On November 5, 1916, the steamship Verona, packed with members of the Industrial Workers of the World, were met at the City Dock in Everett, Washington, by Sheriff Donald McRae and 140 armed deputies. When the shooting stopped, five men were dead, two dying, six missing, and dozens wounded. What had started as a strike between the town's shingle weavers union and the mill owners turned into a free-speech fight between the IWW and Sheriff McRae, a man elected twice with the support of labor. The violence escalated, leaving the town torn in half, the shingle weavers union destroyed, and seven men dead. All the while the mills kept turning out millions of red cedar shingles and making the mill owners rich. With stunning historical footage and expert analysis, Verona: The Story of the Everett Massacre reveals how the conflict between them that have and them that don't destroys lives, not just in violent confrontations, but in the day-to-day existence of working people. With a style reminiscent of Ken Burns and Steve James, Verona relates the forgotten story and explores how those who have power and money continue to successfully turn the rest of us against each other.
Log in / Sign up