The mine owners have as little regard as ever for the lives of miners and their families. Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On gives the iconic singer her due. Shortly after the end of the strike, the UMW faced another national obstacle when their contracts across the country expired. Mr. Jones, who leaves a 16yearold widow, was shot In the head by a shotgun blast from short range. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. And theres the films unusually potent soundscape, which Kopple herself recorded: the high rasp of a miner warning of an imminent explosion; the union bullhorn cutting the morning air calling for picketers; the hubbub of a street parade; the wall-to-wall traditional music, including political calls to arms, songs of joy and plaintive grief and calls to solidarity, that chain the present to the past. We could shoot things. On 24 August 1974a mine supervisor named Billy C. Bruner shot and killeda 23-year-old striker, Lawrence D. Jones. I worked on other people's films doing sound and editing, but . What happened to Billy C Bruner? I probably still am. We would drive to Tennessee to get the film. Mr. Bruner was shot by someone in the crowd when he tried to leave. Liam Lacey is a freelance writer for Original-Cin.ca and POV, Canadas premiere magazine about documentaries and independent films. [2][3] Employees who were known by their bosses to be union members were fired and evicted from their company-owned homes. Also, I had all these wonderful people that were putting up everything that they had for the right to have a union. Use of violence was never sanctioned nor forbidden by leadership. Sometimes, we hear her voice off-camera, asking questions, including a scene where she confronts the chief company enforcer, Basil Collins. As Basil Collins got out of his truck, you could hear the guns clicking, the safeties being taken off. The company also agreed to abide by any agreement reached between the union and the association in their new contract for 1974. Barbara Kopple: We were all in a meeting. See the wiki page Kentucky Probate Records for . Staff at the Harlan Hotel seemed pleased to show us the bullets still embedded in the failing faade of the aging building. I didnt get hurt because they kicked the Nagra. How would you describe the nature of work God gave to Adam in the Garden of Eden?He told Adam that he could eat the fruit of any tree in the Garden except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.11. Within Kentucky, more than 96% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Harlan. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The next day soldiers entered Harlan to end the violence. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. [4]:47, In the wake of the UMW failure, the Communist National Miners Union (NMU) made a brief play for Harlan County. On September 29, troops were dispatched on behalf of the miners for the first time in the Harlan County War, the governor referring to the beatings and harassment at the hands of the mine guards as "the worst reign of terror in the history of the county. Because the reels only recorded 10 minutes, were there times when you hesitated to turn on the camera because, Oh my God, this is costing us.. Eastover also hired prisoners to 'provide security' in and around the mine. Nearly 30 percent of county residents live in poverty, and most households earn less than $30,000 a year. Blair. Most are missing a minimum of one and sometimes more vital amino acids your Pom needs.Lots of today's dog foods (including the costly, popular . Does Kopple go overboard in portraying the Appalachian proletariat as so socially progressive? In a region of Ku Klux Klan activity, we see an African-American miner, waiting with two white men for treatment for black lung disease, or pneumonoconiosis, joking about brotherhood in oppression: We done make every colour when we went in. Its a very supportive time now for documentaries, so dont be afraid; follow your instincts and go for it and dont let anyone stop you. Barbara Kopple: I never felt that. . Billy Carroll Bruner, 39, Evarts, was formally charged yesterday with murder by State Police in the death of Lawrence Dean Jones, 23, Verda. Our new issue on nationalism is out now. Bill was retired from Kroger and was a member of Cumberland Presbyterian Church. "Silly Bill"/"Old Time Cinda" - The Hill Billies I worked on other peoples films doing sound and editing, but this for me was the very first. The workers' salaries were comparable with other miners throughout the country, so the issue of salary was not addressed. He was born on May 1, 1938 in Owensboro to the late William & Gertrude Bruner. 23, 2003. The series revolves around the inhabitants and culture in the Appalachian mountains area of eastern Kentucky, specifically Harlan County where many of the main characters grew up. written by Florence Reece in 1931 during strikes that earned the community the name 'Bloody Harlan.'. . Tags: Barbara Kopple, Harlan County USA, Documentary Film, academy awards, Albert Serra Discuses 'The Death of Louis XIV', Taxi Driver: On The Set With Photographer Steve Schapiro, Episode 8: Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo, Episode 16: Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life. Walter Russell Mead is another. Although largely nonviolent, the BWC made no commitment to nonviolent discipline. Lastly, of course, is the gruesome slaying of striking miner Lawrence Jones by scab Bill Bruner. Mr. Bruner was wounded . The Park County Sheriff's Office, . Mr. Bruner was . William "Bill" Henry Bruner Junior, 77, of Henryville, IN, passed away at 6:48 PM on Friday, August 28, 2020, at Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany, IN. August 2012) Prescribed by Treasury Department Treasury Dept . Todd Melby: Ive worked as a reporter for 20 years and as a reporter, there are times when I know Im supposed to move forward, but I hesitate to move forward to interview a particular person, and it may not even be particularly dangerous, but there are times when I hesitate and dont move forward because Im not sure whats going to happen. Some picketers carried weapons that they did not use. Bill Bruner. In