A statement by the Black Left Unity Network (BLUN)
Stop the War on Black America!
Drawing by Malcolm Goff
We are all shocked and saddened by the brutal cold blooded murder of a young Black man, Michael Brown, 18 years old in Ferguson, a suburb of St Louis. But it was not an accident or something that was abnormal. NO! It is the system, its normal for this society to kill Black people and it’s got to stop.
The system killed Oscar Grant (Oakland, California: January 1, 2009)
The system killed Trayvon Martin (Sanford, Florida: February 26, 2012).
The system killed Eric Garner (New York, New York: July 17, 2014).
Now it has killed Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri: August 9, 2014)
We say the system killed them! The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement has documented that every 28 hours in the US a Black person is gunned down by the state or their vigilantes. This does not include the countless brutal cop beatings like the attack on Marlene Pinnock in Los Angeles, CA. To fight back we have to understand who the enemy is, and that means understanding the nature of this US system.
The Black Left Unity Network (BLUN) would like you to think about five basic issues:
- The town of Ferguson is 67% Black but the politicians and police are almost all white. In this historically slave state this form of rule continues the tradition of racist rule. Even the Black police are in place to support the system and not demand Black empowerment for self-determination. No real change can happen unless the people self-organize to take power.
- The US Congress is behind giving the police department’s Military gear from the Pentagon. The US ruling class knows that the crisis in this country (no jobs, low pay, poor health insurance, home evictions, cutting people off welfare, and prisons) will produce militant resistance and they have prepared a military force to protect their property. In other words the billionaires are prepared to fight all over the world and in every city in the US to maintain their power to rule.
- Local police departments are being trained by the Israeli armed forces. The US uses Israel to protect its oil needs and has armed it with modern weapons including nuclear bombs. They are at the cutting edge of a fascist police force in the 21st century and local police forces are being sent to learn from Israel in order to do to the US workers and poor people what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. Israel learned from the Nazi treatment of the Jews, so they become Nazi.
- The US media defends the police and calls for order and not justice. The TV, Radio, and newspapers are usually full of lies and distortion. We have to rely on each other to find out the truth. In fact when one speaks to the press they often pick and choose what to report, and fail to tell it like you might tell it.
- Black leadership within the system have focused on reform and not changing the system. We know that this kind of murder will go on, as stated, somewhere every 28 hours. This is not time to call for order, but time for change and to prepare the consciousness and organizational capacity to work for real fundamental change.
THE BLACK LEFT UNITY NETWORK: BUILDING A MOVEMENT TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM
The Black Left Unity Network (BLUN) is a network of individuals and organizations focused on rebuilding a nationally coordinated Black Liberation Movement. We have a long tradition of Black people learning how to unite and fight back against all forms of racist oppression and economic exploitation. We have a long history of workers, students, women, youth, and people from all aspects of the Black community of being in the struggle. Many of us older people remember the 1960’s and everybody has heard about it – Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, SNCC, the Black Panther Party, and the demand for Black Power.
Now we must rebuild to mobilize the many elements of Black power to challenge and defeat these attacks, joining with others throughout the globe in struggling for revolutionary change. As we fight for good jobs, living wages, decent housing, good food, affordable healthcare and quality education for everyone, we must connect these struggles to a program and strategy to defeat this oppressive system and to bring into being a system where human life is treasured with dignity.
We urge you to join in the process of rebuilding the National Black liberation Movement:
- We have a national discussion list to join in a conversation with people all over the country who are in this fight with you. Contact us so we can hook you up to get these very important emails.
- We have a Facebook page for you to post messages and get documents that can help you understand the many local struggles going on. You can add your information and help build the linkages we need for our national movement.
- We have a journal for serious articles that you can study and raise your consciousness. To do what we have to do we have to study. Their schools are so horrible that they teach us to hate study, but to build our movement we have to learn how to love study. Our journal is called THE BALCK ACTIVIST and is available free online at http://jblun.org/
- We have a directory of the leadership of our movement, people on the frontlines of our struggles and people who provide the intellectual power, creativity and areas of specialization we need to do what some will seem impossible, to make revolutionary change in this country. We call this the Directory of Black Liberation Theoreticians: http://brothermalcolm.net/SOLDIERS/
- We have a BlogSpot that is an anthology of important articles and documents from all over the world that helps to counter the lies and distortions of the main stream press: http://blackleftunity.blogspot.com/
- We are forming Regional Organizing Committees for Black organizations and activists to work together to build Black liberation Unity Assemblies in cities throughout their region and to prepare for participating in a National Assembly for Black Liberation to adopt a national program of action to launch a conscious national movement to struggle for Black liberation.
If you want the struggle against Black national oppression to be more than the spontaneous responses to the corporate and government attacks on Black people, and want to build a movement to change this racist, exploitive, corrupt and murderous system, join the BLUN. If you are engaged in a local struggle and would like to get coordinated national support contact us.
NOW IS THE TIME! Join The BLUN
National 252-314-2363
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