1,000 Rally For "Justice For All" In DC

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

The crowd at Dupont Circle seemed to materialize out of thin air, swelling from a handful to hundreds in just a few minutes at noon yesterday. Chanting "This is what democracy looks like," nearly a thousand -- many wearing Wisconsin's red and black colors -- had gathered around the fountain by the time the rally -- part of a 50-state mobilization in state capitals across the nation coordinated by MoveOn.com and others  -- ended an hour later. Speaker after speaker linked the battle for bargaining rights by Wisconsin's public workers to struggles by working people across the country. "Today the attack is on public sector workers, yesterday it was industrial unions and tomorrow it's all of us," said US Action's Jeff Blum. "They say take back, we say fight back!" chanted the crowd. “We’ve got to save the American dream,” said University of Maryland student Jesse Zarley, just back from a visit to Madison, “They can’t deny us our rights.” An impromptu glee club led the crowd in a shaky but enthusiastic rendition of Wisconsin’s fight song and former White House Special Advisor Van Jones wrapped up the rally with a promise that “the nightmare is coming to an end and the dream is being reborn. We’re not going to let the hope die on our watch, that’s not going to happen. The good people of Wisconsin could have laid down, but instead, when it was darkest, the people stood together. When you have a dream and someone to stand next to you, nothing can defeat you.” Noting that Tea Partiers say they’re for liberty, Jones said “We’re for liberty too, but we’re for the rest of that slogan: liberty…and justice for all!” The crowd, warmed by the February sun peeping through the clouds, chanted with Brown: “Justice for all! Justice for All!” - report/photos by Chris Garlock