they were doing.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Yeah, you know, this, of course is a you know,
it's the Dems. Yes, it's USA. It's literally USA, It's USA,
and so we we understand that too. And I do
think that it's pretty incredible. Like the way that they
even named this rally like fighting oligarchy. I haven't heard
(14:58):
such a straight up yeah like rally title like that.
I feel like usually rallies in protests unless it's like
issue specific, right, like this is an immigration rally, this
is about Gaza, this is about Palestine, this is about
sexual violence, this is about abortion, like issue specific, but
this is really specifically naming the enemy, so to speak, right,
(15:20):
and fighting fighting back and naming the enemy and oligarchy,
like putting that out there. Yeah, it's pretty incredible, it is.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Because that is not a word that I really use
in my day to day life. I understand what oligarchy
is as a concept, and I can see how we
are becoming or already are an oligarchy, but it's not
a word that I generally use. So I feel like,
to your point, part of that is putting it in
the ether and putting it in everyday conversation so that
(15:50):
people understand what an oligarchy is.
Speaker 6 (15:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
I was even like news coverage, right, like broadcast news
coverage to cover the rally. Now they have reporters anchors
on air saying fighting oligarchy, right, even just saying it
on air, just reporting on it. Now everyone's hearing it. Yeah,
And I think it's really clever. It's very strategic. It's
(16:16):
smart the naming of the rally because it's like we're
putting the notion into people's ears. We're fighting and it's
an oligarchy. I don't know, there was just something when
I saw that on the news after having been there,
and then I saw this coverage Sunday the next day,
it just was like it just really stood out to me.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Yeah, you know, that's a really good point, because, yeah,
I'd like, how what better way to mobilize people than
to really like get to the core of like class struggle. Yes,
you know, I think a lot of what I heard
on Saturday was like, how is it beer trying to
divide us by race, by gender, by ethnicity, by our
(16:57):
political differences. But we're like all struggling and we're all
in this like class struggle, and that's what unites us.
And so I think like that's part of the strategy, right,
like you mentioned, is like we're going to mobilize everyone
because we all have like one quote enemy and it's
the oligarchy, it's the billionaires.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Yeah, instead of a sort of a basic like, oh,
rally for hope, rally for change, yeah, you know, which
is I think what we've heard from the Dems. Yeah,
for the past I don't know how many decades forever,
I think it's been very lukewarm. It's been very tepid,
very timid.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Even it's been timid, and I think that's been one
of the biggest critiques is like do more.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, like do something?
Speaker 6 (17:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
So this feels like a shift.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
It does.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
It's a language shift and an energy shift, and I
think maybe a strategy shift. And they're they're really going
for it. So I hope that continues, and I hope
that the people yeah follow suit, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
And I think that but that is what I'm hopeful about,
is that you know, AOC and Bernie are not our representatives, right,
but the changes that they are trying to make. What
I'm hopeful for is like, now all the people that
heard this, Yeah, because there was a live stream also
and you can go back and watch it on the website,
(18:19):
on YouTube. There's multiple news outlets that were streaming it completely.
So regardless of where you are, I feel like this
is now a model that you can take and like
actually make your representative and hold them accountable, put them,
take them to task, and have them like do the
things that you want them to do in the way
that AOC and Bernie Sanders are asking.
Speaker 6 (18:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Now.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Of course, the fighting Oligarchy tour has not been without
its critiques. You know, there are folks of course, who
I mean. I think there's always going to be a
sort of school of thought that politicians are not can't
save us, and so anything that's coming from the Dems
at all is going to have is going to be
(19:04):
tainted in that way or is never going to be enough,
or it's never going to be the full breath of
what we need to establish a democracy. Truly, but I
think that if they're not doing this, then what are
they doing.
Speaker 6 (19:20):
Don't go away. We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
And we are back. So let's talk about the main
the headliners, if you will.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Yeah, the main event, the main event. Well, of course,
shout out to Congresswomen AOC. AOC was elected in twenty eighteen,
sworn into office in twenty nineteen, and represents New York's
fourteenth district. I can't believe it's been so long since
she got elected, I know. I mean her election was
like a big deal and it was top of mind,
(19:54):
and it was huge, and it's and here we are.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
You know.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yeah, she was a I feel like, one of the
first wave of young progressive women that ran for office
and didn't take corporate donors and ran a completely grassroots
campaign and then became part of the squad which includes
like other progressive representatives as well. And so yeah, she
(20:20):
has been I mean now she's been doing it for many.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Years or many years. She's not new anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
With lots of critique, oh yeah, lots of lots of
people have their issues.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Oh yeah, if you know, oh yeah, and it's the
critiques on AOC have range the type of range we
would expect for women in the public eye. So everything
from her policy and her work and what she's talking
about and what she's trying to get done in office.
