Ted Stolze: Resources of Hope, Logics of Struggle

4/8/03: It could have been me.

4/7/03: Peaceful demonstrator wounded by Oakland police.

Given the recent police brutality against peaceful protesters at the Oakland docks, I wonder if folks inclined to direct action are in danger of running too far ahead of popular consciousness about the invasion of Iraq (which of course is still regarded by many in this country as a "liberation.")

There is a great risk of the anti-war movement becoming isolated from public opinion, however manipulated the latter has continued to be. In my view, such political isolation could well increase state repression to no good end for anyone who cares about peace and justice. I quite understand how desperate many activists are to do something, anything, to increase the pressure, to target war profiteers--or at least to bear witness against this monstrous war and the occupation to come. I share these sentiments, and it was only by accident of my teaching schedule that I decided not to go to the Oakland direct action. I too could easily have been hit by rubber or wooden bullets.

I realize that direct action can indeed sometimes force an opening in popular consciousness. But it can easily backfire, too, and turn potential allies against you. All this is, I think, a delicate issue that requires a principled debate over the likely consequences of various tactics and strategy. There is a desperate need, as we Marxists have argued over the years, to draw an ongoing "balance-sheet" of how well our movement is able to build support by reaching out to broader constituencies.

Finally, it's especially revealing that the first police violence of this sort against the anti-war movement has occurred on an Oakland "liberal" mayor's and police chief's watch. It's scary to think of what could well happen in other, less liberal cities as the Oakland police's tactics is copied by other police departments. It is quite possible that the movement needs to retreat a bit, return to mass demonstrations, and set aside direct action for a time.

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