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Brooklyn, NY 11217 JUNE 1 THRU AUG 31 nothing you love more than a good The activist, public intellectual and JENNIVERE KENLON EVERY THURS, 7–8 PM • FREE aria but you can’t swing MET Booker Prize-winning author of The 212-904-1282 STRETCH!: PROSPECT PARK tickets unless they fall off a truck. God of Small Things comes to BAM www.indypendent.org YOGA SUMMER 2017 SERIES No need to worry. Every summer for the launch of her moving new Twitter: @TheIndypendent The Trump Presidency is stressful; the company’s brightest stars take novel, The Ministry of Utmost Hap- facebook.com/TheIndypendent we could all use a break — just to the stage for free at city parks piness. In addition to reading from don’t break your back. Make sure in all fi ve boroughs. Ah, New York her latest work, Roy will speak to visit bendandbloom.com/park- in the summer — the rich can have about the creative process, partici- BOARD OF DIRECTORS: yoga, RSVP and sign a mandatory the Hamptons, we get the music. pate in a Q&A and sign copies of Ellen Davidson, Anna Gold, waiver in advance or else you Visit metopera.org for times and her new work. Tickets at bam.org. locations. Alina Mogilyanskaya, won’t be able to join us! BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Long Meadow, Prospect Park 30 Lafayette Ave. Ann Schneider, John Tarleton TUE JUNE 13 – SUN JUNE 18 SAT JUNE 10 8 PM • FREE FRI JUNE 23 EDITOR: 10 AM • $5–$40 CONCERT: NEW YORK PHILHAR- 6:30 PM • FREE MONIC John Tarleton FUN RUN: 5TH ANNUAL RACE MUSIC: PHAROAH SANDERS AGAINST CAPITALISM Opera not enough? This year’s New One of the most important fi gures Compete (or work together) in York Philharmonic concert series in the development of free jazz, ASSOCIATE EDITOR: either the 5K or 10K race. There will caps off the orchestra’s 175 years saxophonist Pharoah Sanders Peter Rugh be radical water stations along the of serving New York City by explor- emerged from the storied and con- jog, a kid-created fi nish line and a ing Antonín Dvorák’s New World troversial John Coltrane ensembles barbeque at the end — $40 bucks Symphony with its theme of home. of the 1960s, where he eschewed CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: gets you all you can eat. Childcare Each of the concerts, taking place traditional jazz structures in favor Ellen Davidson, available. Proceeds go toward in parks across the fi ve boroughs, of expressionistic, wondrous, Alina Mogilyanskaya, sponsoring low-income travellers includes Dvorák’s masterpiece, nearly anarchic sound-making. to the annual to the Socialism Con- which the Philharmonic premiered. Prospect Park Bandshell Nicholas Powers, Steven Wishnia ference in Chicago this July. You can sing or play along with Prospect Park the orchestra in the “Goin’ Home” SUN JUNE 25 ILLUSTRATION DIRECTOR: 95 Prospect Park West theme from the largo section of the 12 PM • FREE Frank Reynoso symphony, conducted by Music PARADE: NYC PRIDE MARCH SUN JUNE 11 Director Alan Gilbert. See nyphil. Come out and commemorate the

11 AM • FREE org/parks for details. 47th anniversary of the fi rst Pride WET & WILD: KMERON/FLICKR DESIGN DIRECTOR: PARADE: PUERTO RICAN DAY March with over 2 million attend- Celebrate the Mikael Tarkela PARADE SAT JUNE 17 ees. Pride March is a celebration creative spirit of Corporate sponsors are pulling 1 PM • FREE of LGBT lives and community. Coney Island this out of this year’s Puerto Rican Day PARADE: MERMAID PARADE 36th St. at Fifth Ave. summer at the DESIGNERS: Parade and police have threatened Coney Island’s answer to Mardi Mermaid Parade. Steven Arnerich, Anna Gold to launch a sick-in protest, since Gras (minus the tourists), the Mer- SUN JUN 25 organizers announced they would maid Parade is the nation's largest 4 PM • FREE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: bestow Oscar Lopez Rivera — who art parade and one of New York MUSIC: KRS-ONE THE waged armed struggle against City's greatest summer events. Whoop, Whoop! Hip-Hop word- POWER OF Elia Gran the U.S. occupation of the island A really good time will be had by slinger KRS-One (Knowledge KNOWLEDGE: in the 1970s — with the honorifi c all. Drink some beer, down a dog, Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Straight from the GENERAL INQUIRIES: “National Freedom Hero.” Don’t shuck some oysters, cheer on the Everyone) takes the stage in Coffey South Bronx, hip-hop [email protected] let corporations and cops dictate masqueraders or paint your face Park with DJ Chuck Chillout. An legend KRS-One Puerto Rican politics. Come out and join the fun. activist and a poet, KRS-One is takes the stage for a SUBMISSIONS AND NEWS TIPS: and celebrate Puerto Rican culture. Surf Ave., Coney Island among the most infl uential rappers free concert in Coffey [email protected] Fifth Ave. at 44th St. alive. Park this summer. SAT JUNE 17 Coffey Park ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION: MON JUNE 12 3 PM • $6-$15 85 Richards St. [email protected] 6:30 PM • FREE FILM: NEWS FROM IDEOLOGICAL Red Hook, Brooklyn READING: NAOMI KLEIN ANTIQUITY, PT I Acclaimed journalist and bestsell- This sweeping cinematic essay MON JUNE 26 VOLUNTEER CONTRIBUTORS: ing author Naomi Klein argues that from Alexander Kluge draws on an 6–9 PM • FREE Sam Alcoff, Linda Martín Alcoff, Donald Trump is not an aberra- idea of the Soviet fi lmmaker Sergei FILM: OUR RESISTANCE, OUR Gino Barzizza, Bennett Baumer, tion but a logical extension of the Eisenstein’s: to make a fi lm version TIME, OUR SANCTUARY José Carmona, Renée Feltz, worst, most dangerous trends of of Karl Marx’s Capital that draws Youth showcase their fi lms about the past half-century. It doesn’t cut on the literary methods found in LGBTQ resilience against state Bianca Fortis, Lynne Foster, it, she insists in her latest work, No James Joyce’s novel Ulysses. violence, immigrant mental health Michael Grant, Priscilla Grim, is Not Enough, to merely resist. Our What Eisenstein had in mind is and building community defense in Lauren Kaori Gurley, Michael historical moment demands a cred- “something like a Marxist version the Trump era. This Global Action Hirsch, David Hollenbach, Gena ible and inspiring “yes”; a roadmap of Freudian free association — the Project screening features a pre- to reclaiming populist ground from chain of hidden links that leads us show reception and reverse Q&A! Hymowech, Dondi J, Colin those who would divide us. Book from the surface of everyday life RSVP at global-action.org. Kinniburgh, Rob LaQuinta, Gary signing to follow reading. Doors and experience to the very sources The New School Martin, Erik McGregor, Mike open at 5:30. Register via Event- of production itself,” writes politi- Tishman Auditorium Newton, Anna Polonyi, Astha brite. cal theorist Fredric Jameson. This 63 5th Ave. Cooper Union rare screening is sponsored by the

June 2017 Rajvanshi, Mark Read, Reverend 7 E 7th St. Marxist Education Project. Billy, Jesse Rubin, Steven Sherman Verso Loft Matt Shuham, Pamela Somers, MON JUNE 12 – SAT JUNE 24 20 Jay St., Suite 1010 7 PM/8 PM • FREE Gabriella Szpunt, Leanne Tory- CONCERT: MET OPERA’S SUM- MON JUNE 19 Murphy, Matthew Wasserman, MER RECITAL SERIES 7:30 PM • $25,

THE INDYPENDENT Beth Whitney, and Amy Wolf. If you’re anything like us, there’s READING: ARUNDHATI ROY TABLE OF 3 CONTENTS

4 ONE BUILDING, TWO REALITIES by Peter Rugh Integration versus McCarthyism at a Park Slope secondary school.

6 THE BRIEFING ROOM by Indypendent Staff News from around New York, the nation and the world.

8 HEAVY LIFTING by Colin Kinniburgh Warehouse workers take on their union-busting employer, B&H.

10 A CITY OF OUR OWN by Marisa Anne Day Black activists are building a solidarity economy in what was once a bastion of Southern racism.

12 CASHING IN ON REPRESSION by Alex Kane Israel is exporting technology honed over 50 years of occupying Palestine.

16 OPEN WIDE AND SAY ‘SOCIALISM’ by Paddy Quick Medicare for all is both the moral and the practical way to go.

17 AFTER THE FALL by Steven Wishnia A best-selling new book offers lessons from Clinton’s broken presidential dreams.

18 A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR RADICALS by Steven Sherman The tools now exist for volunteer-driven movements to scale up and win big.

19 BREAKING A SWEAT by Jamara Wakefi eld & Peter Rugh Lynn Nottage’s Sweat brings a dying town to life and could claim a Tony.

20 DIG INTO ROOTS MUSIC by Brady O’Callahan A new crop of country musicians are turning over fresh ground by drawing on tradition.

21 ‘WE WANTED A REVOLUTION’ by Mike Newton

Brooklyn Museum showcases artwork from visionary Black women. 2017 June

22 THE THIRD GENDER by Gena Hymowech Pre-modern prints on display at Japan Society challenge viewers to look beyond INDYPENDENT THE our ideas of the gender binary.

23 HELP BUILD THE INDY by John Tarleton The Indy’s circulation has jumped to 30,000 since last fall and we’re poised to grow more. Meet some of the volunteers who have helped us do it. 4 MISEDUCATION

daddy, Is My prInCIpal a red? InTeGraTIon VersUs MCCarThyIsM aT parK slope ColleGIaTe

By Peter Rugh cause it was the most demonstrable civil-rights viola- tion,” said Bloomberg. “You had two sports programs ithin the rusticated limestone and red inside the same building, and the demographics are brick walls of the former John Jay clear. Far more students who are not-of-color in one High School, a drama is playing out and another that is predominantly students of color that encapsulates the escalating ten- and the allocation of sports teams is unequal. The let- sion over racial segregation within ter I sent did not ask for more teams, but for the pro- Wthe New York City school system. Four schools current- grams to be combined. The kids in this building really ly inhabit the century-old building that fi lls the block ought to play together.” between Fourth and Fifth streets on Seventh Avenue In February members of the school district’s Offi ce of in Park Slope. Three serve a majority Black and Latino Special Investigations began poking around the school. student body, while a fourth, newer elite school caters They have not informed Bloomberg what she is suspected largely to white students. of, but they have interrogated teachers and even drawn Jill Bloomberg, principal of Park Slope Collegiate, tears from students with questions about “communist one of the nonwhite schools on the John Jay Educa- activities” at Park Slope Collegiate. The children were tional Campus, has been making noise about the city interrogated without their parents’ informed consent. Department of Education’s (DOE’s) discriminatory “My daughter was angry when she found out she did policies. Now she is under investigation. According to not have to speak to the investigators,” the Collegiate a civil-rights lawsuit Bloomberg’s attorneys fi led in fed- parent told The Indy. “Her friend did not want to come eral court in May, the inquiry is an attempt by Schools to school the next day. They were not informed of their Chancellor Carmen Fariña and the DOE to silence her. rights.” The parent requested anonymity for fear of ret- “You are not allowed to say that the DOE is racist,” ribution but said he is exploring legal action against a supervisor chastised Bloomberg in 2011, according to the DOE. her lawsuit. The scolding followed a public meeting held A spokesperson for the department would not com- by the Panel on Education Policy where Bloomberg criti- ment on the investigation, but emphasized that staff cized members of the school system’s governing board are forbidden from politically indoctrinating students. for its plan to open Brooklyn Millennium, an offshoot Court documents fi led by the city Law Department in of a predominantly white Manhattan academy, on the response to Bloomberg’s suit state that the DOE received John Jay campus. It was the fi rst of multiple warnings two complaints from unspecifi ed individuals accusing passed on to her for speaking out. Bloomberg, her husband and two unnamed teachers at Bloomberg argues that the selective academy has ben- Park Slope Collegiate of holding political gatherings at efi ted from an outpouring of resources from the DOE, the school on behalf of the Progressive Labor Party, a at the expense of other students. Meanwhile, Black and small, Maoist organization. brown kids on campus have come under heightened If the DOE’s line of inquiry seems antiquated, consider scrutiny from John Jay security. that New York City’s public schools are more segregated “My daughter passes through a metal detector every now than they were in 1954, when the Supreme Court day,” a Park Slope Collegiate parent told The Indypen- struck down segregated schooling. Despite the growth dent. “The fi rst message she gets each morning is, ‘We of people of color populations in New York City, re- do not trust you.’” searchers at the University of California at Los Angeles’ In one instance a student was detained and eventu- Civil Rights Project noted in a 2014 study that 60 years ally arrested when security guards claimed a pin hold- after the Brown vs. the Board of Education decision, ing the student’s broken glasses together was a weapon. 93 percent of public schools in the Bronx, 71 percent in Working with the nonprofi t Integrate NYC 4 Me, stu- Brooklyn, 69 percent in Manhattan and 59 percent in dents painted a mural on Collegiate’s walls that depicts Queens were “intensely segregated.” students passing through a metal detector. On the other Baruch College history professor Clarence Taylor, side of the metal detectors, they raise signs that read “No a former city school teacher and author of Reds at more scanners” and “We are students not criminals.” the Blackboard; Communism, Civil Rights, and the In May 2015, a superintendent, Karen Watts, called New York City Teachers Union, draws a direct line on Bloomberg to inform her that Chancellor Fariña was between communist purges within the school system not pleased about recent public comments she had made and segregation today. about policing on campus, and urged her to remain “This was a noted activity of the Board of Education, “neutral about political issues.” starting in the late 1940s when they went after hundreds “I understand that taking a position against racism is of schoolteachers, accusing them of being communist,”

not a neutral position,” Bloomberg told The Indy. “We Taylor told The Indy. “Four hundred of them were fi red. AGAINST THE SYSTEM: Jill Bloomberg, PETER RUGH don’t make any apologies for that. We have a decidedly It was an inquisition that was unmatched in the city. principal at Park Slope Collegiate, in her offi ce this May. public and transparent position against racism, and we They had spies. They had informants.” speak out against policies that have a disproportionate The aim of the Red Scare was to dismantle the Teach- impact on Black and Latino students. The goal of this ers Union, which had forged alliances with Black and EXTRA CURRICULAR: Students, teachers investigation is to marginalize that.” Latino communities. Decimated by the purges, which and parents from Park Slope Collegiate rallied in Jill The last straw appears to have come this January, claimed many of its brightest activists, the union was Bloomberg’s defense at DOE headquarters in Manhattan when Bloomberg sent a letter to the head of DOE sports ultimately succeeded by the more conservative United on May 31. programs, Eric Goldstein, and Superintendent Mi- Federation of Teachers (UFT). The UFT was for inte- chael Prayor, complaining of unequal access to sports gration broadly, but against mandated integration in its June 2017

facilities. Bloomberg noted that the mostly white Mil- schools — a position not dissimilar from that of current lennium Brooklyn has 1,261 students, yet received 17 Chancellor Fariña, who has said she wants “to see diver- sports teams, while the other three schools on John Jay’s sity in schools organically.” grounds, with 1,859 predominantly Black and brown UFT leadership opposed the dispersal of experienced students, got nine. teachers concentrated in white schools to underserved “It seems my January complaint against the separate communities. In 1964, it refused to support an NAACP-

The IndypendenT and unequal sports teams was the last straw, mainly be- led boycott of city schools for desegregation. When the Indypendent Ad 5x7 06-23-15.pdf 1 6/23/15 1:56 PM

BROADCAST ON MORE THAN 1,300 PUBLIC TV AND RADIO STATIONS WORLDWIDE 5 A Daily Independent Global News Hour with Amy Goodman and Juan González

DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG Black and Puerto Rican residents of Brownsville wrestled control over their Tune In Live Every Weekday 8-9am ET neglected schools from the Board of Education in 1968, as part of a com- munity-control pilot program, the UFT launched a 36-day citywide strike, PETER RUGH • Audio, Video, Transcripts, Podcasts on the grounds that the program allowed local school boards to fi re and transfer teachers without regard for seniority. • Los titulares de Hoy (headlines in Spanish) The union eventually won, but the strike alienated educators and their natural allies, parents. That rift has survived in the decades since, creating • Find your local broadcast station and schedule an opening for charter-school advocates and anti-union school “reformers” to exploit, while leaving segregation intact. • Subscribe to the Daily News Digest The DOE shut down the original John Jay High School in 2004, citing poor academic performance. The long-underfunded and predominantly Follow Us @ DEMOCRACYNOW Black and Latino school was often referred to derogatorily as “Jungle Jay” by residents of the wealthy Park Slope neighborhood. It was a place where the DOE often sent its most troubled students, those with poor academic and disciplinary records. The revamping at the school building was intended to offer Park Slope residents a place to send their offspring. Nevertheless, despite opening a series of specialty secondary schools on the site — schools for law and jour- nalism, along with Park Slope Collegiate — until the arrival of Millennium, the student body at John Jay remained largely Black and Latino, while the surrounding area continued becoming almost as white as an Easter lily. The DOE has frequently been accused of using selective schools that weed out poor and working-class students of color to play to the desires of wealthy white parents who want their children’s educations to match the value of what they pay in property taxes. Millennium fi ts that bill, and it has forced kids who aren’t spun from golden thread to move over, make room and do so in an orderly manner under the watchful eye of campus security. “The school community that Jill is leading has repeatedly taken public and proud anti-racist positions, particularly on the question of integration, that are embarrassing to the DOE,” the Collegiate parent said. “Carmen Fariña is trying to make us pay the price for proving that something can be done about integration. Her and [Mayor Bill] de Blasio have been saying, ‘Yeah, it’s a great idea but we don’t know what to do.’ Well we’ve shown that there are things you can do.” It is not clear where the DOE’s investigation will lead, but Bloomberg could be sent to one of the department’s notorious reassignment centers — nicknamed “rubber rooms” — where educators wait, sometimes for years, for their cases to be resolved by either termination or reassignment. “Teachers are asking me, ‘Are we allowed to tell our students what their civil rights are?’” said Bloomberg. “We’re trying to run a school and it’s on everybody’s mind. It’s disruptive, which to my mind, is the whole intent of the investigation.” Members of the Movement of Rank and File Educators, a reform caucus within the UFT, and parents at Park Slope Collegiate have each formed committees in support of Bloomberg and the teachers under investigation. Plans for future protests outside DOE offi ces are under way. “Community support is extremely important,” said Prof. Clarence Tay- lor. “You have to reach out to parents. You have to reach out to other labor 2017 June organizations to build a large coalition and connect the dots. This fi ght is about saving public education.” The IndypendenT The 6 THE BRIEFING ROOM

TRUMP’S BUDGET TARGETS THE POOR THE ‘SUMMER OF AGONY’ IS UPON US Andrew Cuomo, together with his

President Trump’s proposed federal budget would cut tril- Starting July 10, Amtrak will undertake six weeks of re- counterparts Jerry Brown in Cali- RAILROADED: TOM SIMPSON lions of dollars from programs benefi ting the poor. Over pairs at New York’s Penn Station, reducing Long Island fornia and Jay Inslee in Washing- It’s going to be a 10 years, a total of $1.49 trillion dollars would be stripped Railroad and New Jersey Transit service by as much as ton, announced the beginnings of rough summer for from Medicaid, $191 billion from the Supplemental Nu- 20 percent. Commuters can expect a “summer of agony,” a state coalition that will follow commuters who go trition Assistance Program, $40.4 billion from earned in- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrote in a letter to Presi- the accord as well. The process through New York come and child tax credits and $21.6 billion from welfare. dent Trump, calling on him to allocate federal funds to of formally withdrawing from the Penn Station. Nearly every federal department and agency would have revamp the station and to place it under the auspices of an Paris agreement will not be com- its budget slashed, with the Environmental Protection independent agency, potentially the Port Authority. Am- plete until 2020 — right on time for the next presiden- Agency receiving the largest carving, 31 percent. Spend- trak spokeswoman Christina Leeds cautioned in a state- tial election cycle. ing would tick up at the Departments of Defense, Veterans ment that “changes in management and private-sector ex- Affairs and Homeland Security. As it stands now, the pro- pertise can’t make up for the billions that should have been posal likely will not receive the 60 votes needed to pass the invested” in the station. Trump has called for a nationwide MUSLIM TRAVEL BAN BLOCKED AGAIN Senate later this year. trillion dollar infrastructure investment but his budget of- The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, fers little other than $2.6 billion for a border wall in the Virginia, blocked President Trump’s Muslim travel ban way of meeting the pledge. from taking effect in May, upholding a lower court ruling THE WHITE HOUSE’S $2 TRILLION by 10-3. After drawing mass protests at U.S. airports and ACCOUNTING ERROR numerous legal challenges, an earlier version of the travel Current projections say the U.S. economy will grow at a CITIES IN ACCORD ON CLIMATE CHANGE ban was struck down in February. Fourth Circuit judges rate of 1.9 percent over the next decade. Trump’s budget President Trump sparked immediate protests around the ruled that, like the previous executive order, the motivat- assumes a magical 3 percent growth rate based on massive globe with his June 1 decision to withdraw the United ing factor behind the ban on travellers from six Muslim tax cuts over the next decade — enough to pay for a $2 States from the Paris climate accord. In New York City, countries was religious bias, not safety. Attorney General trillion spending increase by 2027 and cover revenue lost 700 people gathered for an emergency rally at Foley Jeff Sessions has vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court. due to the tax cuts. Confused? You should be. It doesn’t Square, calling for the White House to keep in place car- make sense. Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Sum- bon reduction pledges agreed to in 2015 by every nation in — Indypendent Staff mers called it a “logical error of the kind that would justi- the world except Nicaragua and Syria. Mayor Bill de Bla- fy failing a student in an introductory economics course.” sio said he plans to continue to honor the accord regardless “We stand by our numbers,” said White House budget of the federal withdrawal. New York is among 33 U.S. director Mick Mulvaney. cities with existing emissions reduction targets equal to or surpassing those spelled out in the accord. New York Gov. SOME PLACES YOU CAN FIND The IndypendenT BELOW LGBT CENTER HARRY BELAFONTE BROOKLYN SWALLOW CAFÉ ALIGN BROOKLYN JACKSON HEIGHTS 14TH ST 208 W. 13TH ST. 115TH ST. LIBRARY 49 BOGART ST. 579 5TH AVE. LIBRARY 203 W. 115TH BROOKLYN BOROUGH 35-51 81ST ST. SEWARD PARK LIBRARY METRO COMMUNITY SUNSET PARK LIBRARY TO HALL 192 EAST BROADWAY 14TH HARLEM LIBRARY 209 JORALEMON ST. LAUNDROMAT 5108 4TH AVE. 96TH ST 9 W. 124TH ST. 561 METROPOLITAN AVE. BRONX HAMILTON FISH LIBRARY BAY RIDGE LIBRARY BROOKLYN COMMONS MOTT HAVEN LIBRARY 415 E. HOUSTON ST. EPIPHANY LIBRARY 125 STREET LIBRARY 388 ATLANTIC AVE. WILLIAMSBURG 7223 RIDGE BLVD. 228 E. 23RD ST. 224 E. 125TH ST. LIBRARY 321 E. 140TH ST. LES PEOPLE’S FEDERAL CARROLL GARDENS 240 DIVISION AVE. DUNWELL DONUTS CREDIT UNION MUHLENBERG LIBRARY GEORGE BRUCE LIBRARY 222 MONTROSE AVE. HUNT’S POINT LIBRARY LIBRARY 877 SOUTHERN BLVD. 39 AVENUE B 209 W. 23RD ST. 518 W. 125TH ST. 396 CLINTON ST. @ GREENPOINT LIBRARY UNION 107 NORMAN AVE. COBRA CLUB TOMPKINS SQUARE GRISTEDES PICTURE THE HOMELESS 6 WYCKOFF THE POINT 940 GARRISON AVE. LIBRARY 307 W. 26TH ST. 104 E 126TH ST. COUSIN JOHN’S CAFE & KAISA’S CAFÉ 331 E. 10TH ST. 146 BEDFORD AVE. STARR BAR BAKERY HIGH BRIDGE LIBRARY TACO BANDITO COUNTEE CULLEN 70 7TH AVE. 214 STARR ST. BLUESTOCKINGS 325 8TH AVE. LIBRARY BEDFORD LIBRARY 78 W. 168TH ST. 172 ALLEN ST. 104 W. 136TH ST. 496 FRANKLIN AVE. JAMAICA BAY LIBRARY KEY FOODS LATINO PASTORAL COLUMBUS LIBRARY 130 7TH AVE. 9727 SEAVIEW AVE. THEATER FOR THE NEW 942 TENTH AVE. HAMILTON GRANGE CROWN HEIGHTS ACTION CENTER 14 W. 170TH ST. CITY LIBRARY BEACON’S CLOSET LIBRARY SPRING CREEK LIBRARY 155 FIRST AVE. MANHATTAN 503 W. 145TH ST. 92 5TH AVE. 560 NEW YORK AVE. @ 12143 FLATLANDS AVE. NEIGHBORHOOD MAPLE NEW SETTLEMENT MCNALLY JACKSON NETWORK HAMILTON’S BAKERY COMMUNITY CENTER PACIFIC STREET LIBRARY 1501 JEROME AVE. BOOKS 537 W. 59TH ST. 3570 BROADWAY 25 FOURTH AVE. FLATBUSH LIBRARY QUEENS 52 PRINCE ST. 22 LINDEN BLVD. @ ST. AGNES LIBRARY THE CHIPPED CUP SUNSET PARK LIBRARY FLATBUSH COURT SQUARE DINER 4TH STREET CO-OP 444 AMSTERDAM AVE. 3610 BROADWAY 5108 4TH AVE. 45-30 23RD ST. WANT TO HELP 58 E. 4TH ST. TUGBOAT TEA COMPANY DISTRIBUTE THE INDY? 96TH ST. LIBRARY UPTOWN SISTER’S CONNECTICUT MUFFIN 546 FLATBUSH AVE. COURT SQUARE LIBRARY CALL 212-904-1282 OR BOOKS THINK COFFEE 112 E. 96TH ST. 429 MYRTLE AVE. 2501 JACKSON AVE. EMAIL ContaCt@ 248 MERCER ST. W. 156TH ST. & OUTPOST CAFE indYpendent.oRG. ABOVE AMSTERDAM DEKALB LIBRARY 1014 FULTON ST. LONG ISLAND CITY FILM FORUM LIBRARY June 2017 96TH ST. . 790 BUSHWICK AVE. 209 W. HOUSTON ST. WASHINGTON HEIGHTS RED HOOK LIBRARY 37-44 21ST ST. LIBRARY WYCKOFF STARR COFFEE 7 WOLCOTT ST. SAVOY BAKERY 1000 ST. NICHOLAS AVE. HUDSON PARK LIBRARY 170 E. 110TH ST. SHOP QUEENS DIVERSITY 66 LEROY ST. 30 WYCKOFF AVE. HOPE & ANCHOR CENTER FORT WASHINGTON 347 VAN BRUNT MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS 76-11 37TH AVE. SUITE CINEMA VILLAGE LIBRARY BUSHWICK LIBRARY 206 LIBRARY 535 W. 179TH ST. JALOPY CAFÉ 22 E. 12TH ST. 2900 BROADWAY 340 BUSHWICK AVE. @ SIEGAL 317 COLUMBIA ST. The IndypendenT 7

