La noche del 17 de Junio en la iglesia Emanuel AME de Carolina del Sur, el supremacista blanco Dylann Storm Roof de 21 años de edad abrió fuego sobre un grupo de oración. Este acto de violencia racista acabó con la vida de nueve Afro Americanos, incluyendo la de un Senador de Carolina del Sur que era pastor de la Iglesia.

Esta Iglesia posee un profundo significado para la comunidad Afro Americana de Charleston.

En 1822, Denmark Vesey, uno de los fundadores de la Iglesia Emanuel AME, fue capturado por las autoridades esclavistas por planificar una rebelión de esclavos, siendo ejecutado posteriormente junto a otros 36 esclavos. Las autoridades locales en colaboración con vigilantes racistas quemaron la iglesia haciéndola cenizas. Se crearon Leyes restringiendo cualquier tipo de asamblea o reunión de esclavos. También se formaron las patrullas de vigilantes, estas fueron las primeras organizaciones formadas para acosar a los negros. Estos son los tipos de ataques terroristas que históricamente ha sufrido la comunidad negra en los EE.UU.

Esta violenta opresión se ha sentido severamente en la Franja del Sur, conocida como el “Black Belt South” en ingles, la cual se extiende desde Maryland hasta la zona oriental de Texas. Ese territorio del Sur tenía la concentración más alta de esclavos trabajando en las plantaciones, los cuales representaban la mayoría de la población. Es en esta Franja del Sur donde los esclavos africanos, compartiendo una cultura, economía y lenguaje común, forjaron su propia nación. Esta nación incluye el área alrededor de Charleston, al igual que la mayoría de las ciudades negras como Atlanta, Georgia y Birmingham, Alabama.

No podemos dejar de recordar el bombardeo de aquella histórica iglesia Afro Americana de la 16th Calle en Birmingham, Alabama el 15 de Septiembre de 1963. Este infame acto terrorista de la supremacía blanca fue realizado por cuatro miembros del Klux Klux Klan, colocando en los escalones de la entrada de la iglesia un mínimo de 15 barras de dinamita atados a un dispositivo de tiempo. Este ataque mató a cuatro niñas, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson y Carol McNair.

El gobierno mostro poco interés en suprimir el auge de los individuos y grupos pertenecientes a la supremacía blanca. Es un hecho conocido que muchos de los departamentos de policía dentro y alrededor de la Franja del Sur están infectados con miembros de grupos terroristas como el KKK. Este hecho se evidencia cuando un policía de Fruitland Park cerca de Orlando, Florida fue obligado a renunciar después de darse a conocer que era miembro de la KKK. Tampoco nos podemos olvidar de los tres guardias penitenciarios de la Florida que fueron acusados de planificar el asesinato de un recluso negro. Esos tres oficiales correccionales también eran miembros del KKK. Los departamentos de policía en la Franja del Sur son las patrullas esclavistas de los tiempos modernos, utilizados para reprimir a los Afro Americanos.

En Carolina del Sur, la bandera de la Confederación aun vuela sobre el capitolio como símbolo de la brutal opresión, que auspiciada por un terrorismo de estado, hace siglos somete a los Afro Americanos a las condiciones más severas.

La opresión de la nación Afro Americana se manifiesta en parte como violencia de estado, donde las personas negras son reprimidas brutalmente por la policía. La violencia de los supremacistas blancos se encuentra atada a la opresión nacional, ya que los racistas defienden los intereses de la clase dominante en un intento de aterrorizar a la nación Afro Americana con el fin de mantener el status quo. Los vigilantes racistas son apoyados por los sectores más reaccionarios de la clase dominante, quienes desean frenar los avances del movimiento de liberación, mientras que la policía actúa a favor de los intereses del 1%, quienes se benefician de la opresión del pueblo negro. Todo esto nos demuestra cómo se encuentra entrelazado el terror policial y la violencia racista.

