In the 1857 Dred Scott case, the U.S. court ruled that Africans have no rights that Europeans are bound to respect. At that time, the ruling was simply an official stamp on common practice. Today, some 160 years later, that ruling is confirmation of continued practices. The entire capitalist system makes clear statements everyday that we hold no value as human beings. Examples can be seen in the actions of state sanctioned terrorists (police), disparate arrests, convictions, and sentencing, and in every other sphere of this backward society.
Last night, the most heinous example of this contradiction expressed itself when two young African women in Oakland, California, U.S., were minding their business, doing all the things that 18 year old young women do. And, for existing, two low life, scum, alleged white supremacists engaged in the cowardly act of stabbing both young women, killing one, and seriously injuring the other. Now, I'm here to tell you before these worthless pieces of snot are found, treated to McDonalds, and given sentences that are a slap in the face to justice, if they are sentenced at all, that if we stand still for that, yet again, the onus for this tragedy is on our shoulders.
I get the concept that the families of victims should be respected in times like this. I should say I get that on some levels, but on other levels, I think some of the values driving that thinking are imbued with bourgeois ideology. Human beings are not property. Not even of their families. And, those precious babies were not attacked by those savages because of what families they belonged too. They were attacked because they are African. That by itself makes the crime all of our responsibility. Not just the family, because they could have been any of our daughters, sisters, friends, family, communities. Consequently, I do believe all of us must see something like this for what it is. A call to action for us as people who care about our dignity. The time is out for calls for us to let the bells of justice ring. They haven't rang in this country for 500+ years so anyone saying that I'd like to know whatever the tone it is that they are listening to. There's clearly no justice for us in this country and those barbarians know it. That's why they kill us without fear. Some devil just a few days ago plotted out the murder of an African man in Florida and that demon is walking around free today while our Brother's family is having to make funeral arrangements for him. That's enough you'll. Please don't forward a single video about this most recent tragedy, or any of the others we are forced to deal with.
Its time for us to move family. And, for all the numskulls in our midst who are singing the tired and discredited tune about why we don't respond this same way when a youngster is killed in the ghetto, the very structure of that sentence provides a clear answer. This capitalist system creates the ghettos we dwell in and the conditions that make them unbearable. Under that stress and dysfunction, it wouldn't be hard for an alien from outer space to understand why violence occurs. In fact, we already know from scores of experimentation that anyone placed in that same type of desperate situation would exhibit similar survival type behaviors. So, although we absolutely hate to see what happens to us in our suffering communities, the reason we work towards that situation differently is because we know all of our people who suffer under those conditions are unfortunately the products of the situation itself. Once we wake up our people and help guide them to the real causes of their frustration, those negative conditions will vanish overnight. In the case of our youth killed by these white savages, those young women were not targeted because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the primary cause for casualties in the ghetto, but because they were sought out specifically because they are African. And, they are perceived to be easy prey because they are young. Unlike the ghetto violence, those white supremacists are targeting our people regardless of what work is done. Regardless of what changes take place in the conditions. White supremacists seek us out and brutalize us in poor neighborhoods. This happens when we live in well to do neighborhoods (obviously, it happens more in those neighborhoods). So, don't come here making false comparisons. We are doing our work in our communities, but we need to start creating conditions that make it rough on these white terrorists when they target us. And, the way we do that is available to us right now.
I received information from well known comrades in the Bay Area that as I'm writing this, the community is mobilizing to address this situation. This is encouraging beyond belief, but we need to focus on planning on doing a lot more than just one event (and those folks are attempting to do that). We need to start organizing door to door, block to block, in our neighborhoods. Knocking on doors. Signing people up for our multi-pronged programs of mass political education classes deigned to help us grow in understanding of the forces that seek to destroy us. This process is critical because far too many of us are confused into thinking we have rights in this empire and often, we are shocked at the moment we are forced to realize that the ruling from the 1857 Dred Scott case still reigns supreme today. Political Education is the vehicle to help us understand that until we come together as a community - that means all of us in our community e.g. women, men, non-men, femmes, queer, etc - we will never be able to collectively protect any element of our communities.
The way we prepare ourselves is organizing self defense networks in our community that will protect us not only from prowling white supremacists, but from terrorist police, and even predators within our communities. There are more than enough people with skills to carry out this training on systemic levels. What's lacking is the will to organize our communities to facilitate this program being carried out on a sustainable level. Its time to develop that will. The police will not protect us as they are as much a part of the problem as anything else. The courts won't protect us. The politicians won't protect us. No one is going to protect us except us and by us I mean all of us, not just men. In fact, my experience has taught me that my most trusted allies are African women and African non-men. Those are the people who I've seen sacrifice the most. Not saying men won't do that. I'm one who will and I know plenty of African men who will die for justice at the blink of an eye. Just saying we need to see the importance of making everyone a part of this community organizing process (that political education piece again).
Until we get serious enough to see that its time to stop all this foolishness. All this forwarding videos and memes of us getting our asses kicked. Until we realize the system that oppresses us has absolutely no intention of helping protect us. Until we finally accept that our future is in our hands only, and that we need to put aside our dysfunctions, our egos, our immaturity, and get ready to work. Until we reach this level of commitment, we are going to keep having these unfortunate terrorist acts carried out against us. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it. I'm ready to enforce our dignity.
