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Title: Anarchism And Neighborhood Associations Author: Larry Gambone Date: October 25, 2008 Language: en Topics: neighborhood assemblies, municipalism Source: Retrieved on 14th October 2021 from http://www.anarkismo.net/article/10461
My neighborhood has a working class tradition, dating back to the coal
miners who settled here 120 years ago. The mines are long gone, and the
work has changed from blue collar to white collar, yet the area is still
inhabited by working people and proud to be so. Most people live in
small to moderate size single family dwellings that were built before
the First World War.
We face three major inter-linked problems. There has been an influx of
drug addicts from the down town core. The development of shopping malls
on the outskirts killed the old city, which was then taken over by the
destitute and troubled. Real estate speculation and the refusal to build
affordable housing, drove up the cost of rent, which created
homelessness. After wrecking the city, the business interests decided to
revitalize the down town as a tourist attraction. The drug addicts and
homeless were then driven out, ending up in our neighborhood, the one
nearest the old city centre. Conflict arose between the addicts and
families with small children who feared an increasingly seedy, petty
crime and needle-laden environment.
The second problem is the potential for greedy developers to take
advantage of our lower priced real estate, move in and turn our
neighborhood into yuppie heaven. The third problem is a noisy, invasive
glass recycling plant which threatens to drive out the people
unfortunate enough to live near it. The city does nothing about this
problem, yet they are quick as thieves to react to other situations.
Ultimately, the three problems stem from being a working class
neighborhood, if this was upper class area, none of these problems would
be allowed to exist, but as workers, both at work and in our homes, we
are expendable.
Attempting to deal with these problems is our neighborhood association,
a group that has been around for close to thirty years and had its ups
and downs in terms of support and influence. We are not the only group
in the neighborhood, but are the best organized and most respected. A
vocal minority demand a vindictive, confrontational approach to the
addiction problem. We do not, favoring a positive approach, one that
emphasizes an active, clean neighborhood with public art and public
activities. We have gotten absentee landlords to clean out their crack
houses, favor support for the addicts and public housing for the
homeless.
As to real estate development, we have made it clear the kind of
multi-family dwellings we want – affordable ones – and with one
exception, potential construction has been kept within our guidelines.
We will also be working on a Neighborhood (development) Plan which will
specify exactly the direction we wish our neighborhood to take. We keep
up the pressure on the city about the glass plant, but so far not much
progress.
This is not all we do. Part of the neighborhood is a river delta. The
Association worked and encouraged the development of an Estuary Park to
preserve this area for the wildlife. Each June we put on Miners Heritage
Day, to remember and celebrate the coal miners who built this town.
About 600 people usually attend and enjoy a large number of activities
such as live music, barbeque, pancake breakfast, speeches, photo
displays, rides for the children and a neighborhood heritage walk. We
also do tree planting and annual neighborhood clean-ups. Several of our
members are artists, so we have public art displayed on the chain link
fence surrounding our neighborhood park. Since the city refuses to
install street trash bins, we have provided our own, and painted them in
bright colors and designs, under the guidence of our artist members.
Our association has about 25 core members, but many other people help at
events. From 100- 450 people, depending on the issue at hand, attend our
public meetings. The association newsletter goes out to at least 200
families. Most core members are supporters/members of the social
democratic New Democratic Party or the Green Party, but there are also
Liberals and Communist Party people. Among those 25 people is a wealth
of trade union, community and environmental activism, not to mention
local history and culture. I am the only anarchist in the “core group”,
though several other anarchists are there to help out. Here is something
interesting and important. Regardless of ideology, when dealing with
neighborhood, or even city issues, we all tend to see eye-to eye. The
real division is between the Association and the reactionary/developer
crowd. This is something I have also seen in trade union work,
practical, local issues unite people. No matter what our other beliefs,
we all desire more control of the neighborhood by the people living
there. We all want a humane and democratic process. We all want the
protection/restoration of the environment. We all oppose NIMBYism and
welcome social housing and social services in our neighborhood.
City government, like all levels of government is centralized,
hierarchical and in the hands of capitalists and their friends. At best,
it poorly expresses the wishes of the working class majority.
Neighborhood associations in working class areas are, on the other hand,
grass roots expressions of that class. Furthermore, such associations
attract the most advanced militants – the natural leadership of the
neighborhood. We are not the only association in the city and a
Neighborhood Association Network exists, but to date, not much is
happening with it. We do, however, work very closely with the
association of the neighborhood next to ours. The idea of a network (or
federation) is a good one and has great potential. But here is where the
real future lies: Should dissatisfaction continue to grow against
authoritarian forms of governance, the possibility exists that these
associations form the nucleus of Neighborhood Assemblies which could
then supplant city council.
Anarchists ought to consider joining their neighborhood association, and
if one does not exist, forming one. These associations are an excellent
way of getting involved in the community, meeting other militants and
laying the groundwork for genuine self-government through a federation
of neigborhood assemblies.