WV “Community Organizers” Say They’re Under Political Attack
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September 8, 2008
Charleston, WV – Some recent political speeches have angered community organizers in West Virginia, who feel their work has been slighted in remarks by national politicians.
Gary Zuckett, executive director of the group West Virginia Citizen Action, says there are plenty of local examples to dispel any rumors about who activists are and what they do.
For instance, he says, community organizers held a meeting recently about the August 28 explosion at the Bayer pesticide plant near Charleston, in which a worker was killed and another hurt, so that local and state officials could hear about public safety concerns.
"The Bayer plant makes the same pesticide that killed all those folks in Bhopal, India, and the residents were duly concerned."
The 1984 explosion at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal killed thousands and injured tens of thousands. Zuckett notes that community organizers were also behind the civil rights movement.
"This type of community organizing is really essential to protect our communities, and to keep our government in line."
Zuckett says the role of community organizers is to amplify the voices of average citizens in public affairs. To that end, he explains, they belong to parent-teacher groups, and work to help people through the housing crisis, no matter their party affiliation.
He is concerned that, in recent weeks, they've been disparaged on the political campaign trail. His references appear to be mainly to remarks by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Republican candidate for U.S. Vice President, who implied that community organizers don't have "actual responsibilities."