Justice for the Charleston Five.

• Position: Longshoremen charged with felony rioting - Brief Article

Charleston, South Carolina

On June 9, thousands of dock-workers and union members rallied in solidarity with five longshoremen, dubbed the "Charleston Five," who are charged with "felony rioting." (The Charleston Five are pictured above, from left to right: Kenneth Jefferson, Rick Simmons, Peter Washington, Elijah Ford, and Jason Edgerton.) All are members of the predominantly black International Longshoremen's Association Local 1422 and 1771.

The incident occurred on January 20, 2000, when a Dutch Nordana vessel docked at the Charleston port and started to use nonunion labor to unload its cargo. Several hundred police officers were guarding the nonunion workers, while hundreds of Longshoremen picketed and marched.

What happened next is in dispute. The Post and Courier reported that, "Longshoremen charged into the police line but were held back. Soon, many were throwing rocks, bricks, and other debris.... Police clubbed several protesters." Bill Fletcher, a senior AFL-CIO official, says, "The...