See other War, War, War Articles
Title: Berkeley businesses feel pinch of weekly anti-war protests
Source:
San Jose' Mercury News
URL Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8378815?nclick_check=1
Published: Feb 27, 2008
Author: Kristin Bender and Doug Oakley
Post Date: 2008-02-27 15:36:46 by mirage
Keywords: None
Views: 230
Comments: 21
BERKELEY - People who are angry at city leaders for their anti-military stance are taking it out on businesses - canceling hotel rooms, restaurant reservations and theater tickets. They are writing letters to the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce outlining their plans to boycott the city. And they are steering clear of downtown shops because of the weekly anti-war protests that in recent weeks have become increasingly volatile. Two weeks after the Berkeley City Council refused to apologize to the U.S. Marine Corps for calling them "uninvited and unwelcome intruders," Berkeley businesses are feeling the backlash from people who don't want to spend their money in the city. "We're hearing of folks canceling reservations and canceling hotel rooms and we know there is a direct correlation. How big, I don't know. We're in a tough economic period anyway," said Ted Garrett, chief executive officer of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Garrett said the chamber has received an estimated 300 e-mails, letters and faxes from people upset about the council's action and its refusal to apologize. "Folks are upset," he said. "Unfortunately, they are blaming the businesses." Mo Hallaji, owner of Pollo's at Shattuck Avenue and Addison Street, said his business has declined 10 to 15 percent this month because of the traffic jams and fighting associated with the protests. "They are killing our business," Hallaji said. "Everybody is against the war but that is not the right way to go about it if you want to accomplish something." Quentin Moore, owner of Berkeley Hardware on University Avenue, is not far from the U.S. Marine recruiting center at 64 Shattuck Square, and the protests might be causing a downturn in his business. "I see maybe two or three customers in here and maybe (the protests) are the reason," he said. CodePink, which held another rally Tuesday, has been holding protests since last fall while the group The World Can't Wait got involved recently. They are becoming increasingly violent and volatile. Police have arrested five people recently, including two last week. Also last week, protesters violated their city permit by moving away from the recruiting center and yelling through a megaphone. "The downtown is like a full-time circus right now. There isn't a day when we're not hearing the drums and the noise (from the various groups). I think it's off putting," said Susie Medak, managing director of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. CodePink leaders, who went to door-to-door Tuesday passing out sandwiches and pink window signs reading "Another Berkeley Business for Peace," deny that the protests are impacting downtown business. "If they want to blame the downturn in the economy on a protest against the Marines, it's a pretty bad excuse," said CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin. City Councilmember Dona Spring also doesn't view the protests as a problem. She said only the businesses on the same block are being impacted. "Every anti-war group in the East Bay wants to come and protest. This is where the action is ... " she said. On Jan. 29, the Berkeley City Council agreed to send a letter to the U.S. Marines calling them "uninvited and unwelcome intruders." At the same time, the council also approved a fee-waiver for a parking space and event permit for CodePink's weekly protests. Many were angered by the move that they viewed as anti-troop and anti-American. An estimated 30,000 e-mails were sent to City Hall, condemning the council's move. On Feb. 12, anti-war groups were joined by hundreds of military supporters, veterans and parents of soldiers, who rallied in front of Old City Hall in the hours leading up to a City Council meeting. The meeting was scheduled to reexamine the city's original anti-Marine stance. In the early hours of the next morning and after more than 125 people spoke on both sides of the issue, the council voted 7-2 not to send the letter to the Marines. The council also refused to apologize, and outlined their support for those protesting the U.S. Marines center. For their moves, the chamber's Garrett said merchants are being punished. "(We) strongly encourage the City Council to offer a public apology to our community and the countless others who were offended by their actions - folks who roll up their sleeves every day and work hard to serve their country and their community," he wrote in a recent letter. Deborah Badhia, the executive director of the Downtown Business Association, said the fallout and the protests have been a "hardship" on businesses. "In spite of any political issues that are going on we still want the public to know that they are welcome and invited in Berkeley," she said.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: mirage (#0)
"If they want to blame the downturn in the economy on a protest against the Marines, it's a pretty bad excuse," Xactly.
...everything will work out
news.goldseek.com/ DailyReckoning/1204137879.php "California does everything to excess - even a housing decline. In the Golden State, house sales fell 29.8% in January (from the preceding year), with prices down 21.9%."
