“How Can We Stop the Violence?” Andy Thayer

The YouTube video of Saturday, June 13, 2015 is now up and available for viewing on the YouTube channel of The Open University of the Left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7HIdcyYAM

Join Open University of the Left on Saturday June 13th at 2:30 pm

 A presentation by Andy Thayer

“How Can We Stop the Violence?”

Open University of the Left
Lincoln Park Public Library
1150 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago (corner Racine)
across from DePaul University
free parking, (Red Line: Fullerton)

The Black Lives Matter protests are among the most dynamic protest movements of the current century. But, with police seemingly acting with impunity in murder after murder, and U.S. violence rates much higher than those of any other wealthy nation, it is not enough for us to simply protest the violence. We need to propose and advocate for specific programs and policies that will no longer allow business as usual. In a world with economic austerity and a near-bankrupt city and state, our advocacy will require specific proposals, and also a power to overcome wealthy opposition that we’ve not seen in this country in generations.

 

Open University of the Left welcomes back Andy Thayer who is a co-founder of the multi-issue Gay Liberation Network. As a long-time anti war and anti-police misconduct activist, despite police interference, he has helped organize many large protests, including the largest march on the NATO summit and a march of 15,000 on Lake Shore Drive when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Described as “a gigantic pain in the butt for law enforcement” by a retired Chicago Police Commander, Andy has been arrested numerous times in various protests, including twice in Moscow, Russia for protesting against that government’s bans on gay rights demonstrations. Among his recent writings is a piece for In These Times, titled “All the Chicago Mayoral Candidates Are getting It Wrong: We Don’t Need More Cops.”
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All prior video programs are viewable on our archive YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft/

Open University of the Left
Lincoln Park Public Library
1150 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago (corner Racine)
across from DePaul University
free parking, (Red Line: Fullerton)

 

The Left Forum 2015 — “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE”

The YouTube videos of The Left Forum 2015 are up and available for viewing on the YouTube channel of The Open University of the Left.

https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft/

The weekend of May 29th through May 31st saw the reconvening of the Left Forum. This years event was titled NO JUSTICE NO PEACE – Confronting the crises of capitalism and democracy. The event was held at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York in New York City. This event is the largest annual gathering in North America of the US and international Left. Nearly 5,000 people were said to be in attendance. The Left Forum brings together activists, intellectuals and academics to share their perspectives, experiences, strategies and visions.

 

For your consideration, what follows are videos from seven sessions as well as the closing plenary conducted at the conference out of a total of over 400 scheduled events. While this is a small sample, it does represent a broad perspective of current left political thinking. We know that the global economic and political system is exacerbating savage conflicts. Liberal democratic solutions have failed utterly to remedy these seemingly intractable problems. Radical solutions that include a total re-evaluation of capitalism itself are what is called for. It is becoming increasing obvious to anyone with a clear mind that this destructive system, capitalism, is broken and they can’t fix it. What type of movement(s) will it take to overcome these daunting problems? Some of the analysis and strategies you will hear presented in these recorded sessions might offer a road map for us to move forward.

https://openuniversityoftheleft.com/

All prior video programs are viewable on our archive YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft/

Open University of the Left
Lincoln Park Public Library
1150 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago (corner Racine)
across from DePaul University
free parking, (Red Line: Fullerton)

Dr. Sam Mitrani, The Real Origins of the Police

The YouTube video of Saturday, May 16, 2015 is now up and available for viewing on the YouTube channel of The Open University of the Left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as3AK44dXNY

Dr. Sam Mitrani, Open University of the Left, 5-16-2015 Chicago, IL

 

Join Open University of the Left on Saturday May 16th  at 2:30 pm

 A presentation by Dr. Sam Mitrani

The Real Origins of the Police: To Control the Working Class and Poor People

The police were not created to serve or protect the population – the police were created to control it. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, nothing resembling the modern police existed anywhere in the United States. Then, as a new working class developed in growing cities like New York,  Philadelphia,  Boston and Chicago, business owners pushed to create militarized police forces removed from democratic control. This talk will focus on Chicago, where, as class conflict roiled the city in waves throughout the late nineteenth century, the business elite that ran the city built an increasingly powerful police force to maintain control – the police force we still have today.

Sam Mitrani  is an activist and  Associate Professor of History at College of DuPage. He earned his PhD from the University of Illinois, Chicago, in 2009. He is the author of The Rise of the Chicago Police Department: Class and Conflict, 1850-1894 (University of Illinois Press, 2014). Most recently, Sam was active in Ed Hershey’s Working Class Fight campaign for 25th Ward Alderman. He can be reached at: [email protected].

