Poor people's congress.

• Position: Christmas Day 1994 Washington, DC protest

Washington, D.C.

At least 1,000 people attended a rally on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Day, to protest the danger to poor people posed by the Congressional Republicans' Contract with America.

The action kicked off a 100-day campaign sponsored by Research, Education, and Action on Poverty (REAP), a young non-profit group that aims to refocus the current policy debate on welfare, crime, and other social issues. "Say no to the war on the poor, and say yes to opportunity," is REAP's slogan.

Each week during the first 100 days of the new Congress, REAP is holding "People's Hearings" on the Capitol steps, covering such topics as economic inequality, how much tax money is spent on programs that aid the poor, and how best to address human needs and create opportunity. "Our goal is to break down stereotypes of poor people, to educate people with facts, and to put a face on the issues," says Leonard Adler, REAP's founder. "What we're trying to do is force a debate. Clinton and the Republicans are all talking about middle-class rights and how to cut middle-class taxes and are not addressing the problems of poor Americans. In the Poor People's Congress, we are also going to do something that neither party seems interested in - listen to the ideas of poor people themselves."

Many poor...