...everything will work out
This is almost a textbook case of unintended consequences. Weekly protests shutting down the business sector? Being so obnoxious you cause a boycott? Trashing the troops and earning the ire of parents? This is a textbook way to turn the locals against you. This is bad planning on the part of Code Pink and the City Council. Very bad planning. Suggestions for Berzerkeley: Alas, common sense left California some time ago... The best antiwar protest I ever saw down there was in the run-up to invasion. Two and a half miles of people OBEYING THE TRAFFIC LAWS (mostly) with the few idiots who ran out into traffic being quickly picked up by the police. Nice. Polite. Didn't get in the way of the public. For the most part, civil. Got the message across. Large numbers of people. Got the needed press time.
America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall and the Congress is out to lunch.
No they are exorcising their rights. What are the odds the counsel will get re- elected?
Its Berkeley...the odds are good they'll be re-elected.
America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall and the Congress is out to lunch.
Perhaps but if the businesses can't make a profit, someone will step up and run against them.
Locals are used to the Berkeley way. Yeah, maybe a few are keeping their distance due to the possibility of skirmishes. The big brouhahah was from outsiders, so I've read. The Berkeley anti-marine thing is just SOP. Nobody living there is all that surprised...especially longtimers. Don't forget, the national guard marched down Grove Street during the Vietnam protests and people there aren't all that pro-military.
...everything will work out
Us U.S. citizens are waaaaaaaaaay too orderly! We've been conditioned that only bad people protest or cause civil disorder. Oh, how I wish Thomas Paine were here today!
Our citizens do not deserve a President as good as Dr. Ron Paul. What we deserve is higher taxes, more government inefficiency, war, regulations and devalued currency.(me) "I am further of opinion that it would be better for us to have [no laws] at all than to have them in so prodigious numbers as we have." "I'm pro-choice.........on light bulbs!" True, but parents have a way of generating a bigger blowout than protesters can simply because they have an axe to grind and everyone sympathizes with them. But, yeah, as you said, its Berkeley. They'll find a way to do something in a way that is completely idiotic and try to blame the fallout on someone else. Then wash, rinse, repeat. I just wish they'd think before doing and accept responsibility for fallout, but, as always, that is far too much to ask.
America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall and the Congress is out to lunch.
So true.
...everything will work out
Bull. Disrupt business as usual and get in the way. That is what non-violent civil disobedience is all about. You don't counter the advantage of propaganda money and influence of those conducting illegal and immoral wars by being invisible in designated free speech zones. I mean, the Boston Tea Party wasn't a polite operation that was concerned about the cost of the results of it to business. I agree that those abusing the troops by sending them to war to be whores for halliburton should be the focus, not rank and file troops, but all demonstrations have an internal dialog to them, and it is all but impossible to get everyone there on exactly the same sheet of music. So I fret more about those abusing troops by needlessly killing and maiming them in unnecessary wars then by a small percentage of people in a demonstration who does not have the message exactly right. If you have enough demonstrations frequently enough, that gets worked out anyway. I am going to participate soon in a local demonstration for peace where we will be doing a naked bicycle ride around Eugene, Oregon. I will do a thread on how that turns out after we finish doing that.
We've been conditioned that only bad people protest or cause civil disorder. LOL! Well with busy lives, protesting with our dollars is about the only way any more. Maybe that's partly why they are decreasing its value?
The problem with your way of going about things is that you hit the innocent bystanders and turn them against you. If you want the public to come out wanting to lynch protesters, sure, go for it. You'll lose every time. If you want to do a disruptive protest, then disrupt the target, not the innocents. The fastest way to have the public turn on you and be ready to lynch you is to target people that have nothing to do with the goals of the protest! You want the public to JOIN your cause, not want to cheer as you are hauled off to prison! Let's get real here. If you want to do a violent antiwar protest, do you occupy a McDonalds or do you shut down a military base? Which would be more effective at preventing military action? The primary goal is to get the message out along with winning hearts and minds. A secondary goal is to disrupt the TARGET, not some Joe on the street. Pissing off the general public won't gain any momentum or sympathy. It'll just get people in trouble and do nothing to move toward the goal.
America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall and the Congress is out to lunch.
I only support non-violent civil disobedience at this point, and the fact of the matter is that sometimes a protest to be effective has to disrupt business as usual. The press does not cover people politely standing in the park or a designated protest site, they cover marches, sit-down strikes, sit-ins or lie-ins, and most people put two and two together and realize it is the people who caused the action who is causing the disruption ultimately, not those reacting to bad things done by them prompting them to act. I have been part of blocking streets, businesses, government offices, the local jail, and many other actions that disrupt things. And I expect to do so again this year as often as I can.
