NEW YORK, November 13 — Four student members of PLP from the City University of New York (CUNY) camped at Zuccotti Park this weekend and spread communist ideas among occupiers and supporters. Our multi-racial group stood out in an occupation that was at least two-thirds white. In addition to fighting racism, these young comrades gave the occupiers a glimpse of communism.
It was 47 degrees when we arrived on a late Friday afternoon, though it felt much colder. One student comrade of Nigerian descent and a recent friend we made at OWS last week came to help us settle in. It is encouraging to see how quickly young people can grasp and even defend PL’s ideas. We spent three hours circling the park, trying to find a living space. Luckily, we had an old friend and made a new one at the occupation library, and they offered us a living space there for the night.
That night was spent forming relationships and putting forth communist values. We took in as many people into the library as possible, including two young women from Occupy Nova Scotia. Working together, we put up a tarp to block out the wind. We read stories in a circle before going to sleep on the concrete.
A Glimpse of Communism
We later pointed out how collective values would be the basis of relationships under communism. When asked how the library came about, our friend said, “First there were a couple of books. Then someone brought in a bin. Then people started organizing the books. From just working together, we now have a whole library.” This is a glimpse of how society could be run under communism — each according to commitment, without any wages.
At 5:30 AM, one PL’er began helping out in the kitchen. We all began our morning with a CHALLENGE sale. A few passersby said, “I remember you guys from the 60s!” Later we landed at a meeting on Islamophobia in the public-space atrium on Wall Street. One PL’er connected the attack on Muslims to the infiltration of NYPD spies inside Muslim Student Associations at various campuses of CUNY, which gave Muslim students’ records to the cops. We also exposed “Islamophobia” for what it really is: racism.
One woman at the meeting raised the idea of white privilege, which proposes that white workers benefit from racism. We explained how the attack on Muslim students and workers is a class issue, and how racism hurts all workers, including white workers, because it divides the working class and dilutes our unity against capitalist exploitation and the rise of fascism. Members of the group nodded their heads in agreement. By this time, a comrade from Palestine had come to support us. The PL contingent’s internationalism grabbed the attention of a lot of people.
Our ideas on racism gained respect among occupiers and observers. One black worker had previously refused to take CHALLENGE. “I won’t read it,” he said. But his eyes widened in surprise as a young South Asian comrade explained the intricate relationship between capitalism and racism. After hours of discussion, he let his guard down and took the CHALLENGE. We had built a respectful relationship. He contacted us the next day to continue our political discussions.
We found that many workers and students at OWS are open to communist ideas. But only through our persistent presence can our ideas be put into practice.
PL’ers Confront Racism
That night we attempted again to participate at the General Assembly (GA), where OWS leaders, or “facilitators,” tried to neutralize workers’ militancy and steer them away from confronting racism. One example: An OWS solidarity letter, while condemning racist graffiti on Ocean Parkway, stated that OWS had “diversity.” One young person noted that OWS was in fact “not diverse yet and minority groups have yet to join the movement.” The GA leaders abruptly decided to move on and asked to take suggestions on this question in private, “in the interests of time.” They also ignored the immediate concern of every occupier and observer: space and heat during the winter. But they had no problem spending two hours to discuss OWS logos.
While the GA did its best to immobilize workers, PL’ers formed a discussion group of their own. It began with a conversation about racism with one unemployed worker. As the discussion progressed, others came around. As we talked about the Russian Revolution and its fight against racism, even more people joined. Someone yelled, “Louder!” and the PL’er repeated: “Stalin’s red army viciously fought the Nazis. Communists gave blood to ensure these fascists died.” Two workers with disagreements still encouraged the PL’er to stand up on the marble bench, creating an impromptu soapbox speech.
Fighting Sexism
Our friends from campus applauded us, saying we were “hardcore.” One was there with a socialist group. After the PL’er outlined our Party’s political history, this friend invited himself to future events.
At that point, a man came up to the PL’er and said, “I want to apologize. I got a bit heated earlier.” This man was referring to a racist comment he’d made: “I’m going to nuke all you Muslims!” When a PL’er tried to say something, he yelled at her and refused to look her way. We stayed disciplined and shooed the man away, calling him out on his racism and sexism. OWS reflects U.S. society, and sexism is clearly present there. After we struggled with some men who had verbally harassed us, our friend said, “Wow, you guys are serious!” He was impressed with both our communist politics and our practice.
This weekend was full of action and productivity. PL’ers struggled with themselves as they pushed their limits of commitment. One comrade said the experience “made me that much more devoted to the Party.” We also struggled with a close friend who is hostile to communism but who camped with us in solidarity. After he watched one PL’er fight against individualism in the park by helping an occupier find a space to sleep, the friend even distributed some CHALLENGES. He likes our politics more than he is willing to admit.
We ended our occupation with one last CHALLENGE sale. Altogether, we distributed more than 200 papers and made a lot of friends. Our next steps are to continue raising communist politics at OWS while attending the working-group meetings, and also to bring the energy of OWS onto our campuses, where we are waging a related struggle against racist tuition hikes. Building young leadership is crucial to waging the fight for communism.J
Update: This article was written before the police raid. PL’ers are still involved in the Occupy movement all over New York City and are bringing OWS into their workplaces and campuses.