CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL—Cops are a weapon of the capitalist bosses, using deadly force to control and discipline the working class. It is this standard operation of terror that murdered 24-year-old Black home health aide worker Darius Washington on the night of July 18. During this time of widespread rebellions against capitalist racism, Darius’ family and friends are demanding answers and fighting back.
Progressive Labor Party (PLP) knows  there is no justice for our class under this murderous system. Workers must fight back whenever and wherever we can, and our only freedom lies in a communist-led revolution and the overthrow of capitalism!
KKKops terrorizing Black workers is the norm
Darius was killed as he reportedly ran from cops raiding a gathering of people. The details remain unclear, but the cops shot Darius at least 14 times. These attacks are a popular tactic with kkkops in Black, Latin, and working-class  white neighborhoods. Often, they purposefully torment workers while also directly taking part in and profiting from the drug and crime trades themselves.
Workers in this area of the Chicago suburbs have long been familiar with the constant threat of capitalism and all the corruptions that come with it. In the village of Ford Heights, the local cop force had to be taken over by the Cook County Sheriff’s Department in 2008 because of widespread corruption and abuse. In Chicago Heights in 2013, Black worker Rodell Sanders was released from prison after 19 years and exonerated of all charges. He sued the police for framing him for murder and won a settlement of the case three years later (Chicago Tribune, 9/28/16). Too many who come in contact with cops don’t live to be proven innocent or even to be charged.
After Darius’ family was notified by cops that he was shot in the raid, they could get no further information about his condition. Running poseful brick walls when contacting the police and the hospital where he was taken, Darius’ brother checked the morgue. That is when he found him.
Whose streets? Our streets!
Friends and family took to the streets the next night. Young workers, soon joined by an inter-generational group of people from the community, blocked traffic at a busy intersection. Their goals were to bring attention to the killing of their friend, to demand answers from police, and to show their frustration with long-standing abuse and neglect.
Led by a comrade who worked in the area, PLP joined protesters in the streets that night. We talked to people in the crowd, bringing solidarity to workers. We said that the only way to stop the racist attacks we face is to fight back and smash this system. They talked to us about how burying loved ones was too common, but they still knew how this was an unnatural reality forced on them.
The following day, PLP joined a large showing of Darius’s community for a celebration of his life. We got to know more workers from the area, and encouraged people to talk about their lives under the system, and how they were feeling in the moment. People spoke of knowing that life didn’t have to be this way and knowing that capitalist forces, cops and politicians made violence an everyday reality. They talked about the need to deal with those realities and the desire to change their conditions.
Under capitalism, workers are presented with many ways to unhealthily numb ourselves from the pain caused by the system. It is no wonder that some take these temporary escapes from the real agony of our day-to-day lives. Our message is that committing to tearing down these ruling-class walls with worker unity and solidarity leads us to a more permanent end to this suffering. We fight to destroy this worldwide imperialist system and to bring about a communist reality from which we will no longer need an opiate.
From tragedy to responsibility for our class
None of us are immune from the abuses of this hellish, for-profit system. It is a long-term and worthwhile struggle to build relationships with fellow workers, and together learn to undo the damage of capitalism. We are in this fight against the dictatorship of capitalism together and for the long haul.
We also fight the ruling class and their cop-thugs for the devastation they cause. PLP will be present for these worker-led rebellions, fight side-by-side with people and build genuine relationships. This is the only way to grow the Party for communism  and build support for the revolutionary struggles ahead. Attacks from the ruling class must steel our resolve to crush the bosses entirely. Join the PLP and fight to win!