Actor Danny Glover drew most of the attention, but in doing so he also brought attention to Jill Stein, the 2012 Green Party presidential candidate.
The event was featured in the Herald Palladium, a local newspaper covering Benton Harbor, Michigan. The city has been undergoing severe financial problems and state intervention since at least 2009.
It wasn’t clear why Glover would be speaking at such an event. Perhaps it’s his role as “UNICEF ambassador.” His quoted comments didn’t help resolve any such confusion. This was perhaps his most interesting statement:
How does it function within a system of capitalism that’s main purpose is exploitation? How does democracy itself function when the wealth and control of everything we do is controlled by a handful of people?
So an extraordinarily successful actor who has a reported net worth of $15 million and has had many notable roles in his career is complaining about someone else controlling the wealth. That’s interesting. Perhaps this is a step toward a political career for Glover, who has been pumping for the UAW and claims to be a big union supporter.
Stein got less press but nevertheless scored important recognition for the Green Party in this and other news coverage of the event.
Jill Stein said the current system is not working. She said one out of every three African American men are held hostage by the “prison-industrial complex,” and half of Americans are living in poverty or are low-income.