Liberation Audio

In this forum in Los Angeles from 2019, we examine the intertwined nature of racism, capitalism, and the prison industrial complex; how the prison system itself is the manifestation and continuation of both class and race divides that have played out through US history.

Explore the history of Revolutionary Black Resistance, from the conditions faced by Black America to the profitability of the elite. Learn about the history of Black and Native solidarity, resistance, and revolutionary struggle in the United States. Discover the significance of the Black Panther Party, their socialist ideology, and the commemoration of radical organizing in prisons through Black August. Lastly, understand the worsening conditions caused by the pandemic and the call for revolutionary change in the capitalist system.

The Democratic National Convention proves exactly how far right the Democrat Party continues to move. It was also an exercise in cowardly fear in the face of Trump’s open redbaiting and Muslim baiting. That was the stated reason that the party’s most popular liberal member of the House, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, received just 90 seconds to speak. That’s precisely why the Biden team joined in Trump’s condemnation of Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour after she spoke as an invited guest on a panel discussion at the convention. That’s why Republican billionaires, militarists and anti-abortion politicians were given major roles. The top priority of the “convention” as organized by Biden and his team was not putting forward a program to meet the urgent needs of the people, but instead how Trump and operatives would respond to it. In a very real sense, the script of the Democrats’ convention was dictated by the White House. Ample time was provided to disgruntled present or former Republicans like former Secretary of State and head of the military, Colin Powell, ex-mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, and former governor of Ohio, John Kasich. A video, glorifying the late Sen. John McCain and his relationship with presidential nominee Joe Biden, was highlighted. All of the above were supporters of the Iraq, Afghanistan and other wars, massive military budgets, U.S. bases around the world and sanctions against poor countries. Kasich is an all-round reactionary, especially known for his opposition to women’s right to abortion. By contrast, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (also known as AOC), the most popular young Democratic elected official in the country, was granted just 90 seconds to second the nomination of Sen. Bernie Sanders, itself a formality. AOC is a very dynamic speaker with a huge following among young people and people of color, sectors of the Democrat’s “base” which must be mobilized if the Democrats hope to win in November. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/democratic-convention-shaped-by-trump-white-house/

The podcast explores the revival of the communist movement, discussing recruitment and organizational mergers. It addresses the decline of US imperialism and the impact of neoliberalism on the working class. It emphasizes the need for credible organizations fighting for socialism and the integration of Marxist theory and organizational forms.

In June, Black Lives Matter in Shoreline, Washington, held an unprecedented march and rally in the small suburban city just north of Seattle. Some 5,000 people marched in the streets led by Black youth organizers. One of these organizers is 13-year old Kailyn Jordan. This middle school student was recently threatened with lynching for her advocacy work in the community. Black Lives Matter Shoreline is organizing a rally and march at Paramount Park on July 25 to support Boo and to say that a Black life matters in Shoreline. Liberation News had the opportunity to speak with Shoreline organizers Darnesha and Mikayla Weary, a mother-daughter team. The Wearys described the incident that has spurred the upcoming protest. As an organizer, Kailyn Jordan “did some education” with a white neighbor who had a Blue Lives Matter flag. She had a conversation with the neighbor about why that flag was hurtful and the neighbor removed it. However, another white neighbor became enraged by this, threatened Jordan, called her a racist slur, tried to run her over and threatened her with lynching. Another neighbor walking by stepped in to support Kailyn and helped her to get home. But Kailyn and her mother were distraught by this experience. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/shoreline-wa-13-yr-old-black-organizer-threatened-with-lynching-community-to-march-in-support/

The story of the housing crisis in the Treasure Valley has once again risen sharply in pitch, spurred on by the unremitting COVID-19 pandemic. The Treasure Valley – also known as the Boise Metropolitan Area – comprises nearly 40 percent of Idaho’s total population and is home to more than 730,000 people. Approximately 42 percent of them are renters. Now, these renters are facing an onslaught of evictions, housing shortages, and houselessness. The Treasure Valley was already in a uniquely fervent housing crisis. It is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation, and each year the housing inventory lags farther behind the booming demand. At the same time, real estate investors have been sinking their fangs into the valley’s hot market, crowding-out local homebuyers and keeping renters from ownership. As a result of the steepening demand for rental units, profit-hungry landlords are able to be highly selective about tenants, and at what price. Monthly rent for all types of property in the valley are at an all-time high, continuing to rise through this historic pandemic. And though the cost of living here is lower than other metro areas, Idaho’s wages are among the lowest nationally, making rent a significant burden for working class tenants across the valley. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/eviction-wave-looms-in-idahos-treasure-valley/

