Tuesday, November 29, 2016

We received this urgent call from the Revolution Club, Chicago


"There is a showdown looming at Standing Rock Indian Reservation
in the Dakotas. Thousands of Native American Indians, along with supporters,
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have been camping out there. They have been protesting the installation of an oil pipeline that gravely threatens the water that Native people and thousands of others in the area depend on, and violates Indian treaty rights.... Now the Army of Corps of Engineers has vowed to arrest anyone who remains in the camp past Monday, December 5....
"Battles like the one in Standing Rock can be and must increasingly be built as part of strengthening the movement to make revolution. And in the shadow of the looming fascism of Trump, the struggle for the basic justice of the demands of the water protectors in Standing Rock takes on even greater significance.
Sunday November 20
Sheriff's Deputies fired water cannons at people
in 25° weather. Photo: Twitter/@erinschrode
"The whole world will be watching to see what the people of this country are going to do. What happens in Standing Rock will set terms one way or the other going into perilous times. Be part of making sure they are the right terms."



The Revolution Club is organizing a car caravan to get to Standing Rock as soon as possible. We are planning to leave sometime Wednesday, Nov 30 or Thursday, Dec 1 (there may be opportunities for some to go later). Join us. Call or text 312-804-9121 or email revclub.chi@gmail.com to participate or provide support.

Needed: cold weather gear, camping equipment, food, water and funds.

Read about the looming showdown at Standing Rock:
Showdown Looms: Stand With Standing Rock

Monday, November 28, 2016

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   by Bob Avakian
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SCIENCE AND REVOLUTION
   An Interview with Ardea Skybreak
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Sunday, November 20, 2016

2 pm, Sunday, Nov. 20, 111th & Kedzie, Chicago

We Refuse to Accept Racist White Supremacy in Mount Greenwood!


We look forward to making a very powerful political statement at the "Stand Up to Racist Mob Threats in Mt. Greenwood" protest, Sunday November 20th at 2:00 pm, 111th & Kedzie, Chicago. Look for the Stolen Lives banner there.

Stolen Lives Banner, State St., Dec. 2015.


1. This is a national flashpoint in the whole fight over Black life in America. 

2. Mt Greenwood is a major flashpoint in Trump's rising fascism. 

3. History has shown that you must go to where the attacks are the ugliest and the sharpest if you want to turn the tide of history! 

Will it be safe to protest? The protesters will not initiate violence. While there is risk involved, it is far more dangerous to not act - it emboldens the racists. Will this incident be a harbinger of an even uglier future across this country? Or will this be a moment when people rally their courage, stand up against this hatred, and build the strength of people across this country to wage the resistance necessary to STOP the rise of fascist America? This is not yet determined. It depends on what we do. It is up to us to fight for the future we want in the face of Trump's ascendancy. Now is a time for courage.

Meet-up information for those going to "Stand up in Mt. Greenwood to racist mob threats," Sunday Nov. 20th at 2:00 pm.
1.     Drive and park at  St. Christina Catholic Church,   3342 West 111th Street, Chicago. This is 3 blocks from 111th & Kedzie. St. Christina has graciously offered their parking lot for people participating in this protest. However, people who park there are asked to leave by 4:30 pm since there is a 5:00 pm event at the church. For further directions at St. Christina's, look for someone with a protest sign in the parking lot. 

2.     Take public transportation (details below)

3.     Drive and park at Beverly Unitarian Church, 10244 S. Longwood, Chicago, and carpool with others, 2½ miles to 111th & Kedzie.  Beverly Unitarian Church has graciously offered their parking lot for this purpose. For further directions at Beverly Unitarian, look for someone with a protest sign in the parking lot.
Details:
1.   Drive and park at St. Christina Catholic Church 3342 W. 111th St., Chicago
From downtown:
I-94 East (Dan Ryan) to I-57.
Take exit 355 (111th St.) from I-57
Turn Right on W 112th St, which becomes Monterey
Monterey jogs left, becomes W. 111th St.
Follow W. 111th St approx 1.7 miles to St. Christina's
--------------------------------------

2.   Public transportation
CTA Red line to 95th St. (end of the line).
Take CTA #112 Vincennes bus to 111th & Kedzie.
#112 leaves 95th St. at 12:55 pm and 1:20 pm (and every 25 minutes), arrives at 111th & Kedzie 25 minutes later. Travel time from downtown to 111th & Kedzie is approximately 1 hour.
CTA Orange line to Kedzie.
Take CTA #52A South Kedzie bus to the 111th & Kedzie stop.
Buses leave Orange line at 12:40 pm and 1:11 pm, and take about 40 minutes. Travel time from downtown to 111th & Kedzie is approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes.

3.   Drive and park at Beverly Unitarian Church, 10422 S. Longwood Dr. Chicago
From Downtown:
I-94 East (Dan Ryan) to I-57.
Take exit 357 from I-57.
Follow W 98th Pl, S Elizabeth St and W 103rd St to S Longwood Dr. The church is on right side at 103rd & Longwood. It looks like a castle.
We welcome two new signatories to the statement: Cornel West and Father Michael Pfleger. (See full list below)

We oppose white supremacy!
We will stand up against racist mob threats in Mt. Greenwood!
Protest: 2 pm, Sunday, Nov 20, 111th & Kedzie, Mt. Greenwood, Chicago

Signatories:
AbdudDharr Abdullah 
Buddy Bell, Chicago
Fr. Bob Bossie, SCJ
Hank Brown, SNCC 1968, Revolution Club Chicago
Rev. Jeddidiah Brown
Ilene Carson
Rev. Ronna Case, retired
Mark Clements
Rev. Jason Coulter, Ravenswood United Church of Christ*, Community Renewal Society*
Kevin De Beck Ministerial Intern, Unitarian Church of Evanston*
Airickca Gordon-Taylor, Cousin of Emmett Till
Ja'Mal Green
Quovadis Green
Pastor Gregg L Greer, Freedom First International, SCLC
Gerald Hankerson
Tio Hardiman, Violence Interrupters, Inc.
Pat Hill, Director of Chicago Independent Human Rights Council
Ted Jennings, Chicago Theological Seminary*
Rev Jose S Landaverde, Faith Life & Hope Mission
La'Shawn Yvonne Lattrice, BLM Women of Faith
Rev. Taigen Dan Leighton, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate, Chicago*
Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston
Freddie McGee, Father of Freddie Latice Wilson, murdered by CPD in 2007 & Cousin of Emmett Till
Lauren Abigail Meltzer
Nancy Michaels
Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation, Roosevelt University
Quintus AO Maximus
Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, Pastor, The Faith Community of Saint Sabina*
PHENOM, HipHop Youth Development Specialist
Gloria Pinex, mother of Darius Pinex, murdered by CPD in 2011
Indigo Quashie, Chicago Children's Choir*
Carolyn Ruff, BLM Women of Faith
Rabbi Brant Rosen, Tzedek Chicago*
Rev. Matthew Ross, Eureka M.B. Church*
Ted Sirota, Drummer
Rev John S Smith, MDiv Beverly Unitarian Church*
Marc K Smith
Wanda Taylor, mother of Marcus Landrum, killed by police in 2008
Edward Ward
Tracy Washington, mother of Marcus Washington
& cousin of Joshua Beal
Dr Cornel West
Dee Williams, Revolution Club Chicago
World Can't Wait - Chicago
Rev Kim Ziyavo, Dorothy Day Mission*
(* = organization listed for identification purposes only)

If you are on Facebook, please join and share the event there.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Share this meme!

Protest: 2 pm, Sunday, Nov. 20, 111th & Kedzie, Chicago

We Refuse to Accept Racist White Supremacy in Mount Greenwood!


