I am trying to be inclusive here, not divisive. Murder by
law enforcement is appalling and wrong. It happens because the police,
increasingly the arm of the new authoritarian state that is struggling for
control, are the weapon of the one percent. They have been bought and paid for
by the corporate personhood of the sickeningly wealthy. Yes, we must
demonstrate against indiscriminate police murder without any accountability.
Getting out in the streets to demonstrate has always been a
powerful tool to fight oppression. But now, more and more, the protests become
the control group for testing every new military weapon. Sound canons that
damage hearing are a new toy. The powers that be now bring strobe lights to
make photo or video recording impossible. And, every day, more and more places are
making the recording of police an illegal activity thus threatening the very
basis of free speech.
This is a rat race and, unfortunately, the rats are winning.
We are all potential criminals under constant surveillance. Survival itself has
become so much more difficult since the banksters overthrew the economy taking
away middle-class jobs and any remaining semblance of workers’ rights. Racism, sexism
and ethnic prejudices are running wild. As far as trashing some minority group,
anything goes It is no co-incidence that the atmosphere is starting to feel
like Germany in
the early 1930’s. The conditions are similar.
Massive demonstrations may take us in a different direction
and they are worth a shot. It is also possible that we will see repression on a
massive scale, unlike any we have seen before.
I’m not arguing for fear, just saying that we have to
organize. Single issue struggle is fine but we need much more, a program that
encompasses all our issues combined with the unity and commitment of each of us
to fight for everyone. We will also need representative democratic structure with leaders we can trust.
Knowing that something is very, very wrong and desiring to
fix it is the first step. We are on the tightrope now. On one side is a more
egalitarian, compassionate society. Fascism on the other. The direction we will
fall remains to be seen.