DR. DEBORAH BANKER NATURAL VISION IMPROVEMENT LECTURE pResented BY: JoHn MonRoe & Jeanie MainZeR VISION IMPROVEMENT EDUCATOR & KINESIOLOGIST

new YoRK soCietY FoR etHiCal CultuRe soCial Hall 2 WEST 64 STREET NEW YORK, NY. 10023 212-874-5210 / nysec.org

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 9, 2017 7:00PM TO 8:30PM (DOORS OPEN AT 6:00PM)

If you are nearsighted, farsighted, or have presbyopia (trouble reading small print), diminished night vision, or other eye disorders, or you would like to eliminate your need for glasses and contact lenses, then please join us for our lecture and learn how to improve your eyesight naturally. Dr. Deborah Banker’s vision improvement program is known worldwide, incorporating many international approaches to improve your eyesight nonsurgically. Empower yourself and take charge of your vision. This program is for all ages.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: EVENTBRITE.COM 2017 June FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: JOHN MONROE 303-494-4532

BOULDER, CO. MON–SAT 10:00AM TO 7:00PM MST IndypendenT The

DRBANKER.COM 8 LABOR

warehoUse worKers TaKe on B&h, eleCTronIC MeGa-sTore

By Colin Kinniburgh In September 2014, a tractor-trailer just outside when dozens of supporters the warehouse exploded and caught fi re. The fl ames fl ooded Ninth Avenue alongside POWER IN A

n November 4, 2015, workers at B&H reached more than two stories high, and smoke bil- some 200 striking workers, and UNION: B&H JEFF RAE Photo Video’s two Brooklyn ware- lowed into the B&H shipping and receiving area. campaign allies are now look- warehouse workers houses voted 200-88 to form a union Management tried to ignore the fi re, and when the ing to broaden the struggle. rally outside the under the United Steelworkers, over- workers were fi nally allowed to leave, they had to DSA is mounting a social-media company’s Midtown coming a barrage of threats, intimida- pass through metal detectors rather than use the campaign, including videos and mega-store on May Otion and anti-union propaganda from management. emergency exits. other materials, to educate the Day. After years of facing abuses and hazards on the job, For many of the workers, the 2014 fi re was the last public about the B&H workers’ it looked like they were within reach of a union con- straw. That fall, they approached LWC and with Lo- fi ght. Zakarison has convinced her employer, the arts tract and the dignity that would come with it. pez’s help, began to organize. Lopez’s own career as department at Hunter College, not to buy anything But B&H wasn’t ready to concede defeat. This an organizer began when he was working at a Hot from B&H until the dispute is settled, and aims to en- January, in what workers and their allies allege is a & Crusty bakery on the Upper West Side. In Janu- courage other schools and institutions to do the same. deliberate and illegal attempt to evade the union, the ary 2012, he and his fellow workers began organizing (These efforts are independent of the union, which company announced plans to close its Brooklyn ware- a union. They won their union election four months has made no such appeal.) houses, one at the Navy Yard and a smaller one on later, but the owner then announced that he was clos- Will all this be enough to tip public opinion in the Evergreen Avenue in Bushwick, and move their op- ing the store. Lopez and his fellow “job defenders” workers’ favor and, ultimately, keep B&H’s ware- erations to a new facility in Florence Township, New occupied and picketed the store until it reopened and, house in New York? They may not get much relief Jersey. If the move goes ahead, it could leave its 335 in October 2012, signed a three-year union contract. from a Trump-era National Labor Relations Labor New York employees both without a union and with- Could a similar victory be replicated at B&H? Board, where a Steelworkers complaint over the move out a job. On a Sunday afternoon in May, a B&H manager is currently pending. B&H says any of its current employees are welcome stepped out of the store to photograph the picket. Even before announcing its move to New Jersey, to transfer to New Jersey. But the proposed location Picketers, fearing that the company was keeping tabs Alberto Sanchez said, B&H had begun hiring tem- for the new warehouse, more than 70 miles away, is on workers involved, danced in front of him, blocking porary workers in response to the successful union virtually inaccessible from New York by public tran- the camera with their signs. Another manager looked drive. It’s a “shitty game” that the company is play- sit. It is closer to Philadelphia. For Alberto Sanchez, on silently, declining to answer questions. The com- ing, the LWC’s Mahoma Lopez said, “trying to who has worked in B&H’s Navy Yard warehouse pany had called the police, who, since 2009 and lives in Brooklyn’s Borough Park, in a fi rst for the biweekly pickets, commuting there would be impossible. “We are in- separated the 40-odd protesters ‘plain and siMple, it is vited, but honestly it’s well known that the company from the store entrance with doesn’t want the union,” Sanchez told The Indypen- steel barricades. dent. “They know that people don’t want to move. As workers and their support- union aVoidanCe.’ The new location is far, and most of us have families ers greeted would-be shoppers who depend on us.” with chants of “What’s disgusting? Union-busting!”, train agency workers and then trade those workers With contract negotiations up in the air, the work- B&H’s sales staff offered fl iers in English and Span- for union workers.” But Lopez is heartened by the ers have stepped up their campaign to keep their new- ish, explaining that the retailer’s “Brooklyn ware- way the campaign has garnered support from groups ly unionized jobs in New York. With support from house lease expires in early 2018,” leaving the com- across the city and beyond. “The workers — they are groups including the Laundry Workers Center (LWC) pany no choice but to relocate. B&H Vice President not alone,” he says. and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), of Operations Jacob Mittelman elaborated further in they have been holding twice-weekly pickets outside a February press statement: “The union knows our B&H’s fl agship store on Ninth Avenue, and have lease ends next year and we do not have the ability to gone out on strike twice: once during the national stay in our current location. It’s not clear what they Day Without an Immigrant on Feb. 17 and once on want us to do. We outgrew the existing facility some May Day. time ago.” “This company, their culture is exploitation and The company insists that it has been planning to they don’t look like they want to change,” says LWC move out of its current Navy Yard facility for years. co-director Mahoma Lopez. Latino employees at the In 2013, it bought a plot of land in Rockland County, Brooklyn warehouses have described a pattern of about 30 miles north of the city. But as Hyperaller- abuse — working 13-hour shifts or longer, having to gic’s Claire Voon points out, that move never materi- lift boxes and operate heavy machinery without any alized. Why, then, should this one? training or safety equipment. Exposure to asbestos “Plain and simple, it is union avoidance, and June 2017

and fl ecks of fi berglass from walls and insulation has they’re treating their workers in an appalling fash- left some workers with rashes, nosebleeds and other ion,” says Ariel Zakarison, a volunteer who has been health issues. Several discrimination lawsuits have helping to coordinate DSA’s presence on the picket also been fi led against the company , it over the past lines. “They’re doing it because they can get away decade, charging that it treats its Orthodox Jewish with it, because of the demographic of workers who employees better than the Latino employees doing the they employ. It’s really shameful.”

The IndypendenT bulk of the manual labor. The biweekly pickets have grown since May Day, 9 Just out from International Publishers www.intpubnyc.com

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Mapping the Left in Europe and North America Karl Polanyi’s Socialist Vision

Recent euphoria, particularly over the rise of SYRIZA and PODEMOS in Europe Commonly heralded as a champion of liberal thought, many are and the Bernie Sanders campaign in the US, has quickly turned to despair for surprised to find that Karl Polanyi, writer of The Great Transformation, many on the left. How might we characterize the current state of the left in actually considered himself a socialist. How should we understand his Europe and North America? How can we build our strength? contributions to socialist thought in the current conjuncture?

Catarina Príncipe (Bloco de Esquerda-Left Bloc, Portugal) Michael Brie (RLS–Berlin) Cornelia Hildebrandt (RLS–Berlin) Margaret Somers (University of Michigan) Ethan Young (Left Labor Project, New York) Nikil Saval (N+1 magazine) Albert Scharenberg (RLS–NYC), chair James Hare (RLS–NYC), chair

After the Women’s March: The Final Frontier: Next Steps toward a New Feminist Movement Deep-Sea Privatization and Local Resistance

The women’s march that followed Trump’s victory was hugely impressive Deep-sea mining is at the cutting edge of economic exploitation of the and even historic. What can we make of this recent upswell in feminist oceans, with coastal communities in the global South being used as organizing? How we can support a new feminism that embraces all testing grounds. Why are local communities leading the resistance and oppressed minorities while basing itself in a material notion of class politics? demanding a stop to such extractivism?

Sarah Leonard (The Nation magazine) Kai Kaschinski (Fair Oceans) Maria Poblet (LeftRoots, Bay Area) Christoph Spehr (DIE LINKE, Germany) Carla Murphy (Writer and Echoing Ida editor) Christina Tony (Bismarck Ramu Group, Papua New Guinea) Stefanie Ehmsen (RLS–NYC), chair Natassa Romanou (NASA-Goddard Institute for Space Studies), chair

Sanctuary Cities for Whom? Racial Justice Movements in Montreal, Berlin & New York rosalux-nyc.org June 2017 June The idea of the “sanctuary city” has taken hold across North America since the election of Trump. Will the sanctuary city movement embrace empty cosmopolitan rhetoric, or can it move us toward a more radical vision of

racial justice in the city? Follow us IndypendenT The

Tahir Della (Initiative for Black People in Germany) @ rosaluxnyc Will Prosper (Montréal Noir) Shatia Strother (Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, Brooklyn)

JUNE 2-4 | JOHN JAY COLLEGE, NEW YORK CITY Kazembe Balagun (RLS–NYC), chair RLS–NYC @ LEFT FORUM 2017 10 SELF-DETERMINATION

a radICal VIsIon TaKes rooT In The hearT of dIXIe

Interview by Marisa Anne Day — and what type of work it takes: long term, patient, strategic base-building work, which we have been concentrating on here ackson is the largest city in Mississippi. Surrounded by for about 40 years. prosperous white suburbs, it is more than 80 percent Black and overwhelmingly working-class. “If you are A lot of movements talk about empowering “the people” but making $10 an hour here you are doing damn good,” after they win elections fail to come through. How will you Jsays Kali Akuno, who for 20 years has been a driving resist that? force in Cooperation Jackson, a community organizing hub intent on radically changing business as usual in Mississippi’s Our beliefs alone are not enough to safeguard us against right capital city and creating a model for local movements in the drift and institutionalization. An effective counterweight is United States and around the world. having political organization with multiple ideologies within The movement for Black self-determination that Akuno it. Having that diversity was a saving grace [with Chokwe Lu- POLITICS FROM THE BOTTOM helps to lead has roots in Mississippi that date back to the mumba] because you had folks, especially from anarchist ten- UP: Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson. 1970s. After decades of base building work by the Malcolm dencies, who were suspicious about going into government. A X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) and others, radical lawyer lively debate and struggle was one safeguard. Chokwe Lumumba was elected mayor of Jackson in 2013 only The Jackson People’s Assembly is the dominant accountabil- to die less than eight months into his fi rst term in offi ce. In ity mechanism. Direct engagement is where the assembly has its May, his son Chokwe Antar Lumumba won the Democratic strength and can apply pressure on Chokwe Antar or anybody primary on a platform of food sovereignty, zero waste and cre- else in that position. The People’s Assembly was built to be a ating a solidarity economy. He is all but certain to be the next dual power institution, with the ability to shape society on its mayor of Jackson. own without the assistance of government. When Antar takes offi ce, he will face a hostile white business elite and a Republican-controlled state legislature that will try How do you maintain buy-in beyond to stymie him at every turn. Akuno is one of Antar’s closest ideological divides? advisors. He recently spoke with The Indypendent about the “wHat tHe CountRY is challenges that lie ahead and the Jackson movement’s enduring We don’t recruit or engage with folks source of strength. on the basis of “you have to believe what I believe in order to struggle and FaCinG on a FedeRal MARISA ANNE DAY: What do you hope to achieve? work with me.” That takes a backseat to “I’m here because an injury has been leVel, we HaVe Been KALI AKUNO: The construction of economic democracy infl icted upon you or upon our commu- from the ground up, the transformation of the economy and nity and let’s fi gure out a collective way liVinG witH HeRe in the social relationships that frame what makes us human. That that we can address this issue.” People is not something we can do alone. fi nd out what you believe through your Mississippi FoR Quite We hope to inspire and offer a model to others who want practice fi rst and foremost, and then to pick this up. We want to continue drawing from eclectic your statement of why you are engaged sources of inspiration — the Mondragon worker cooperatives in the struggle afterwards. soMe tiMe.” in Spain, the Zapatistas, cooperatives in the South going back In Mississippi, the out-and-out na- 200 years in the Black community, [cooperative] projects in ture of white supremacy helps to keep a focus in the community. the early days of Tanzania, Algeria, Guyana. The fi rst step I might have differences with you about this belief or that strate- for Cooperation Jackson is to build a vibrant social and soli- gy but in the face of having to confront people who are visibly in darity economy in Jackson that can form a stepping-stone to the Klan, it gives people a clear orientation: We are in a struggle economic democracy. and my contributions to it are critical to my own survival. This context is why the radical message of a Chokwe Lumum- What is the signifi cance of this victory for organizing in the ba or a Chokwe Antar has resonance in a place that is deeply United States? conservative and religious, and why so many people who don’t share their ideological views have trust in them. The perception BG PRODUCTIONS It demonstrates that the left can win in the United States, in the Black community is: “They have been consistent fi ghters win electoral victories, make gains in a struggle to control against the forces of white supremacy and exploitation. I know the means of production. It has a broader signifi cance with what sacrifi ces they and the members of MXGM have made by the election of Donald Trump. Our victory in Jackson points standing up to the Klan.” to a way forward. Take some heart from it, all is not doom We work on that common ground and over time we have won and gloom. We can organize our- selves to fi ght back and counter the moves of these reactionary forces. If wHen a leFtY BeCoMes tHe top widely expected to win the general election in November in an overwhelm- we do our work right we can start pRoseCutoR ingly Democratic city. If so, he will take control of a DA’s offi ce with 300 dictating the social momentum and attorneys and a $37 million annual budget and will have an opportunity to rearticulate some of the fundamental overhaul the criminal justice system in the nation’s fi fth largest city. Larry Krasner (above right) has fi led more than 75 civil rights lawsuits norms of society. How he responds to the expectations of his supporters on the one hand against the Philadelphia Police Department and has represented members What the country is facing with this and the hostility of the powerful Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police on of Black Lives Matter and Occupy Philly. He opposes cash bail for the poor neo-Confederate neo-fascist regime the other remains to be seen. When Krasner supporters began a chant of

June 2017 and wants the death penalty abolished. During his campaign for Philadel- on a federal level, we have been living “No good police in a racist system” at his election night victory party, some phia District Attorney, Krasner denounced local prosecutors for having “a with here in Mississippi for quite some of his aides rushed in to quiet the crowd. mad zeal for the highest charge, for the highest level of conviction, a cul- time. Black, Indigenous, Latino com- — INDYPENDENT STAFF ture that can fi nd no fl aw in police misconduct.” munities have been fi guring out ways Now, he’s set to become their boss. to not only survive but to push back. On May 16, Krasner handily defeated six other more conventional op- Our electoral victory highlights what ponents to win the Democratic nomination in the Philly DA’s race. He is

The IndypendenT is possible when you resist these forces 11

CONSPIRE • CREATE • CELEBRATE STARR BAR 214 Starr St L to the Jefferson Stop

Starr Bar is firing up its kitchen!

