Voices of dissent; unapologetic, unbridled rage.
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Posts tagged: occupy history
In 1943 the Danes managed to save 7,200 of their 7,800 Jewish neighbors from the Gestapo. They had no blogs, no television, no text messaging—and very little time to prepare. They passed their apartment keys to the hunted on the streets. They formed convoys to the coast. An ambulance driver set out with a phone book, stopping at any address with a Jewish-sounding name. No GPS for directions. No excuse not to try.
But what if it failed? What if the general strike proved to be anything but general? I thought Bush was supposed to be the one afraid of science. Hypothesis, experiment, analysis, conclusion—are they his hobgoblins or ours? What do we have to fear, except additional evidence that George W. Bush is exactly what he appears to be: the president few of us like and most of us deserve. But science dares to test the obvious. So let us dare.
This is from the 2008 essay by Garret Keizer in Harper’s magazine, “Specific Suggestion: General Strike”. When I heard the Occupy Oakland encampment is planning a general strike for November 2nd, I knew I’d want to track this down. He’s writing about Dubya but his arguments in favor of a strike are just as compelling today…and his predictions about what the next presidency would bring are prescient.
If you’re on the fence about striking, you should read it. Or if you want to read one of the best essays I’ve ever read. I’ll be posting excerpts throughout the week.
Police versus protestors in downtown Oakland, during the anti-Vietnam “Stop the Draft Week.” October 20, 1967. Photograph by Bill Crouch. Courtesy of the Oakland Museum of California.
With police brutality at Occupy Oakland all over the news, it’s worth remembering that Oakland has a rich history of protest. On October 20, 1967, four thousand people marched through the streets, blocking Army buses, clashing with police. This was the biggest demonstration against the Vietnam War up to that point. At a sit-in at the Oakland Army Induction Center, even Joan Baez got arrested. Then, as now, police violence turned the streets into a warzone. In the 1960s, however, the Oakland mayor didn’t have a Facebook page where people could leave thousands of angry comments.
