Family Totems at Urban Assembly

Here are photos from the dedication of a mural I lead at Urban Assembly for Music and Art HS in Brooklyn. It was a three day project involving parents and teens to design a "family animal totem", a symbol inspired by animal imagery in ancient and indigenous art.

While I streamlined the designs, and adapted them to stencil format, all the designs came from the participants' drawings. Everyone showed remarkable creativity and elegance in creating these graphic images composed of two or more symbolic animals.

This mural is composed of 16 canvases stenciled with totems designed by the paricipants above. Special thanks to Katherine Gressel, Principal Paul Thompson, all the parents, students and everyone at Groundswell Community Mural Project.

And Now For Something Completely Different....

Even I get tired of obessing over dead wobblies, so here's a great short animation by my friend Jodi Chamberlin- this took 2 1/2 years to complete:

http://buttcrackcarny.com/

Summer Snow and Final Thoughts On Butte

I'm glad I came here, Butte is a beautiful place- but sad in a way. There are good people who are fighting tooth and nail to preserve this city's history and future, I hope they succeed. I hope one day the army recruiting stations (we counted four, one in our hotel) and pawn shops will be replaced by union halls and cultural centers. I hope the restoration of the old fire station the Butte Silver Bow archives calls home goes smoothly, it's there that the last days of Frank's life are preserved for future generations. If my book ever comes out, I have a lot of people to thank.

Butte is a good place and should be saved.

As an outsider, I don't know what the politics of Butte really are. It was one of the few places in Montana where they voted for Hillary over Obama, but I saw several Obama posters and none for McCain. The director of the Silver Bow Archives explained that the woman who organized the Granite Mountain Memoral and the annual services is a staunch Republican (she said with appropriate disdain) and does not invite unions to participate in the memorial to the dead miners- only the Butte Legion of Honor. Historically Butte voted for women's sufferage years before the national law. Butte Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin fought for the miners union in 1917 to get increased safety measures and fair pay- and even fought to save Frank Little when an anonymous call tipped her off that he would be targeted by a death squad. In a rather nice non-Starbucks coffee shop, I overheard a man saying how Bush has saved us from terrorist attacks and Keith Olberman is an idiot. In the same coffee shop there was an extensively signed petition at the front counter "Not In Our Town" condemning an assault against a woman "because of her skin color".

This was a very emotionally and intellectually engaging trip that will stay with me. I hope to return one day.

Little History

Poem and broadside by Carlos Cortez

We had a really good experience working today at the Butte Silver Bow Archives. The directors were very helpful and interested in my project. They have a display devoted to Frank, and a great collection from an overlooked wobbly named Emily Kaiyala, the daughter of Finnish miners in Butte, who was an active IWW until her death in 1981.

Frank Little is NOT an easy man to research. What articles, letters or journals he kept were confiscated during the Palmer raids and destroyed immediately after the IWW trial in 1918. The suitcase that was found in his room after his murder disappeared- though the Butte Daily Post printed a list of items within it, including a letter from Frank's alcoholic brother Fred that their mother had died in June.

The most difficult part is trying to figure out what the hell was going on in Frank's head in the last weeks of his life. He had the reputation of being lovably crass, but in the months before coming to Butte, Frank's outspoken views on the war and his belief that they were all "going to end up in front of the firing squad" really frightened his colleagues, like Ralph Chaplin and Bill Haywood. After what happened to Joe Hill, this was not an irrational idea. I found a letter from Frank to Haywood a while ago asking why Solidarity hadn't published his article on the war- an angry letter reiterating that this was their last chance to take a stand against this "capitalistic slaughterfest" and if they lined some of the fellow workers up against a wall to be shot, that was to be expected- and he was willing to be the first in line. And yet he emphasized that the union must put it's full support behind those men who "refused to kill or be killed".

