The city walked me yesterday. I left my apartment and just started strolling, not bothering to pay attention to where I was going (other than avoiding obvious pitfalls); rather, I took the path of least resistance, flowing wherever the traffic signals pointed. After forty-minutes of twists and turns and a bit of backtracking, I got stuck on an triangular island where Mass Ave and 21st Street smoosh together. There, where the red light stopped me, stood a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. At his feet were some two dozen Indian guest workers, 15 days deep into a hunger strike. Today is Day 16.
They were lying in repose in the shade of a short-legged tent they’d set up, surrounded by blankets and lots and lots of water. They seemed in high spirits despite the lack of food. They were celebrating the 54th birthday of one of the strikers. Smiles were still in abundance, and the prevailing sound was that of laughter.
Another five days remain in the planned 21-day protest, which has already left four workers hospitalized. The demonstration aims to bring attention what the strikers claim is a badly corrupted guest worker program run by Signal International.
From the Hindustan Times:
The workers on hunger strike are part of a group of 500 who came to the US to work for Signal International, a marine and fabrication company in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The company assured them that they would eventually be able to migrate to the US permanently. The workers paid recruiters up to $20,000. But when they arrived in the US, the workers found that not only were their chances of permanent residence non existent, their working conditions were also awful.
“We were like pigs in a cage,” said Sabulal Vijayan, a former worker, who even tried to commit suicide by slitting his wrists when he was threatened with deportation after he protested against the way he and other workers were being treated. The workers filed a complaint in the district court of Louisiana in March.
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- End of the Road
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- A Better Shot of the Mahatma (courtesy of DC Chelovek’s Flickr page)
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- The Man Himself
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- ‘Neath the Tent
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- View Past Gandhi’s Sandals
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- Day Counter
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- Cakeless Birthday
Apologies for the bizarro hues; the camera is actin’ a fool lately.
I’ve seen those folks around on tours; they spent time at both Lafayette Park and in front of the Capitol. Interesting to know what they are all about.
That’s craaazy!