Voice for change at L.A. convention

By Kevin Rudiger

This summer, history will be made in the streets of Los Angeles
and Philadelphia. Thousands will converge at both the Republican
and Democratic National Conventions to protest both parties’
continued pursuit of corporate-dictated, racist agendas. These
agendas serve the interests of the elite while the vast majority of
people, both at home and abroad, are left impoverished and under
the gun. Political conventions continue to be nothing more than
high-priced commercials for the two corporate-dominated parties.
The vast majority of Americans who can’t afford access to the
$10,000-a-plate dinners and other high-priced events are left
outside the process. This year, though, we will be in the streets.
Late last year in the groundbreaking Seattle protests against the
World Trade Organization, thousands took to the streets to demand
an end to unaccountable, faceless corporations and institutions,
the erosion of our democracy, and increasing inequality on a
national and international level. Those of us in the streets were
treated to extraordinary displays of solidarity, including the now
legendary “Teamster-Turtle” alliance of labor unions
and environmentalists. We also saw that when people do take to the
streets, things can and do change. Not only did the WTO meetings
collapse in disarray, but President Clinton begrudgingly insisted
that he “agreed with many of the concerns” raised by
those in the streets and called for provisions that take
environmental, labor and human rights issues into account. Now,
this extraordinary and growing movement has an opportunity to bring
this winning combination to Los Angeles. The corporate politicos
who are organizing the convention have talked about using the
convention as an opportunity to “showcase Los Angeles.”
The truth is, of course, that they will only be showing one side of
our city. While convention delegates hobnob in the Staples Center
skyboxes, it will be easy for them to forget that one-third of
children in L.A. County live below the poverty line, or that 45
percent of full-time workers in the city still have no health
insurance. While convention-goers stay in swank hotels downtown and
on the West Side, they can easily ignore the shameful disparities
of wealth in Los Angeles, where 50 people control as much wealth as
the poorest 2 million Angelenos. This is the real Los Angeles, a
city created largely by an ongoing attack on the poor, lack of
affordable housing and a separate and unequal education system in
communities of color. One goal of the protests this August will be
to ensure that this side of Los Angeles cannot be ignored and that
both the Democrats and Republicans realize that communities which
have been marginalized in the past refuse to remain so today. It is
important to realize that this side of Los Angeles, which both
parties want to pretend does not exist, is the direct result of the
outright failure of both the Democrats and Republicans to address
key issues which impact us all. Under the supposedly progressive
leadership of President Clinton, Congress passed sweeping
“welfare reform” legislation, which has moved thousands
of needy families off welfare rolls, without providing them any
real opportunities to support themselves. At the same time,
Democrats have once again made no effort to move toward a more
progressive taxation system and have continued to endlessly debate
over even the smallest of minimum wage increases. Bill Clinton and
his Democratic friends in Congress have also vastly accelerated the
war on the poor, youth and communities of color, by enacting
increasingly punitive criminal legislation, increasing funding for
the failed “war on drugs” and passing numerous pieces
of anti-immigrant legislation. While violent crime has decreased
for the last several years, the number of people in prison
continues to skyrocket as politicians jockey to see who can be
toughest on crime. On an international level, our Democratic
“leadership” has been equally dismal. Whether we are
talking about the Clinton administration’s aggressive
campaign to fund military offensives in Colombia or the
administration’s continued support for a war, both military
and economic, against the people of Iraq, the Clinton
administration has shown its true colors. When I asked an aide to
Bill Bradley, who supposedly represents the left wing of the
Democratic Party, how many Iraqi children they were willing to
sacrifice in pursuit of the US policy objectives, her immediate
response: “As many as it takes until the people of Iraq rise
up.” As many as it takes! For students, like those of us at
UCLA, this is an important time for us to get involved. Lack of
political leadership continues to further erode the foundation for
public education in the United States. But self-interest aside, it
is important to recognize the important role that students have
played in social movements throughout history. Now, as one of the
most important political events in decades comes to our own
backyard, it is our responsibility to get involved and to help
ensure that our voices are heard. Some argue that by protesting the
Democrats, we are playing into the hands of the Republicans. For
many, though, the bottom line is that we can no longer afford to
fall into the trap of supporting the “lesser of two
evils.” Everyone agrees that theoretically, there is some
point where choosing the lesser of two evils no longer makes sense.
Today, at the start of the new millennium, thousands of people are
insisting that the time is now, that the Democrats have crossed the
line one too many times and that it is past the time for those of
us who believe in justice, fairness and in real democracy to take a
stand. Despite efforts by the police and the mainstream media to
suggest otherwise, the protests this summer at the Democratic and
Republican conventions are shaping up to be a beautiful and
powerful expression of a multiplicity of movements for global
justice ““ race, gender, class, and ecological justice. As we
have consistently done, we will focus on the substance of the
issues. Some of these activists will make their point using the
time-honored tradition of nonviolent resistance and civil
disobedience, while others will be writing policy criticisms,
holding side conventions, or marching in the streets. All will
speak out and stand up in the face of global exploitation. We hope
that UCLA students will be there with us!