Vigil and Day of Action on the Thompson Center Plaza
September 29, 2007
Amid the rush hour buzz of a downtown Friday afternoon, Chicago Single-Payer Action Network hosted its second event-- a vigil to remember those who have fallen through the cracks of our broken health care system, and a day of action to give our frustration direction by spreading the news about what we consider to be the remedy, single payer. The event was done in coordination with similar ones conducted across the country. The national vigil/day of action was hosted by American Patients for Universal Health Care (APUHC), the recently created group founded by Donna Smith (the woman from SiCKO that has to move back in with her children after her and her husband lose their home due to medical bills). At the same time as our event, sister events were taking place in Washington D.C., Denver, Kansas City, MO, Ft. Collins, CO, and Tennessee.
The first part of the event featured marching and chanting. We held up our signs as we loudly voice our discontent over the current way that private, for-profit insurance companies make huge profits by denying needy people coverage. All the commotion attracted passers-by (which was the idea). We estimate that about 100 people participated at one point or another. This is very good news because it marks an improvement in attendance from our first event to this one.
After about an hour of marching, our speakers began to address the crowd that had gathered. Among the others, we had two notable people talk. Rep. Mary Flowers, a Democrat from Illinois’s 31st district, will be there to show her support for statewide single-payer. Rep Flowers is co-sponsor of House Bill 311, the proposal for a single-payer healthcare system in Illinois. Under the bill, all healthcare payments would be made by a state health services board.
Also speaking at the event was Steve Skvara. Skvara came to the nation’s attention when he shared his powerful healthcare story with millions—including the Democratic presidential candidates—at the AFL-CIO Presidential Forum in Chicago. When LTV steel filed for bankruptcy, Skvara lost a third of his pension and his family lost their healthcare. At the forum, he posed the poignant question, “What’s wrong with America and what will you do to change it?”. Since then, he has become a symbol for healthcare reform. Skvara is also appeared on Oprah with director Michael Moore the same week as the event.
All in all the day was a success. We were able to get our message out while simultaneously taking time to reflect upon all the victims of the current "health care system
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Rep. Mary Flowers
Steve Skvara
ChiSPAN Member, Anne Scheetz