COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
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Convention Center in downtown Sacramento. I told him that I would try to attend,<br />
knowing that I had another engagement, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to<br />
show solidarity with the Labor Association. The Saturday morning of the job fair I<br />
arrived late to meet them. When I walked into the Convention Center I was not able to<br />
find them. So I walked around the building and noticed that members were canvassing<br />
the streets, talking to and handing out their monthly publication to people on the<br />
sidewalk. I found Bob, apologized for being late, and asked him if they were still going<br />
to participate in the job fair. Bob said that they were kicked out of the fair because they<br />
were not signed up and did not reserve space for the event. He laughed and said that they<br />
never sign up for events. They just show up and booth events until they’re kicked out.<br />
“We don’t want to be part of the bureaucracy,” he said. “We just want to booth and<br />
canvass without any strings attached.”<br />
The Labor Association did not have a favorable view of revitalization in general.<br />
They perceived revitalization as an elitist strategy to keep the elite in power and have<br />
control over resources. The October 2004 edition of The Low-Income Worker included<br />
an article titled, “Sacramento residents and businesses battle against corporate welfare:<br />
Hostile takeovers aimed at Downtown and Oak Park.” They criticized the City Council<br />
approval for $15 million of city tax money that was to be allocated to Westfield and the<br />
Century Theaters. They felt that providing these corporations with this tax money would<br />
“give them economic hegemony in the central city.” This money would allow Century<br />
and Westfield to build new movie theaters in Downtown Sacramento, which would<br />
ultimately threaten to take business away from small independent local theaters.<br />
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