At Chicago Open Mic After 50 Shot Over Xmas Weekend:
“How ’bout a TRUCE to STOP TRUMP? Put that in a tweet!”

December 28, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

From a reader:

The LYRIC Lagoon is a weekly open mic in Chicago with a conscious thrust and an attendance that numbers from 50 to 150, mainly youths. I attend it somewhat regularly to announce events and get out literature, and I went a couple of days after Christmas weekend when 50 people were shot in this city in conflicts among the people, with 12 dying. I knew the shootings would be on the minds of the youths at Lyric, many of whom have lost friends in the violence among the people.

When I got to the center on the South Side where the event is held, there were “NO!” posters displayed on the counter you walk by to go into the main hall. Also stacks of the Call, “In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE To Accept a Fascist America,” and Revolution newspapers. At one point, the DJ bumped a beat which repeated “Dump Trump” over and over. On the wall of the stage, right next to a hand-written collage of the Principles of Kwanzaa, was the “NO!” poster.

The crowd was more mixed in terms of age than it sometimes is—while there were many high school youth as usual, there were a number of people in their 20s and 30s. There were a couple of performers who referred to revolution and Black people fighting their oppression, while others picked up the mood with dance beats or spoke of the struggles of coming of age. One poet gave a shout-out to his friend, Quintonio LeGrier, murdered by police last year on December 26.

I wanted to really be sharp when I got up on the mic, so I had written my piece down. This is what I did.

I want to talk about Chicago and the world it is in...
50 shot here—12 died. So much pain. It is grim.
Meanwhile the man who is set to rule the land
tweeted out that he’s got a new nuclear plan.
In 160 characters he threatened the world.
50 shot and 50 million could die from those words.
There’s no one but us to turn this around.
Are you saying “Fuck Trump” cuz you just like the sound?
We got to put the word out there in the street—
How ‘bout a TRUCE to STOP TRUMP? Put that in a tweet!
For the millions of Muslims they’ll round up in the night
And lock up in camps if we don’t get this right.
For all the immigrants who are up night and day
‘Cause Trump says he’ll hunt them and send them away.
For all of the women since Trump’s made it clear
Men can grab and molest them with nothing to fear.
For the LGBTQ who Trump and his crew
Will take all of the rights from before they are through.
For the sake of World and Humanity too
The future depends on what ALL OF US do.

No Trump, No Nukes, No Fascist USA!
Stop Trump/Pence before they Start!

If you write poetry the world needs you now!
If you do ART the world needs you now!
If you do Social Media the world needs you now!
If you do fundraising the world needs you now!
If you have a beating heart THE WORLD NEEDS YOU NOW!

Be in the streets New Year’s Eve!! No Fascist 2017
No “pussy-grabbing,” No immigrant bashing, No Wall, No Muslim registry, No White Supremacy, No Neo-Nazis, No gay-bashing, No climate-change-denying.
NO TRUMP! NO PENCE! NO FACIST USA!
7 pm at Trump Tower New Year’s Eve!

Sign up now!

There was applause at different points throughout the reading. Particularly loud on “How ’bout a TRUCE to STOP TRUMP? Put that in a tweet.” At the end, people passed around stacks of the Call and a clipboard for people to sign up.

 

 

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