Never Forget

As the death toll for US troops in Iraq surpasses 1000, the mainstream media takes a moment to remind us that the killing is still going on. Until this imaginary marker came to pass, it was as though America had forgotten. Many of us in the anti-war movement had become numb. Many who had been rallying around the war had become distracted with the next big thing – so easy to do in this age of infotainment overload.

In a similar phenomenon, organizers from Save Our Transit (SOT) have been working for over two years to build a movement for reliable, sustainable funding to keep the buses running. Once again, we’re getting down to the wire – drastic service cuts are less than six months away. Recently, a transit rally was well attended and there’s been some increased media attention paid to this issue. Although these are positive steps in the right direction, do we have to wait until services are completely gone before more people really start to get involved?

And with the election coming up, it seems a whole new mass of people have become politically active. At the recent Slam Bush poetry event, a performer called from the stage, “Let me hear a shout out from the activists in the room!” The room erupted with resounding cheers. I barely recognized anyone in attendance that night from countless rallies, council meetings, press conferences, teach-ins, forums, or community meetings in this city throughout the past four years. And Pittsburgh’s not that big. Is it solely an election that reminds people of their responsibility to become active in the decisions that affect their own lives?

The same trend happens with police violence, too. Must we wait for another killing before people demand that it stop? There will be a rally on Freedom Corner on October 22^nd as part of a national day of actions to call for justice from police violence. Let’s hope people come out in support – without a preceding incident to remind us that it exists.

We must never forget that there are struggles going on all the time; that we have a responsibility to get involved in our communities, that actions need to go beyond casting a ballot once every couple years, and that we can change things if we try. Anger at injustice is not enough. Only sustained, pro-active organizing can lay the groundwork for lasting change.