Local Governance Failures, Global Resonances, and the Imperative for Genuine Solidarity
How Local Activism, Global Crises, and Performative Politics Converge to Undermine Genuine Solidarity.
For at least the past nine months, several community members in Howard County mounted a campaign to stop a plastic-burning plant proposed by W.R. Grace—a chemical products company with an atrocious history of stewardship and care for human life. W.R. Grace proposed to build this facility next to a residential community that was developed on a land it once owned, where families with small children now reside. W.R. Grace is located in Columbia surrounded by thousands of residential homes in River Hill, Hickory Ridge and other villages.
Months of petitions, a town-hall, engagement with elected officials, and testimonies by several community members in support of legislation to ban this industrial activity that poses great harm to the community, especially children, culminated into a vote on a zoning amendment by the County Council on Monday, March 3, 2025.
The zoning amendment failed 3 to 2.
Councilmembers Opel Jones, Christiana Rigby, and David Yungmann voted to allow the poisoning of children in our community.
This was a predictable outcome.
On a whole host of issues that affect the welfare of children, the poor, immigrants, and other marginalized communities, This county government has ignored unquestionably popular policies in favor of those that benefit corporate profits at the expense of declining schools, roads, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure. Testimonies by hundreds of community members are drowned out by special interest dollars and influence.
Countless votes have taken place exhibiting utter disregard for human welfare and an approach to public service lacking principled values, on issues ranging from council bills with tangible outcomes on the material conditions of the marginalized and the affluent alike to council resolutions with symbolic expressions of value.
While the W.R. Grace dispute reveals how local leaders can ignore public outcry, the Gaza genocide also provides another salient instance that illustrated elected officials’ disdain for community concerns.
Local Disregard and Broader Patterns of Injustice
After October 7, 2023, community members of local jurisdictions across the country advocated for local bills and resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. These efforts were motivated by the fact that America provided political, diplomatic and military support to apartheid Israel for several decades including annual financial aid to facilitate settler colonialism, apartheid, and then genocide.
Community members knew that since local jurisdictions contributed to these atrocities with taxpayer dollars, expressing the will of the people via local resolutions and bills was considered a means to put pressure on the federal government, which first entailed putting pressure on local government to pass such legislative measures.
In January of 2024, a coalition of Howard County’s community members worked with Councilmember Liz Walsh to introduce such a resolution. By all accounts, it was a popular measure—except among powerful local Zionist organizations, such as the Jewish Federation of Howard County, which represents a base of undeniable economic and political power.
That resolution was killed 3 to 1, with Councilmembers Opel Jones, Deb Jung, and David Yungmann voting against a ceasefire - to stop killing children using our taxpayer dollars. It is hard to forget the role that Councilmember Deb Jung played to undermine this simple council resolution. Community members did not even have an opportunity to share their perspectives because the County Council, led by Councilmember Jung, cancelled public testimony citing a rule that does not publicly exist.
Of course Howard County does not have the authority to implement a ceasefire and stop the guns. Simply put, the resolution would have had the same impact as the County Council’s resolution in solidarity with Ukraine that was passed the previous year—in 2023. The ceasefire resolution was a symbolic, yet, important vote that would allow Howard County to stand on the right side of history. Against genocide and apartheid. Just as it did during the era of apartheid South Africa in the 1980s.
And yet, the will of the public was once again ignored.
Apathy, Self-Interest, and Systemic Inequities
As someone who has tracked hundreds of local council bills and resolutions, it has been clear to me for years that our elected officials do not represent the public interest. What was unclear is why they continued to get away with voting in favor of terrible policies and against popular ones.
One of the bone-chilling conditions revealed by the Gaza genocide is the wide-spread apathy and disregard for human life exhibited by a majority of the country. Anti-genocide protestors were booed and jeered when they disrupted political campaign events and at some point, the Democratic Party’s political apparatus even tried to create a wedge between anti-genocide activists and Black voters. At some point anti-genocide voters were even dismissed as “single-issue voters.”
After witnessing the appalling levels of apathy and deafening silence by our community, the lack of collective outrage by so-called civil rights groups, faith-based organizations, and other civic groups, it became further clear to me that politicians got away with their terrible decisions because those with economic and political power have largely voted with their own perceived self-interest and as long as they were only marginally impacted by adverse decisions, they were happy.
For the most part, politicians have almost always managed to please those with economic and political power. At all levels of government, they managed to at least ensure that the perceived self-interest of those who vote on elections consistently was preserved. The glue that held all of them together is perceived self-interest. As long as they satisfied this self-interest they could continue to poison Black children in inner cities, grow the prison system into what can now be described as a concentration camp, wage a war against Muslims, and dehumanize immigrants and LGBTQ+ people.
Some may object to this analysis because, yes, voters do express care for the marginalized. In fact they consistently vote for politicians who make performative gestures of solidarity with the marginalized and pay lip-service to their needs. They may say “black lives matter” or “women’s rights are human rights.” The fact remains, however, that those with economic and political power fail to place themselves in the shoes of the marginalized when they vote.
Implications and the Growth of Fascist Tendencies
The overwhelming majority of Liberal Whites who stood by as Biden implemented fascist policies at the border by separating families are now up in arms because Trump poses a fascist threat to their interests too. Similarity, the overwhelming majority of Liberal middle-class Blacks who were placated by the Democratic Party’s performative Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs also feel the threat Trump poses.
Here is the thing about DEI programs, it mainly served the corporatists because it allowed them to address explicitly the material needs of a slice of the historically marginalized while ignoring the majority.
Further, we see the outrage felt by Federal employees as Trump comes for their jobs and the response by Democratic lawmakers at Local, State and Federal levels to bend over backwards to cater to them. I have yet to see such a collective response to the gross human rights violations experienced by poor Black children and their families in inner cities. Politicians cater to those who vote and those who vote have largely made decisions in their own self-interest.
The interesting thing about Trump is that he not only represents a threat to the marginalized, but to those with economic and political power too.
Consider the so-called “Tesla boycotts” calling on people to sell their Tesla stocks and cars. To be clear, this is an important boycott to apply pressure on Tesla and Elon Musk to stop dismantling the Federal work force. However, this action did not get initiated until those with economic and political power - Federal employees and their families - were impacted. Lawlessness, attacks on civil liberties, and disregard for human life were taking place long before Trump took office. Where was this collective outrage then?
It is great to see more people involved and acting to hold our elected officials accountable. Unfortunately, as long as the motivations are driven by self-interest rather than a sense of solidarity with the marginalized, we will continue to witness decline and fascism will grow stronger.
Conclusion: Toward Genuine Solidarity and Collective Liberation
Fascism grows strong when we are selfish. It is a parasite that flourishes when we are divided. Conversely, movements against fascism and injustice have historically succeeded by standing in solidarity with all oppressed people. The famous poem “First they came…” warns of the dangers of remaining silent when others are targeted.
If we are to succeed in beating back fascism, those of us with economic and political power have to endeavor to put ourselves in the shoes of those who desperately need transformational change; not marginal ones.
If we cannot stand the thought of our children drinking poisoned water, then we should not rest until every dead-beat politician that allowed this crime to fester is replaced. If we cannot stand the thought of holding the shrouds of our dead babies, then we should march on the streets regardless of who is conducting these atrocities and bring the ghouls and child-killers to justice.
Our shared liberation depends on standing with all marginalized communities—whether they are immigrants, Palestinians, or Black Americans. When those with political and economic power chose to exert their power primarily on behalf of those who are powerless and need transformational change.