Fiery and massive demonstrations for racial justice, largely initiated by furious Black youth, have ignited in response to the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others across the decades. How can we transform these expressions of rage, which have gone global, into a sustained movement for structural change? Through a multiracial, working-class united front of civil rights activists, socialists, feminists, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, unions and community organizations fighting for the following demands:
Create Elected Civilian Review Boards with the power to fire cops
Establish boards elected from the community that give the public the power to fire cops who commit misconduct. Establish an Independent Prosecutor, elected and separate from the District Attorney’s office, to take action against police crimes.
Slash police budgets and recall their military hardware
Cut police funding, which sucks up 1/3 of budgets in major cities, by at least half. Redirect the money to social services that benefit oppressed communities, thereby improving conditions for all workers. Fund housing, food programs, education and healthcare. Establish a massive public jobs program with affirmative action goals. No use of the National Guard in protests.
We can win!
The capitalists and their two parties will always choose defending private property and the wealthy rather than eradicating racism and inequality. Those of us who are exploited and marginalized can win by creating a multiracial coalition that fuses the fighting spirit of the streets with the power of organized labor, grass-roots groups, and the Left. It is time to unite around a working-class program that has the concerns of the most oppressed at its heart.
The Campaign for an Elected Civilian Review Board has introduced legislation in NYC that is a good starting point and could be a model for other cities. Find more info at StopPoliceViolenceNYC.org.
The Freedom Socialist Party is dedicated to building an independent working-class movement that understands how the police and capitalism go hand in hand. Join us in fighting to break with the murderous status quo and build a movement to do away with the whole profit system.
Issued by the Freedom Socialist Party
nycfsp@socialism.com
