In Actions, Barbara Lott Holland, Bus Riders Union, Eric Mann, Fight For The Souls OF The Cities, Free Public Transit Campaign, The Labor Community Strategy Center, Upcoming Events, VIRTUAL EVENT

Bus Riders Union Teach-In Tonight February 22nd 6pm PST

THE BUS RIDERS UNION FIGHTS THE MTA’S TRANSIT RACISM

AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR 30 YEARS AND STILL COUNTING

 

BUS RIDERS CO-CHAIRS BARBARA LOTT-HOLLAND AND ERIC MANN
This Thursday, February 25, at 9 AM, the MTA Board will vote to add another $110 million to its already grotesque police budget.

Please help us work to get the MTA board to vote no on this motion and to begin to cut the $650 million contract by 50% and 50% again.
We hope that tonight, walking you through the BRU’s 30 year fight against MTA Transit Racism, can give you some historical sense of the importance of this fight and why your help this week is so urgently needed.

The Backstory—The Democratic Party’s war against Black, Latinx, and women passengers will never stop—unless we stop it

In 1991 the Labor/Community Strategy formed the Bus Riders Union. The MTA buses were dirty, dilapidated, and diesel—what we called a third class bus system for Third World People. We believed and believe that Third World people deserve a first class bus system—free public transportation, 24/7 service double and triple what we have now, stop MTA attacks on and racial profiling of Black Passengers who get 60% of all tickets and citations on the MTA plantation. Barbara and Eric will tell of the great victories the BRU has won—an historic civil rights law-suit and Consent Decree in which the BRU won 2500 new compressed natural gas buses, dramatic reductions in bus fares to $42 a month and $21 every 2 weeks and $11 a week, and 1 million hours of additional bus service, and yes, more jobs for bus drivers, mechanics, and maintenance people. In 2006 when the 10 year Consent Decree was over the MTA went right back to its rail obsession, rail as a gentrifying boondoggle construction project and how it stole and steals funds from the bus system and the 500,000 MTA bus and rail riders.

After federal court supervision was lifted, just like a Southern segregationist school board, the MTA rolled back all the civil rights victories we won—raised the monthly bus pass from $42 to $62 to $75 to the present $100. They cut 1 million hours of bus service, and refused to upgrade its bus fleet. We need your help to put bus riders back in the drivers seat!

We will also discuss how the MTA creates subservient “community groups” who are used against the BRU and who rubber stamp MTA’s transit racism in return for acting like they have influence when in fact they cause great harm to bus riders and the movement.

Let’s work together for another big victory this Thursday. We are very appreciative of MTA board member and city council person Mike Bonin for opposing this fare increase and we look to MTA board members Holly Mitchell, Hilda Solis, and all board members of good will to VOTE NO on the latest chapter of transit racism.

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