This summer project centered around two major events: 1) a march in protest of the murder of Shantel Davis by police detective Phil Atkins in 2012 and 2) the imprisonment of Justin Rodwell and the legal attacks on him and his brothers for resisting police terror. These two struggles encapsulated what the party is all about and were an opportunity to demonstrate our politics in practice to everyone at the SP.
The march was a powerful experience; it connected the murder of Kyam Livingston to Alex Flores (LA) to Shantel Davis. Families of all three spoke about losing their loved ones is something no one should ever have to experience. But under capitalism these racist killings are the order of the day. We took the streets! It was a show of resistance against the bosses and their enforcers and also an unapologetic expression of the party’s politics. Many gave speeches about how we need to unite to fight this capitalist system that creates these police who kill us. This had a profound effect not only on the PL’ers and friends present but also on the workers who marched, chanted, and raised their fists with us.
Smash racist housing conditions
The SP also centered around the housing struggle in Newark, NJ. In multiracial groups, we trekked to Stephen Crane Village where for the past two years, a comrade who resides there is trying to organize neighbors against the inhumane conditions and privatization of the complex. PL’ers went door to door to show residents CHALLENGE and invite to a PL-authored skit in the courtyard.
The skit addressed the issues surrounding public housing such as rent increases, vermin, cynicism, and the importance of organizing—all with a dose of humour. At the performance, one resident recognized the comrade and was enthusiastic about growing this struggle.
Courts & cops, all part of bosses’ plan
The SP culminated with a discussion on why nationalism is always the enemy. We identified how nationalism and revisionism disguises itself as radicalism, but is really reactionary and how it destoyed revolutionary states like China and working class movements around the world. We also identified present day examples of nationalism: whether it takes the form of reformist Black mayors like Ras Baraka who promotes voting as the solution to ending racism, but uses his state police force to terrorize Black workers, or fake-revolutionary, revisionist groups who call for multicultural capitalism that ultimately would keep capitalists of all identities on top and workers on the bottom.
With all this in mind PLP held a protest at the Essex County Courthouse with Justin Rodwell’s family on the day of his latest court hearing. Justin continues to languish in jail more than a year after he and his brothers were attacked by Newark Police. During the hearing the fascist judge noticed our numbers and threatened us to keep silent, but when PL’ers held our fists up in solidarity with an imprisoned worker, Justin put up his fist in response. Later his family told us how they were now even more committed to fighting back against this racist, fascist system.
Confidence in our potential
This project provided us with some assignments for the future, inspiring all those involved. Next year, we need to sharpen the struggle with students and workers around us to participate in these events. After a comrade spoke to a student about the Shantel Davis march, the student said, “I really wish I took care of my chores on Friday so I could have been there.”
We are already making plans for a recap for all of our friends who weren’t able to make it. PLP has a strong potential for growth. At our closing event, one participant joined!
Another comrade spoke about writing a pamphlet. As they looked around at the other comrades working with him he said, “You’re not alone. Something about being in this space that makes it feel possible.”
Despite the attacks on our class, we know that a communist world is possible. This project gave us a small glimpse of that world we want to create through the power of collectivity.
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Letters from youth participants
This was my first summer project experience with the Progressive Labor Party. I had met several members over the years and joined a study group. It was inspiring to see PLP converge for concentrated class struggle. The party is diverse, grounded and led by the working class, as well as intergenerational. That was obvious to see just from the welcome barbecue.
I read about the police assault against the Rodwell-Spivey family in CHALLENGE, and I met the family after the court case. The police are predators, and they are patrolling workers’ neighborhoods to terrorize and intimidate wholesale just like the slave patrols that are their forebearers.
I volunteered for childcare during the hearing, but I heard from the family and the comrades about the struggle in the courtroom. The judge patronizingly instructed the witnesses in the gallery to respect the hall of criminal injustice and slavery, and in response many comrades raised their fists as a silent protest. Melodramatically the judge put his hand over his heart in response. They use patriotism and nationalism in order to rationalize and hide from their own role as enforcers of the bosses’ dictatorship.
I was glad to be a part of the team, and I was inspired to join the party at the end!
