From revcom.us:What Are They Afraid Of?! The Revolution Club Says this March Will Go Forward People Begin to Raise Their Voice to Demand the Permit Be Granted As plans are coming together in Los Angeles for the Revolution Club March on June 12, “Show the World: We Are Getting Organized Now For REVOLUTION, NOTHING LESS!,” there has been an outrageous attempt at political suppression by the LA County Sheriffs who have arbitrarily and unjustly denied the permit. This is unacceptable, this march will go forward and a range of legal and political voices are raising the demand that this permit be granted! This march will start at Southwest College in the Westmont neighborhood of South Central, it will march through the neighborhood and arrive at the LA Sheriff Station South, and it will send the basic message: “WE ARE FIGHTING TO EMANCIPATE ALL HUMANITY—For a World Free of All Oppression and Exploitation! No More Antagonistic Divisions Among the People. THIS SYSTEM CANNOT BE REFORMED—IT MUST BE OVERTHROWN!” The Revolution Club received a formal denial signed by head Sheriff Alex Villaneuva with the bogus reasons given that, 1. this Sheriff's station “does not have a sufficient number of patrol deputies... without inhibiting normal police protection to the rest of the unincorporated region nearby” and that 2. “Past demonstrations within the last year at South LA Station became unruly, which ultimately resulted in injury to persons and property.” First of all, the only reasons these protests became “unruly” is because of the wanton brutality from the pigs themselves. After these Sheriffs murdered 18-year-old Andres Guardado and 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, there were a series of protests at this Sheriff’s Station. These protests were met with vicious brutality—the Sheriffs tear-gassed legally assembled protesters, including young children at a press conference; they shot rubber bullets aimed at injuring protesters, aiming for people's groins, hands and faces, and arrested dozens of people. Second, the basic right of the Revolution Club to deliver this urgent political message is not dependent on how many pigs they can dispatch to direct traffic! The Revolution Club chose this political target because, “The LA County Sheriffs—like the other police forces and the military—‘serve and protect’ THIS SYSTEM—the system of capitalism-imperialism. The system that rules this planet. The system that destroys lives and crushes spirits… that treats all kinds of people as ‘less than human’… that hunts down and drives down our youth in so many ways… and that threatens the very existence of humanity.” The LA Sheriffs terrorize people throughout LA County, murdering at least 330 people since 2000. After killing people, they stalk and aim to silence the families of victims of police murder who speak out about the killing of their loved ones. There are open white supremacists within the LA Sheriffs, with organized gangs that get special badges and tattoos for murdering Black and Brown people. With this rejection, the Sheriffs are making clear that they cannot tolerate the people getting organized to deliver this message. And in this, they are showing the NEED for this march in the first place: because their violent repressive force is illegitimate. The Call for June 12 says, “This system must go! So, Let’s Get Down to Basics: We Need A Real Revolution!” This march is about standing up to this system and raising a beacon that there is an organized force here in this country that is serious about revolution and a whole better world. “This revolution is possible. We are in a rare time when this really could be. But only if we get organized.” This is urgently needed! The Revolution Club is not only not backing down—but is reaching out throughout all of society, to all those—coming from a range of political backgrounds and perspectives—who “want a better world,” and who see the need for the basic right of people to make this political statement. In the face of this attempt at political suppression, a range of people coming from different perspectives have signed a letter demanding the LA County Board of Supervisors (which oversees the LA Sheriffs) reverse this denial and grant a permit. Those who have signed include Cornel West; Marjorie Cohn, the former president of the National Lawyers Guild; Mike Davis, professor emeritus, U.C. Riverside and author of books that have exposed the brutality of the LA police; Jim Lafferty, the executive director emeritus of the National Lawyers Guild, LA Chapter; Jorge Rodriguez, co-chair of the 50th Anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium Planning Committee; Stephen Rohde, an interfaith activist and retired First Amendment lawyer; and Rev. Frank Wulf, pastor, Echo Park United Methodist Church.
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CALLS TO ACTION: 1. Press Conference, Today / Wed., June 2, 11am LA County Sheriff’s Station South at 1310 W. Imperial Highway to Demand the Permit Be Granted Oppose an outrageous attempt of political suppression by the LA County Sheriff’s Department (LASD)! The LASD is attempting to deny a permit for the Revolution Club's march, planned for June 12, marching from Southwest College to the Sheriff's Station to “Show the World: We Are Getting Organized Now For REVOLUTION, NOTHING LESS!” 2. Sign the Statement demanding the LA Board of Supervisors grant the Revolution Club a permit to march. You can see that HERE and below. Post this on your social media accounts. 3. Call Holly Mitchell, Second District Representative from the LA County Board of Supervisors, to demand the Board of Supervisors grant this permit: 213.974.2222. 4. Pledge to be there on June 12 to stand with this march and be part of sending this important message. At an urgent political moment, when this message needs to be heard throughout society, this is an unacceptable attempt at political suppression and censorship that will set a very dangerous precedent. Everyone who wants to see a better world needs to raise their voices to demand this permit be granted. ______ To LA County Board of Supervisors On June 12, the Revolution Club will lead a rally and march in South Central LA to “Show the World: We Are Getting Organized Now For REVOLUTION, NOTHING LESS!” The Revolution Club is calling for this to involve all those “who want a better world.” They are marching from Southwest College, through the Westmont neighborhood to the LA Sheriff's South Station near Imperial and Normandie. The LA Sheriff's Department (LASD) has summarily rejected the Revolution Club's First Amendment permit application for this march. This constitutional violation cannot stand and must be reversed. Those of us signing this letter condemn the violation of the Revolution Club’s right to protest. We demand the LA County Board of Supervisors grant the Revolution Club the permit it has applied for, reversing LASD’s unconstitutional determination. We are especially concerned the LA Sheriffs, who have a long history of violence against political demonstrators – from the Chicano Moratorium 50 years ago to the attacks on protesters last year in the wake of LASD shootings of Andres Guardado and Dijon Kizzee – are deliberately creating a dangerous situation for this protest. Such unconstitutional repression is unacceptable. The flyer for this June 12 March states: “We Are Fighting to Emancipate All Humanity – For a World Free of All Oppression and Exploitation. No More Antagonistic Divisions Among the People. This System Cannot Be Reformed – It Must Be Overthrown!” We, the undersigned coming from a range of perspectives, appreciate the basic right of the Revolution Club to march under this banner. We demand that the LA County Board of Supervisors immediately reverse the LASD rejection of the First Amendment permit and grant the permit the Revolution Club requires. Selected signatories so far include: Isabel Cardenas, American-Salvadoran/U.S. Citizen and Community Activist Marjorie Cohn, former President, National Lawyers Guild Mike Davis, Professor Emeritus, UC Riverside Noche Diaz, National Spokesperson, Revolution Club Chris Giaco, owner, Page Against The Machine bookstore Danny Haynes, Nurse and Activist John Hedlund, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University Ernestine Henning, Civil Rights and Community Activist Andre Henry, Activist Chantelle Hershberger, member, Revolution Club LA and former #Freeway9 defendant/Refuse Fascism Melvin Ishmael Johnson, Director of Dramastage, Qumran Veterans Theatre Workshop Dan Kapelovitz, criminal defense and animal rights attorney and 2021 candidate of Governor of California Robin D. G. Kelley, Professor of History, UCLA Jim Lafferty, Executive Director Emeritus, National Lawyers Guild, LA Chapter Elly Levy, Attorney and Anti-Fascist Activist Wendy Lujan, Activist Rev. Nathaniel Martin, National Action Network, President, LA Chapter Rev. Cecil Murray, Former Pastor of First AME Church, Los Angeles, CA; Civil Rights Activist Rev. Drew D. Murray, Civil Rights Activist Matilda Oberman, Co-Founder, Respect Your Roots Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, Filmmaker Emanuel Padilla, Activist Rich Procida, Bible Study for Progressives Mary Ratcliff, publisher, San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper Jorge Rodriguez, Activist, civil rights leader, co-chair of the 50th Anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium Planning Committee Stephen Rohde, Interfaith activist and retired First Amendment lawyer Joe Veale, former member of the Black Panther Party, part of the National Tour to Get Organized for an ACTUAL Revolution Paul Von Blum, Civil Rights Activist; Senior Lecturer, UCLA African-American Studies and Communication Studies Cornel West Amir Whitaker, Founder/Director of Project KnuckleHead Rev. Frank Wulf, Pastor, Echo Park United Methodist Church |
