Oranges of Wrath in State Capitol Protest
ORANGE PROTEST – Saying they felt “squeezed” by Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto of SB 104, farm workers on Wednesday delivered 50 pounds of cut-up oranges to Brown’s office at the state Capitol. The delivery was meant to remind Brown of his remarks during last year’s gubernatorial campaign when he expressed opposition to importing guest workers for California farms. His so-called “orange comment” was: “You don’t just bring in semi-serfs and say ‘Do the dirty work, and then we’re finished with you,’ like an orange and just throw it away. That’s after you squeezed it. That’s not right.” Brown, who had 12 days to act on SB 104, waited until minutes before Tuesday’s deadline to veto the legislation that would have made it easier for farm laborers to join unions. Thousands of farm workers had marched and rallied outside the Capitol daily since June 16, urging Brown to sign the bill, so that California’s hardest-working laborers could improve their lives. He refused to meet with them or with more than 25 pro-SB 104 Democratic legislators who gathered outside his office late Tuesday night, unaware that Brown had already vetoed the bill. On Wednesday, four farm workers stood in front of Brown’s office, each holding an empty cardboard box. More than 50 farm laborers and other concerned citizens walked by, each depositing sliced oranges into the containers. Some of the demonstrators angrily squeezed the oranges before dropping them into the boxes, which were then carried into Brown’s office. “Once we walked in, an aide to the governor asked about the significance of the oranges,” said Rosalba Flores, 49, an unemployed nursery worker from Half Moon Bay. “We told him it had do with the governor’s remarks from last year – and that now, that’s how we feel, squeezed, because he did nothing for us after we campaigned for him.” Brown was not on hand to accept the delivery. But, according to Flores, the aide promised that the oranges would remain in the office “until the governor sees them.” The farm workers were especially angry that Brown never emerged Tuesday night for a face-to-face meeting with them to explain his decision. Raul Garcia, 44, a Salinas farm laborer, said that through his actions, Brown “had thrown farm workers into the trash. He missed a great opportunity to bring justice to many people.” California has about 400,000 farm workers, most of whom do not belong to unions. The orange protest was organized by the United Farm Workers.
-By Edgar Sanchez