Thousands rally for SC dockworkers

Union members rally for Charleston dockworkers in Columbia, South Carolina, June 9, 2001. Photo by Cherie Pitre.

By Eamon Martin

Columbia, South Carolina, June 9— Withstanding an oppressively hot, muggy afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina, over 4,000 union workers and their supporters marched to rally at the State House today to demand amnesty for five longshoremen currently facing felony charges.

“Free the Charleston Five! Free the Charleston Five!” the crowd continuously chanted.

In an inspired display of international solidarity for workers’ rights and social justice in a “right-to-work” state that advertises itself to investors as having the lowest rate of unionization in the country, workers from as far away as Tacoma, Washington and Seoul, South Korea converged on the capitol to pledge their support for the longshoremen.

Underneath the Confederate flag that hung limp atop the state’s flagpole, the multiracial mass of mostly African-American workers cheered as nearly 30 speakers implored them to organize and keep fighting to free the five men they say are the latest victims of worker and racial discrimination by the state.

The rally, put together by the South Carolina Progressive Network, a coalition of 41 labor and social justice groups, featured speakers and endorsements from many of the country’s largest trade unions. Longshoremen were joined by autoworkers, screen actors, miners, textile and technical workers, and others.

Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers sermonized: “Oh Lord, how long, God?! How long will freedom of association and assembly be denied?! How long?”

“NOT LONG!!” protesters shouted back.

It all began in October, 1999 when shipping company Nordana Lines abruptly decided to use non-union labor to work its ships in Charleston after 23 years of using International Longshoremen Association (ILA)-affiliated workers. ILA Union Local 1422 responded with picket lines.

That following January, in order to protect 19 non-union, “scab” workers attempting to unload a Danish freighter, 600 riot police mounted a military-style assault on the picket of 150 ILA members. As helicopters hovered above and police patrol boats cruised the waterside of the terminal, cops unleashed an arsenal of armored cars, armored horses, attack dogs, concussion grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets on the workers. A large scale street fight ensued which resulted in several injuries and arrests.

A few months later, Nordana decided to return to the union fold, rehiring Local 1422 and the Charleston magistrate’s office dropped all charges against the dock workers in exchange for community service.

But it didn’t end there. With his eyes on the governor’s office, State Attorney General Charlie Condon grabbed the case and brought it to a Charleston County grand jury that indicted five of the men -Elijah Ford Jr., Kenneth Jefferson, Rickey Simmons, Jason Edgerton and Peter Washington Jr. — and charged them with riot and conspiracy to riot.

The Charleston Five have been under house arrest for over a year and are permitted only to work and attend union meetings. They face up to five years imprisonment.

Saturday’s rally seemed to be directed against Condon, as much as it was to demand amnesty for the longshoremen and to condemn current anti-union legislation in South Carolina.

“All of (Condon’s) right-wing business buddies are pouring money into his campaign because he’s standing up against the unions,” said Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice President of the National AFL-CIO. “They want to bust unions in South Carolina.”

Condon has called for “jail, jail and more jail” for the union protesters.

Many of the State Attorney General’s critics believe the prosecutions aren’t about justice and that they’re more about political exploitation, cynically designed to boost his stature in a state known for its strong anti-union laws. Many demonstrators carried signs reading “Charlie Condon - Anything for a Headline.”

Condon said he wasn’t impressed with the gathering. “I’m not going to drop charges because of a rally by some labor union.” He said the longshoremen were arrested in connection with a “brutal mob riot” in which protesters attacked police.

However, speaker after speaker at the rally took great pains to illustrate that the struggles of the longshoremen aren’t unusual in South Carolina. In fact, they insisted, the Charleston Five are but the most recent martyrs to appear in a long history of worker and racial oppression in the state, a climate that persists to this day. In the past two months, legislation has been passed that prevents cities from establishing a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum. Many labor activists have been referring to this as an “anti-living wage bill.” They also point to policies which include measures to prevent members of ports-related unions from serving on the State Ports Authority board.

“This is about a state where you must remember your place at all times,” read poet Nikky Finney, “…where you must not think for yourself and defer to others. You must not get too uppity and speak out. You must take what is given to you and keep your mouth closed because this is South Carolina, land of manners and politeness and control.”

