Reflections on Occupy and the 70th Anniversary of the White Rose Executions in Germany

There Is No Fall: The Rise of Occupy 

Occupy DC, Freedom Plaza;  Jan. 2012
(All Photos By The Author)

Many think the Occupy movement is history as it lacks the high profile it enjoyed in 2011 and early 2012. Whether Occupy returns to its’ glory days is not the most important question, but rather the fate of the struggle Occupy brilliantly helped raise to a new level.  However before looking forward it is important to first look back to appreciate the interconnectedness of events.

Back in 1999 a few of my friends left Tucson for Seattle to take part in a protest against the World Trade Organization. Few could expect what a huge splash that would end up making. I decided to attend the next big protest in Washington, D.C. in April 2000 to barricade the meetings of the IMF and World Bank. There I was introduced to the “spokes-council” model for consensus-based mass meetings, which later evolved into the “general assembly” meetings used by Occupy.

Occupy Austin, TX

Mass protests continued for a time around the world targeting international financial and trade institutions. In 2003 protests were held in Miami during negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas (FTAA). The shocking level of police brutality unleashed on protesters was the product of law enforcement’s “Miami Model” which included large-scale pre-emptive arrests.

Occupy Tampa,   Dec. 2011

Seven years later in 2011 this same draconian level of brutality would be unleashed on peaceful Occupy protesters. Police violence against Occupy Oakland perhaps tops the list, with the pepper spraying of Occupy Wall Street participants and students at UC-Davis among other notable incidents. Many of the Occupy encampments were evicted with excessive use of force.

Returning to 2003 huge marches were held around the world to try to stop the pre-emptive invasion of Iraq and thousands pounded the pavement in Tucson.  Turnouts were so large everywhere that it seemed like the peace movement could win but the Bush Administration was unmoved. The Tucson Peace Action Coalition did a great job as the lead organizer locally for these actions.

Occupy New Orleans;  Sign About Scott Olsen, 
wounded At Occupy Oakland

The next big splash I felt lucky to witness came in 2006 when millions poured into the streets around the country on May 1 including Tucson to protest changes in U.S. immigration policies. Later that day I went downtown to watch the public school students who had marched to there after walking out of classes. The energy was electrifying.  Schools had even sent buses to pick them up. Marches continue to be held in Tucson on May 1 organized by the May 1 Coalition.

The immigrants’ rights movement later shifted its focus on stopping Arizona’s SB 1070 law and I rode a bus up to Phoenix in April 2010 to march along with 150,000 others.  Of course the government shifted its tactics on dealing with this movement. In 2012 a record 400,000 were deported from the U.S.

Occupy El Paso, TX  General Assembly   Oct. 2011

In Feb. 2011,  organized labor and community allies launched a series of protests and occupation of the Wisconsin state capitol for two weeks to try to stop Gov. Scott Walker's attempt to eliminate collective bargaining. At the movements' zenith over 100,000 protesters rallied at the state capitol.

A Solidarity Lunch;  Freedom Plaza, Washington D.C.

Then came Sept. 17, 2011
Occupy Wall Street in Zucotti Park

The Occupy movement was one of the most diverse and unique movements I was fortunate to have witnessed in my lifetime. I ended up visiting ten encampments throughout the southern U.S. and have written about those inspiring experiences in earlier posts. Occupy features horizontal leadership and consensus decision-making, focus on direct action, collective structures, and overall rejection of party politics.

Occupy Tucson,  Dec. 2011; From Oct. 2011-
Feb. 2012 Occupy Tucson had three different
encampments evicted with over 700 citations and arrests.

It is also important to look at the rise of Occupy within the context of the international struggle. The December 26, 2011 issue of “Time” magazine was the person of the year issue naming “The Protester” as the winner and is a must-read (available online). The opening of that feature wonderfully captured the moment: “No one could have known that when a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in a public square, it would incite protests that would topple dictators and start a global wave of dissent. In 2011, protestors didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world.”

Occupy Congress;  Jan. 17, 2012

In conclusion the international struggle is as active as ever and despite the diminished profile of Occupy in the U.S. the movement is far from dormant. Another large splash will occur sooner or later, seemingly coming out of nowhere like the Battle in Seattle, the 2003 peace marches, the 2006 pro-immigrant marches, and the hundreds of Occupy encampments that sprung up in cities large and small.

But of course nothing comes out of nowhere and thanks to Occupy many more are now active in the struggle for social and economic justice. A friend who’s part of Occupy Gainesville summed it up well, “Hey if you’re not sitting around on a couch watching TV, you’re occupying!”

Occupy Congress General Assembly

To conclude here's a video of an amazing action that occurred in the Tucson Mall on Jan. 11, 2013 in solidarity with the Idle No More (idlenomore.ca) indigenous rights movement in Canada. The Struggle Continues!

Remembering Germany's White Rose; Seventy Years Ago on Feb. 22, 1943,  The First Three Were Executed.

One of the most courageous acts in history was the White Rose group in Germany who dared resist Hitler and the Nazis by secretly publishing and distributing a series of leaflets condemning the regime.
Their acts of defiance were practically suicidal: if caught there was no question as to the outcome. But they blazed on, giving up their lives of comfort and risking all.

Siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl, Cristoph Probst
The first ones of their group to be executed
by the Nazis on Feb. 22, 1943

A prior post on the Hobo Dispatch gives much of the background with photos:
REMEMBERING GERMANY'S WHITE ROSE

It is important to reflect on those in our own country's history who have also paid a terrible price for denouncing injustice like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assassinated exactly one year after he gave one of his most important speeches condemning the war in Vietnam. The King family's civil trail concluded that "governmental agencies" were involved in Dr. King's death.

Like Nazi Germany the U.S. spends most of the budget on a war machine which is constantly used to repress both abroad and at home.  Under the banner of fighting terrorism (which has replaced past banners of communism, etc.) the U.S. continues to unleash it's own brand of terrorism supporting repressive regimes around the world (Honduras, Israel, etc.), and sending unmanned drones to bomb targets without any rule of law involved. U.S. citizens can even be on this "kill list". Scores of innocent civilians have been killed. The Occupy movement prioritized fighting the National Defense Authorization Act (N.D.A.A.) with it's indefinite detention provision.

Finally it is important to mention two brave Americans who are whistleblowers of injustice but instead have been persecuted for their actions. Private First Class Bradley Manning is at the heart of the Wikileaks scandal where classified info was released, such as the infamous "collateral damage" video showing pedestrians being gunned down in Iraq. Manning is currently facing court-martial proceedings.
Former CIA agent John Kiriakou was just sentenced to 30 months in prison for blowing the whistle on torture by U.S. agents.

Links--Occupy Posts on Hobo Dispatch

OCCUPY BOOT CAMP (Part 1)

OCCUPY BOOT CAMP (Part 2)

VIDEOS: JUAREZ AND WALMART, WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON? BOTH ARE SCENES OF STRUGGLE.

 The Hobo Dispatch video component, known as Videos Sin Fronteras, was busy in November making two short videos. The first was made in Ciudad Juárez, site of some of Mexico's worst drug war related violence over the past five years, but also having a rich history and many interesting places to visit. One place I've frequented for the past twenty years is a restaurant called La Nueva Central which is now slated to be demolished for an urban redevelopment project. A large section of the city's historic district has already been demolished but a campaign is underway to save La Nueva Central and other sites. The video displays Juárez's rich culture, music, aztec dancing,  and the warmth of Mexico's people.

The Last Cup of Coffee? The Struggle To Save La Nueva Central and Juárez's Historic District.

The second video was made on Black Friday (Walmart actually opened on Thanksgiving eve for the first time this year), one of the biggest sales day of the year for corporate America, but also a day of protests and walkouts by the community and Walmart workers. This video was made in Tucson, AZ where an action was held in solidarity with Walmart workers. The action was organized by the Tucson chapter of Jobs With Justice and Occupy Tucson.

                                   Black Friday at a Tucson Walmart

      Overall Black Friday was a successful day of action against the world's largest private employer with over 2 million employees in 15 countries.

SCOOP! A US Tourist Braves Mexico; Drones To Bomb Mexico; Endorsement: Mary MacEwan/Amy Goodman for President

 Mary and Amy!


The Hobo Dispatch endorses the Mary MacEwan/Amy Goodman ticket for president. So write in your vote on the November ballot so drones will only be used in the future to drop lollipops and pencils for the world's children. Cuban dentists are already on the ground in most countries to compensate for increased cavities.

A CENTURY OF WISDOM! Listen Now!
Listen to our exclusive interview with Mary MacEwan in Tucson, AZ.  Mary doesn't mention running for president but she did speak about what often happens to presidents who fight for the poor in history--they get assassinated or imprisoned. Mary has long been involved with the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and she discusses her ideas for achieving world peace and inspiration from Nelson Mandela and Buddha. Mary had a tray of coffee and cookies waiting for us. We look forward to interviewing her on a regular basis!


Other Insights on the Upcoming Election

Recently writer Alice Walker (author of The Color Purple) was interviewed by Amy Goodman (link to full interview at end). During the interview, Walker read her poem "Democratic Womanism".

AMY GOODMAN: What are your thoughts about President Obama today?

ALICE WALKER: Well, you know, I continue to care for President Obama and his family. I think that in many ways they are very courageous people, and I honor that, because I know what it means to live as a black person in a racist America. But I cannot feel good about drone strikes. I cannot feel good about bombing people. I don't--I just don't believe in war. I think it's stupid.  And I think that he is so smart that it's a waste of his intelligence to pursue peace by making more war. It does not make any sense.


DRONES TO BEGIN BOMBING US-MEXICO BORDER ON LIVE TV--ENTER CONTEST TO BECOME A DRONE PILOT FOR A DAY

The Dispatch has learned that US policy-makers have designed a campaign based on a  remarkable 2008 film "Sleep Dealer" (a sort of Blade Runner on the US-Mexico border) which depicts drones bombing targets in Mexico. As portrayed in the movie this campaign will be filmed and aired as a live reality show on television. There will even be opportunities for civilians to pilot the drones after training on special video games. Watch the "Sleep Dealer" trailer below to see the chilling future waiting around the corner:

Drone Bombing 101 from the Comfort of Home Sweet Home

Tucson, AZ is one of the bases for  drones currently bombing Pakistan and patrolling the US-Mexico border. Drone pilots can bomb a Pakistani village in the morning and play a round of golf at Ventana Canyon Resort in the afternoon. Recently the Hobo Dispatch visited a protest outside the gates of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and interviewed these anti-drone activists.

Dalton McClelland is a retired physician who grew up in India. In the interview he also discusses a letter his father sent to Mahatma Gandhi who wrote him back with his thoughts on immigration and treatment of immigrants.

Jack Cohen-Joppa is one of the founders of the Nuclear Resister publication (nukeresister.org) which provides information about and support for imprisoned anti-nuclear and anti-war activists. Here Jack shares his thoughts on the use of drones in the Middle East and Mexico.


The Mounting Toll on the Border

José Antonio Rodríguez after
being shot by US Border Patrol. Reports
stated he was hit by between 5-8 bullets and
the medical office behind him was riddled with 
bullets (photographer unknown)

Hundreds of migrants die every year trying to cross the border. Others are dying a violent death in encounters with law enforcement. In early October one Border Patrol agent shot and killed another agent while patrolling the Arizona desert. The photo on the left shows a 16-year old boy who was gunned down by US Border Patrol on Oct. 10 after he was allegedly throwing rocks at agents from the Mexican side of the border in downtown Nogales, Sonora.

Tucson-based groups Derechos Humanos and No More Deaths have long denounced the climate of terror and human rights abuses due to the militarization of the border. Links are included at the end to  their press releases and reports.








A US TOURIST DISCOVERED IN MEXICO!

Finally a hopeful sign. While visiting and filming the annual October fiestas in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, Mexico, the Hobo Dispatch actually encountered a US tourist who dared travel there despite warnings from the US government and the barrage of bad publicity about the violence in Mexico.

  A little video about the Magdalena Fiestas which includes pilgrims walking to the town on spiritual journeys and samples of the music and culture.

AND HERE'S OUR EXCLUSIVE SCOOP WITH A REAL TOURIST FROM THE U.S AND HOW HE EXPECTED TO CROSS RIGHT INTO A WILD WEST MOVIE--WAS HE SURPRISED BY WHAT HE ENCOUNTERED!


