Posted on 10/21/2001 1:42:59 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
Berkeley officials expressed worry Thursday that a boycott of city businesses by people opposed to the city's newly approved anti-war resolution may hurt the city economy.
Berkeley has seen an economic backlash in the few days since the council approved a resolution calling for a stop to U.S. bombing in Afghanistan, with hundreds of people refusing to spend money in the city.
Local businesses have reported that customers, upset about the council's action, have decided to stop buying in Berkeley.
Mayor Shirley Dean, who has received over 600 e-mails urging a boycott, said a boycott may do a lot of damage to the city, which has already been affected by the national economic slowdown.
"I really think it's a big problem," she said. "Berkeley, like every place in the U.S., is in an economic downturn. You add this kind of problem and, that, to me, adds up to a major problem."
The resolution passed the council amid a nationwide uproar Tuesday.
A San Francisco man told city officials that he is organizing a boycott of Berkeley. He will soon begin to distribute hundreds of fliers at BART stations, which read, "Boycott Berkeley—Support Our Troops—Let Berkeley sell their products to the Taliban."
A software company already reported losing a $60,000 contract because of the council's anti-war resolution, Dean said. Additionally, she said that a number of restaurants have seen their clientele drop.
Bill Lambert, manager of the city's Office of Economic Development, said it is unfortunate that politics could be detrimental to local businesses.
"The sad part is if people do boycott, the ones that will hurt the most are the innocent businesses that don't make public policy," Lambert said. "It would once again be punishment inflicted on innocent bystanders."
The moderate and progressive sides of the council are blaming one another for bringing on the boycott. Progressives, who hold a five-seat majority on the council, supported the resolution, while the moderates all voted against it.
Councilmember Kriss Worthington, a progressive, said Dean was responsible for escalating a boycott by publicizing threats of a city boycott.
"I thought that it was extraordinarily irresponsible to publicize the idea of a boycott," Worthington said.
On Wednesday, Dean appeared on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor," where she talked about the economic backlash of the council's resolution.
Worthington said that if the public understood the resolution, there would be less of a public outcry.
"There's a lot of hatred, fear and misinformation, and people are saying that we are terrorists and traitors," he said. "If the leadership of the city sends clear messages, I think a lot of it can definitely be minimized."
But Dean said the simple approval of the resolution is fueling anti-Berkeley sentiment.
"I didn't bring the resolution up," she said. "I have only responded to questions I have been asked."
Dean said the boycott could likely be stopped if the council nullified the resolution.
"There's not much I can do," she said. "The only people that can rescind the resolution are those people who voted for it."
Lambert said city officials have been discussing ways to counteract the effects of a boycott.
Meanwhile, the White House remains tight-lipped about the anti-war resolution, the only such resolution approved in the country.
"The President is gratified by the way Americans from coast to coast have unified in the face of an enemy that seeks to destroy the security, freedom and way of life of Americans," said White House spokesperson Ken Lisaius. "His visit to California (Wednesday) reflected that."
That term is an oxymoron. It was long before my time, but wasn't it Berkley-ites who back in the 60's came up with "If you're not a part of the solution, then you're a part of the problem?" People who send their kids to Berkley and people who drop $$ there are part of the problem.
Here is my idea. Get rid of the anti-war resolution
Better get that new hash pipe before they aren't available anymore.
HA HA HA! Unfortunate.
Well, it _is_ California, so we had better explain it to him.
Like? Dude?
It works like this?
When your local Duma votes those resolutions?
The rest of the country votes with their wallets.
In reality that software "company" was probably grateful to pin that loss on any excuse..so welcome as it may be to hear that, I rejoice only with caution.
BUMP to caution and a good freeping of these fools. Email seems to be getting their attention.
Sorry Mr. Lambert, but I gotta disagree. The 'innocent businesses' do make public policy. Hell, everybody in Berkley makes public policy. BY VOTING FOR THESE COMMIE MORONS. Far as I'm concerned, you're getting exactly what you asked for when you voted for these folks.
We can use the money we save to buy them all one-way tickets to somewhere in the Middle East.
Bummer!!
Too bad for Berkeley. Living in fantasy land was fun while it lasted but reality has a nasty bite the morning after the party. I have no sympathy for the businesses of Berkeley. They elected the knuckle-heads that they did. You have to be a rabid liberal to live there, so too bad!!
It might be true if it's like Seattle. In Seattle, the University of Washington students, 30,000, and the young people who rent downtown, make up a large part of the Seattle core voting bloc. The business owners generally live outside the city, in the suburbs, so therefore non-property owners are basically deciding Seattle City policy. There is just something wrong with those who pay no taxes or no taxes controlling the city.
Then the city government wonders why they lose businesses. They need to look to themselves and who elected them and for what purpose. They sure weren't elected by people who know how to keep the economy running, or even want it to run.
But the city council is elected by the idiots who run some of those businesses. As for the conservatives and moderates who don't vote for clowns like Dona Spring, et al, I guess we'll have to do food drops to them (like we do for Afghans) since they're powerless against a brutal and intolerant dictatorship.
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