How One City's Grassroots Activists Did the 'Impossible' and Pushed Back the Politicians' Austerity

[eridani]

http://www.alternet.org/activism/portlands-austerity-resistance-movement-sparks-changes-city

Corporate politicians continue to aggressively impose this approach, regardless of its results, because they have a death-grip on a "logic" that has been proven dead wrong in both economic theory and experience. If their insane notion -- that the road to recovery is paved with policies that enrich the wealthy and big business, while dismantling programs that serve public needs -- were true, then we ought to have seen a real recovery by now. These officials' budget "fixes" do the opposite, deepening the economy’s fundamental problems and inequality.

This is the fallacy of "austerity." And the evidence is overwhelming. Throughout Europe, depressed economies have resulted from a blind commitment to implementing austerity measures.

So what worked in Portland to move things towards a better outcome? For starters, Mayor Hales and the City Council's pursuit of austerity was met with a public outpouring of opposition at public budget hearings. The resistance culminated on April 11 when over 400 protesting participants surprised the City Council and overwhelmed their staff. Attending were members of the Metropolitan Youth Commission, Laborers International Local 483, Portland Community College, Friends of Trees, Portland Safety Net, SUN Schools, Eastside Action Plan, Elders in Action, AFSCME Local 189, and numerous others. They stunned the City Council with emotional and at times confrontational testimony. Many dressed in red to show solidarity and carried an array of signs in defense of threatened social programs.

Also attending were members of Jobs with Justice, the People's Budget Project, and Solidarity Against Austerity. These groups saw the hearing as an opportunity to begin building unity among the majority of Portland's working class communities to oppose all budget cuts and protest the City Council’s refusal to discuss alternatives to austerity. They posted a banner above the door of the meeting that read "COMMUNITIES UNITED TO STOP CUTS," and passed out hundreds of stickers and signs with this message as well as "RAISE REVENUE - NOT UNEMPLOYMENT." In their testimonials they frequently turned to address the audience, arguing why the cuts are destructive and unnecessary, pointing out that the money could be found in the hands of the 1%, and explaining how the City Council could use this money to serve Portland's communities.

Council members were visibly displeased to see people in the audience respond in large numbers to requests from the activists to stand or raise their hands and signs in opposition to the cuts. There was vocal support from the audience, with loud objections when City Council tried to cut off anti-austerity testimony. Testifiers also spoke to how we will have more power if we unite against all cuts rather than beg the City Council not to cut individual programs. In contrast to previous public budget hearings, the event on April 11 took on the character of a fierce protest.

And this protest had an impact. The City Council had to adjust their tactics. Two more public hearings were added to those already scheduled. It was announced that the General Fund deficit was now reduced to $21.5 million rather than $25 million. City officials began to "find" funding for some of the popular programs on the chopping block.