NEW YORK CITY, September 24—Raymond Chaluisant’s mother, Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members, and friends marched through the Bronx to demand justice for Raymond and an end to racist murder. Our chants of “Asian, Latin, Black and White, Same Enemy! Same Fight!…Workers of the World Unite!” and “Shut this racist system down!” could be heard across the Grand Concourse and Fordham Road. We distributed hundreds of copies of CHALLENGE and carried signs remembering Raymond and others who have been killed by kkkops and this capitalist system. PLP members rallied for a communist revolution in which workers no longer need to live in a police state and fear for their lives. So long as we live in a society that is built on racism and rewards kkkops for killing, we will never be free. STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!

Multiple participants gave  speeches or led chants for the first time. Some participants expressed a desire to get City University of New York (CUNY) students and high school students involved in this fightback.

The multiracial, multigenerational demonstration was our second protest in the neighborhood where Raymond lived. Murderer Dion Middleton, who works for the New York Department of Corrections (NYDOC), killed Raymond while the teenager was riding in a car with his friend for the “crime” of playing with a water gun. After he shot Raymond, Middleton fled the scene and left him to die without even reporting the incident.

Workers call out the injustice of capitalism
One young worker who talked with a PL’er during the protest pointed out that if it had been the family member of a cop that had been shot, the court system would be treating the case “totally different.” Meanwhile, Raymond’s family is forced to grieve not only his death but also the fact that his murderer is not being held accountable. Another worker who saw us marching became super pumped up, and was ready to let the whole of Grand Concourse in the Bronx know how rotten these police are. He insisted that “it’s not just one bad cop, it’s all of them!” Murderer Middleton’s actions were no mistake, nor can they be explained by “poor training;” he was carrying out his job as intended. In fact, Middleton even teaches firearm safety to other DOC employees. Black cop, white cop, all the same! Racist terror is the name of the game!

Dion Middleton’s next court date is November 16. Although Middleton has been indicted for his crimes, we cannot be lured into believing that any type of real justice will prevail through capitalist courts. The courts exist to uphold the same racist system that cops and correctional officers sign up to protect. There is no justice in a racist system.

Only through communism can we end these racist murders once and for all and win justice for workers around the world.

In the meantime, we plan to continue organizing and rallying our forces in support of Raymond’s family and fighting back against the system of capitalism that leads to such racist murders. Our upcoming protests are scheduled for Saturday, October 8 and October 22, at 1pm on Grand Concourse and E. Kingsbridge Rd (near the D Train) - join us!

End racist murder by fighting for communism!
Under capitalism, the bosses use racist murder to terrorize the lives of Black and Latin workers and to continue the exploitation of the entire working class. We must overthrow this capitalist system to create a society without racism, sexism, or any type of exploitation. Together, the working class can end racist murders and build a new world where no child needs to live in fear that what happened to Raymond could some day happen to them. Join PLP.

Correction: The previous article about Raymond (10/5) referred to murderer Dion Middleton as part of the NYPD. While he has been defended by the NYPD, he is actually part of the NY Department of Corrections (NYDOC). That being said, the agents or cops of both police departments and jails are the same. They are members of the bosses’ racist army who criminalize and brutalize workers every day. Carrying out racist violence that targets Black and Latin workers is their job.