Her politics. Of course there's critiques on her politics, but
(20:53):
then on the other side, there's always been like real
nasty critiques on her appearance.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Her appearance, she's been the center of a lot of misogyny,
deep fake images. She's gone through a lot of harassment
while being in office.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Yeah, and she's still fighting the fight. And when she
addressed the audience, she pointed out ways that LA has
been showing up in the fight against fascism, and she
used this example, do have power.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
In this moment?
Speaker 3 (21:24):
All of us do, and everyday people do. In fact,
you all showed that this week.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
LA.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
A few days ago, ice officials attempted to enter two
la USD schools to target kids. They lied to school
officials and claimed that they had parents permission to get
to these children when they didn't.
Speaker 7 (21:53):
But it wasn't just a lawyer or a.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Judge that said no. It started with everyday people, school
staff and employees who spoke up when I thought something
was off, And it was the teacher and principles that's
still strong and said no to protect their kids when.
Speaker 7 (22:13):
It could have been easier to say yes, have a fear.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
She gives various examples of the people groups who are
targeted under the Trump administration, and folks like Mahmood Khalil,
Palestinian activist who was detained in New York and sent
to a detention center in Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, and Macmood Khalil has gained national attention because he
was one of the leaders at Columbia University during the
Gaza pro Palestinian encampments, and he's a Green card holder
as well. So the fact that he was detained has
really scared people because if it can happen to a
(22:56):
legal resident quote unquote, then it can happen to really anyone.
So people have been following this case very closely, and she,
you know, called upon his name and called on a
lot of the folks that have also been affected because
of the Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
The Trump administration admits that they have thrown my Mood
in a cell thousands of miles away because he attended
a protest and are detaining him for the content of
his speech and nothing more. In fact, in fact, followed
Trump's detention of someone like ma Mood Caglio for his
(23:36):
speech is anti American and we demand his release, along
with the release of Rumesa Oster, who is also killing
for writing an off ed in her school payer.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Here at USC, a ton of student visas have been
denied for current students. So it's not good and they're
taking real steps to do real harm. So back to
the rally. AOC also went into a definition of oligarchy
and define that for the crowd.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Donald Trump is not an aberration. He is the logical,
inevitable conclusion of an American political system dominated by corporate
and dark money. We aren't here to defeat him, we
must defeat the system that created him. Money in politics
(24:40):
is the hands of oligarchy. Los Angeles, and we are
at a crossroads. We can either have extreme wealth inequality
with a toxic division and corruption that it requires to survive,
or we can have a fan economy that guarantees healthcare
(25:02):
to all for working people, along with the democracy and
freedoms that uphold it. Oligarchy or democracy, but we cannot
have both, Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Additionally, AOC discusses the importance of voting at every level
and supporting democrats who actually fight.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I want you to.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Look at every level of office around and support Democrats
who actually fight, because those are the ones who can
actually defeat Republicans. Some folks, you know what that means.
We have to start working now to give David Valadeo,
(25:50):
young Kin, and Ken Calvert the boot and replace them
with a grallowing democrat you will stand for the working
people of California.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
And I think going back to the critique that's been
the biggest critique that we've seen about this rally and
this tour that Bernie Sanders and AOC have been on,
that it's just funneling frustrated people back into the democratic establishment,
back into the machine, and not enough is being said
about dismantling it. And so when she talked about voting,
(26:24):
I just kind of had my ear perked and I
was like, Okay, let's see where this goes. And then
she said this.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
But beyond elections, LA, our task is to build community
block associations, volunteer groups, church organizations, ptas, activist organizations, because
community is the most powerful building block. We have to
(26:52):
defeat authoritarianism and root out corruption. This is the path
to guarantee health care to every American, to establish a
living minimum wage, to take on skyrocketing rents and mortgages
to tackle the climate crisis and establish a country where
(27:13):
the American dream is actually possible for all of us.
I hope you see that this movement is not about
partisan label or purity tests, but it's about class solidarity.
