Green Party visits Dykstra Hall
Monday, August 19, 1996
Group's platform focuses on progressive activism, involvement of young peopleBy Scott Stimson
Summer Bruin Contributor
A week after the Republicans finished their national convention in San Diego, the Green Party came to UCLA to hold their first national presidential convention.
They came with unshaven legs and faces, a "power to the people," anti-corporation message and a unified desire to protect the environment.
The Green Party, founded in Minnesota in 1984, did not become an official party in California until 1992. Monday will mark the first time that the party has fielded a presidential candidate. The party has its roots in "progressive activism for social justice, peace and the environment," said Robin Barrett, a member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Green Party from Manhattan Beach.
When asked about what the Green Party has to offer students, Green Party member Mike Feinstein said, "Young people (in America) are among the least listened to.
"Everyone should have a direct say in the societal discussion that affects them and this includes young people. In fact, we have a 26-year-old on the Santa Fe, New Mexico City Council and a councilmember in his early 20s on the Arcata City Council here in California," he added.
Feinstein himself is a Green candidate for the Santa Monica City Council in the upcoming November election.
According to Feinstein, the party is growing in membership and is not limited to the United States political arena  instead, it is a global electoral movement with branches in 76 countries including Mongolia, Palestine, Cameroon and Taiwan, Feinstein said.
Closer to home, the Green Party has made itself clear on issues concerning citizens of California. "The Green Party is against Proposition 209, the use of nuclear energy, and President Clintons' welfare reform bill," said Feinstein.
However, other political parties disagree with the Green Party on the issue of affirmative action, saying racial and gender preferences are discriminatory.
"The Republican view of racial and gender preferences (affirmative action) in 1996 is that they are just as discriminatory as they were in 1956," said Jason Steele, president of the Bruin Republicans.
However, affirmative action policies fit nicely into the Green Party platform, members said. "The four pillars of the Green Platform are grassroots democracy, social justice, ecology and non-violence," Barrett said.
The Green Party also alleged that the U.S. political process is not fair, and is influenced by corporations. "The corporations own the political system," Barrett said.
"The main focus of the Green Party is to broaden the base of democracy and to decrease corporate power," she added.
But Steele disagreed with the Green Party's view that corporate America holds power over Washington. "It is laughable to say that corporate America is the enemy; it gives most of us our jobs and the means to make a living," Steele said.
"Groups like the Green Party base their platforms on abstract principles and paranoia that is intended to frighten people," Steele said.
Despite their inclusive platform, some Greens feel that a lack of diversity among party members is an issue that needs to be addressed. "The Green party is not diverse, but in New Mexico the Party is bringing in people of color who used to be loyal to the Democratic Party," said Santa Fe, New Mexico Councilman and Green Party member Cris Moore.
In contrast to the Democrats and Republicans, the Green Party extends beyond the U.S. borders, giving the party international recognition.
At a press conference Saturday evening, an international gathering of Green Party members met in Dykstra Hall to address the facts about how their party can influence the direction of their respective countries.
"We come together knowing that the problems that the Greens are facing here in the (United States) are the same ones as those being faced by Greens everywhere," said discussion moderator Anne Goeke.
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Green Gathering '96, held at UCLA, featured many speakers including Johan Hamels (far left), who addressed Greens during a workshop Saturday titled "The International Green Movement."AMY PENG/Daily Bruin
Green Party members speak their minds by wearing buttons revealing numerous views.
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