Lest We Forget On This May Day

WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE (farsi)

Cleveland May Day 1894 saw angry protests as a result of Cleveland's unemployment rate rising dramatically during the Panic of 1893.  The closure of two major railroads and other major companies triggered a stock market collapse. The New York banks had heavily invested in the stock market, and bank failures soon began. This caused a contraction of credit, and many other, newer, businesses started to shut down as well. The depression produced widespread social unrest, mostly among the now-unemployed workers. Some people tried to create public works programs for the unemployed, but this was unsuccessful.  Finally, riots broke out among the unemployed who condemned city leaders for their ineffective relief measures. According to the New York Times, "the desire to stop work seemed to take possession of every laborer..." on May Day of 1894

Cleveland May Day  1919, involved socialists and  trade-unionist fighting the  police and military troops. The Socialists and trade unionists were participants in a May Day parade to protest the recent jailing of Socialist Party of America’s  Eugene Debs and to promote the mayoral candidacy of its organizer, Charles Ruthenberg. Its 32 labor and Socialist groups were divided into 4 units, each with a red flag and an American flag at its head; many marchers also wore red clothing or red badges. While marching to Public Square one of the units was stopped on Superior Ave. by a group of Victory Loan Workers, who asked that their red flags be lowered. The marchers refused to do so and mass fighting broke out immediately; chaos quickly spreading throughout the downtown area.

 Before the day ended, the disorder had spread to Public Square and to the Socialist party headquarters on Prospect Ave., which was ransacked by a mob. Two people were killed, 40 injured, and 116 arrested (one of them Ruthenberg himself on a charge of "assault with intent to kill"). Mounted police, army trucks, and tanks were brought in to restore order. Cleveland's riots were the most violent of a series of similar disorders that took place throughout the U.S. largely shaped by the anti-Bolshevik hysteria that permeated the country during the "Red Scare" of 1919.

The Future is Ours

 May Day is the day of working class unity, struggle and solidarity which has now been revived as a day for action across the globe in countless cities. Those marching on May Day are up against a common enemy. Capitalism is that enemy.