Chef Maria Martinez, formally of Cafe Ghia, has joined the Starr Bar family and is cooking up a storm. Come taste one of her amazing concoctions.

Open Hours: Food service: 5pm -1am weeknights 5-10pm daily 5pm-4am weekends Brunch coming soon! a lot of people over who wouldn’t nec- How do cooperative networks essarily use that rhetoric but would provide counterweight against

say, I am for democracy in the work- those forces? JED BRANDT place. You see a gradual movement For more events, follow us on fb.com/starrbarbk and a broader adoption of these ideas The bedrock for us is food sover- and principles. eignty. Hunger will no longer be a To book your own event, visit www.starrbar.com weapon against the working class. We celebrate movements for social justice What is the situation in Jackson you We will utilize all the vacant land and 10% of profits goes to Mayday Space. are stepping into? What forces in around the city. We can create supply Mississippi are aligned against you? chains based on our own principles starrbarBK rather than being totally reliant on The primary force of opposition “market forces.” against us is the Greater Jackson We will construct cooperative Chamber of Commerce. The Cham- enterprises, from food processing ber is dominated by white business- to non-carbon based distribution, men, almost none of whom live in bikes and electric vehicles, to lessen Jackson proper. They live in the white the carbon footprint of the city. Go- suburbs that were constructed to ac- ing to zero emissions and zero waste commodate white fl ight. Jackson is will accomplish several goals at once: still a city where a large portion of its sustainability, creating jobs, a better businesses remain in the hands of a quality of life and ultimately more Jewish small white minority elite. self-determination and self-reliance Jackson is over 80 percent Black. within the community. Most of that, overwhelmingly, is We are creating an integrated sys- Black working class. That includes tem, bottom-up efforts, the support Voice sectors where the real unemployment of an administration we control and rate is closer to 50 percent of the adult a policy framework to give what’s get- population. Wages are extremely ting done below more teeth.The base low; if you are making $10 an hour is starting with what is available to here you are doing damn good. That us, land, addressing a concrete need, for would be damn near a Black middle- food, and from there building out the class wage here in Jackson. solidarity economy. The Black community, by its num- bers, can put people in offi ce but their How can people engage with ability to govern can be constrained what you are doing from outside Peace because the economic base of the city of Jackson? Foreword by Judith Butler is controlled elsewhere. One of the threats is if you elect Chokwe Antar, Doing this work takes resources. When the State of Israel claims to represent all Jewish people, defenders of all these white-owned businesses are Our sustainer network annually cov- Israeli policy redefine antisemitism to include criticism of Israel. Antisemi- going to leave town. What that does ers one-fourth of the cost. Friends of tism is harmful and real in our society. What must also be addressed is how is shrink the tax base, the revenues Cooperation Jackson chapters build to operate. That is pointing a gun at relationships of solidarity. The most the deployment of false charges of antisemitism or redefining antisemitism the city and saying you have to go this concrete way that folks can help is to can suppress the global progressive fight for justice. There is no one definitive way for the economy not to collapse. build Cooperation New Yorks, like- voice on antisemitism and its impact. For the community to consistently minded organizations. Organizing vote in a way that says “Yeah, I know in your own community will help us that gun is to my head and I’m going more than anything else. Jewish Voice for Peace has curated a collection of essays that provides a diver- to vote this way anyway” says a lot. sity of perspectives and standpoints. Each contribution explores critical ques- 2017 June The Chamber is not making idle For more, see cooperationjackson. tions concerning uses and abuses of antisemitism in the twenty-first-century, threats. They have concrete plans org. focusing on the intersection between anti-Semitism, accusations of anti-Semi- to gentrify the city, to displace the Black working class, because if they tism, and Palestinian human rights activism. IndypendenT The can change the population dynamics they can eliminate the possibility of a radical like Chokwe Antar from being elected.

12 13 SECURITY STATE

THE SPOILS OF WAR

By Alex Kane occupied Palestinian territories. After their military ser- CHRISTINE LARSEN vice — which is required for most Israelis at the age of 18 n March 5, Gov. Andrew Cuomo fl ew to — many young veterans either form or join up with arms the United Arab Emirates, a country Israel has no offi cial Technology had won a bid to build a state-of-the-art science Israel to show solidarity with Jews amidst or spy companies, trading in on their army service in or- relations with. and engineering campus on the island. It has been heralded an uptick in anti-Semitism in New York. der to make huge profi ts by selling weapons of repression. “Israel’s spy unit is now the largest in its armed forces, as a job creating tool to usher New York City’s economy But the trip also doubled as the kick- To critics of Israeli security forces, this process has led and military conscription is mandatory, meaning that into the future and brand the city as a center of technol- off for a new project meant to bring Israel to a grotesque outcome: The occupied Palestinian ter- surveillance capabilities developed and used [while in the ogy. Powered by more than $785 million in private and city Oand New York closer together. ritories have become Israel’s “lab” — a testing ground army] can be packaged and exported abroad, for profi t,” funds, Cornell Tech promises to be a hub for science and Inside the opulent King David Hotel in Jerusalem, for new weapons and surveillance tactics that are then said Edin Omanovic, a researcher at Privacy International. technology students and research. University classes are Cuomo announced the creation of the New York-Israel brought to other regions bent on keeping their own pop- “There doesn’t appear to be any consideration of human currently housed at Google’s New York City headquarters. Commission, an initiative to strengthen the already- ulations in check. The self-proclaimed “light unto the rights when it comes to these exports in Israel, which is But the choice of Technion as a partner was contro- robust ties between Israel and the state with the largest nations” has instead brought dark tools of repression to highly concerning given that surveillance tools can and have versial from the start. Technion is at the heart of Israel’s number of Jews in the United States. many countries. been used around the world to target journalists, activists academic-military-industrial complex. The university, A key part of the commission will focus on connecting Israeli exports became particularly coveted around the and opposition members and undermine privacy, freedom located in Haifa, Israel, is a feeder school to arms and New York law enforcement with Israeli security forces. globe after the Sept. 11 attacks, which led governments — of expression and other human rights, and can be used to surveillance companies like Elbit and Rafael Advanced Cuomo wasted no time in starting that initiative. particularly the Bush administration — to spend heavily effectively crush democratic and progressive movements.” Defense Systems, and has active partnerships with both An hour after the King David press conference, the on the homeland security industry, according to Hever. Israeli surveillance tools have also been used by the companies, which are key players in Israel’s war industry. New York governor stood outside Jerusalem’s Old City “The technology that the Israeli army, police and se- U.S. security state. Cellebrite is one Israeli-owned com- Elbit is a main supplier of surveillance systems and cre- police headquarters alongside Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Min- cret police can boast is surveillance technology, technol- pany popular among U.S. law enforcement. The corpora- ator of drones, while Rafael is well-known as a producer ister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs, marveling ogy of control and riot gear, which became very much in tion’s phone hacking technology — it has the ability to of missiles. And Technion has developed technology for at Israel’s ability to keep Jerusalem safe. He said Israeli demand after Sept. 11,” he told The Indypendent. bypass iPhone password locks — has been bought by the the Israeli military. Technion, working alongside the Is- security forces’ use of technology is “something that we Hever maintains that the allure of Israeli security prod- Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service and rael Defense Forces (IDF), created an unmanned robot can learn from,” and also said that he wanted New York ucts has waned in recent years. Customs and Border Protection. bulldozer to raze Palestinian homes in the occupied ter- law enforcement to learn from Israel about combating “All of this amazing technology, and all of these very On the U.S.-Mexico border, the ritories and has been at the forefront of developing new “lone wolf” terror threats. expensive gadgets that they’re developing — they don’t U.S. subsidiary of Israeli-owned drone technology. The university also runs programs that The New York cops won’t be alone in learning from do anything, because they do not create security,” Hever TRUMP’S BORDER ficials were in attendance. Fiber- Elbit Systems has supplied surveil- teach students how to market Israel’s military industry Israel. Since 2001, hundreds of American police offi cers said. “That’s mainly the reason for the decline in sales, WALL BECKONS Patrol is a Magal-made system that lance towers. Then there’s Magal around the world. have been fl own to Israel, most on the dime of pro-Israel because customers from various countries in Eastern Eu- places fiber-optic sensors in walls Security Systems, an Israeli compa- For now, it is unclear whether Technion’s partnership groups, to tour the country and speak with Israeli secu- rope, they go to these fairs and look at these sophisti- or fences that can detect movement ny that installed surveillance tools with Cornell means the new Roosevelt Island campus Since Donald Trump proposed build- rity forces about how they keep their country safe. cated cameras and weapons and ask, is Israel a safe place and breaches. alongside Israel’s separation bar- will also become a hub for the creation of military tech- ing a border wall alongside Mexico, These police delegations, and Cuomo’s praise for the Is- to live? There’s not a sense of security.” “We have the right product and rier, the mixture of walls and fenc- nology. But the mere fact of Technion’s presence in New corporations have jumped at the raeli police, highlight how Israel is seen as a world leader Nevertheless, Israeli surveillance tools and weapons re- we have the experience in Israel that es that snakes into the West Bank York has outraged activists. chance to fulfi ll the president’s wish. in security. Because of this reputation, Israeli weapons and main prominent around the world. helps in showcasing our product,” and cuts off Palestinian areas from “Cornell University has partnered with The Technion While many of these corporations are surveillance companies — a core part of the Israeli econ- Last year, Israel exported $6.5 billion worth of weap- Magal CEO Saar Koursh told Bloom- Israel proper. Now, Magal wants Israel Institute of Technology, an institution of higher American, one company that has sold onry, making it the seventh-top arms exporter around the berg in January. education that develops technologies which are used ac- omy — have become well-known in far-fl ung countries. itself as a partner is based nearly 6,800 to supply President Trump with It can only help that Magal is Israeli. Such companies export billions of dollars worth of arma- world, according to data published by the Stockholm In- miles away, in Israel. fi ber-optic tools to strengthen his tively to advance the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Pales- President Trump has repeatedly cited ments and spy tools to virtually every region in the world. ternational Peace Research Institute. In recent years, buy- Magal is an Israeli surveillance proposed border wall with Mexico tine,” said fi lm scholar Terri Ginsberg, the author of Vi- Israel’s walls as a model for the United But why are security companies in Israel, as opposed to ers of Israeli weapons have included India, South Korea, company that has supplied intrusion (see sidebar). sualizing the Palestinian Struggle and a former member States to adopt. any other country, so coveted? detection systems along Israel’s sepa- But it is not just the federal gov- of the group New Yorkers Against the Cornell-Technion “Walls work — just ask Israel,” Trump “All of the Israeli companies ration barrier, a mix of walls and fenc- ernment that sees Israel’s prowess Partnership, which is no longer active. “Cornell Univer- said at a May 18 press conference when would immediately answer the es that juts into the West Bank to keep in fi ghting terrorism and migration sity is implicated not only in ethnic cleansing — already THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES HAVE BECOME asked about his proposed barrier. question: We have actual experi- Palestinians out of Israel. Magal built as a model to adopt. State and city an immoral act — but in enabling its profi tability, also It’s unclear if Trump’s wall will ever ence, and we have tested these what it calls a “smart fence” around agencies do as well — and among immoral, for the purposes of fostering social repression be built, though Magal could conceiv- weapons on human beings,” said A TESTING GROUND FOR NEW WEAPONS AND the Gaza Strip, complete with mo- the 50 states, New York has per- on an international scale.” ably still win contracts to implant sen- Shir Hever, an Israeli researcher tion detectors and video and satellite haps the closest relationship with As the Cornell-Technion partnership takes root, New sors into the already existing maze of and author of the book The Politi- monitors. In addition, the corporation Israel’s security state. York City and state law enforcement continue to forge ties SURVEILLANCE TACTICS WHICH ARE THEN fences and walls that sit on the south- cal Economy of the Occupa tion . has won contracts to supply security One example of how New York with Israeli security forces through delegations to Israel. ern U.S. border. June 5, 2017 marks the 50th an- systems to eight separate Israeli set- has forged ties with Israel’s surveil- The New York police delegations to the country have But even if Magal doesn’t get to niversary of the Six-Day War, a EXPORTED TO OTHER COUNTRIES. tlements — Jewish communities built lance state lies on Roosevelt Island, been sponsored by pro-Israel Jewish organizations like help create Trump’s wall, they’ve al- on occupied Palestinian land that are the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Jewish In- confl ict in which Israel defeated ready benefi ted from the president’s the patch of land located between illegal under international law. Arab armies and captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Colombia and Spain, among others. Israel has also come rhetoric: Since the November elec- Manhattan and Queens. Construc- stitute for National Security Affairs. Framed as a way to The corporation has also won con- Jerusalem — the occupied Palestinian territories — as under fi erce criticism for selling weapons to states like tion, company stocks have soared tion of a new university there is learn from the Israeli army, police and intelligence ser-

tracts in India, China, Thailand and 2017 June well as the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and the Syrian Golan South Sudan, whose armed forces have allegedly commit- nearly 50 percent. coming to a close in anticipation of vices about how to combat terrorism, these New York Greece, among others. Heights. While Israel has since withdrawn from the Sinai ted war crimes during the country’s civil war, and Azer- — ALEX KANE the school’s opening this summer. cops meet with high-level Israeli offi cials and tour sites Peninsula, it remains the occupying power in parts of the baijan, a country run by authoritarians with a checkered Now, Magal is looking to bring its But most people passing by the both in Israel and in West Bank settlements. Proponents Golan Heights and in all of the Palestinian territories. human rights record. business to the U.S.-Mexico border, site probably don’t know about the of these trips say U.S. law enforcement learn how Israel

