August 20, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
On Monday night, August 19, Missouri police singled out and arrested RCP members and supporters Carl Dix, Travis Morales and Joey Johnson, along with 75 other people during the course of that night. While some of the people defended them, the "peace police" community leaders worked with the police to get them arrested. Joey Johnson was blindsided and punched in the face by St. Louis politician Antonio French. Police Captain Ron Johnson, head of the operation, personally fingered Carl and Joey to get additional, higher charges. Carl and Travis were held overnight, and then released. Joey was also released that same day.
Their sole "crime" was attempting to read the RCP's statement "To the Defiant Ones" to a crowd that had gathered. The politicians and news mouthpieces justify their arrests and call them agitators. Well, since when is "agitating"-which means nothing but speaking and bringing out sharply the facts of injustice-since when is it some kind of horrible crime to speak the truth about what this system does to people, and why people should stand up and fight against it? In fact, we need MORE agitation like this. As the great fighter against slavery Frederick Douglass said, power concedes nothing without a struggle. Maybe these people think Frederick Douglass was a "criminal"-in any case, they are definitely acting like modern-day overseers!
This then was followed by a well co-ordinated media barrage-and a media blackout. The barrage was one where almost every mouthpiece on the media attacked "outsiders" and "agitators," with some specifying "revolutionary communists." Every politician and preacher who would agree to denounce "the outsiders" and "plea for peace" was given a platform. At the same time, despite tremendous efforts to speak directly to the media, and despite their easy availability, no major press outlet has yet let them tell their side. And let's be clear: all three of these so-called "outsiders" have decades between them of standing in the forefront of the fight against police murder and repression, each of them having had to stand up to the threat or reality of prison for their political activity, and each of them active right now in building for a month of resistance to this whole agenda in October-with Carl having initiated the call for that month with Cornel West. (For more on the Month of Resistance and how to get involved go to the
Call for the Month of Resistance and
stopmassincarceration.net)
Meanwhile-there has been NO JUSTICE in the police murder of Michael Brown. There has been no letup in the police intimidation and terror and brutality against people who DO stand up. And while these bootlickers talk about "organizing" and "making progress," in reality they are pacifying people and easing the way for yet another sell-out. These people who are now declared the "responsible leaders" are working to marginalize the rebellious people whose voices are never heard. All their so-called "organizing" is just about gaining favor with those who really run the show, and getting in on the plunder of this system-and opposing anyone who wants to do away with that system... or who just wants justice in the case and knows that it would already be under the rug if people had not fought.
Just think of it-going to the lengths of not just slandering people who they know will not be given a platform to respond, of not just informing on people to the very police who have answered people's demands for justice with brutal repression of their basic rights, of not just trying to pacify people with the same old stuff... but actually fingering people for the pigs and going so far as to carry out a cowardly physical assault on the revolutionaries-only, of course, when they are backed up by the armed force of the state!
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18-year-old Michael Brown
Photo: Justice for Michael Brown Facebook page. |
The repression of Carl, Travis and Joey is part of a bigger picture. The powers-that-be say that what is going on is criminal activity. First off, there is nothing criminal about people defending themselves from outrageous police attack, coming on top of years of oppression and repression. Second, why should ANYONE believe anything these murdering pigs say? Ron Johnson is just a figurehead, just someone put there to quell the anger. In fact, for all his wild claims about "crimes" and "looting," 75 of the 78 people arrested on Monday night were charged with "failure to disperse." What does that tell you?
What all these politicians and tools for the rulers really fear is the fact: one, that
people who have been demonized and cast off and consigned to an early grave or a life in prison are raising their heads and standing up, directing their anger where it needs to go; and two, that the people who are doing this, along with many others, are finding out about the Party and its leader Bob Avakian--the leadership that represents their highest interests and aspirations, and that actually has the strategy to LEAD a struggle to make revolution.
We will not back down. We will not go away.
HANDS OFF CARL DIX AND OTHER REVOLUTIONARY FIGHTERS!
STOP THE REPRESSION OF THE BRAVE FIGHTERS IN FERGUSON!
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