South Carolina and Labour Unions. True Black/White divide

[seabhcan]

Here's an excellent article by Greg Palast on the history behind the medja version of the South Carolina Black/White divide: Labour Unions.

South Carolina 2000: Six hundred police in riot gear facing a few dozen angry-as-hell workers on the docks of Charleston. In the darkness, rocks, clubs and blood fly. The cops beat the crap out of the protesters. Of course, it's the union men who are arrested for conspiracy to riot. And of course, of the five men handcuffed, four are Black. The prosecutor: a White, Bible-thumping Attorney General running for Governor. The result: a state ripped in half - White versus Black.

South Carolina 2008: On Saturday, the Palmetto State may well choose our President, or at least the Democrat's idea of a President. According to CNN and the pundit-ocracy, the only question is, Will the large Black population vote their pride (for Obama) or for "experience" (Hillary)? In other words, the election comes down to a matter of racial vanity.

The story of the dockworkers charged with rioting in 2000 suggest there's an awfully good reason for Black folk to vote for one of their own. This is the chance to even the historic score in this land of lingering Jim Crow where the Confederate Flag flew over the capital while the longshoreman faced Southern justice.

But maybe there's more to South Carolina's story than Black and White.

Read more...

[Defeated Romanticist]

I am quite purplexed that South Carolina has been given pride of lace by the parties in America. New Hampshire also but South Carolina is way out of the mainstream even for the South. It is a state with an extreme independent streak, the state which formented the confederacy and produces James Calhoun and was run by self styled "Bourbons"(as in the royal family). It shouldn't have such a prominent say in the process

[kim chi]

South Carolina is among the dozen or so states of the US that I've never been in, but I don't need to go there to know that the reality is a long way from the dark fantasies of the politics.ie crowd.

Find out more here:
http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/

Incidentally, the state's first Catholic Bishop was an Irishman (ironically named England). I believe England was a native Irish speaker, though I am open to further enlightenment on this.

[badinage]

South Carolina 2000: Six hundred police in riot gear facing a few dozen angry-as-hell workers on the docks of Charleston. In the darkness, rocks, clubs and blood fly. The cops beat the crap out of the protesters.

Is there any other source for that claim? It seems truly extraordinary that 600 policemen would don riot gear in order to confront 20-60 protestors, and arrest five. Information Clearing House doesn't have the best reputation for reasoned objective reporting of the facts.

[seabhcan]

South Carolina 2000: Six hundred police in riot gear facing a few dozen angry-as-hell workers on the docks of Charleston. In the darkness, rocks, clubs and blood fly. The cops beat the crap out of the protesters.

Is there any other source for that claim? It seems truly extraordinary that 600 policemen would don riot gear in order to confront 20-60 protestors, and arrest five. Information Clearing House doesn't have the best reputation for reasoned objective reporting of the facts.

The article is by Greg Palast, who works for BBC2's Newsnight. ICH are just reprinting it.

[badinage]

Ah I see, the 600 cops were there to escort non-union workers past the picket line. The crowd of picketers reached 150.

The original article gives the impression the cops were there to "beat the crap out of" the protestors.

[nawbut]

Ah I see, the 600 cops were there to escort non-union workers past the picket line. The crowd of picketers reached 150.

The original article gives the impression the cops were there to "beat the crap out of" the protestors.

The dispute had been going on for some time, had been peacefully picketed prior to this with only a nominal police presence. On this particular day though, the police decided to move in with 600 troops (no advance warning), armoured vehicles, riot gear the lot. The location is just outside the offices of the union - where the members would naturally be congregating to coordinate the picket.

And the police did 'beat the crap out of' the picketing union members who were legitmately protecting their existing contracts being subverted through the introduction of cheap, inexperienced, untrained, unskilled crews brought in to do extremely dangerous work.

If you dont get it, it may be that you dont really understand the nature of stevedoring, or South Carolina for that matter.

"Their troubles with the state began on January 19, 2000, two days after the historic march against the flag." (that would be the Confederate flag).
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010806/wypijewski

hmmm....

[kim chi]

I am quite purplexed that South Carolina has been given pride of lace by the parties in America. New Hampshire also but South Carolina is way out of the mainstream even for the South. It is a state with an extreme independent streak, the state which formented the confederacy and produces James Calhoun and was run by self styled "Bourbons"(as in the royal family). It shouldn't have such a prominent say in the process

As usual on this site, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. These so-called Bourbons actually ran the state AFTER the War Between the States, during the Reconstruction period. Hence they were operating on behalf of the Federals, not the Confederacy. Their reign is generally seen as benign.

You are right though that SC has a proud independent tradition, going back as far as the successful guerilla was waged against the British in the War of Independence.

Incidentally, an interesting SC link with Ireland is the fact that the great Lord Edward Fitzgerald was seriously wounded while fighting (on the British side) at the Battle of Eutaw Springs. The story is that he was lying dying on the battlefield when a black slave took pity on him and tended his wounds. Fitzgerald recovered, emancipated the slave, who then became his (paid) butler till the tragic day when Fitzgerald was murdered by English agents in Dublin in May 1798.

[badinage]

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010806/wypijewski.

That seems a much more objective link than the article in the original post. It states that while the workers estimated their numbers at no more than 200, media estimates ranged from 300-600. It also explains that the workers were trying to advance through police cordons to picket the scabs. It also mentions that there had been scuffles with the police, workers assaulted photographers, and the workers began throwing rocks at the police, prior to aggressive police actions.

The article does make convincing points about the lack of unionisation and poor wages in SC compared to the US average. I'm not unsympathetic, I just can't stand articles written with a propaganda tone (like the original one, BBC article or not)