VACPUSA

by worker-correspondent L. C. Edwards

     On a sunny afternoon in late March, protesters took up signs and flooded American streets. The No Kings 3 protest saw ample turnout, with many faces from different creeds and classes all intent on protesting the gruesome overstretch of the Republican party, and at its core, Donald Trump.

VACPUSA attended multiple protests throughout the state of Virginia: NoVA attended protests in Fairfax and Potomac while the Tidewater club attended events in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. An energy of complacency permeated the field in which comrades gathered. Attendance was well into the hundreds, yet it was evident that revolutionary sentiments did not attend. 

The Tidewater club divided our efforts that Saturday, with comrades tending to our Saturday morning food drive, and others attending No Kings 3. The ethos of our efforts was to guide individuals towards further activism, as it is our assertion that protest alone is inefficient in stirring material changes. Multiple items were passed out to protesters. We had zines, QR codes, as well as flyers for our chapter’s on-going work on a de-Flock camera campaign. We found that a playful offer of a zine followed by our QR code sheets was the easiest way to get necessary information into attendants’ hands. 

A neutral response came from our flyering. Several Comrades received verbal disagreement or dissatisfaction with the notion of CPUSA and socialist associates participating in No Kings 3. From the 250 organization flyers passed out, we received 39 QR code scans. All of our zines were accepted warmly for the most part, and several de-Flock flyers were passed out with positive responses. Additionally, we found two potential new comrades. Of the participating organizations, we were not looked on favorably, but through strategic networking, our clubs were able to build a stronger presence in our communities and tip the needle even slightly closer to class equality.