Oak Lawn, Illinois, September 21—Protests against the racist police attack (see CHALLENGE article, September 7 ) on 17-year-old  Hadi Abuatrlah continued at the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meeting tonight. About 30  protesters, including members of Progressive Labor Party (PLP), held a rally outside the police station demanding the firing and jailing of the three KKKops who beat Hadi within an inch of his life.  We distributed copies of CHALLENGE  and a reprint of the Party’s  article describing how the Middle-Eastern community in Oak Lawn has been targeted by the police for years. As we fight for Hadi and so many other victims of capitalist terror, we call on all workers to join the fight for communist revolution, where workers not capitalists will run society.

On July 27th, Hadi and friends were pulled over by kkkops because the car they were in allegedly smelled like marijuana. Those kkkops preceeded to brutally beat Hadi, after he was handcuffed. He suffered from a fractured pelvis, broken nose, and a bleeding brain. In August, over 50 multiracial workers, including PLP members protested this racist attack.

The highlight of the evening came when a multiracial and united collection of  community members stood up before the commission and denounced their silence as being complicit in this police attack.  The police chief has stated that the beating of Hadi was justified, just like the Apartheid and  Nazi regimes justified their genocidal tactics. A teacher from an area school told the commissioners about a racist incident when the police showed up concerning a disturbance outside her class.  She said the first thing the kkkop asked her was, “how many wives does your husband have,” because she was wearing a head covering or hijab.

Many protesters spoke fearlessly to the commissioners who were recording the proceedings (video and  audio) surrounded by a herd of armed police. Another speaker listed an almost endless list of lawsuits brought by victims of the racist police in Oak Lawn. The commissioners' only response to the community has been their willingness to protect and support the Klan in blue. The meeting was adjourned after we promised to return next month and every month to expose the commission, and to continue to fight for justice for Hadi.

Police racism and brutality are integral parts of capitalism.  This system cannot survive without racism; that’s why we need a communist revolution. Join us!