On day one of the Republican National Convention, with tensions running extremely high following Saturday’s failed assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump, a coalition of progressive organizations moved forward with their plans to stage a protest march outside the RNC. In this on-the-ground report, Taya Graham and Stephen Janis take you to the heart of the action, speaking with protestors participating in the demonstration as well as devout Trump supporters in downtown Milwaukee, WI.
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Post-Production: Stephen Janis
Transcript
Kobi Guillory: So we have these people in power. The only options that we have are people who represent a system that exploits and oppresses us. Everybody say, “That ain’t right.”
Crowd: That ain’t right!
Speaker 3: Welcome back Kobi Guillory with Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Kobi Guillory: The reason both parties are inflicting violence every day on millions of Black and Brown people, throwing them in prison for crimes they did not commit.
Speaker 4: July 15, where will we be?
Crowd: [Inaudible].
Speaker 5: Palestinian is not the problem. Trump is not the problem. Biden is not the problem. Yes, you have a problem with God.
Crowd: Whose city?
Our city.
Whose city?
Our city.
[Inaudible].
Taya Graham: Hello. This is Taya Graham for The Real News Network, here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and right behind me is a coalition to march on the RNC.
They are marching for a variety of causes. It’s an umbrella group for progressive causes including protection of LGBTQ rights, protection of reproductive health rights, as well as to end the war on Gaza. So please stay tuned for more real-time updates.
Crowd: [Inaudible].
Brother Jim: Black Lives Matter, they are paid to travel the country and cause riots. Now, they haven’t caused too many riots in the last year or so. They’ve calmed down. But they burnt cities like Oregon and Minneapolis and other places around the country.
Taya Graham: So why do you think they’re being paid to take such action?
Brother Jim: Well, because they’re useful idiot stooges, like all communists want to use, and they find derelicts and a lot of homosexuals and sodomites and lesbians, and they pay them money to travel around and cause trouble.
Duane Schwingel: I’m here to support President Trump. Oh, yeah, and a lot of them I’ve seen in different rallies. We hug and I say, I’m anti-fascist too. Really? Yes, of course. I’m Uncle Sam. I know history.
Maximillian Alvarez: Thank you so much for watching The Real News Network, where we lift up the voices, stories and struggles that you care about most, and we need your help to keep doing this work. So please tap your screen now, subscribe and donate to the Real News Network. Solidarity forever.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
