Find a news story or video about the repression of protest groups in the United States in the past ten years, since the Battle in Seattle (what Wikipedia calls the “World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity“ and 9/11. Reading the protest zone article and the one about organizing after Seattle might help. Post the video or link and talk about what you found. Are the actions justified? Do they effect your feelings about the society we live in (positively or negatively)?
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/nov2003/miam-n26.shtml
In 2003, the demonstrators who came to Miami to protest the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) ministerial meetings were harassed and brutalized by the police. Over one hundred protesters were treated for injuries, twelve were sent to the hospital and two hundred fifty were arrested. The Bush administration funded the local police effort to stop the protests with $8.5 million. I think that the fact that the police and government combined to repress actions of free speech/ protest and dissent is alarming when we call ourselves a "free" and "democratic" country. Obviously, in this class, we have talked about other more covert forms of repression (like the climate, political opportunity structures), but this overt display is particularly troubling.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Very nice post! I do agree with your statement that the "police and government combined to repress actions of free speech/ protest and dissent is alarming when we call ourselves a "free" and "democratic" country". I ask myself all the time: Where will we be in 20 years? Will it be for the better or worst.
ReplyDelete