Un reciente estudio demostró que en los EE.UU un hombre negro es asesinado cada 26 horas, ya sea por la policía o por un vigilante racista. Otro estudio indica que las mujeres negras representan casi el 20% de los Afro Americanos que han sido asesinados, al estar desarmados, por la policía en los últimos 15 años. La sobrevivencia de los Afro Americanos depende de nuestra capacidad de construir un movimiento que luche contra esta tiranía

Hace unos meses el pueblo Afro Americano de Baltimore se reveló demandando “Justicia para Freddie Gray”, el joven Afro Americano que fue asesinado por la policía de Baltimore. Fue el pueblo movilizádo masivamente en la calle, enfrentándose a la Guardia Nacional y a la policía anti disturbios, que produjo que se les imputaran los cargos de homicidio a los 6 policías asesinos. El pasado Agosto el pueblo de Ferguson igualmente se reveló contra el terror policiaco que le cobró la vida al joven Afro Americano del 18 años de edad Michael Brown. Tampoco podemos olvidar el asesinato hace unos años atrás de Trayvon Martin en manos del vigilante racista George Zimmerman, y que fue precisamente la protesta masiva del pueblo y de los activistas que cerraron el departamento de policías de Sanford, que obligó a que el estado presentara cargos en contra de Zimmerman. A principios de Junio de igual modo se vio la indignación del pueblo en McKinney, Texas después que un policía saliera en un video arrestando violentamente en una piscina comunitaria a una joven Afro Americana de tan solo 14 años. El video inspiró la movilización de miles de personas a las calles, obligando la renuncia del oficial.

El célebre líder negro Robert F. Williams dijo, “Sabemos que el racista es básicamente un cobarde, porque depende de la supremacía de su violencia, la supremacía de sus números. Él depende de la supremacía de sus leyes para defender el mal que comete. La única manera de contrarrestar eficazmente es manteniendo nuestro poder de resistencia y creando nuestras propias medidas disuasorias. Esto puede ser que traiga represalias políticas, pero a nosotros no nos preocupa la política. Nosotros estamos interesados en sobrevivir y la forma en cómo esto culmine no es culpa nuestra. Nuestra necesidad de defendernos nace en el fracaso de la ley constitucional de proteger nuestros derechos”.

Como movimiento nuestra mejor defensa en contra de la opresión nacional es una mejor ofensiva. Necesitamos un movimiento liderado por la clase trabajadora Afro Americana para derrotar la opresión de la nación Afro Americana. Necesitamos construir un movimiento y una organización de liberación para derrotar la opresión nacional y la violencia racista. Es evidente que el auge de la violencia racista y la represión policial significa que nuestro movimiento en contra de la opresión nacional está creciendo, el enemigo los sabe y está haciendo todo lo posible para derrotar nuestro avance. Como dijo Mao, “Los reaccionarios son tigres de papel”, sus días están contados y ellos lo saben.

#EstadosUnidos #Editorials #AfricanAmerican #Antiracism #CharlestonShooting

Chicago, IL – Standing in solidarity with the memories of those massacred in Charleston, South Carolina, activists here in Chicago linked their murders with the national epidemic of police crimes.

“We have to stop the police from occupying our communities. We have to have community control of the police. We have to win an elected, civilian police accountability council [CPAC],” said an angry LaCreshia Birts, as she addressed the 75 people gathered in the shadow of the federal building. One of the leaders of the Black Youth Project 100, Birts is also an organizer in the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

According to Birts, the murderer in Charleston was influenced by the national oppression of Black people, in which the police play a big role. “Police murders of our people breeds white supremacist ideas,” said Birts.

Birts passionately challenged the crowd to not let the deaths in Charleston be in vain. Pointing to community control of the police as a way to win the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement, she urged those in attendance to join the Alliance campaign for CPAC, and the planned march for CPAC on August 29 in Chicago.

“We have to do this work to stop the killing of Black people,” said Brits.

