People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (09-00) Online Edition .TOPIC 09-00 PT Index .TEXT .BODY ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.lrna.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 Editorial 1. OUR REAL FIGHT News and Features 2. WHAT'S AT STAKE IN 2000 ELECTIONS 3. CHICANO MORATORIUM: AUGUST 29 IS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY - EQUALITY IS WITHIN OUR GRASP 4. WORKERS DEMAND END TO COMPANY ABUSES 5. LRNA SUPPORTS THE RIGHT OF RETURN OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE 6. WE HAVE A RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE 7. POLICE ATTACK DEMOCRACY IN L.A. 8. ORGANIZATION AND UNITY AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE 9. VOICES FROM PROTESTS IN PHILADELPHIA Spirit of the Revolution 10. IN LOVING MEMORY OF A REVOLUTIONARY: ROY STEVENS (1934-2000) Announcements, Events, etc. 11. THE 3RD ANNUAL CHICAGO AREA PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO BENEFIT DINNER 12. LEAGUE OF REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA -- NEW IDEAS FOR A NEW CLASS! [To subscribe to the online edition, send a message to pt- dist@noc.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line.] ****************************************************************** We encourage reproduction and use of all articles except those copyrighted. Please credit the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers -- your generosity is appreciated. For free electronic subscription, send a message to pt-dist@noc.org with "Subscribe" in the subject line. For electronic subscription problems, e-mail pt-admin@noc.org. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 Edit: Our real fight .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 1. Editorial: Our real fight The 2000 election is one of the more important ones of recent times, but not for the reasons it should be. It's supposed to be an exercise in democracy, but somehow the people -- the 9 out of 10 of us without the big bucks -- got lost in the shuffle. The process was rigged like a student council election in high school. As had been predicted since at least 1998, the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees turned out to be Al Gore and George W. Bush, neither of whom is exactly a giant of the age. The primaries were bunched together within a few weeks in early 2000, pretty much giving Gore and Bush the advantage in terms of the gigantic amounts of money raised and exposure in an undemocratically concentrated mass media. Having gotten what they wanted by summer, it was time for Bush and Gore to use their political conventions to buy the public's attention, and eventually the voters' support, with all kinds of PR acrobatics and button-pushing. Don't see Bush as the shallow, arrogant frat brat inheriting his father's presidency; see him as mature, clean, sober, compassionate and inclusive. Don't see Gore as the uptight White House telemarketer who's for free trade and censorship; see him as a fighting campaign reformer, a warm- blooded family man who never heard of "that woman, Miss Lewinsky" or her boss. Uh-huh. Sure. In Philadelphia, the Republicans cynically muzzled their wild-eyed right-wingers and put before the cameras all kinds of people they normally persecute, just to prove that they've changed. In Los Angeles, the Democrats cynically deep-sixed a congresswoman who had been organizing a fund-raiser in an inappropriate mansion. Where was democracy in Philadelphia and Los Angeles? It was in the streets, but only because it could not get inside the convention halls, nor in the mass media, to be seen and heard, because in the year 2000 democracy -- like tens of millions of Americans -- is unemployed, broke and homeless. In the streets, democracy was on the run -- under attack from police billy clubs, tear gas, and rubber bullets. The nation's major police forces have been built up and fortified in recent years and their aim is to crush dissent in America. This was made clear, for example, when the Los Angeles police attacked the Rage Against the Machine concert during the Democratic Convention. As fall begins, it's pretty clear what kind of presidential campaign lies ahead. The candidates' lips will move, but they won't really say anything. The images will be slick, but insincere. The voters will be worn down into making a choice between two men whose agendas do not meet the basic needs of the millions of Americans in poverty. We must stop and take stock of what's happening around us. We must look beyond our daily concerns and envision a country where universal human rights, social justice, and economic security are not just jokes at billionaire fundraising dinners, but the beating heart of democracy itself. This is our real fight. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 What's at stake in 2000 elections .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 2. What's at stake in 2000 elections Many Americans know that the presidential candidates, whether Republican, Democrat, or Reform, want to take us for a ride one more time. A Newsweek poll showed that at least 40 percent of the people don't think the two-party system is addressing the most important issues. What are these issues? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that on top of everyone's list are jobs, education, and health care. How does America rate on these issues? We're told that unemployment is the lowest in decades, yet we're working longer hours, holding two jobs, and even with two or three members of our family working, we can barely make ends meet. Economists pull out their statistics to show us how well we're doing. Yet their rosy numbers don't pay our bills. In regard to education, we all know that the U.S. public educational system is failing and that instead of allocating the funds to upgrade it, so that no child falls behind, some of the presidential candidates have the audacity to put forth a voucher system! This voucher system will make the education of U.S. children a private matter instead of a national priority. In regard to health care, well, let's hope a member of our family doesn't come down with a serious illness or injury, because if they do, we're in trouble. There are 44.3 million Americans who have no health insurance. Texas is leading the nation not only in the number of people it executes, but also because more of its residents lack health care. One in four Texans has no health insurance. Prosperity is the buzzword of our times, but prosperity for whom? One in five Americans has less now than in 1977, while the richest have 43 percent more. So, what's at stake in 2000? Our lives, our children, and everything we stand for. Regardless of what we're told, when we look deeply into our souls, we know what's decent and moral. We know what's right and what's wrong. We know it is indecent and immoral for people to go hungry, especially children. That's what President Clinton brought about by signing the welfare reform bill. Sixty-two percent of those affected were children. Whether Republican, Democrat or Reform, these parties represent the interests of the sinful rich and the economic system they uphold. To protect their interests, more Americans will go hungry, more Americans will be imprisoned, and more Americans will die, because poverty kills. We have a choice: We can either bury our heads in the ground like an ostrich and pray that the specter of hunger and homelessness looming over the nation stops at our doorway, or we can join the thousands who are talking, marching, discussing, protesting, and studying what's best for our America and not the America of the top 1 percent (2.7 million) who have $620 billion to spend on their whims. We're coming to a crossroad. One path will lead us to a nation where we will be condemned to live in their America, where they wallow in sinful wealth while the vast majority of us go hungry, without shelter and with broken spirits. The other will lead us to the struggle where thousands are beginning to fight for an America that will use the marvels of the new technology to pull everyone out of poverty and into a world where our souls and our bodies will be nurtured and enriched. Americans have been here before. Yet it is not just another election year. We all know that with the new millennium approaching, we are entering a new epoch heralded by the microchip, the Internet and the electronic revolution. But we have been here before, in the sense that we have to choose sides. We did it in 1776 when the American people rallied to get rid of a stifling monarchy and everything that came with it. Again in the 1860s, Americans against slavery shed their blood to get rid of an unjust and immoral system. And no doubt the American people will rally again to fight for a cooperative society where people live in peace and abundance as brothers and sisters. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 Chicano Moratorium .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 3. Chicano Moratorium: August 29 is the 30th Anniversary Equality is within our grasp By Rich Monje August 29, 2000 was the 30th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, a historic demonstration in East Los Angeles against the Vietnam War. The Chicano Moratorium of August 29, 1970 joined the issue of the Vietnam War with the struggles of Latinos for economic and political equality. On that day, Mexican minority communities expressed the frustration and anger with decades of oppression in the explosion that occurred. The demonstration had a profound affect on the Mexican minority movement for equality. The young people that were involved and their families -- especially those who had been in this country for generations -- began to assert a new political awareness influenced by the black and Puerto Rican movements. A significant percentage of those drafted to fight in Vietnam were minorities. The Chicano Moratorium brought over 30,000 people together. However, before the speeches could begin, the Los Angeles County sheriffs marched into the park and attacked the crowd and began beating anyone in their way. The people rebelled. This was a rally with families and children. My 1-year-old son was there. The young men had to fight the sheriffs to allow people to escape, as many were pinned in by a baseball backstop. Our fury and rage knew no bounds, and the fires burned well into the next day. East Los Angeles was under siege for several months. We could not go to the corner store without being stopped and harassed. After several community meetings, another protest was organized for January 31, 1971. After the rally, a march proceeded to Whittier Boulevard. Seven sheriffs stood by their cars with shotguns drawn. They ordered the crowd to halt. Several thousand marchers, unable to hear the order, surged, pushing those at the front forward. The sheriffs opened fire with "warning shots." I turned to run and was hit in the back of the left leg. The crowd was again attacked; one person was killed and many others were injured. As my friend helped me, the searing pain was intolerable. A lady over 60 years old told my friend to take me into her house. I looked around and there must have been 80 people in her home, with many standing in the yard. She was protecting us from the police riot going on. They helped me to the hospital. The lessons we learned at the Chicano Moratorium did not begin there. This event and subsequent actions were rooted in the history of struggle of the Mexican minority in the United States. The ethnic agenda promoted in the 1960s during the Chicano movement did not accomplish what many of us had hoped. The lesson we must learn is that many times in some struggles our interests are inter-linked as Latinos. The impact of the competition generated by the global economy has driven down wages and working conditions where many poor workers and immigrants are finding jobs. In their fight against those wages and conditions, Latinos are now the group that has the highest percentage of workers joining unions. I have witnessed organizing drives during which Latinos are many times some of the staunchest workers. Latinos, like their counterparts, have become an active and leading sector of the working class. They are a component part of the organized labor movement, a part of the growing movement against poverty, and a part of the movement for political independence. Many young people from Latino communities across the country are proudly donning the mantle of revolutionary. The struggle for equality is far from over. Laws are being passed to restrict our rights as we speak (Propositions 187 and 209, the "three-strikes" sentencing rules). However, the force for change is the emerging technology and its influence on the economic system that allows for the possibility for economic equality that would eliminate the basis for political inequality. Good schools, jobs, housing and food are the equalizing factors. The critical element is to have access to the power to have the basic necessities of life. The divisions of the past based in color, language, or nationality are decreasing in direct proportion to the understanding of our common economic needs for the revolutionary transformation to a cooperative society. This will be a society based on the principle "from each according to one's ability, to each according to one's needs" with mutual respect for our different histories, cultures, religions and languages, and guaranteeing real political equality. Our allegiance will be with those that can help us attain that economic and political equality. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 Workers demand end to company abuses .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 4. Workers demand end to company abuses [Editor's note: The following is excerpted from a press release issued by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America.] Chicago -- Workers from the GATX warehouse in Hodgkins, Illinois and their supporters protested July 27 at the GATX corporate headquarters at 500 W. Monroe in downtown Chicago. Workers are angry that the company has made use of a fake union to deny them decent wages and health benefits. Workers are also angry that the company is using heavy-handed and illegal tactics to thwart their right to freely choose their own union. GATX workers delivered a letter to Ronald H. Zech, chairman and CEO of GATX, insisting that the company cease interfering with the rights of the workers to choose their own union. The letter accuses the company of profiting through its relationship with the corrupt union. Further, the letter insists that GATX stop its campaign of illegal threats and high-pressure tactics. Workers at the GATX warehouse chose to be represented by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) last April in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Most workers at the GATX facility make between $9.50 and $11.50 per hour while family health insurance costs $200 per month. UE members at GATX are demanding pay increases, affordable health care, a real grievance procedure, seniority in job postings, and the union of their choice. The GATX Corporation specializes in train leasing, chemical storage, and logistics warehousing. [For more information, contact Sam Smucker at the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America at 312-829-8300.] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 LRNA supports the right of return of the Palestinian people .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 5. LRNA supports the right of return of the Palestinian people [Editor's note: At 11 a.m. on September 16, 2000, thousands of Palestinian refugees and their supporters will take part in the Palestine Refugee Return March in Washington, D.C. The statement below was issued in support of the march.] The League of Revolutionaries for a New America (LRNA) unconditionally supports the Palestinian revolutionary movement in its fight to achieve the strategic goals of the Palestinian people, including the right of return. The Palestinian people have endured against all odds. Reactionary Arab regimes and movements have conspired with Zionism, a colonial project supported by imperialist powers, to deny the Palestinian people their independence. Reactionary Arab regimes have coordinated with the current Palestinian leadership, which represents the Palestinian bourgeoisie, to drag the Palestinian people into a settlement of the conflict in favor of global capitalism. The plight of the Palestinian people resonates with the wretched of the earth, regardless of color, ethnicity or creed, all across the globe. The attacks by global capitalism against the have-nots take various forms, but the process is the same. The enemy of the peoples of the world is attempting to silence any opposition to its domination and has succeeded in dividing and conquering along the color line, nationality and creed. We must all respond to the crimes of the global capitalists through devising a winning strategy that can be carried out by unified action. The rally in support of the Palestinian people is a significant development in that direction. LRNA will do everything possible to combat our own capitalists and build a new America free from oppression and exploitation. Today, this means educating the new class of poor people inside the United States who, like the Palestinian people, have been forced into hunger and homelessness by the capitalist system. By mobilizing the have-nots inside the United States and clarifying to them who their real enemy is, we will fulfill our internationalist duty in the fight of all the have-nots the world over. The LRNA salutes the Palestinian people in their fight against Zionism, Arab reaction and capitalist global domination. Long live the Palestinian revolution! Long live the international struggle against global capitalism! [Contact the Palestine Right To Return Coalition at prrc@mail.com; visit their Web site at http://al-awda.org or fax: 717-832-1123.] .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 We have a right to health care .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 6. We have a right to health care Statement by the League of Revolutionaries for a New America You never feel so vulnerable as when you or someone you care about is sick or injured. What you want at that moment is for you or your loved one to be healed, to be made whole again. Your health is the key to everything else in life. Yet in America, at a time when some of the best health care in history is available, millions of us have no access to medical care, or get only limited care. Today, more than 44 million people -- nearly one person in six -- have no health insurance, and another 38 million have inadequate coverage. In recent years, people have been losing health insurance coverage at the rate of 125,000 per month. Even people with "adequate" health insurance are paying more out of their own pockets and facing steady reductions in what their insurance will cover. Welfare "reform" has meant closing the door on health care for millions of poor people, and Medicare cutbacks are hitting the elderly. Lack of good health care has a real impact on people's lives. Many pregnant women get little or no pre-natal care. People -- especially children -- are dying of diseases that can be easily treated. People are being needlessly crippled by injuries or illness because they get little or no treatment. People are suffering because they can't afford medications they need. This could be you, your parents, your children, your spouse. Lack of health care can mean death or a life spent in misery. Access to health care can mean an illness or injury is just a bump in the road in an otherwise full life. Who decides? In America, the private owners of the health care and insurance systems decide. The wealthy few who dictate the health care policies of our government decide. And they have decided that the profits of those who own the system must come ahead of the life of your child, or your mother. In an era when technology is replacing labor in the workplace, they have decided that they cannot afford to provide health care for workers they no longer need. And in a time when a global economy is putting workers everywhere into competition with one another, even the employed workers are seeing their health benefits cut as part of the general decline in our standard of living. The American people have accepted this because they do not believe they have a right to health care. We have been taught that we alone are responsible for what happens to us. We have been taught that society is not obligated to guarantee us food, shelter, health care or anything else. But we do have the right to these things, especially health care. We have the right to life. We have the right to see our children grow up healthy, strong and happy. We have the right to be cared for in our old age. Why do we have a society, if not to pool our efforts and take care of one another? What value does a society have if it does not guarantee us the necessities of life? The belief that we don't have a right to medical care is gradually being shattered by a growing struggle around health care that includes healthcare workers, patients, trade unions and others. A key element in this struggle that deserves popular support is the Labor Party's Just Health Care program, which would eliminate private health insurance and ensure coverage for all residents of the country. This is our country. It belongs to us, to the people whose labor built it and created its wealth. This country has the wealth and technology to provide health care to every person in this country. No one should be denied medical care, whether they have a job or not. A system that provides the best health care to a few with the money to pay and denies it to the rest of us is immoral. Imagine the health care system we could have -- one where health care workers are not overworked, and where their only concern is providing the best care; one where none of us has to worry about how we'll pay for a doctor or medicines when we're ill; one where none of us will have to live in fear of growing old. We will have to struggle to create this system, but it is a fight the people will surely win. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 Police Attack Democracy in L.A. .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 7. Police Attack Democracy in L.A. By Miguel Arredondo LOS ANGELES -- On the evening of August 14, inside the Staples Center, one of the most expensive and luxurious arenas in the country, the Democrats gathered to begin the process of selecting their candidate for president of the United States of America. Meanwhile, outside the center, directly across in a barricaded protest area surrounded by police and with a helicopter hovering above, thousands of protesters gathered to exercise their democratic rights and voice their dissatisfaction with the two parties and the corporations that own them. While the show was going on inside of the Staples Center, protesters were listening to speakers on issues that ranged from police brutality to workers rights to corporate domination of the political system. Although there were different causes represented at the protest, all were united based on the reality that neither the Republicans nor Democrats would be their voice. As the protest event continued, the police began to agitate a group of young protesters inside of the barricaded area. Soon, two of the protesters began to climb the fence and the police responded by pepper-spraying into the crowd of protesters. The pepper spray spread throughout the area and began to affect all of the people. Eventually, Ozomatli, the band that was playing at the time, was also affected by the pepper spray and had to stop playing. The police then decided that the two protesters that had climbed on top of the fence were too much of a security threat. They decided to shut down the protest event and declare it an unlawful assembly. The Los Angeles Police Department gave the crowd of 10,000 or so 15 minutes to disburse from the designated area. Anyone, regardless of the reason for being there, would be subject to arrest. People in the protest area, fearful of arrest simply because they were exercising their freedom of speech, began to leave immediately. When people were leaving, a problem arose. The police began to move in and blocked one of the two exits available for people to pass through. This resulted in some of the protesters being trapped inside of the protest area after the allotted time. The police responded by moving in with their horses and their ground troops to herd up the remaining protesters, myself included. We were ordered to get down on our knees, even though we were just trying to leave. These shouts of force were backed up by continuing shots of rubber bullets and beanbags by the police. A news cameraman from ABC News was right next to me, down on the ground and clearly afraid for his safety at the hands of the LAPD. After more shouting and shots, the police allowed us to stand and exit the demonstration area. Soon after, as the protesters were ordered to proceed west, down Olympic Boulevard, the police followed closely behind and began to charge the crowd, even though there was no reason for it. As the protesters ran away with their backs to the police, the police fired rubber bullets and beanbags at the fleeing protesters. I was struck on the leg by a rubber bullet myself. About 20 feet from me, I saw Ted Hayes, a homeless activist, get shot in the chest by a beanbag and be knocked down to the ground where he remained while the rest of us took off running. This scenario continued as we were pushed out of sight and out of mind from the delegates who were by then exiting the Staples Center, walking through the same streets that we had just fled down, afraid for our safety. The Democratic National Convention brought to light the response that the ruling class will use to impose their will on the people. This gross violation of democracy should not be forgotten. Nor should the fact that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats can honestly represent our class. The time for a platform and a party of the people is coming. We are all fighting the same system that holds profits above humanity. Our only chance is to unite on a vision of a cooperative society. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 Organization and unity against police violence .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 8. Organization and unity against police violence Statement from the Editorial Board of the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo By now, many of us have heard the reports coming out about what the police did during this summer's Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Few could not be outraged by the images of the LAPD attacking peacefully assembled demonstrators and firing rubber bullets at their backs as they retreated. From Philadelphia, meanwhile, reports told of demonstrators arrested, then handcuffed to railings, some of them forced to strip and stand naked for hours. These despicable actions followed weeks of campaigning to convince the American people in advance that whatever the police might do would be justified to prevent violence and damage to property. The Philadelphia cops' horrific televised beating of a local motorist in July once again confirmed their reputation as one of the nation's most brutal departments. During the Republican convention, the police posed as the victims of the protesters! The LAPD didn't even bother with that gambit. They became practically an occupying force, taking over street corners throughout Los Angeles. Their lies cannot hide the truth. On one side, protests are gathering force in the face of worsening social and economic conditions and of the rulers' blatant disregard of the world's suffering. On the other side, the police are becoming more organized, better armed and increasingly violent in their suppression of the American people's constitutional rights to assemble freely and speak out against the policies of their government. What happened at the two conventions is further evidence that fighting this growing police state is not simply a matter of the movement coming up with better tactics. It is a matter of organization and unity. But along what lines and around what? This is the question that the entire social struggle -- regardless of the particular issue -- is beginning to debate. The intentions of the rulers are clear. They intend to go on having a society that is a money-making machine for them, even if it means imposing an all-out police state to keep the rest of us in line. Their vision of America is a threat to what this country is supposed to be about. A huge historical force is rising to meet the challenge that history has placed before us. It is rising in the slums of the cities and among the scattered pockets of the rural poor. It is rising among all those demanding a just and decent society. It is a force rooted in the struggle of a new social class being created from the millions who are being cast out of the old economy as the new one is born. This new class of poor is forced to fight for a new kind of society, free of want and poverty. The new class is the bridge from the injustices we are all fighting against to the new world we are fighting for. A police state is the only option for a ruling class that will not feed those it cannot exploit. Whether the rulers succeed in their aims depends upon people's understanding of the danger and what it will take to destroy it. Only an independent political movement united around the program of the most dispossessed in society and dedicated to overturning the system and reorganizing it in the interests of all can stem the tide of the police state today. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 Voices from protests in Philadelphia .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 9. Voices from protests in Philadelphia [Editor's note: The unity march brought together organizations from across the country to unite on issues that affect millions. The People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo spoke to some of the marchers.] Betty Harris, Mothers Organized Against Police Terror "I'm from Manassas, Virginia. I was living in Annandale, Virginia at the time my son was murdered. He was stopped on a routine traffic stop by Arlington County Police on I-66. They sprayed him with pepper spray. They said that they chased him, but he was beaten to death, I think at the first scene. And I feel like my son may have tried to get back into his car, but they had a roadblock. I had a witness to testify that my son did not ram into the police cars. They claimed that he rammed the police cars and they shot him to death. They shot him eight times. He was shot in the back, in the chest, his arms and his face. His eyes were shot out, blown out. They put him on the ground, after all this, and put handcuffs on him. The justice department and Judge Brown said it was justified. We need to take the killer cops off the street. We want justice done. It's not a matter of winning any large settlement, you just want justice, you want them to answer for what they've done." For more information about this case or the coalition contact: Betty Harris 8673 Cotton Dr. Manassas, Virginia 20110 703-257-5146 Mark Webber is a longtime member of KWRU and recently starred in the hit movie "Snow Day." People's Tribuno/Tribuno del Pueblo: Tell us why you are here. Mark Webber: I'm basically here as a member of the KWRU [Kensington Welfare Rights Union] to show that poverty does exist in America and that there is an organization and a movement that is being built to end it. PT/TP: Now that you are a success, why are you still in the struggle? MW: Success means nothing to me right now. My past is who I am and it's made me able to deal with this crazy business that I'm in right now. And I think I'm better at dealing with it because of what I went through. I will never change, I will never be jaded. I am who I am. PT/TP: What's your vision of a new society? What kind of change do you think we need in this country? MW: I think everyone should have a house, everyone should have health care and everyone should have food. It's really simple, everyone. There's no reason why people should be without that, especially in this country. It's a simple thing really. PT/TP: What are you finding out from the youth that are around you now? MW: I'm finding out that they are really involved. They're really pissed off and they really want to do something about it and they just don't know where to channel their energy. And sometimes it gets diverted into other weird ways. But I know that everyone who I've encountered wants to make a difference, wants to make a change, and it's just all about educating them all and mobilizing into getting into one strong, solid group in order to actually do something. And I do believe revolution will happen in my lifetime. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 Spirit: In memoriam .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 10. In loving memory of a revolutionary: Roy Stevens (1934-2000) By Sandy Perry "The greatest among you shall be the servant of all." (Mark 10:44) SAN JOSE, California -- Hundreds turned out here for a memorial service for Roy Stevens, who died of cancer on August 6. Roy was a legend among San Jose's poor. For almost two decades, he was a tireless distributor of food, clothing, furniture, and services to those in need, yet never took a dime for his efforts. The newspaper described him as a "compassionate soul and a disturber of the peace." His impact was so great that even the San Jose City Council, which detested him and everything he stood for, felt compelled to pass a resolution of commendation for him. He was more than just a volunteer or an advocate -- he was a revolutionary. Silicon Valley is world-renowned for the economic revolution it spawned. Less well-known is its down side: the homelessness and poverty it created here in its backyard, the streets of San Jose. "Our city's growth policies of gentrification," Roy once wrote, "have eliminated housing for low and very low-income people and have provided new upper-income housing (Fairmont Hotel). Our city leaders have somehow forgotten that just a few years ago our valley was full of orchards and fields and that our main work force was the laborers. These same people of yesterday have been left out of the high-technology jobs and many working people cannot afford housing any longer." Roy himself was part of that new class of displaced laborers. An auto mechanic by trade, for years he battled drug addiction, the prison system, and manic depression. By the 1970s, he could no longer work and lived on a small disability pension. When the homeless population exploded in the 1980s, Roy became a full-time volunteer. As he strove to heal his society, it became his way of healing himself. "Roy wasn't one of those people who said 'I've got to get my own head together before I can reach out to other people,' " said Larry Sweeney, pastor at First Christian Church. But Roy did not stop at charity. He struggled to understand the root of the problem and attack it through political action. In 1991, he joined the organization that later became CHAM (Community Homeless Alliance Ministry). He became the backbone of every CHAM march and rally, every housing takeover and act of civil disobedience. Alongside his enthusiastic goodwill, Roy also bore a profound anger and irritability. He struggled to direct it against those responsible for the injustices he experienced around him. Roy matured politically during the 1990s, when the resistance to poverty was still scattered and defensive. Yet he had a larger vision that led him in a direction that is instructive for the rest of us today. Roy instinctively shied away from the "identity politics" that attracted so many of his contemporaries. He understood that the homeless could never win the fight for homes by themselves, or with the few allies who traditionally supported them. He refused to be restricted to just one organization. He continually reached out to broaden the fight, working with groups rallying against police brutality, against welfare cuts, against the closure of San Jose Medical Center. As far as Roy was concerned, there was only one race: the human race. He proudly embraced the American flag, and wore a red, white and blue scarf attached to his hat. This caused consternation among some of his allies in the struggle, but to Roy the flag symbolized everything he fought for -- liberty and justice for all. For Roy, these were not just words but a daily guide to action. Roy pushed the politics of protest to its limit and was ready to move beyond it. Due to his background, his experiences, his empathy, and his vision, he never wavered in his sense of urgency and class perspective -- the defense of the poor. He worked tirelessly toward the day when they would have the unity, support, and power to reorganize society along the lines of justice and economic human rights. His dream was to be able to walk through the streets of San Jose, greeting all the destitute families, and tell them they could go home now, knowing that they at last had a home to go to. He passes that vision and that urgency on to us. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Mass for prisoners: 'A flash point of consciousness' Chicago -- In response to Pope John Paul II's call for open and earnest acknowledgment of the plight of those trapped in the world's prison systems, Kolbe House -- the parish-based jail ministry -- offered a Jubilee Mass for Prisoners at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago on July 9. The Mass provided a "time for peace, healing and restoring." Father Lawrence J. Craig, executive director of Kolbe House, hoped that the Mass could be a "flash point of consciousness" -- an opportunity to confront the increasing vengefulness of our society. Kolbe House advocates for prison reform and works to educate the public at large about the complexities and realities of the criminal justice system. You can contact them by calling 773-247- 6644. The People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo will feature an interview with Father Craig in an upcoming edition of the paper. .