Justice for Janitors Blog - November 2006
Houston, TX - Wednesday, November 15th.
To shouts of "Si se puede!" and "No justice! No Peace!" 14 supporters of the striking janitors were arrested after they handcuffed themselves together, sat down and blocked a doorway to the Chevron building in downtown Houston. The protesters were surrounded by trash bags while other supporters taped up signs on the glass windows and on the revolving door they were blocking while a crowd of 300-400 looked on, screaming, cheering and chanting. The signs said" Chevron: What would you do with $14 billion? Support health care for janitors!" The 14$ billion was a reference to Chevron's reported profits last year.
Many of the arrested were SEIU members from other cities including, San Diego, Cleveland, Chicago and New York.
The action was pulled off with few glitches as the crowd of 300-400 firs tmarched around to the other side of the Chevron building to create a diversion while the 14 quickly set up, handcuffed themsleves and positioned themselves acroos the entrance to a set of revolving glass doors. Security inside the building was unable to stop them.
Chevron's building is contracted to be cleaned by one of the companies the janitors' union is on strike against. The protest targeted Chevron becaused they refuse to intervene in the dispute, claiming that the low pay and lack of benefits is an issue between the union and the cleaning companies. This, despite the fact that Chevron is a large and very influential corporation in Houston and, if they took a principled stand they could help resolve the strike which is now in it's fourth week.
The 14 should be released on bond by tommorow morning. More cicil disobedience will folow this week...
To shouts of "Si se puede!" and "No justice! No Peace!" 14 supporters of the striking janitors were arrested after they handcuffed themselves together, sat down and blocked a doorway to the Chevron building in downtown Houston. The protesters were surrounded by trash bags while other supporters taped up signs on the glass windows and on the revolving door they were blocking while a crowd of 300-400 looked on, screaming, cheering and chanting. The signs said" Chevron: What would you do with $14 billion? Support health care for janitors!" The 14$ billion was a reference to Chevron's reported profits last year.
Many of the arrested were SEIU members from other cities including, San Diego, Cleveland, Chicago and New York.
The action was pulled off with few glitches as the crowd of 300-400 firs tmarched around to the other side of the Chevron building to create a diversion while the 14 quickly set up, handcuffed themsleves and positioned themselves acroos the entrance to a set of revolving glass doors. Security inside the building was unable to stop them.
Chevron's building is contracted to be cleaned by one of the companies the janitors' union is on strike against. The protest targeted Chevron becaused they refuse to intervene in the dispute, claiming that the low pay and lack of benefits is an issue between the union and the cleaning companies. This, despite the fact that Chevron is a large and very influential corporation in Houston and, if they took a principled stand they could help resolve the strike which is now in it's fourth week.
The 14 should be released on bond by tommorow morning. More cicil disobedience will folow this week...
On Thursday, November 2nd 12 Justice for Janitors supporters handcuffed ourselves to garbage cans then sat down and blocked The interesectio nof Post Oak and Westheimer for over an hour.
The action was done in an effort to escalate the campaign amd draw further attention to the janitors plight. The Galleria section of Houston where the action occurred is also where a large real estate industry conference was taking place that morning. We also expected to catch some of the conference attendees in the traffic tie-up as they left the conference. Earlier in the morning we had disrupted the event to express our displeasure at property managers' refusal to take any responsibility for the janitors' poverty level wages and lack of benefits. Most building owners and property managers have remained silent or commented to the press that the strike is "an issue for the union and the cleaning companies to resolve." This lack of responsibility is shameful and needs to be called attention to.
The disruption of the galleria went off smoothly - we were tight for once this week! - we pulled up in a windowless rental truck and at 1:30pm the back door flew open and 12 of us jumped out and rushed into the intersection, garbage cans already handcuffed to our wrists, shouts of "GO! GO!" in our ears. The intersectio nwas already crowded with janitors and supporters on all four corners. The chants were loud, drums were pounding, whistles blowing - noise, adrenaline, screaming voices, honking car horns - it was all surreal!
The media showed up in full force - all local tv networks, CNN, newspapers including the NY Times. 5 helicopters circled overhead. We did interviews as we sat in the street. "Why are you doing this?" . .
Some angry drivers, frustrated at not being able to move began honking more aggressively and then two or three cars started easing through the crowd. We watched in amazement as these selfish, angry individuals endangered bystanders and protesters' lives alike by pushing forward, despite the fact that as many as 8-10 people were pushing back against the car, yelling for the drivers to stop!
