Racist Panelists Duck Anti-Racists’ Challenge

BOSTON, MA, December 15 —  Two students at Roxbury Community College (RCC) took immediate action by organizing a protest against the brutal attack on a black youth by Boston police on Oct 22 (see, CHALLENGE 12/15/10). Some members of the RCC faculty took a different approach to the racist attack. They responded to the militancy of the students by organizing a symposium on urban violence.
A local judge, police lieutenant, and a youth advocate from “Street Safe” (all black) were guest speakers on the panel that tried to convince predominantly black and Latino students to trust in the racist justice system. The symposium shifted into a therapy session instead of a political discussion on the systemic racism of urban violence. The panelists purposely ignored political questions raised by students. One student asked “When will the boy who was brutalized by the police get justice.” The question went unanswered.
The lack of consciousness from the crowd gave the panelists some advantage over the symposium. They focused on pushing people to rely on the police as a solution. “You guys know who the killers and drug dealers are, so pick up the phone and call the police.” However, some people did not fall for this statement because they distrust the police who routinely harass and attack workers in the community. 
The solutions the panelists gave were more like the problems working people already faced: police harassment and intimidation. Realistically, urban violence will never end as long as we live in a capitalistic society in which the rich exploit the  working class. 
 When the discussions became more political, the moderator dismissed students and faculty early for lunch. They blamed students for being apathetic and passive on the issue of urban violence to distract students from discussing the issues of poverty and class.
The only way we can eradicate such violence in our neighborhoods is to confront the source. The justice system is used to terrorize workers into not fighting back against the increasing misery and exploitation caused by the economic crises of capitalism.
Since the panel, we have built a real base for the spread of communist consciousness among RCC students. We now have a regular student PLP study group which is learning about capitalism, fascism, and racism.  We have distributed CHALLENGES and PLP leaflets at RCC. We are planning a one-day school on political economy and developing a plan for RCC students to distribute leaflets against racist school closings in Boston.