May Day Ventura County – Additional Information

No Work, No Shopping, No School!

Watch this great history of May Day here by SURJ (Showing Up For Racial Justice)

Facebook: https://fb.watch/GzVIXdqk54/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXNjJi9iB3i/

May Day will be a coordinated day of action where we are demanding:

Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first.
ICE Out. No private army serving authoritarian power.
Expand democracy, not corporate power. Defend free and fair elections not a rigged disaster.

Thousands of organizations across the country are calling for a day of “No School, No Work, No Shopping” to disrupt the violent billionaire takeover of our country and to put working families first. Because when the billionaires break every rule, it’s going to take more than a rally to stop them.

We are excited for you to join us in making this day a reality, and hosting an action where your neighbors can gather to make our voices heard.

Along with our rally, we will be having a postcarding table, and a mutual aid food drive! Find information on these activities, parking and more below!

WHEN: 05/01 from 2 – 4 pm
WHERE: Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave., on the corner of Victoria Ave. and Telephone.
MOBILIZE LINK: https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/932905/
WHY: Because in America, we don’t do kings!

Why Take Action on May Day?

We want our tax dollars to go to schools and housing, not to sending federal agents into our cities to attack and kill our neighbors. No one should live under ICE violence or militarized occupation, period. Our tax dollars should fund stability and care, not occupation and repression.
Democracy should work for working people, not billionaire interests.
While working families are stretched to the brink, billionaires and corporations are posting record profits and hoarding the wealth our labor creates. That money should be funding housing, schools, healthcare, and the public goods that make life livable.
The Corporations and the ultra-rich have rigged the system and it won’t get un-rigged unless working people take big actions together. Corporations and the ultra-wealthy are rigging the rules to protect their power and shut the rest of us out. A government captured by billionaire interests will not solve a crisis that benefits them without us making it.
Organized people are the only force that has ever stopped authoritarian takeovers and changed the rules to work for working people. Those who profit from a rigged system will not voluntarily give it up. When working people move together, we can defend our communities, protect our rights, and force the government to put our families over their fortunes.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Our fun and smooth-running events do not happen by magic. We always need volunteers to help and we need letter-sign holders and more safety monitors!

SIGN UP!: Sign up here to join in as a volunteer to create another memorable day. We need more people to hold signs too!
VOLUNTEER CHECK IN – GENERAL!: Check in at the 50501-VC booth on Telephone Road.
CHECK IN – SAFETY VOLUNTEERS!: These volunteers manage crosswalks, sidewalks and do possible de-escalation. Come at 9:00 am for an orientation meeting and to attend a 9:15 Safety Training briefing and get your vest!

POSTCARDING!

Join in with your neighbors! It’s fun! Help reach voters and remind them how important it is that they vote!

MUTUAL AID FOOD DRIVE FOR VENTURA COUNTY FIELDWORKERS!

ICE raids have hit families in our county’s smaller cities especially hard, and they are struggling for food and basic necessities. Food pantries need our help, as requests for assistance have tripled.

Donations brought to May Day on Friday will taken to Santa Paula’s Poder Popular, which works with Friends of Fieldworkers, and serves as an emergency pantry for them. It operates with volunteers from Hearts Without Borders/ LUCHA.

“Poder Popular typically serves fieldworkers coming from the Santa Clara River Valley, (small towns like Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula) yet lately people have been coming from larger cities like Ventura and Oxnard to seek help. The needs are high and they are not going away anytime soon. Volunteers from Poder Popular shared that most recently they are running out of fresh produce, laundry and dish soap, hygiene items and cooking oil. Thank you to all who have donated and continue to donate.”

Please bring what you can of the following items!

