Savant's Social Commentaries

It is mainly white racists who claim that the problems of the Black community is of or own making. Of course, there are Black reactionaries who think likewise. What most Black people think--and quite correctly I believe---is that while most of the problems which we face are NOT of our own MAKING, they are still our burden of responsibility. We don't control the international drug traffic--certainly not CIA which brings much of the drugs into the country. But we do know that somehow we must rid ourselves of it. We didn't create mass employment or mass poverty, but somehow we must fight it. And crime, which ole Barros rightly notes to be an expression of the dysfunction bred by oppression, is a problem which MOST Black people recognize and try to combat in a number of ways--and often find themselves in conflict with the cops in doing so. Prior to the mass demonstrations in reply to cops killing of Freddy Gray, there were three hundred black men forming themselves into patrols to combat hoodlumism in the hood. Many of those SAME men are also involved in mass protests against fascistic police terrorism. As one brother (former resident of Lafayette projects) said to me yesterday at our mass demonstratin against fascist cop terror, "It's all the SAME struggle, man. The drugs, the cops, the crime--it's all the same thing, the same oppression we have to fight. You from this area, and you know what I mean." Indeed, I do understand....much better than freddy I assure you.

-Savant

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Freddy says that he hears whites complaining about police brutality. Duh, old news a___. There has always been police brutality against whites. Read about the history of the labor movement in America---or Europe, fool. No one is saying that racial oppression is the only thing happening. Anyone with the brains of a goose knows there class oppression and political oppression. Poor whites and progressive white activists sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of a cops billy club. The fact still remains that, as one study indicates, the PROPORTION of deadly use of police force happens 20 times more against Blacks than whites. Rarely does any systemmm of oppression target only one group. Even Hitler didn't kill ONLY Jews, but they were his MAIN target. Contemporary Europe oppresses other people besides Blacks or (indeed especially) North Africans. But only a stupid goose thinks that a Caucasian Frenchmen is as likely to face police violence as a Francophone Black or North African. (And I would not be surprised if terrorisme, a real problem, isn't used as an excuse by European racists and reactionaries to demonize and brutalize North Africans as a community the way "black crime" is used here to demonize an brutalize my people). We cannot deny class oppression, but cannot point to it as a way of evading the realities f racism, surtout STRUCTURAL racism. As Manning Marable put it once, America is not only a class society but a racist society---indeed a racist class society. And in Ameerica where, as Dr. King put, economic injustice and racial injustice are inseparably linked evil twins, we have no choice but to either surrender or to contest the ENTIRE ORDER of society. If freddy wants to be ass kisser and apologist for the established order, so be it. But I've too much self-respect for that

-Savant

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Progressive Compatriots: I would like to commend you for rallying in solidarity with our struggle against police terror. Since the slaying of Michael Brown, Erich Garner, Tamir Rice and numerous other you have shown yourselves to be men and women of principle in demonstrations of solidarity all over this country, and even in some foreign lands Yesterday, many hundreds of you were with us as we protested on behalf of justice for Freddy Gray, who recently died in the custody of Baltimore police. Despite the horrors stories you must have heard about black ghettoes, I even saw a good number of you in the initial gathering outside of Gilmore projects in West Baltimore. One of you happened to been one of my colleagues and fellow philosopher. And I do not want to forget the many Middle Eastern, Latin and Asian folk who were present as well. The Movement is growing, I believe. I believe that most of you do not rally to our cause out of some maudlin pity, but out of a sense of principle, and an awareness that if the plague of police terror besetting Black and Latin communities isn't stopped it will engulf the whole of a America. My colleague and fellow philosopher says that these killings of Black youths by police should be understood as "warning shot" to the rest of America. And many of you have the good sense to realize that as Dr. King was fond of saying "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Therefore, let us fight injustice wherever it rears its ugly head until we have achieved a more just society that will affirm the dignity of every man, woman and child on earth.

-Savant

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One or two placards by white supporters of yesterday's mass demonstration holds my memory: "Black Lives Matter even MORE than WHITE SUPREMACY!" Now beside a black college age lady carrying a sign reading "JAIL Killer Cops!" was a college age white girl with a sign "F___ Killer Cops!" Now that language was a bit extreme. LOL! But I get the sentiment. The Black girl's "JAIL killer cops!" does suggest a practical possibility. Another white dude had a sign "End Racist Police terrorism!" Exactly.

-Savant

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