organizing

Today is Friday March 15, 2024. It is International Day Against Police Brutality. Yesterday on Thursday March 14th, I decided to write this piece since there are several things going on this month. March marks Women’s Herstory Month, Social Work Month, the Cesear Chavez March, the historic Chicano blowouts, and so much more. This day also marks the 2-year anniversary of the murder of Kevin Johnson by police. It happened in March of 2022. If you are new to the story, you can find out the details here: Man killed by SAPD officers shot 12 times, including 8 times in the back, autopsy shows (ksat.com). However, I must say that the capitalist media has never been the greatest source of information. If you are familiar with Malcolm X you can remember he was quoted saying, “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

What happened to Kevin Johnson is a case and point. We can see another case and point currently going on right now with Palestine. They are portraying the colonized Palestinians who are the oppressed as the villain or terrorist and the Israeli Zionist colonizers who are the oppressor as the hero and victim.

Since we have been conditioned for some time now by the capitalist system, their narrative almost always goes unquestioned because people believe the working poor (working class) and “criminal” class (lumpen proletariat) are elements that should be looked down upon society. Whether it is within or without those classes, there are people out there who willingly advance reactionary ideas that were developed by the capitalist system to criminalize those very two classes.

According to Romero (2001), “Characterization of this population as super predators is socially constructed through a racial lens-the lens that reflects the images of White middle-class youth as “our” children and Indigenous/Latino (& African) adolescent males as violent, inherently dangerous and endangering” (p. 1084). Based on my research I found that John DiLulio was the “academic” proponent behind calling inner city youth “super-predators” and he described those very same youth as “growing up surrounded by deviant, delinquent, and criminal adults in chaotic, dysfunctional, fatherless, Godless, and jobless settings” (Romero, 2001). Is it any wonder why the following people who were also murdered by the police were portrayed the same way to the public? Marquise Jones, Charles Roundtree, Andre Hernandez, Norman Cooper, Jesse Aguirre, Darryl Zemault, Eric Mejia, Damian Daniels, Antronie Scott, and the list goes on unfortunately.

All this capitalist propaganda and/or "Copaganda" we see when something like this happens is designed to keep us from the truth and justice. The truth is the masses of working African and Indigenous people or even so-called gangs or street organizations are not the main problems that we face. Of course, everyone bears responsibility for keeping these reactionary ideas going, which is why I am involved in an organization working for justice to see that these ideas are checked. We should be directing our attention to the African and Indigenous/Latino/Hispanic petit bourgeoisie. The majority in that class who were not involved in the struggle benefit from the sacrifices made by people involved in social movements struggling for liberation. They don’t want us to focus on how they got to those positions off the backs of the masses of people, those two classes mentioned before. They don’t want us to focus on how it was the masses who pushed the capitalist system to allow programs to be created to have an African and Indigenous petit bourgeoise, which for the system meant protecting its interests and keeping the masses in check.

You can see this play out in the case of Kevin Johnson. After the day Kevin was killed by police there were news reports following the reaction from the police and the community. If you pay attention, you can see that the strategy of pacification was implemented. Just like how Malcolm X described the difference between the field slave and the house slave on the plantation. The slave master would use the house slave to keep the masses of field slaves in check when they would rebel. Just like when the community righteously rebelled against those officers for killing their family member, their brother, their friend. The capitalist media busts out the house slave, but this time it's the Black over seer. Former San Antonio law enforcement officer looks to bridge relations between police and community (ksat.com) This ex-police officer stated, "The community has gotten afraid of the police and, I believe the police became afraid of the community". When cops are not blatantly using their brute force under the "Iron Fist" approach, they are using community policing model as another tool under the guise of the "Velvet Glove" approach to infiltrate our communities to keep us from becoming militant.

Please don't take this out of context. The masses wanted us to gain knowledge and skills that would benefit our movement for justice. So, we must not avoid attending college, but we must become more conscious about our situation here in the US because it affects us politically, socially, culturally, and economically. For more context and background just look up the Kerner Commission report: 1968 Kerner Commission Report | Othering & Belonging Institute (berkeley.edu)

It is time to start challenging the dominant narrative and creating our own platforms to share our narrative so we can tell our own side of the story without it being coopted or watered down. The problem is too many people do not want to get involved in an organization working for justice for whatever reason they may have. I am always down to meet people where they are at, but we must challenge those reactionary ideas when they come up in our work. Most working-class people today are not class conscious. Instead of uniting together to defeat the capitalists to build a better society they want to be involved in that system and milk it as much as possible.  The criminal class whether it be from the African or Indigenous community is designed to exploit the people instead of uniting with the masses of their people to try and find collective solutions to the problems which come from the system that sets them up to be outlaws. If you understand how capitalism works you understand these paradoxes because the masses of people are propagandized in a certain way to see how the world operates and appears to be. This means we cannot hold our people in contempt. We must hold the capitalist system in contempt. We have to go beyond just being anti-racist. We must be anti-capitalist, anti-patriarchal, and anti-colonial. Why does this system allow a criminal class to exist in the first place? To keep us from organizing and fighting back against it. It serves the adversaries of the masses of our people. Just look at all the drugs coming into the community, for example. Just look at who makes up the masses of people who are incarcerated. That is why the so-called criminal justice system makes sure to keep crime going among our people. We tend to leave the system of capitalism outside of the analysis, thus always placing blame on the very same people who are being held in the grip of that system. Take for example, the 1033 program that is being implemented as we speak or the Project Safe Neighborhoods program. Did you know that these programs even existed? Do you know anything about them? If you do your research, you will understand that the situations people are put into like those mentioned above are not random. People are being systematically targeted. Particularly, the African and Indigenous community.

