Newark workers show their mettle in fighting lead crisis!

NEWARK, NJ, November 7—Anger is beginning to rising inside the working class in Newark. For the second time in three years, Newark’s students and working class residents are plagued by lead poisoning in their water. As in Flint, Michigan, Cleveland,and other cities with large Black populations, the contamination of drinking water exposes the racist nature of capitalism. And, since high levels of lead in drinking water are a threat to all students and workers, this disgraceful neglect reminds us that racism is poisonous for the entire working class.
The Progressive Labor Party demands that the bosses pay to guarantee clean drinking water. We also know that this is just one symptom of a racist capitalist system that will continue to damage the working class. Ultimately, we must smash capitalism with communist revolution if we want to ensure that future generations of workers have a society that looks after their needs, including  having healthy drinking water and clean air.
Urban areas tend to have homes and water delivery systems built between the late 19th and the mid 20th centuries. Back then, lead was commonly used in piping, paint and gasoline. Major U.S. companies like DuPont and Standard Oil reaped billions in profits from lead-based products. Although lead has been known to be toxic for over 100 years, its use was not banned until the 1970s.
Newark city officials knew of the presence of lead in city water when 30 Newark schools were found to have elevated levels in 2016. In 2017, when homes were tested as well, it was revealed that 10 percent of those tested had lead at twice the level allowed under the Safe Water Drinking Act. Twenty percent of the homes were found to have levels of lead that max the federal limit.Children and pregnant women who drink water with these levels of lead are in danger of developing brain and nerve damage. Lead intake causes a host of other health problems (including high blood pressure) in both adults and children.
We have a basic right to drink clean water. But it’s going to take a fight to get quick action and to guarantee that the Newark clean up is paid for by the wealthy corporations and not struggling workers.
Can’t trust the politicians
After months of denying the existence of a problem, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and his administration are now forced to admit that there is a lead crisis. But who’s going to pay for the infrastructure repair? Not the companies that profited from selling toxic products like lead,   and not the corporations currently getting billions in tax reductions. No, the politicians want working class residents, of Newark to pay the bill. We say hell no!
As the mid-term elections approached, the Democrats told us that they were our friends. However, this crisis shows that both [Democrats and Republicans] parties are part of the problem. The Baraka administration withheld information regarding the water contamination. It was only the current lawsuit brought by the Natural Resource Defense Council that forced them to admit there is a crisis.  Current U.S Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (the former Mayor, who is also responsible for the water crisis) voted to spend $700 billion on the military budget, but have not said a word on the current lead crisis in Newark. With friends like these, who needs enemies!     
Transforming anger into action
Since the walkouts of 2015, many of the high school students in Newark have been relatively quiet.  Yet this crisis has awakened some students to organize,  talk to community members and create videos to expose the lead crisis.  While it is still in the beginning stages, this gives us hope that the students can once again give leadership to a struggle that greatly affects their lives.
As a result of the lawsuit, Baraka is now being forced to hold town halls across the city about the water crisis.  At one town hall a worker got up and asked Baraka why he continued to tell the city that the water was safe when they knew lead levels were rising.  Another questioned why residents in the East Ward neighborhood were not given water filters when it was known that some homes had high lead levels.  His only response was that the “data” is wrong. While Baraka is still able to get away with these responses, many are beginning to see through the illusion of Baraka as a “radically progressive” politician.
Only a worker-run society can meet our needs
The only way that working people can ensure that vital resources like water are safe is to run the world. Politicians spend billions on elections to convince us that only they can run things. And look at the results: low-wage jobs, racism and sexism, murderous wars, and unhealthy environment! Taking power from the capitalists and building communism will be a long struggle, but it will save hundreds of millions of lives. Join us in the fight!