People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (09-00) Online Edition

People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (09-00) Online Edition
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09-00 PT Index
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

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INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

Editorial
1. OUR REAL FIGHT

News and Features
2. WHAT'S AT STAKE IN 2000 ELECTIONS
3. CHICANO MORATORIUM: AUGUST 29 IS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY -
EQUALITY IS WITHIN OUR GRASP
4. WORKERS DEMAND END TO COMPANY ABUSES
5. LRNA SUPPORTS THE RIGHT OF RETURN OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
6. WE HAVE A RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE
7. POLICE ATTACK DEMOCRACY IN L.A.
8. ORGANIZATION AND UNITY AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE
9. VOICES FROM PROTESTS IN PHILADELPHIA

Spirit of the Revolution
10. IN LOVING MEMORY OF A REVOLUTIONARY: ROY STEVENS (1934-2000)

Announcements, Events, etc.
11. THE 3RD ANNUAL CHICAGO AREA PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL
PUEBLO BENEFIT DINNER
12. LEAGUE OF REVOLUTIONARIES FOR A NEW AMERICA -- NEW IDEAS FOR A
NEW CLASS!

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TOPIC
09-00 Edit: Our real fight
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

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1. Editorial: Our real fight

The 2000 election is one of the more important ones of recent
times, but not for the reasons it should be. It's supposed to be
an exercise in democracy, but somehow the people -- the 9 out of
10 of us without the big bucks -- got lost in the shuffle. The
process was rigged like a student council election in high school.
As had been predicted since at least 1998, the Democratic and
Republican presidential nominees turned out to be Al Gore and
George W. Bush, neither of whom is exactly a giant of the age. The
primaries were bunched together within a few weeks in early 2000,
pretty much giving Gore and Bush the advantage in terms of the
gigantic amounts of money raised and exposure in an
undemocratically concentrated mass media.

Having gotten what they wanted by summer, it was time for Bush and
Gore to use their political conventions to buy the public's
attention, and eventually the voters' support, with all kinds of
PR acrobatics and button-pushing. Don't see Bush as the shallow,
arrogant frat brat inheriting his father's presidency; see him as
mature, clean, sober, compassionate and inclusive. Don't see Gore
as the uptight White House telemarketer who's for free trade and
censorship; see him as a fighting campaign reformer, a warm-
blooded family man who never heard of "that woman, Miss Lewinsky"
or her boss.

Uh-huh. Sure. In Philadelphia, the Republicans cynically muzzled
their wild-eyed right-wingers and put before the cameras all kinds
of people they normally persecute, just to prove that they've
changed. In Los Angeles, the Democrats cynically deep-sixed a
congresswoman who had been organizing a fund-raiser in an
inappropriate mansion.

Where was democracy in Philadelphia and Los Angeles? It was in the
streets, but only because it could not get inside the convention
halls, nor in the mass media, to be seen and heard, because in the
year 2000 democracy -- like tens of millions of Americans -- is
unemployed, broke and homeless. In the streets, democracy was on
the run -- under attack from police billy clubs, tear gas, and
rubber bullets. The nation's major police forces have been built
up and fortified in recent years and their aim is to crush dissent
in America. This was made clear, for example, when the Los Angeles
police attacked the Rage Against the Machine concert during the
Democratic Convention.

As fall begins, it's pretty clear what kind of presidential
campaign lies ahead. The candidates' lips will move, but they
won't really say anything. The images will be slick, but
insincere. The voters will be worn down into making a choice
between two men whose agendas do not meet the basic needs of the
millions of Americans in poverty.

We must stop and take stock of what's happening around us. We must
look beyond our daily concerns and envision a country where
universal human rights, social justice, and economic security are
not just jokes at billionaire fundraising dinners, but the beating
heart of democracy itself. This is our real fight.

FOOTER
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
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TOPIC
09-00 What's at stake in 2000 elections
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

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2. What's at stake in 2000 elections

Many Americans know that the presidential candidates, whether
Republican, Democrat, or Reform, want to take us for a ride one
more time. A Newsweek poll showed that at least 40 percent of the
people don't think the two-party system is addressing the most
important issues. What are these issues? It doesn't take a rocket
scientist to know that on top of everyone's list are jobs,
education, and health care.

How does America rate on these issues?

We're told that unemployment is the lowest in decades, yet we're
working longer hours, holding two jobs, and even with two or three
members of our family working, we can barely make ends meet.
Economists pull out their statistics to show us how well we're
doing. Yet their rosy numbers don't pay our bills.

In regard to education, we all know that the U.S. public
educational system is failing and that instead of allocating the
funds to upgrade it, so that no child falls behind, some of the
presidential candidates have the audacity to put forth a voucher
system! This voucher system will make the education of U.S.
children a private matter instead of a national priority.

In regard to health care, well, let's hope a member of our family
doesn't come down with a serious illness or injury, because if
they do, we're in trouble. There are 44.3 million Americans who
have no health insurance.

Texas is leading the nation not only in the number of people it
executes, but also because more of its residents lack health care.
One in four Texans has no health insurance. Prosperity is the
buzzword of our times, but prosperity for whom? One in five
Americans has less now than in 1977, while the richest have 43
percent more.

So, what's at stake in 2000? Our lives, our children, and
everything we stand for. Regardless of what we're told, when we
look deeply into our souls, we know what's decent and moral. We
know what's right and what's wrong. We know it is indecent and
immoral for people to go hungry, especially children. That's what
President Clinton brought about by signing the welfare reform
bill. Sixty-two percent of those affected were children.

Whether Republican, Democrat or Reform, these parties represent
the interests of the sinful rich and the economic system they
uphold. To protect their interests, more Americans will go hungry,
more Americans will be imprisoned, and more Americans will die,
because poverty kills. We have a choice: We can either bury our
heads in the ground like an ostrich and pray that the specter of
hunger and homelessness looming over the nation stops at our
doorway, or we can join the thousands who are talking, marching,
discussing, protesting, and studying what's best for our America
and not the America of the top 1 percent (2.7 million) who have
$620 billion to spend on their whims.

We're coming to a crossroad. One path will lead us to a nation
where we will be condemned to live in their America, where they
wallow in sinful wealth while the vast majority of us go hungry,
without shelter and with broken spirits. The other will lead us to
the struggle where thousands are beginning to fight for an America
that will use the marvels of the new technology to pull everyone
out of poverty and into a world where our souls and our bodies
will be nurtured and enriched.

Americans have been here before. Yet it is not just another
election year. We all know that with the new millennium
approaching, we are entering a new epoch heralded by the
microchip, the Internet and the electronic revolution. But we have
been here before, in the sense that we have to choose sides. We
did it in 1776 when the American people rallied to get rid of a
stifling monarchy and everything that came with it. Again in the
1860s, Americans against slavery shed their blood to get rid of an
unjust and immoral system. And no doubt the American people will
rally again to fight for a cooperative society where people live
in peace and abundance as brothers and sisters.

FOOTER
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
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TOPIC
09-00 Chicano Moratorium
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
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3. Chicano Moratorium: August 29 is the 30th Anniversary

Equality is within our grasp

By Rich Monje

August 29, 2000 was the 30th anniversary of the Chicano
Moratorium, a historic demonstration in East Los Angeles against
the Vietnam War.

The Chicano Moratorium of August 29, 1970 joined the issue of the
Vietnam War with the struggles of Latinos for economic and
political equality. On that day, Mexican minority communities
expressed the frustration and anger with decades of oppression in
the explosion that occurred. The demonstration had a profound
affect on the Mexican minority movement for equality. The young
people that were involved and their families -- especially those
who had been in this country for generations -- began to assert a
new political awareness influenced by the black and Puerto Rican
movements. A significant percentage of those drafted to fight in
Vietnam were minorities.

The Chicano Moratorium brought over 30,000 people together.
However, before the speeches could begin, the Los Angeles County
sheriffs marched into the park and attacked the crowd and began
beating anyone in their way. The people rebelled. This was a rally
with families and children. My 1-year-old son was there. The young
men had to fight the sheriffs to allow people to escape, as many
were pinned in by a baseball backstop. Our fury and rage knew no
bounds, and the fires burned well into the next day.

East Los Angeles was under siege for several months. We could not
go to the corner store without being stopped and harassed. After
several community meetings, another protest was organized for
January 31, 1971. After the rally, a march proceeded to Whittier
Boulevard. Seven sheriffs stood by their cars with shotguns drawn.
They ordered the crowd to halt. Several thousand marchers, unable
to hear the order, surged, pushing those at the front forward.

The sheriffs opened fire with "warning shots." I turned to run and
was hit in the back of the left leg. The crowd was again attacked;
one person was killed and many others were injured. As my friend
helped me, the searing pain was intolerable. A lady over 60 years
old told my friend to take me into her house. I looked around and
there must have been 80 people in her home, with many standing in
the yard. She was protecting us from the police riot going on.
They helped me to the hospital.

The lessons we learned at the Chicano Moratorium did not begin
there. This event and subsequent actions were rooted in the
history of struggle of the Mexican minority in the United States.

The ethnic agenda promoted in the 1960s during the Chicano
movement did not accomplish what many of us had hoped. The lesson
we must learn is that many times in some struggles our interests
are inter-linked as Latinos. The impact of the competition
generated by the global economy has driven down wages and working
conditions where many poor workers and immigrants are finding
jobs. In their fight against those wages and conditions, Latinos
are now the group that has the highest percentage of workers
joining unions. I have witnessed organizing drives during which
Latinos are many times some of the staunchest workers.

Latinos, like their counterparts, have become an active and
leading sector of the working class. They are a component part of
the organized labor movement, a part of the growing movement
against poverty, and a part of the movement for political
independence. Many young people from Latino communities across the
country are proudly donning the mantle of revolutionary.

The struggle for equality is far from over. Laws are being passed
to restrict our rights as we speak (Propositions 187 and 209, the
"three-strikes" sentencing rules). However, the force for change
is the emerging technology and its influence on the economic
system that allows for the possibility for economic equality that
would eliminate the basis for political inequality. Good schools,
jobs, housing and food are the equalizing factors. The critical
element is to have access to the power to have the basic
necessities of life.

The divisions of the past based in color, language, or nationality
are decreasing in direct proportion to the understanding of our
common economic needs for the revolutionary transformation to a
cooperative society. This will be a society based on the principle
"from each according to one's ability, to each according to one's
needs" with mutual respect for our different histories, cultures,
religions and languages, and guaranteeing real political equality.
Our allegiance will be with those that can help us attain that
economic and political equality.

FOOTER
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
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TOPIC
09-00 Workers demand end to company abuses
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

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4. Workers demand end to company abuses

[Editor's note: The following is excerpted from a press release
issued by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of
America.]

Chicago -- Workers from the GATX warehouse in Hodgkins, Illinois
and their supporters protested July 27 at the GATX corporate
headquarters at 500 W. Monroe in downtown Chicago. Workers are
angry that the company has made use of a fake union to deny them
decent wages and health benefits. Workers are also angry that the
company is using heavy-handed and illegal tactics to thwart their
right to freely choose their own union.

GATX workers delivered a letter to Ronald H. Zech, chairman and
CEO of GATX, insisting that the company cease interfering with the
rights of the workers to choose their own union. The letter
accuses the company of profiting through its relationship with the
corrupt union. Further, the letter insists that GATX stop its
campaign of illegal threats and high-pressure tactics.

Workers at the GATX warehouse chose to be represented by the
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) last
April in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB).

Most workers at the GATX facility make between $9.50 and $11.50
per hour while family health insurance costs $200 per month. UE
members at GATX are demanding pay increases, affordable health
care, a real grievance procedure, seniority in job postings, and
the union of their choice. The GATX Corporation specializes in
train leasing, chemical storage, and logistics warehousing.

[For more information, contact Sam Smucker at the United
Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America at 312-829-8300.]

FOOTER
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
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TOPIC
09-00 LRNA supports the right of return of the Palestinian people
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

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5. LRNA supports the right of return of the Palestinian people

[Editor's note: At 11 a.m. on September 16, 2000, thousands of
Palestinian refugees and their supporters will take part in the
Palestine Refugee Return March in Washington, D.C. The statement
below was issued in support of the march.]

The League of Revolutionaries for a New America (LRNA)
unconditionally supports the Palestinian revolutionary movement in
its fight to achieve the strategic goals of the Palestinian
people, including the right of return. The Palestinian people have
endured against all odds. Reactionary Arab regimes and movements
have conspired with Zionism, a colonial project supported by
imperialist powers, to deny the Palestinian people their
independence. Reactionary Arab regimes have coordinated with the
current Palestinian leadership, which represents the Palestinian
bourgeoisie, to drag the Palestinian people into a settlement of
the conflict in favor of global capitalism.

The plight of the Palestinian people resonates with the wretched
of the earth, regardless of color, ethnicity or creed, all across
the globe. The attacks by global capitalism against the have-nots
take various forms, but the process is the same. The enemy of the
peoples of the world is attempting to silence any opposition to
its domination and has succeeded in dividing and conquering along
the color line, nationality and creed.

We must all respond to the crimes of the global capitalists
through devising a winning strategy that can be carried out by
unified action. The rally in support of the Palestinian people is
a significant development in that direction.

LRNA will do everything possible to combat our own capitalists and
build a new America free from oppression and exploitation. Today,
this means educating the new class of poor people inside the
United States who, like the Palestinian people, have been forced
into hunger and homelessness by the capitalist system. By
mobilizing the have-nots inside the United States and clarifying
to them who their real enemy is, we will fulfill our
internationalist duty in the fight of all the have-nots the world
over.

The LRNA salutes the Palestinian people in their fight against
Zionism, Arab reaction and capitalist global domination. Long live
the Palestinian revolution! Long live the international struggle
against global capitalism!

[Contact the Palestine Right To Return Coalition at [email protected];
visit their Web site at http://al-awda.org or fax: 717-832-1123.]

FOOTER
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
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TOPIC
09-00 We have a right to health care
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

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6. We have a right to health care

Statement by the League of Revolutionaries for a New America

You never feel so vulnerable as when you or someone you care about
is sick or injured. What you want at that moment is for you or
your loved one to be healed, to be made whole again. Your health
is the key to everything else in life.

Yet in America, at a time when some of the best health care in
history is available, millions of us have no access to medical
care, or get only limited care. Today, more than 44 million people
-- nearly one person in six -- have no health insurance, and
another 38 million have inadequate coverage. In recent years,
people have been losing health insurance coverage at the rate of
125,000 per month. Even people with "adequate" health insurance
are paying more out of their own pockets and facing steady
reductions in what their insurance will cover. Welfare "reform"
has meant closing the door on health care for millions of poor
people, and Medicare cutbacks are hitting the elderly.

Lack of good health care has a real impact on people's lives. Many
pregnant women get little or no pre-natal care. People --
especially children -- are dying of diseases that can be easily
treated. People are being needlessly crippled by injuries or
illness because they get little or no treatment. People are
suffering because they can't afford medications they need.

This could be you, your parents, your children, your spouse. Lack
of health care can mean death or a life spent in misery. Access to
health care can mean an illness or injury is just a bump in the
road in an otherwise full life. Who decides?

In America, the private owners of the health care and insurance
systems decide. The wealthy few who dictate the health care
policies of our government decide. And they have decided that the
profits of those who own the system must come ahead of the life of
your child, or your mother. In an era when technology is replacing
labor in the workplace, they have decided that they cannot afford
to provide health care for workers they no longer need. And in a
time when a global economy is putting workers everywhere into
competition with one another, even the employed workers are seeing
their health benefits cut as part of the general decline in our
standard of living.

The American people have accepted this because they do not believe
they have a right to health care. We have been taught that we
alone are responsible for what happens to us. We have been taught
that society is not obligated to guarantee us food, shelter,
health care or anything else.

But we do have the right to these things, especially health care.
We have the right to life. We have the right to see our children
grow up healthy, strong and happy. We have the right to be cared
for in our old age. Why do we have a society, if not to pool our
efforts and take care of one another? What value does a society
have if it does not guarantee us the necessities of life?

The belief that we don't have a right to medical care is gradually
being shattered by a growing struggle around health care that
includes healthcare workers, patients, trade unions and others. A
key element in this struggle that deserves popular support is the
Labor Party's Just Health Care program, which would eliminate
private health insurance and ensure coverage for all residents of
the country.

This is our country. It belongs to us, to the people whose labor
built it and created its wealth. This country has the wealth and
technology to provide health care to every person in this country.
No one should be denied medical care, whether they have a job or
not. A system that provides the best health care to a few with the
money to pay and denies it to the rest of us is immoral.

Imagine the health care system we could have -- one where health
care workers are not overworked, and where their only concern is
providing the best care; one where none of us has to worry about
how we'll pay for a doctor or medicines when we're ill; one where
none of us will have to live in fear of growing old.

We will have to struggle to create this system, but it is a fight
the people will surely win.

FOOTER
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
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TOPIC
09-00 Police Attack Democracy in L.A.
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

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7. Police Attack Democracy in L.A.

By Miguel Arredondo

LOS ANGELES -- On the evening of August 14, inside the Staples
Center, one of the most expensive and luxurious arenas in the
country, the Democrats gathered to begin the process of selecting
their candidate for president of the United States of America.
Meanwhile, outside the center, directly across in a barricaded
protest area surrounded by police and with a helicopter hovering
above, thousands of protesters gathered to exercise their
democratic rights and voice their dissatisfaction with the two
parties and the corporations that own them.

While the show was going on inside of the Staples Center,
protesters were listening to speakers on issues that ranged from
police brutality to workers rights to corporate domination of the
political system. Although there were different causes represented
at the protest, all were united based on the reality that neither
the Republicans nor Democrats would be their voice.

As the protest event continued, the police began to agitate a
group of young protesters inside of the barricaded area. Soon, two
of the protesters began to climb the fence and the police
responded by pepper-spraying into the crowd of protesters. The
pepper spray spread throughout the area and began to affect all of
the people. Eventually, Ozomatli, the band that was playing at the
time, was also affected by the pepper spray and had to stop
playing. The police then decided that the two protesters that had
climbed on top of the fence were too much of a security threat.

They decided to shut down the protest event and declare it an
unlawful assembly. The Los Angeles Police Department gave the
crowd of 10,000 or so 15 minutes to disburse from the designated
area. Anyone, regardless of the reason for being there, would be
subject to arrest. People in the protest area, fearful of arrest
simply because they were exercising their freedom of speech, began
to leave immediately.

When people were leaving, a problem arose. The police began to
move in and blocked one of the two exits available for people to
pass through. This resulted in some of the protesters being
trapped inside of the protest area after the allotted time. The
police responded by moving in with their horses and their ground
troops to herd up the remaining protesters, myself included.

We were ordered to get down on our knees, even though we were just
trying to leave. These shouts of force were backed up by
continuing shots of rubber bullets and beanbags by the police. A
news cameraman from ABC News was right next to me, down on the
ground and clearly afraid for his safety at the hands of the LAPD.
After more shouting and shots, the police allowed us to stand and
exit the demonstration area. Soon after, as the protesters were
ordered to proceed west, down Olympic Boulevard, the police
followed closely behind and began to charge the crowd, even though
there was no reason for it.

As the protesters ran away with their backs to the police, the
police fired rubber bullets and beanbags at the fleeing
protesters. I was struck on the leg by a rubber bullet myself.
About 20 feet from me, I saw Ted Hayes, a homeless activist, get
shot in the chest by a beanbag and be knocked down to the ground
where he remained while the rest of us took off running. This
scenario continued as we were pushed out of sight and out of mind
from the delegates who were by then exiting the Staples Center,
walking through the same streets that we had just fled down,
afraid for our safety.

The Democratic National Convention brought to light the response
that the ruling class will use to impose their will on the people.
This gross violation of democracy should not be forgotten. Nor
should the fact that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats can
honestly represent our class. The time for a platform and a party
of the people is coming. We are all fighting the same system that
holds profits above humanity. Our only chance is to unite on a
vision of a cooperative society.

FOOTER
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This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
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TOPIC
09-00 Organization and unity against police violence
TEXT
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People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
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http://www.lrna.org

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8. Organization and unity against police violence

Statement from the Editorial Board of the People's Tribune/Tribuno
del Pueblo

By now, many of us have heard the reports coming out about what
the police did during this summer's Republican National Convention
in Philadelphia and Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.
Few could not be outraged by the images of the LAPD attacking
peacefully assembled demonstrators and firing rubber bullets at
their backs as they retreated. From Philadelphia, meanwhile,
reports told of demonstrators arrested, then handcuffed to
railings, some of them forced to strip and stand naked for hours.

These despicable actions followed weeks of campaigning to convince
the American people in advance that whatever the police might do
would be justified to prevent violence and damage to property. The
Philadelphia cops' horrific televised beating of a local motorist
in July once again confirmed their reputation as one of the
nation's most brutal departments. During the Republican
convention, the police posed as the victims of the protesters! The
LAPD didn't even bother with that gambit. They became practically
an occupying force, taking over street corners throughout Los
Angeles.

Their lies cannot hide the truth. On one side, protests are
gathering force in the face of worsening social and economic
conditions and of the rulers' blatant disregard of the world's
suffering. On the other side, the police are becoming more
organized, better armed and increasingly violent in their
suppression of the American people's constitutional rights to
assemble freely and speak out against the policies of their
government.

What happened at the two conventions is further evidence that
fighting this growing police state is not simply a matter of the
movement coming up with better tactics. It is a matter of
organization and unity. But along what lines and around what? This
is the question that the entire social struggle -- regardless of
the particular issue -- is beginning to debate.

The intentions of the rulers are clear. They intend to go on
having a society that is a money-making machine for them, even if
it means imposing an all-out police state to keep the rest of us
in line. Their vision of America is a threat to what this country
is supposed to be about.

A huge historical force is rising to meet the challenge that
history has placed before us. It is rising in the slums of the
cities and among the scattered pockets of the rural poor. It is
rising among all those demanding a just and decent society. It is
a force rooted in the struggle of a new social class being created
from the millions who are being cast out of the old economy as the
new one is born. This new class of poor is forced to fight for a
new kind of society, free of want and poverty. The new class is
the bridge from the injustices we are all fighting against to the
new world we are fighting for.

A police state is the only option for a ruling class that will not
feed those it cannot exploit. Whether the rulers succeed in their
aims depends upon people's understanding of the danger and what it
will take to destroy it. Only an independent political movement
united around the program of the most dispossessed in society and
dedicated to overturning the system and reorganizing it in the
interests of all can stem the tide of the police state today.

FOOTER
******************************************************************
This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
******************************************************************

TOPIC
09-00 Voices from protests in Philadelphia
TEXT
******************************************************************
People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

BODY
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9. Voices from protests in Philadelphia

[Editor's note: The unity march brought together organizations
from across the country to unite on issues that affect millions.
The People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo spoke to some of the
marchers.]

Betty Harris, Mothers Organized Against Police Terror

"I'm from Manassas, Virginia. I was living in Annandale, Virginia
at the time my son was murdered. He was stopped on a routine
traffic stop by Arlington County Police on I-66. They sprayed him
with pepper spray. They said that they chased him, but he was
beaten to death, I think at the first scene. And I feel like my
son may have tried to get back into his car, but they had a
roadblock. I had a witness to testify that my son did not ram into
the police cars. They claimed that he rammed the police cars and
they shot him to death. They shot him eight times. He was shot in
the back, in the chest, his arms and his face. His eyes were shot
out, blown out. They put him on the ground, after all this, and
put handcuffs on him. The justice department and Judge Brown said
it was justified. We need to take the killer cops off the street.
We want justice done. It's not a matter of winning any large
settlement, you just want justice, you want them to answer for
what they've done."

For more information about this case or the coalition contact:

Betty Harris
8673 Cotton Dr.
Manassas, Virginia 20110
703-257-5146

Mark Webber is a longtime member of KWRU and recently starred in
the hit movie "Snow Day."

People's Tribuno/Tribuno del Pueblo: Tell us why you are here.

Mark Webber: I'm basically here as a member of the KWRU
[Kensington Welfare Rights Union] to show that poverty does exist
in America and that there is an organization and a movement that
is being built to end it.

PT/TP: Now that you are a success, why are you still in the
struggle?

MW: Success means nothing to me right now. My past is who I am and
it's made me able to deal with this crazy business that I'm in
right now. And I think I'm better at dealing with it because of
what I went through. I will never change, I will never be jaded. I
am who I am.

PT/TP: What's your vision of a new society? What kind of change do
you think we need in this country?

MW: I think everyone should have a house, everyone should have
health care and everyone should have food. It's really simple,
everyone. There's no reason why people should be without that,
especially in this country. It's a simple thing really.

PT/TP: What are you finding out from the youth that are around you
now?

MW: I'm finding out that they are really involved. They're really
pissed off and they really want to do something about it and they
just don't know where to channel their energy. And sometimes it
gets diverted into other weird ways. But I know that everyone who
I've encountered wants to make a difference, wants to make a
change, and it's just all about educating them all and mobilizing
into getting into one strong, solid group in order to actually do
something. And I do believe revolution will happen in my lifetime.

FOOTER
******************************************************************
This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
******************************************************************

TOPIC
09-00 Spirit: In memoriam
TEXT
******************************************************************
People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

BODY
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10. In loving memory of a revolutionary: Roy Stevens (1934-2000)

By Sandy Perry

"The greatest among you shall be the servant of all." (Mark 10:44)

SAN JOSE, California -- Hundreds turned out here for a memorial
service for Roy Stevens, who died of cancer on August 6. Roy was a
legend among San Jose's poor. For almost two decades, he was a
tireless distributor of food, clothing, furniture, and services to
those in need, yet never took a dime for his efforts. The
newspaper described him as a "compassionate soul and a disturber
of the peace." His impact was so great that even the San Jose City
Council, which detested him and everything he stood for, felt
compelled to pass a resolution of commendation for him.

He was more than just a volunteer or an advocate -- he was a
revolutionary. Silicon Valley is world-renowned for the economic
revolution it spawned. Less well-known is its down side: the
homelessness and poverty it created here in its backyard, the
streets of San Jose.

"Our city's growth policies of gentrification," Roy once wrote,
"have eliminated housing for low and very low-income people and
have provided new upper-income housing (Fairmont Hotel). Our city
leaders have somehow forgotten that just a few years ago our
valley was full of orchards and fields and that our main work
force was the laborers. These same people of yesterday have been
left out of the high-technology jobs and many working people
cannot afford housing any longer."

Roy himself was part of that new class of displaced laborers. An
auto mechanic by trade, for years he battled drug addiction, the
prison system, and manic depression. By the 1970s, he could no
longer work and lived on a small disability pension. When the
homeless population exploded in the 1980s, Roy became a full-time
volunteer. As he strove to heal his society, it became his way of
healing himself. "Roy wasn't one of those people who said 'I've
got to get my own head together before I can reach out to other
people,' " said Larry Sweeney, pastor at First Christian Church.

But Roy did not stop at charity. He struggled to understand the
root of the problem and attack it through political action. In
1991, he joined the organization that later became CHAM (Community
Homeless Alliance Ministry). He became the backbone of every CHAM
march and rally, every housing takeover and act of civil
disobedience. Alongside his enthusiastic goodwill, Roy also bore a
profound anger and irritability. He struggled to direct it against
those responsible for the injustices he experienced around him.

Roy matured politically during the 1990s, when the resistance to
poverty was still scattered and defensive. Yet he had a larger
vision that led him in a direction that is instructive for the
rest of us today. Roy instinctively shied away from the "identity
politics" that attracted so many of his contemporaries. He
understood that the homeless could never win the fight for homes
by themselves, or with the few allies who traditionally supported
them. He refused to be restricted to just one organization. He
continually reached out to broaden the fight, working with groups
rallying against police brutality, against welfare cuts, against
the closure of San Jose Medical Center.

As far as Roy was concerned, there was only one race: the human
race. He proudly embraced the American flag, and wore a red, white
and blue scarf attached to his hat. This caused consternation
among some of his allies in the struggle, but to Roy the flag
symbolized everything he fought for -- liberty and justice for
all. For Roy, these were not just words but a daily guide to
action.

Roy pushed the politics of protest to its limit and was ready to
move beyond it. Due to his background, his experiences, his
empathy, and his vision, he never wavered in his sense of urgency
and class perspective -- the defense of the poor. He worked
tirelessly toward the day when they would have the unity, support,
and power to reorganize society along the lines of justice and
economic human rights. His dream was to be able to walk through
the streets of San Jose, greeting all the destitute families, and
tell them they could go home now, knowing that they at last had a
home to go to. He passes that vision and that urgency on to us.

+----------------------------------------------------------------+

Mass for prisoners:

'A flash point of consciousness'

Chicago -- In response to Pope John Paul II's call for open and
earnest acknowledgment of the plight of those trapped in the
world's prison systems, Kolbe House -- the parish-based jail
ministry -- offered a Jubilee Mass for Prisoners at Our Lady of
Sorrows Basilica in Chicago on July 9.

The Mass provided a "time for peace, healing and restoring."
Father Lawrence J. Craig, executive director of Kolbe House, hoped
that the Mass could be a "flash point of consciousness" -- an
opportunity to confront the increasing vengefulness of our
society.

Kolbe House advocates for prison reform and works to educate the
public at large about the complexities and realities of the
criminal justice system. You can contact them by calling 773-247-
6644. The People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo will feature an
interview with Father Craig in an upcoming edition of the paper.

FOOTER
******************************************************************
This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
******************************************************************

TOPIC
09-00 PT/TP Benefit Dinner - Chicago
TEXT
******************************************************************
People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

BODY
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11. The 3rd Annual Chicago Area People's Tribune/Tribuno del
Pueblo Benefit Dinner

"Where is the platform of the poor in our national debates?"

with very special guests:

Cheri Honkala, director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union and
leader of the internationally recognized "Poor People's Economic
Human Rights Campaign."

Richard Monje, People's Tribune/ Tribuno del Pueblo editorial
board member and labor leader

+----------------------------------------------------------------+

Saturday, October 21, 2000
UNITE Hall
333 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago

Reception (including light dinner buffet and no-host bar) starts
at 6:30 p.m. Program to follow at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $15, half-price for students, $95 for a table of
eight. Please call 773-202-7012 for more information.

+----------------------------------------------------------------+

FOOTER
******************************************************************
This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
******************************************************************

TOPIC
09-00 League: New Ideas for a NEW CLASS!
TEXT
******************************************************************
People's Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo (Online Edition)
Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000

P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.lrna.org

BODY
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12. League of Revolutionaries for a New America -- New Ideas for a
NEW CLASS!

Who is the League of Revolutionaries for a New America?

We are people from all walks of life who refuse to accept that
there should be great suffering in a world of great abundance.
Together, we can inspire people with a vision of a cooperative
world where the full potential of each person can contribute to
the good of all. Together we can get our message of hope out on
radio and television, in places of worship, union halls, and in
the streets. We don't have all the answers, but we are confident
that, together, we can free the minds of the millions of people
who liberate humanity. The LRNA offers its speakers, its radio,
and its paper to introduce the new ideas that are needed for
revolutionary change. Join us in the fight for a new cooperative
society!

+----------------------------------------------------------------+

PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE RADIO

LISTEN UP!

Sizzling summer sounds can be heard on PTR! Listen for our August
sounds coming soon!

Get your local radio stations connected. Let them know about PTR
and how they can download the radio programs for free at
http://www.lrna.org/ptradio in Real Audio and MP3 format.

+----------------------------------------------------------------+

SPEAKERS FOR A NEW AMERICA

The 30th anniversary of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium is August 30.
This anti-Vietnam war protest was the largest Mexican American
protest in American History. Speakers are available who were
participants. They discuss why it was a turning point in their
struggle for justice, and it's significance for today's struggle
for unity and a new cooperative society. Send for a free listing
of all our speakers. Call 1-800-691-6888, e-mail [email protected]
or visit our web page at http://www.lrna.org

+----------------------------------------------------------------+

HOW TO CONTACT US!

LRNA: CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB!
P.O. Box 477113
Chicago, IL 60647
http://www.lrna.org

Call toll free: 800-691-6888

SPEAKERS
e-mail [email protected]
773-486-0028
Visit our website at http://www.lrna.org/speakers

PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE RADIO

For more information call 800-691-6888. Visit the web site

http://www.lrna.org/ptradio Call our producer Mike Thornton at
530-271-0804 or e-mail [email protected]

+----------------------------------------------------------------+

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FOOTER
******************************************************************
This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO
(Online Edition), Vol. 27 No. 9/ September, 2000; P.O. Box 3524,
Chicago, IL 60654; Email: [email protected]; http://www.lrna.org
Feel free to reproduce and use unless marked as copyrighted. The
PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE/TRIBUNO DEL PUEBLO depends on donations from its
readers.
******************************************************************