Reader Ad Slot
Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
American Friends Service Committee — Part 4
Page 59
59 / 108
does not usually involve civil disobedience. On the other
hand it usually requires a good deal of unity on the part
of the protesting community.
4. Renters' boycott (rent-strike)
The refusal to pay rent because of grievances
against a landlord may be for a short period (token
boycott) or indefinitely. Irish peasants in 1879 were
.. often evicted for refusing rents to rich English land-
lords. Whether or not eviction takes place depends
partly on the number of persons participating, and on
the nature of the local laws.
In the current civil rights struggle, workers
go from house to house, apartment to apartment,
talking with people about the injustice of their situa-
tion. They invite tenants to an area or house meeting,
where the possibilities of united action are stressed.
Those who will commit themselves at the meeting begin
_ to strike right away -- there is little to be gained by
— getting a date in the future for the beginning of the
action. The action of the few who first volunteer will
usually start a wave of others joining the strike.
Guidelines for organization include: being real-
istic in explaining to the tenants what may happen (no
one can guarantee major repairs); staying in close
contact with the tenants to offset intimidation; and not
allowing the tenants to keep the rent money (the temp-
tation is too great to spend it in this situation). This
70
money should be put "in escrow," or special fund set
aside for this purpose. The fund should be carefully
accounted for.
Local regulations differ as to eviction possibil-
ities. It is important to get legal counsel, for often
constables themselves break the law in the process of
eviction. In addition to countering eviction by legal
action, picketing the constable and living on the side-
walk in front of the house are direct action tactics
which may be tried.
5. School boycott
One of the advantages of the school boycott is
that it involves the children in a struggle which will
result in their eventual benefit, while still not involv-
ing them in a front-line confrontation with its accompany-
ing dangers. The setting up of freedom schools for
teach ing the young can be a valuable exercise for those
in the Negro community who are otherwise difficult to
involve.
6. Tax refusal
This is a drastic tactic, yet it has often been
used in struggles in the past in various parts of the
world. It can be partial, such as withholding school
taxes, or complete. The money which would otherwise
go for taxes can be given to the civil rights organization
for distribution to needy campaigners. Generally
TT
Reveal the original PDF page, then click a word to highlight the OCR text.
Community corrections
No user corrections yet.
Comments
No comments on this document yet.
Bottom Reader Ad Slot
Bottom Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
Continue Exploring
Agency Collection
Explore This Archive Cluster
Broad Topic Hub
Topic Hub
federal bureau
letter
Related subtopics
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic