Chapter 659: 229, Escalation of conflict Chapter 659: 229, Escalation of conflict In the long course of history, there are only a few ways to resist a certain system!
War, protest, strike—those are the three common methods.
War is something the Black people of the North District lack both the courage and combat strength for.
Protest, as the incident before the boardwalk beach already proved, doesn’t work under the severe firepower oppression in Atlantic City.
That leaves only the last method, strike!
The organizer of this strike was a Black man named Bart Bild!
This man had migrated to Atlantic City from New York during this period.
Back in New York, Bart Bild was a musician in an underground bar, but as the number of bars dwindled due to the spread of the Prohibition throughout the United States, Bart Bild eventually lost his job after moving between several underground bars. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet
Left without options, Bart Bild saw a report about Atlantic City in the newspaper and decided to bring his family there.
Now he’s working at the Block Tavern on the boardwalk.
As mentioned before, being a musician is considered a middle-class occupation among the Black community in Atlantic City, and working as a musician at the Block Tavern even more so heightens one’s status.
Therefore, Bart Bild became the leader among the Black newcomers in Atlantic City.
Bart Bild was ambitious.
Although his current job was envied by all in the North District, he was still not content and aspired for an even higher status.
This event seemed to offer him such hope.
Thus, following this event, Bart Bild had been actively networking with other Black people, and by now, he had already gathered quite a following.
“Not enough, still not enough!”
In the house he was renting temporarily, Bart Bild shook his head as he spoke to his core team members.
“We need to mobilize the entire North District.
Only then will those despicable white people in Atlantic City, who indulge in luxury but do nothing, realize that without us from the North District, their lives would come to a complete halt!”
Mayo Logan was Bart Bild’s staunch supporter, currently working as a busboy at a restaurant in Atlantic City.
After hearing Bart Bild’s speech, he angrily said, “Those people have grown accustomed to being enslaved by the white people of Atlantic City—they don’t know how to fight for more benefits for themselves.
Without our existence, the whole Atlantic City would definitely come to a standstill!”
The North District wasn’t united as one.
When witnessing their own people being oppressed, they might rise up in resistance, but that doesn’t mean they would remain united afterward.
Especially those who have lived in Atlantic City for many years, or even those born there.
They are indeed very opposed to this matter, but to expect any supportive action from them requires careful consideration.
This was the problem Bart Bild now faced.
Those Black people were worried about the strike proposed by Bart Bild; they had lived in Atlantic City for a long time and did not want any changes, especially since they understood the quality of life in Atlantic City was indeed better than for Black people in other cities.
Bart Bild and his followers didn’t mindset.
They were drifters, having just arrived in Atlantic City and many without jobs, so they didn’t care—if a strike was called, so be it, for they had no work anyway!
“To make this work, we need to find someone with prestige in the North District to lead us!”
Bart Bild said this somewhat helplessly.
He was a very confident person and believed that the strike would bring them more benefits.
Bart believed that this event could also increase his prestige in the North District.
If possible, he didn’t want to influence with anyone else.
But his foundation in the North District of Atlantic City was too weak to rally everyone.
“We could go to Irving.
He is a leader of the North District.
Now that the district is in danger, those vile white people want to drive us out of our homesteads and use our land to create wealth for themselves—it’s despicable!”
Mayo Logan proclaimed indignantly, although, in truth, he didn’t own any property in the North District of Atlantic City and was still renting up to this point.
“Irving won’t work!” Bart Bild denied the suggestion without any hesitation.
He had intended to use the situation to cut into some of Irving’s influence in the North District of Atlantic City—how could he possibly let Irving take the lead?
Even if Irving seemed like the best candidate at this stage.
Bart Bild explained, “Irving is the mouthpiece for Donnie and Nucky in the North District; he will definitely consider their interests.
And everyone saw that during the Harrison Rome incident and the last incident, Irving didn’t secure any benefits for us.
If we go to Irving now, not only will he not help us, but he might also leak our plans.”
After listening, everyone nodded in agreement with Bartleby’s words.
But the problem circled back to the starting point—who would they find?
It was clear Bart Bild already had his own candidate in mind, so as everyone wondered, he said, “I think Razak Bab is not bad; he is exactly the leader we need.”