by Daniel Borgstrom

Longtime KPFA listeners remember 1999 as the year of the Hijacking, the Lockout, and the massive response.  Ten thousand people marched through the streets of Berkeley chanting “Take back KPFA!” and “Save Pacifica!” And, as a matter of fact, KPFA and Pacifica Radio were rescued.  The good guys really had won, or so it seemed at the time.  But the struggle has continued.  Today, in 2015, the future of KPFA/Pacifica is more precarious than ever.

Sadly, this KPFA scenario is a common one in the affairs of humankind.  I missed the French Revolution, but I imagine it went much like the one at KPFA. The Bastille was stormed in a day, but what followed were meetings, meetings, and more meetings. That’s probably true of all revolutions: there’s a dramatic moment, then months, years, even decades of intense, parliamentary struggle. Issues get complicated, seemingly arcane, and the struggle is vicious; people are sent to the guillotine. Why the conflict? people ask, wondering why the former comrades can’t just be nice to each other and get along. Continue reading Lords, Ladies and Peasants at KPFA: An Allegory of the Struggle at KPFA →