“The only way to fight back oppression, be it left or right, is through education and knowing what resources are available, and what resources can be developed. That’s exactly what we aim to educate on within this rally, and we would love for as much of the community as we can get to join us, so we can build this community further,” That is the explanation Alex Rodriguez gave about the reason why the organization he co-runs will be hosting a resource rally in Ypsilanti’s Frog Island Park on April 13.
Rodriguez is part of Workers Against Oppression—formerly known as A2 Against Ice. They recently changed their name to expand their scope from opposing the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be a broader community support and social justice organization.
The poster that WAO put on their Instagram page for Monday’s event says “Leave with a plan, not a sticker!” WAO’s organizers are confident that they can get people to show up at rallies, call out what they see as injustices and get people mad. Now they want to become a more impactful organization by turning that talent to rally people into practical solutions that the average voter can do to stand up to injustice in American society, and rev up the engine of representative democracy to improve things both locally and nationally.
“We have already seen from small communities—like in Romulus, where we had a protest—we managed to push back an ICE detention center that was going to be built there, right? So, the idea behind the slogan is that we actually push towards change, make demands and be able to rally a community against something, rather than spread a message or simply leave an idea up in the air,” co-organizer Jeison Luna said. “So many times we’ve seen these protests, organization of movement simply fall flat because they’re not actually trying to do something about the message that they’re trying to spread and go against. We are trying to be the opposite of that; to actually have an action to which people can actually do something about [an issue] that we are against, or for.”
Rodriguez said that they took notes on the way that community organizations in Chicago and Minneapolis successfully stood up against the second Trump Administration and want to replicate it.
“When you look at communities that successfully stood up to oppression, it came down to community building and people knowing what resources are in place,” Rodriguez points out, “and that’s what we’re trying to replicate.”
At the 5 p.m. event, there will be a series of folding tables. At each one will be a different community or social justice organization—with areas of expertise ranging from fighting law enforcement and immigration enforcement abuses, to mental health resources, to voter registration and education efforts.
“I reached out after the No Kings rally to a lot of local Ypsi organizations, heard them out, and the struggles they’re having. I am from Ypsi, so I related partially to the struggles that they’re having, but I don’t relate to it fully—I’m privileged. Seeing that, and talking to the local leaders, we came up with the idea that the best thing would be to educate the community and help the community support itself,” Zane Parker, another co-organizer, said. “Not that Ypsi doesn’t already do that in amazing ways. But [we want to help] in the ways that we can.”
WAO says that they are still negotiating with a number of organizations, so what is going to be available remains a work in progress. The current incomplete list of attendees is:
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Attendance is free. Interested attendees can look for them at the Depot Town end of the park.
This is not a partisan event, so the only candidate for local office officially confirmed to be planning to attend is Yousef Rabhi. Rabhi is the democratic socialist member of the Democratic Party, and current member of the Washtenaw County Commission currently challenging incumbent Christopher Taylor for the Ann Arbor mayoralty.
When this magazine reached out for this preview, Rabhi provided the following statement: “The resource rally is scheduled to last until 7:00 p.m. Interested parties who can’t make it for whatever reason are being encouraged to follow WAO’s social media for updates on further rallies, marches, and to be informed what resources are available where.”
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
