On August 26 organizers with People Over Profits, a San Diego based organization combating private prisons, invited the community to celebrate their two-year anniversary. Folks were encouraged to come to The People’s Lot for live entertainment and local vendors in a non-gentrified and child-friendly space for their second annual Hoodstock. Throughout the event, speakers showed solidarity with the National Prison Strike.
Hoodstock MC and POP organizer Paul Aceves said “The People’s Lot” is a liberated and inclusive space safe from gentrification. It is also a space that celebrates the struggle of marginalized groups in San Diego and acknowledges their true history. The police are not welcome.”
“This is an event of resistance,” Aceves added. “F— ICE, f— Trump’s torch-wielding mother f—ers, and f— the San Diego Police Department. We need to be making money for the people instead of by the people.”
Tufts of straw were kicked around as attendees danced to Spanish and hip-hop classics. Children with painted faces and balloon animals laughed and ran amuck. The smell of homemade chili wafted through the entrance gate as servings were distributed upon arriving. The sense of solidarity among everyone at Hoodstock extended beyond The People’s Lot, with organizers and entertainers frequently expressing their solidarity with the ongoing prison strike.
Poet and activist Reannan Last read the National Prison Strike demands before reciting “Violence,” a poem about police brutality. She said events like Hoodstock serve to increase community outreach and awareness.
Francisco Mendoza, one of POP’s founding members, agreed.
“People Over Profits started as a grassroots,” Mendoza said. “When we began looking at the 13th amendment, we saw these corporations were coming into our communities to make a pipeline into prison, a pipeline into the military. They use Black and Brown bodies to build profits. People need to know what’s happening.”
