Tags
Bend Oregon, Grassroots political action, Michael Delacour, Occupy Movement, Political struggle, Social Justice, Unitarian Universalists
The last few days I have participated in several social projects even though I am not particularly radical, nor do I believe the Occupy Movement has much real traction for changing the fundamental problems in American society. All the same it is possible to challenge established power structures and be successful if one has a very specific thing which clearly needs to be done and pursues that with vigor and diligence.
That was my feeling when I introduced Michael Delacour to the Unitarian Universalist Social Justice committee luncheon held at the Common Table restaurant here in Bend, Oregon. Michael is one of the few people to ever challenge Ronald Reagan and win his personal political goals. Therefore he is a good person to present to the people who are seeking to make a meaningful change in our local and national political scene.
The luncheon had about fifteen people in attendance and Michael fielded their questions with a quiet grace and courtesy. Everyone respected his dedication and appreciated his lifetime of experience of struggle for a worthy goal which was in conflict with a very powerful organization. Michael was able to lead some people of Berkeley, California, in a struggle against the University of California’s plan to confiscate private property via the use of their powers of eminent domain. The local people wanted a park and the university wanted this particular parcel of land, located three blocks from campus, to build more dormitories. There are many sides to this political issue, but the point of this blog is to show how a person can win in a struggle against a very much bigger organization, if they do things right.
About 15 people were at the weekly Occupy protest at Bend’s Bank of America
Here is a video I made of Michael Delacour’s reminiscence of Berkeley’s Rag Theater and People’s Park in the 1960s – .
Quite a bit of radical activity in 24 hours for a non-political person like me.