This group of committed, smart and young Americans have made it to Green Valley on the 4th day of the 480 mile long March for Democracy to Sacramento. They will average 14 miles per day.
I'm still recovering from just marching the first 2 days.
Why this challenging odyssey? Because they believe that America is no longer a Democracy. Money has so corrupted the political system that we now live in an oligarchy, a plutocracy or, as I see it, a corporate neo-feudalist system.
Whatever your cause may be; single payer, Keystone pipeline, military budget, climate change, fracking, minimum wage, education, consumer rights, private prisons and prison population, inequality, etc., you know what the opposition is. Greedy, profit driven, corporate CEOs and 1% who cannot see beyond the next quarterly reports or the walls surrounding their mansions. People who can throw billions of $$$ into political campaigns and secret PACs to effectivelly control what DC, state governments and even local governments do.
The Occupy Wall Street movement made us focus on inequality and the corruption of the financial system. In a way this march is a spin-off of the OWS movement. Citizens United and McCutcheon are the straws that broke the camel's back.
Kai Newkirk, one of the founders of 99 Rise and the leader of the march, set the stage for non-violent action when he got arrested when he spoke at the Supreme Court a couple of months ago.
Day 2 in Sylmar;
Day 3 in Santa Clarita;
So how can you help?
1) Moral support. Join their Facebook page ( and Rec this diary ;-) )
March for Democracy in FB
2) Join the march after they get to Bakersfield on May 27, specially when it gets close and to Sacramento on June 22 (Where Dolores Huerta will be one of the speakers.)
3) Donate through Indiegogo.
This video says a lot and shows some interesting characters.
March Stops