Letters of March 2

100 Copies of CHALLENGE

We’ve been selling 100 copies of CHALLENGE almost every week and have received multiple reactions from the public about our Party’s paper. From the occasional “I have one already” (when they don’t wanna be bothered) to those who throw a dollar and run with the paper. But then there are those conversations that sit with us longer, that leave us with hope and sometimes even a bit of cynicism.

There is this one worker that sells masks on the corner where we sell CHALLENGE who claims to “like capitalism." I asked, why is that? He replied, “[be]cause this (the U.S.) is the only place where anyone can make lots of money or be rich if they try." I told him, “rich people are only possible because of the poor workers they exploit.” He replied, “true, but guess how much money I make?” I told him “you're still only considering yourself; we are talking about the international working class facing war, racism and sexism.” He said, “that’s what I’m saying, I can teach anyone how to do this.” I said “Impossible. If everyone’s a salesperson, who are you going to sell to? You still need workers to exploit. We’re talking about fighting for a world to reach our full potential, this ain’t it!”

For each conversation with someone who is blindly won to capitalism, there are so many more meaningful encounters that eclipse the imperfect ones that give us a real barometer of what the working class is ready and waiting for. 

I met this one person working in a Medicare truck. He spoke of how much working class people need to hear what Progressive Labor Party (PLP) is saying. He said, “but how are we gonna get the majority of workers to follow the path to communism?” 

Great question. I said, “capitalism is gonna do the majority of that convincing as the path of capitalism is to intensify fascism and workers aren’t gonna be left with much choice as conditions worsen but to fight back. We only need to be large enough to be known as the only alternative to capitalism’s murder machine.” He immediately took the paper, gave me $4 and asked when he’d see me again. I offered next week but his shift rotates so I'll see him next month! 

There’s another story of a middle aged woman who took the paper and said,”my mother used to send me out to get this paper.” She was so glad to see it and to know the work continues. And another story of a worker who wanted to volunteer to sell the paper with us. 

We are here, all around, communists walking amongst us who just haven’t yet joined PLP. Those times when we feel discouraged come from not offering our line and communism as the only answer to save workers of the future.  Continue the struggle. We are the ones we’re waiting for. 

*****

The only war worth fighting is a communist class war!

Workers in the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), in Worcester, rallied alongside organizers from the Catholic Worker’s organization outside the City’s  federal courthouse. Spurred by several anti-war reform organizations,  we organized an action in opposition to war, standing in solidarity with the international working class. These organizations urged workers in several other cities, including Boston and Northampton, to organize similar anti-war actions.“There’s no way that 11,000 American troops are going to make a difference in Ukraine, '' said a member of the revolutionary communist PLP.. “All they’re going to do is make tensions worse (see Editorial, page 2).

It will not matter whether the Russian capitalists or the U.S. capitalists win militarily: hundreds of thousands of workers will die. Workers in the Ukraine will suffer more misery and starvation.

Although our group is small, our communist spirit is mighty. We will use every opportunity– from mobilizing workers for May Day  to building an anti-imperialist war movement to grow  potential for class war in the name of  communism. 

*****

Workers call for widespread vaccine distribution

The battle to fight global racism by making Covid-19 vaccines available throughout the world continues (see CHALLENGE, 11/17/2021). Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members continue to help lead this battle that the bosses basically ignore because of their single-minded focus on making money off the pandemic. One battleground is the 25,000 member American Public Health Association (APHA), where in November we will be fighting for a resolution for global vaccination now! A team of organizers including PLP members have already submitted the proposal to the APHA, beginning the laborious process of getting it approved this Fall. It would be great to get such a resolution passed because it could raise awareness about the perfidy of the pharmaceutical capitalists in restricting access to the vaccines. They should waive their patent rights so more of the vaccine can be produced in other countries. 

But an even better outcome is the political debate and struggle among the supporters of the resolution. Several more people have begun discussions with us about PLP and the need for communist revolution, not just improvements in public health, which can never be adequate as long as we live in this vicious profit system of capitalism. Meanwhile the struggle on the ground continues as well, with further protests scheduled for March 11 in Washington, DC and April 28 at Moderna headquarters in Boston. If you want sound public health, you need communism! 

 *****

Staying bold in the Bronx

Our club has been active for some time in an antiracist coalition in the Bronx.  We have supported housing for the homeless, and regularly organized against the racist  oppression from our local police precinct - even leading a large march and demonstration in front of its doors.

With the election of slick politician and former cop Eric Adams as Mayor of New York City (NYC), we are already seeing an intensification of racist police terror. Tacitly supported by former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio - himself a disgusting supporter of racist police oppression - Adams has already proudly proclaimed a number of fascist steps he will take to "be tough on crime."  He is going to reconstitute a "modified" plain-clothed squad to "combat gun violence." De Blasio was forced to disband the previous  one because of its notorious record of racist brutality. 

Plain clothes make it harder to identify cops as cops, thus making resistance to arrest more common and presenting more excuses for brutal beatings and higher criminal charges. Adams has also been supportive of more extensive racist incarceration, pushing back against progressive bail reform and utterly indifferent to the criminal conditions at Rikers Island (CHALLENGE, 2/2).

The recent killing of Lashawn McNeil shows that, under capitalism, killer cops are not going anywhere. The Police Reform Organizing Project (PROP) argues "How does it make sense to send a uniformed officer armed with a gun, baton, badge, and taser to help resolve an argument between a mother and her grown son as was the case in the Harlem incident?”  

We are going to renew and raise the level of work with PROP around police killings and the grossly disproportionate percentage of Black and Latin workers who are arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated in NYC. While we know that reforms are only a bandage on the festering wound that is capitalism, we need to turn these reform campaigns into schools for communism.

We are continuing to build ties with antiracist groups in nearby neighborhoods to broaden the fight. If we are bold in struggling for our revolutionary line in these next few months, we may win some new workers to join us for May Day!

*****