Anti-imperialism, local government elections and Rum

Red Thread organise their picket to support the rights of domestic workers at the corner of Regent and Cummings Street just as the May Day Parade pass.

I take a placard that mark "Domestic workers are not indentured workers' because I tink it link to de coolie ting about indentureship in a few days.. and somebody pass and ask if is duh I doing now.

We had some waiting at de junction. Dey had some nice young people stand up at de corner opposite , in red tee shirt. And some police. Den we hear a boom boom, den a car alarm guh aff and den yuh hear de music.

De young people in red tee shirt spring into action and sharing out GAWU labour day message.  I tell one of de gyurl dat i aint want nutting, dat I used to wuk wid Guysuco. She seh she doan wuk deh. In a nice way.
 She mussee does have nuff people wondering if she does wuk backdam .

The unions coming down the road.. behind de truck with the big boom box dey have more truck wid odder boom box

Rum
I had stop coming to this protest because I get vex when I see the rum passing early morning  .  To be fair, dis year dere was less rum.  Dere was also less workers marching or maybe more would join at various points because de sun too hot fuh march all de way.

One of de GAWU contingents had de rum. I see some coolie men wid dey plastic cup and some ah dem had placard wid ting which look like "GAWU want Local Government Elections' and 'Long live the Bolivarian Republic" and "Imperialism causes war" .

Was a black lady wid a rum bottle in front wid de glass. So while I vex wid rum I tink.. well well cyan guh wrang if is a black lady in front wid rum bottle and glass sharing wid coolie men pun de workers day. Ah mean racial and gender solidarity in de working classes pun a hot labour day aint bad.

Some of de people in de picket wid me shout.. "yall turn off de music and holler for what yall want". 

But in troot. well.. ah mean.. if man dem hollering 'Bolivarian Republic' in same voice wid 'Local Government Elections'.. and "Imperialism causes war" nobody aint gun understand nutting.. so ah guess better de music from Jamaica.



But ah doan know if de music change to coolie music later on in de parade.


So we see de factions.. de PPP unions fus, den a big gap. We wuz wondering where de rest deh but a man seh, no no, more passing.
Den de PNC unions led by Mr Granger.. is good he walk.

Is one PPP senior man I did see walking wid GAWU. I aint know where de rest deh or if de younger working class champions wuz busy.



Public Service Union led by dere President fuh Life. Dere placards had tings like Down with Abusers .. not sure if wuz support fuh work against domestic violence.

There was silence and then you hear some people singing Solidarity For Ever but like dem aint know de whole song.

Lady in the minibus in front with the loudspeaker pun tap seh budget cut, is blackout.  People look like straggly. I shout.. yall gah fuh sing "Amazing Grace fuh de dead.." and people around me laff. It could ah been worse. ah could pick a fight and get cuss.



GTU was last.. dem aint not join with anybody.  Dey had a man wearing black fuh de death of some things and protesting a child molester in de union.  Teachers wuz moving to music which some people does worry bout de chirren dem teking word fuh word and doing de same ting.

Den was a police car and de parade pass.

Den we see a truck wid anodda boom boom box hustling fuh ketch up. I aint know if some union mussee ketch a raise late in de day and suh dey get fuh  hire a music set fuh at least part of de parade.

I is not a working class person and some people does wonder if ah have wuk to do so ah guess I shouldn't talk bout working class solidarity and may day parade.