(27:35):
It is about the thousands of you who came out
here today to stand together and say, our lives deserve
dignity and our work deserves respect, no matter who we are.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
So then came the point in the rally where AOC
introduced Senator Bernie Sanders.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Thank you so much, Los Angeles. And it is my
harm here today to introduce someone who has dedicated his
life to bringing us together. So let's get loud and
let's be grateful because Senator Bernie Sanders.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
And you could literally feel and hear the electricity coursing
through the crowd.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
AA to the.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
PA PA, the gospel choir saying power to the people,
and Senator Sanders cross the stage wearing an LA hat.
(28:52):
By the way, as soon as he starts speaking, the
crowd begins to chant, there are.
Speaker 7 (28:58):
People are half a bottle. Let me.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
No, it's not burning, it is you.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Senator Sanders makes this really beautiful statement about joy, and
I thought that that was also really central to the event.
Speaker 7 (29:29):
And you know why we had all of these great
decisions here that it's not just to entertain you. It's
more than that. We're gonna make our revolution with joy.
Where gonna sing and dance our way to victory against hatred.
Speaker 3 (29:50):
And the visitors.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
Before Senator Sanders gets into his speech, he acknowledges everyone
who participated, from the musicians to the elected officials, to
the labor unions, let me thank.
Speaker 7 (30:08):
Our brothers and sisters in the trade union movement for
being here. Let me thank you night here layouna Local
seven four.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
It was clear that unions were central to the rally
because Senator Sanders openly discussed how the Democratic Party has
lost its way with working class people and the class
solidarity and worker solidarity was a through line throughout the rally.
Speaker 7 (30:39):
Know Californi your labor fem rachid hey ul.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Senator Sanders reminds everyone why we are here today.
Speaker 7 (30:54):
We are living in a moment of extraordinary and how
we respond to this moment will not only impact our lives,
but will impact the lives of our kids and future generations.
(31:15):
And in terms of the climate. It will depend We
can depend on whether or not the planet Earth survives.
That's why we're here today.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
She lays out the current political moment, and what's that state.
Speaker 7 (31:31):
Moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and
political life of our country. We're living in a moment
with a president who has no understanding or respect for
the Constitution of the United States, and let us thinke
(31:57):
no doubt about it, moving us rightly taught in authoritarian
form of society, and mister Trump, we ain't going there.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Senator Sanders is, of course addressing the crowd, but in
some ways he's also directly speaking to Donald Trump of.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
The individual obeying Trump's every wish and at a time
of massive income and wealth inequality. Right now, as we speak,
they are plotting about how they can give one point
one trillion in tax ranks one percent and devastate programs
(32:46):
networking family state.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Senator Sanders also says, we're not just fighting oligarchy, but
we're fighting a president who doesn't respect constitutional laws.
Speaker 7 (33:00):
We are fighting. We're fighting a president who on the
minds our constitution every day and threatens our freedom of
speech and assembly, and whose agents are rounding off innocent
people off the streets, putting them in unmarked fans and
throwing them in the tension sentence. That is what happens
(33:26):
in dictatorships, not democracies. And we're gonna stop that outrageous
action on the part of.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
The SID Going back to Israel and Palestine, which again
I feel like is the the litmus tests right and
it's like where the pulse is right now, And there
were a lot of people in the crowds wearing like cuffias.
I saw many Palestinian flags. Senator Sanders made the statement
(33:56):
about how Israel has a right to defend itself.
Speaker 7 (34:00):
Eight million war dollars to go to nepting Yahoo's war machines.
Israel has the right to defend itself against heroism, but
it does not have a right to go to war
against the entire Palestinian people. It does not have the
(34:29):
right to count fifty thousand people injure over one hundred
thousand and destroy the entire infrastructure. And as bad as
that is, as bad as that is, Trump wants to
expel the two point two million people in Gaza in
(34:51):
order to create a playground for his billion half friends.
That is beyond insane and we won't.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
And I feel like he was meeting the crowd where
they were at, like he knew, he knew what what
had to be said.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Yeah, I appreciate that from him. I think that he's
in a position where he probably can't and probably wouldn't
completely disavow Israel as a nation state and as a
(35:35):
global power in a lot of ways, He's just not
going to, you know, but at least he acknowledged the murder,
the genocide.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
And I think that it's one of those issues where
in the critiques that I've seen online is you know,
calling this like a Zionist gathering, right, or the Zionist Democrats.