Frank always practiced and advocated non-violent civil disobedience, and continued to do so even in the dangerous atmosphere of the Butte strike. Which brings me to the issue of Frank's bold, controversial speeches he made in the last days of his life, which unfortunately have only been preserved in company owned newspapers. It's been like trying to get "fair and balanced" reporting from Fox News. I have found many excerpts from his speeches in these papers, and I have to say some of it does sound like Frank, though taken out of context and truncated to make it sound more seditious and violent.

I do believe Frank was having a personal conflict between violent and non-violent action. He was a man who had suffered from more beatings, jailings and physical violence than any human rights activist I know in history- and on July 1917 he had the broken bones and ruptures to prove it. He was in pain, and all the evidence he saw proved that men that have guns and are willing to hurt people will always do so. He had witnessed the Bisbee deportation, where 1,200 union men were arrested and deported by armed thugs in filthy cattle cars to a makeshift prison in the middle of the New Mexico desert-guarded by Federal Troops.

I believe Frank suffered form rage and guilt over what happened in Bisbee- he had advised strongly against having that strike that summer, and was forced to support it when the workers- influenced by spies, has voted to do so. I think Frank had tremendous guilt for failing to stop, and then win the Bisbee strike, much less protect the workers from vigilantes. Having escaped this deportation himself (being laid up with a broken leg) compounded this guilt.

When Frank dragged his broken body up to Butte MT, he was trying to make up for what happened in Bisbee, to avenge the workers and redeem himself- and I know he was expecting the worst in terms of company violence.

I don't believe Frank was advocating direct violence against the company or the government- but an aggressive self defense in the face of armed private gunmen, Pinkerton Detectives, spies and Federal Troops who always seemed to be on the side of the bosses. When he made statements that conducting a "peaceful strike" was like conducting a "peaceful war"- it was from the expectation of deadly violence that would, and was perpetrated by Anaconda.

So I am torn as how to portray Frank's final speech when I write the book. The words taken directly from the newspapers sound extreme outside of the context of who he was and what he did. I know absolutely that Frank was more willing to be killed, than to kill in the cause of the working class- I wish this had not been proven so brutally.

Butte: Come for the History, Stay for the Beer

Yes, Butte is a place that takes beer very, very seriously. There are a bunch of micro-breweries in Montana, and you usually won't find Bud Lite on the menu...

Now, for my impressions of Butte so far other than the alcohol (you can see what my priorities are); the people here are very nice, though the majority I've talked with at length so far are transplants from somewhere else- other parts of Montana, Milwaukee, Indiana. Dick Gibson, who specializes in Labor history tours (and the 1917) is a geologist who became a historian and preservationist after coming to Butte.

We are staying in the North Butte Historic district, less than one block- crawling distance- from the boarding house where Frank Little was abducted from and the Finnlander Union Hall- both have been demolished and replaced by a 50's-style motel with a palm tree in the front. Many of the beautiful historic buildings are empty, boarded up- as Mr. Gibson said, neglect is the savior and curse of these structures. They still exist, because for the most part no one has bothered to buy them and tear them down to put up a Starbucks. But many are collapsing and there's little money to restore them. Many residential homes- with people still in them- don't look much better.

In the 80's after the Berkley Pit shut down, thousands were out of work, and like in the South Bronx, landlords burnt down their properties for the insurance money- so there are a lot of vacant lots and parking areas in Butte.

The largest employer in Butte now is the Walmart located across the street from where Frank Little is buried.

There is potential here. There is a foundation trying to support local artists and gallery system. Butte Historical Adventures is trying to bring in tourism, while saving what is left of Butte thriving history. And they have a hell of a beer selection...

What people think of Frank Little and the IWW? I don't know. Frank seems to be known as sort of a folk hero here but only because most don't really know what he and his union stood for- meaning he is not associated with revolutionary anti-capitalist ideals. From what I saw at the Granite Mine Disaster memorial on Sunday, the reaction I got from miner of 44 years after implying the company may have been responsible for many of those deaths....well, I'm not advertising what exactly I'm researching here.

