[Xmca-l] Re: USA & Chile social revolts

[Bill Kerr]

hi David,
I live in Australia, remote Alice Springs, but was looking for analysis of
USA "I can't breathe" / "no peace, no justice" / "Black lives matter"/
"darkness falls in the USA" when your mail arrived. Last year in Yuendumu
(290 km from Alice) an aboriginal man 19-year-old Kumunjayi Walker was
killed by police. The officer has been charged for murder. More information
here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2019/11/15/67641/__;!!Mih3wA!RlGhWpL4RcCfym6WMrGAIq723lwzTs5Onv8VNYfZIIYJiKAW82ie8fSsgf4Ti9gbQaESgg$ 

I also thought of the parallel to the situation in Hong Kong, where the
public supported the use of violence by democracy supporters as shown in
Council elections on 24th November 2019

Also the parallel with the US moon launch July 20, 1969 (cf SpaceX) and the
Vietnam war protests at that time.

Here is an interesting twitter post / video on the current situation in the
US:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://twitter.com/QasimRashid/status/1266602023526506498__;!!Mih3wA!RlGhWpL4RcCfym6WMrGAIq723lwzTs5Onv8VNYfZIIYJiKAW82ie8fSsgf4Ti9inW5M_cQ$ 
"Killer" Mike passionately pleads for protestors "not to burn your own
house down"

Read the comments on this thread, some for, some against. A little way down
someone has posted an old video from Malcom X, who argues,
"you don't get freedom peacefully, anyone who is depriving you of freedom
isn't deserving of a peaceful approach"ill

Bill

On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 5:04 PM David Preiss <preiss.xmca@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear colleagues and friends of XMCA living int he USA,
>
> The images from the unrest in the USA are strikingly similar to those we
> experienced during our own "estallido social" since last October. Our
> social revolt was literally quarantined with the arrival of COVID19, and
> yours started during it. These are very complex days everywhere without any
> doubt.
>
> The main issue we experienced here (previous to COVID19) was how to
> understand institutional and social violence and how to protect our
> democracy. Although the unrest in the USA was triggered by a new event of
> police brutality, the same underlying issues seem to foster the social
> protest.
>
> There are many themes that I see there that are strikingly similar to our
> situation, including the widespread crisis of legitimacy of the police
> forces, which relate to issues of race, social and gender
> inequality. Democracy is not working for a large majority of the
> population, and is neglecting many vulnerable communities while the rich
> get unethically richer. That a private company sent a rocket to the
> international space station the same day that 25 cities in the USA were
> under curfew summarizes all. In Chile, however, the social unrest
> was channeled in a wider social movement for social reform and ended up in
> an agreement to change our constitution, which was about to be voted but
> COVID19 happened.
>
> I have started to work on a project on human rights and the police (not a
> topic that was in my mainstream area of research but to whom I arrived as a
> part of a social concern) and will certainly be very attentive to your
> thoughts on the matter as events unfold. The images of police brutality
> that are in social media are very similar to those we experienced here as
> well as those of opportunistic civil violence by infiltrators, looting and
> so on. I really hope the social protest there achieves some substantive
> change and it is not just marginalized or reduced to mere chaos.
>
> But first of all, besides entering an academic discussion, I just wanted
> to share with you all my full solidarity. These are very painful moments.
> We went through them. I understand how painful they are. I share your pain
> and grief.
>
> David
>
>
>
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