FOREWORD
To Change U.S. Politics, We Need More Cities Like Richmond,
California by Bernie Sanders
INTRODUCTION
From Company Town to Progressive City
ONE
A Refiner’s Fire
TWO
The Greening of City Hall
THREE
Richmond’s Community Policeman
FOUR
Tuesday Night Cage Fights
FIVE
An Election Not for Sale
SIX
Celebrating Our Differences?
SEVEN
Gentrification and Its Discontents
EPILOGUE
Making Local Progress
Acknowledgments
Notes
Steve Early has been an organizer, lawyer, union representative, and labor activist for the past forty-five years. He is the author of three other books, including Save Our Unions- Dispatches from a Movement in Distress. He lives in Richmond, California, with his wife.
“A specific tale of governance at the local level that should
appeal to labor activists and scholars of urban studies.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers interested in American politics, progressivism, community
practice, and local, labor, and social history will find Early’s
book to be informative, engaging, and inspiring.”
—Booklist Review
“Exceptionally well written, impressively informed and informative,
a compelling and thoughtful read from beginning to end, Refinery
Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City is
very strongly recommended for both community, college, and
university library American History collections.”
—The Midwest Book Review
“Refinery Town suggests that there is hope yet...folks: 2020 will
be upon us in a flash; Richmond shows one way it can be a better
time.”
—Dissent
“Early is well positioned to tell this story. A lifelong labor
activist and reporter who relocated to Richmond just in time to
witness Chevron’s spectacular 2012 refinery explosion that nearly
killed a dozen workers and sent fifteen thousand residents to the
emergency room, he has a natural feel for the flow of grassroots
political movements and the forces shaping working-class
life...indispensable reading for activists thinking about the real
problems of governance once an insurgency gains a toehold of
power.”
—Mark Dudzic, Jacobin Magazine
“His book is a ray of hope for anyone wondering how to survive, and
possibly even thrive, under Donald Trump and a hostile, Republican
Congress...Community activists who are just starting out could find
examples like Richmond a bit daunting, which makes intimate,
contemporary histories like Refinery Town so valuable.”
—Shaun Richman, In These Times
“It is a tale well-told, and a good antidote for the despair that
now runs rampant among many American progressives...[Early]
successfully combines lively anecdotes, easy to read narrative,
skillful analysis of often-complex issues, portraits of local
leaders including the engaging Green Party former Richmond mayor
Gayle McLaughlin, and commentary that places RPA in the larger
context of American society and politics.”
—Mike Miller, Counterpunch
“A truly invaluable book on a tremendous urban political
achievement. The importance of national resistance to Donald Trump
does not reduce the importance of local struggles such as that in
Richmond...[Early] has brought forth another powerful chronicle of
how progressives can win against big money and powerful interests.
At a time when people are looking for inspiration, Refinery Town
could not have come out at a better time.”
—Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron
“Compelling on many levels.”
—Seth Sandronsky, The Progressive Populist
“A case study for activists looking to build power at the local
level through grassroots organizing and independent electoral
work...an invaluable documentation of their journey and a testimony
of what might be possible in other cities.”
—Ryan Haney, Talking Union blog
“[A] hopeful narrative about how bottom-up citizen action can
restore a city’s pride and make a real difference in people’s lives
around such issues as affordable housing, community policing,
sustainable job growth, open space, clean energy, and immigrant
rights...Refinery Town provides an inside look at how one American
city has made radical and progressive change seem not only possible
but sensible.”
—David Helvarg, The Progressive
“Refinery Town should be on the reading list of all aspiring
political revolutionaries, including those who may be temporarily
discouraged and in need of a critical boost.”
—Jonathan H. Martin, The Huffington Post
“As Washington remains in gridlock, the everyday citizen-heroes of
Richmond, California have been getting things done to make their
city work for all. Refinery Town is essential reading for anyone
seeking inspiration for what grassroots organizing can accomplish,
one community at a time.”
—Robert B. Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy,
University of California at Berkeley, and former U.S. Secretary of
Labor
“Frontline communities have a key role to play in our climate
movement. Richmond’s creative resistance to Chevron is a model for
environmental justice campaigners everywhere—in the U.S. and
abroad—who face tough struggles of their own against Big Oil and
big money. Steve Early’s retelling of Richmond’s story proves that
making real change is possible.”
—Annie Leonard, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA and author of
The Story of Stuff
“This is the story of a paradigmatic urban resistance movement that
is successfully challenging the myth that corporate power and
gentrification are inevitable, almost geological forces. Deeply
rooted in local traditions of labor and black-liberation activism,
the Richmond Progressive Alliance—Sanderistas pay
attention—exemplifies what a grassroots ‘political revolution’
actually looks like. We need two, three, many Richmonds!”
—Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz
“In a political system of Republicans and Democrats beholden to
corporate cash, Refinery Town demonstrates there is an alternative
in working people and community activists taking independent
political action based on their own interests. From Seattle to
Richmond, an emerging grass roots movement is developing for whom
this book is an important read.”
—Kshama Sawant, Socialist Alternative Seattle City Council
Member
“Refinery Town is a substantial contribution to the literature on
local political struggles over poverty, inequality, and
environmental degradation. Early has done for the contested terrain
of Richmond, California what Mike Davis did for the much larger,
majority minority metropolis of Los Angeles in City of Quartz. His
first-hand reporting is invaluable for researchers in urban
studies, city planning, and geography.”
—Immanuel Ness, professor of Political Science, City University of
New York (Brooklyn College) author, Southern Insurgency: The Coming
of the Global Working Class
“Refinery Town provides deep insight into problems that our local
progressive movement faced in its continuing struggle against
corporate domination. Early captures the spirit as well as the
facts of our Richmond campaigns and puts them in the context of
community struggles throughout the country. This book is essential
reading for anyone who wants to challenge corporate power at the
local level.”
—Mike Parker, Richmond Progressive Alliance organizer and co-author
of Democracy is Power
“Steve Early’s new book describes the making of a ‘political
revolution’ at the local level. Despite Chevron’s financial
bullying and attempt to buy local elections, citizens of Richmond
were able to organize and fight back relying on their own resources
and energy. Like Bernie 2016, their story demonstrates that real
change is possible through issue-oriented campaigns and effective
electoral organizing.”
—Larry Cohen, past president of Communications Workers of America
and senior advisor to Bernie 2016 Campaign
“For those of us wondering how to carry on the spirit and the
activism of the Bernie Sanders campaign after 2016, this book
contains a cornucopia of lessons to be applied in other cities and
towns. The electoral success of the Richmond Progressive Alliance
shows that maintaining a clear and radical anti-corporate politics
is the way to win.”
—Jane Slaughter, former editor, Labor Notes
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