100,000 demand 'Housing Now!'

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—A popular T-shirt bore the message, "There's no place like home. Everyone should have one." That summed up the sentiments of the 100,000 protesters who turned out here for the Oct. 7 Housing Now! rally.

As they marched from the Washington Monument to the steps of the Capitol, demonstrators continually chanted, "What do we want? Housing! When do we want it? Now!"

The contingent stretched several city blocks behind a banner proclaiming: "Housing now! Which side are you on?" The AFL-CIO chartered 165 buses from around the country. Twenty came from the Steelworkers alone.

Government workers, auto workers, machinists, garment workers, and communication workers sent large delegations. Signs carried by bricklayers, carpenters, cement masons, painters, and electricians pointed to the irony of high unemployment among workers who could be building needed housing.

Buses from college community organizations. Retiree groups emphasized the problems faced by those trying to get by on meager Social Security payments. Gay activists described the housing discrimination faced by AIDS victims.

The 215 cities with Housing Now! coalitions brought many homeless families to the demonstration. Large numbers of homeless from Washington, D.C., participated. Over 250 homeless people walked from New York City to dramatize their plight.

Boos for the mayor Labor officials, civil rights leaders, comRick Reinhard/Impact Visuals munity activists, entertainers, and politicians shared the speakers' platform. When Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry rose to welcome the protesters to Washington, he was met by prolonged boos from the crowd because of the city government's abysmal record.

But other politicians were warmly received by the crowd, which failed to recognize that attacks on social services are a bipartisan policy. The crowd applauded as speaker after speaker blamed homelessness on the Republican Reagan and Bush administrations.

Many speakers correctly explained the government's support to private profits over human needs. National Organization for Women President Molly Yard expressed anger that the government spent billions to bail out the savings-and-loan industry while turning its back on poor people with substandard housing or no housing at all.

Louise Stark, a leader of the National Coalition for the Homeless, also pointed to government giveaways to the rich. She noted that President and Mrs. Bush lived in "some of the best subsidized housing in the country" while receiving free healthcare and other benefits.

"The big lie"

Several speakers pointed to the ready availability of federal funds for military spending while social programs are cut. Southern Christian Leadership Conference President Joseph Lowery said, "We're sick and tired of this big lie, 'there is no money,' when there's money for the contras in Nicaragua, for South Africa's allies in Angola, and for wealthy bankers in the United States."

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Gerald McEntee emphasized that the housing crisis doesn't just affect the unemployed. He explained how the majority of those working for poverty-level wages pay over 75 percent of their income for housing costs. Millions of Americans are only one paycheck away from homelessness, he stressed.

McEntee promised the demonstrators thai labor will continue to protest until "everyone in this country has a decent place to live."

The Housing Now! demonstration, drawing thousands into the streets to protest government policies, points the way forward. Just as demonstrators expressed no confidence in Mayor Barry, they can learn that both the Democratic and Republican parties support the interests of big business. This will open up the possibility of building the type of independent movement that can win a decent job and house for everyone.