Mass organizing for Ivan: Systems that kill do not deserve to exist

INGLEWOOD, CA, October 15—Over the last two days about 100 family and friends showed up for the services of our fallen working class brother Ivan Solis Mora. Ivan, who was suffering from a mental health episode (see CHALLENGE 10/18), was treated with bullets by kkkop instead of compassion and medical care. That’s kkkapitalism for you! Mental illness is a death sentence under a system that routinely treats sick and disabled workers as disposable.

Friday evening was the viewing followed by the morning mass and burial on Saturday.  At the viewing, a family member made green ribbons for us to wear to bring awareness to the growing mental health crisis, along with pins with Ivan’s picture. Surrounding his casket were floral arrangements, most with religious messages, and one shaped like a guitar. Petra, his mother, told us how much he loved playing his guitar and writing music. His actual guitar was also on display.  

Student and teachers organize for Ivan
In addition, there were four large foam poster boards in front of each easel with over 400 signatures of students and teachers from a PL’ers high school with the message, “a mental health crisis does not warrant a death sentence.” This activity was spearheaded by our comrade teacher who created an advisory lesson on what happened to Ivan. With the advisory lesson, all teachers in the school then taught their students about what happened to Ivan as part of a larger problem of police violence disproportionately impacting those with underlying mental illness. Afterward, students from the comrade’s after school club took the boards to every classroom and approximately 400 out of 600 students and teachers signed them. Later, the comrade visited the family to share the story and the messages from the school community. The family chose to display the boards right out front for all to see.  

While these two days were surely tearful and somber, they didn’t lead the family to pacifism.  Over the preceding two weeks the family led two actions that the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) participated in, including a rally and march to City Hall to confront the City Council and a second march from their home to the Inglewood police station.

On the day of the City Hall action, about 30 family members and friends showed up at a nearby intersection.People passing by, whether in cars or on foot, were very supportive, honking horns, stopping to talk about what happened. Groups of high school students walking home after school were particularly interested in learning about what had happened. As they began their march to City Hall, a comrade inspired others who were initially quiet at the rally, and led them in fight back chants as they entered.  

Liberal politicians response: crocodile tears and more dead-end reforms
The City’s head of security first told everyone that only five people could go into the meeting.  After some struggle, he allowed more of us in, but said “none of the protestors.”  So much for open government meetings and free speech under capitalism.  Not surprisingly, despite hearing from the family members, Council members could offer the family nothing more than the usual phony “thoughts and prayers.” There is another group that is also giving leadership in this struggle. One of their leaders is running for Los Angeles City Council.  

At this particular event, not only did he call for the typical tried-and-failed reforms like body cameras, but also invited the City Council to the family’s next action and had the cop-mayor take a photo with the family. There is a clear lack of understanding of the interconnectedness between the state and the police when this is the approach.  

Contrastingly, PLP understands that the entire ruling class and their police state are the enemy. Politics is everything in determining if we will one day end this system once and for all.Different Party members are getting to know members of the family independent of each other making home visits. One comrade had talked with Petra about us working on an article about Ivan for CHALLENGE, and today two other comrades visited the family and showed them the front-page article.Some groups “fight” police brutality by running for elections, but this only makes them part of the bosses’ state. The Progressive Labor Party instead calls on all workers, students, and soldiers to build the revolutionary communist PLP so that we can destroy their state and lead us into a communist world.