And while there may be a case for that, right,
there's also so much mobilizing that's happening and so many
issues that are being discussed, and I think to completely
(36:07):
like cut them off.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I mean, it's my question is like, if not them,
then who, yes, show me the names of the alternatives
who are doing it better and who can actually get
something done right, not just verbalizing the politics and the
exact way you want to hear it exactly, but who
actually has the power and the influence and isn't in
(36:30):
a position to impact policy and the quality of life
for people in the United States. Absolutely not just talk
about it, you like the way I talk about it,
but I can't actually do anything about it exactly. So
who cares, you know, in a way, who cares? If
you like, like the exact politic to the t, if
there's no power behind it, there's no movement behind it.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Yeah, And I think that's kind of what God is
here is like, if you didn't say it correctly, if
you didn't say it the way someone wanted you to
say it, then you know, we're going to completely shut
you out. What you have to say is no longer
important to us. And I think that that's part of
the problem. And I think that this was part of
the solution absolutely this rally at least.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Yeah, And I think that the crowd was right there,
you know, all these people. There were thirty six thousand
people in attendance. Was I spoke with a few of
the folks in the crowd at the rally in the
overflow section at a point when I arrived, I was
checking in at the press entrance, and they told me
(37:31):
that per the fire Marshal's orders, they were not allowing
anybody in because they were already like two hundred and
fifty people over capacity, and so they just had to
funnel everybody to the overflow, which was fine because I
ended up getting to know some of the motivating factors
why people wanted to go to that rally, and what
(37:51):
struck me was how passionate everybody was. There was a
small group of friends, a group of three people that
I approached, and each one of them, after they finished
their interview with me, they were like almost like they
had chills, they were shaking. They were so energetic about
what they were talking about, so passionate and so angry
(38:13):
and at the same time just so excited to be
there because it gave them a sense of action, you know,
And so that was palpable. Hi.
Speaker 5 (38:25):
My name is Rosie, and what brought me here today is, well,
I'm a teacher, so the future I'm I'm motivated by
the future, so my students and my children, and also
I guess monivated by the past, which is my mom,
who she really has her anger out and I'm angry too,
(38:45):
but I kind of tried to not show it as
much as she is.
Speaker 8 (38:49):
She's AOC said, community is the most powerful weapon we
have and we've needed this. We need to be in community.
We need to be around people, despite party, despite personal beliefs,
(39:11):
despite religion, despite all aspects. The fact that this many
people can come together to fight the oligarchy, community does
that community is powered.
Speaker 9 (39:26):
What brought me out today was on the poster it
said where do we go from here? And that's a
question I've been asking myself since the election, and this
was an answer. There was some sort of relief, some
sort of fight that we haven't seen before. And as
Bernie said, thirty six thousand people participated in it. And
(39:47):
there's just a feeling that you can't get on social media.
You can't get when you're on your device, so you
start to feel helpless. But when you're in a crowd
of this size, with people chanting the things that are
really meaningful to America right now, you can't help but
feel inspired. And I think that's what I leave here today,
feeling is a piece of energy going into a fight
(40:10):
that we have to. We know it's going to be long,
we know it's going to be hard, but at least
there's a fight in anlaces there.
Speaker 6 (40:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum. This
rally energized people and gave people hope. I hear from
so many friends of mine, family members, and just people
that I know that they feel helpless and they have
all this pent up rage, fury, big emotions and that
(40:41):
cannot stay in your body. That has to be channeled somewhere.
And I think this rally allowed people to feel seen,
to feel heard, and to know that they're not alone.
They were one of thirty six thousand people, the biggest
Bernie and AOC rally to date. So just as a reminder,
connect with your local grassroots organizations wherever you are. If
(41:06):
you're in California, there's the California Working Families Party. That's
one place you can start. But the Working Families Party
is also a national organization, so you can get involved
wherever you are. The California chapter co organize this rally
and it's one step you can take to get more involved.
There's also other organizations like Mihinte, La Defensa and Delon.
(41:30):
Go to your local grassroots organizations, go to your local
community centers, just organize your friends, like get connected.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
There's a lot that people can do here at Loka
Thought our radio over the years, we've also talked about
your direct circle of influence, your family, your neighborhood, your school, community,
and those tend to be the places where we have
the most influence and the most impact and the greatest
opportunity to make change and to educate. If you can't
(42:01):
change minds you know in your own family or your
own friends, how do we how do we impact the
world on a larger scale. We we start small a
lot of the time, so I think if you don't
know where to start, start with the people closest to you.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
A thank you for listening to another episode of look
At Radio. This was a first of its kind, so
we hope you enjoyed it. Let us know what you
think and we will catch you next time I see it.
Speaker 7 (42:41):
Thus, look At on AM Radio, Look Alumnia
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