Open University of the Left
Lincoln Park Public Library
1150 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago (corner Racine)
across from DePaul University
free parking, (Red Line: Fullerton)

Dr. Peter Hudis, Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism

The YouTube video of Saturday, April 18, 2015 is now up and available for viewing on the YouTube channel of The Open University of the Left.

Dr. Peter Hudis, Open University of the Left, 4-18-2015, Chicago, IL

 

Join Open University of the Left on Saturday April 18th at 2:30 pm

Open University of the Left
Lincoln Park Public Library
1150 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago (corner Racine)
across from DePaul University
free parking, (Red Line: Fullerton)

Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism

By Dr. Peter Hudis

One of the foremost issues confronting radical theory and practice today is articulating a viable alternative to capitalism. Although it has been widely assumed that Marx’s work offers little guidance for such an effort because of his objection to indulging in “utopian” speculations about the future, this talk will focus on largely-neglected aspects of his work which provides vital philosophical ground for envisioning an alternative to capitalist value production, statist domination, and alienated human relations. We will explore whether Marx was committed to a specific concept of a post-capitalist society that has taken on a new importance in light of the crises of existing society.

Peter Hudis is the author of Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism (Haymarket, 2013) and Frantz Fanon: Philosophy of the Barricades (Pluto Press, forthcoming). He has edited several books on radical theory and is the General Editor of the planned 14-volume collection, The complete works of Rosa Luxemburg (Verso; two volumes have appeared so far). He is Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Oakton Community College and a member of the International Marxist-Humanist Organization.

Paul Street, They Rule: The 1% v. Democracy

  • Paul Street, They Rule: The 1% v. Democracy
  • Paul Street, They Rule
  • Nov. 15, 2014, 2:30 pm
 
  • The YouTube video of Saturday, Nov 15, 2014 is now up and available for viewing on the YouTube channel of The Open University of the Left. 


  • Click on the link below to view the video. 

    http://www.youtube.com/user/OpenUnivoftheLeft/


    Join Open University of the Left on

    Saturday November 15th at 2:30 pm


    Open University of the Left
    Lincoln Park Public Library
    1150 W. Fullerton, Chicago
    Corner Racine Ave., across from DePaul University
    (Red Line: Fullerton)

    Saturday November 15th, Dr. Paul Street presents “They Rule: The 1% v. Democracy.”

    Saturday November 15th Open University of the left welcomes back long time OUL presenter Dr. Paul Street. Paul is a noted activist, journalist, author, historian, political commentator and public speaker. On that day, Paul will be talking about his just recently released new book published by Paradigm Publishers titled, “They Rule: The 1% v. Democracy.” This book cuts through all the political BS to reveal how the pervasive rule of big money drives the American Empire and the global capitalist economy.

     Paul’s books always provide a perspective useful to gaining insight into how this government by Representative Plutocracy dominates and subverts the democratic aspirations of the citizens of empire. This is a perspective which will not be found in the Corpo-State’s media.

Anthony DiMaggio

Now Up On YouTube

Dr. Anthony DiMaggio

“The Higher Education Ponzi Scheme”

Dec. 13, 2014, 2:30 pm

 

The YouTube video of Saturday, Dec 13, 2014 is now up and available for viewing on the YouTube channel of The Open University of the Left.

  • Dr. Anthony Dimaggio, Open University of the Left, 12-13-2014, Chicago, IL

    Join Open University of the Left on

    Saturday December 13th at 2:30 pm

    Open University of the Left
    Lincoln Park Public Library
    1150 W. Fullerton, Chicago
    Corner Racine Ave., across from DePaul University
    (Red Line: Fullerton)

    Saturday December 13th, Dr. Anthony DiMaggio presents “The Higher Education Ponzi Scheme.”

    Saturday December 13th, Open University of the Left welcomes back Dr. Anthony DiMaggio. Tony earned his PhD in political science from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is the author of at least five books. He has also written for numerous on-line and print publications including Counterpunch, Znet and Monthly Review just to name a few.

    As can be seen from the title of his talk Tony will be discussing the growing problems found in higher education in the United States. Some topics discussed will include the rapidly declining state of higher education brought on in part by the abandonment of teaching itself, as a priority. He will also address the growing and unsustainable cost of higher education, which includes paradoxically the sorry state of higher education employment and the decline of faculty job security in the neoliberal era. Tony has experienced the problems affecting higher education from a first-hand perspective over the last decade, teaching and having taught at liberal arts colleges, major state universities, and at the community college level.