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 PT/TP Benefit Dinner - Chicago .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 11. The 3rd Annual Chicago Area People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo Benefit Dinner "Where is the platform of the poor in our national debates?" with very special guests: Cheri Honkala, director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union and leader of the internationally recognized "Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign." Richard Monje, People's Tribune/ Tribuno del Pueblo editorial board member and labor leader +----------------------------------------------------------------+ Saturday, October 21, 2000 UNITE Hall 333 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago Reception (including light dinner buffet and no-host bar) starts at 6:30 p.m. Program to follow at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, half-price for students, $95 for a table of eight. Please call 773-202-7012 for more information. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ****************************************************************** .TOPIC 09-00 League: New Ideas for a NEW CLASS! .TEXT ****************************************************************** People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition) Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 http://www.lrna.org .BODY ****************************************************************** 12. League of Revolutionaries for a New America -- New Ideas for a NEW CLASS! Who is the League of Revolutionaries for a New America? We are people from all walks of life who refuse to accept that there should be great suffering in a world of great abundance. Together, we can inspire people with a vision of a cooperative world where the full potential of each person can contribute to the good of all. Together we can get our message of hope out on radio and television, in places of worship, union halls, and in the streets. We don't have all the answers, but we are confident that, together, we can free the minds of the millions of people who liberate humanity. The LRNA offers its speakers, its radio, and its paper to introduce the new ideas that are needed for revolutionary change. Join us in the fight for a new cooperative society! +----------------------------------------------------------------+ PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE RADIO LISTEN UP! Sizzling summer sounds can be heard on PTR! Listen for our August sounds coming soon! Get your local radio stations connected. Let them know about PTR and how they can download the radio programs for free at http://www.lrna.org/ptradio in Real Audio and MP3 format. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ SPEAKERS FOR A NEW AMERICA The 30th anniversary of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium is August 30. This anti-Vietnam war protest was the largest Mexican American protest in American History. Speakers are available who were participants. They discuss why it was a turning point in their struggle for justice, and it's significance for today's struggle for unity and a new cooperative society. Send for a free listing of all our speakers. Call 1-800-691-6888, e-mail speakers@noc.org or visit our web page at http://www.lrna.org +----------------------------------------------------------------+ HOW TO CONTACT US! LRNA: CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB! P.O. Box 477113 Chicago, IL 60647 http://www.lrna.org Call toll free: 800-691-6888 SPEAKERS e-mail speakers@noc.org 773-486-0028 Visit our website at http://www.lrna.org/speakers PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE RADIO For more information call 800-691-6888. Visit the web site http://www.lrna.org/ptradio Call our producer Mike Thornton at 530-271-0804 or e-mail flr@jps.net +----------------------------------------------------------------+ I want to subscribe to the People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo. ___ Please send me a one-year individual subscription. My check or money order for $20 is enclosed. ___ Please send me a one-year institutional subscription. My check or money order for $25 is enclosed. Join with others to make the vision of a world of plenty a reality I want to join the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. ___ Send me a bundle of 5__ 10__ 25__ 50__ 100__ People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo to get out in my city. (Bundles are only 15 cents per copy) ___ Send me a membership kit so I can build a chapter of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America in my city. ___ I want a speaker in my city. Send me a "Speakers for a New America" brochure. ___ I want to make a financial donation. Name Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail .FOOTER ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654; Email: pt@noc.org; http://www.lrna.org Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its readers. ******************************************************************