June 2017 where it would join another Israeli INDYPENDENT THE As the years of occupation ticked by, the Israeli army, Israeli spy tools are also coveted globally. With 27 sur- controversy behind the building of protects its residents from militant attacks. company — Elbit — which has already border guard and police developed increasingly sophis- veillance companies headquartered in Israel, the country this new university — and its ties to The New York Police Department has forged a particu- placed surveillance towers on the mili- ticated ways to keep Palestinians in check. And Israel has the fi fth largest for-profi t surveillance sector in the Israel’s war industry. larly close relationship with Israel. In September 2012, tarized frontier. On Jan. 31, company has cashed in on its expertise in occupation and polic- world, according to Privacy International, a watchdog In December 2011, then-Mayor the NYPD stationed an offi cer at a police station in cen- representatives presented its Fiber- ing. Israeli arms and surveillance companies are typically group that tracks the surveillance industry. Michael Bloomberg announced tral Israel. According to Maariv, the Israeli newspaper Patrol product at a homeland security founded by combat and intelligence veterans who have Israeli companies have sold spy products to countries that Cornell University and its conference in Virginia where U.S. of-

THE INDYPENDENT expertise in maintaining Israel’s regime of control in the like Colombia and Uganda — and even Arab states like partner Technion-Israel Institute of Continued on next page 14

How tHe oCCupation ends Changing this state of affairs is a mammoth task. But there are growing movements seeking to change U.S. poli- For 50 straight years, Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the cy on Israel. There’s the boycott, divestment and sanctions West Bank and Gaza have endured the indignities of occupa- (BDS) movement, which seeks to use economic pressure tion. They’ve waited in line for hours at Israeli army check- on Israel, and a sometimes overlapping, albeit distinct, points, witnessed house raids and arrests, and buried their movement of young American Jews seeking to stop Jewish youth killed by the occupying army. communal support for Israel’s occupation, a support that What will it take for the next 50 years to be different? provides moral and ideological backing for Israel no matter This is a complicated question, and the answer is subject what the state does. to the whims of geopolitics, people power and the unex- While changing U.S. policy is crucial to the project of end- pected turns of history. Still, we can say there are two key ing the Israeli occupation, it is likely not enough. Palestinians things that must happen for 50 years of occupation to end, on the ground also have to create their own leverage to im- which would be a major step toward ending the larger Israeli- pose costs on Israel’s occupation. When Palestinians have Palestinian conflict, which encompasses the occupation but revolted in the past, Israeli concessions followed. The First also includes Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugee rights and Intifada from 1987-1983 led to direct peace talks between Pal- discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel. estinian leaders and Israel for the first time. The first step toward ending the Israeli occupation is U.S. Today, the Palestinian political scene is ossified and di- pressure. The United States gives Israel over $3 billion in an- vided. And Palestinian youth interested in fighting the occu- nual military aid, protects Israel in the United Nations from pation have to first deal with their own leaders — the Pales- international censure and is a large trading partner with the tinian Authority, which cooperates with Israel to crack down Jewish state. on violent and nonviolent resistance to Israel. Palestinian U.S. pressure has worked in the past. For instance, when resentment of the Palestinian Authority, however, is growing President Jimmy Carter threatened to cut off U.S. military as- by the day among those fed up with allowing Israel to carry sistance to Israel in response to the 1977 invasion of Lebanon, on its occupation cost-free. the Israelis withdrew their forces. The occupation’s continuity is not inevitable. While current Forcing the U.S. to enact the pressure needed to withdraw conditions are not ripe for a Palestinian uprising against their from occupied Palestine, though, is not an easy task. It will own leadership and Israel, they may be in the near future. take a sustained protest movement in the United States to And if that happens in combination with American pressure shift the terms of the Israel debate and take aim at larger on Israel, the occupation may begin to crumble. That would forces that also propel U.S. support for Israel: the power of spare the world of having to commemorate the 75th or 100th spoIls of war the arms industry and U.S. entanglement in the Middle East. year of Israeli occupation, an anniversary people of con- Continued from previous page American weapons companies profit from U.S. military aid to science have no interest in seeing. Israel, since most of that aid boomerangs back to arms com- — ALEx KANE that first broke the story, the NYPD made the move panies when Israel buys U.S.-made weapons. And Israel acts because “Israeli police is one of the major police as the eyes and ears for the U.S. in the Middle East, feeding forces with which it must maintain close work rela- crucial intelligence to their American counterparts that helps tions and daily contact.” the U.S. prosecute its wars in the region. The most striking, and controversial, aspect of how the NYPD has learned from Israel has to do with its post-9/11 surveillance program targeting Muslims. From 2003-2014, the NYPD instituted a program that sent members of Israel. JVP plans to educate and organize activists in various cities to call atten - its intelligence division out to map Muslim communities throughout the Northeast, tion to these partnerships by way of protests, teach-ins and walking tours of cities infiltrate mosques and record conversations among Muslims — including those not to point out institutions that participate in law enforcement exchange programs suspected of any crime. According to the Associated Press reporters who broke the with Israel. story, the NYPD modeled its program on Israel’s surveillance operations in the oc- The New York chapter plans to focus on the NYPD’s relationship with Israel, as cupied West Bank. Thomas Galati, the former head of the NYPD Intelligence Divi- well as Cuomo’s recently announced program to intensify New York law enforce- sion, traveled to Israel with the ADL in 2010, though it’s unclear what, exactly, he ment’s links with Israeli law enforcement. discussed or learned from his Israeli counterparts. Sagiv Galai, a member of JVP’s New York chapter, noted that the New York gov- Cuomo’s New York-Israel commission promises to continue the tradition of New ernor’s office had said the purpose of New York-Israel law enforcement cooperation York cops learning from Israeli security services. But local and national resistance will be to “share best practices and benefit from each other’s experience.” to these programs also promises to grow. “‘Best practices’ in this context have been developed under a belligerent military In April, Jewish Voice for Peace (JUP), a pro-Palestinian group with local chap - occupation replete with human rights violations, from extrajudicial killings to ad- ters around the country, announced the launch of their Deadly Exchange campaign ministrative detentions,” he told The Indypendent. — a push to bring attention to, and halt, police partnerships between the U.S. and Galai said that the campaign is not arguing that Israel has introduced racism and human rights violations to American policing. Rather, the Deadly Exchange campaign is target- Client list rwAndA ing nonprofit groups, like the ADL and JINSA, for Israeli dealers notoriously sold arms to a pro-government Hutu militia normalizing Israeli counter-terrorism practices and trying to frame them as a model for American coun- Israel has used its 50 years of control over the Palestinian territories during the 1994 genocide that largely targeted the Tutsi ethnic group. ter-terrorism campaigns. to show off its weapons of repression and create a booming arms and Paul Kagame, the current president, has forged a close relationship He added that the campaign is a way for Jewish surveillance industry. Here are six different countries that have bought with Israel. Ironically, he’s a Tutsi — the group that was targeted by groups to mobilize against pro-Israel organizations Israeli arms and spy tools: Israeli-armed Hutu forces. that promote Israel’s model of counter-terrorism United ArAb emirAtes ColombiA and security. Officially, this Arabian Gulf country and Israel do not have diplomatic The Colombian government has long bought Israeli weapons. And “It’s an opportunity for progressive Jewish orga- relations. Unofficially, the UAE is a customer of Israeli-made surveil- Israeli weapons dealers were also caught up in a scandal in the nizations in each of these cities to come out against lance products. Last year, digital security researchers discovered early 1990s, when the U.S. Senate found evidence that Israeli mer- the conservative national security policies that or- that the UAE had targeted a prominent dissident with sophisticated cenaries gave paramilitary assistance to Colombian drug cartels. ganizations like JINSA are vocalizing,” Galai told cell phone malware that would have turned the activist’s iPhone into More recently, Colombia bought products from Israeli spy compa- The Indy. “We will be there on the streets, pro- a walking spy tool with the ability to track his movements and re- nies Verint and NICE. Colombia has used those products to institute testing and resisting, building those relationships cord his calls. The creators of that product were Israeli army veterans a mass surveillance apparatus. and building solidarity which will hopefully make whose company was funded by veterans of Unit 8200, Israel’s mili- the campaign more resilient in the long-term fight tary intelligence branch. UzbekistAn against racist policing in the Trump era, where Is- Russia is the main supplier of weapons to this former Soviet bloc coun- lamophobia, racism and law-and-order discourse soUth sUdAn try. But in November 2014, the group Privacy International revealed that has re-entered the mainstream.” The newest nation on earth has been embroiled in civil war since the Uzbekistan had bought surveillance systems from Verint and NICE. The end of 2013. Israeli arms dealers have reportedly supplied the South products were given to an Uzbek security agency known for the torture Sudanese government with rifles and rockets, despite South Sudan’s and monitoring of Uzbek citizens. government being accused of crimes against humanity. — ALEx KANE June 2017

T AzerbAijAn Azerbaijan has spent about $5 billion on products from Israeli arms companies in recent years. These have reportedly included drones, ra- dar systems and rifles. Azerbaijan is an authoritarian country that rou- tinely arrests dissidents and has been accused of torturing members of the opposition. It is also engaged in a low-intensity war with Armenia. The Indypenden 15

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The TIMe has CoMe for MedICare for all

By Paddy Quick that with a tax on those who still chose not to take “fi ne print” in their policies limits their coverage. BETH WHITNEY out insurance. A single-payer system would, to a large degree, he debate over health care brings out When people without insurance require health cut out the private insurance industry. As with all the major differences between a care, they have to rely on emergency care from hos- Medicare, health-care providers would be paid by capitalist society structured to maxi- pitals. If hospitals can’t get them to pay the bill, only one central organization, rather than by the mize corporate profi ts and a society they have to raise the amount they charge the in- many different insurance companies. that aims to promote the well-being of surance companies of patients who have coverage. Medicaid, a federal-state system, avoids some of Tits members. It is understandable that people, particularly those the problems of a profi t-making system. But in its The United States is unique among developed coun- who are currently healthy, would opt not to take place is substituted the goal of minimizing total ex- tries in the extent to which the “free market” deter- out health insurance and gamble that they will stay penditures. Thus it is designed to limit coverage to mines who gets health care and how much. The result healthy. But their health-care costs will eventually those who are judged to be the “deserving poor.” is that people here are less healthy and die younger have to be covered somehow. In other parts of our This creates a lot of delays, paperwork and often than people in other countries, while we spend about insurance system, such as that for cars, insurance arbitrary denials of coverage or care. In addition, twice as much per person on health care. is thus compulsory. The Medicare system, which it pays providers less than Medicare does, so many The U.S. rate of infant mortality, the proportion recognizes that older people will almost inevitably doctors simply refuse to take Medicaid patients. A of babies who die before their fi rst birthday, is 5.8 require health care, is not optional—but it is most- system of Medicare for all could integrate Medic- per 1,000 live births, according to the CIA World ly fi nanced by taxes. aid and Medicare into a single system. Factbook. In Norway, which has a higher gross do- Even if everyone in the United States had health For some people, employer-provided health in- mestic product per capita, it is 2.5. In France, it is insurance, however, that would still not change surance seems to be satisfactory. Large companies 3.3. In Cuba, which has a GDP per capita of less that the system both has poor health outcomes and typically have some such plan, although usually than one-quarter of the United States, but a very is extremely expensive. A “good” insurance policy only for their own full-time employees, not their well-developed health-care system, it is 4.6. will cover all health-care expenses or require only part-time or temporary workers or their subcon- Other countries not only do better in terms of a small copayment. A “bad” plan will require large tractors’ employees. (Very small businesses usually caring for people: They spend far less on health out-of-pocket expenses. The wealthy will buy the fi nd any such coverage too expensive.) The advan- care. In 2012, the United States spent an average more expensive plans, while the rest of us fi nd our- tage of this way of providing insurance is that in- of $8,233 per person on it, according to Organiza- selves with costly premiums, tion for Economic Cooperation and Development high copayments and deduct- fi gures. Norway, the next most expensive country, ibles, and signifi cant limitations tHe additional taXes spent $5,388. France spent $3,974, less than half on what is covered. A large part as much as the United States. of the opposition to “Obam- Where does all that money go if it doesn’t go into acare” has been based on recog- people would HaVe to paY making people healthier? The answer begins with nition of the high cost, even af- the U.S. reliance on a “free market” system for the ter subsidies, of “bad” policies. would Be less tHan wHat allocation of health-care resources, particularly Why are health insurance on for-profi t private health insurance. The amount premiums so high? The corpo- tHe Vast MaJoRitY now spent by individuals accounts for more than half rations that provide health in- of total expenditure, while in other “developed” surance are driven by the need (OECD) countries, it is typically less than a quarter. to profi t. They charge as much paY to pRiVate insuReRs In a “free market” the rich get more and better as they can for it, and they health care than everyone else, just as they live in structure their policies to minimize the payments dividuals can’t be denied coverage for pre-existing better housing, eat better (or at least more expen- they make to the actual providers of health care. conditions. However, insurers charge companies sive) food, and enjoy fancy vacations. When rich Before Obamacare, they regularly denied policies premiums based on the general characteristics of people get sick and need medical care, they can to people who weren’t in perfect health, those who their workforce, an incentive for employers to hire afford to pay for treatment that can cost millions had “pre-existing conditions.” healthy, young workers. A bigger problem is that of dollars, and prolong their lives. Regular people Medicare uses only about 1-3 percent of the tax the coverage ceases when a worker leaves the com- who get sick are likely to go bankrupt and die money it collects in for administrative costs, with pany. When workers or members of their families sooner. That’s how the market works. Health care the remaining 97-99 percent going to health-care get sick, those whose health insurance is provided is just another commodity that people purchase. providers. In contrast, only about three-quarters of by their employer are essentially trapped. They Replacing private, for-profi t health insurance the premiums private insurance companies collect have to stay on the job if they want to keep their with “Medicare for all” presents a fundamental go to providers. Obamacare tried to increase that health care. “Medicare for all” would cost less and challenge to this. It asserts the universal right to proportion to 80-85 percent. The remainder goes not have these problems. “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” regard- not only for profi ts, but also for administering this Medicare for all would solve only some of the less of income — and that includes the right to profi t-making system. problems of the U.S. health-care system. A thor- health care, to be provided on the basis of need, The system is also grossly wasteful for provid- ough reform would have to address the vast and not income. ers and patients. Doctors and hospitals have to complex web that includes the certifi cation of What we have been offered, however, is not the employ large numbers of people to be intermedi- health-care providers, the organization of hos- June 2017