Clearly the essential point.
...everything will work out
Well, as I said, the question is "whose business" are you disrupting? The target or an innocent bystander who will tell all of his friends that your cause is not worthwhile?
America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall and the Congress is out to lunch.
We disrupted the entire down town of Seattle during the WTO meetings in Seattle some years back. I was there and took part. Coffee shop windows got broken, traffic was disrupted, tear gas throw, and it was all worth it to make a statement that we knew then what many others are finding out, GATT, NAFTA and all those trade accords promoting a global economic is only good for the wealthy and powerful. It hurt people all over the world. We should of had more disruption, not less. You have no idea what dissent is, why it is valuable, and have no clue as to how 'disrupting' thing using historically has been invaluable to promoting and defending the common good.
Mike... Government is preparing "dissent" of a major proportion.
Oh, how I wish Thomas Paine were here today! The military is our King. Just ask you local politician.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" Yes, and when the WTO meetings were all over, people were vowing to lynch you guys. Congratulations, you turned the public against you. Disrupting the right things works. Disrupting the people whose support you need doesn't work so well. That's where you guys don't get it and why you fail to win support and why you fail entirely.
America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall and the Congress is out to lunch.
I found this powerful list of quotes - A couple of the good ones below - Howard Zinn - "Rebellion is only an occasional reaction to suffering in human history; we have infinitely more instances of submission to authority than we have examples of revolt. What we should be most concerned about is not some natural tendency toward violent uprising, but rather the inclination of people faced with an overwhelming environment of injustice to submit to it. Historically, the most terrible things—war, genocide, and slavery—have resulted not from disobedience, but from obedience." Albert Einstein: "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."
Our citizens do not deserve a President as good as Dr. Ron Paul. What we deserve is higher taxes, more government inefficiency, war, regulations and devalued currency.(me) "I am further of opinion that it would be better for us to have [no laws] at all than to have them in so prodigious numbers as we have." "I'm pro-choice.........on light bulbs!"How big, I don't know. We're in a tough economic period anyway,"
#2. To: All (#1)
#3. To: angle (#1)
Do the rally in a park to get the press time; don't impede/annoy the public. Make your reservations against the *policy* known, but don't trash the troops because parents and veterans get irate and respond. Loudly. With their wallets. With counter-protests.
#4. To: mirage (#0)
"Folks are upset," he said. "Unfortunately, they are blaming the businesses."
Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. -- Alfred, Batman Begins
#5. To: farmfriend (#4)
What are the odds the counsel will get re- elected?
#6. To: mirage (#5)
Its Berkeley...the odds are good they'll be re-elected.
Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. -- Alfred, Batman Begins
#7. To: mirage (#3)
This is a textbook way to turn the locals against you.
#8. To: farmfriend, all (#4)
No they are exorcising their rights. What are the odds the counsel will get re- elected?
Michel Eyquem, seigneur de Montaigne (1533–1592)
Joseph Farah (2008)
#9. To: angle (#7)
Don't forget, the national guard marched down Grove Street during the Vietnam protests and people there aren't all that pro-military.
#10. To: catcher (#8)
We've been conditioned that only bad people protest or cause civil disorder.
#11. To: mirage (#3)
Suggestions for Berzerkeley:
Do the rally in a park to get the press time; don't impede/annoy the public. Make your reservations against the *policy* known, but don't trash the troops because parents and veterans get irate and respond. Loudly. With their wallets. With counter-protests. 
#12. To: catcher (#8)
Us U.S. citizens are waaaaaaaaaay too orderly!
Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. -- Alfred, Batman Begins
#13. To: Ferret Mike (#11)
#14. To: mirage (#13)
#15. To: Ferret Mike (#11)
So I fret more about those abusing troops by needlessly killing and maiming them in unnecessary wars then by a small percentage of people in a demonstration who does not have the message exactly right.
#16. To: Ferret Mike (#14)
#17. To: mirage (#16)
#18. To: Ferret Mike (#17)
You have no idea what dissent is,
#19. To: catcher (#8)
We've been conditioned that only bad people protest or cause civil disorder.
#20. To: Ferret Mike (#17)
#21. To: tom007 (#19)
(Edited)
The military is our King. Just ask you local politician.
Michel Eyquem, seigneur de Montaigne (1533–1592)
Joseph Farah (2008)
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest