Berkeley Pays Price for Free Speech
November 1, 2001

Berkeley, Calif. - They're fed up and they're not going to take it anymore.

Hundreds of Berkeley residents have vowed to boycott stores and restaurants to protest a City Council resolution last week calling on the federal government to stop bombing Afghanistan "as soon as possible."

The Oct. 16 vote passed with five votes urging the federal government to "break the cycle of violence" and end the roots of oppression that "tend to drive some people to acts of terrorism."

The council also condemned the Sept. 11 attacks, grieved the mass murder of thousands of people that day and acknowledged the heroic response.

Berkeley has long had a reputation for being the most outspoken anti-war town in America. But as the nation enjoys a post-Sept.11 resurgence in patriotism, many Americans are not putting up with anything resembling anti-American sentiment.

The city has received nearly 900 e-mails and letters, mostly negative. One writer vowed to "never, I repeat never, buy so much as a bottle of water from your city again," said Mayor Shirley Dean, one of four council members who abstained from voting on the resolution.

"It feels awful. My sense is that it's serious," Dean said of the boycott.

Whether it becomes serious will be determined in the next few months as city businesses measure their revenues. Already, though, one furniture store owner said he fears the worst.

"God knows how many customers just never said anything, just stopped coming," said Lee Jester, owner of The Craftsman Home. "I wish the City Council would just concern itself on city matters," he said.

Others agreed. "We need to think locally before we act globally," said Brij Misra, general manager of the Radisson Hotel Berkeley Marina, which lost a banquet because of angered patrons.

This isn't the first time Berkeley's City Council has forayed into national politics. A few years ago, the city boycotted six oil companies for doing business with governments considered oppressive, and criticized a seventh for its environmental record.

But with the tables turned, council members who voted for the resolution are accusing the mayor and business leaders of stoking the boycott.

"The largest publicity about a boycott has come from the mayor appearing on national television and talking about it," said Councilman Kriss Worthington.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

To return to the “Current Boycotts” index, click HERE

To return to the HOME page, click HERE

To leave a comment, click HERE

To join our confidential EMail list, click HERE

To navigate further throughout the Boycott Network, please use the links on either side or the bottom of this page.

To view the Boycott Network’s “Super Index” of boycott information hosted on this website, click HERE

If your long distance is costing more than 3.9 cents per minute, you’re probably being ripped off royally! Even if you’re an individual, you may be entitled to the low corporate 3.9 rate! To see what’s available in your area, click HERE