Read the full piece in The Nation
A global insurrection is currently taking place. From Chile to Ecuador to Colombia, from Sudan to Lebanon to Iraq, from Haiti to Iran to Hong Kong, working people, youth, and marginalized communities around the world are taking to the streets to reject austerity, oppression, oligarchy, inequality—the fruits of contemporary capitalism.
Even in the United States, the epicenter of neoliberal depoliticization, tensions are on the rise. Economic inequality is highlighting to an increasing degree the tolls the neoliberal era has taken on poor and working communities, while the ascendance of the political right wing—as well as the work of activist movements like Black Lives Matter—are forcing into the open the rigidity of the racial caste system on which this nation is based. And even though, on the national stage, Beltway technocracy and punditry continue to obfuscate these realities, on the local level, it’s hard for people to ignore the injustices taking place in their own neighborhoods.
A case in point is New York City.
Chris Gelardi 