GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — "The Democrats really have to pay [attention] to what's happening right now."
That's what Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids' Chair Emerson Wolfe said as Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has reportedly claimed the lives of 40,000 Palestinians as well as 329 Israeli soldiers.
Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants broke through an Israeli military blockade surrounding the Gaza Strip.
The attack killed approximately 1,200 Israeli citizens and soldiers and took some 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip, including Americans, according to the Associated Press.
Palestinian solidarity groups organized, seeking U.S. divestment from the war in the Middle East as well as future funding to Israel, including here in Michigan.
"We demand change," said Wolfe.
"We demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel - Americans work hard for their money, and in this economy, we simply cannot afford to be subsidizing a genocide with our money. It's unconscionable, it's wrong, and we want to make a stand against that," Wolfe said.
It's important to note that Israel's war in Gaza has not been officially recognized as a Genocide.
However, Israel is being accused of Genocide by the United Nations' International Court of Justice and will likely not yield an official verdict for years.
Israel has denied these allegations.
The U.S. has long been a major contributor of funding to Israel's defense, with $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel approved just as recently as three days ago and an additional $26 billion to Israel and humanitarian relief in Gaza included in a nearly $100 billion federal defense bill signed by President Joe Biden in April of 2024.
The war in the Middle East has long been an issue for the Biden administration as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have yet to reach a resolution as the threat of a wider war in the Middle East is possible.
After Joe Biden's announcement that he would not seek reelection in the 2024 presidential race, he handed his nomination over to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris has repeatedly stressed the need for a ceasefire and has continued her rhetoric throughout the campaign season and in a discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Harris recently received criticism after she handled protestors in Detroit during a campaign visit where she responded to protestors who interrupted her speech by saying, "You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking."
This sentiment is denounced by Palestine Solidarity GR.
"It's very important that we criticize both parties," said Danny Celaya, the director of communications for Palestine Solidarity GR.
"Both parties through the years have only been serving the interests of the rich. If we look at many of the demands of the coalition, like reproductive rights, the Democrats have had multiple opportunities to codify reproductive rights or immigrant rights too. If anything, this shows that the big divide is between the interest of the wealthy and the interests of working-class folks all across the nation that want to see these things get done and want to see their communities be funded," Celaya said.
"Folks are still maintaining firm on the need to call out the Democratic Party because it doesn't matter that they swap candidates if the policies are the same. And that's what voters want to see. They want to see a change in policy that pivots away from billions of our tax dollars to go from going to a war instead of direct funding towards the needs of our community and towards justice, peace and equality," Celaya concludes.
As the Democratic National Convention (DNC) approaches, over 200 Palestinian solidarity coalitions are planning to march on the DNC to make their voices heard by the democratic party as a whole.
"At this moment, we see the Democrats as a whole in their complicity in aiding Israel in their genocide against Palestinians," Wolfe said.
"We've been giving them billions of dollars. Be it Harris as the Vice President or Harris as the President, we want to pressure the Democratic Party to do the right thing by ending U.S. aid to Israel and for Democrats to support their constituents," Wolfe added.
The march that Palestine Solidarity GR is participating in has many goals and demands, but for Wolfe and Celaya the approach to having their voices heard is as important as the issues they wish to solve.
They're opting to host a 'family-friendly march' and create a safe environment for people to protest.
"We're going to have a large amount of people on the ground saying, 'We demand change, we demand the end to U.S. aid to Israel, we demand union jobs, we demand reproductive rights, we demand protections for immigrants, we demand community control of the police and the end to police crimes,'" Wolfe said.
"We are very practiced in keeping our community safe. We've been calling this a family-friendly march for people of all abilities and all immigration statuses, and we truly mean that. We are working with the City of Chicago to get a permit for not only our march, but the right to convene at Union Park with a stage and restrooms. We have a team of very well-trained marshals and medics on the ground who can provide anything that people need, so I'm confident that we will keep people safe," Wolfe said.
As the group prepares for over 1,000 people coming from West Michigan and beyond to travel to Chicago, both Wolse and Celaya are excited about what the future holds after a demonstration of this size and importance.
"When we bring people together, we pool our power and we create an environment that allows change to happen and flourish," Wolfe said.
"We're really trying to inspire folks to continue to continue to speak truth to power because we deserve just that," Celaya said. "We deserve a better life. We deserve everything that's in that list of demands and much more."
Palestine Solidarity GR organizes every Wednesday at Rosa Parks Circle in Grand Rapids and will be partaking in the march on the DNC as outlined here.