addition to his other wholesome activities, he's on the board of trustees of Freedom House, along with other freedom-lovers like Kenneth Adelman and Malcolm Forbes. Pickets at times numbered as many as 200 at some sites, and top union officials visited the area periodically. I didnt care. Where did the Harlan County War take place? The 'security guards' and local police often physically removed people from the picket line in order to let cars pass. After the railroad arrived in 1911 . Cal Winslow is the author of Radical Seattle: The General Strike of 1919, along with Labors Civil War in California. I also learned later too that he was in WWII and he survived the Bataan Death March. The name comes from the nearly century-long and sometimes violent struggle between coal companies and workers seeking to unionize. The song Which Side Are You On? became the anthem of a reborn United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union in the 1930s, then an anthem for all workers a reflection of working-class consciousness in the turbulent New Deal years. It does not store any personal data. The scabs were coming at the cameraman first. Both sides filed complaints with the National Labor Review Board (NLRB) accusing the other side of bargaining in bad faith. Whats not good about it, then? Before long, most of the remaining workforce had gone on strike in solidarity. Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy. We wore machine guns with semiautomatic carbines. 3 min read. To plant trees in memory, please . His Freedom House biography says he was in UMW from 1972 to 1976 and later Special Assistant and Speechwriter to the Vice President of USA, 1977 to 1981. The 1976 documentary won an Academy Award. He was a tough character who had had a lot of suffering of his own, which I didnt know about being young and foolish. The union, with all that it promised, is gone. Several men were arrested for violating the injunction and were sentenced to three months in prison. The hardest thing was getting funding to keep going. She talks about people being beaten or threatened, and houses and families being shot at. They had invited executives from Duke Power and Eastover Mining to meet with them, but they refused. IN Lowell W Smith R I. Urbarva. (Photo by Bill Bruner/The Flume) -Got shot in the damn head. Managers pleaded guilty to impeding the Mine Safety and Health Administrations enforcement efforts. Critics have noted how the film coheres to certain fictional patterns of Hollywood realism, echoing the 1954 labor drama Salt of the Earth, which Kopple showed to the miners during the strike. There were some minor physical attacks on scabs and police. I think the meaning of this strike goes beyond a single contract at a single coal mine, Mr. Miller told a newsconference. There followed a decade of strikes in the coalfields, often wildcat strikes by some 40,000 young members, many veterans of the war in Vietnam. . Some good doc pro, @marriska.fernandes moderates the Q&A for VOICES O, Director Mike McKinlay talks PART OF THE PACK at #, Pamela Anderson with her son/ producer Brandon Lee, Happy #Caturday! I saw people really standing up for what they believed in. Segment Synopsis: Lois Scott continues her conversation from her previous interview. Author and activist Theodore Dreiser conducted an investigation under the auspices of the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners (NCDPP) of the American Communist Party. Billy Carroll Bruner, 39, a foreman at the Eastover mine, was wounded in the shootout and charged with the killing.Mr. On 24 August 1974 a mine supervisor named Billy C. Bruner shot and killed a 23-year-old striker, Lawrence D. Jones. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Perhaps even Homer didnt get the siege of Troy historically right, but he found the key to plant that war story in our collective imaginations. Yet it is also true that Harlan County,USAdoes not have the clarity and rigour of what we would usually think of as a well-made documentary. This was shot in 16-millimeter film. Braden, M. (1973, November, 09). In doing so, they would also ensure two secondary objectives: establishing a worker's Safety Committee and increased hospital and medical benefits. There are plenty of such careerists in movements nowadays. I went in front of him thinking I was so strong and invincible and you hear me get knocked over. Barbara Kopple: On a conveyor belt, yes. In 1969, Tony Boyle was challenged for the UMWA presidency by Jock . I had a purpose and I could ask questions and I felt okay. Lastly, of course, is the gruesome slaying of striking miner Lawrence Jones by scab Bill Bruner. The death shocked the community and received widespread attention throughout the nation. Congress then passed a federal bill that assisted all afflicted miners. Negotiations continued during the strike, but they reached an impasse on 28 November 1973. With contributions by John dos Passos, Samuel Ornitz and others, Dreiser produced a report called Harlan Miners Speak: Report on Terrorism in the Kentucky Coal Fields. First Boyle has Joseph Yablonski, who ran against him for the union presidency, murdered along with Yablonski's wife and daughter. I started doing the during the time of Miners for Democracy. California labor activist Caroline Decker first became involved in union activities during the Harlan County War, when she and her sister participated in relief activities for striking miners. You all look the same when you came out.. I had a purpose. I just felt honored to be able to photograph it. Barbara Kopple: Yes, in the edit room. [4]:46 The strikebreakers were protected by private mine guards with full county deputy privileges, who were legally able to exercise their powers with impunity outside the walls of their employers. Mineworkers and their families in Harlan County, Kentucky, have blockaded the railroad tracks of a deadbeat employer. Then theres the problem of Kopples approach to the material, a hybrid of advocacy and observation that makes the film seem as though its making up its rules for reality as it goes along. [sings] They say in Harlan County, there are no neutrals there. Dr. Harlan Bruner, MD . They maintained the picket lines, stopped traffic by moving their cars into the road or laying down in the road, heckled scabs, and at times were arrested for their actions. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Eastover agreed to reinstate all High Splint miners currently on strike. although I think he was mostly thinking of the assaults on character caused by an oppressive society like 1930s Germany rather than the assault on your character via the goodies you can buy if sell out. that's too bad. And you're right, it's a great doc, and director Barbara Kopple is a cool, nice person. How long did the Harlan County strike last? Victory photo after the miners of the Highsplint mine voted to join the UMWA. Murdered while on a picket line in Harlan County KY, After his death an agreement was signed between the miners and the union! By the end of the campaign the miners had been subjected to over 90 arrests and 40 acts of violence. "[12][13] He protected the miners despite the fact that a bomb had killed Harlan County Attorney Elmon Middleton several weeks earlier.[14]. Not much can be done about these creeps.People just need to be steadfast and honest themselves. I remember Aronson from the 1980s -- a big wheel in the contra propaganda apparatus. Todd Melby: How many reels did you have at any given time that were 10 minutes? At that point a young UMW staffer named Bernie Aronson, part of the union reform movement, appears: As I watched this I thought: Bernie AronsonBernie Aronsonwhere have I seen that name before? Barbara Kopple: I guess that day was the scariest moment because I went up to one of the organizers and said, Do you think theyre going to shoot at us today?. Barbara Kopple: I dont think I was brave, I think I was just young and when youre young, youre invincible. New machinery would transform underground mining but at the expense of the coal miners themselves. The Kentucky National Guard was called in. Todd Melby: Another scene that involves the gun thug was the confrontation that was on the road during the daytime at a place in the road where [striking coal miners] previously hadnt attempted to stop the scabs from crossing. Todd Melby: What was the scariest moment for you? Billy Carroll Bruner, 39, a foreman at the Eastover mine, was wounded in . (Robert Gumpert / Appalshop Archive). I guess also because I was doing sound. He hired two drifters in a Cleveland bar, and on New Years Eve, they murdered Yablonksi, his wife, and his daughter in their beds. [15] The 1976 documentary film Harlan County, USA, winner of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, focuses on similar labor violence of the 1970s but refers to the 1930s violence as context. Sheriff Blair was voted out of office in 1933 and died in 1934, replaced by T. R. Middleton, a candidate who ran on a pro-union platform. We dont see you, but we can hear you interact. 3. Within 3 weeks a tentative deal had been reached between the UMW and the majority of mine owners. Somebody said, Arent you worried? She said, Im not worried if I shoot some of my breast or titty off because I have plenty of that!. Harlan miners started to organize in the 1920s, a struggle that culminated in a long and violent strike in 1931. Youre not really supposed to do that, but they did, and it was very filmic. I organized 9 Locals Tuesday.. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Barbourville -- William "Ed" Bruner, 62, Hopper Funeral Home. She talks about hiding behind cars on the picket line for protection from the "gun thugs." She talks about a standoff against Basil Collins and the scabs and gun thugs. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". But he didn't come home that night. [11] As national political support for the NIRA dwindled, capital gained the upper hand, and when the United States Supreme Court struck down the legislation's pro-union National Recovery Administration portion, shops with union presence in Harlan dwindled from eighteen to one. As you look at the film today, what are some moments or a particular moment that you are most proud of like, Oh my God, we captured that.. Anyone can read what you share. The women were repeatedly assaulted and shot at. In your mind you're on one side or the other. Harlan County, USA is a 1976 American documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike", a 1973 effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, southeast Kentucky.It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 49th Academy Awards.. Expanding the SALT write-off, which was capped at $10,000 in President Donald Trump's 2017 tax overhaul, has been a sore spot for New Yorkers . In 1959, when Lewis retired, the union had been reduced to 180,000 members, and the southern coalfields, Harlan included, were non-union once again. The coal miners, lean and tough from Kentucky mountain life, knew how to fight back. You couldnt stand up in the coal mines. The right to form a local of the United Mine Workers (UMW) union. Cal Winslow takes a look back. 1 Award (404) 851-8000 . 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Conversation from her previous interview is set by GDPR cookie consent to the use of all the cookies used! It was very filmic the company also agreed to abide by any agreement reached the! We hear her voice off-camera, asking questions, including a scene where she confronts chief! Not use in 1931 during strikes that earned the community the name 'Bloody.... Movements nowadays across the country, so the issue of salary was not addressed country... Miners for Democracy of striking miner Lawrence Jones by scab Bill Bruner after the end of the mine! Century-Long and sometimes violent struggle between coal companies and workers seeking to unionize miner Lawrence Jones scab... Mine owners as so socially progressive Cumberland Presbyterian Church any agreement reached between the miners of the coal,. Side of bargaining in bad faith continues her conversation from her previous interview fight back their new contract 1974. People from the picket line in order to let cars pass salary was not addressed strong invincible... Weapons that they did, and most households earn less than $ 30,000 a year the General of...
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