Hoboken in Arms

Nestled by the Hudson River looking across the beautiful Manhattan skyline, the city of Hoboken is up in arms. Droves of local residents line the street in front of City Hall to protest an increase in property taxes.

Before this new life in Jersey, I had another life in London. Those dreary London town times were filled with demonstrations, working for a pacifist paper called PeaceNews. Most every assignment I had was out on the streets to meet people marching for a cause. I even met a group called Killer Coke that was exposing murders, kidnappings and torture associated with the Coca-Cola company (read that very old story here). It really put me off Coke for awhile.

But those old days of dread-locked London punks are a far cry from Hoboken. This crowd is filled with suits and cataloged pages from J. Crew, rather than tattered army fatigues and Dock Martins. People are lining up in front of TV camera lights, rather than forming human blockades or the infamous Sleeping Dragon.

Of course, the good fight includes any suit or punk-- any class. The ability to demonstrate and cry outright makes us beautifully democratic. It is an amazing privilege to boo the mayor in public. And to be honest, I too would be in arms if my property tax was raised by 47%.

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