Categories

Jane Jacobs Meeting Robert Moses in New Orleans

Protest where people dressed in their Jane Jacobs eyeglasses

New Orleans    For decades Robert Caro’s Power Broker, a biography of New York City’s parks, ports, bridges, and roads czar Robert Moses, has been required reading for community organizers interested in understanding how power works in cities.  Jane Jacobs of course was the author and planning [...]

With a Corporate Culture Built on Bribery, Walmart Was Running with Plenty to Hide

Walmart Store in Mexico City

New Orleans  We told you so!  We just couldn’t be heard clearly enough over the roaring engines of the corporate spinning machinery of Walmart in September 2005.

Let’s set the stage exactly.  In Florida at the sharp point of the organizing engagement at Walmart as the curtain was being pulled down [...]

Cooperatives and Building Productive Democracy

Madison  I took one wrong turn and ended up on the wrong side of the track waiting for a train, which only heightened my anticipation at what the Just Coffee Cooperative of coffee roasters might be like.  From across the tracks the street seemed to be smaller multi-unit apartments nicely appointed running down a row.  Finally [...]

Huge Obstacles to Beating Scott Walker in Wisconsin Recall

We Are Wisconsin

Madison    The life-and-death struggle in Wisconsin to turn back the radical and sweeping rightwing program of Governor Scott Walker being waged by progressive forces is entering another set of critical challenges.  The primary to choose a Democratic opponent to Walker votes on May 8th only weeks away with the general election a [...]

Corporations and Foundations OK with ALEC on Voter Suppression, Not Killing

New Orleans    The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has glowingly taken credit for many of the bills sweeping newly elected Republican state houses.  ALEC and its 2000 legislative members has long been the driver of the far right agenda.  Finally, they have been forced to retreat from published reports because of the withdrawal of foundation [...]

Cost of Higher Education Stirring Students to Streets in Montreal

Student Protests in Montreal

New Orleans   I had not been paying enough attention to a random piece about students rallying in Montreal until my coattails were pulled the other day by a friend and colleague, Eric Shragg, who is a professor, author, and activist in that city.   In a brief email he mentioned that the [...]