THE FIGHT CONTINUES: KCC students fight racist attacks

BROOKLYN, NY—“What if PLP takes power and not everyone wants to live without money right away?” “If communism outlaws racism, how are laws enforced under communism?”

These were some questions our multiracial Progressive Labor Party (PLP) student study group’s new comrades and attendees asked and discussed following our march against the racist KCC (Kingsborough Community College) campus police, administration, and the NYPD (New York Police Department). PLP and students are fighting them to drop the charges against Adrian, a student tackled by campus police, after being harassed by a racist student using the n-word (see CHALLENGE, 11/30).

Since then, the students have received a crash course in racist capitalism’s state power. Since our last article, instead of dismissing and dropping charges against the student tackled by campus police, KCC is pursuing allegations made by the racist student and charging two student leaders with violating CUNY’s (City University of New York) “Henderson Rules of Public Order,” threatening penalties up to suspension or expulsion. This is another example in a long line of liberal and reform institutions siding with racism instead of the working class.

For the capitalists, militant antiracist fightback is the true “crime.” As punishment, for three weeks students have faced combined attacks, from daily campus police harassment, to the lying of president Claudia V. Schrader, and confusing disinformation from the various campus administrative offices.

This pattern of racist harassment shows why this fight is about more than dropping Adrian’s charges. If we lose this struggle, campus police will feel free to harass, assault and beat up ANY student they want.

Despite these attacks —or because of them— the antiracist club Common Ground has seen over 100 students express interest. Leadership of a core of militant, Black, Asian and immigrant women and men leadership is emerging. This growth under sharpening external attack has sharpened internal debates, and members and friends of the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) have encouraged making time for addressing important questions. Rich exchanges that began over tactics and strategy have widened into debates over reform versus revolution, with the ultimate question of confidence in the international working class at the heart of it all.

No more racist harassment!
As friends and students began joining us in greater numbers and gathering daily in the cafeteria, the campus police decided to brazenly harass those fighting back. On November 9, a half dozen campus police surrounded a group of club members and their friends, one of whom was bouncing a green foam ball while sitting (see “Exhibit A”) and was told “this is not a playground,” and “the ball constitutes a public safety threat.” To everyone’s shock, campus officers then declared that all students who do not have class at the moment must exit campus immediately. The students sat defiantly and remained.

The following week, students were sitting and enjoying music through a speaker when another half dozen campus officers surrounded them, telling them “playing any music is banned on campus.” This time, the students stood up together and confronted the police shoulder to shoulder. The campus police then repeated that everyone needs to go home and stated “it’s time for an ID check, as CUNY students you automatically are subject to them” even though IDs are already checked at the front gate. The students raised their voices and told them off, and the campus police retreated.

We are organizing a defense and political counterattack to build on our growing support, campus and CUNY-wide, distributing dozens of CHALLENGES, and we’re developing new young communist leaders along the way.

As long as we live under the dictatorship of the capitalist class, workers will be subject to racist and sexist attacks. The bosses and especially their liberal lapdogs preach the all-class unity garbage of “we’re all one community” on one hand, while protecting racists on the other and allowing military recruiters on campus to enlist soldiers for widening imperialist wars. But ultimately, it will take building a mass PLP —and a Red Army — to destroy racism and capitalism once and for all, which can happen only if all of us become mass organizers and lead mass antiracist struggles. And this struggle has the potential to become one!

A single spark can become a fire
Meanwhile, a four to one majority of delegates in the union representing 29,000 CUNY faculty and staff, the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), passed a resolution supporting KCC’s students, declaring “an injury to one is an injury to all.” While the resolution was being debated, some self-proclaimed progressive KCC faculty delegates issued ineffectual pleas for “more time to investigate.” A Black delegate from another campus responded from the floor “we’ve been ‘investigating’ this for 400 years, it’s time for action” and voted “yes”!

With each study group raising important questions, our new comrades are recruiting even more outstanding antiracist fighters and especially strong Black and immigrant women into the struggle. They are working through sharp political questions and learning to manage sharp disagreements while under increasing state attack. Under communism we will immediately outlaw racism and attack racists with the power of the Party. Despite these challenges, the dark night of imperialism will have its end and these students prove workers can run the world! Their experiences today are planting the seeds of a movement of millions of workers we have not yet met but share their hatred of racism and life under capitalism. As more students fight back and dare to envision a workers’ dictatorship and a bright communist future, the closer the day is when they will lead us there. JOIN US!