That not withstanding, a sense of hope and empowerment was pervasive throughout the day. Union members - an endangered species in the South - seemed to be in a mixed state of enthusiasm and disbelief at the incredible arrival of so many local and international unions. With little notice, workers had mobilized from California, Maryland, New York, Florida and several other US states. If that were not enough, potentially powerful alliances were formed with union leaders from abroad who also made the trip.

From South Korea, Daewoo Motor Workers Union leader Kwang-Jun Yu appeared, stunning his international counterparts. Yu, a director of one of the most militant unions on the planet, came, “bringing the solidarity of 13,000 Daewoo workers in your struggle against racism, union-busting, and police violence.”

“The brutality that you face here and the brutality that we face in South Korea comes from the same place,” Yu said. “It is the hammer that they use to keep us in our place.”

Bjorn Borg, representing the International Dockworkers Council from Sweden suggested that if the five are brought to trial, longshoremen at ports around the world would take action. Later, the crowd shouted “Shut the port down! Shut the port down!”

Charlie Condon said the Charleston Five will go to trial sometime in September.

“Back in West Virginia, we have a saying: Don’t kick the bear when it’s asleep,” warned Cecil Roberts. “Well, Charlie, you kicked the bear!”

Additional Source: Post and Courier

Locals protest “racist” group

A CCC member confronts anti-racist protesters in Asheville, North Carolina, June 8, 2001. Photo by Cherie Pitre.

By Brendan Conley

Asheville, North Carolina, June 8— Local citizens formed a picket line today at the national conference of a “white pride” organization that has been called a “racist hate group.” The Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), holding their annual meeting at the Holiday Inn on Airport Road, was picketed by members and supporters of Anti-Racist Action (ARA).

“They’re encouraging racism,” said Ben Brockenbrough of Asheville. “I’m here to make sure this isn’t going to be tolerated.” About 30 protesters, most from Asheville, but some from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Columbus, Ohio, held signs denouncing CCC and reading, “Racism can’t hide.”

CCC members denied that the group is racist, and said they are simply promoting their European heritage. “We stand up for our own race,” said Frances Bell, the “state chairman” of CCC for South Carolina. “I don’t see any racism within our group.”

CCC members said that their organization promotes conservative values, and is not preoccupied with race. Bill Butson, a Lenoir chiropractor who is a member of the western North Carolina chapter of CCC, said that economic and political issues sparked his interest in the group. “I saw all the factories in our area being moved to Mexico and China,” he said. “Our politicians have completely corrupted the country.” He added that public school is a “political indoctrination system” where children are taught “that homosexuality is right.”

Vendors at the conference sold Confederate flags and bumper stickers, Celtic jewelry, and books and pamphlets that opposed immigration, promoted “Southern heritage,” and ridiculed African Americans. More than 100 people were in attendance, mostly white men, though CCC president Tom Dover said he was glad to see “a lot of fine looking ladies” in attendance, as well as “the young people getting involved.”

Outside, the protesters, mostly young white people, waved signs to passing motorists, many of whom responded with honks and waves. The ARA members handed out a flier that described CCC as a “hard-core racist organization” run by “a cabal of hard-core neo-Nazis.” There were several heated discussions as male CCC members walked out to confront the protesters. Male protesters taunted the CCC members and were answered with threats of violence.

Though four separate police departments were present, the police did not intervene. Asheville police chief Will Annarino said that the Holiday Inn had requested a police presence because “the owner does not want people trespassing.”

Gene Andrews, a CCC member from Nashville, Tennessee, said the protest was “the same left-wing socialist propaganda these people always put out.”

Jerry Bellow, an ARA organizer from Columbus, Ohio, said the mission of the group is “to directly confront white supremacists and other fascist groups.” When asked if he supported the free speech rights of groups such as CCC, he said, “When you organize for fascism, you organize for the wholesale murder of groups of people, and you lose your right to reasoned discussion. You are engaged in a dialogue of force.”

Tom Bryant, of Boone, North Carolina, said his daughter was performing with the Appalachian Mountain Cloggers, part of the entertainment at the conference. He said the clogging group is not connected to CCC, but “we are conservative, Republican Christians.” He said he was not familiar with CCC and “when we saw some of the material they were selling, we wondered if we had made the wrong decision.” When asked about the clash between protesters and conference-goers, he described it as “too much testosterone,” but added, “Both these groups have the right to express their beliefs.” Bryant said that as a Christian, he opposes racism. “God loves all people, no matter what color,” he said.

For more information: Anti-Racist Action: www.aranet.org; Council of Conservative Citizens: www.cofcc.org