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During the Summer project, I, along with my comrades, had an important experience in Newark. June 1st marked the one year anniversary of the Rodwell-Spivey family being attacked by the kkkops. Undercover kkkops targeted two of the Rodwell-Spivey brothers claiming they were looking for a Black man wearing a white t-shirt with dreads. On July 12th, a hearing for four of the brothers took place to set a trial date. One of the brothers had been waiting for this trial for a year in jail, rotting away on misdemeanor charges of “resisting arrest.”
Before the hearing, the Progressive Labor Party and Rodwell-Spivey Defense Team held a rally outside of the courthouse. Then we stepped into a building named after Martin Luther King, the same building that ironically locked up Black men. We waited outside of the kkkourtroom for what seemed like hours before a kkkourt guard told us to conduct ourselves well and hold our thoughts and grievances for after the hearing or we would be removed.
As the hearing began I could see the cracks in the system showing themselves through a callous prosecutor and unprepared city attorneys. On a zoom call the prosecutors showed no concern, mixing up the plea bargain dates of 18 months to 3 years. One city attorney needed three more weeks to prepare for the trial. Two chose not to speak on behalf of their clients. One attorney and family friend of the Rodwell-Spivey family pushed for the full body cam footage from the day of the arrest. However, the prosecutor did not send the film nor contacts to retrieve it. As the hearing began to end, the trial was once again pushed back.
After showing no emotion during the hearing the judge flips out, berating the antiracist supporters in the gallery. He tells us that he has treated us with respect and dignity and he expected the same. He grew louder and told us a group before had disrespected him and he would not stand for it. What the capitalist with current authority was referring to was a hearing when PLP, the Rodwell-Spivery family, and friends of the family said “We Miss You Justin.” We left the courtroom silent and with fists up. Outside the doors, we started chanting, “Free Justin.” Within seconds, multiple cops came ready to pounce.
Previously I had only been to a courtroom on a school trip. But this experience was completely different. I’ve learned that there might be fancy language and specific rules to represent capitalist law. However, the people ruling do not have the interest of the working class at heart.
The judge told us to respect his courtroom and to respect him. But how are we supposed to respect people who allow Black men to rot away in prison when they have the power to take them out? How are we supposed to respect the same courts that give kkkops a slap on the wrist when they murder our Black and Latin brothers and sisters? How are we supposed to respect the courts when they are only made to put the working class “in their place?” If we are not receiving justice in the courts, we as workers must shut them down!
H
My takeaway from this year’s summer project was that leadership comes from the entire working class. As someone who has been on many projects, it’s always uplifting and motivating to draw from the experience and knowledge from so many comrades and workers. We collectively organize to achieve goals, get to know each other better, and just have fun. As always, my participation this past week has provided me with a sharpened optimism and energy to build the Party in my area.
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My first PLP summer project deepened my sense of urgency and pride for the fight for working-class power. Spending several days with PLP members and like-minded folks normalized open discussion of the very particular ways the capitalist system fails us all. There were several educators like myself from across the country dealing with similar things like being scolded for being open with students about having recently tested positive for Covid, being excluded in decisions to implement initiatives and strategies that require extra time and energy but so often get thrown out, and trying to safely navigate discussions about reproductive rights in schools where sex education leaves a lot to the imagination. One educator even lost his job for giving students food and allowing them to enter the building to keep them from the cold before the approved time (See CHALLENGE, 7/20). He got his job back when parents, students and PLP raised enough of a noise to embarrass school bosses for their foolishness.
It was impressive that some teachers invited students! With them, we watched a leader of the NAACP take a nap in a Newark kkkourtroom where Justin Spivey was given additional jail time without any conviction, due to the repeat instance of absentee lawyers and a judge who claimed there was “not much else I can do.”
We heard a healthcare worker discuss single handedly organizing a walkout due to lack of personal protective equipment(PPE).Another PL’er ushered us into their experience of deplorable housing conditions and gentrification, as we knocked on residents doors to invite them to a Party written and performed play about just that! We also witnessed a couple roast each other on the topic of Stalin's militancy sparked from the decision of where a group of us should go for ice cream!
Hearing so many intense struggles told by the people who experienced them as well as participating in a few as a multiracial, multigenerational collective, for me, ate away at the sense of isolation that makes these problems seem unrelated.
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