I welcome this opportunity to stand before you, my co-Richmond residents in this, our embattled but not embittered, city.

Thank you all for coming out tonight.

I’m Gayle McLaughlin, I’m a registered Green and I’m a candidate for the Richmond City Council.

I am part of a long-needed local coalition of progressive Democrats, Greens, and Independents: The Richmond Progressive Alliance!

I am running with the Richmond Progressive Alliance because we are running out of time: Democracy is running out of time, social and economic justice is running out of time, the environment is running out of time, and our children are running out time for a decent future.

The words of Fred Jackson’s song resonate in our hearts because we know it is true. The loss of the precious young lives of Richmond , along with the loss of precious hopes and aspirations, IS occurring way too early and way too young.

The broken windows in Downer Elementary offer NO protection against the toxic releases of the ChevronTexaco refinery. More kids are slated for joining “the asthma club” instead of the art club or the debate club.

But these losses and problems are not unique to Richmond. They are common to many cities and communities. And we are not only losing the young of our cities, we are losing our whole republic.

Most of the institutions of our democracy have suffered corporate “coup-de-tats”.

All the way from Washington DC to the Richmond City Council we have lost
our representative institutions. These include, lamentably, those political parties that have historically played a role in our democracy.

That is why it is a real honor, a real privilege, to meet and to salute representative Dennis Kucinich and his campaign, along with all the people with whom his message resonates.

We wish them 100% success in their endeavor to bring forth a better America for us all.
We salute them for their struggle to rescue the Democratic Party from corporate control.

And if some day they conclude that such a goal is not possible, they know already that we are here. We are willing to build WITH them, and with all our progressive sisters and brothers, an alternative political structure: one that will take our nation where it badly wants to go and painfully needs to go.

We, the Richmond Progressive Alliance, say: Let’s begin right here and now to build a progressive future for our polluted, our corrupted…our life-threatened city.

We CAN build a Richmond where ChevronTexaco pays its FAIR share of taxes and we CAN build a Richmond where this giant polluter is seriously penalized for every polluting crime.

We CAN build a city where democracy and public participation are encouraged and honored.

We CAN create all around us an environment of justice, giving special protection to those most in need: our children, our elders, our homeless, our renters facing eviction, our sick, and our newcomers in the city.

We can transform this the city into a place where small, clean businesses come knocking on our door.

And more than that: we can promote that creativity and American entrepreneurial ingenuity that already exist in the people of Richmond. And we can make this creativity and ingenuity blossom into jobs for our citizens and revenue for our city.

But we cannot do any of this unless we work together. So let’s commit to work together.

Let’s end the chaotic implosion of our city!
Let’s commit to building the nation we want by building the city we need!
Let’s rise up, let’s stand together, and let’s BECOME progressive unity!

Thank you so very much.