October 27, 2004
BY CECIL ANGEL FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The star power of hip-hop mogul Sean (P. Diddy) Combs, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and singer Mary J. Blige drew more than 6,000 people Tuesday to a get-out-the-vote rally on Wayne State University's campus in Detroit.
The Vote or Die rally was part of a three-day tour to seven cities in swing states key to the presidential election. Officially, the rally was nonpartisan, but most of the crowd and the stars favored U.S. Sen. John Kerry over President George W. Bush.
"This year we're not going to sit on the sidelines and complain, we're going to decide the next president of the United States," Combs told the crowd gathered on Gullen Mall.
The rally drew mostly people in their teens and 20s and many were high school students. Some arrived as early as 2 p.m., staking out places in the front row. The stars didn't appear until about 6:30 p.m. and were greeted with screams and cheers that were more concert than political rally.
"We are in a swing state and believe me you are the swing vote," Combs said.
He acted as master of ceremonies as he introduced DiCaprio, who described himself as a concerned citizen and the upcoming presidential election as "the most important election of our lifetime."
"We are at a turning point," DiCaprio said. "This is not just an election to decide a single president. ... The power of our vote will determine the direction of the most powerful court in the world."
When he told the crowd, he supports John Kerry, many began chanting "Kerry, Kerry."
Blige spoke next. She told the crowd: "They don't believe you exist. They believe you're dead."
Combs told the crowd that both candidates had not taken the votes of young people seriously. He began his movement, Citizen Change, five months ago because people were saying that young people were passive about politics and not interested in voting.
Contact CECIL ANGEL at 313-223-4531 or angel at freepress.com.