LINKS

A recent press release from the Derechos Humanos Coalition in Tucson, AZ.
Border Patrol's Deadly Force Terrorizes Border Communities

A report about Border Patrol abuse of detained migrants from the No More Deaths
coalition in Tucson.
"A CULTURE OF CRUELTY" REPORT BY NO MORE DEATHS

Some other tragic recent news:
Border Agent Kills Mother of 5; Family Demands Answers

Mexican beaten to death by Border Agents (Democracy Now)

The wonderful Alice Walker with her words of wisdom:
Alice Walker reading "Democratic Womanism" on Democracy Now

Photo Essay: A Brief Journey Through the Wild and Native Southwest: Colorado's Weminuche Wilderness and The Navajo Nation

The Continental Divide Trail in Colorado
(all photos by the author unless noted)

In God's wilderness lies the hope of the world-the great fresh unblighted, unredeemed wilderness. The galling harness of civilization drops off, and wounds heal ere we are aware.

John Muir

Navajos in Inter-Tribal Parade, Gallup, NM

Photos are from an early August backpacking trip in Colorado's Weminuche wilderness, east of Durango, and visits to Gallup, N.M. and the Navajo reservation (AZ and NM).

Inventory--The Glorious Beginning
 of a Backpacking Trip.  Cumbres Pass, N.M.-
(the site where an 1848 "encounter" occurred
between Ute/Apaches  and the U.S.
military--37 Indians died and 2 soldiers)

The Window and Rio Grande Pyramid
Weminuche Wilderness

The Needle Mountains,  Weminuche Wilderness

The Rio Grande Pyramid (elevation 13,827 ft.)
Weminuche Wilderness

Rio Grande Pyramid in winter
(photographer unknown)

w

Hoary Marmots in the Weminuche Wilderness

I was born on the prairies where the wind blew free and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures.

Geronimo

Spruce beetle damage in the Weminuche wilderness. The majority of trees I saw were dead. Global warming has exacerbated the damage from these cyclical infestations.

Shiprock, NM on the Navajo Reservation
 (notice six-sided traditional hogan in foreground)

Shiprock High School

Years ago I saw a wonderful documentary "Rocks With Wings" about the Shiprock Chieftans girls basketball team and their African-American coach, Jerry Richardson.
Richardson led the team to several state championships in the 1990s and later died in an auto accident after taking a college coaching job in Florida. An annual tournament is now held in his name in Shiprock. 

Part of the "Rocks With Wings" can be seen on youtube (see link at end).

My friend Austin Sam outside the Querino Trading Post near his home in Burntwater on the Navajo Reservation.  Austin was a friend of the late Tony Hillerman who wrote many novels set on the Navajo Reservation. Austin has been a prolific writer himself keeping a lifelong journal about his experiences growing up on the reservation, his time in the military, etc.

Link at end to see interview with
Austin Sam

Navajo Hoop Dancers

Zuni women in the parade

Apache Dancers

“One of our people in the Native community said the difference between white people and Indians is that Indian people know they are oppressed but don’t feel powerless. White people don’t feel oppressed, but feel powerless. Deconstruct that disempowerment. Part of the mythology that they’ve been teaching you is that you have no power. Power is not brute force and money; power is in your spirit. Power is in your soul. It is what your ancestors, your old people gave you. Power is in the earth; it is in your relationship to the earth.” 
― Winona LaDuke

Chickasaw Dancers from Oklahoma

An improvised fair ride at the Gallup flea market.

Frybread anyone?

Compassion in Nature?
A Remarkable Pair of Saguaros In West Tucson. 

Link to see clips from   Rocks With Wings, and info how to order rest.
Rocks With Wings website 

LINK TO SEE INTERVIEW WITH AUSTIN SAM ON NAVAJO NATION

OCCUPY BOOT CAMP (part 2): ANARCHIST BALL IN THE BIG EASY; REDEMPTION IN MEMPHIS ; NASHVILLE SNAPSHOTS; OCCUPY IS HISTORY ? (Depends on which Wall Street Journal You Read)

Occupy New Orleans, Dec. 3, 2011
A Ship Drifting At Sea With No Rudder?
Or The Real Deal--A Camp of the Bottom 1%


All photos and video by the author.

New Orlean's Ninth Ward, Dec. 2012

Occupy New Orleans (NOLA) felt a little like walking onto the set of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." A lot of shouting in the background, and groups of people spread out as if trying to avoid each other. The welcome station long abandoned, I had trouble finding someone to tell me what was going on. Then I saw the torn sign stating "This asylum...."


 In a couple months the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street's glorious uprising will arrive--Sept. 17, 2011.  The Wall Street Journal may say it's all over, but a better read is the analysis of the Occupied Wall Street Journal co-founder Arun Gupta (link at end). Occupy doesn't operate on a five year strategic plan, so it is hard to predict what will happen. Recently students have risen up in big protest movements in Canada and Mexico, and the indignados of Spain are in the streets again. On July 12, an Occupy march returned to Zucotti Park in New York City and occupied the park again but police moved in and made several arrests including a 56 year-old Occupy grandmother who was knitting in a lawn chair (not permitted!)


Dec. 3, 2011--
New Orleans, LA.

Can this really be the United States of America? Seven years have past since Hurricane Katrina and the ruins are still vast, the devastation still painfully evident. Makeup has been applied where the tourist dwells, but venture a few blocks beyond and a city in crisis is apparent, or is it a country in crisis that crys out. The newspaper tells of the final trial of police officers who gunned down unarmed civilians during the madness of Katrina. But don't worry about these unplesantries; the playoff bound Saints are playing at home. Times are good.

This Asylum is under the.....?
Occupy NOLA

The Rabbit Hole Cinema at Occupy NOLA
The political documentaries went unwatched. 

I pull up to Occupy NOLA's  downtown encampment in front of city hall. Trash and tarps are blowing in the wind among loose clusters of tents spread around the huge park. I hesitate before walking into the less than welcoming scene.  I try to interview one woman but she is wary, another man declines to talk--I abandon that approach and decide to be a fly on the wall. An eviction order is in effect--this is the last night the camp can remain. Many vestiges of the Occupy movement are there, but Occupy NOLA is unlike any other site I have visited.








 I learn that weeks ago the police evicted a large homeless camp beneath a bridge and they moved into Occupy.
After months in the plaza, the rough edges present in most Occupy encampments seem to have overrun the capacity of those who initially established the camp. No meals are  served from the community kitchen. People are mostly fending for themselves. 


In the evening a general assembly (GA) is held, but it is attended mostly by folks who are not staying in the encampment. Bill Quigley, a well known human rights lawyer, gives a legal briefing about the upcoming eviction (when the eviction happened two days later there was only one arrest--the rest just moved back into other dark corners of New Orleans.) During the GA a fistfight breaks out in the former community kitchen and the remnants of the security team rushes into action.

An altar in the park at Occupy NOLA

A local organization holds a workshop on foreclosures at Occupy NOLA. A few days later they disrupted the regular foreclosed homes sales conducted by the Sheriffs office.

The video on the right gives a little grand tour of Occupy NOLA, a couple of days before the eviction (A judge ordered that the camp be allowed to return for another week since the police acted before the court hearing was held).

One of the many creative signs of the Occupy movement

Camp Jesus At Occupy NOLA

   

ANARCHIST SQUARE DANCE VIDEO--The night I passed at Occupy NOLA featured an unexpected surprise. A group of musicians showed up and organized a square dance attended by Occupy supporters.  All afternoon fans going and coming from the Saints football game had passed the encampment, many in their quaterbacks #9 jersery, and would occasionally shout insults at the camp. But one couple coming from the game, the woman wearing the #9 jersery, joined the square dance!  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ After New Orleans I visited Dauphin Island, Alabama where two police "pulled me over" (actually I was sitting on the side of the road to safely make a cell phone call). They informed me there was a report of suspicious activity and then ran my license as part of their fishing expedition.  I asked them politely to inform me of the suspicious activity I was engaged in order to avoid it in the future--the response-"just checking to make sure you're ok."  In Nov. and Dec.  2011 Alabama police arrested a German Mercedes-Benz executive and subsequently a Japanese Honda executive for not carrying proper i.d. under the state's new draconian anti-immigrant law (even worse than Arizona). Ironically the police officer who made sure I wasn't an "illegal" informed me he was from Arizona after seeing my Arizona license plate.

