Aug. 5, 2020

Support the General Strike Now!

From Anarchist. TransFeminist. Amazon. by Jennifer Amelia Rose (author's profile)

Transcription

#FreeThemAll

Red Roses (Trans Feminist Prison Collective)

Cofounder/Member
The Fine Art Collective

Jailhouse Lawyer Member
National Lawyers Guild-Prisoner Advocacy Network

Member/Fellow Worker
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee

Member/Volunteer
Anti-Fascist Action
"Salinas Valley Antifa"

#BlackLivesMatter
#NoJusticeNoPeace
#BlackTransLivesMatter

July 25- International Day of Solidarity
with Anti-Fascist Prisoners
http:/supportantifaprisoners.wordpress.com

Enclosures- Gen Strike Article (17pp.), PosterArt (2pp.)
"SupportAnarchist&AntifaPrisoners!" (17pp.) Poster (1pg.)

07/23/2020
Support the General Strike Now! 2020
For an End to White Supremacy, Police Terrors, and Prison Slavery
By Jennifer Rose, IWW Member

Back in April, Cooperation Jackson in Mississippi issued "A Call to Action: Toward a General Strike to End the COVID-19 Crisis and Create a New World", published in "Turning the Tide" newspaper of Anti-Racist Action- L.A. There in ,they stated, "To fight back we have to use the greatest power we have at our disposal- our collective labor. We can shut the system down to break the power of the state an capitalist class." (see:www.antiracist.org)
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the current socio-political conditions in the U.S. under the fascist/white nationalist Trump regime, is a wake-up call to all Americans! However, in addition to the cracks in the capitalist system, and the inability of "Dumb-ass Donald" Trump to provide an adequate or coherent response with all of the vast resources of the U.S> Federal government at his disposal, we should also take notice of another viral epidemic that has continued to plague this country and take peoples lives- that of white terror and police murders! (iie.Genocide, ethnic cleansing, etc.)
Of course, this is not a new or recent phenomenon. It began with the white American colonial state, which started with the Mayflower Compact in 1620 by the English Pilgrims/Puritans who arrived at Plymouth Rock; and progressed through the Afrikan Slave Trade, the Declaration of Independence, the Amerikan Revolution, the Constitution of the Amerikan Genocide against Native People (and theft of their lands/tribal territories through the apartheid system of Reservations); the Civil War, and 13th Amendment (which abolished chattel slavery, but legally established a more expanded form of institutionalized prison slavery "as punishment for crime"); the Fugitive Slave Act passed by Congress, which authorized slave patrols and police to hint down and capture "fugitive slaves" (and even many freed Blacks if they could not prove their status!) to be returned to white slave owners in the South.
So, at that point, after the 13th Amendment and Fugitive Slave Act laid the foundation for legalized, State-sanctioned prison slavery "as punishment for crime", the white people in the South having lost the war, lost much of their land and property, and spent time during the Reconstruction under federal U.S. military occupation; there were many ex-confederate soldiers who maintained that "the South will rise again!", some confederate Army remnants, rather than surrender of live under federal military occupation and the Reconstruction government, fled south of the border across the Rio Grande to Mexico. Then there those that chose to stay and became outlaws like the Jesse James Gang, or built underground resistance and secret societies like that of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)(a.k.a. the "Invisible Empire").
The KKK was first established in the secret meeting of ex-Confederate soldiers and a local judge, about seven of them, and they sought out the ex-confederate "war hero", General Nathan Bedford Forrest, and asked him to accept their unanimous vote to appoint him as their leader, the first "Grand Wizard" or "Grand Dragon" of the KKK! This all took place in a courthouse in Puloski, Tennessee, 1867.
The purpose of the KKK was to build an underground resistance group or secret society, which to whatever extent possible carried on Confederate South political aspirations, perhaps in hopes that "the South with rise again!"; or if not then to regain Control of the local city, county, and states governments. At first, any southern white people who were rebels or loyal to the Confederacy, were not allowed to vote during Southern Reconstruction, but freed Blacks and yankee "Carpetbaggers" (Northerners who came South for the "spoils of war") were allowed political rights.
As you can imagine, this was an "injustice" and indignity many white Southerners could not bear! Many of them had also lost their homes, farms, and land, which was either burnt down, or stolen by corrupt yankee businessmen; and bought and paid local officials/sheriffs. In some cases, the KKK would defend white southerners land and property claims by carrying out guerilla attacks, or otherwise using intimidation and terror tactics to drive out carpetbaggers and "scalawags: (traitors). The KKK also targeted freed Blacks and former negro slaves, with racial violence, lynchings, and white terror; to prevent them from trying to exercise their newly won political freedom to vote, own property, or even hold public office (e.g. Black Republicans, the "party of Lincoln").
Eventually, through the effective political and guerilla tactics of the KKK, white southerners did regain political power after the end of Southern Reconstruction, and the election of a Southern Democrat (the "party of the ku klux klan"), Andrew Johnson, the south did in a manner of speaking "rise again". The freed blacks remained in many cases what might be viewed as an even worse state than they did under slavery. They remained disenfranchised, unable to exercise. *Missing pages 6 & 7*

