Staten Island: Deport racists, support migrants, destroy capitalism

The racists on Staten Island are not stopping their attacks on the asylum seekers being housed in shelters there, but the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) and other antiracists are stepping up our efforts to support and defend them.

By order of New York City officials, St. John's Villa, a former private school that was the site of two previous pro-migrant vs anti-migrant demonstrations, is to be emptied of its residents by November 15th. The racists are now concentrating their attacks on migrants in the former Island Shores Senior Residence on Father Capodanno Blvd. Every night, the racists have been congregating in smaller or larger numbers to loudly spew their anti-immigrant filth to disturb the residents. Their continued presence has caused the NYPD to set up barricades on the streets surrounding the facility, ostensibly to prevent any confrontations.

When members of the coalition of antiracist organizations arrived at the facility for our planned demonstration, we found these barricades in place. Some of the racists were already there, and when we demanded that the cops allow us to demonstrate on the Island Shores side of the boulevard, we were told we had to cross to the other side. The racists were allowed to remain, showing once again on whose side are the police.

Undeterred, we used a bullhorn and our voices to chant support to the migrants. The police then forced us to stop using the bullhorn. To show their "impartiality," they also stopped the racists from using theirs. We then formed a picket line and continued chanting vigorously and loudly. Before we left, members of Peace Action Staten Island, the Democratic Socialists of America, and the PLP made speeches, stressing  the need for antiracist worker unity. The Party members who spoke made it clear that the only solution to workers' problems worldwide is communist revolution.

Prior to the rally, some of the Peace Action members had leafleted at the College of Staten Island and in the Port Richmond neighborhood, which is populated by many immigrant workers. The rain may have had some effect on discouraging students and workers from those areas from coming to the demonstration. Our rally still had double the number of the racists, but about half of us were from outside Staten Island.  We distributed CHALLENGE there and continued to talk afterwards about our plan to build the Party and fight for communism.
The racists have a fairly well-organized core in the community, backed by most of the politicians on the Island.

They attack the immigrants, but they also attack Democratic NYC Mayor Adams, blaming him, Governor Hochul, President Biden, and "white liberals" in general for the immigrant problem and all the other ills facing the working class. Just as did the Nazis in the early days, these racists claim to represent the interests of blue collar workers. Their racism is dangerous to the entire working class. The Democratic Party politicians agree with them about limiting immigration, cutting back  benefits to the poor and other workers, and supporting a bigger military to prepare for war.

It does present an obvious danger, but even more dangerous to workers are the "white liberals" that the openly racist "Small Fascists" decry.

Biden and his cohorts represent the interests of the dominant "Big Fascist'' capitalists. It is their vicious exploitation of workers in Central and South America that has led to the desperate increased migration to the United States from those countries. As the workers struggle across the border, “Small Fascist” governors ship them to cities in the North. Once there, supposedly liberal politicians  crowd our fellow workers into unhealthy shelters, tent cities and even throw them onto the streets. The Democratic Party liberals have no plan to help the migrants and are happy to see the racists attack them and divide the working class.

In NYC, and especially Staten Island, the PLP  and its antiracist allies must continue to build a movement against the open racists. At the same time, we must struggle to show our friends and other workers and students that fighting racism within the system is not enough. We must smash capitalism to destroy racism. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS COMMUNIST REVOLUTION!