right to health care, but a limited right to health aries between patients and their insurers, to fol- pitals and the entire pharmaceutical system. But insurance. President Barack Obama’s Affordable low the procedures for what insurers will pay for reforming the insurance system would be a major Care Act aimed to provide this in two ways. One and dispute what they deny. There is no systematic step forward. was by expanding Medicaid, the federal-state sys- collection of data on how much time patients and Medicare is far from perfect. One-third of all tem that pays for health care for the poor. The their relatives spend on the horrendously complex Medicare recipients sign on for privately provided other was by subsidizing the insurance premiums paperwork required for even a relatively simple ill-

The IndypendenT of people who are somewhat better off, paying for ness. That is the point when many fi nd out how the Continued on page 19 17 POLITICS

he most devastating insight in Jonathan Allen people knocked out of the middle class by deindustrializa- and Amie Parnes’ new book comes on the sec- tion, globalization, the recession and the relentless pursuit ond page of the introduction: “Clintonworld of market effi ciency, or the bitterness of the young with no sources started telling us in 2015 that Hillary hope of ever reaching middle-class comfort. was still struggling to articulate her motiva- Shattered is at its best in depicting the organizational tionT for seeking the presidency.” She had no broad mission failure that prevented the campaign from realizing that or vision, just a mix of specifi c, incremental policy items Clinton was in serious trouble in the Rust Belt states they and the belief that it was “her turn” — both to break the thought were a “blue wall” and how it then decided that glass ceiling that kept women out of the White House and last-minute campaigning there would be seen as a sign as the reward she deserved to cap her political career. of panic. Allen and Parnes depict a scrum of competing Shattered is a classic work of insider journalism. Grant- cliques, in which those most loyal to Clinton knew little ed intimate access to the Clinton campaign in exchange about running a campaign, those with practical experi- for not using the story until after the election, the authors ence hadn’t gained her trust and no one who had access reveal loads of details about its six competing fi efdoms, wanted to tell the boss bad news — in part because they the personalities who led them, the go-betweens that con- didn’t want to jeopardize their prospects of getting a job nected them and their constant palace intrigues and in- in her administration. fi ghting over power and strategy. If you want an almost Getting access to these details and workings is the great hour-by-hour account of the campaign’s fl oundering after virtue of insider journalism. But Shattered also suffers then-FBI director James Comey announced 11 days before from its fl aws. One is focusing on the ups and downs of the election that he was reopening a probe into her emails, the “narrative of the day,” at the expense of looking at it’s here. deeper historical trends — or going outside the campaign If there’s a villain, it’s campaign manager Robby Mook, to talk to actual voters. Another whose obsession with data analytics caused him to dis- is adopting the worldview of your

miss warnings from fi eld workers, local politicians and sources. The authors speak like EMILY GAGE Bill Clinton that Hillary was in trouble in Michigan, Wis- Beltway establishment Democrats, how ClInTonworld consin, Pennsylvania and Florida. The data showed that dismissing Bernie Sanders as an wasn’t so, Mook insisted. He kept her from campaigning impractical fringe-leftist dreamer. IMploded in rural areas, arguing that it was a waste of time because They describe his declaration in there were few of her voters there and believed yard signs, an October 2015 debate that “the bumper stickers and door-to-door canvassing also weren’t American people are sick and Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign worth the money and effort. tired of hearing about your damn Crown, 2016 All that isn’t Mook’s fault alone. The Democrats’ cen- emails” as wandering into Clinton’s trist wing lacks a coherent message because they’ve aban- well-laid “trap” — rejecting the doned the party’s New Deal legacy — for example, Frank- idea that he simply wanted to fi ght By Steven Wishnia lin D. Roosevelt created the nation’s fi rst public-housing fairly, on more important issues. program; Bill Clinton froze it 60 years later — and with it, In the end, the authors largely accept the Clinton cam- any direct, passionate appeal to working people’s interests. paign’s explanation of why she lost, despite winning the Instead, they believe that demographics will ensure their popular vote by almost 3 million: “Comey, the KGB, and destiny: That because they are not bigoted philistines like the KKK” — the last-minute investigation of her emails, the Republicans, they can carry the nation with a coalition Russian interference, and Trump supporters’ racism and of educated upper-middle-class liberals, women, people of bigotry. They also follow the conventional wisdom that color and gays and lesbians — and when enough Latinos Trump won because of working-class whites. That is true become voters, Arizona and even Texas will be theirs. as far as his margin of victory in key Rust Belt states, but If you take away Clinton World’s intertwinement with it ignores that most Trump supporters were more affl uent Wall Street and Silicon Valley, this oddly echoes an idea conventional Republicans and that a lot of black, Latino prevalent in the early-1970s student left: patching to- and young voters simply stayed home or opted for third- gether a radical majority without white working-class men. That idea emerged after the AFL-CIO sup- two insideR JouRnalists tell tHe stoRY ported the Vietnam War and con- struction workers attacked antiwar oF a dooMed CaMpaiGn. protesters in Lower Manhattan in 1970; it also coincided with the beginning of identity party candidates. politics as a signifi cant force on the left. But it ignores both The tragic result is that we now have a know-nothing history and current reality. The 1960s and early ’70s were President who has delegated his administration’s policies actually an era of serious labor militancy. Millions of pub- to the economic pussy-grabbers of Wall Street, unleashing lic-sector employees, from teachers to hospital cafeteria them to pursue their wet dreams. Believing that Donald workers, joined unions for the fi rst time and 2.5 million Trump would actually help working people is as stupid as workers went on strike in both 1970 and 1971 — more using nitroglycerin suppositories to cure hemorrhoids (an than in any year except one since World War II. If you hear apt simile for the Republicans’ Obamacare-repeal bills). the phrase “working class” and think of a beergut white- Enough people in the right states were stupid or desperate male redneck — as many leftists and Clinton Democrats enough to believe that he would. do — you need to go see how many men are walking a “It used to be cars were made in Flint and you couldn’t health-care workers’ picket line in Queens, see how many drink the water in Mexico. Now, the cars are made in white people are at recent protests by airline baggage han- Mexico and you can’t drink the water in Flint,” Trump dlers and cabin cleaners or talk to an actual blue-collar said while campaigning in the Midwest in September. Yes, 2017 June white guy who’s not a dumb bigot. there is no way Trump’s economic and environmental poli- Clinton, though she tried to associate herself with the cies would do anything other than make that situation far legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by opening her worse and he’d happily condemn the people of Mexico to a campaign with a photo-op speech at their memorial on life of poverty and toxic waste. But he had a point. Clinton IndypendenT The Roosevelt Island, is a NAFTA Democrat not a New Deal never countered it. Democrat. Bernie Sanders’ vision of a revived New Deal, of single-payer health care as the natural successor to So- cial Security, was what inspired so many people to support him. Clinton’s campaign, isolated in its professional-class cocoon, couldn’t comprehend the anger of middle-aged 18 ACTIVISM

ecky Bond and Zack Exley’s Rules for Revolu- people (frequently white men) who want to use precious tionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Ev- time spouting their political beefs rather than getting to erything is part of a recent wave of books that work, should not be tolerated and the annoying should seeks to draw organizing lessons from Occupy be pushed out promptly if they don’t behave. Volunteers Wall Street, the Bernie Sanders campaign, and should be given clear tasks that can be repeated and that relatedB movements. facilitate movement growth. Rules for Revolutionaries refers to Saul Alinsky’s 1971 The volunteer army built up during the Sanders cam- organizing guide, Rules for Radicals, in its title, perhaps paign was indeed impressive, and Bond and Exley’s enthu- because so few books on this topic have been published siasm about explaining what worked can be infectious. in the decades since. However, Bond and Exley, who led I presumed at the time that the Bernie Dialer was simply a major volunteer-focused effort in the Sanders campaign, a variation on tools readily used by most campaigns, but have a very different perspective. Alinsky concentrated on their descriptions of the challenges of getting it going and organizing communities, drawing demands from the grass- its implications are compelling. It may well be that with the roots to make on the local power structure. Bond and Ex- millions of people who seem to have been inspired to po- ley advocate insurgent campaigns (electoral and otherwise) litical action by outrage at Donald Trump, more campaigns with centralized planning and leadership, but designed to involving centralized leadership and a rapidly growing base distribute responsibility to an ever-growing army of volun- of volunteers will be launched. teers. This is how they understand their work on the Sand- However, I am skeptical that this is THE strategy to ers campaign, and they bring a proselytizing zeal to arguing be followed by “revolutionaries.” As noted above, Bond for its general value. and Exley don’t expend much energy trying to understand In Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic presidential why Sanders lost, although a couple of “rules” allude to nomination, Bond and Exley built up a national network of factors. “Fighting Racism Must Be at the Core of the Mes- volunteers to call voters in states where the Vermont senator sage to Everyone,” they state, and was running in the primary. If you used the “Bernie Dialer,” note that Sanders didn’t really do which made it easy to make calls (and actually reach people) this. On the other hand, this chap- at home, you encountered their work. They describe the ter, unlike many others, has few MoVe oVer, saUl alInsKy challenges to pulling the Bernie Dialer together at length. specifi cs about their own work, The other major innovation they associate themselves with making it feel a little perfunctory. Rules for Revolutionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Everything is “barnstorming,” large meetings where volunteers were “Get Ready for the Counterrevolu- By Becky Bond & Zack Exley encouraged to host or sign up for phone-banking, since tion (to include your friends)” basi- Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016 even with the Bernie Dialer, people were likely to make cally vents anger at fellow progres- more calls if working side by side with other volunteers. sives who stuck with Clinton, which Response rates at those events were very high, and eventu- they ascribe to things like an excess By Steven Sherman ally, volunteers themselves would facilitate them. Expand- of caution. These two rules allude to ing rapidly by turning over responsibility to volunteers, and some of the racial and social movement boundaries that armed with the Dialer, the long-shot campaign was able to the Sanders campaign failed to supersede, without mak- reach millions of primary voters and come closer than vir- ing a compelling case that Bond and Exley’s model would tually everyone expected to winning the nomination. On overcome them if simply pursued more intensely. the other hand, Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton, something There is also a broader question of the meaning of “revo- Bond and Exley gloss over. lution” or “revolutionary.” If we are talking about not only So what did Bond and Exley learn from this experience? a better political leadership and policies but also a redistri- They have little patience for the consensus decision-making bution of power away from centers of wealth and toward process so central to Occupy Wall Street and many other the grass roots, that’s different from creating a volunteer movements. Indeed, they have little interest in the question army to call voters in primary states. It would need dura- of movement democracy in general. Instead, they argue ble organizing in schools, neighborhoods and workplaces, for simply launching projects, and seeing what fl ies. If you to build social networks that could be mobilized to exert are able to fi nd a base and grow rapidly, you are probably power and to transmit information and demands to a center doing something important. The best technological tools, where national strategies could be developed. Revolution- like the Bernie Dialer, should be embedded in organizing ary organizing would combine many of the big organizing strategies. But talking to people on the telephone should not strategies outlined in this book with “small organizing” be underrated. Problems should be dealt with as they arise, that builds programs from the grassroots up. rather than appear as daunting barriers to entry. Any paid Nevertheless, this should not obscure that the approach staff involved should be prepared to empower volunteers, outlined in this book is likely to be a main way of organiz- rather than monopolize information and control the pro- ing the anger brought to the surface by Occupy Wall Street, cess. However, good management is also important, includ- Black Lives Matter, and Sanders to achieve political change. ing a willingness to fi re those who are not up to the job. Funding should be based on small grassroots donations, rather than large grants from foundations that may not ulti- mately share your politics. The “tyranny of the annoying,”

that it would be “too complicated.” It would, of course, the basic “free market” system. It will therefore resist a MedICare for all have to be fi nanced by taxpayers. But the additional taxes movement that insists health care is a human right. That Continued from page 16 people would have to pay would be less than what the is a principle that we must fi ght for. vast majority now pay to private insurers, and it would Medicare Supplement plans that, for a fee (that could be provide health care for all. Paddy Quick is a Professor of Economics at St. Francis June 2017

