La oficina de correos 12 Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org Vol. 62 No. 35 Aug. 27, 2020 $1 RESIST KILLER COPS! editorial Abolish the police The recent Republican convention—led by the white-supremacist-in-chief, current U.S. president and enemy of the people— rallied its troops with racist scare tactics about “civil unrest” by Black Lives Matter protest- ers and left-wing activists. The Democratic convention offered an alternative, but not a solution. This party nominated for U.S. presi- dent one of the main authors of a 1994 tough-on-crime bill that wound up sentencing a hugely disproportion- ate number of Black and Brown people to jail. For vice president, the Democrats nominated a former California attorney general who self-describes as “top cop.” Meanwhile, in the few days between the two conven- tions, the cops of racist “law enforcement”— the struc- Portland, Ore., Aug. 18. PHOTO: MATTHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND ture of policing that protects the interests of the U.S. billionaire ruling class—continued to gun people down. On Aug. 22, cops shot Trayford Pellerin dead in the streets of Lafayette, La., right in his own neighborhood. Portlanders push back cops, fascists Pellerin, a Black man, was on foot. His family pointed out the contrast between their loved one’s fate and that By Joshua Hanks time. Originally concentrated downtown across from a of a white man arrested recently by Lafayette cops with- Portland, Ore. federal courthouse and the headquarters of PPB – which out injury, despite his being armed with a gun and driv- also houses the county jail – protests have since fanned ing a stolen car. Aug. 24 – For nearly three months, thousands of peo- out across the city into residential neighborhoods. The The next day ple in this city have joined nightly protests, marches PPB East Precinct and the police “union” headquarters in Kenosha, Wis., and demonstrations denouncing racist police brutality. in North Portland have become epicenters of protests, cops shot Jacob While met with heavy police repression, the crowds have with large crowds facing off against cops who are now Blake in the back continued to gather undeterred, even in the face of fed- using tear gas in residential neighborhoods. multiple times, also eral officers sent by President Trump to “quell” protests Residents have been rattled by the presence of police in his own neigh- in the city. in their neighborhoods.The cops often do not wear iden- borhood. Blake, a While Trump claimed an early victory, the reality on tifying badges and can legally occupy private property, 29-year-old African the ground showed that the federal police presence only such as yards surrounding people’s homes, in order to American, had just inflamed the situation and drove even more residents to mount surprise attacks on protesters. tried to break up a local fight and was returning to his come out into the streets. After repeated use of clouds of An Aug. 14 article in The Oregonian describes the car. His sons—ages 3, 5 and 8—were in the car and saw tear gas and other violent weapons failed to stop the pro- experience of one resident, Karen Roberts, who had up the cops shoot their father. Blake is expected to survive, tests, federal officers withdrew from attempts to repress to 30 unidentified officers occupy her yard. “Roberts said but with unknown physical injuries. Reports on Aug. 25 the crowds. Oregon state police came in to replace federal when they were asked to identify themselves, instead say he is paralyzed from the waist down. officers, yet those are also being pushed out of the city. they threatened her neighbor, saying, ‘Turn your flash- In response to these continuing acts of racist police Now back in charge of “controlling” protests is the light off or we will come back and arrest you— we know brutality, hundreds of Black Lives Matter protest- Portland Police Bureau—which drew widespread con- where you live.’” (tinyurl.com/y45qu88v) ers immediately began marching in Louisiana and demnation when it deployed tear gas in huge amounts in Wisconsin. Police collude with fascists the early days of the demonstrations. Federal and state In Kenosha, Wis., local cops deluged them with interventions having failed, the PPB is essentially back As police repression continues and spreads beyond the tear gas and pepper spray, and the governor deployed to square one. downtown core, another familiar threat has emerged: National Guard troops. In Madison, the state capital, the The locations of the protests have also shifted over Continued on page 7 Continued on page 8 COVID-19 Webinar Editorial DNC scrutinized 10 Cuba’s solidarity 9 China’s success 11 Philly houseless defiant 2 Post Office protests 3 Women in Georgia jail Racist cop attacks NBA executive 6 Wildfires in California 4-5 Margaret Sanger’s contradictions 6 Jamil Al-Amin Bryant Arroyo N. Carolina campus openings fail 7 Lezmond Mitchell Black August tribute Vietnam 8 Philippines 8 Mali coup 10 Page 2 Aug. 27, 2020 workers.org Philadelphia Houseless resist second eviction effort this week By Marie Kelly Philadelphia ◆ In the U.S. Aug. 18 — An encampment of Resist killer cops ............................... 1 over 100 houseless people sits on Houseless resist second eviction effort ............2 the Benjamin Franklin Parkway 800+ protests say ‘Defend the Postal Service!’ .....3 here, steps away from the iconic art museum of “Rocky” movie fame and Prisoners face wildfires and COVID-19 ...........4 under the noses of the Philadelphia Fight for abolition..............................4 bourgeoisie. JTD camp is a self-de- Thousands demand new trial for Imam Al-Amin...4 clared autonomous and cop-free Deaths of women prisoners in Georgia............5 zone providing a safe environment at a time when the COVID pandemic The psychological impact of solitary confinement ..5 is ravaging the city. A large “Black Stop the execution of Lezmond Mitchell ..........5 Lives Matter” banner hangs at the Black NBA executive abused by white police officer. 6 entrance. Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger problem...6 The James Talib Dean camp, No. Carolina universities’ COVID-19 explosion .... 7 named to honor an organizer who WW PHOTO: JOE PIETTE died shortly after it was established in Activist Samantha Rise speaks as others hold makeshift shields to protect houseless Philly rally demands unemployment pay.......... 7 June, is the latest in a series of camps encampment on Aug. 18. No walls for billionaires........................10 set up by local activist groups. The JTD camp and a smaller Camp Teddy—on the site of the rallied overnight and into the early morning of Aug. 18. ◆ Around the world new multimillion-dollar Philadelphia Housing Authority They erected makeshift barricades while a strong defen- 75th anniversary of Vietnam’s August Revolution ..8 (PHA) headquarters in North Philadelphia—show that sive force maneuvered along the camp’s outskirts, accord- the Kenney administration has repeatedly failed the poor. ing to Workers World Party members on the ground. Long live the memory of Ka Randy! ..............8 The PHA suffers from mismanagement at best. When no police had appeared by midmorning, it was COVID can be defeated .........................9 OccupyPHA, the Workers Revolutionary Group and the clear the city had backed down. The organizers agreed to Cuba: global leader in the fight against COVID.....9 Black and Brown Workers Cooperative, among others, are return to the bargaining table with the city, but remained Mass protests force out leaders in Mali . 10 stepping in to fill the void created by the city’s failure to firm on their demand for permanent housing. The injunc- solve Philadelphia’s growing housing crisis. tion against any eviction expires Aug. 25. How China won the COVID-19 fight ..............11 An eviction notice posted by the city on Aug. 17 gave res- ◆ Editorial idents less than 24 hours to leave or be forcibly removed. Moratorium on selling public housing properties This second attempt to sweep away the camp was halted The demands by camp organizers call for the city to trans- Abolish the police .............................. 1 by an injunction filed Aug. 20. The eviction threats are the fer ownership of vacant housing properties away from the Not being Trump is not enough .................10 mayor’s attempt to pacify residents of luxury condos lining PHA, Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (RDA) and the parkway, whose gentrifier sensitivities are upset by the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC). ◆ Noticias en Español presence of the camp on their doorsteps. The properties would instead be placed into a permanent La oficina de correos ......................... 12 The camp’s message is clear. They will not disperse until community land trust for permanent low-income housing, Mayor Jim Kenney guarantees permanent housing for all administered by local community controlled committees. residents of the camp. Camp organizers and supporters Continued on page 3 Workers World 147 W. 24th St., 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10011 Join us in the fight Phone: 212.627.2994 E-mail: [email protected] for socialism! Web: www.workers.org Vol. 62, No. 35 • Aug. 27, 2020 Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist and trans people are gunned down by cops and bigots on Closing date: Aug. 26, 2020 party inside the belly of the imperialist beast. We are a mul- a regular basis. Editor: Deirdre Griswold tinational, multigenerational and multigendered organiza- The ruthless ruling class today seeks to wipe out tion that not only aims to abolish capitalism, but to build a decades of gains and benefits won by hard-fought strug- Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, Martha Grevatt, socialist society because it’s the only way forward! gles by people’s movements. The super-rich and their Monica Moorehead, Betsey Piette, Minnie Bruce Pratt Capitalism and imperialism threaten the peoples of the political representatives have intensified their attacks on Web Editors: ABear, Harvey Markowitz, Janet Mayes world and the planet itself in the neverending quest for the multinational, multigender and multigenerational Prisoners Page Editors: Mirinda Crissman, Ted Kelly ever-greater profits.