By Cheryl Abraham
The crowds were huge, the marches long
and the protesters were boisterous and loud. The ILWU proudly proclaimed
that they’d had enough of the Iraq war. Immigrants proclaimed they’d
had enough of the ICE raids. Journalists scrambled to get in-depth interviews
as the streets of Seattle filled with people willing to give first hand
accounts of both anti-war sentiments and the plight of immigrants. The
media went the extra mile to report on the ILWU workers who sacrificed
a chunk of their own paychecks to shut down the ports all up and down
the west coast in a strong show of solidarity in telling the world that
this war needs to end now.
and later watched the local television news, all I saw was story after
story of the illegality of the occupation of Iraq, of the lies, the
subterfuge and the criminal behavior of the Bush regime laid bare for
all to see. I also saw story after story of the immigrant families ripped
apart by ICE raids and in-depth stories on how NAFTA and poverty force
these people into risking their own lives by crossing the border illegally,
and the large corporations who prey upon these powerless people by profiting
on cheap labor costs.
Beeep..beeep..beeep”.I awoke to my
alarm going off – I had been dreaming.
While it was true that the crowds were
huge, the marches long and the protesters were boisterous and loud,
the fact is that the mainstream media, once again marginalized and virtually ignored the actions of thousands
on May Day. The media, in its superficial, inaccurate, and careless
reporting ignored a significant portion of its own citizenry.
The actions of the ILWU, of 25,000 dockworkers
in shutting down the ports up and down the west coast was not only significant,
it was historic! At the very least the actions of ILWU represents
the level of frustration that the people of this country are feeling,
a frustration against a House and Senate that continues to fund and
promote the occupation of Iraq, an occupation that the democratic led
congress promised to end back in 2006. But more importantly the actions
of the ILWU show how mainstream the opposition to the occupation of
Iraq is among Americans. In the words of Jack Heyman, Officer of the
International Longshore and Warehouse Union, “We were really proud here
on the West Coast, as far as the longshore union, the ILWU, making this
stand, because it’s part of our legacy, really, of standing up on
principled issues.” The
ILWU, despite pressure from the Pacific Maritime Association and an arbitrator’s ruling, went ahead with
the work stoppage as planned. As Jack Heyman said in an article entitled,
“One Longshoreman’s Opinion,” on the LaborNet site, “It’s the war that’s
illegal, not our decision to stop work.”
Despite the courageous stand of these union workers, the mainstream
media chose to barely acknowledge the importance of the actions of the ILWU. (Pictures
from the Seattle ILWU action here)
Such was the case with the May Day Immigrant
Rights March and Rally. The fact that so many came out to march, (estimates
ranged from 5,000 to 10,000 people in Seattle, some pictures HERE),
was a true testament of courage in the face of the ongoing vicious and
cruel treatment that immigrants have received at the hands of the ICE
and police. But did the media do any in-depth reporting on what these
immigrant families have experienced? What about the young person holding
a hand-painted sign that read, “I want my Dad back!” Did any reporters
even see the potential here for a human-interest story? Where are the
stories about families being ripped apart in the middle of the night?
Where are the stories of the men and women incarcerated for days or
weeks or months then deported? Where are the stories about why people
continue to cross the border at great peril? What about the fact that
there were thousands in the streets that day, and the march grew larger
and larger with every mile as it moved its way from the Central District
all the way past the Space Needle? No, the media chose to ignore the deeper issues of what this rally and march
were really about.
The media reports of the ALWU work stoppage
against the war and the May Day Immigrant Rights March and Rally were
superficial, blatantly irresponsible, and completely ignored the fact
that the May Day 2008 actions showed in a vibrant and strong way that
these movements continue to grow and continue to gain momentum. It should
be no surprise that the mainstream media continues to experience seriously deteriorating ratings at an unprecedented pace. As the media continues its superficial, inaccurate,
and careless reporting and as it continues to marginalize and ignore
a significant proportion of its own citizenry, more and more people
will be turning to alternate news sources. News sources that more accurately
reflect what is really going on in our world, an accuracy that serves
to inform and educate rather than be a medium for government propaganda.
As the mainstream media analyzes why it continues to go the way of the
dinosaur, seemingly blind in the face of the obvious, it is its penchant
to be a willing co-conspirator in silencing the voice of the people
that may well spell its own demise and it is the mainstream media itself
that will have written out its own requiem by doing itself in with its
falsehoods, fabrications, and lies.
While the mainstream media missed out
on accurately portraying the May Day actions, what is significant is
that thousands and thousands went out on the streets to protest the
illegal Iraq war and in resistance to the human rights violations of
the Bush regime. Resistance continues to grow, despite all efforts to
thwart it.
Cheryl Abraham is a member of the
Steering Committee of the Seattle chapter of World Can’t Wait