44 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
44 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
The **23 de Enero Campaign** refers to a small amount of direct action
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in Caracas, [Venezuela](Venezuela "wikilink") in
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[1981](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_South_America "wikilink") in
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an effort to help improve a neighbourhood dominated by [state
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housing](State_Housing "wikilink").
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## Background
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Following the privatisation of waste collection services at the
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neighbourhood of 23 de Enero in Caracas, the site of the largest state
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housing project in the country. The newly privatised service failed to
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properly collect waste as rotting household waste began to pile up in
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the street, threatening a public health crisis.
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## Events
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On 19 December 1981 Earles Gutierrez, his brother, and two friends
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stopped a garbage truck driving through el 23 de Enero by stepping out
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into the street in front of it. Gutierrez then forcefully, took control
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of the vehicle and told the driver to go to the police station to report
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the hijacking. Before the police arrived, they knocked on doors calling
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on neighbors to join their action. When the police arrived, they found a
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crowd of mostly women surrounding the garbage truck demanding that the
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city clean up the neighborhood. Over the next few days, people began to
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steal garbage trucks and refused to give them back until the
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neighbourhoods were properly maintained.
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After holding the trucks for a month, on 19 January 1982, community
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members—youth, guerrilla veterans, and stay-at-home women—met with
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high-level officials of various public service institutions in an
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elementary school to discuss the problem. At the end of the meeting, the
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officials had agreed to meet the residents’ demands and devote their
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resources to cleaning up the neighborhood.
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## Results
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Within days, public workers began removing tons of trash from the
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neighborhood, repaving roads, fixing elevators, rewiring power lines,
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and installing phone service. The successful campaign led to a shift in
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emphasis of public service in Venezuela politics.
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## References
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- <https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/venezuelans-seize-service-vehicles-force-neighborhood-upgrade-caracas-1981> |