Economic disobedience on the rise

    January 20, 2011

    Last week, Russia Today ran this interesting segment on the rise what some are calling “economic disobedience,” during these difficult times. As the Huffington Post explains:

    With falling wages, cuts in benefits, and alarming public transportation fare hikes, New Yorkers are fighting back with their own brand of economic disobedience. The video below is about the People’s Transportation Program, an organization that is purchasing unlimited Metrocards and giving people free rides as a protest to the recent MTA fare increase ($104 for a monthly unlimited!).

    To learn more about the People’s Transportation Program, check out this in-depth piece on the movement by our friends at the Indypendent. It appears that the group no longer has a website, but they did put out this YouTube video in 2009, which gives a brief explanation of their idea.

    Eric Stoner is a co-founding editor at Waging Nonviolence and an adjunct professor at Saint Peter's University, Saint Joseph's College and Rutgers University. His articles have appeared in The Guardian, Mother Jones, Salon, The Nation, Sojourners and In These Times.

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    • Advocating theft by calling it a flowery name like “economic disobedience” are we?

      If this protest is “successful” what do you think will be the result? Oh my, would you believe higher fares and the elimination of the tandem benefit! Maybe this has something to do with it: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE57A6E020090811

      Stealing goods or services seems like “violence” to me.

      One can only hope they don’t have a website because they are in jail.

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