The Internationalist No. 63 April-June 2021 50¢ George Floyd’s Murderer Convicted, Police Impunity Remains One Year After George Floyd, Racist Killer Cops Keep Killing MINNEAPOLIS/NEW YORK, May ing “looters,” but in the first hundred 25 – On the first anniversary of the cold- days of the administration of Democrat blooded murder of George Floyd by killer Joe Biden, more than 650 people died in cop Derek Chauvin, it is clear to all that, Times York The New Joshua Rashaad McFadden for police actions. The fact that one badge- despite the massive protests against rac- toting killer was convicted of murder ist police brutality that swept the country, changes nothing. there has been no change in the treatment Meanwhile, we are hearing a lot of of black people at the hands of the enforc- earnest talk of police “reforms,” of “de- ers of “law and order.” Nor, for that mat- escalation” and “anti-bias” training, of ter, was there any change after the origi- changing rules on use of deadly force, nal Black Lives Matters protests in 2014 improving police-community relations following the police murders of Michael and the like. The Democratic House of Brown, Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Representatives has passed a “George Tamir Rice and many others; or after the Floyd Justice in Policing Act” (no Re- murder of Freddie Gray and Sandra Bland publicans voted for it, and it is going in 2015, or the murder of Philando Castile nowhere in the Senate) with a few re- in 2016, or . Year in and year out, wan- forms, like “incentivizing banning of ton police killing of African Americans, chokeholds,” banning no-knock war- Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Ameri- rants in federal drug cases and lifting cans, as well as hundreds of white work- “qualified immunity” for police. But ing people goes on and on. for all the BS about “transparency” and The grisly death toll tells the story. “accountability,” and the bill’s pious Already, in the first four months of 2021, “Justice for Daunte Wright” on the street in front of the memorial for George calls to “empower our communities to 700 people died in encounters with police Floyd in Minneapolis, April 12. Amid the trial of killer cop Derek Chauvin, reimagine public safety in an equitable in the U.S., almost six a day, the same rate racist police terror never stopped. and just way,” none of this will make a as last year when over 2,200 were killed During the seven-week trial of Derek Chicago, shot down with his hands raised the difference. The appeals to “defund” and (well above the 2000-2019 yearly aver- Chauvin, as the whole country was on pins day trial testimony began. All-round racist even “abolish the police” are gone. To- age of 1,400 deaths caused by police).1 and needles awaiting the outcome, 179 were president Donald Trump incited police kill- day, the front-runners in the New York 1 https://fatalencounters.org/. killed, including 13-year-old Adam Toledo in ings with his incendiary rhetoric about shoot- continued on page 10 Biden, Sanders, Democrats Arm Zionist Butchers Defend the Palestinians Against Israeli War For Arab-Hebrew Workers Revolution! MAY 18 – The storming of the al Aqsa ing units have been destroyed, including 76 Mosque in Jerusalem by hundreds of Is- high-rise apartment buildings. Schools and Hosam Salem for The New York Times Hosam Salem for The New York raeli police on Monday, May 10 was the hospitals have been hit by Israel’s precision opening shot of renewed Zionist war on the bombs and a news media tower was deliber- Palestinian Arab people. While the imperi- ately destroyed. The United Nations reports alist media talk of military conflict between that at least 58,000 residents of the narrow Israel and Hamas, the Islamist governing Gaza strip have been displaced from their party in the besieged enclave of Gaza, the homes, with 47,000 of them crammed into reality is a one-sided slaughter of Palestin- U.N. schools. ians by the Israeli war machine. The death Added to this is the terror unleashed by toll tells the story: over 220 Arabs killed so Zionist-fascist vigilantes against Palestin- far, more than 60 of them children, com- ians in Israeli cities of mixed Arab and Jew- pared to 6 Israeli Jewish civilians dead. ish population. In the occupied West Bank, In addition, due to Israeli bombing Israeli military forces have fired on protest electrical power lines have been knocked demonstrations while ultra-rightist settlers out while fuel for the sole power plant is have attacked Palestinians. The rightist Is- running out and blackouts in Gaza are up to raeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 16 hours a day. At least 800,000 people are who launched the war in order to stay in of- without access to fresh water and sewage is fice, and the military that is pounding Gaza Destroyed buildings in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, after May 14 Israeli air strike. spilling into the streets. More than 700 hous- continued on page 6 Israel is targeting residential areas, leaving tens of thousands homeless. Pickets Shut Down Job Sites Daily Portland Painters Gearing Up: Now’s the Time – Strike to Win! By Class Struggle Workers – estimated 120 members Portland of over a dozen other Facebook unions had honored the PORTLAND, OR, June 21 – Members of strike picket line, giv- the International Union of Painters and Al- ing up a day’s wages lied Trades (IUPAT) Local 10 in Portland, to show solidarity with Oregon, deemed “essential workers,” kept the union brothers and construction booming as they worked all sisters….” through the COVID-19 pandemic. Mean- When painters while, their bosses in the Signatory Paint- from Seigner and Co. ing Contractors Organization (SPCO) took who picketed at Chris- in $20 million in Paycheck Protection Pro- tensen Oil Co. were gram “loans” which they may never have targeted for retaliation to pay back. Yet even as they are flush with after their courageous cash, contractors are offering a “raise” so four-day picket and low (25¢/hour, less than 1% for a journey- shutdown at the jobsite, man painter) that it would amount to pen- Local 10 put out an “all nies a week. This is also supposed to cover out” call to Seigner increased health insurance costs, and along Getting ready: 70 members of IUPAT Local 10 picketing at Christensen Oil on June 14. employees, and dozens with the rising cost of living this would showed up to picket the contractor. The behind closed doors (the bosses know what’s tion by the construction trades and all of amount to a pay cut. largest job under that contractor, 50 miles being negotiated, the workers are kept in the Northwest Oregon/Southwest Washington But the painters are not giving in to away in Salem, was shut down as all of dark), painters should demand a large raise – labor. We need to make those solidarity the SPCO contractors’ bullying tactics. their employees chose to aid the picket at no less than 15%, and even that would only resolutions count. On May 24, ballots of Local 10 members Seigner. One picketer was struck by the car begin to catch up. Portland is home to some of the larg- were counted and 95% voted to authorize of a Seigner founder as he bullied his way There have now been weeks of prepa- est construction projects in North America a strike. It would be the first painters strike in to the gate, but the pickets persevered. rations. It’s high time to spread the pickets today. A solid painters strike here would in over 40 years in the Portland area. As After discussion, a second picket was sent to the bigger job sites (Intel, Nike, airport) send a message to corona profit-bloated the results of the vote became official, the to Christensen, the job site where the work- and strike all SPCO sites, while elected conglomerates around the country: labor is Northwest Oregon Labor council unani- ers had been retaliated against, and again delegates from the shop teams need to ready to fight. To win, all jobs under the mously adopted a solidarity resolution the job was shut down. make the strike committee a reality to take master area agreement must be shut down. brought by IATSE (stage hands) Local 28 Class-struggle militants in Local 10 their place in leading this battle that will The watchword is: one out, all out – picket in support of a painters strike. And since have called for organizing strike prepa- require a full mobilization of the union lines mean don’t cross, period! We make they may be a little out of practice, painters ration teams at all affected shops, for an membership – and effective solidarity ac- that stick and we can win. n have been gearing up for the strike with a elected strike committee to organize and series of unfair labor practice (ULP) pick- direct strike activities, and for massive ets that have successfully shut down or picket lines that can effectively shut job Right-Wing Recall Campaign greatly reduced work at several job sites sites down. Solidarity across union and across the metropolitan area. trade lines has already been key to shutting Dubbed the “summer of chaos,” the Targets Kshama Sawant down individual jobs and such solidarity pickets kicked off on May 21 at McDaniel Seattle city council member Kshama of Donald Trump) and Sawant’s 2019 op- must be repeated en masse for the strike High School, followed on May 28 and June Sawant, a supporter of Socialist Alternative, ponent, Egan Orion, leader of the Broadway to be successful.