OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS, August 5—Over 50 multiracial workers and youth gathered in bold unity today in front of the local kkkop station to protest the racist beating of 17-year-old Arab student Hadi Abuatelah. Members of the international communist Progressive Labor Party (PLP) proudly joined the ranks of the angry fighters, advocating for communist revolution as the only solution to capitalist state terror.
On July 27, Hadi and friends were pulled over by the klan-in-blue because the car they were in allegedly “smelled like marijuana.” During the frisk that the youth were subjected to, Hadi took off on foot. Dashcam video as well as bystanders recorded three large Oak Lawn cops soon tackling him to the ground and viciously beating him with fists after he had already been subdued and handcuffed.
Hadi was taken to the hospital (under custody) where he was diagnosed with a brain bleed, a fractured pelvis, and a broken nose (CBS Chicago, 8/1). The kkkops as well as their racist defenders in the bosses’ media and in the community have wasted no time attacking his character in the aftermath, smearing him as a “thug” and claiming that he resisted arrest and was in possession of a handgun.
As the bosses’ racist and sexist attacks worsen against the international working class, we need to constantly ask ourselves what true justice for workers looks like. Seeing a few killer cops jailed and legal settlements may bring some solace, but this alone cannot stem the tide of capitalist violence. For that, we need the worker-run society of communism. As we fight for Hadi and so many other victims of this profit system, we call on all workers to join the fight for revolution!
Young workers refuse to back down from racism
This evening’s action doubled as an antiracist rally as well as a press conference. A handful of different reform groups attended the program, including an anti-violence mass organization where a number of PL’ers have been active for years.
Walking up to the front of the police station was like walking into a militarized zone. The kkkops had blocked off all entrances with city vehicles and other roadblocks, no doubt in response to another mass rally that took place a few days after the racist assault. Helicopters could be heard circling above, and we could feel the stares and hear the taunts from counter-protestors and racist “back the blue” types nearby.
But the leadership provided, mostly by young Arab women, refused to be intimidated. This area of the south suburbs of Chicago is home to many workers originally from occupied Palestine. They are no strangers to fighting back. Many correctly drew the connections from facing down racist forces here to battling against racist zionist forces and their U.S. imperialist backers in the Middle East.
At different points during the rally, the racist counter-protestors tried to interrupt speeches and chants with their own filthy messages attacking Hadi and us antiracists. Instead of backing down, Hadi supporters chanted and spoke even louder into the microphones, turning the speakers to directly face the racist scum and drown them out.
In barely an hour, we were able to get out dozens of copies of CHALLENGE, while having good political conversations with new and old contacts. Our communist messages of multiracial unity and fightback definitely struck a chord!
Liberal bosses will never serve workers
Throughout the course of the rally, three main demands were brought to the forefront. First and foremost is that all criminal charges against Hadi be dropped immediately (he has been charged with one felony and two misdemeanors; his family has filed a counter-lawsuit). Second is that the kkkops responsible for brutalizing Hadi be fired. Lastly, is that Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx press charges against the cops.
Although the bogus and racist charges against Hadi definitely need to be dropped and it’s always gratifying to see cops get the axe, we must be wary of trusting in liberal bosses like the Black “progressive” Kim Foxx to achieve justice. PLP has held from the beginning that it is the liberal Big Fascist (see Glossary, page 6) bosses who in fact present the greater threat to the working class, even over the open racists like Donald Trump and those who back him. These Big Fascists are able to use identity politics and the promise of minor reforms to disarm workers politically while they ratchet up attacks on us, often to a scale that exceeds what the Small Fascist types like Trump can achieve.
We cannot forget that it was Kim Foxx who refused to prosecute killer kop Eric Stillman after he snuffed out the life of another teen, 13-year-old Adam Toledo in March 2021 (Block Club Chicago, 3/15). Both the courts and the cops ultimately serve the needs ofW capitalism, and work in tandem to attack and divide working people while protecting private property. There’s a reason why in PLP we chant: “The kops, the kourts, the ku klux klan – all are a part of the bosses’ plan!”
Communism will smash the bosses
We will never forget what racist kops did to Hadi, nor the sum total of violence that this racist capitalist system has rained upon workers from its beginning. The bosses may hold power now, but the growth of communist-led multiracial fightback will one day spell their end. Join PLP and help bring that day here sooner.