Occupy Memphis located downtown by City Hall is now one of the longest lasting
Occupy encampments in the country, having passed nine months.  A July 2
AP article (knoxnews.com) stated that about " eight of the camp's 20 regulars
are homeless" and that the camp once fed 70 to 120 a day, though those numbers
have dropped over time.  According to an occupier Memphis mayor A.C. Wharton Jr.
"developed a commendable live-and-let-live attitude." Shelby County commissioner
Steve Mulroy even spent a night in the camp in November, stating "It's a source of
pride for me." (photo taken during Jan. 2012 visit)

Memphis's Longest Occupier. Jacqueline Smith has camped outside the Lorraine Motel (site of
Martin Luther King's assassination) for nearly 25 years. She previously lived and worked at the Lorraine until she was evicted by Sheriffs deputies. Here she is on a cold day (highs in the
20s) in Jan. 2012. She states Dr. King would have been opposed to the gentrification of the
area and that he would have wanted the money spent on the museum to have served the poor.
Last fall Occupy Memphis marched to the site and honored Ms. Smith for her sacrifice.

The sacred balcony outside room 306

THE OTHER MEMPHIS, only blocks from the National
Civil Rights Museum housed at the Lorriane Motel.

Occupy Nashville in Leglislative Plaza, Jan. 2012, outside the
 state capitol. Eviction occurred in March 2012.

Another Nashville occupation from over a half-century ago,
 two blocks from where Occupy Nashville stood. Photo was taken
 in the Nashville library, former site of Woolworth. 

After the lunch counter was cleared and the youth
 were hauled off to jail, another group would move in to
take their place.
The Occupy movement has had over 7,000 arrests.
(occupyarrests.moonfruit.com)

Also in the Memphis Public Library I noticed this
quote and realized where the sign I had seen
at so many Occupy encampments had originated from.

Would Thomas Jefferson have supported Occupy Wall Street?
This quote of his leaves no doubt.
Occupy Nashville

 Fifty years later John Lewis's legacy at Occupy NOLA,  2011

Final Thoughts---------- Of the ten Occupy encampments I visited in the U.S. only two survive, Occupy Memphis and Occupy Tampa (which is located on private land).  While there is no question about the value of the encampments as the catalyst for the movement, they also presented enormous challenges. They were inherently transitory, but became magnificent magnets of solidarity, publicity, etc., but also attracting people who were problematic which led to huge discussions and energy spent on resolving internal issues, which itself would drive people away. The Occupy encampments which openly defied authority and occupied public spaces were certainly the ones to make the biggest splash. In the excellent video "History of an Occupation" linked in Occupy Boot Camp part 1, a veteran Occupy Wall Street Organizer stated that the challenge was always how you could keep people in the camp, but that once you could keep people in the camp they began to leave.  In other words once the pressure eased up the thrill was gone for many. The encampments were a huge manifestation of civil disobedience, inspiring many to abandon their former lives and pitch their tent as a form of resistance, until forces lined up to drive them out.  Some camps, like Occupy New Orleans initially, were allowed to set up by city government, which only later turned against them. The larger "illegal" camps were the ones that certainly caught the nation's attention, and were the ones to face the severest repression. But the fact that hundreds of camps sprung up around the country in communities of all sizes was key.  The encampments certainly fostered a remarkable sense of community among many, and so far there has been no substitute to drive the movement like the camps did. But the encampments were never a means to an end, and whether they return or not the movement for economic justice will survive and one day return with another unexpected big splash. In the meantime the struggle continues out of the spotlight, but it continues all the same. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** LINKS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A good read by one of the founders of the Occupied Wall Street Journal "What Happened To The Occupy Movement?" by Arun Gupta ************************************************************************************************************************************************* A fascinating video about the American Indian Movement (AIM) led occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969.  Incredibly inspiring, but also showing the difficulties and challenges of sustaining a long-term occupation, challenges which many Occupy encampments have faced. Alcatraz Is Not An Island

************************************************************************************************************************************************************ A remarkable film about the freedom rides of the early 1960s, in which John Lewis and other university students and youth challenged racial segregation laws at bus stations in the Deep South. "Freedom Riders" 2010 documentary on PBS