“Racist cops, you can’t hide. We charge you with Genocide!”
“Black cop, White cop, all the same. Racist terror is the name of the game.”
As PLP marched through Flatbush, Brooklyn, these chants filled the air. They expressed opinions held by many in this working-class, black neighborhood, which is not new to police murder. But every police murder leaves a fresh wound on the community, and these wounds never heal. The murder of Shantel Davis had roused the community. The recent murder of Kimani Gray pushed some into open rebellion. PLP was there on both occasions to give direction to the anger.
Our march was among the many marches we’ve had in Flatbush over the past eight months. But this march was about more than ending police brutality. It was about smashing this racist system. It was about creating a new world, a world where young people aren’t shot down in the streets, a world worth fighting for.
We kicked off May Day with a rally for communism. Old friends and new faces filled the crowd as we raised our red flags and began chanting. True to our creed, there were many black, Latino, Asian, and whites in the crowd. Children and parents, students and teachers, workers and soldiers — all marching for one movement. This march offered us a glimpse of both the kind of organization and world we are fighting for.
Heads turned as we marched down Flatbush, over 500 strong, with our banners unfurled. Our signs depicted our fights — to turn imperialist war into class war; to end police murder and racist deportations; to end school closings, hospital cutbacks, and factory fires. We fight against all these attacks against the working class.
CHALLENGEs were being distributed left and right, taken by shopkeepers, barbers, cashiers, school kids, grandmothers and whoever else was present. Challenges were in peoples cars, apartment buildings, trucks, storefronts and bakeries. Every car honked to show us solidarity.
“Koupe Tet, Boule Kay”
As an internationalist organization, CHALLENGE is printed in English and Spanish, as well as, to name a few, in Creole, Arabic, Hebrew, and Dari in local areas. We chanted “Koupe Tet, Boule Kay!” This Creole chant dates back to the days of the Haitian Revolution; “Boule Kaye” has been a rallying cry at our demonstrations. It originated with a command by revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines, when he and his slave army fought to liberate the nation — to “cut off heads and burn houses” of slave owners. Today, this chant embodies the fury of the exploited. We are in solidarity from Haiti to New York. A struggle in Haiti is our struggle, just as a struggle in Bangladesh or El Salvador is our struggle, because it is our class — the working class — under attack. Such an international morale was alive this May Day.
We concluded with another rally and assembled into our program hall, beautifully decorated, filled with communist artwork, red banners and photographs from May Days past.
The “State of the World” speech reminded us of the many attacks on workers worldwide, of the daunting force of U.S. Imperialism. But it also reminded us of our successes in building PLP and movement in Mexico, Palestine, Colombia, Haiti, and elsewhere.
There were performances by mainly young students. The classic “Clifford Glover” song (about a ten-year-old boy killed by the cops in 1973) was updated with a rap to follow the new struggles against racist police murder. A group of high school students recited “Good Morning, Revolution” by Langston Hughes. After that, they put on a skit produced, directed, and cast by students about the NYC Bus Strike. These performances open the door to a new world of working-class culture.
Onward to a New Year of Fightbacks
The “Why I Joined” speech was given by two comrades this year, both with moving accounts detailing their personal connection to communism and the PLP. A female comrade told us of how she went from being a soft-spoken girl in the classroom to a march leader, chanting “Death to the Bosses” at full volume. After having dealt with patriarchy and religious sexism, she was awed by the female leadership in PLP. Our newest comrade detailed how he grew up with a single mother who worked day in and day out to provide for her family, only to find that it was a dead-end for workers under capitalism. These comrades helped renew our commitment to PLP and communism.
Everyone stood up for a multi-lingual rendition of the “Internationale.”  The march and performances remind us why we joined PLP in the first place. Seeing comrades and friends, old and new, vigorously fighting against racism, sexism, and fascism makes this comrade want to fight as well. Happy May Day and cheers to an even more vigorous year filled with struggle! It is important not lose sight of our vision, and continue the fight for communism!