In 1971 the Western Growers Association wanted Chavez in Federal Prison. They failed.
The grape boycott had
won in 1970 using non-violent, militant protest as their tool. Started on
September 8, 1865, Hispanics joined with the original Filipino effort, choosing
the path of non-violence. Chavez, a
student of Gandhi, who was, himself was a student of Alice Paul.
Improved
conditions had been hard won. Cesar Chavez had put his life at risk, drawing
attention nationally to their boycott with a hunger strike which lasted 25
days. He had succeeded.
The California
Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), funded by the state and staffed by pro bono
attorneys, had assisted with these.
Before his death,
Robert Kennedy had helped solve the problem faced by migratory families to
ensuring their children received earned academic credit for their school work traveled with them as the families move on to new harvests. Before, it had been usual for the laborer’s
children to be denied graduation because their records were lost. The solution was a satellite system to Chavez
for ensuring records promptly followed each student to their new school.
Despite the money
and power of the Western Growers, farm laborers had won the right to organize. Their
children would find ever increasing opportunities opening to them. The future held unfolding promise.
The Western
Growers Association (WGA) signed a contract enumerating the list of demands
issued by Cesar Chavez, included port-a-potties for use in the fields. Over those years farm workers had experienced
active abuse and harassment by local sheriffs, enduring wretched living conditions,
routine job injuries, deaths, polluted conditions, housing which was not as
good as a dog house and no running water in many areas.
But did anyone
stop to wonder what the Western Growers Association thought about these recent
events?
In early July
1971, Brock d’Avignon, editor and chief of The New Horizon’s, now in its third
issue, published in Los Angeles and Orange Counties decided this was a hot
topic.
New Horizon was
read by people who supported Young Americans for Freedom; its editorial policy
was Jeffersonian Libertarian. At the
time Brock was chairman of the Orange County Young Americans for Freedom (YAF)
Chapters. As the YAF Chairman Brock had
recently been in the news, challenging Nixon’s to stay home from China policy
and the California State Department of Equalization floor price for
haircuts. They had also protested the
murder of 56 million Chinese political prisoners to keep Communist China out of
the United Nations.
Recently, they had
done a Free Mark Huessey Protest.
Huessey was held for six months for commenting to a German, as he watch
Soviet tanks roll by that their country would be better off without the
Soviets. He was arrested for making the
suggestion.
Brock opened his
phone book, located the Western Growers Association on Wilshire Blvd, Los
Angeles and arranged to go in for an interview.
At the same time, he provided the information needed for them to take
out an ad. 1/16th of a page
for $250.
Arriving at the WGA
office on Wilshire Blvd., the receptionist in the business-like entry told
Brock they were waiting for him upstairs.
The first gentleman greeted Brock as he came up the stairs, introducing
himself as the President of the WGA, shaking Brock’s hand.
Escorting Brock into the conference room
Brock, the president, and their communications specialist and an attorney.
They sat down in a
semi-circle, away from the conference table.
Brock asked for their point of view.
He said, “I understand that
farming is a narrow profit-margin business.” He told them about his own history picking
oranges and lemons and his familiarity with barrios in Orange County.
Brock expected a
discussion of economics. They
immediately told Brock they were all for free enterprise. But. They
wanted to pass a law against secondary boycotts at the retail level. Because consumers could pressure
retailers. They were concerned “consumers were being deluded and
propagandized,” said their communications specialist.
Brock said, “As far as I can tell the farm workers want
two things Port-a-Potties and a raise in pay for things like housing.”
Blank looks from the Growers. “It
seems to me that consumers would like to know their strawberries and food are
not being pissed on. For a couple of
pennies a pound you could provide that and look good.” The Growers all laughed or chuckled at this,
looking at each other. They then sobered.
The attorney said they were being denied the opportunity to be
confronted by their accusers. Brock,
continuing, asked about the demand of farm workers for contracts. Western Growers did not want to make
contracts with the workers or to give their workers benefits.
If you don’t get what you want what do you plan to do?
They told Brock they wanted to put Cesar Chavez in the Federal
Penitentiary for the illegal use of the Migrant Farmworker Student School
Record Satellite System which Robert F. Kennedy had put in the care of Cesar
Chavez. The system cost $250,000, this
being from a Federal Grant for education.
Brock had asked several times about the cost to growers for raising
the wages paid to farm workers. No answer
was forthcoming. During the interview
the attorney slide the check for $250 across the table to Brock. It was to be a display ad with their name,
logo, slogan, address and phone.
Brock asked when they planned to get their lawyers to do
this. Pretty soon, pretty soon, they
said, handing him a sheaf of papers with lots of statistics.
After returning to the
YAF office d’Avignon called information and obtained the phone number for the
United Farm Workers. Dolores Huerta
answered. Brock told her he was doing a
feature article for New Horizon, the largest youth newspaper in Southern
California and asked to talk directly to Cesar, saying, “I have some important information for Cesar but I can only talk to
him.”
When Cesar came on the line Brock said, after providing his name
and publication, “I’m looking at a headline I do not want to publish. It says, “Cesar Chavez thrown in Federal Pen
for illegal use of the Migrant Student School Records Forwarding Satellite System
(MSSRFSS).” Brock paused. “What
I would like to write is, “Cesar Chavez leases the MSSRFSS
to UFW for $1.00 a year.”
There was silence on the line for a long while.
Cesar said, “Thanks, kid,”
and hung up.
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Today there is an enormous amount of talk about about the divide between Red and Blue, which could be called the Second American Civil War. But this is not a real divide, it has been fostered in our minds to make it impossible for Americans to get traction for action, needed to enact real direct democracy. To perpetuate the Divide we have been manipulated by the .001% using the major media, operatives, and a steady flow of money for payoffs. They have rewritten history, changing the meaning of what it is to be a Conservative.
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