Days of Revolt: The Death of the American City

In this episode of teleSUR's Days of Revolt, Chris Hedges speaks with two esteemed labor activists from Detroit about the desperation caused by industrial decline and deregulation, especially amongst Black people, and attest to the necessity and inevitability of revolt under such conditions.
watch more on teleSUR www.telesurtv.net/english/inde...

[@BIGDO13]

Some of the best guests Hedges has ever had on...

[@bobbylouis5257]

I wish that he invites them again! They were great!

[@raffy_rodriguez]

yeah, that was really good

[@mrmtn37]

BIGD_OTheVegan Peeps need to educate themselves. We are for more numerous, time for revolt.

[@j_thom]

Very insightful and thought provoking conversation! The point about global gentrification was really poignant! Go around the western world, old working-class regions are being cleared out, the properties bought up, and urban renewal projects in the form of high-rise residents, professional buildings, and exclusive shopping boutiques and restaurants being planned and surprisingly with a combination of private foreign capital and local governmental incentives and abatements. All the long-term poorer residents are pushed out.

[@rosestewart1606]

+Gg Mo this is true. The litmus test really should be whether a policy supports small family owned businesses and entrepreneurship, and that includes every kind of business including urban farms. Licenses and fees and property taxes are a real hurdle to building a business, along with regulations about how and where businesses can be started. it's next to impossible, for example, in most places to run a store or catering business from your home. You have to start with a turn key facility and this locks most people out. Forget financing if yiu have never run such a business before. this is why we end up with so many franchises, the same exact store or restaurant in every city with the profits going to some corporation while the workers get minimum wage.

[@woodliceworm4565]

So true once an area becomes "useful" to new arrivals and the world elite , the working class are booted to the city wastelands and all the spending that was never done (parks, roads, hospitals) is put in to accommodate the rich and recently arrived. - Happens everywhere free stuff for the incoming and rich and stuff the locals they deserve nothing more than poverty, because well they aren't rich. Growth and jobs is the song that accompanies community wipe-out, it doesn't have to be racism once you become of no use to the rich, your expendable and the rich are colour blind. By rich I mean corrupt.

[@brendontucker6300]

"In a system that wiling to spend 40,000 dolllars to incarcerate you, but nothing to educate you". Wrapped up the whole question that he wanted to avoid with one sentence. Im so glad the Real News, and Chris Hedges speak truth to power. Lots of Love and Respect from the sacrifice zone known as rual central Texas.

[@marcietownsend3635]

Brilliant interview. Great guests. Thanks.

[@joanofarc33]

I don't agree with all of Chris Hedges ideas but I love love love how he's created this new media to introduce people and their ideas and experience. We would never hear some of these voices if it were not for Hedges.

[@MORE1500]

How an economy treats you as a worker is as important to the quality of your life as how it treats you as a consumer.

[@mrmtn37]

To all the anti union jagaloons: I retired from the Carpenters local 944 Ontario California. I/we never asked to get anything more then we needed to live, stay healthy, retire, never a comparison to the CEO's or Company profits. We merely asked or bargained for a fair share of the pie to support our families. How is that not equitable? How is it I am codemned for the skills i have that cannot be learned in a school. Its just wrong to discount those that work hard. I busted my ass, showed up on time, did far more then was asked at times. layed off while things were settled or lookin for a job. I did my best why is it wrong to get a piece of the pie? Further more a disrespect to one is tge same to all. The machine is tooling up for revolt, we outnumber the evil, lets get er done for a better day.

[@gdsnuff]

Good stuff!

[@antonybro7400]

America is consuming itself ... to a slow demise.

[@rosestewart1606]

Freedom, dignity and wealth. These three together constitute the greatest happiness of humanity". Cyrus. This is so similar to the Native American idea that economic and environmental rights are as important as political rights. You don't really have any one of them without the other two.

[@MichaelF144]

This is a very profound story and interview, I know were the Mound Road plant is. It is gone now. Not much has happened since then. Except all the politicians have preyed on the rest of us. The area has turned into a sacrifice zone, much the way Chris has explained it.

[@johnbolger2625]

Wow I wish I’d known of these segments 6 yrs ago! Great interview..lotta catching up to do here.

[@AvangionQ]

Detailing what happens when a city becomes a corporate sacrifice zone ... spoiler alert: nothing good.

[@Brembelia]

There needs to be a Part II with these gentlemen where the topic of "where do we go from here" is more thoroughly explored. This question was posed, but not explored in any substantive way. Excellent installment. These gentlemen are very insightful and well informed; a delight to listen to and we'd like to hear more.

[@alloomis1635]

there is a difference between an academic, and a revolutionary. academics have a salary and a public stage- they don't want action if it will disturb their genteel existence., no shame in it, but you must look elsewhere for active leadership.