Fact Sheet
➔ On November 5th, Joshua Beal, 25, was in a funeral procession for his cousin. Off-duty police in civilian clothes in Mt Greenwood confronted a 17-year-old relative and waved a gun at her and others. Another off-duty cop driving by on his way to work sized up the situation and shot 13 times, killing Joshua. If the situation were reversed and white people in a traffic altercation took measures to defend themselves against Black people waving guns at them - do you think a passing cop would pull over and shoot the white person dead?

➔ Grieving family members were asked to wait in Mt Greenwood while their cars were held as part of the crime scene. Within a short time residents began to amass, not to comfort them, but to threaten them. Local residents called them "n***er," drove by brandishing baseball bats and chanting "CPD! CPD!" and "Trump! Trump!" The Revolution Club, Black Lives Matter activists, and relatives of other people killed by the police came to offer support to the family.

➔ The next day, and again on election night, a small group of Black activists and members of the Revolution Club went to Mt Greenwood to protest the police shooting and the virulently racist treatment of the family and protesters. A white mob of several hundred people shouted things like "n***er," "coon," "monkey," and "this is America, not Africa." They held signs that read, "You are Animals, #go home." Again chants of "CPD!" and "Trump!" Protesters were physically threatened repeatedly. 

➔ Father Pfleger, a well-known priest, posted the following account, "Just got back from the protest in Mt. Greenwood... I have not seen so many angry White People filled with such Hate since a child in 1966 in Marquette Park [Note: when mobs of white people attacked a march led by Martin Luther King to integrate housing in Chicago].... I was called every name and cursed with every word... an area that is not only White, but heavily Catholic, and will be at church on Sunday... I am embarrassed as a Priest and a Catholic to witness what I witnessed tonight....Earlier today a man said he wanted to break my legs and drag me from a truck...." 

➔ Mount Greenwood is a neighborhood that is almost 90% white and has a history of segregation and racism. It is home to many members of the Chicago Police Department who must live in the city.
3 Reasons Why You Need to Be at the Protest this Sunday

1. This is a national flashpoint in the whole fight over Black life in America. Especially in the last couple of years, people have taken to the streets demanding an end to the murder of Black people and others at the hands of police. Yet, the police keep on killing and the courts never send them to jail. Now, a white mob in a cop-heavy neighborhood has come out with baseball bats and racist epithets to send the message: get used to being killed and shut up about it, and get out of 'our' neighborhood. We must be there to send the opposite message!

2. Mt Greenwood is a major flashpoint in Trump's rising fascism. As white people threatened to break the legs of a priest(!) and send Black people back to Africa, they also chanted, "Trump! Trump! Trump!" Across the country, thousands of racist, misogynist, anti-LGBT and viciously anti-immigrant acts of hatred and violence have been reported since Trump's victory. Every single one of these attacks must be countered, but when these attacks are openly organized in a community - especially one that is so interwoven with law enforcement - it concentrates all this ugliness and such a threat and must be directly opposed and stopped NOW!

3. History has shown that you must go to where the attacks are the ugliest and the sharpest if you want to turn the tide of history! To fight Jim Crow, people had to march in Selma - right where the racist lynch mobs were most dangerous and mobilized. It wasn't enough to object from afar. In Nazi Germany, Pastor Niemöller spoke to the profound lesson of the failure to act against the sharpest attacks: "First they came for the Commu­nists, and I did not speak out--Because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me."

Will it be safe to protest? The protesters will not initiate violence. While there is risk involved, it is far more dangerous to not act - it emboldens the racists. Will this incident be a harbinger of an even uglier future across this country? Or will this be a moment when people rally their courage, stand up against this hatred, and build the strength of people across this country to wage the resistance necessary to STOP the rise of fascist America? This is not yet determined. It depends on what we do. It is up to us to fight for the future we want in the face of Trump's ascendancy. Now is a time for courage.


Add your name to this statement:

We oppose white supremacy!
We will stand up against racist mob threats in Mt. Greenwood!
Protest: 2 pm, Sunday, Nov 20, 111th & Kedzie, Mt. Greenwood, Chicago

Signatories (list in formation):
Buddy Bell, Chicago
Fr. Bob Bossie, SCJ
Hank Brown, SNCC 1968, Revolution Club Chicago
Rev. Jeddidiah Brown
Rev. Ronna Case, retired
Mark Clements
Rev. Jason Coulter, Ravenswood United Church of Christ*, Community Renewal Society*
Kevin De Beck Ministerial Intern, Unitarian Church of Evanston*
Airickca Gordon-Taylor, Cousin of Emmett Till
Pastor Gregg L Greer, Freedom First International, SCLC
Tio Hardiman, Violence Interrupters, Inc.
Pat Hill, Director of Chicago Independent Human Rights Council
Ted Jennings, Chicago Theological Seminary*
Rev. Taigen Dan Leighton, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate, Chicago*
Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston
Freddie McGee, Father of Freddie Latice Wilson, murdered by CPD in 2007 & Cousin of Emmett Till
Nancy Michaels
Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation, Roosevelt University
Quintus AO Maximus
PHENOM, HipHop Youth Development Specialist
Gloria Pinex, mother of Darius Pinex, murdered by CPD in 2011
Indigo Quashie, Chicago Children's Choir*
Rabbi Brant Rosen, Tzedek Chicago*
Rev. Matthew Ross, Eureka M.B. Church*
Ted Sirota, Drummer
Marc K Smith
Wanda Taylor, mother of Marcus Landrum, killed by police in 2008
Edward Ward
Tracy Washington, mother of Marcus Washington
& cousin of Joshua Beal
Dee Williams, Revolution Club Chicago
World Can't Wait Chicago
Rev Kim Ziyavo, Dorothy Day Mission*
(* = organization listed for identification purposes only)


Sunday, November 13, 2016


To all people of conscience:

We Oppose White Supremacy!
We Will Stand against Racist Mob Threats in Mount Greenwood!

Protest: 2 pm, Sunday, Nov. 20
111th & Kedzie, Mt. Greenwood, Chicago

In the days leading up to the election of Trump, a racist vitriolic mob in the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago threatened a Black family whose loved one, Joshua Beal, had just been killed by off-duty police during a funeral procession. This grieving family had "N*ggers Go Home" and "Keep Out of Our Town" screamed at them as they waited at a Burger King for their cars to be released by the police. Then the manager closed the BK early, forcing them outside. In the days after, protesters who went to the scene were met by white mobs of hundreds who DNAInfo described as "demonstrators supporting police."
Scene in Mt. Greenwood
Catholic priest Fr. Michael Pfleger participated in the protest on election night. This is his account: "I have just returned from the protest in Mt. Greenwood...I have not seen so many angry White People filled with such Hate since a child in 1966 in Marquette Park...I was called every name and cursed with every word, by adults and children walking with their parents...an area that is not only white, but heavily Catholic, and will be at church on Sunday...I am embarrassed as a Priest and a Catholic to witness what I witnessed tonight...Earlier today a man said he wanted to break my legs and drag me from a truck...."

Mt. Greenwood is an 88% white [2012 census] enclave of police, firefighters, city employees and their families. There were reportedly off-duty cops and many of their family members in these racist crowds who were chanting "CPD, CPD, CPD" and "Blue Lives Matter." 

Some believe it is not a coincidence that this occurred with the rise of Trump and an ugly racist xenophobic, misogynist, homophobic program being encouraged during this election. Many in the crowd were chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump."

Joshua Beal's family and the small group of brave protesters who stood up in the face of this racist mob must be joined by thousands of people of conscience of ALL nationalities, ages, and walks of life. White people cannot stand on the sidelines while racist crowds threaten Black people. If you think Black Lives Matter, then what you DO in the face of this matters. Is there risk involved in standing up to this howling mob? Yes, but it is far more dangerous to do nothing, allowing racist mobs to violently threaten Black people and restore white supremacy. 