#Black Lives Matter

Tamir Rice, Freddy Gray in Baltimore and Philando Castille in Minneapolis; among countless others, past and ongoing, who are too numerous to name! In 2015, Black Lives Matter protest erupted in the U.S. cities of Ferguson, Baltimore, and many other places. There were many broken promises of justice, police reforms, and systematic change. We've hear it all before, they will "implement new policies", we will see a whole new friendly neighborhood police officer! (LOL, HA!)
Once Black Revolutionary responded to the multitude of racist police murders in a way he felt would be most effective. Micah Johnson, an ex-military service member responded to the racist police murders of Black people, and the militarized police attacks on political protesters, with a well-planned sniper attack shooting down five Dallas police officers! A Black female BLM protestor at the Black Lives Matter street demo was also hit(unfortunate collateral damage), but survived. How long can people remain peaceful under a reign of gunfire by police?

#StopPoliceMurders

More recently, we repeatedly saw the horrific images of the February 23rd racially-motivated murder of Ahmaud Aurbey, a 25 year old Black man who was out jogging in Georgia, as he was chased down by white supremacists, a father and son, in a truck to be shot dead! Only after a month of public outrage and national news coverage were charges brought against them for this lynching, because of their apparent ties to the local District Attorneys Office! They were avid Trump supporters!
On March 13th, Breonna Taylor, a 26 year old Black woman at home asleep with her husband, was ambushed and murdered by police in Louisville shortly after midnight. They somehow obtained a "no-knock" warrant to break in with no announcement, and when they stumbled across the startled residents, they opened fire with a hail of bullets! Breonna was an EMT paramedic working on the frontline against COVID-19, with plans to become a registered nurse. She died a hero who was committed to and loved by her family.
Malik Tyquan Graves was killed by a hail of bullets, at least 19 shots from 10 different officers! The corporate news media excused this excessive amount of gunfire by so many officers, in this terrible police murder, by reporting Malik to have been a "dangerous criminal". It's unclear if they even questioned police description of Malik, or if they just took their word for it and collaborated.
Now, here we are on May 25th, when George Floyd is callously murdered by the white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, and three other lil piggies!. This was the last straw! Floyd begged for his life and called out for his momma, while this racist pig Chauvin pressed a knee down on his neck for nearly 9 minutes until he suffocated to death! His las words, like Eric Garner's were the now familiar protest chant, "I can't breathe!" Floyd was the proud father of two young daughters, and worked security at a local restaurant to provide for his family. He was innocent!
This entire incident was caught on a cellphone cam/video recording, and then broadcast repeatedly on the national network T.V. news for the next couple of weeks. The shocking images of this cold-blooded and intentional racist pig slowly snuffing out the life of this good-hearted, well-behaved Black brother was simply too much to ignore, and cannot be in anyway explained or justified!
This is the last straw for so many people, which, sparked a nationwide popular REVOLT, and insurrectionary actions in cities across the U.S. Beginning in the streets of Minneapolis, on May 25th, as nightfall came, both regular protestors and anarchist insurgents seized and burned a police precinct to the ground. Different tactics have been used by many different types of groups participating in the nationwide uprising.
There are many social justice activists, criminal justice reformers, liberal democrats, and "progressives" who often repeat the usual calls for "peaceful protest". However, many others who are in the streets protesting have more radical political views, and who can longer see a peaceful path to change; who are tired of the false promises, failed reforms; and who feel that the police, the political process, and the U.S. government no longer have any legitimacy, particularly with the authoritarian and fascist Trump regime currently sending army of federal police forces to invade the city of Portland! With no identifying name tags, agency tags, or recognizable legal protocol, other than to use authoritarian tactics or cracking skulls, and kidnapping random political protestors off the streets. Trump has threatened to send his Gestapo style, militarized, federal stormtroppers into several other cities!
There are young people, Black people, anarchists, anti-fascists, and various other group of people who recognize the fact that there will be no real or lasting systematic change. The problem is white supremacy, which is the founding principle upon which Amerika was built in colonial time. That has never changed and never will. This gets to the root of the problem and explain a lot!
Furthermore, there are two main pillars of which the U.S. was built from that foundational basis of white supremacy those are the pillars of Slavery and genocide! The Amerikan Genocide against Native peoples of Turtle Island, and theft or the land, is what cleared the way for more white folks to come in wagon trains and settle in every region. To this day, the U.S., maintains an apartheid system of Indian reservations, where the Native people are told to have "sovereignty", but what they have is dependency under the U.S. Federal government.
The others pillars of U.S. colonial-rule and Amerikan society is that of slavery. First, we had chattel slavery where Afrikans were considered "property" rather than people. After the civil war, the 13th Amendment was passed abolishing this form of slavery, and replaced it with the current system of mass incarceration and prison slavery "as punishment for crime". Burn Down the Amerikan Plantation! Fire 2 tha Prisons!
Now is the time to bring together all the different types of protestors, and all the different worker strikes! Autoworkers on strikes, nurses on strikes, calls for a rent strike, homeless workers are occupying vacant homes to meet their needs, and simply go on strike when told they have to leave. We Must All Stand United!
From August 21 to September 9th, the National Prison Strike has been called over the last few years to amplify the "National Prison Demands of 2018" which haven't changed. This annual strike was first supported by prison organizers in Alabama, such as anarchist Michael Rights Committee and attorney Anne Labarbera, and Jailhouse Lawyers Speak, which is working on the International Law Project to engage the international community with a formal complaint about human rights abuses, crimes such as brutality, slavery, and solitary confinement torture in the U.S.
We are now prepared to fight for a society in which all people can live with full autonomy! This General Strike take effect on May 1st, International Workers Day! No working, no shopping, people over profit! Tell the Trump regime and Wall Street "invest in people not in prisons!" Please join us!
Returning to work is a threat to our collective health and safety! So now is the time to join the General Strike! It's not too late!
We need a Revolution, not reform! We need everyone in the streets, wearing your masks, and defying the fascist federal stormtrooper that Trump has sent to attack political protestors. Fight back!
There's a long list of demands in the Cooperation Jackson's call for a May 1st General Strike. The One thing I didn't see and would add is this:
-Defund and Abolish Police!
-Free All Prisoners! Close and/or Repurpose the jails & prisons!
To participate in the call, and also communicate your alignment and your willingness to help coordinate broad, united front initiative email us at: GenStrike2020@protonmail.com
CooperationJackson@gmail.com

Also write to Cooperation Jackson at:
Kuwasi Balagoon Center for Economic Democracy and Sustainable Development
939 W.Capital St,Jackson, MS 39203
P.O. Box 1932, Jackson, MS 39215

Any comments, corrections, or criticism in response to this article, or other personal correspondence, can be sent to:
Jenifer Rose, E23852
P.O.Box 1050
Soledad, CA 93960, Turtle Island ("USA")

General Strike! Prison Strike! Gender Strike!
Are you a worker and/or union member? If your union is not radical enough to support a General Strike in 2020, or if you are an incarcerated worker, immigrant worker, sex-worker, or marginalized, consider joining a revolutionary workers union! Write for information:
P.O. Box 414304
Kansas City, MO 64141
iwoc@iww.org, phone: 510-368-3426

References:
1.CooperationJackson; "A Call to Action!: Towards A General Strike to End the COVID-19 Crisis and Create A New World"; Turning The Tide- A Journal of Inter-Communal Solidarity; April-June 20202; (Culver City: Anti-Racist Action, 2020).
2. In The Belly (a self-published prisoner produced newsletter).
3. Union pamphlet of the Industrial Union Breach; Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC); (Kansas City: Industrial Workers of the World).
4. ABC News; (New York: American Broadcasting Corporation, 2020)

Support the Protestors! Support the Peoples
Resistance! Demand Prisoners Release!
Many protestors and activists are being violently attacked by police and imprisoned, falsely accused of "crimes" or "terrorism"! Demand their immediate release! #FreeThemAll!
*http://supportantifaprisoners.wordpress.com
*http://www.june11.org
*http://www.anarchistblackcross.net
*http://www.antirascist.org

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Luis17 Posted 3 years, 7 months ago. ✓ Mailed 3 years, 7 months ago   Favorite
Thanks for writing! I finished the transcription for your post.

Jennifer Amelia Rose Posted 3 years, 7 months ago.   Favorite
(scanned reply – view as blog post)

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