$300 per month), cover copayments, prescription drugs Politically, it is far from a utopian dream. A signifi - College and a member of the Union of Radical Political and other uncovered costs. cant section of the U.S. capitalist class resents the share Economists (URPE). What are the prospects for a single-payer “Medicare of total profi ts that is extracted by the insurance indus- for all” system? How would it be organized and fi nanced, try. This puts them at a competitive disadvantage against and how could it be achieved in our political system? other countries whose health-care systems are more ef- As similar systems in other countries have shown them- fi cient and less expensive. The U.S. capitalist class as a

The IndypendenT selves to be far more effi cient, it is almost absurd to argue whole, however, is ideologically committed to defending 19 THEATER

rUsT BelT CharaCTers TaKe CenTer sTaGe many ways, broken by forces beyond off employees, when

Sweat their control or understanding. their pensions are oblit- DEINDUSTRIAL JOAN MARCUS Written by Lynn Nottage John Lee Beatty serves as Sweat’s erated and their unions REVOLUTION: Studio 54 set designer, creating a beautiful wither, rifts ensue be- Michelle Wilson as thru Nov. 5 rotating set that is often turned to tween the characters Cynthia and James the homey dive bar where most of that take the shape of Colby as Stan in the play’s action takes place. It is violent prejudice but Lynn Nottage’s By Jamara Wakefi eld & Peter Rugh here that Sweat’s blue-collar char- which are clearly rooted Tony-nominated play acters gather to celebrate birthdays, in desperation. about a working class illary Clinton called blow off steam, dream of vacations During the play’s in- fi ghting to survive. them a “basket of de- that never materialize, gripe about termission, in true New plorables.” The Na- the news and settle their differences. York theater fashion, we chatted with tional Review’s Kevin The play moves back and forth be- our neighbors seated next to us. One Williamson took an tween the year 2000, when one-by- insisted the characters represented H“honest look” at their “welfare de- one Reading’s employers are shipping Trump voters. “It’s them, I know it’s pendency,” addictions and “family production abroad, and the dawning them,” he said, pointing at the stage. anarchy” and came to the “awful re- of the 2008 fi nancial crisis. During set Several theater goers turned and nod- alization” that these “dysfunctional, changes, archival news footage fl ashes ded, as if to say "amen." downscale communities… deserve to across the stage, marking the passage There is a cathartic comfort in hav- die.” Pundits fi rst ignored and later of time but also hinting at the events ing someone to blame for the Trump chastised Rust Belt voters, particularly beyond the bar that are shaping the presidency. But Nottage reminds us the now infamous “white working drama in otherwise hidden ways. that capitalism — shown here in its I design the Indy. class." Playwright Lynn Nottage took The characters in Sweat admirably post-millennial, neoliberal incarnation I design for change. a novel approach: She listened to them. attempt to better their station, or at — is the real culprit behind the bomb I can design for you. Inspired by Occupy Wall Street’s least hold on to the scraps of the Amer- that shattered our ballot boxes. Loyal popular rage against wealth inequal- ican Dream they already possess, as to no one, it carves racial and ethnic ity, Nottage began conducting ex- the town around them crumbles. Not- lines through the working class and tensive interviews with residents of tage asks the audience to think criti- forces its members to compete against Reading, Pennsylvania in 2011 — cally not only about the shortcomings one another, or worse, against name- once a thriving industrial hub and to- of the American Dream but to consider less, unseen workers across border- day one of the poorest cities in Amer- the American Dream as an amorphous lines who are desperate enough to be ica. The result of two and a half years moving target. exploited for even less. Nottage spent in the fi eld isSweat , up Steelworker Tracey and bartender Sweat does not give the impression for three Tony’s this month, including Stan (James Colby) recount the hard- that America will be great again+ or Best Play. Sweat doesn’t focus solely working lives of their European an- that it ever was for many of its inhab- on white workers but it does illumi- cestors who, like them, stood on the itants. It hucks no magical elixir for nate the complexities of the Trump manufacturing line. Injury forced Stan the downwardly mobile working class. era, saying as much about why Black behind the bar counter, while Tracy Perhaps to a fault, Nottage’s characters and Latino voters stayed home in No- is fi ghting to preserve her union as lack a sense of collective agency pres- vember as why whites mobilized for rumors of a lockout begin to spread. ent in working-class dramas of bygone Trump. It tells the story of a multi- Her best friend, Cynthia (Michelle eras, such as Waiting for Lefty, which, racial working class grappling with Wilson), dreams of surpassing racial while tragic, highlighted rank-and-fi le the impacts of automation and glo- and gender barriers at the factory by power on the shop fl oor. But we live balization; of workers striving for the becoming a supervisor. in different times. Sweat takes the American Dream in an economy in Carlo Alban delivers what is perhaps consequences of sweeping trade and which they are an afterthought. the most tender and heart-wrenching economic policies crafted by liberal

“What the fuck is NAFTA?,” barks of performances in this work as Os- and conservative administrations alike 2017 June Tracy (Johanna Day), a dyed-in-the- car, the saloon’s bar back. A Spanish- and portrays their consequences on a wool Reading native whose German speaking outsider who lacks the con- human scale. Toward the end of the grandfather helped construct many nections to receive a union card, Oscar play, news footage of the 2008 bank of the now boarded-up buildings has been wiping down tables and gath- bailouts fl ashes over the stage. It begs IndypendenT The that comprise the city’s downtown. ering empty beer mugs for years with- the question: When will the people of “Sounds like a laxative.” out a raise. When an opportunity to the Rust Belt receive theirs? The line, uttered early in the fi rst cross the factory’s picket line and earn act, foreshadows events to come, as a higher wage eventually materializes, friendships and familial bonds be- he leaps at the chance.

tween the characters are tested and, in As the steel company begins to lay M T   .@ . . /  .   .  . / 20 MUSIC

CoUnTry redIsCoVers ITs soUl

From a Room: Volume 1 By Chris Stapleton Mercury Records, 2017

Joan Shelley

By Joan Shelley woke up some morning with I-don’t-know-who penchant for penning a damn fi ne CHRISSTATPLETON.COM No Quarter, 2017 / But I never dreamed back then I’d have to pay sad song. And he still unpacks SOUL SINGER: Chris for it now”) just like Buck Owens before him. some of his troubled past on Big Stapleton, among a new Big Bad Luv On “Second One To Know,” the feeling of desire Bad Luv, admitting, “If it don’t set of roots musicians By John Moreland is as red hot (“Don’t put my love on your back bleed, it don’t feel like a song” with one foot planted in 4AD, 2017 burner/ Never let anything that hot get cold”) as (“Old Wounds”). This time, the present and the other any Otis Redding sang about. He smokes weed though, he takes a few moments fi rmly in the past. like his buddy Willie Nelson (“Them Stems”) to appreciate how far he’s come By Brady O’Callahan and is set to die for his crimes like Johnny Cash since then. (“Death Row”). Moreland was infl uenced heavily by the punk and ontemporary country music doesn’t have Yet Stapleton shines bright enough to not stand in hardcore groups of his youth, and he carries their raw too great a reputation these days. Even its anyone’s shadow. His whiskey-infused, gravel-gargled, emotional energy and heart-on-your-sleeve lyricism biggest fans listen half-jokingly, waiting honey-smoothed voice is one of the best in music today. into his country troubadour sound. He walks a path to hear watchwords like “Jesus,” “fl ag,” His appreciation of history doesn’t prevent him from that Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams and even “family,” “pick-up truck” — expressions carving his own legacy. Bruce Springsteen paved for him, and he’s as magnetic Cthat tiredly affi rm ideology or lifestyle more than any- Kentucky folk artist Joan Shelley also plays pretty as any of them. Moreland has managed to accomplish thing else. at home within the traditions of her genre. Her newly a diffi cult task faced by any artist known for sad songs: Meanwhile, folk music doesn’t have much of a rep- released self-titled album positions her not reinvent- he found some happiness (recently married, newfound utation at all. Country has been plagued with “bro” ing, but doubling down on the sound she developed success) and wrote an album that was true to his cur- tropes and folk muddied with electronic dance. Still, over the course of her four prior records. Shelley oc- rent self, rather than chase after the man he used to be. while most of us weren’t paying much attention, Amer- cupies a folk sound that straddles Appalachia and the Most of Big Bad Luv focuses on these two differ- ican roots music has entered an era of self-refl ection, British Isles, infl uenced by songwriters like Pennsyl- ent men. On “No Glory in Regret,” he notes, “Don’t it rediscovery and exceptional growth. vania’s Michael Hurley and Eng- The spirit of the old tradition has been exhumed by land’s Sandy Denny. Though her luminaries like Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and Stur- music was born out of the past, aMeRiCan Roots MusiC gill Simpson — all of whom have helped pave the way Shelley thrives in the minutia of for more like-minded artists to reach an audience just a the current moment. few years ago they couldn’t have possibly fathomed. In The album’s centerpiece, “Even Has enteRed an eRa 2017, it appears the future has one foot planted in the Though,” plays like a series of present; the other fi rmly in the past. static images. A set of lovers seem oF selF-ReFleCtion, Chris Stapleton spent much of his career penning frozen in time, “Resting there, hits for major country stars like Luke Bryan and Kenny your head across my thigh / There RedisCoVeRY and Chesney. However, 2015’s Traveller launched him into are no calls that could move you the highest tiers of popular music and his performance from me.” Uncertainty arises, with Justin Timberlake at the Country Music Awards “I’ve seen the sun rise over you eXCeptional GRowtH. that same year made him a household name. The al- / Now I see it setting down.” A bum was heralded as a refreshing return to form for the lover pleads, hoping to stay in this moment forever, feel like the truth / Comes at the price of your youth?” genre, drawing inspiration from outlaw country greats “Yes I can bear you / Yes I can bear it all.” The entire You can spend your whole life chasing something, only of bygone years. With From A Room: Volume 1, one song, like many others on the album, tells a complete to realize what you need and want is something com- might expect Stapleton to make a strategic pivot to play and heart-wrenching story in as many words as one pletely different. On the album closer “Latchkey Kid,” to a bigger crowd, but as he told Beats 1’s Matt Wilkin- might use to order a cup of coffee. Shelley expresses Moreland proclaims, “Cause I’ve found a love that son, only one approach seems right: “Dance with the self-doubt and longing, cushioned by touches of ten- shines into my core / And I don’t feel the need to prove one that brought ya.” derness and empathy. myself no more / And when I look into the mirror, now The album was recorded in Nashville’s RCA Studio She is a master of minimizing matter without sacri- I see / A man I never knew that I could be.” Moreland’s A, a locale that saw recordings from such icons as Elvis fi cing impact, adding only what is necessary. The al- melancholic past made him the man he is today. Presley, Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings. The songs bum cover is a portrait of the artist with all but her Modern roots music is in a very good place not be- themselves have been with Stapleton for years, if not face and chest shrouded in dark, seeming to imply that cause it attempts to recreate old glories, but because it decades, every single one predating Traveller. Though all you need is her voice and her heart — evidenced honors its history while looking forward and around he prefers writing a song in a matter of hours, he’d further by the fact that the album’s title is simply Joan us. These are songs for our present in the spirit of the rather sit on a song for a good long while, to make sure Shelley. Her traditional folk sound contains light fl our- past, and they don’t need much to say a lot. The frame- it holds up, than release it right away. As a matter of ishes of electric guitar and drums, but sparsely, and work is all there. As John Moreland puts it in “Lies I June 2017

principle, Stapleton brings history with him and would they are gentle when present. There’s not much here Chose To Believe,” “Just a little solid ground to stand / rather play up to legend than out to a wider audience. that breaks the mold, but it fi ts the mold well. It nestles Is all I ever needed.” He plays in the wheelhouse of outlaw and soul greats, in beautifully, and, as the album itself implores in its infl uenced equally by artists as diverse as Sam Cooke fi nal track, “Isn’t that enough?” and Dwight Yoakam. On “Up To No Good Livin’,” For John Moreland, it’s important to break with the Stapleton exemplifi es the semi-remorseful dirtbag (“I past, at least in personal ways. Moreland’s last album,

The IndypendenT used to cuss like a sailor / And howl at the moon / And I 2015’s excellent High On Tulsa Heat, showcased his 21 EXHIBITION

radICal. BlaCK. feMInIsT. VIsIonary.