Is it just me or do a lot of people believe the myth that we here in the US are a free nation and all that good government nonsense we are propagandized to believe is what goes? If you question this or do anything outside the capitalist system you are labeled “crazy” or “insane”, am I correct? Anytime there is resistance to the capitalist system it wears you down so you can give up, surrender, and even sell out your movement or cause.

However, there is some hope. There are people that are becoming conscious enough to think critically about their situation. I remember when I was in high school and learning about Dr. Ernesto Che Guevara. Then going on to learn about the Cuban revolution. Somewhere along that time in my learning into college I came across La Raza Unida Party, the Brown Berets, the Black Panther Party and as I did some more research, I came to learn that these organizations had newspapers and ran other survival programs for the community. It was not just about carrying a gun and being all macho, which unfortunately those contradictions would come to surface and overshadow the real work that needed to get done. Nonetheless, our communities saw a problem that needed to be addressed, they came together to do something about it, and when we were making progress becoming independent of the system, it sabotaged that work so we wouldn’t come together.

 There were assassinations, car bombings, false letters written forged with signatures sent around, and many other tactics to destroy our work and our spirit. Many became isolated, were facing extreme charges, and locked away as political prisoners.  Have you ever heard of Mumia Abu Jamal? Leanard Peltier? It all depends on who you ask, but many people do not know who they are, their contributions to society, or the many other political prisoners that exist today or who now have transitioned on to be with the ancestors. You can learn more about Mumia Abu Jamal and his case here: Mumia Abu-Jamal – Prison Radio

I have been a long-time supporter of prisonradio.org and volunteer with them transcribing commentaries by correspondents inside that are incarcerated. We are currently looking for radio stations, journalists, tv stations, podcasters, and anyone who can publish and/or broadcast commentaries and articles by correspondents, in particular by Mumia Abu Jamal. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any recommendations or suggestions. Feel free to share commentaries and articles on your social media. You can learn more about Prison Radio, listen, and read correspondent commentaries here: About – Prison Radio

Can you imagine a six-year-old understanding that a police officer can kill someone and get away with it? It’s sad that a young child must even have to understand that fact at such an early age, but even sadder that most of you who are adults with degrees, or no degrees always sidestep around that fact, become apologists for white supremacy, and make all kinds of excuses for law enforcement. On Sunday February 18, 2024, I got to attend the Partido Nacional La Raza Unida Chicana/o/x Caucus Meeting hosted virtually via zoom by Las Mujeres de la Raza Unida with guest speaker, Marissa Barrera. She is the Executive Director at Voices of Strength, whose mission is “to amplify the voices of the families whose loved ones have been killed by police brutality. It is a small organization located in Sacramento, California that makes a big impact nationwide. It is led by a volunteer board, all of which have lost loved ones to police brutality.” You can learn more by clicking here: Justice4BigMike - Voices of Strength

Marissa spoke to us about the murder of her brother, Michael Barrera by Woodland Police on February 8, 2017, and how law enforcement and the state are doing everything they can to prevent the Barrera familia from having justice. The police along with the capitalist media control the narrative and never tell the side of the victim who they turn into a criminal to avoid any accountability. I watched the press conference and rally to honor Michael Barrera on his 7-year murder anniversary at the hands of police. You can view it here: Justice 4 Big Mike - 7 Year Rally (youtube.com)

Marrissa, supporters, and other families that have been affected by police terrorism speak out and tell their stories. Amanda Salgado with her sons by her side came in from Oakland to speak about her brother Eric Salagado. Seselie Morales speaks about the murder of her father, Augustine Morales, and speaks about her daughter, the six-year-old I had mentioned in the beginning. She was brought into the struggle for justice for her grandfather and everyone that has been a victim of police terrorism.

La Raza Unida recognizes the US Military and its police forces as the armed wing of the settler colonizer. We stand in solidarity with all liberation struggles.

The USA armed forces are designed to keep our people terrorized, exploited, and controlled.

The USA armed forces take advantage of the dire economic realities of our people with false promises.

USA Veterans experience trauma and betrayal. La Raza Unida supports them in their healing. Their experience can be an asset to the true liberation of our people.

Technology used abroad by the USA military today will be used against Raza tomorrow.

La Raza Unida supports the right for our own people to develop a force to "serve, observe, and protect" ourselves.

