On November 20th, a small group of workers and students gathered in downtown Providence to show their solidarity with the people of Oaxaca and the revolutionary movement developing throughout Mexico.   

The comrades of the WIL initially called the event at a public forum held a few weeks early, after thousands of federal forces attacked the occupied center of Oaxaca. The date of the 20th was selected to coincide with the thousands of similar events taking place across the world.  

The picket took place in Kennedy Plaza, a busy outdoor bus terminal in the center of downtown Providence, which around 3:30 - 4:00 is filled with high school students. When talking with the students, some of the organizers of the picket discussed how, in Mexico, the World Bank and the Mexican ruling class have been privatizing the school systems, which has led to this crisis.  They related this to what is happening in the US with the No Child Left Behind Act, which is being used to de-fund public schools and publicly fund private schools. 

The WIL had prepared a flier to pass out, which was distributed in the bus terminal to many workers and students. One Latino worker who was unfamiliar with Oaxaca in particular, but immediately grasped the general situation said, "It is the rich against the poor, once again!" He asked how he could get more involved and took a copy of El Militante Sin Fronteras with him to read on his bus ride. 

Near the end of the protest, when the picketers were going through the bus terminal and distributing fliers, the Providence Police told us to, "Go away from the people and across the street." They even went so far as to block us from people we were speaking with, so that we would be ineffective if we stayed.  

Around 5 pm, some more people joined us, and a comrade of the WIL gave a brief speech on the importance of what is happening in Mexico and the impact that it could have here if there is revolutionary victory there. Then a group decision was made to march up along the Providence shopping mall, where there are several busy roads and intersections. 

The comrades of the WIL are planning another public forum in Providence around the time of the general strike for more info contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it