By Mark Vorpahl Many of the social expectations and political outlooks of today’s Labor Movement, and workers in general, were formed during the post-World War II economic expansion. With a growing economy and steady job supply, many people seemed content to focus on improving their immediate community or individual union with the expectation that, if…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw “Protecting a competitive race to the lowest wages is crucial,” said Tom Chamberlain, President of the Oregon AFL-CIO. After a confused pause, Chamberlain restated himself, replacing “protecting” with “preventing.” It was a slightly awkward moment at this strange gathering billed as a “Listening Session on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)”.…
This week in Occupy, Pussy Riot was sentenced to two years in Russian prison, we expressed solidarity with General Motors hunger strikers in Colombia, activists far and nigh set their sights on Tampa and the Republican National Convention, and the one-year Occuversary is approaching. #After a short trial, three members of Pussy Riot, an all-girl…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw The Lombard Overpass of the railroad cut that bisects St. John’s – from the Willamette River to the Columbia Slough – was the site of an August 18 demonstration, with over 75 activists protesting and educating people about the proposed transportation of coal through Oregon and Washington. With faces…
This story originally appeared over at The Boston Occupier. By Doug Enaa Greene Although Howard Zinn died over two years ago at the age of eighty-seven, his legacy lives on through popular education initiatives and struggles for social justice. Howard Zinn was a pioneer in combining the roles of academic and activist. Not only was…
by Andrea Townsend Sleep Activist, “Kernel” Moses Wrosen was found not guilty on two charges Thursday, stemming from his March 2 arrest outside City Hall. Wrosen was sleeping on a wooden platform on the sidewalk in demonstration against the city’s camping ban, when police woke him up and ordered him to move the platform.…
By Elona Trogub Three members of Pussy Riot, the anonymous feminist group that’s half performance art, half punk band, have been found guilty of hooliganism, motivated by religious hatred. Now Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 will spend two years in a medium security prison for their ‘crime’–a one minute performance…
By Hart Noecker, PDX Bike Swarm “Man has no right to kill his brother. That he chooses to do so in uniform merely adds the infamy of servitude to the crime of murder.” ~ Percy Shelley “Damn it feels good to be back in the streets!” somebody shouted. It might have been me. After riding…
By Andrea Townsend The Multnomah County Courthouse was buzzing with Occupiers and their lawyers on August 16 as they awaited Judge Cheryl Albrecht’s latest ruling on matters relating to numerous Occupy Portland arrests, interactions and altercations over the past year. Beginning on August 23 and continuing through November, Occupiers and their supporters will flood the…
By elona trogub In this twisted world of ours, the solutions that most often move forward are those that end up creating a whole new set of problems. Dr. Robert Kehoe, the scientist who convinced the world that the use of leaded gasoline was safe (which has since been phased out of use due to…
