Updates from CPI – Los Angeles: Workshop and Rally
By Dan Niswander
Workshop in Los Angeles, May 24th!
The CPI-L.A. group is hosting an all-day workshop on Saturday May 24th, and registration is open now! The theme is DO YOU BELIEVE IN GROWTH? A New Day For Los Angeles and A New Day For America.
There will be three sessions with CPI founder Caleb Maupin discussing CPI's purpose, how to create a serious organization and not an internet fandom, building an anti-monopoly coalition, different modes of production, economic growth. It will begin at 10am and last until evening.
Everyone who attends will receive the CPI booklet about Innovationism and Caleb's book about the Houthis in Yemen. There will be live music and at the end of the evening, an open mic for anyone who wants to share any talent or just talk about what is on their mind. There will be plenty of time for conversation and socializing. Catering will be provided for two meals, and donations will be accepted.
Registration is required. The event will take place at a private location, and the event address will be released only to registered attendees. Note that while the event was previously scheduled for April, the new date is May 24th. Reach out to CPI-LA member Dan at workercooperatorforfreedom@gmail.com with any questions!
Outreach Outside the Fight Oligarchy Rally
The CPI-LA group has been conducting outreach in the Los Angeles area every week, including at large events such as the Fight Oligarchy rally in Grand Park of downtown L.A. on April 12th, which is part of a nationwide tour featuring Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
Our focus was to talk to as many receptive people as possible about CPI and what it stands for, and of course to invite these people to our workshop. There were many approaching us throughout the day!
The rally itself didn’t allow signs, big bags, or even expensive water bottles into the fenced-in area, so it worked out better for us with our signs to be in close proximity and to talk to people passing by. By the time Bernie was on the stage, we had migrated from the sidewalk by City Hall on the east side of the park to the west side of the park.
We had two signs being held prominently for all passing by to see and in some cases to read and take pictures of. Our messages clearly expressed the CPI messages for peace, economic investment in people, and the website link. Many people with everything from professional cameras to cellphones took pictures including a photographer with zuma.com, a photographer and journalist website, who took pictures of us with our signs to be featured in the Bernie Sanders- L.A. link on their website.
We continued with outreach later that evening in L.A. attending the screening of a film entitled ‘Soundtrack To A Coup D’Etat’ at an activist bookstore and meeting space that was followed by discussion. The film is about the CIA coup of the Congolese government and the assassination of their leader Patrice Lumumba in the early 1960s who played a significant role in the transformation of the Congo from a Belgian colony to an independent republic. The film featured a great soundtrack of predominately jazz music at the time including prominent African American jazz artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, and Louis Armstrong (Satchmo), who had been an American ambassador visiting the Congo at that time.
We meet weekly and will continue to conduct outreach to those who are definitely looking for alternatives for serious movement building and political education. If you want to meet our L.A. crew and learn what we’re about, join us on May 24th!