#ChicagoIL #AfricanAmerican #Antiracism #CharlestonShooting #SouthCarolina

Tallahassee, FL – After the June 17 white supremacist attack at Emanuel AME Church, in Charleston, South Carolina that left nine African American parishioners dead, the Black Liberation Action Coordinating Committee (BLACC), Students for a Democratic Society and the Trans Liberation Front held a rally, June 19 in front of the Old Tallahassee Capitol. 30 community members attended the rally and vigil, which started with nine minutes of silence, one minute for each victim.

During the moments of silence, the Tallahassee Police Department interrupted the vigil, stating the candles were a fire hazard and those in attendance needed to move off the Old Capitol steps and into the grass. The emcee, Regina Joseph, stated it would only last nine more seconds, and, “The police care more about property rights than Black rights.”

After the moments of silence, the first speaker was Ellena Fisher of BLACC, who told the crowd about Black women and their role in the liberation movement. The next speaker, Selestria de La Cruz, said, “We need to continue to grow in solidarity. Without people standing together, there will be no change. The more people that demonstrate their frustration, the further it can be spread that white supremacy is real. Too many people are ignoring it and it must stop.”

Other speakers included Katherine Draken and Naomi Bradley.

All of the speakers spoke about the role of Black women as leaders and how people can become more involved in the movement. The event ended with chants such as “Black lives matter,” and “Fists up, fight back!”

BLACC will continue to encourage more student and community involvement to promote solidarity in the Black community against white supremacy.

The protest was one of many that took place around the country after the attack by white supremacist terrorist Dylann Roof. This attack was initiated because of Roof’s hopes for starting a race war. After the killings, Roof was peacefully arrested, by the Charleston Police Department, who protected him and bought him a meal from Burger King. In custody, he confessed to killing nine people at a prayer meeting for the advancement of white supremacy.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #AntiRacism #CharlestonShooting

The Alliance has called for a protest at Federal Plaza, Tuesday, June 23 at 5:00 p.m., to protest the murders of the nine African Americans. The protest will demand action by the government. “If there ever was a clarion call from our history for us to rise up and demand that this government and this nation cease and desist in all its institutionalized racism and genocidal policies against our people, this is it,” Chapman continued.

The white supremacist who carried out the murders, Dylann Storm Roof, is part of a movement and a network of violent racists that exists in this country, and which the U.S. government and white power structure refuses to combat. Roof carried out the attack on a symbolic target, the church where Denmark Vesey’s revolt against slavery had been planned in 1822. The obvious message is to terrorize the Black community and call for a return to a system of open white supremacy.

Therefore, the action in Chicago will raise the demand that the hated Confederate flag be removed from all government buildings.

According to Chapman, “The actions of the murderer are consistent with the gang of cops who lynch-murdered Eric Garner or Chicago cop Dante Servin who shot into a group of Black people and murdered Rekia Boyd. A government which allows cops to murder Black people with impunity cannot escape accountability by apologizing and going into hot pursuit of one racist murderer when you have let Darren Wilson and other racist murderers go because they carried a badge.”

Finally, the protest will demand that Chicago officer Dante Servin be fired and that the U.S. Attorney indict him for murder.

#ChicagoIL #Antiracism #CharlestonShooting

On the night of June 17, at the Emanuel AME church, a 21-year-old white supremacist named Dylann Storm Roof shot up a prayer meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. This act of racist violence resulted in the deaths of nine African American people, including a South Carolina State Senator who was the pastor of the church.

This church has significant meaning to the Black community in Charleston.

In 1822, Denmark Vesey, one of the Emanuel AME church’s founders, was captured by slave authorities for his planned slave revolt. Vesey and 36 Black slaves were subsequently hanged. The church was burned to the ground by local authorities and racist vigilantes. Laws were enacted to restrict all forms of slave assembly. Slave patrols where formed, which became the first organized source of policing of Black people. Terror attacks like this are what the Black community has historically had to suffer in the U.S.

