Beyond Praise and Blame: A Transformative Take On A Transit Strike
For the first few days of July, the San Francisco Bay Area was one big snarl of traffic. Following failed contract negotiations, the workers of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system went on indefinite strike, eliminating 400,000 rides per day and and forcing thousands of commuters to ferry, helicopter (oh, SF techies), or carpool their way around the region.
According to workers, BART management hired a few strikebreaking charter buses through Veolia transit (a multinational corporation notorious for privatizing public transportation, as well as serving illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine), but the stopgap measures couldn't fully replace the trains. No way around it: lots of people were stuck.
And yet, amidst the chaos and fingerpointing there emerged a spontaneous pro-worker and pro-rider effort: a Facebook group called Radical Rideshare: Bay Area 2013 Bart Strike.
Now at over 600 members (continuing during a 30-day pause in the strike, which could resume in August), the group bills itself as:
A space to organize ride shares. It was originally created in response to the 2013 Bart strike, which shut down Bart services for 3 days, in order collectivize our needs and resources in solidarity. Bart services have resumed but we can totally still use this group page for the same purposes. If you're someone who has a car or a bike to share or you need a ride plz post and share ♥
Explicitly supporting BART strikers from the outset, the group not only let members link up for trips across the Bay, but also served as a forum for sharing news and information about the strike as events unfolded.
Turning Wheel Media caught up with one of the founders of Radical Rideshare, and delighted in hearing more about the philosophy behind this spontaneous, creative show of solidarity.
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Tieraney Carter
Age: 28
Oakland, CA
Turning Wheel Media: What made you decide to start the Radical Rideshare Facebook group?
A lot of people rely on BART, myself included, and if there was a strike we'd need other ways to get around. I also thought it would feel really good to show BART strikers that there were commuters who supported them. I was super influenced by the series of Radical facebook groups, like Radical Housing, Radical F*n Sangha, and Radical Jobs which all create spaces for radically politicized folks to build community and work, meditate, and live in spaces where they don't feel alienated.
I was also influenced by the Montgomery Bus Boycotts because ride sharing was a really big part of what made that boycott effective. It teaches a really important lesson about how community care and getting our needs met can be radical political acts.I've been organizing with a collective called the Bad Ass Visionary Healers for about 2 years. A big part of our organizing model is that we practice prioritizing the needs of ourselves and each other. I continue to feel excited about working with that collective for many reasons but one of them is that my feelings and needs are cared about. I learn a lot about how prioritizing each other's needs makes working together sustainable, enjoyable, and nourishing. I'm constantly looking for places where that can be practiced.TWM: Did the group's expansion and functioning meet your expectations? Any surprises?A few people offered their cars for borrowing! That's amazing!TWM: The group is explicitly conceived as supportive of the BART strike, even though the strike is fairly unpopular with the general public. Why do you support the strike?It seems to me that in a capitalist system striking is often the only way that employees needs get met. It's a system of accountability. The BART strike is another example of that. As I understand it, during the recession BART raises were put on hold and now that BART's revenue is increasing employees still aren't getting raises. Employees tried to negotiate with management and were denied. The article "7 Key Things You Need to Know About the Bart Strike in California" does a great job of describing the reasons for the strike from the perspective of BART employees.TWM: In what way do you hope or believe Radical Rideshare can contribute to this fight? Or to a larger vision of social justice and transformation?I think the radical rideshare is a space where we can practice shifting where we get our basic needs met. Often it's from companies that exploit, neglect, and/or abuse people. Relying less on them and more on each seems like one way to work towards dismantling capitalism and colonialism.