Last night, the most heinous example of this contradiction expressed itself when two young African women in Oakland, California, U.S., were minding their business, doing all the things that 18 year old young women do. And, for existing, two low life, scum, alleged white supremacists engaged in the cowardly act of stabbing both young women, killing one, and seriously injuring the other. Now, I'm here to tell you before these worthless pieces of snot are found, treated to McDonalds, and given sentences that are a slap in the face to justice, if they are sentenced at all, that if we stand still for that, yet again, the onus for this tragedy is on our shoulders.
I get the concept that the families of victims should be respected in times like this. I should say I get that on some levels, but on other levels, I think some of the values driving that thinking are imbued with bourgeois ideology. Human beings are not property. Not even of their families. And, those precious babies were not attacked by those savages because of what families they belonged too. They were attacked because they are African. That by itself makes the crime all of our responsibility. Not just the family, because they could have been any of our daughters, sisters, friends, family, communities. Consequently, I do believe all of us must see something like this for what it is. A call to action for us as people who care about our dignity. The time is out for calls for us to let the bells of justice ring. They haven't rang in this country for 500+ years so anyone saying that I'd like to know whatever the tone it is that they are listening to. There's clearly no justice for us in this country and those barbarians know it. That's why they kill us without fear. Some devil just a few days ago plotted out the murder of an African man in Florida and that demon is walking around free today while our Brother's family is having to make funeral arrangements for him. That's enough you'll. Please don't forward a single video about this most recent tragedy, or any of the others we are forced to deal with.
Its time for us to move family. And, for all the numskulls in our midst who are singing the tired and discredited tune about why we don't respond this same way when a youngster is killed in the ghetto, the very structure of that sentence provides a clear answer. This capitalist system creates the ghettos we dwell in and the conditions that make them unbearable. Under that stress and dysfunction, it wouldn't be hard for an alien from outer space to understand why violence occurs. In fact, we already know from scores of experimentation that anyone placed in that same type of desperate situation would exhibit similar survival type behaviors. So, although we absolutely hate to see what happens to us in our suffering communities, the reason we work towards that situation differently is because we know all of our people who suffer under those conditions are unfortunately the products of the situation itself. Once we wake up our people and help guide them to the real causes of their frustration, those negative conditions will vanish overnight. In the case of our youth killed by these white savages, those young women were not targeted because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the primary cause for casualties in the ghetto, but because they were sought out specifically because they are African. And, they are perceived to be easy prey because they are young. Unlike the ghetto violence, those white supremacists are targeting our people regardless of what work is done. Regardless of what changes take place in the conditions. White supremacists seek us out and brutalize us in poor neighborhoods. This happens when we live in well to do neighborhoods (obviously, it happens more in those neighborhoods). So, don't come here making false comparisons. We are doing our work in our communities, but we need to start creating conditions that make it rough on these white terrorists when they target us. And, the way we do that is available to us right now.
I received information from well known comrades in the Bay Area that as I'm writing this, the community is mobilizing to address this situation. This is encouraging beyond belief, but we need to focus on planning on doing a lot more than just one event (and those folks are attempting to do that). We need to start organizing door to door, block to block, in our neighborhoods. Knocking on doors. Signing people up for our multi-pronged programs of mass political education classes deigned to help us grow in understanding of the forces that seek to destroy us. This process is critical because far too many of us are confused into thinking we have rights in this empire and often, we are shocked at the moment we are forced to realize that the ruling from the 1857 Dred Scott case still reigns supreme today. Political Education is the vehicle to help us understand that until we come together as a community - that means all of us in our community e.g. women, men, non-men, femmes, queer, etc - we will never be able to collectively protect any element of our communities.
The way we prepare ourselves is organizing self defense networks in our community that will protect us not only from prowling white supremacists, but from terrorist police, and even predators within our communities. There are more than enough people with skills to carry out this training on systemic levels. What's lacking is the will to organize our communities to facilitate this program being carried out on a sustainable level. Its time to develop that will. The police will not protect us as they are as much a part of the problem as anything else. The courts won't protect us. The politicians won't protect us. No one is going to protect us except us and by us I mean all of us, not just men. In fact, my experience has taught me that my most trusted allies are African women and African non-men. Those are the people who I've seen sacrifice the most. Not saying men won't do that. I'm one who will and I know plenty of African men who will die for justice at the blink of an eye. Just saying we need to see the importance of making everyone a part of this community organizing process (that political education piece again).
Until we get serious enough to see that its time to stop all this foolishness. All this forwarding videos and memes of us getting our asses kicked. Until we realize the system that oppresses us has absolutely no intention of helping protect us. Until we finally accept that our future is in our hands only, and that we need to put aside our dysfunctions, our egos, our immaturity, and get ready to work. Until we reach this level of commitment, we are going to keep having these unfortunate terrorist acts carried out against us. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it. I'm ready to enforce our dignity.
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