This violent oppression has been most severe in the African American nation in the Black Belt South, which stretches from Maryland to eastern Texas. This area of the South had the highest concentration of slave laborers on plantations, who made up a majority of the population. The Black Belt South was where African slaves were forged into a distinct nation with a common language, economy and culture. It includes the area around Charleston, as well as the majority Black cities of Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama.

One can only remember the 16th Street Church bombing, which was an act of white supremacist terror occurring at an African American church in Birmingham, Alabama on Sept. 15, 1963. Four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted a minimum of 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the front steps of the church. That attack killed four Black girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Carol Denise McNair.

The government has shown very little interest in suppressing the rise of many of these white supremacist groups and individuals. It's a fact that many police departments in and near the Black Belt South are infected with members of racist terror groups like the KKK – a fact evident by a Fruitland Park cop near Orlando, Florida being forced to resign after it was uncovered that he was a member of the KKK. Let's also not forget the three prison guards in Florida, who earlier this year were charged with a plot to murder a Black inmate. Those three former correctional officers were also members of the KKK. Police departments in the Black Belt South are modern day slave patrols for repressing African Americans.

In South Carolina, the Confederate flag still reigns over the capitol, a symbol of centuries of brutal oppression where African Americans have been and are now subjected to the harshest of conditions and state-sanctioned terror.

The oppression of the African American nation manifests itself in part as state violence in which police brutality represses Black people. White supremacist violence is part and parcel of national oppression, in which racists carry out the interests of the ruling class, in an attempt to terrorize the African American nation for the sake of maintaining the status quo. Racist vigilantes are supported by the most reactionary sector of the ruling class that wishes to halt the advances of the Black liberation movement, while the police act in the interests of the 1% who profit from the oppression of Black people. This is why police terror and racist violence are so intertwined.

A recent study showed that a Black man is killed by police or a racist vigilante every 26 hours in the U.S. Another recent study showed that Black women account for nearly 20% of of those unarmed African Americans killed by police officers in the past 15 years as well. The survival of the African American people lies in our ability to build a movement to fight back against this tyranny.

Just months ago, the masses of African Americans in Baltimore rebelled, demanding “Justice for Freddie Gray,” a young African American man murdered by Baltimore police. It was the masses of people hitting the streets, facing even the National Guard and riot police that got the six killer cops indicted for murder. The people of Ferguson rebelled last August against the police terror which claimed the life of young 18-year-old African American Mike Brown. Let's not forget just a few years ago the murder of Trayvon Martin at the hands of racist vigilante George Zimmerman, where mass outrage including activists shutting down the Sanford Police Department forced the state to press charges against Zimmerman. In early June, outrage in McKinney, Texas occurred when a cop was seen on video violently arresting a 14-year-old Black teen girl at a local swimming pool party. That video inspired thousands to hit the streets, forcing that officer to resign.

It was the famous Black leader Robert F. Williams who said, “We know that the racist is basically a coward, because he depends upon the supremacy of his violence, the supremacy of his numbers. He depends on the supremacy of his law to back him up in the evil he does. The only way to counteract this effectively is by maintaining our power to resist, and by creating our own deterrent. This may lead to some political repercussions, but we are not now concerned with politics. We are concerned with survival and where this leads is not our fault. Our need for defense grows out of the failure of constitutional law to protect our rights.”

Our best defense as a movement against national oppression is a great offense; a movement led by the African American working class to defeat national oppression of the African American nation. We need to build a movement and build organization to defeat national oppression and racist violence to win our liberation. It is clear with the rise of racist vigilantism and police repression that our movement against national oppression is growing. The enemy knows this and is pulling out all the stops to defeat our advances. But as Mao said, “Reactionaries are paper tigers.” Their days are numbered and they know it.

#UnitedStates #Editorials #CharlestonShooting