We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-1985 Brooklyn Museum of Art thru Sept. 17 ever in the gaze of some thers (and other radical causes). metal crosshairs, as if Among the other notable every viewer were pre- works here are Blondell Cum- Co-founded by Michael Ratner By Mike Newton paring to shoot him mings’s Chicken Soup (1981) (1943-2016) President, Center for dead. The work was — an avant-garde dance piece Constitutional Rights; and hosted by t fi rst, Emma made in response to the 1969 on the assumed roles of women movement lawyers Heidi Boghosian, Amos’s Flower killings of Black Panthers by as both domestic worker and Executive Director, A. J. Muste Sniffer (1966) Chicago police. Forty-eight revolutionary fi rebrand — and Memorial Institute; and Michael doesn’t seem all years later, how American Lorraine O’Grady’s Rivers, Steven Smith, New York City that confron- culture at large abets state- First Draft (1982) — a sort of attorney and author. Atational. In this piece, Amos sanctioned violence against utopian, multicultural perfor- paints herself as a lithe fi gure Black people is still a very mance piece, as realized by a in a red dress, genially peering necessary and very urgent bunch of costumed oddballs in out towards the viewer while question. There’s also Betye Central Park. holding a bouquet of color- Saar’s The Liberation of Aunt The show ends with some ful fl owers. The confrontation Jemima: Cocktail (1973), a bits of youthful genius by Lor- bluestockings is in the context: Amos was a wine jug with a homemade na Simpson: assemblages from radical bookstore | activist center | fair trade cafe 172 ALLEN ST • 212-777-6028 young black woman staking Aunt Jemima label, stuffed the mid-1980s that combine bluestockings.com a claim in the heavily white, with an oily rag so as to be- photos of black bodies with heavily male New York art come a Molotov cocktail. It’s fragmented, poetic text. These world of the mid-20th century. a mixture of consumerism, enigmatic works are at the She’s quoted saying as much: mass-cultural racism, Black heart of the exhibit, evoking a “For me, a Black woman art- Power, liberatory protest and tension between mythologized, ist, to walk into the studio, is violent fantasy. It still packs collective identities and fragile, For the Women’s House by Faith Ring- a political act.” A later work, a punch. individual selves. It feels com- gold, 1971. Oil on canvas. © 2017 Faith Sandy and Her Husband To be clear, though: while monplace now, but it bears re- Ringgold/Artists Rights Society, New (1973) strikes a similar chord, this show is imbued with peating that the deeply divided York. with pleasant domesticity as strongly politicized motiva- political culture of the current tions, much of the work on a potential political catalyst. United States — up to and in- THU JUNE 8 • 7–9:30PM It shows a happy interracial view is not expressly political cluding the disastrous election Mirror Mirror by Carrie Mae Weems, READING: Bad Advice From Bad Women couple, dancing together in (or at least, not on the surface). of President Trump — is largely 1987. Silver print. © Carrie Mae Weems. — a popular monthly series featuring a groovy middle-class apart- You get the idea that these art- due to old but enduring strands some of NYC’s fi nest rowdy writers. ment; Amos’s own artwork is ists (mostly Black American of white supremacist ideology. hanging on the wall. women), while contributing to This exhibit — with its visions MON JUNE 19 • 7–9:30PM Amos’s paintings are a high- the political struggles of the of Black American women as SELF-DEFENSE: Come by this free light of “We Wanted a Revolu- day, were also looking for a painters, poets, fi lmmakers workshop from POP Gym to learn tion: Black Radical Women, sort of post-revolutionary re- and intellectuals — is a small some introductory skills that will keep 1965-1985,” currently on view naissance: working towards but sharp corrective. What you feeling safe. at the Brooklyn Museum. The an age when artists like them emerges is a sense of people en- exhibit is another fi ne example might not need to struggle. acting multifaceted, complex, THU JUNE 22 • 7–9:30PM of the museum’s commitment Howardena Pindell, for exam- creative responses to their own BOOK TALK: A discussion and book to politicized and, especially, ple, is represented here by her tumultuous times. signing with Kris Perry, co-author of feminist curating (though as sprawling, ahead-of-their-time Of course, now is a tumul- Love on Trial: Our Supreme Court Fight the exhibit points out, many of abstract paintings, and also by tuous time, too. More than For the Right to Marry. Perry will talk the artists in this show did not the video Free, White and 21 half a century since the civil- about her fi ght for marriage equality identify with “feminism” per (1980). In this work, Pindell rights era, the concept of ra- and sign copies of her book. se because of its white, middle- addresses the camera directly cial equality — the idea of class connotations). As with in an aching, confessional both Black and white citizens 2017 June other surveys of art from this style, recounting incidences of approaching each other on time, much of the work here racism from her own life, such equal cultural footing — is is both rousing for its mood of as being denied placement in apparently still too much for revolutionary possibility and advanced classes — despite her many Americans to bear. It’s IndypendenT The dispiriting when you consider strong academic performance remarkable then to step back how far we have to go before — because she wasn’t white). and take note of how so many that potential is realized. Eliza- Faith Ringgold’s charming, things — decades later — still beth Catlett’s 1970 sculpture subtle portrait paintings are have the power to shock. Target depicts the head of a contrasted with her bold pro- Black man, stoic, caught for- test posters for the Black Pan- 22 GENDER & SEXUALITY

who were The waKashU?

A Third Gender: Beautiful Youths in Japanese Prints mandated cultural coming-of-age tended to by a prostitute and in full sight Japan Society ritual, not a personal choice. of the wakashu, might be his father. Thru June 11 When fully clothed, the Prostitution was allowed to fl ourish wakashu were practically indistin- in licensed pleasure districts. A print by guishable from women. You could Okumura Masanobu, Original Perspec- By Gena Hymowech tell you were looking at one if you tive Picture of the Great Gateway and saw a tiny shaved spot on the top Naka-no-cho in the Shin Yoshi-wara, s I write this, you can read of his head — a spot that allowed him to features a prostitute who appears to be about Caitlyn Jenner's gen- keep his sidelocks and made his forelocks quite respected — so different from how der reassignment surgery; more prominent. As boys became men, we treat and think of our sex workers a trans Survivor star, Zeke their heads would be further shaven in an- these days. Smith, being outed by a fel- other coming-of-age ritual, genpuku. Lesbianism was also encouraged, at lowA contestant (and that contestant being “A Third Gender” wisely uses the least in feudal lords' homes. The plaque by fi red from his job in real estate); and a wakashu as a jumping-off point to explore the print Women Using a Dildo (no art- non-binary actor, Asia Kate Dillon, pro- the physical characteristics and clothing of ist listed) shows two women who might testing that the Emmys separate awards other members of Edo society. Nishikawa have been ladies-in-waiting: “Sequestered by gender. Trans and non-binary people Sukenobu's Thousand-Year Mountain in inner chambers where men were not — their struggles and wins — are more in book shows a woman who had shaved allowed, such women were required to the news than ever before, as an exciting eyebrows, denoting she was married. A be abstinent, but encouraged to engage new revolution picks up steam. sash (called an obi) tied at her front proves in self- and mutual pleasuring for their It's a revolution that has been long in she is wealthy. Another woman, likely her health.” So take that, homophobes and coming. daughter, is wearing a robe called a furi- doctors everywhere! The Canadian Broadcasting Corpora- sode that was a traditional outfi t of un- Mitate-e is a genre of art that showcases tion tells us that in 220 AD, the male Ro- married women, as well as prostitutes and themes from religion or classic literature man Emperor Elagabalus was supposedly wakashu. The coded visual language on using contemporary fi gures. It can feature requesting a vagina. There is the concept display here is not all that different from women or wakashu in roles that would of “two spirit,” which Slate describes as the symbols queer people have used, such have been taken by men, “essentially transgendering the tradi- tion,” as the exhibition eXploRinG Fluid GendeR puts it. It's kind of like what they were trying to do in that Ghostbusters re- noRMs in pRe-ModeRn Japan make, I guess. I didn't fi nd it or the kabuki section as “an ancient belief in indigenous Ameri- as the rainbow fl ag, “dyke” haircuts, or, interesting as the pictures of wakashu in can culture that some people possess both say, the clothes, payos (earlocks) and wigs normal life. The appeal of this exhibit lies Isoda Koryusai (1735–1790), Samurai male and female qualities in their spirit.” of Hasidic Jews. Hair and clothes can help in learning how these unique people lived. Wakashu and Maid, second half of the South Asia has famously had a third gen- people fi nd one another and allow differ- Reality — or at least the depiction of it — 18th century. Color woodblock print. © der community called hijra for hundreds ent groups to express their beliefs. trumps fi ction this time around. Royal Ontario Museum, ROM. of years. One belief Edo people held was that The writing was on the wall for the And then there's Japan. “A Third Gen- male adolescents should not be prohibited wakashu by the mid-19th century, as der,” the Japan Society's eye-opening, from being sexual — with men and wom- American infl uence and Victorian-era no- Suzuki Harunobu (1725–1770), Two monumental, oddly topical and almost en. In a scroll from the early 1700s called tions of gender and sexuality infi ltrated. Couples in a Brothel, 1769–1770. Color endlessly intriguing exhibit, shows how Fan Seller, by Moroyasu (only one name But the spirit that gave us wakashu still woodblock print. © Royal Ontario surprisingly common gender fl uidity was given), the fi gure wears a see-through blue burns a little bright: In March, the city of Museum, ROM. during the Edo period (1603-1868). With kimono and places a fan over the genital Iruma elected an out trans man, 25-year- over 65 works of art, “A Third Gender” is area while in a slightly sexy pose. Wheth- old Tomoya Hosoda, to be a city council- more about uncovering the hidden history er this person was an actual wakashu or or. According to Stonewall Japan, he was Suzuki Harunobu (1725–1770), Geese of the wakashu — androgynous teenage not is unknown, but the picture is a solid the fi rst out LGBTQ candidate to win of- Descending on the Koto Bridges from June 2017 boys who seem to have constituted a third representation of the teasing nature a fi ce in the history of Saitama prefecture, Eight Fashionable Parlour Views, gender — than about appreciating the pe- wakashu could possess. and the second transgender politician to 1768–1770. Color woodblock print. © riod's individual artists, most of whom, if There is even more awkwardness in Su- be elected in Japan, after Kamikawa Aya Royal Ontario Museum, ROM. this exhibition is any indication, followed zuki Harunobu's Two Couples in a Broth- in 2003. a singular style. It's tempting to say the el, a print showing a wakashu who doesn't wakashu were like today's trans or gen- seem all that on board with sleeping with

The IndypendenT der-fl uid youth, but becoming one was a a prostitute. The other man, also being at- 23 INDEPENDENT MEDIA

Keep spreadInG The news

By John Tarleton Eric Brelsford Ann Schneider Zack Kelaty Flatbush Fort Greene Hunter College/Upper East Side

he Indypendent has placed MICHAEL SCHADE JOHN TARLETON MARINA LUTZ dozens of outdoor news I am a freelance computer programmer I used to subscribe to the old (U.S.) Hunter College is the embodiment of boxes around the city since who also makes maps for nonprofi ts Guardian newspaper, a radical news- working class, immigrant, melting pot last fall. Our circulation that want to better understand what is weekly that folded in the early 1990s. It New York that The Indy needs to reach. has jumped to 30,000 pa- happening in their neighborhoods. I’ve taught me a whole lot about the world. I’m a junior there, majoring in politi- Tpers a month. None of this would be pos- followed The Indypendent six years. These days, I consider The Indypendent cal science and have been aware of The sible without the help of volunteers who There’s a demand for progressive news to be essential reading. I went to law Indy for a number years. It’s coverage maintain our boxes and fi nd new venues like The Indy that has both good local school because I wanted to work for so- of local stories from a left perspective where the paper can be shared. Here are stories and national stories that are in a cial justice. But there’s only so much you is really important to me. After being some of the fi rst-person stories of the local context. can do as a lawyer. You have to build a heavily involved in the Bernie Sanders volunteers helping us build a grassroots After the election I was defi nitely look- mass movement. campaign, I thought it was important to media revolution. ing for small things I could do in an ev- I have lived in Fort Greene for about become more active on the left in New eryday way. So in December I started 30 years, long before it was described as York. The Indy presented a great oppor- maintaining a new Indy street box lo- a “good neighborhood.” There are still tunity to do that. cated in front of the Cortelyou Road sub- a lot of progressive-minded people in I take care of a box at 68th and Lex- way station. The area has a pretty dense, Fort Greene so I’m quite happy to have ington where Hunter’s campus is locat- diverse mix of people out on the street a box on my corner next to our neigh- ed. I visit the box twice a week, and also most of the time. I think that’s part of borhood subway station. I visit the box leave a stack of papers near the student why the box is doing well. every weekend and make sure the papers government offi ce. In addition, I’m a co- People see it and discover it while are crisp and attractive. chair of the NYC Young Democratic So- they’re walking down the street. The I fi nd other ways to get the paper out cialists and am actively involved with the probability of you running into that as well. I usually bring copies to Nation- Democratic Socialists of America. I pass newspaper box is much higher than you al Lawyers Guild meetings where they the paper out at our meetings and when- stumbling upon the publication online. it are very well-received and to meetings ever else I get the opportunity. The Upper opens the paper up to such a different au- of feminist groups I am active in. I also East Side is characterized in a very bour- dience than it would get otherwise. make a point of dropping off a number geois way but it really does have a diverse I check on the box every couple of of copies in the jury room of the Kings array of people who live and work in it, days on my way to the train or the gro- County Supreme Court building on days so it’s important to have a presence there cery store. I’ve never paid this much at- when hundreds of people are called in as well. tention to about four square feet of side- for questioning to see if they would qual- walk in New York City! Half the time ify to serve on a jury. There are a lot of there isn’t anything to do. Every once in bored and unhappy people there, so why awhile somebody will leave a soda bot- not give them a chance to read a free pa- tle in the box or the papers need to be per for free people! reshuffl ed. For that amount of work, I think the reward of knowing that you’re bringing access to a different kind of the news to your immediate neighborhood is really rewarding.

5 waYs to Help GRow • Get permission to place the indy at venues in neighbors every month. nYC’s ResistanCe your neighborhood/school/workplace, or take newspapeR the paper with you to events or meetings to share • Go all in and contribute an additional $500 to fi ll with others. your own indy news box with 400 papers every

We’re looking to increase our monthly circulation month for a full year. You will be an independent 2017 June to 50,000 by this fall, but we can only do so with the • Go to indypendent.org/donate and sign up to media hero! support of our readers. Here’s several ways you can become a recurring monthly donor or make help out: a one-time contribution. If Donald Trump has To get involved, email [email protected] or call taught us anything, it’s the value of a free and us at 212-904-1282. IndypendenT The • Adopt an indy newsbox in your neighborhood independent press. THANK YOU! or by your subway station. It only requires a few minutes of your time each week to maintain a • Step up bigly and sponsor a shiny new indy neat and orderly box. news box with a $250 contribution. It’s a great way to help make the indy available to your