Groups looking to get their message across to a national audience are just descending on Cleveland this week, during the convention.
Right now, cleanup is underway from one of the largest protest groups the city's seen so far. Earlier close today, close to 400 people and more than 30 groups from Ohio and nationwide filled the open grass space on E. 45 and Superior.
Coming together with music and song, the group demanded change.
"The poor have no voice, and when their down there at the RNC convention and all their parties, and all the things they're doing there, they're not concerned about the striving poor," said Paul Hassan, National Spokesman for the Organize for Ohio group.
Rallying & marching from East 45th street to E. 12, his group and the people's coalition are stood up against poverty and all the burdens that come with it.
"The result of poverty is mass incarceration, results of poverty is no justice, results of poverty is that our communities are destitute," Hassan said.
"I feel like this is important because a lot of people don't pay attention to what's going on out here," said Aaminiah Miles who knows all about the toll living under the poverty line can have on a person.
"It's really really hard I mean month-to-month checks that's not gonna help people...they need to learn to embrace us instead of pushing us off and throwing us to the side," she said.
Currently unemployed, getting only$198 a month to support her family of 4, she said trying to land a job isn't as easy as it seems.
"They act like they don't want to hire us. Because either wear different or or we don't reach their requirements...we need jobs just as well as you need jobs."
And with 45 million people living in poverty in the US… group leaders tell me it's not just about money... it's about opportunity...
"In the cities across the country and their cry is hope, cry is aspiration, there crying is that they want to job, why is that they want to take care of their family," said Hassan.
But not everyone was on board, Dolly Malbasa, a disgruntled neighbor watching the march, voiced her annoyance with the whole thing.
"I know there's jobs out there, you just got to get out there and go and find one."
Leaders said this was a first for their group to have that large amount of support. They wrapped up on Chester and E12th street late this afternoon.
