Summer Part 5

Baltimore

The uprising in Baltimore represents how people are hurting not only in the great city of Baltimore, but all over America. The masses of the people (who are black, Hispanic, white, Asian, Native American, Indian, etc.) got tired of witnessing the status quo. People are tired of poverty, of racism, of police brutality, of economic oppression, and of injustice. Therefore, Baltimore is a place where human beings have stood up against the whims of the establishment. This uprising was decades in the making. First, I will show the chronology of the events of Freddie Gray’s passing and then I will show information about this new front of the black liberation struggle in Baltimore (yes, I will discuss about the mayor, the President, poverty, etc. You know me). The tragedy of the death of 25 year old Freddie Gray should never be forgotten in our consciousness. On Sunday, April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray was arrested by the Baltimore police. The police admitted that Gray fled after just making eye contact with the police officer. So, the cops had no legitimate reason to assume that Gray was a direct threat to them at all. Witnesses say that the officers put excessive pressure on his neck. Video footage shows his body suffering.

Freddie Gray was begging for medical assistance multiple times, but the cops refused to give him any medical assistance immediately. That was despicable, disgraceful conduct on the part of those officers. Gray screamed for his life. 2 officers drag him into the van. Even the officers admitted that Freddie Gray didn’t receive a safety belt while he was in the van, which is a violation of police procedure. His spinal cord suffered massive injuries. His voice box was crushed. The van travels to a stop without going immediately into a hospital. It would be a half of an hour until Freddie Gray is hospitalized. While in the hospital, tubes are all over his face, but he experienced a coma. He died later in the hospital. Freddie Gray passed away on April 19, 2015, which was a week after he was arrested and injured. Gray’s family mourns and say that his spine was 80 percent severed at the neck. The Sister and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Monday April 20, 2015 immediately announced the suspensions of the six officers involved in the custody of Mr. Freddie Gray. On that day, she gave a speech desiring to show accountability. The police commissioner (a Brother) named Anthony W. Batts  in the same press conference said that he wants transparency to be established as in dealing with this case. People in Baltimore soon hold demonstrations and protests against police brutality. They stood up for the human dignity of Freddie Gray.

On Tuesday, April 21, 2015, the Justice Department announced a Civil Rights investigation into the case of Freddie Gray’s passing. On April 22, 2015 (on Wednesday), protesters call for justice outside of the police station in Baltimore. On the next day, the protesters marched all over Baltimore city. Many organizational political leaders, activists, and preachers rallied for the people of Baltimore. I want to mention that it is right to resist evil. Don't let anyone tell you that you have no right to resist oppression. You have right to be angry at tyranny and you have every to demand justice by any means necessary. On Friday, April 24, 2015, Baltimore’s police commissioner Anthony W. Batts conceded that mistakes were made in Mr. Gray’s arrest. Peaceful demonstrations continued all across Baltimore and America on Saturday April 25, 2015. On the same day, some people (not peaceful protesters) damaged cars and buildings and arrests were made. Here is some information about the events. On April 25, thousands of protesters proceeded without incident as the police stayed away. After the demonstrations ended at City Hall, a group marched to Camden yard baseball stadium (where the Orioles were playing). They were met by phalanxes of riot police. As the cops pushed them back, the windows of a police car was broken. There was also a confrontation with drunken fans at a bar and these fans shouted racial slurs at people. A second group went to the Inner Harbor tourist area where a journalist reported that he saw whites “jeer, spit, and throw things at protestors and try to hit them.” Store windows were broken. Hundreds of mourners attend a wake for Freddie Gray. There are protests on the same day. Gray’s funeral was emotional. Hours after the funeral, there are confrontations between the police and many people. Violence developed on Monday April 27, 2015. Many properties are burnt (whose owners are capitalists). Many protesters have courageously confronted the police in riot gear.

Now, it is important to show the truth about how this rebellion really happened on April 27. First, high school students left school in West Baltimore. They were met by hundreds of riot cops. There was a fake rumor circulating on social media about calling for a “purge.” Also, there was the lie promoted by some in the media that some gangs were uniting as a way for them to target cops explicitly. The following sources showed what happened next:

“When school let out that afternoon, police were in the area equipped with full riot gear. According to eyewitnesses in the Mondawmin neighborhood, the police were stopping buses and forcing riders, including many students who were trying to get home, to disembark. Cops shut down the local subway stop. They also blockaded roads near the Mondawmin Mall and Frederick Douglass High School, which is across the street from the mall, and essentially corralled young people in the area. That is, they did not allow the after-school crowd to disperse.”
–“Eyewitnesses: The Baltimore Riots Didn’t Start the Way You Think,” Mother Jones, 28 April

This was confirmed by several teachers who witnessed the events, including one who wrote:
“There were police helicopters flying overhead. The riot police were already at the bus stop on the other side of the mall, turning buses that transport the students away, not allowing students to board. They were waiting for the kids. As I sat at the intersection of Gwynns Falls, I saw several police cars arriving at the scene. I saw the armored police vehicle arrive. Those kids were set up, they were treated like criminals before the first brick was thrown.”
–Gawker, 28 April

Therefore, the young  people were prevented from going home in a quick manner by the local authorities. On Monday April 27, 2015, Maryland’s Governor declared a State of Emergency in Baltimore at the request of Baltimore city. The Governor activated about 5,000 National Guard troops on the same day too. For days, militarized police and the National Guard occupy Baltimore city streets. There was the burning of the CVS convenience store. I don’t agree with it being burned, but a human life has more value than property. There ought to be no worship of property. A senior housing building was burnt next to the Southern Baptist Church, which sponsored it. Some people cut hole on fire truck's extinguishers. There is no evidence that peaceful protesters were responsible for the burning. West Baltimore had businesses being trashed and small fires set. Also, it is wrong for multi-billion dollar corporations to gouge the black poor with high prices. It is the capitalists and the neo-liberal state that destroyed jobs, disinvested in poor neighbors, and grew mass incarceration (via overtly discriminatory drug laws). Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Monday instituted a mandatory week long curfew for everyone in Baltimore (with exceptions for some workers, the press, and people with medical emergencies). Most people followed it and some rejected it. There is a picture of Natural Guard vehicles enforcing the curfew on April 29 in Pennsylvania Avenue. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama called the violence “counterproductive.” Both the Mayor and the President made a mistake by calling people (who are hurting, but unfortunately damaged some property) as “thugs.” Capitalist politicians among both parties debate on how better to suppress protests. On Tuesday, Baltimore residents clean places up in the city. Also, the atmosphere becomes more festive as Baltimore residents dance and enjoy themselves. People pray, unite, and stand with calls for justice. We don't have justice now. We don't have justice when some cops kill our Brothers and our Sisters in the streets with impunity. We don't have justice when our black people are being slandered by extremists and when we don't even see an arrest of the murderer of Tamir Rice (and other victims of police terrorism).

On Thursday, April 30, 2015, Baltimore Police Department completes their internal investigation. On Friday, May 1, 2015, the State Attorney of Baltimore and African American Marilyn Mosby announced charges for all six officers involved in the custody of Freddie Gray. The charges are serious and of course the police union repudiates the charges. The police union (including the local president of the Fraternal Order of Police named Gene Ryan) wants the charges dropped since they promote the lie that the officers did nothing wrong. People like Ryan want Mosby to recuse herself, because he accused her of having a conflict of interest (since her husband is a council member of Baltimore). Yet, Marilyn Mosby works in the judicial branch and her husband works in the executive branch of government. Mosby’s colleagues have talked about her fairness, intelligence, and integrity. Obviously, the officers did many things wrong even admitted by the police commissioner. Attorney Marilyn Mosby gave a passionate speech and she said that Freddie Gray was arrested without probable cause (which that charge was later dropped). The charges that Attorney Mosby made include: murder, involuntary manslaughter, assault, and misconduct. Now, indictments are not equivalent to convictions. These charges came about, because of the pressure from mass protests. Some folks have to know that we have an epidemic of police terrorism. Amadou Diallo back in 1999 was killed by 41 shots when he stood on his doorstep. Oscar Grant was killed in 2009 and the murderer Johannes Mehserle got only a slap on the wrist with the conviction of involuntary manslaughter. Also, many Sisters have been killed by the police too like Aiyana Jones. African American communities have faced police occupation for decades. In Baltimore alone, at least 127 people were killed by the police from 1992 to 2012. The population of Baltimore is 64% black, but last year 100% of the people killed by the cops were black. So, we should still use vigilance and advance the cause of justice for the family of Freddie Gray. On Sunday, May 3, 2015, tons of people rally at Baltimore City Mall. They hold hands and called for real change in society.

The Real Baltimore

Now, here are more facts about this situation. The system has been used to oppress black people, people of color, and all freedom loving people (while the oligarchy is enriched by reactionary economic policies and imperial foreign policies). The police institution is an extension of the capitalist, oligarchical order. And that is precisely what Baltimore has lived under for decades. As a black writer described growing up in the city: “To us, the Baltimore Police Department is a group of terrorists, funded by our tax dollars, who beat on people in our community daily, almost never having to explain or pay for their actions” (D. Watkins, “In Baltimore, We’re All Freddie Gray,” New York Times, 29 April).  The Baltimore Sun reported on more 100 cases of people who won court judgments or settlements for police brutality or civil rights violations in the city of Baltimore. The city of Baltimore had to pay out at least $5.7 million in settlements since 2011. Dallas paid $6 million since 2011, Denver $13 million over ten years, Minneapolis $21 million since 2003 and Los Angeles $20 billion in 2013 alone.

The history of deindustrialization has a long history in Baltimore. Baltimore was one of the many cities that experienced rebellion after the evil, unjust assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April 4, 1968. The uprising was suppressed in 1968 via 3,000 Army soldiers and almost all of the Maryland National Guard. Over 5,000 people were arrested and hundreds were injured in the 1968 rebellion. Baltimore in the 1950’s and in the 1960’s was a seaport city filled with massive steel and auto production (plus shipbuilding). There were good union jobs for people. Yet, factories were shut down and moved elsewhere. Black people suffered massively since black people suffered classism and racism. The Bethlehem Steel mill at Sparrows Point was a great manufacturing hub in Baltimore. Huge layoffs started in 1971 and even General Motors shut down in 2005. By 2012, there were 160,000 fewer manufacturing jobs in Baltimore than in 1957. Many U.S. capitalists have looted the resources of the people for a long time. Many cities like Baltimore have the growth of low wage jobs instead of jobs with living wages. There were once over 900,000 people in Baltimore. Now, it has about 622,000 people. Yet, the people of Baltimore are strong and they will continue to stand up for what is right.



Baltimore is a location with many revolutionary voices and we are all in solidarity with those who abhor police terrorism, poverty, and any injustice. Yes, I’m going to keep it real. The establishment has promoted the myth that we must be respectable to their interests, act like good “house servants,” wear colonial clothing, and behave submissively (in loving the capitalist system), then we can have change. That’s fantasy. We are born free and we must fight for our freedom via struggle not appeasement. No matter how much wealth we have, no matter our gender, and no matter our socioeconomic situation, we are somebody. We are deserving of dignity and respect regardless. We are against the system of white supremacy. We want human rights. We are not "outside agitators" (that phrase ironically was used by the reactionary, racist Southern segregationists decades ago) and we are not "thugs." The real "thugs" are those of the 1 percent who used their neoliberalism to oppress others throughout the world. We don’t desire an oppressive system of “law and order.” We desire freedom and justice. The lie of reactionaries is that the progressive activists don't advance solutions. The truth is that living wages, ending police terrorism, community development, ending the war on terror, universal health care, and other solutions have been advanced for a long time. I don’t have any allegiance to the corporate parties of the Republicans or the Democrats (whose leadership serve the interests of the 1%).

We know who makes up the real Baltimore. It is the youth in Baltimore who work in charities and love their families. It includes the grown adults who talk about change and are actively involved in making that change happen (with their work in education, with their work in social activism, with their work in other community development programs, which has not been readily reported by some in the mainstream media. These people's lives matter). The real Baltimore is filled with dynamic culture, great people, and excellent food. So, the real Baltimore includes people like some of my relatives and other individuals who love wisdom and believe in authentic social change in our world. That's the real Baltimore. 

The LEOBR

The problem is definitely rooted in the system (as the police institution is an extension of the establishment). There is Maryland’s “Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights." The LEOBR in Maryland is very reactionary and many protesters want it to be revised or eliminated. One provision in the state’s LEOBR prohibits investigators from even attempting to interview an officer suspected of a crime until a lawyer has been hired. The law gives the officer 10 days to do so, effectively granting a 10-day “cooling off” period, in which the suspect is allowed to concoct a cover story. Also, the Maryland LEOBR says that departments have no obligation to even investigate brutality allegations that are filed more than 90 days after the incident. That is totally wrong. There is a culture in the police institution where some cops view themselves as infallible and some use the badge as a way for them to brutalize people. We must combat racism and economic oppression (which is a form of violence against oppressed people). Any cop, regardless of their skin color, who brutalize or kill a human being unjustly ought to be punished.

An Important Issue

There is a paradox. We have a huge amount of black political leaders in Baltimore, yet decades later, we face the similar conditions in Baltimore and throughout America (as our people faced during the 1960's). So, the conclusion is that we need progressive, revolutionary, and strong black political power (not just any black leader being advanced since some black “leaders” are reactionary and permit class oppression) in order for us to  be free. Yet, the establishment of black people in the political establishment is never a guarantee that Black America will be truly liberated. Manufacturing jobs in Baltimore have fallen by 90% since the late 1960’s. In the neighborhood of Sandtown-Winchester (where Freddie Gray lived), 52% of the population aged 16 to 64 is jobless. This is depression level unemployment. High unemployment is found in the Upton-Druid Heights neighborhood too. This is a national problem. The combination of racial and class oppression are evils that must be defeated. In order for racism to end, we have to get rid of racial oppression, which is major part of American capitalism. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and the 50th anniversary of the Watts Rebellion, we have to reflect. Not only that, but we have to institute creative, strong strategies that can help humanity in Baltimore and all over the globe via workers' solidarity. The recent uprising in Baltimore was a reflection of pain and hurt. People are tired of poverty, economic inequality, the War on Drugs, and police brutality.

We have the first African American President today. There are 43 Black members of the U.S. House and two black Senators. These are the highest number of members of U.S. Congress throughout American history. Also, Loretta Lynch is the first Black woman to be appointed Attorney General of the United States. The Mayor in Baltimore is a Black woman whose name is Sister Stephanie Rawling-Blake and the Police Commissioners is a Brother named Anthony Batts. Baltimore’s City Council has 15 members of whom 8 are African Americans (while Ferguson once had a lack of black political power and representation). Therefore, these problems in Baltimore exist beyond just racism.

They exist also because of classism and economic exploitation too. The bourgeoisie of every color has oppressed others. The bourgeoisie historically have collaborated with the oppressors in maintaining the oppressed's oppression. As Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor wrote in an article for In These Times:

"...Black elected officials have largely governed in the same way as their white counterparts, reflecting all of the racism, corruption and policies favoring the wealthy seen throughout mainstream politics...This is not just a product of contempt for the Black poor, but also the result of the pressures of governing big cities in an age of austerity. Cities have been thrust into competition with each other to attract capital, resulting in a race to the bottom to cut taxes and essentially shove out those in need of social services...." 

So, we live in historic times along with historic challenges. Regardless of the racial composition of cities or towns, we as a community still face racial discrimination and economic inequality. Many black political leaders of the establishment have failed to address these issues. In fact, some members of the black political elite class make it their mission to demonize the black poor and lecture about “personal responsibility” instead of fighting the system of white supremacy (and fighting capitalist exploitation). Some of them even are funded by the big multinational corporations who fund privatization projects or should I say schemes (in urban areas) at the expense of the suffering of the masses of black people.  The poor readily experiences decaying schools and decaying homes (while the super rich benefit from the exploitation of capital). Rawlings-Blake said of violence in the city, "Too many of us in the black community have become complacent about black-on-black crime...While many of us are willing to march and protest and become active in the face of police misconduct, many of us turn a blind eye when it's us killing us." It is common for some white reactionaries (and even some black people) to blame the problems of society on African Americans  collectively, but there are black organizations that condemn crime no matter who does it. Also, we know that we must address socioeconomic issues if we want further community development. The police institution is the armed enforcers of the oppressive, capitalistic power structure (which executes racism and economic exploitation). President Barack Obama and Mayor Rawlings-Blake even called the youth who rebelled “thugs” which inappropriate. To her credit, Baltimore’s Mayor apologized for her statement.

We know that the crisis in Baltimore can about because of decades of neglect, poverty, unemployment, deindustrialization, and police violence. We don’t need the black youth to be vilified. We don’t need austerity. Even some Democrats refuse to raise taxes on the wealthy to fund social programs to help the poor and working class. The real thugs are the predatory corporate elites who created the social misery in the ghettos and in other communities in the first place. The real thugs are crooked cops who oppress people of every color in American society. We don’t need to resurrect tired, old narratives that indict Black families and black culture for racial inequality. Over one hundred people that had been arrested during the Baltimore uprising were released with no charges, prompting deputy public defender Natalie Finegar to tell the Los Angeles Times, “It looks like a lot of folks were just flat-out illegally detained, from our perspective.” We need to revolutionary change where people have living wages, we need our civil liberties and human rights strengthened, we need an end to mass incarceration, and we need economic justice. We want mass organization for empowerment and we want cops who commit evil to be punished (and held accountable for their actions). We will fight oppression. We want black people to have freedom and liberation. This is not a moment, but this is a movement.

The Mainstream Media

Much of the mainstream media have been obsessive with the rebellion while not giving fair coverage to the problems going on in Baltimore. Some refuse to report on the people doing positive work in their own communities. Some of the news coverage on CNN are similar to the reactionary propaganda shown by FOX News. There debate between the sellout Geraldo Rivera of FOX News and the eloquent young black man shows the world about the disconnect between the mainstream media and the truth. The young man told Geraldo to his face that:

“I want you and Fox News to get out of Baltimore city. Because you’re not here reporting about the boarded-up homes, and the homeless people on the MLK. You’re not reporting about the poverty levels up and down North Avenue…. But you’re here for the ‘black riots.’ You’re not here for the death of Freddie Gray. Fox News don’t give a damn about these people. This is the real Baltimore. This is where people wake up and wonder where they’re going to go to get a meal.”

Yet, Geraldo slandered the young man as a “vandal” when people have the right to demonstrate against police brutality and any injustice. We know about Obama’s “Task Force on 21st Century Policing report.” Also, the mainstream media has not massively reported on how many innocent protesters (over 200 people in one day) were arbitrarily arrested by the Baltimore police too. A Facebook post highlighted the illegal and inhumane conditions for those arrested in the vicinity of Baltimore’s Mondawmin Mall, which is in the neighborhood of Frederick Douglass High School, Coppin Academy High School, Coppin State University, as well as a major public transit center. Geremy Faulkner was one out of many people in Baltimore who was violated of habeas corpus human rights. Faulkner was just filming the police and he was unjustly arrested for 44 hours. Attorney Marci Tarrant Johnson documented the inhuman and unjust conduct prisons of male and female inmates. 

It is also true that the crime rate has declined in the black community over the course of 40 years. The fact is that only about 1 percent of African Americans — and no more than 2 percent of black males — will commit a violent crime in a given year. Black male homicide rates now are one-third below the rate in 1950 and 60 percent below the rate in 1970. Since 1970, fertility rate for black girls 15-17 down 81% We have a massive decline in black teenage pregnancy rates since 1992. There were roughly 200,000 fewer violent crimes committed by blacks in 2008 than there were in 1978: a drop of about 14 percent, numerically, and a massive drop in the violent crime offending rate, from 75.3 violent offenses per 1000 black people in 1978 to 41.7 per 1000 by 2008: a decline of 45 percent in the rate at which blacks commit violent crimes.

Baltimore Rising

I’m in full solidarity with Mothers for Justice United, Hands Up Coalition, and other organizations that are opposed to the extrajudicial murder of black people. It is heartbreaking to witness how young people have died before the life expectancy of their own mothers. The death of Tamir Rice was truly evil and furthermore the police once blamed Tamir for his own death (which is the height of disrespect to Tamir Rice’s family. The city had to issue a token apology for those blatantly insensitive, evil comments). The mothers involved in this movement are right to say that Enough is Enough. No crooked cop or racist vigilante should oppress and murder anyone period. Black women also have been killed too.

We should never forget the names of Rekia Boyd, Miriam Carey, Shelly Frey, Sheneque Proctor, Aura Rosser, Aiyana Jones, and other Sisters who were killed by the police. Their stories are our stories. When one black person suffers injustice or is murdered unjustly, then we all suffer. We are all in this today. Black women are being killed by the cops not only black men. The life of black people, regardless of gender, has equal value. The topless women protesting police terrorism against black women (I heard of this story days ago) are certainly courageous in making the point that the human dignity of black women is sacrosanct and should never be degraded. So, the #SayHerName campaign and so many other campaigns make this point clear.Yes, Black Women Lives Matter. Black women have stood on the front lines in Ferguson, Baltimore, New York City, and throughout America in standing up against police terror, racism, economic injustice, etc. Young Black Women coined the phrase Black Lives Matter also. Ferguson activist Erica Totten grabs the microphone at Al Sharpton’s Dec. 13 protest in Washington DC to ensure that Ferguson activists’ voices were heard. Racism and sexism are evils that must be condemned and ended.




Structural racism is still a problem in America. Even the DOJ report documented the massive racism found in the police department of Ferguson, Missouri. The lives of both black males and black females matter. Following the ethos of altruism, cooperative activity, and unity can further change the world. Not to mention while Karl Marx gave excellent analysis on issues of class, Karl Marx has no monopoly on socialism. Africans have been establishing principles of socialism and practicing forms of socialism long before Marx was born. So, we need to embrace our intellectual diversity while rejecting strict ideological dogmatism. The masses of the people are standing up and they desire real change. We need more mobilization, organization, economic power, and true political action. These mothers and other activists have been courageous. They seek economic inequality (which comes about via the structural capitalist exploitation of society) to end and for racial justice to develop. Angela Davis and George Jackson documented the evils of the prison industrial complex and we know that our criminal injustice system must be radically changed. Fascist cops and the predatory corporate elite (who created the social misery in the ghettos, etc. in the first place) should be condemned. Also, we don't want some token, reactionary black capitalism where economic fiefdoms or corporate enterprises exist where workers are exploited. The worship of individualism has never worked to benefit the masses of the people at all. An economic system, which has directly been involved in the Maafa and the further oppression against our people, should be rejected. Even Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. criticized capitalism by their own words. We want economic power that is fairly disturbed, where workers have economic justice, and where black people will have their economic rights maintained (in using our resources in building our power and ending the system of white supremacy).

We want an end to environmental degradation and we don’t agree with imperial aggression overseas too. These mothers definitely desire working people to have living wages and for police terror to end. This movement is comprehensive and strong (in focusing in decolonization mentally, so that we always love our blackness and oppose the system of white supremacy. For we not only want human rights. We want justice unconditionally too). We will not be intimidated. It is blatantly hypocritical and offensive for some to condemn the uprising of people (who are the victims of oppression), but refuse to condemn Western imperialists looting and bombing territories overseas. So, the working class, the poor, and all oppressed people should fight this evil system. We are in a liberation struggle to end oppression. Every human being should be liberated and free without question. We have to give too. We are not islands. In all in our lives, someone sacrificed for us to be here. Life was given to us without a price. Therefore, the principle of life is love, giving, caring, and standing up for justice basically. We must sacrifice and resist oppression. Resistance against oppression is holy. We have to love each other and give our time and effort to help people. We will speak our minds and help our communities.We should never lose hope. The black community are standing up for our rights (in advancing self-determination, the development of our infrastructure, and growth of the power of the workers including the poor, and establishing racial including economic justice). This is an international movement too. So, we should unite with Brothers and Sisters globally as we are all family regardless of our nationality. Malcolm X, before he passed away, advocated international unity among black people globally. I agree with him 100 percent on that point. There should be an end of the War on Drugs and the mass incarceration system. We know that the state will continue to try to pass laws to restrict demonstrations and so forth. Wall Street bankers who committed criminal actions ought to be tried in trials and put in prison. Living wages ought to be exist and real programs to rebuild houses and schools must be enacted. We must have hope and express legitimate action.

#Black Lives Matter

In the final analysis, we want human rights and social justice.

Conclusion

Certainly, revolutionary change is needed in the world. Yet, we have to use discernment too. That means that we should never be infiltrated by NGOs and big corporate Foundations who seek to dilute or confuse movements for authentic social change. Having political independence is a key for us to be truly free indeed. We are against structural racism and structural economic oppression. This also means that we don't agree with mass incarceration, racial profiling, and any form of obscene oppression of any kind whatsoever. Organization, mobilization, and other progressive actions ought to be enacted, so we can engineer the positive changes necessary. The system of oppression must be replaced with a system of justice.

The bin Laden assassination has caused debate for years. Journalist Seymour Hersh wrote a 10,000 word essay about the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden. He wrote that the official story about the death of Osama bin Laden is totally false. This has caused of course denials from the White House and other government officials. We certainly know that the war on terror has been based on lies and deceptions since the attacks on America on September 11, 2001. Hersh contends that the Obama administration lied about the raid by U.S. Navy Seals who killed bin Laden on May 1, 2011. Other media outlets have confirmed some of Hersh’s accounts. NBC News cited three unnamed sources (2 of them are found in U.S. intelligence) that a walk in from Pakistani intelligence told the CIA where Osama bin Laden was hiding a year before the U.S. raid. Also, NBC News said that the Pakistani government knew that bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad, which is a headquarters town for the Pakistani military. Many Pakistani news outlets name the former intelligence official who tipped off the CIA about bin Laden as former brigadier Usman Khalid of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (or the Pakistani military intelligence service). Khalid has been moved to the United States and is working with the CIA. They also confirmed that Pakistani officials at the highest level were aware of bin Laden’s presence and identified one intelligence official, Ijaz Shah, as the man who arranged to house bin Laden in Abbottabad, at the direction of then-president Pervez Musharraf. R. J. Hillhouse is a U.S. college professor and blogger on national security issues. She made similar allegations of the Pakistanis holding bin Laden, the Saudis paying the expenses, the “walk in” providing bin Laden’s location to the CIA, the Pakistani cooperation with the raid by the Navy Seals, the US plan to claim bin Laden had been killed by a drone-fired missile. She said that Hersh’s story is spot on, but she had different sources within the military intelligence apparatus. The establishment has denounced Hersh’s views, but he has a great track record.

He accurately described the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, Abu Ghraib, and other issues. We have the right to ask questions. The movie Zero Dark Thirty has promoted the official narrative of the death of Osama bin Laden. Today, we know the truth. It is a lie that the war on terror is meant to promote “freedom.” The origins of the 9/11 attacks came from the CIA recruitment and training of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists (like Osama) in Afghanistan against the Soviets. We know that the U.S., the Saudis, etc. had connections with Al-Qaeda in Syria and Libya (even after 9/11). These Al-Qaeda terrorists were involved in the regime change in Libya. 9/11 was exploited by the oligarchy to establish wars overseas and build up police state powers in America. We see the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon’s Northern Command, and the expansion of spying powers of the state. Militarized police were found in Boston and in other places like Baltimore. This has grown the crisis of world capitalism. It is immoral and impossible to allow a small fraction of the population to monopolize the wealth of the Earth. The lies being shown about the war on terror deal with the Iraq War and other issues. Many in the corporate media have been complicit in promoting imperialism and capitalist exploitation too. We want democratic rights, freedom, and justice.

By Timothy