We must come together, resist now, and let the whole world know that we will not accept this! Which side are YOU on?
Add your name to this statement:
We oppose white supremacy!
We will stand up against racist mob threats in Mt. Greenwood!
Protest: 2 pm, Sunday, Nov 20, 111th & Kedzie, Mt. Greenwood, Chicago

Initial signers:
Rev. Jason Coulter, Ravenswood UCC
Tio Hardiman, Violence Interrupters, Inc.
Rev. Taigen Dan Leighton, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate*, Chicago
Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston 
Rev. Matthew Ross, Eureka M.B. Church*
Ted Sirota, Drummer
Airickca Gordon Taylor, Cousin of Emmett Till
Edward Ward
Dee Williams, Revolution Club, Chicago
*For identification purposes only

If you are on Facebook, please join and share the event there.

The election of Trump and the racist police neighborhood of Mt. Greenwood in Chicago---this is Amerikkka 2016! NO! WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! THIS MUST BE STOPPED NOW! WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? (Revolution newspaper)



Wednesday, November 9, 2016

5 a.m., November 9, 2016

A vile fascist has been elected President of the United States

There must be no illusions that somehow this will be OK. It won't. 

Every immigrant, woman, Black, Latino, Native American, Muslim or differently gendered person... every person who cares about the planet, every person with even an elementary sense of justice and compassion--all over the world--has reason to hurt and be concerned for the future like never before.

All that Trump represents must not stand. Starting today, there must be massive resistance to everything Donald Trump represents and every reactionary measure that he has promised to deliver. This is a time for courage, not despair. Struggle, not retreat, escape or conciliation.

Donald Trump promised to "Make America Great Again." Hillary Clinton countered that America was already great. The reality: America Was Never Great. This country has been a nightmare from its founding with enslavement of Africans and the genocide of Native Americans, continuing through theft of Mexico and on through the endless wars and invasions of countries and peoples around the world while here at home the horror is unrelenting for tens of millions. The American nightmare is real, and it has just gotten more horrific.


aaa
Share this meme, use #NotMyPresident
In Chicago---
Emergency Protest: Say No to Trump
5pm, TODAY, Nov 9, Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash, Chicago
For those on Facebook, "join" and share the event there.

Look for the Revolution Club and the "America Was NEVER Great" banner.
Contact the Revolution Club at 312 804 9121
But, this too is real: Donald Trump is a grotesque representative of a system that has a name--capitalism-imperialism--and this system means, and can only mean, misery and horrors for the majority of humanity. Through the whole election process this vicious buffoon has been treated as a legitimate candidate for president. Any system that treats such a racist and misogynist fascist as legitimate reveals itself to be illegitimate. There should be no illusions or rationalizations to explain this reality away. And, the fact that there has been and will continue to be such intense ugly infighting among the ruling class reveals a system facing major challenges and in crisis, and potential openings and freedom to be wrenched for the struggle of the people for a radically new and better world.

Trump represents an even more grotesque and openly murderous form of this system, and his attacks against the people should be met with massive resistance. But what is needed will NOT be to return to what has been, continuing the same brutal system, its crimes and horrors. 

What is needed and possible is a radically new society, and a radically different kind of state, that will open the way and lead finally to the abolition of all forms of oppressive and repressive rule and all relations of domination and exploitation, throughout the world.

This is a society charted and embodied in the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America. This path-breaking work is authored by Bob Avakian, architect of the new communism, and the leader of the revolution--an ACTUAL revolution, to overthrow this system at the soonest possible time. 

HOW WE CAN WIN--How We Can Really Make Revolution, from the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, starts with this foundational point: 
An actual revolution does not mean trying to make some changes within this system--it means overthrowing this system and bringing into being a radically different and far better system. This system of capitalism-imperialism cannot be reformed. There is no way, under this system, to put an end to the brutality and murder by police, the wars and destruction of people and the environment, the exploitation, oppression and degradation of millions and billions of people, including the half of humanity that is female, here and throughout the world--all of which is rooted in profound contradictions built into the basic functioning, relations, and structures of this system. Only an actual revolution can bring about the fundamental change that is needed.
This is a time for Daring. People need to be in the streets and getting into, and getting with, the revolution.

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