Mostly White Group Shouts down Ron Bell at Cambridge Community Organizing Event
Last night the fellows from the Jewish Organizing Initiative (a Boston based year-long community organizing fellowship for young adults) held an event to celebrate the great organizing work that happens all around the Boston area, done by both Jews and non Jews alike. The event was held at the Democracy Center in Harvard Square and was packed with people who were addressed by great community organizers like Somerville Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz and Ron Bell, founder of Dunk the Vote.
However, the event was disturbed midway though Bell's talk by a group of Pro-Palestinian protesters -- mostly white, who apparently think that any Jewish event is obviously a racist, pro-Israeli gathering. I only made it to the meeting after this happened, but there is a great account by "Mistergoat" over at LiveJournal. Mistergoat writes that, after some sign-wielding protesters entered the building...
...a group outside started shouting at Ron. And the absurdity of it became clear. Every protester besides the guy with the sign was white, and they were now shouting down a Black community leader. What's more, a white guy outside, his face pressed against the window, was shouting that Ron was racist. I must say, if you've never heard a small group of white men heckle a Black community leader for "racism," you've never seen self-righteousness.
Make sure to check out the full account at Mistergoat's LiveJournal. Hopefully I'll post some thoughts when I have more time.
Contribute to Deval