It was a very cold Saturday evening January 20th, 2024. My partner and I arrived at the event about an hour or 2 after it started. We thought when we showed up it would be over. When we got closer to the location, it looked like a full house with cars lined up on both sides of the road. So, as we tried to find a space to park, we finally entered the event, and it was still very active. The 6pm show and night market was organized by Red Star and Bimbos for Liberation in coordination with Tandem, located at 310 Riverside Dr. San Anto, Tx.  The purpose of the event was to benefit San Antonio for Justice in Palestine. There was a very diverse crowd in the lot outside socializing and walking around looking at the 25+ vendors and local artists that were out there in solidarity and calling for a ceasefire.

There were several groups huddled around the different log fires they had set up for the cold winter evening. There was also food for sale by Saha, Gorda Bakes, Angel Numb, El Puño y La Mano, WRLD 8, and Slumber Party World created by Callie. You could also hear music coming from the DJ and live bands such as Vintage Pictures, Sacred Games, Optic Arrest, Bitter Critter, Powdered Wig Machine, and RoshII. We got a chance to check out the inside for some food and water. They also sell coffee, beer, and wine. It was comfortable. They had tables, chairs, and couches. They also had picnic tables outside as well. After attending the event it really motivated me to continue to organize. I promised myself I would try to be around more justice seeking people interested in making a positive impact in the world. So, this event was very uplifting because lately I had been feeling isolated. There were some myths or lies that I believe were challenged at the event: 1: No one in San Antonio cares about what is happening in Palestine. Clearly, there were many folks out there in support of the Palestinian people. 2: Chicanos and Africans have no connection to Palestinians.

Statement in solidarity with Palestine!

"So similar are the struggles of Palestinians and Chicanos that in 1980 El Partido Nacional de La Raza Unida sent a delegation to a historic meeting with Palestinian Liberation Organization founder Yasser Arafat. The meeting took place in Lebanon as it was impossible to enter Palestine at that moment. We must recall this meeting and the continued solidarity PNLRU has expressed to our sister and brothers of Palestine who despite facing the advance US funded weaponry and military might of the Zionist occupation nothing can break the iron will and national pride of the Palestinian people, and we see this in the relentless pride Palestinians express from the youngest child to the elderly they all know without a doubt that first and foremost they are Palestinian!

This is an example we cannot ignore here in Aztlan in the “Belly of the Beast” our national unity is challenged relentlessly with so many labels placed on us by this colonizer. The struggles of Palestine and Aztlan are deeply connected in fact the US imposed colonial border separating Aztlan and Mexico has Israeli contractors written all over it. Companies like Elbit, NICE, and Verint Systems have entrenched themselves within the border enforcement industry, which carries significant implications for La Raza. The introduction of drones, surveillance cameras, and sensor systems further militarizes La Frontera Falsa. PNLRU demands a thorough and critical evaluation of the involvement of Israeli security companies in US Mexico border security. This collaboration raises valid concerns about the continued militarization of our border and the potential infringement on human rights. Our stance on this issue doubles down on our support for the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determination. Both struggles, for Chicano liberation and Palestinian liberation, deserve recognition and steadfast advocacy in the shared fight against oppression and imperialism."

“We felt we both had the same fight. They learned about our struggle that Chicanos were being thrown out of their homeland. So, they invited us on a fact finding mission so we could come back and tell the world that there are two sides to every story.” Rebecca Hill PNLRU-NM

There has been a lot of bad information being spread so it is hard to understand what is happening if you are just following the capitalist media and/or social media and relying on those sources to understand the root/s of the problem/s. Work collectively and do your research. Check out the following:

USA Foriegn Policy/Imperialism 

La Raza Unida takes these positions against the Imperialism of the United States of America. 

La Raza Unida believes in the self-determination of all people. 

La Raza Unida believes in peaceful coexistence. 

Indigenous peoples and developing nations must be self-sufficient and not exploited or manipulated. 

La Raza Unida believes in international worker solidarity, which Imperialism prevents through competition between countries. 

La Raza Unida stands for social change. Imperialism creates dictatorships that repress dissent, social change and self-determination. 

USA Occupation Forces International and Domestic (Militant/Police/ICE) 

La Raza Unida recognizes the US Military and its police forces as the armed wing of the settler colonizer. We stand in solidarity with all liberation struggles. 

The USA armed forces are designed to keep our people terrorized, exploited and controlled. 

The USA armed forces take advantage of the dire economic realities of our people with false promises. 

USA Veterans experience trauma and betrayal. La Raza Unida supports them in their healing. Their experience can be an asset to the true liberation of our people. 

Technology used abroad by the USA military today will be used against Raza tomorrow. 

La Raza Unida supports the right for our own people to develop a force to “serve, observe and protect” ourselves.

 La Frontera Falsa 

La Raza Unida does not recognize the “USA/Mexico” border as legitimate. It was imposed by military invasion and held by occupational forces. Therefore: 

No Human being is illegal. 

La Raza Unida opposes any militarization of la frontera falsa. 

USA immigration policy is designed to enrich the elite through the suffering of Raza and as a weapon against the Chicano people. 

The construction or expansion of any physical barrier at la frontera falsa must be opposed. 

We oppose the separation of families and the caging of children. 

Our Raza, whether Mexicano or CentroAmericano, must be allowed to migrate on their own continent in search of a better life for themselves and their children.