Let Us Drink in Public
Open container laws criminalize working-class people and make public life less fun. We need to legalize public drinking.
20412 Article(s) by: Abigail Torre
Abigail Torre grew up in Chile and now lives in Berkeley, California where she is cochair of the East Bay chapter of Democratic Socialists of America.
Everlane’s Promises to Its Workers Were Made to Be Broken
Like American Apparel before it, Everlane began as a clothing company for Millennials built on a supposedly ethical business model. But by now the lesson should be clear: when push comes to shove, businesses will always subordinate ethics to profit.
When Arab-American Detroit Auto Workers Struck for Palestinian Liberation
In 1973, Arab-American workers in Detroit auto plants walked off the job in protest of the UAW’s investment in bonds from the state of Israel. The incident is little-remembered today, but it shows how workers can organize against racism and colonialism — including against the labor movement’s investment in the Israeli occupation of Palestine today.
Comparing the US and Canada Shows Just How Badly America Has Bungled the Pandemic
Canada isn’t the beacon of social democracy that many progressive Americans imagine. But when faced with the coronavirus crisis, the US’s inept political class and for-profit health system couldn’t even match a country with a moderate welfare state and functional government.
Academic Freedom in Palestine Matters, Too
While many liberals agitate furiously against any boycott of Israeli universities, few pay attention to the ways in which academic freedom is already severely curtailed in Palestine.
What a Time to Be Governed by Callous Morons
The latest economic numbers are dismal: GDP is projected to be down 33 percent from the first to second quarter of 2020. Even if we see some recovery soon, the long-term damage — people unemployed, businesses shuttered, confidence hammered — will be massive and lingering.
“To Fight Unemployment, We Have to Fight Capitalism”
The COVID-19 crisis has hit South Africa’s poor and working-class majority hard, with the government favoring the rich over the unemployed. Our friends at Africa Is a Country spoke with three South African organizers of the unemployed, who are fighting for decent public services — and a basic income.
Ecuador’s Neoliberal Government Is Trying to Ban Rafael Correa from the 2021 Elections
Former president Rafael Correa is Ecuador’s most popular politician — yet Lenín Moreno’s government is trying to ban his party from standing in next year’s elections. Faced with a mass uprising against IMF-backed reforms and disgust at his mishandling of COVID-19, president Moreno is using phony lawsuits to thwart the democratic process.
The Lost History of Socialism’s DIY Computer
The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s socialist Yugoslavia, inspiring thousands of people to build versions in their own homes. The idea behind them was simple — to make technology available to everyone.
Unconscious Bias Training Is Not the Answer
Unconscious bias training has emerged as one of the key responses to racism in recent years. But racism is a structural problem that requires the redistribution of power and wealth to really confront.
How Capitalism Changed Football for the Worse
Across England, the most successful businesses in world football grow ever richer — while long-established community clubs from Bury to Bolton and Wigan slowly die in their shadows. Big capitalists are transforming the sport we love for the worse.
Enrique Peña Nieto and His Corrupt Government Stole From the Mexican People
The administration of former Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto was beset by corruption scandals from the beginning. With a host of new, even more shocking revelations, he might finally be held to account for his abuses.
Patrice Lumumba’s Daughter: I’m Demanding Belgium Give Back My Father’s Remains
Sixty years after his murder, Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba’s body has never been recovered — but some of his teeth were kept as “trophies” by Belgian police. In an open letter, his daughter demands that the Belgian state return them to his homeland.
Cormega: “When It Comes to Art, What Kind of Artist Are You?”
We sat down with legendary rapper and New York icon Cormega to talk about his long career, battles with a brutal criminal justice system, the economics of the hip-hop industry, and why he decided to vote for Bernie Sanders.
The Portuguese Revolution and Women’s Liberation
After the overthrow of Portugal’s fascist regime in 1974, a radical movement arose to challenge the near-total lack of rights accorded to women. The violent breakup of the movement’s first protest showed how difficult their struggle would be — yet their activism helped bring about a lasting transformation.
A Widening Canadian Charity Scandal Is the Perfect Metaphor for Justin Trudeau’s Canada
Justin Trudeau is facing a conflict of interest scandal, in which the Canadian prime minister stands accused of steering public money towards a favored charity. But the details of the case lay bare the singularly hypocritical style of Canadian neoliberalism: a surface patina of progressivism covering up the cynical machinations of the corporate elite.
The Struggle Against Dalit Oppression in India
The Indian state has imprisoned the Dalit intellectual Anand Teltumbde on trumped-up charges of terrorism and subversion. His activism and writing on caste and class are needed more than ever in the struggle against both casteism and capitalism.
Abolish DHS
The Department of Homeland Security should have never existed in the first place. It’s time to get rid of it.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Blocks Tax Hikes on Billionaires Bankrolling His Political Machine
Forty-three New York billionaires have donated to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s political machine. Now he’s blocking attempts to tax his ultrarich friends.
Tech Monopolies Like Google Have a Friend in Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris likes to portray herself as a progressive, but the California senator has said that tech giants like Google must be allowed to grow unimpeded.