Magazine of the Socialist Party USA oThecialist SVolume 33, Number 2 Spring 2007 $1.00 MAY DAY ClassClass SolidaritySolidarity withoutwithout BordersBorders The Magazine of the Socialist Party USA THE SOCIALIst 339 Lafayette Street, #303 New York, NY 10012 SVolume 33,ocialist Number 2 Spring 2007 Editor Matthew Andrews Contents Editorial Board of The Socialist 3 May Day Greetings 2007 Jason Becker Editorial Eric Chester Jessica Dreistadt 4 “We Are All Immigrants” – May Day 2007 Mary-Alice Herbert James Marra Bill Shakalis Tina Phillips Steve Rossignol 6 One Young Radical Unionist’s Journey Contact the SPUSA Balancing life, politics and the class struggle Greg Pason Matthew Andrews National Secretary Socialist Party USA 339 Lafayette St. Room 303 8 Mass Protest in Denmark to Defend our Victories and our History: New York, NY 10012 An Interview with Peter Dollerup of the Socialist Youth Front Phone: (212) 982-4586 [email protected] www.sp-usa.org 10 Eyewitness to Chiapas: The Socialist is published by the An Account of Indigenous Resistance to State Terror in Mexico Socialist Party USA. Unless oth- erwise noted, views expressed in Peter Weir this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily of 14 True Mission: Socialists and the Labor Party Question in the U.S., the Socialist Party. The Socialist by Eric Chester may be reprinted with permis- Reviewed by David Schaich sion for non-profit purposes. 15 Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, by James Green Printed by Saltus Press, a unionized printshop Reviewed by Mary-Alice Herbert Worcester, Massachusetts Subscription Rates 15 Missing from Haymarket Square, by Harriette Gillem Robinet 1-year individual • $10 Reviewed by Mary-Alice Herbert 1-year institution • $25 Bulk Rate No. 1: 25 copies/issue • $45 Bulk Rate No. 2: 50 copies/issue • $80 The Socialist is always looking for interesting, insightful, well-written material. In particular, we are looking for work that highlights the struggles and triumphs of Layout: Ari Moore the working class. We will accept news articles and stories about organizing and protests, but we are also looking for short fiction, poetry, and music/arts/theater/ Cover Art: May Day 2006 Rally film review. Please mark all letters to the editor as such and limit letters to 250 in San Francisco, photographed by David Hanks. words; articles should not exceed 2,500 words. Submit as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word .doc or .rtf format to [email protected], or by mail to: The Socialist, 339 Lafayette St. Room 303, New York, NY 10012. 2 The Socialist Spring 2007 May Day Greetings 2007 THE SOCIALIST PARTY strives Editorial to establish a radical democracy that places people’s lives under their own control - a non-racist, classless, feminist socialist soci- ety...where working people own ay Day is a day to remember relationship with corporate execu- and control the means of pro- the struggles of working peo- tives, helping them to become more duction and distribution through pleM around the world for a truly just competitive in the world market by society. This day reminds us not to slashing wages and benefits, while democratically-controlled public take for granted the sacrifices made speeding the pace of production. agencies; where full employment by past generations to win the decent Working people need to create is realized for everyone who wages and working conditions that new organizations and new organi- wants to work; where workers are still enjoyed by many workers zational forms in the coming period. have the right to form unions in the advanced capitalist countries. Grass-roots militancy has to replace Yet around the world the spread of freely, and to strike and engage passive resignation and blind obedi- a globally integrated capitalist econ- in other forms of job actions; and ence. During the last year, we have omy is undermining the well-being where the production of society seen the spirit of resistance growing of working people. As a few become is used for the benefit of all hu- grotesquely wealthy, and powerful, as the dire impact of a globally inte- grated capitalist economy becomes manity, not for the private profit the many confront acute poverty of a few. We believe socialism and and economic insecurity. painfully apparent. On May Day, democracy are one and indivis- As democratic socialists, we remain we celebrate this spirit of resistance, dedicated to building a broad move- as we reaffirm our commitment to a ible. The working class is in a key ment, at the ballot box, on the streets, new global society. and central position to fight back in our homes and neighborhoods, Global capitalism has restructured against the ruling capitalist class and in our workplaces - one that can the entire world. Class conflict has and its power. The working class create a new society based on coop- become harsher, and the illusion that is the major force worldwide that eration not greed, and equality not capitalism can be reformed from can lead the way to a socialist fu- misery. We continue to see signs that within has been shredded by the fur- people around the world have had ther concentration of power in the ture - to a real radical democracy enough, and that they are prepared hands of capital. A global economy from below. The Socialist Party to struggle for a new world built on provides the ruling class with enor- fights for progressive changes fundamentally different principles. mous leverage, but it also creates compatible with a socialist future. Unfortunately, as people mobilize the material basis for a genuinely We support militant working to confront the ruling powers, they international working class move- class struggles and electoral ac- find that many of the traditional ment. This May Day, we reaffirm tion, independent of the capital- working class institutions act to our commitment to the creation of ist controlled two-party system, defend the existing system. Most a democratic socialist society on a working people in the United States global basis. We support efforts to to present socialist alternatives. vote for Democrats, if they vote at organize a second general strike this We strive for democratic revo- all. Yet the Democratic Party has May Day, dubbed “El Gran Paro lutions - radical and fundamen- never represented the interests of Nacional 2007.” We also stand for tal changes in the structure and the working class. It continues to greater unity with our comrades quality of economic, political, and serve the interests of capital, provid- from around the world who reject personal relations - to abolish the ing pathetic excuses for its failure to capitalism, patriarchy, bigotry and power now exercised by the few address this dysfunctional system theocracy, and struggle for justice, who control great wealth and the that places so much hardship on our democracy, and the abolition of government. The Socialist Party lives. Mainstream business unions, every form of oppression. • whether affiliated with the AFL- is a democratic, multi-tendency CIO or Change to Win, no longer organization, with structure and defend the wages and working con- practices visible and accessible to ditions of their members. Instead, all members. Join us today. the leadership of these unions openly seeks to build a cooperative The Socialist Winter 2007 3 “We Are All Immigrants” – May Day 2007 By Bill Shakalis t only took me a split second to There is a rich history of immigrant ignored and resisted by employers. The understand why I must support labor and working class struggle in the Knights of Labor, which had recently theI immigrant rights movement United States – but don’t bother to look experience a boom in membership, and their struggle for jobs, family, it up in a public education text book. called for nationwide demonstrations on security, and citizenship. My grand- New immigrants to America in the 19th May 1st, 1886. In Chicago, the indus- parents were Lithuanian peasant century made up the unskilled working trial center of the country at that time, émigrés prior, in the great Eastern class. Many entered into the workshops a peaceful rally was organized by the and Southern European migration of Chicago after the Civil War. The AFL and a local group of radicals called of labor that filled the jobs of basic working class took to the streets where the International Working Peoples industry at the turn of the twentieth they were confronted by the Chicago Association. Two days later, police fired century. Working in the sweat shops on striking workers at the McCormick of Kendall Square, Cambridge, the Once again, we reapers factory. stories of their working lives filled The following day, May 4, 1886, near our family lore. My grandfather had Haymarket Square, Chicago, thou- served in the Russian Czarist army, must struggle sands of workers gathered to hear labor then emigrated to the United States and anarchist organizers denounce the in 1908, after the 1905 revolution against nativism, shootings. By 10:30 pm, with about in Czarist Russia. When my father 200 workers remaining, and maybe 175 asked him, “Would you ever go police still present, the police tried to back to Lithuania?” my grandfather racism, and charge the crowd. An unknown person replied, ”Why? There is nothing to threw a ‘bomb’ or a stick of dynamite at go back to.” the policemen, killing four of them and America is built upon immigrants. The political reaction. injuring others. Instead of pursuing an great immigration of the early twenti- honest legal investigation, the incident eth century, was repeated again in the Anti-immigrant was used as an excuse to round up lead- 1980s and 1990s, with great numbers ing anarchists who were railroaded in of Hispanics fleeing either political court, convicted and hung.