The police arrived in full force. They surveyed the scene, conferenced with each other. We were each told by a police Captain that we were breaking the lawe by "obstructing a roadway" and would be subjec to arrest if we did not move.
The Fire Dept. arrived and began cutting off our cuffs. One by one we were handcuffed, marched backward and loaded into a paddy wagon. The crowds cheered and chanted even louder. It was an amazing experience, hopefully, it will help move the campaign forward even more.
Off to jail we went with a two police car escort. Paperwork was done at one jail, then the men were hauled downtown to the City jail for booking. The paperwork is what kills you - hours and hours of waiting, moving ,waiting, moving again. We spent 17 hours in jail before we were finally bailed out at 10:30 the next morning. A camera crew was waiting for us outside in the bright sunshine.
More civil disobedience to follow . . .
The action was done in an effort to escalate the campaign amd draw further attention to the janitors plight. The Galleria section of Houston where the action occurred is also where a large real estate industry conference was taking place that morning. We also expected to catch some of the conference attendees in the traffic tie-up as they left the conference. Earlier in the morning we had disrupted the event to express our displeasure at property managers' refusal to take any responsibility for the janitors' poverty level wages and lack of benefits. Most building owners and property managers have remained silent or commented to the press that the strike is "an issue for the union and the cleaning companies to resolve." This lack of responsibility is shameful and needs to be called attention to.
The disruption of the galleria went off smoothly - we were tight for once this week! - we pulled up in a windowless rental truck and at 1:30pm the back door flew open and 12 of us jumped out and rushed into the intersection, garbage cans already handcuffed to our wrists, shouts of "GO! GO!" in our ears. The intersectio nwas already crowded with janitors and supporters on all four corners. The chants were loud, drums were pounding, whistles blowing - noise, adrenaline, screaming voices, honking car horns - it was all surreal!
The media showed up in full force - all local tv networks, CNN, newspapers including the NY Times. 5 helicopters circled overhead. We did interviews as we sat in the street. "Why are you doing this?" . .
Some angry drivers, frustrated at not being able to move began honking more aggressively and then two or three cars started easing through the crowd. We watched in amazement as these selfish, angry individuals endangered bystanders and protesters' lives alike by pushing forward, despite the fact that as many as 8-10 people were pushing back against the car, yelling for the drivers to stop!
The police arrived in full force. They surveyed the scene, conferenced with each other. We were each told by a police Captain that we were breaking the lawe by "obstructing a roadway" and would be subjec to arrest if we did not move.
The Fire Dept. arrived and began cutting off our cuffs. One by one we were handcuffed, marched backward and loaded into a paddy wagon. The crowds cheered and chanted even louder. It was an amazing experience, hopefully, it will help move the campaign forward even more.
Off to jail we went with a two police car escort. Paperwork was done at one jail, then the men were hauled downtown to the City jail for booking. The paperwork is what kills you - hours and hours of waiting, moving ,waiting, moving again. We spent 17 hours in jail before we were finally bailed out at 10:30 the next morning. A camera crew was waiting for us outside in the bright sunshine.
More civil disobedience to follow . . .
Wearing masks resembling Gerald Hines' face, janitors and their children went treak or treating in downtown Houston.
Hines, the President of Hines International, is one of the largest property owners in downtown Houston. We are targeting many of his buildings because he has failed to ask his cleaning contractors to resepct the janitors by offering them a fair contract.
Security officers did ask us to leave the tunnel system connecting many downtown office buildings. I'm not sure if it was our Gerald Hines masks or our trick or treat jack o' lanterns that frightened them more.
A special mass was held in the janitors honor Monday night at Our Lady of Guagalupe. It was a peaceful, respectful moment in the campaign, a sharp contrast to the noise, chanting, police sirens and general intensity surrounding the strike.
Hines, the President of Hines International, is one of the largest property owners in downtown Houston. We are targeting many of his buildings because he has failed to ask his cleaning contractors to resepct the janitors by offering them a fair contract.
Security officers did ask us to leave the tunnel system connecting many downtown office buildings. I'm not sure if it was our Gerald Hines masks or our trick or treat jack o' lanterns that frightened them more.
A special mass was held in the janitors honor Monday night at Our Lady of Guagalupe. It was a peaceful, respectful moment in the campaign, a sharp contrast to the noise, chanting, police sirens and general intensity surrounding the strike.
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