Tag Archives: violence

Tainted allies: The KKK weighs in

The worst thing that’s happened to the avowedly non-racist heritage supporters of the Confederate flag this week is the appearance of unwelcome support:  The Ku Klux Klan has been permitted to hold a rally in support of government display of … Continue reading

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Take the degree, leave the mattress.

Emma Sulkowicz dragged her mattress across the Columbia University campus for the last time this week, when she participated in a Class Day graduation ceremony.  This day, several friends helped Sulkowicz carry the mattress across the stages, but mostly she’s … Continue reading

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#Selma50: Whose history?

The thousands of people who marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama this weekend would not be attacked by state troopers, nor face gas or police dogs. Fifty years makes for an auspicious anniversary.  The brutal beatings that … Continue reading

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Days of Rage: Is Ferguson spreading out or dissipating?

Inspired by the ongoing events in Ferguson, Anonymous has called for Days of Rage protests across the nation:   At least one part of the story here is the reasonably sophisticated use of social media, including Youtube above.  The description … Continue reading

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Protest and riots

Violence polarizes.  It makes people pay attention.  It makes people take sides.  And this goes for violence from authorities like the police as well as protesters. It doesn’t take many people, committed or crazy, in masks or police uniforms and … Continue reading

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Arab Fall

To paraphrase the old Boston politician, revolution ain’t beanbag.  The wave of revolutionary action across the Middle East and North Africa about a year and a half ago captured the imagination of democratic reformers around the world.  But it wasn’t … Continue reading

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Raining out dissent in Tampa

The storms surrounding Hurricane Isaac shortened the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, and stole some of the headlines Republicans hoped to generate.  The rains mostly kept the delegates and party regulars indoors, fairly well insulated from the demonstrators outdoors, who … Continue reading

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Occupy Oakland and the militant wing of a movement

Occupy, like all large and successful social movements, includes people with a broad range of political viewpoints and a very diverse range of action strategies.  While some activists are working to move inside the political system by lobbying or contesting … Continue reading

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Occupy unbound

Zuccotti Park, home for Occupy Wall Street for two months, is completely irrelevant to the future of the Occupy movement.  Now that the activists have been cleared out, we’re watching to see what the most important place will be. In … Continue reading

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Violence, democracy, and a general strike

The efforts to clear out Occupiers in Atlanta, Oakland, and San Diego emphasize the difficult stalemate between local governments and the emergent Occupy movement. Although local officials may be mostly sympathetic to the concerns of the Occupiers, they’re also responsible … Continue reading

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