From: Eugene McElroy <emcelroy@igc.apc.org>
Subject: Irish Reactions to LA
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 00:36:11 GMT

                       NOTES FROM THE USA
                          BY STAN WOODS
                            *********
from "Irish Freedom", the Bulletin of the Irish Freedom Movement.
Summer, 1992 issue (Number 18)
                            ********

     Well, the rebellion is over. The whole world--via CNN-- was
really watching. Approximately 25,000 arrests nationally: 17,000
in LA, at least 3000 here in the San Francisco Bay area; 61
killed, mostly by police and National Guard; hundreds injured.
States of emergency declared in LA, San Francisco, Berkeley,
Seattle and even Las Vegas--this was truly a social explosion.
     Everyone, bar none, has an opinion on the verdict and the
response that shook the country. How did Irish-Americans, both US
and Irish born, view the April-May events? While both blacks and
Irish have been victims of oppression many Irish-Americans have
had great trouble grasping that common thread with African-
Americans. From the 1863 New York City riots, which started as a
legitimate expression of working class rage at the grossly class-
biased military conscription system but swiftly degenerated into
an anti-black pogrom, to the 1974 Boston 'Southie' anti-bussing
eruption, many Irish-Americans haven't been able to break free of
racist bigotry.
     With that history in mind, I decided to carry out a very
unscientific survey, in a few San Francisco pubs and restaurants,
on the King verdict and its aftermath. Here's a few of its
responses:

John Campbell, a baker and active union member from Belfast in
his mid-thirties:
     "I followed the case from the first and I though the beating
was vicious and uncalled for. The verdict was a crime...While I
don't necessarily agree with it {the rebellion} it's completely
understandable. People will go out on the streets when they're
excluded from the system."
     Speaking about his experiences with the Belfast RUC {Royal
Ulster Constabulary} which causes him to empathize with African-
Americans:
     "In the mid seventies you has these tartan gangs, fascist
skinhead-type gangs affiliated to the Loyalist UDA (Ulster
Defense Association), that would hang about the city centre
waiting for nationalist youth. They spotted me and threw me
through the plate glass window of a shoe shop. The RUC finally
arrived, pulled me out of the store-front and I told them I would
point out to them which direction the gang went and also identify
them if we caught up with them. Well, they put me into their
mini-van and drove slowly towards the republican neighborhoods,
the opposite direction from where they--the assailants--had gone!
I said to the cops that I told you they were Loyalists and you
know that anyway but you just want them to escape clear."

Colm Riley, a bartender, born in Dublin, though he lived in
London for many years, in his early 50's:
     "Of all the people that came into the pub during the riots,
both Irish and Irish-American, not one supported the verdict, not
one. There were different levels of understanding about the
riots, some disagreeing completely, some agreeing completely--
especially the lads from Belfast--but no-one was very upset about
the riots, you know. People know the blacks are treated terribly.

Tom and Donna O'Neill, small business owners from Dublin, now US
citizens, both in their early 40's:
     "As for the verdict, outrage but no surprise. Some people
won't believe their own eyes when it comes tom the police. The
bumper stickers say 'Question Authority', but some people never
do. As for racism, it's for real. A few lads from Dublin were
saying, 'well, what about the gangs, the police have to be tough'
and so on. And I said to them 'have you forgotten about Dublin?
You talk about gangs; blacks have no monopoly on that.
     "As for the riots, well, I suppose it was bound to happen.
As small-business people we naturally sympathized with the
Koreans, though who did all the destruction? Some had to be
insurance fires. Some, who knows, maybe were done by police
provocateurs, as an excuse to go in shooting everything black in
sight. The account isn't clear yet!

Terri O'Donnell, and Irish-American, San Francisco native,
university student, in her early thirties:
     "On both my parents' side, both families came over after the
Potato Famine, what was left of their families.
     "On my Dad's side, they landed in Charleston, South
Carolina. My Dad told me one about a letter his great-grandfather
wrote back to Ireland about how shocked he was by slavery and how
un-Christian it was. Other members of the family weren't so
shocked, I guess because several ended up fighting with the
confederate army during the Civil War.
     "As for me, my family were pretty liberal, pretty cool. My
dad's a plumber and he told me he always argued against Archie
Bunker types who were upset about blacks coming into the union. I
even had one great-uncle who was in the Communist Party back  in
the 30's. Anyway, I got my dad to join me in a march the police
decided not to stop {May 17, 1992}. It was great! You know, even
if you're not political you have to take a stand sometimes.

Sam, a San Francisco fireman, second generation Irish-American,
whose parents came from County Armagh, in his late 20's:
     "Well, I don't know if you want to interview me, being a
fireman and all. I'm no socialist, no liberal, definitely not a
faggot! I think the jury gave the right verdict, the guy {King}
did look like some weight room King and he probably was on PCP;
labs make mistakes all the time.
     "Racism, I don't ever want to heat the word again. Blacks
and their buddies like Bruce over there throw that word around
all the time in the department and its bullshit. I'm the one that
wants 'equal opportunity', they want 'special privileges.

     Bruce, also a fireman, of Irish/German descent and about the
same age as Sam interjects. Sam listens for a minute, snorts, and
then stumbles up to the bar for another margarita.
     "Sam's good at his job but he's full of shit when it comes
to race. Those Simi Valley guys should have got a hard time. I
sure don't hate all cops. Hoe could I? We work with them all the
time, but the ones who don't agree with all that crap have to get
away from that 'code of silence' and break ranks. Otherwise we're
going to have a major civil war.'

Jane, a waitress from Derry in her mid 20's:
     "I'd rather not give my last name. My immigration status
isn't quite {laughs} kosher, you know. But I'm a lot better off
than those poor bloody Haitians out there in them boats, you
know. You can imagine that the coast guard is sending them back
to that bloody hell!
     "As for Rodney King, I sympathize totally. When I heard the
verdict I called all around and found out about the 30 April
march. I got two other girls to go with me. One of their older
brothers, Liam, tried to stop us from participating. He said all
this racist garbage about blacks and praised the bloody coppers.
We told him he sounded like on of the most ignorant Orangemen
back home and to fuck off. He hasn't learned a thing. We have."

Postscript: Jane was clubbed to the ground and kicked in the side
by the San Francisco Police Department at the April 30
demonstration. Her ribs were broken. She is presently writing
long letters to all her relatives and friends back in Northern
Ireland about 'the other side of America.
                           **********

The Irish Freedom Movement can be contacted at:
                     Irish Freedom Movement
                             BM IFM
                         London WC1N 3XX
                       tel: (071) 375 1702
                           **********

for further info on Ireland in Peacenet, see reg.ireland.

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