"It is not culturally “normal” for people to live in multigenerational households or cohabitate with a group of people that are not strictly biologically related." I'll add that many, if not most, cities have zoning ordinances that limit non-related adults from cohabiting. I'm guessing those laws exist to target and undermine migrant and other collectivist communities that know how to rely on each other for basic needs like shelter and food (it's not about fire safety - it is the "non-related" part that is criminalized, not occupancy numbers).
Thank you for documenting powerful and visionary student activism! I wrote last week about a direct action organized to shut down a Lockheed Martin facility for the day, 21 years to the month that I & a group of other students did so following the invasion of Iraq. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/history-might-not-repeat-but-it-certainly
The trust that you describe is ultimately the most precious currency in politics, which is one reason why I have lost so much hope for the future and faith and what presents itself as a so-called “movement.” I’ve watched every organization under the sun that claims to care about the future abandon its stated principles in order to protect its leaders and enable their careers.
I don’t share those observations casually. I worked as a nonprofit advocate and leader for decades before running for Congress. After I won a primary in 2020 and became the only Democrat to ever face Nancy Pelosi in a November election, I discovered the disturbing and self-serving racism of self-described “progressives” and “socialists” who orchestrated a smear campaign to insulate her corruption and block a debate that San Francisco hasn’t had since 1987. https://www.salon.com/2020/11/15/shahid-buttar-nancy-pelosi-left-challenger-campaign-san-francisco/
My character assassination was documented by an Afro Latino whistleblower who, after being suppressed by journalists, faced smears herself for exposing the scheme that she was recruited to join. https://sfbayview.com/2021/08/white-supremacy-in-san-francisco/
This, mind you, in a city that presents itself as the progressive capital of the country, in the midst of the most widespread mobilization for racial justice this country has seen since the end of the Civil War.
One hopes that today’s activists take greater care to build trust, and protect it from the temptation to sell out the movement for the sake of individual careers. I’m grateful for the chance to have been rescued from politics, and work primarily as an athlete & educator now. But I know that any movement that treats its most dedicated supporters as stepping stones is doomed.
The human rights principles that we are called onto defend today frankly demand better.
"It is not culturally “normal” for people to live in multigenerational households or cohabitate with a group of people that are not strictly biologically related." I'll add that many, if not most, cities have zoning ordinances that limit non-related adults from cohabiting. I'm guessing those laws exist to target and undermine migrant and other collectivist communities that know how to rely on each other for basic needs like shelter and food (it's not about fire safety - it is the "non-related" part that is criminalized, not occupancy numbers).
Such a good read. Thank you for this.
Thank you for documenting powerful and visionary student activism! I wrote last week about a direct action organized to shut down a Lockheed Martin facility for the day, 21 years to the month that I & a group of other students did so following the invasion of Iraq. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/history-might-not-repeat-but-it-certainly
The trust that you describe is ultimately the most precious currency in politics, which is one reason why I have lost so much hope for the future and faith and what presents itself as a so-called “movement.” I’ve watched every organization under the sun that claims to care about the future abandon its stated principles in order to protect its leaders and enable their careers.
I don’t share those observations casually. I worked as a nonprofit advocate and leader for decades before running for Congress. After I won a primary in 2020 and became the only Democrat to ever face Nancy Pelosi in a November election, I discovered the disturbing and self-serving racism of self-described “progressives” and “socialists” who orchestrated a smear campaign to insulate her corruption and block a debate that San Francisco hasn’t had since 1987. https://www.salon.com/2020/11/15/shahid-buttar-nancy-pelosi-left-challenger-campaign-san-francisco/
My character assassination was documented by an Afro Latino whistleblower who, after being suppressed by journalists, faced smears herself for exposing the scheme that she was recruited to join. https://sfbayview.com/2021/08/white-supremacy-in-san-francisco/
This, mind you, in a city that presents itself as the progressive capital of the country, in the midst of the most widespread mobilization for racial justice this country has seen since the end of the Civil War.
One hopes that today’s activists take greater care to build trust, and protect it from the temptation to sell out the movement for the sake of individual careers. I’m grateful for the chance to have been rescued from politics, and work primarily as an athlete & educator now. But I know that any movement that treats its most dedicated supporters as stepping stones is doomed.
The human rights principles that we are called onto defend today frankly demand better.