The world looked on in shock as a massive explosion ripped through the Beirut port on Aug. 4 killing hundreds, wounding thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands. This comes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and just months after the Lebanese economy collapsed, leaving half the population in poverty. The UN is now warning of a humanitarian crisis. What the people of Lebanon need now is solidarity and an immediate and massive aid effort, proportionate to the damage done, and given to all without political strings. But where the people see humanitarian crisis, imperialism sees opportunity. Just as billionaires in the U.S. saw the COVID-19 pandemic as a chance to make ever more profits, the U.S. government sees suffering in Lebanon as an opportunity to manipulate this terrible tragedy to increase its own leverage in the country at the expense of Lebanese sovereignty and to the advantage of Israel. On Aug 4, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded on Beirut’s port. The blast, so powerful it was heard and felt in Cyprus, left a 141-foot-deep crater. The death toll so far is 200, including Syrian nationals who worked at the port; 6,000 have been injured, and 300,000 made homeless by the blast. The explosion demolished some of the wealthiest, mostly Christian neighborhoods in Achrafieh, along with three hospitals. It blasted out windows and doors throughout the city. It destroyed the entire country’s grain supply, stored nearby and closed the Beirut port, which is so necessary for Lebanon’s economic survival. Gross government negligence The highly combustible ammonium nitrate, which can be used for fertilizer or explosives, had been stored at the port for more than six years, since it was unloaded from a disabled cargo ship. Numerous officials at the port, in in the trade, finance and other ministries, in the judicial system and elsewhere knew of the situation, yet none sought a solution for disposing of this highly flammable substance. This gross and criminal neglect has enraged the Lebanese people not only against the government, but against the whole ruling establishment. Even before the horrific explosion wreaked so much devastation, Lebanon was in crisis. For years, under Lebanon’s sectarian and patronage-based political system, the one percent looted the government’s coffers while adhering to an IMF plan charging workers and the poor ever-higher taxes. This economic Ponzi scheme fell apart in October, after the government had became so dysfunctional that it couldn’t even provide 24-hour electricity, tap water or pick up the garbage. The collapse of the economy sunk into poverty fully half the population, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Even before the explosion, millions were jobless, with some reduced to stealing food to feed their children, and borrowing from banks to pay rent. Enraged protests It is no wonder that after the explosion the reaction of the Lebanese people was pure rage at the government and the political elite that ran it as their private fund. Furious demonstrators have poured into Martyrs Square daily since Aug. 8, sometimes 10,000 strong, fighting pitched battles when police tried to disperse or contain them. The day after the blasts, a popular WhatsApp message was in wide circulation: “Today, we mourn. Tomorrow, we clean. The day after, we hang them.” Many from all political spectrums were seen in demonstrations holding nooses. The protests had a level of anger against the government and the country’s leaders not seen before in Lebanon. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/disaster-in-lebanon-seen-as-opportunity-by-u-s-israel/

On July 19, Frank Gaglianese, an elected at-large member of the city council of Geneva, New York, said that he wished that he “could have got a gun and shot the squares on my computer screen and killed everybody” who participated in a recent virtual forum on police accountability. Gaglianese made his remarks at a Back the Blue Ride and Rally event at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center in Geneva’s Lakefront Park. In addition to expressing a desire to shoot those advocating for police accountability, he referred to them “as little squawkers who think their voice is being heard … it’s not.” His remarks were live-streamed. Hosted by a local college, the online forum had over 80 participants including young Black organizers of the People’s Peaceful Protest, who have been demonstrating near daily since the killing of George Floyd. Also participating in the forum were a diverse cross-section of college faculty, students, and community members as well as leaders from the local NAACP. Despite calls for his immediate resignation, the councilor remains in office. The dialectics of organizing against the police in a small city Following a mass uprising in nearby Rochester, NY, Geneva city officials issued panicked messages on May 31 warning residents of upcoming “looting and destructive behavior” and advising them to stay home. Multiple downtown businesses, having only recently reopened after closure because of the pandemic, were boarded up. Armed owners sat out front. Scores of people nevertheless gathered in front of the police station for the first of what would become months of peaceful protests demanding justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and calling on the community not to forget Corey Jackson, who was shot and killed by a Geneva police officer in May 2011. Over the next months, protesters marched nightly throughout the city’s various neighborhoods, making it clear that Black people should be free to walk anywhere, anytime without having to fear for their lives. The nightly processions also energized city residents: parents brought their children out to the sidewalks to cheer and join in the chants. Not everyone supported the PPP. On June 2, a tractor-trailer driver aggressively threatened to run over protesters in the streets. Later, the same truck drove through the protest dangerously and recklessly. Police, who were clearly visible down the block during both incidents, failed to respond to a 9-11 call reporting the near-miss. The PPP adapted by increasing the number and discipline of street marshals who use their cars and bodies to block traffic while the marchers chant and demonstrate in the street. By the end of June, the People’s Peaceful Protest had prepared a set of resolutions that would create a framework for police accountability. The centerpiece was a community-controlled accountability board with subpoena and disciplinary powers modeled after legislation long fought for and recently implemented in Rochester (aspects of which are still in the courts). At the same time, right-wing opponents of police accountability trolled activists’ social media, using disinformation as their key tactic, photo-shopping and misrepresenting photos and posts. Following Trump’s script, they attached a “Marxist” label to BLM, and actively worked to discredit local organizers. They consistently demeaned and disparaged the only socialist on city council, Party for Socialism and Liberation member Laura Salamendra. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/movement-in-geneva-ny-continues-daily-protests-despite-threats-repression/

August 6 and 9 mark the anniversaries of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Numerous historical and personal accounts will emerge in the press, recounting the destructiveness, inhumanity, and long-term misery created by the two U.S. bombs. Nuclear weaponry, as an indiscriminate killing force responsible for unspeakable atrocities, is truly weaponry of a different type. Many accounts will attribute the horrific bombings to the cruel pragmatism of U.S. generals, or the ignorance of White House decision makers. Some will defend the bombs as an unfortunate example of military expedience. Ultimately—we will be reminded—the bombs compelled an immediate Japanese surrender and achieved the victory over fascism. But these explanations only scratch at the surface. While it is true that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were murderous, terrible and cruel crimes, they are best understood not as the end of World War II, but as the beginning of a new war and an altogether new historical era. What some refer to as the “Cold War,” in fact began with nuclear incineration and massive human casualties. The bombs directly targeted Japan, but politically took aim at the Soviet Union, the worldwide communist movement and those colonized people fighting for national liberation. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/u-s-dropped-nuclear-bombs-hiroshima-nagasaki/

On July 22 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered the latest blast of aggressive rhetoric against China in a speech at the Nixon Library in California. Pompeo openly called for regime change in China, saying that “if we don’t change China, China will change us.” In almost hysterical language Pompeo made it clear that the U.S. ruling corporate and political elites are terrified of China’s socialist development and its emergence as an independent country with its own interests and capabilities. Pompeo’s choice of the Nixon Library as the venue for his speech was no accident. In a maneuver to isolate the Soviet Union, former President Richard Nixon pursued a “thaw” in relations with China beginning in the early 1970s that led to the integration of China into the global market. Pompeo cast his speech in historic terms — the Trump administration was reversing the fundamental policy set into motion by Nixon nearly five decades prior and instead turning to unmitigated hostility. “President Nixon once said he feared he had created a Frankenstein by opening the world to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]. And here we are.” Pompeo said, invoking crude, demonizing imagery. He characterized China as a country of oppression, with no freedom of expression or human rights. In Pompeo’s presentation, it is a place so steeped in the evil domination of the Communist Party that only an American-led campaign to end the current system and bring Western “freedom and democracy” to the country will save the Chinese people from their fate. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/pompeo-trump-unleash-new-phase-of-aggression-vs-china/