I'm guessing the attitude is one that they wish Anaconda was still around, so at least there would be jobs- other than at Walmart- a far less dignified (and sustainable) way to make a living then being a skilled miner. The one mine that is still here, near the Pit hires only 300 men, non-union, but better payed than anyone in town. I'm guessing there won't be another strike in Butte for a long, long time.

Gallows A Go-Go

The 91st Anniversary Of The North Butte Mining Disaster

91 years ago today, a 3 ton power cable was being lowered into the Granite Mine's 3,700 foot deep shaft. The disaster began when the ropes supporting the cable's weight gave way, and it came crashing down, broken and coiled to the 2,400 level. One of the worker's open-flame lantern ignited the oil soaked cloth that insulated the cable (after the lead sheathing broke off) and the ensuing fire killed 162 men. Most were overcome by the fumes underground, clawing at illegally sealed concrete bulkheads; many were incinerated. This event is still said to the be the greatest loss of life in any US mining accident in history.

When we drove up to the Granite Mine Memorial and overlook, we were surprised to see a lot of cars, and men with guns in military uniform getting out of them. The victims of the fire have not been forgotten, the families of the deceased hold a memorial every year- with a 3 rifle, 3 shot salute. I don't know why the memorial event was conducted by elderly Marine Corp. Veterans (with guns) carrying POW-MIA flags. They recited the pledge of allegiance (which we did not- and got quite the hairy-eyeball for it) and a priest lead a prayer session at the beginning and end of the program. No words about the union or the culpability of the Mining company in the deaths of these 162 men- in fact a representative of Arco, who bought out Anaconda and the North Butte Mining Co. was there to announce more funds being pledged to the memorial site.

A woman holding a "Support Our Troops" flag was glad to explain to us about the fire, and what the mining "gallows" were (considering whom I'm researching, a sadly ironic term for the headframes that are all around Butte). Her husband gave us the hairy-eyeball for not saying the pledge.

I'm glad that 91 years later, these working men who died while just trying to make a living are being remembered- I just wish the anger against the company remained, all the companies.

Slain By Capitalist Interests...

Going to Frank's Grave was a surreal experience, having had less than 6 hours sleep in the past 48 certainly enhanced it. The Mountain View Cemetery is small, and for the most part well kept- and as the name says, curtained by Butte's mountains ranges. The old section, pre 1920's, are not maintained as meticulously, weeds grow in all areas except for the monument to the victims of the Granite Mountain Mine Disaster- the ones who's bodies were too burnt to identify individually. It was this mine fire the initiated the strike of 1917, it was Butte's 911.

We had no map of where Frank was, I figured he was located near this memorial. We found him near the graves of the identified Granite Miners, his grave the only one with evidence of being visited recently. As you can see Frank's grave could compete with Jim Morrison's. Here's a rough list of the offerings there:

-Artificial flowers, red and black.
-Real white carnations, relatively new.
-IWW pins from the 100 year anniversary convention.
-One silver cross and one crucifix.
-One very old silver ring with a blue stone.
-One small, serrated folding pocket knife, open.
-Other unions buttons, weather damaged.
-Booklet of IWW preamble- very weather damaged.
-Pieces of a broken Corona bottle deliberately placed on the grave.
-One red blown-glass flower.
-One weather worn American flag.
-Wooden letters spelling IWW and a plastic laminated poem about Frank.
-Some coins on the top of his headstone.

I added my own tribute after these photos were taken.

It's hard to read the epitaph from the photo (though it is as good as new), it says:

Frank Little 1879-1917

"Slain By Capitalist Interests For Organizing and Inspiring His Fellow Men."

....and women.

Going to Butte....

Frank Little with Grover Perry

I'm finally traveling to Butte, Montana with my husband to research the graphic novel I'm working on about the IWW union organizer Frank Little. Butte is the location of Frank's Last stand against the Anaconda Mining Company and the atrocity of World War 1.

