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By Kevin Rudiger

This summer, history will be made in the streets of Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Thousands will converge at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions to protest both parties’ continued pursuit of corporate-dictated, racist agendas. These agendas serve the interests of the elite while the vast majority of people, both at home and abroad, are left impoverished and under the gun. Political conventions continue to be nothing more than high-priced commercials for the two corporate-dominated parties. The vast majority of Americans who can’t afford access to the $10,000-a-plate dinners and other high-priced events are left outside the process. This year, though, we will be in the streets. Late last year in the groundbreaking Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization, thousands took to the streets to demand an end to unaccountable, faceless corporations and institutions, the erosion of our democracy, and increasing inequality on a national and international level. Those of us in the streets were treated to extraordinary displays of solidarity, including the now legendary “Teamster-Turtle” alliance of labor unions and environmentalists. We also saw that when people do take to the streets, things can and do change. Not only did the WTO meetings collapse in disarray, but President Clinton begrudgingly insisted that he “agreed with many of the concerns” raised by those in the streets and called for provisions that take environmental, labor and human rights issues into account. Now, this extraordinary and growing movement has an opportunity to bring this winning combination to Los Angeles. The corporate politicos who are organizing the convention have talked about using the convention as an opportunity to “showcase Los Angeles.” The truth is, of course, that they will only be showing one side of our city. While convention delegates hobnob in the Staples Center skyboxes, it will be easy for them to forget that one-third of children in L.A. County live below the poverty line, or that 45 percent of full-time workers in the city still have no health insurance. While convention-goers stay in swank hotels downtown and on the West Side, they can easily ignore the shameful disparities of wealth in Los Angeles, where 50 people control as much wealth as the poorest 2 million Angelenos. This is the real Los Angeles, a city created largely by an ongoing attack on the poor, lack of affordable housing and a separate and unequal education system in communities of color. One goal of the protests this August will be to ensure that this side of Los Angeles cannot be ignored and that both the Democrats and Republicans realize that communities which have been marginalized in the past refuse to remain so today. It is important to realize that this side of Los Angeles, which both parties want to pretend does not exist, is the direct result of the outright failure of both the Democrats and Republicans to address key issues which impact us all. Under the supposedly progressive leadership of President Clinton, Congress passed sweeping “welfare reform” legislation, which has moved thousands of needy families off welfare rolls, without providing them any real opportunities to support themselves. At the same time, Democrats have once again made no effort to move toward a more progressive taxation system and have continued to endlessly debate over even the smallest of minimum wage increases. Bill Clinton and his Democratic friends in Congress have also vastly accelerated the war on the poor, youth and communities of color, by enacting increasingly punitive criminal legislation, increasing funding for the failed “war on drugs” and passing numerous pieces of anti-immigrant legislation. While violent crime has decreased for the last several years, the number of people in prison continues to skyrocket as politicians jockey to see who can be toughest on crime. On an international level, our Democratic “leadership” has been equally dismal. Whether we are talking about the Clinton administration’s aggressive campaign to fund military offensives in Colombia or the administration’s continued support for a war, both military and economic, against the people of Iraq, the Clinton administration has shown its true colors. When I asked an aide to Bill Bradley, who supposedly represents the left wing of the Democratic Party, how many Iraqi children they were willing to sacrifice in pursuit of the US policy objectives, her immediate response: “As many as it takes until the people of Iraq rise up.” As many as it takes! For students, like those of us at UCLA, this is an important time for us to get involved. Lack of political leadership continues to further erode the foundation for public education in the United States. But self-interest aside, it is important to recognize the important role that students have played in social movements throughout history. Now, as one of the most important political events in decades comes to our own backyard, it is our responsibility to get involved and to help ensure that our voices are heard. Some argue that by protesting the Democrats, we are playing into the hands of the Republicans. For many, though, the bottom line is that we can no longer afford to fall into the trap of supporting the “lesser of two evils.” Everyone agrees that theoretically, there is some point where choosing the lesser of two evils no longer makes sense. Today, at the start of the new millennium, thousands of people are insisting that the time is now, that the Democrats have crossed the line one too many times and that it is past the time for those of us who believe in justice, fairness and in real democracy to take a stand. Despite efforts by the police and the mainstream media to suggest otherwise, the protests this summer at the Democratic and Republican conventions are shaping up to be a beautiful and powerful expression of a multiplicity of movements for global justice – race, gender, class, and ecological justice. As we have consistently done, we will focus on the substance of the issues. Some of these activists will make their point using the time-honored tradition of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, while others will be writing policy criticisms, holding side conventions, or marching in the streets. All will speak out and stand up in the face of global exploitation. We hope that UCLA students will be there with us!

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