Charleston, SC climaxed a month of resistance to Walmart’s globalization of poverty agenda when the gears of commerce slammed to a stop at the Port of Charleston on Dec. 20. A picket of resistance demonstration, much like the thousands Walmart has been ignoring around the world, prompted the might International Longshoreman’s Association (Union) to stop all work at the port, honoring our modest, peaceful picket of 50 dedicated activists.
The trucks which had been thundering by our picket on Long Point road ever few seconds slowed to a trickle and stopped. The enormous cranes which tower over the river stood still. Lawyers for the Port, Union and Shipping companies ran to their telephones. The once indifferent media woke up. Twitter and Facebook sent images and message from our free speech zone on the West Side of Long Point road around the planet to activists and union members in Bangladesh, where over 112 people had been burned to death making the clothing which was sitting, going nowhere in the cold, steel containers on board the enormous containership Carolina Maersk.
At that moment nearly forgotten men and women who sweated to their deaths for 28 cents an hour, whose lives have been valued at a mere 1200 dollars each became noticed and remembered in a way they had not been before. A letter from their representatives was read as the sun came up over the Port. A bright red banner which read “Walmart kills” flapped in the sun.
It was a year after Occupy was written off for dead. It happened six months after Scott Walker survived a recall. A shock was sent into the system a month after Republicans held on to control of a gerrymandered US Congress and a Senate strangled by Koch financed gridlock. It happened six days after slaughter at a school enabled by ALEC and the NRA and a mere four days before Christmas. It was the day before the end of the world and the 152nd. Annaversary of South Carolina’s decision to leave the Union and perciptate the American Civil War.
At a moment when the engines of distraction were hurling themselves at what their owners hoped was an exhausted public, the 1% discovered the people where not powerless, nor were they asleep.
Participants left the location of their stand with short sections of the yellow plastic chain used in the protest as a momento of when they broke the chain binding workers in Bangladesh, our state's own devistated Textile industry and the system which globalizes poverty of which Walmart has become the most powerful component.
We’ll continue the fight and wind it up for a holiday rest this Saturday with a Stand at the Stores at three Walmart Locations in Charleston Saturday, Dec. 22. The Charleston Challenges Walmart at Christmas effort has also included a demonstration at the Tanger Outlet Walmart Supercenter and Sams Club on Black Friday, an Uncle Samity Clause Vs. Walmart street theater demonstration http://www.youtube.com/... at the King Street Cristmas festival, and outreach at the 9th. Biennial Southern Human Rights Organizer’s Conference here.
I would like to thank the many law enforcement agencies that we've worked with over the last month, each of which has done an exceptional job coordinating with our efforts, accomidating our need for free speech activity and keeping the public safe, all during an exceptionally challenging time of the year for those public servants and agencies. We wish them a Merry Christmas and happy holiday as well.
Walmart employees have made contact and are now organizing, sub rosa across the state to transform the company they work for from the inside.
Reported around the Nation and the World- Here is a sample of some of the dozens of items on the Picket of Resistance, reflecting the varied perceptions of the action.
Facing South- http://www.southernstudies.org/...
Mount Pleasant Patch, First to Cover the Demonstration and all over the story from beginning to end.
After the picket- http://mountpleasant-sc.patch.com/...
Before the Eventhttp://t.co/...
First Post, from Bangladesh, where people followed the Picket of Resistance and port shutdown online http://www.firstpost.com/...
The Loadstar, Shipping Industry Publication focused on supply chain issues, United Kingdom- http://theloadstar.co.uk/...
The Examiner- 'Block the Boat' demonstration Thursday at Port of Charleston (Photos) http://www.examiner.com/...
IWW- http://t.co/...
Twitter- The #blocktheboat hashtag continues to see tweets and links to many more articles can be found in that feed.
Note- The Author is a coordinator of Petigru Free Speech Defense, an attorney's working group in Charleston, SC which supports Social Justice free speech activities and helped support this demonstration.