For his full biography, check my first comic about him on my website www.nicoleschulman.com and this great blog here:http://www.labordallas.org/hist/little.htm

Frank Little has been demonized by many right-wing historians, like Arnon Gutfeld, called a "terrorist" for his total opposition to America's entry into WW1 and the forced conscription of the workers he gave his life defending. He made many passionate and controversial speeches in Butte during the Metal Mine Workers strike of 1917-which began after a fire in the Granite-Speculator mine which killed 162 men. The solidarity of the strike was breaking, many trade unions who stood with the miners had made separate deals with Anaconda and had returned to work. The company refused to deal with the miner's union at all, the AFL had abandoned them, and the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) sent one-eyed metal miner Frank Little to assist in the strike. Butte had strong anti-war sentiment, and many demonstrations against the draft- the local Irish were not about to fight for the British Empire (especially after the 1916 uprising in Dublin). Frank's wrathful speeches against the war, and the military- who were used as strike breakers in past strikes, attacking unarmed civilians- were well received by the thousands who rallied around him in Butte. The company owned newspapers printed distortions of Frank's speeches and labeled him and the striker's "pro-German" and "unpatriotic". All workers who were forced to go on strike during wartime due to increased production, deadly accidents and stagnant poverty-level pay were also called "unpatriotic" and "terrorists". Sound familiar?

Frank was kidnapped by six armed men at 3 am on August 1, 1917, tortured and lynched. Many right-wing papers said "he got what he deserved" and unscrupulous historians blame the victim for his own assassination.

History has proven Frank 100% correct in his predictions on what the War would bring America. Years before he had said it "would be the end of free speech, free press and free assembly"- that it was merely and excuse to crush the rising tide of radicalism in the US- IWW's, feminists, suffragettes, anarchists. Of course the profiteering off the war was a bonus- from the copper they mined in Butte, MT to make shell casings.

Workers died in the mines to make bullets for workers in uniform to kill other workers. That's Capitalism for you...

As in the run-up to the Iraq invasion, dissent was unpatriotic, the media became stenographers for the Federal Government; A war to bring "democracy" abroad helped destroy democracy at home. Dissidents opposed to the Iraq invasion, like Frank Little in 1917, were ignored until it was too late. Thousands of men and women who spoke out against WW1 were imprisoned as "terrorists", as comparable numbers of people of Middle Eastern decent were detained, imprisoned, "renditioned" or deported- and held without charges in Guantanamo Bay to this day. How history repeats itself...

What I am hoping to find in Butte other than Frank Little's grave and the largest contaminated body of water in the nation (The Berkley Pit)?

I'm not sure. I'm going to walk the streets of this historic mining town with a tumultuous history, a place poisoned and abandoned by various mining corporations- and from what I've seen a place of real beauty.

Wish me luck.

HAPPY End-Of-The-Democratic-Primary DAY

I'll admit it, I'm excited. Despite the cynicism of many of my radical-left colleagues, I think Obama getting the nomination actually means something- maybe Americans are far less stupid than they were 8 years ago, though that might be proven wrong in November.

And a word to all the "every vote is a vote for the system" and "change comes from the bottom up so the elections don't matter" crowd: I think it MATTERS to the people of Iraq and Iran who the next president is- it MATTERED 4 years ago and 8 years ago. The world can't wait for our "bottom up" change anymore- WHY should anyone else have to die while radical vanguardists debate activist strategies in the US? Do you really want four more years of Bush via McCain?

So if you're thinking about sitting out the next election, why don't you get on a plane to Baghdad and EXPLAIN to whomever is left alive that it doesn't matter who's at the wheel of the American military machine.

Photos From Mural Dedication 4-31-08

Here's mages from our "portable" container mural dedication. Keep a lookout for these around NYC, and future Graff murals with Mo's Carting.