[lbo-talk] This evening in Berkeley

Chuck Grimes c123grimes at att.net
Tue Nov 15 19:30:25 PST 2011



> That's a victory in itself, isn't it? A small one,
> maybe; but how long has it been since we had any victories
> at all? Most of *my* life, anyway.
>
> Michael J. Smith

----------

Yes. But not true about in your lifetime. We, including me personally stormed the UC System office building at University Ave and Oxford St. in a wild Police v. Us malaly of rocks, batons, screaming squad cars and random street battles surrounding the general several block area late 1967 when Reagan came to a Regents meeting there. The Alameda County Sheriffs were driving around six in tan Plymouths racing after us and try to corral us in the maze of small streets so they could beat the shit out of us. This was cat and mouse urban war. They had shotguns in the trunk and were packing hand guns. This was really dangerous shit.

Reagan's limo came screaming out of the underground parking lot and turned right on Addison St under a heavy rain of rocks pelting his limo. It sounded like a hail storm bouncing off his entourage. He never came back, and Regent meetings were held elsewhere---in some fortress in SoCal.

This was near the peak of my violent days of bitter, scary rage. It is why I am very reluctant to denounce violence and why I identified with Malcome X, the Black Pathers, was in Stop the Draft week one of the most violent protests in Oakland history, and certainly glued to Cairo---but not the Weather Underground. Why not WU?

Because they had no authenticity at all. Hard to explain that old existential point. In working class language, you have to have an Just Grudge, period and the Weather Underground did not.

This leads to another issue, the Black Block. They have no honest and just grudge. They have some tactics and some methods that are disembodied from lived experience and have no or very little authentic as in experienced rational.

CG

I am happy it was a party tonight. But tomorrow looms...

I've been drinking tonight so this may not be trustworthy...



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