Talking to neighbors

I want to share a wonderful experience I had this afternoon. Today, I took the time to go door-to-door to speak to my fellow Portlanders in a low income neighborhood in East Portland, on behalf of two groups doing wonderful work: Portland Tenants United (http://www.pdxtu.org) and 15Now: (http://www.15nowpdx.org). Both groups are dedicated to organizing working class people to demand desperately needed improvements in wages and living conditions for ordinary people in our city and country.

Many of our friends and neighbors are suffering at this time, in an economy where "the banks got bailed out, but we got sold out." And that's not all: unless ordinary people in our society start making demands and stop waiting for the rich and powerful to help them out, we are facing planetary crises that will be the end of us all.

But now, different community groups are starting to work together and get the word out to our neighbors. Today, we canvassed together in the Rockwood neighborhood, and I got invited into a refugee family's house for tea and snacks, while they signed petitions for 15Now, heard me talk about the importance of tenants and workers organizing to help each other, and talked passionately about their own challenges and how happy they were that we want to do something about it. You cannot put a monetary value on the benefits of connecting with your neighbors and building these kinds of relationships.

Tomorrow, we are having a neighborhood townhall for residents who want to share how this two-track, 99% vs 1% economy is affecting them locally and personally, and what we can do about it together. Hopefully many will be able to come: https://www.facebook.com/events/1737235389828728/