Canned tomato sauce
Canned pasta sauce
Canned Mexican-style hominy (25oz)
Canned jalapeños
Canned corn
Canned green beans
Canned green peas
Canned mixed vegetables
Tuna
Spaghetti pasta
Rotini pasta
Fideo pasta
Macaroni / Elbow pasta
Corn masa harina (to make tortillas – yellow or white)
Uncooked dried pinto beans
Uncooked dried Peruvian beans
Uncooked dried white rice
Lentils
Cooking oil (24–32oz)
Coffee / Instant
Bar soap
Toothpaste
Laundry pods
Anything you can donate would be much appreciated!

We know carrying groceries any distance can be hard. We will have a dropoff zone with volunteers to assist in the parking lot where most people park. There will be a second dropoff area at the event itself for those parking in other areas.

If you can continue to help support to Poder Popular after this event, they are open to accept donations Monday-Wednesday: 9-3pm and Friday 9-3pm. They are located at 113 N Mills St Santa Paula.

PARKING

FREE parking is available at the VC Government Center, but read the signs before you park. Please respect the areas marked as NO PARKING or timed. Review the VCGC parking map here (https://vcportal.ventura.org/GSA/docs/Gov-Center-Map.pdf) or look at our version below.

KEEPING EACH OTHER SAFE

NO STANDING IN THE MEDIANS! Yeah, it’s fun! But the police at our last NO KINGS demonstration notified us that there is actually a city code against standing in medians, and they will issue tickets in the future. (10.100.020 Prohibited solicitation at specified locations, Item H) Who knew, right? The police don’t want to harsh our day, so let’s remind those who look likely to plant themselves in the medians to move along to the other side of the street.
LOOK BOTH WAYS AT CROSSWALKS!: Pay attention to the safety monitors and watch cars who are trying to sneak in a turn.
POLICE: The local police and the county’s own security officers have been notified of our rally, and have stated that they will be on the sidelines in case of emergency.
THIS IS A PUBLIC EVENT: There will be photography, from friendly pro-bono photographers, media drones, press, and individuals. Your face may be photographed without your consent. Please be aware of this if you cannot be photographed. If you are worried about being identified in social media photos, you can try disabling tagging on Facebook and Instagram. You can also wear a mask such as a simple medical mask.

GET RALLY READY!

HOLD ON TO YOUR STUFF! There’s a lot of fun stuff happening at our rallies and it’s easy to put something down, “just for a minute!,” to clap or hold onto a sign. Make sure your most valuable items – wallets, car keys, etc – are somehow ATTACHED to your body at all times – bring a crossbody purse, belly bag, fanny pack, or a backpack if you can!
This is a big space to look for lost items. We will have a LOST AND FOUND area at the 50501 information table, so please report or turn in any found items there.
KEEPING COMFORTABLE: Yelling and dancing is thirsty work. We will have water stations, but if you’re able to carry a water bottle with you, please do. It’s going to be normal Ventura weather – 72°-ish. Bring a hat and wear sunscreen and layers! You are welcome to bring a folding chair to be more comfortable for the 2 hours of this event.

SIGN-MAKING AND WHY TO BRING AMERICAN FLAGS

We will have a signmaking table again! Donations of cardboard, pens, etc. welcomed!

INSPIRATION!: Look online – Etsy has a great page of ideas here.
You can download signs from the NO KINGS campaign here and print them at home or take them to a local printer. Want to make your own signs? Try out these messages:

NO KINGS IN AMERICA!
Stop the Shakedown!
We are Not For Sale!

Bring the American flag! It’s past time we remind this nation, and the world, of the true definition of America: A nation that accepts your tired, your poor, your huddled masses and ensures they have the right to every freedom guaranteed to the person standing next to them. Bring out your American flags, encourage your attendees to do the same, and let’s reclaim this symbol and remind the world that the freedom we stand for is freedom for all. (Note: There were always flags at the civil rights marches and rallies.)

Additional ideas from DemCast USA

RESTROOMS

We strongly suggest you use the restroom before joining us, as there are no restrooms at this 2-hr. event. We usually use the ones at the gas station and supermarket across the street if absolutely necessary.