Editor,
Last Saturday night I found myself on Court Street in the middle of a seemingly impromptu street parade that stopped in front of Taco Bell. There were drums keeping the beat for people dancing in the streets and on sidewalks, and there was even someone breathing huge balls of fire into the night sky. The crowd stayed in front of Taco Bell for 30 minutes drumming, dancing, yelling and laughing. Then they turned, heading back down Court Street and directly to the police station where a woman in the crowd had been arrested and detained earlier for jaywalking.
I asked several people what the occasion was. One person said Because we love life
(which was obvious) and hate Taco Bell and others pointed out the large banners hanging from the top of the Taco Bell building which said Taco Bell Exploits Tomato Pickers: Target Oppression. Other people informed me that the Coalition of Imokalee Workers has had an on-going boycott of the restaurant for a few years and that last week there were actions in Los Angeles and Louisville, where Taco Bell and affiliates are headquartered. I also found out that the coalition has figured that if Taco Bell raised the cost of a chalupa by one quarter of one cent (and then passed the extra income on to workers), the Bell could provide all workers in the CIW with a living wage. One quarter of one penny!!! I've seen people throw whole pennies away - that's how much outrage TB could expect from its customers if it committed to providing a living wage to workers.
There are three points I want to make with this letter. First, considering the amount of violent, drunken and disgusting behavior that usually emanates from Court Street on a Saturday night, I think it is more than a little ridiculous that the police arrested (in handcuffs no less) and detained a woman only to charge her with jaywalking. This charge should be dropped immediately and an apology issued by the police. Second, in this election year when the economy is a major issue, people should be thinking clearly about the root causes of economic problems. The enemy is not Iraq, terrorists or even George W. Bush. The enemy is the system we call global capitalism, which creates and sustains vast inequalities and concentrations of wealth as well as cookie-cutter factory stores like Wal-Mart and Taco Bell, which infect local economies and spit out cheap imitations of real life, food and desires. Capitalism cares nothing for this or any other community. The complete abolishment of global capitalism is the only thing that will bring about real change in this world. Finally, because I'm not going to hold my breath for the abolishment of global capitalism or an apology by the police, the next best thing we can do is have more street parades, live more joyfully and reclaim our lives from those who wish to put us in boxes of any size or name. We can build a better world, so let's get started.
Sara Dealoia
sd114795@ohio.edu
17
Archives
