Outside Agitators?

The arrest records released so far for Minneapolis and St Paul do not bear out the “outside agitator” claims of the Minnesota governor or the US attorney general.  Repeating this theme demeans the very real and profound issues that the murder of George Floyd revealed. Black people in the United States and in Minneapolis are still second-class citizens, at least when it comes to policing. When African Americans and their allies protest this fact, white elected leaders try to take the sting out of these claims by crying, “outside agitators.” When you blame someone else, you remove your own responsibility for the problem and minimize the suffering and justifiable rage that erupts. It is remarkably convenient.
 

The “outside agitators” theme has a long and ignoble history in the United States. Mayor Yorty of LA said about Watts in 1965, “The communists are in that area, and they are working all the time.” Mayor Addonizzio of Newark said that the 1967 uprising was caused by “an organization of people who hate America.”  Today, Gov Walz blames white supremacists and drug cartels; US Attorney General Barr and President Trump blame Antifa and radical anarchists. These politicians’ statements are not supported by evidence, then or now. 

After the unrest in the 1960s, the National Advisory Committee on Civil Disorders (“Kerner Commission") interviewed people in LA, Newark, Detroit, Milwaukee and elsewhere. They found that there were no “outside agitators,” whether communists or America-haters. Today, Gov. Walz and others say that “intel” reveals the presence of outside agitators. He cannot point to any arrest records that confirm his statements.  To his credit, Mayor Melvin Carter of St Paul retracted his statement that “outsiders” were responsible for looting in his city.  As historians, we want to see documents and data, not anecdotal evidence. “Intel?” Please. 

One elected official in Minneapolis who seems close to getting it right is Jeremiah Ellison, Mpls Council Member for the Fifth Ward. Last night, he said that the difference between a daytime protester and a nighttime curfew violator, is “mushy.” But even that does not seem to cover it. People who are gassed, shot at with rubber or real bullets, and beaten, are enraged. They are angry that their pain is swept under the rug and covered up. When we say that the actions that arise from this rage are caused by “outside agitators,” we are minimizing the suffering and humiliation that Black Americans experience every day from policing. Let’s not be distracted by unfounded claims of “outside agitators.” Instead, let’s fix the way the Twin Cities are policed. Wake up, Twin Cities!

Jim Oberly and Louise Merriam

Journal of the Plague Year 5-18-2020: Books Do Furnish a Room (Or Not)

Up at the crack of dawn (or at least before 7 am) to visit Trader Joe’s for the geezer hour.   Lots of cheery young employees wearing masks and taking care of the old folks who crave Joe’s frozen appetizers and other good stuff.   Every customer seemed to fit the over-65 criterion.  Is this our future?

And that is not the only event of the day.  We have an online literary gathering tonight.  In previous years, the prose and poetry were accompanied by wine and goodies.  This year, it is strictly BYO wine.  And I don’t have to get dressed (ladies, you know what I mean). 

Retiree shopping and virtual poetry salons do not take that much time, leaving opportunity for decluttering.  We have gone beyond closet cleaning and are now focusing on books.  A forty-year career in academic social sciences results in lots of books. Sadly, books do not have the utility or resale value they once did.  Hubby tried giving them to his university library, but they did not want old books. He tried taking them to a used book dealer, who gave him $50.00 store credit for a few boxes. He tried Half Price Books, which gave him even less.  So, he turned to me, a one-time rare books librarian whose first job out of library school was with a used book dealer. We worked out a way to reduce his library to a manageable size. 

First, we agreed that if he agreed to get rid of a volume he would accept that it might be recycled. Painful. Second, he would not keep books with library stickers and markings. Easy. Third, he would not keep paperbacks with underlining, highlighter, or cigarette burns. Fourth, he would not keep books in generally poor condition.  I estimate that about one third of the collection falls in these categories.  They will either go in the recycling bin or find new life in the Little Free Libraries around town. 

I estimate that hubby will want to keep one third of the remaining volumes.  That means that I will need to figure out how to dispose of the final third. Because we cannot overwhelm the recycling bin, this will be a long-term project. The way things are going, this project will have the joint benefit of keeping me busy while reducing the weight load of his second-floor library. It’s all good.