[@pjamesbda]

Good example of how the man in the street can, and does know the bigger picture. They know it, and yet resist succumbing to it even when their personal lives are destroyed by their conviction to say "no". To stand up for themselves and for each other rather than sell out. Our politicians don't even approach this kind of moral fiber.

[@davidtremain5281]

Sad and true

[@katherinesparkes6860]

Gog bless you and keep going. Your people need you now more than ever.

[@misterjones2u]

this is really good.

[@irvingkurlinski]

I am impressed with the level of real understanding put forward by these speakers.

[@ChrisWhalenCPA]

Does Mr. Mitchell have a website? I can't seem to find it online.

[@zabzec1500]

time to share the surplus. we can only start with a progressive president, and that person must be supported by democratic/ progressive house and senate members. start the revolution #FeelTheBern

[@waltershink6878]

And that's why I'm proud to be from Detroit! Strong people who will not let the system beat them without a fight.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Impressive.

[@Hermanissoxxx]

These two gentlemen are woke as fuck. Awesome guests.

[@moto2kx2]

Incredible people and resumes!

[@rosebiceps]

My hero Chris Hedges!!!!

[@elizabelle1967]

I wish I was this articulate, admirable! Nice interview!

[@gowikipedia]

This made me cry

[@lowpricedpaint]

We will be like the people living in the tower of David, in South America.

[@theteach7314]

Excellent

[@lilaworley8935]

that was my relationship with my union as well. The love/hate thing. I sat on the board in my 10th year in the utility industry and the union frequently just caved to the employer. we even gave up our right to strike which essentially ended all bargaining power. The union leaders would always just say to accept what we were given. I always voted down but the membership wasn't engaged enough to understand what they were voting for. what is the point then???

[@michaelperry1309]

Best yet I think Brother Chris---they're all good but this was real deep!

[@qbnj806]

deep

[@iseekknowledge8293]

On poor sides of town in the very city I live in, Des Moines, I see it. There are no jobs for youth because there are only a handful of minimum wage corporate fast food jobs. I grew up in the Southside. No jobs available. 8 bucks an hour if you're lucky. Any youth who don't go to college end up on welfare or ssi disability. The tax dollars are paid by the tax payer, the elite make the interest, and no jobs are created for the poor youth. Drugs take hold due to despair. A simple misdemeanor means you'll never get a job. Prison industrial complex flourishes. Law enforcement and judges have plenty of work. No economic opportunity at all! Zero! Or if you had good grades, go to school and get yourself 80k in debt.

[@katherinesparkes6860]

Who the **** would want a job working in a prison ?

[@generiddell2419]

Either a passionate humanitarian or a sadistic prick.

[@jamespazera3038]

Living simply

[@LA-kc7ev]

The abandonment of Detroit is the perfect image of the rapaciousness and brutality of capitalism.

[@pf782]

heartbreaking.....they should reestablish the BLA

[@Bestoftherest222]

Reaganomics in action, got to turn this around!

[@mdueri]

I agree that it is harder to survive today as a factory worker, but you have the choice... The new industries today are technical industries ie computer science, engineering, biotechnology etc. If you expect to make a good living as a factory worker today you are going to be sorely disappointed. I certainly don't see Bernie or socialist ideas as helping the situation at all. In fact, the increased spending would almost certainly destroy this country. The bottom line, if you are struggling, better yourself to earn more, don't rely on government.

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

Except that is not an option for many.

[@DeanneB]

Why do blacks always have to apologize for bringing up issues of discrimination and systematic racism? What is the agenda? As long as this happens...you will never have a united front of working class people. Yes, the issues are not unique to African-Americans -- but I will never join any movement that tries to silence me or minimize what my people have suffered. **I'm looking at you, Sanders Supporters.**

[@nucleardubs]

+Deanne Battle And what is it that you and your people feel that they have suffered? I only lived in the US for 7 years but I did not see the "systematic racism" that you claim. BTW "racism" is not a valid term as the root word "race" has nothing to do with discrimination or ethnicity!

[@alloomis1635]

folks, the solution is simple. maybe too hard for you, but simple: organize [would-be] citizen action groups, easy with facebook and youtube. each member sends a email to the dnc every monday morning. it reads, " i'll vote democrat next, when democratic party is the party of democracy. i demand citizen initiative, administration through referendum, power of recall, and immediate publication of all administration activity. " if enough people join the 'monday morning email ' activity, the democratic party will submit, or be extinct. if there are not enough [would be] citizens, you are faced with a bleak reality. at least you will have stood up. better to die on your feet than beg on your knees, don't you think?

[@mikemcdonald9155]

Chris Hedges: why do you only interview 2 black union guys, and not any representatives of the vast majority of white Detroit residents who lost their beautiful city and homes? Are you a racist? Socialism didn't have to destroy American cities, we had the Constitution before it was destroyed. I'm available for your interview....

[@charkvaror2112]

A communist? St. McCarthy must be rolling over in his grave! D:

[@julieta203]

You in love but hate the person your with? Thats called marriage!