On this day in 1898, the Battle of Virden began when armed members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) surrounded a train full of strikebreakers and exchanged fire with company guards. 13 people were killed, dozens more wounded.
After a local chapter of the UMW began striking at a mine in Virden, Illinois, the Chicago-Virden Coal Company hired black strikebreakers from Birmingham, Alabama and shipped them to Virden by train.
The company hired armed detectives or security guards to accompany the strikebreakers, and an armed conflict broke out when armed miners surrounded the train as it arrived in town. A total of four detectives and seven striking mine workers were killed, with five guards, thirty miners, and an unrecorded number of strikebreakers wounded.
After this incident, Illinois Governor John Tanner ordered the National Guard to prevent any more strikebreakers from coming into the state by force. The next month, the Chicago-Virden Coal Company relented and allowed the unionization of its workers.
"When the last call comes for me to take my final rest, will the miners see that I get a resting place in the same clay that shelters the miners who gave up their lives on the hills of Virden, Illinois...They are responsible for Illinois being the best organized labor state in America."
Mother Jones
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No, I don't think we can do large scale projects without seizing power so in my heart, they're not feasible under this economic paradigm even with a relatively progressive even FDR-scale effort - so I think we agree on short and medium term feasibility.
I think helping relocation efforts is nice and comes from a good place. But to me, it reminds me too much of things like the Trail of Tears just done with a far softer hand and carrot instead of stick. I don't think relocation can happen equitably without building hurricane/natural disaster resilience in Florida
Your second paragraph is where a lot of my concerns come from. It's not fair that some people should have to uproot and that others don't, that some should have to restart while others can continue accruing. That's definitely true. Even if it would end up being more of an Underground Railroad than a Trail of Tears, we can't overcome the reality of those fundamental problems (without seizing power). I've been a transplant, I know that it's not as simple as picking up where you left off. And anyone relying on strangers to help them relocate is also going to be at a very heightened risk of exploitation.
This is why I don't want to just start jumping into action with a half-baked plan. I'm very aware that the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
I would like to be able to survey relevant individuals, because I still feel like I would want the choice even if it were less than ideal - and that the inability to move is already an injustice - and if that is something others were sincerely interested in, then maybe it could be worth putting some more thought into. I figure I can't judge what is best for others but perhaps I can listen to what people say they need and try to support them in that way, as appropriate.
I'll put the idea back in the oven for now and let it bake a longer. Thanks again for your thoughts! The discussion was helpful for me.