Thursday, June 1, 2017

A history lesson in solidarity from 1971 tells us to get busy, organize and fight!

This is a history lesson from 1971 which applies very well in Oregon today. What if the houseless organized, took possession of some real estate, and did so with working-class support? It will be argued that this was 46 years ago, and in Italy. We respond that the people who organized and won did so on the basis of socialist and communist working-class traditions present in Italy and that it's our job today to build and reinforce the similar traditions we have here. Let's get busy!


On this day in 1971, 70 homeless families occupied empty homes in Via Tibaldi, Milan, Italy. Supported by local factory workers, building workers and the unemployed, they resisted two violent police attempts at eviction, before eventually forcing the local government to rehouse them and 140 other families. This is a history of the occupation: https://libcom.org/history/articles/via-tibaldi-occupation.

The banner reads: "The homes are ours. The whole city is ours."

No comments:

Post a Comment