KKKapitalism killed Ivan, Workers grow fight vs racism

Inglewood, CA, September 24—Cesar received a call from a friend telling him that his house was being raided by the cops. First he thought of his undocumented parents, but also in the back of his mind, he thought about his friend and neighbor, Ivan. Ivan struggled with schizophrenia and everyone on the block was aware. They loved him and looked out for him. No one was ever threatened by him, even during his episodes, rejecting capitalist lies about the mentally ill.

The terror and threats came from the bosses - fear of ICE raids and police terror.  That fear was soon realized when he got home and saw out of his upstairs window that Ivan was already dead on the driveway in front of his house.  Soon after, he received a call from Petra, Ivan’s mother, asking about what happened to Ivan, asking, "Is he dead?”

Bosses' system murdered Ivan
Ivan Solis Mora was 34 years old and lived in the back house of his mother’s home in Inglewood. On September 22nd, multiple kkkops showed up to Ivan’s apartment after his brother-in-law called for mental health support. Instead of support, he was gunned down in front of family, friends, and neighbors.  
We in the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) first learned of this through the local bosses’ media, claiming that a man wielding a knife was shot and killed by Inglewood cops the day before. All we had was a street name that runs for about 1.5 miles cutting through Inglewood.

Members, including a friend from the local tenant’s union, made several passes that day and based on information from passersby had narrowed it down to the intersection of Century and Grevillea. It wasn’t until the following day that we saw a home with a few candles and flowers in front. We then saw an altar with his picture and flowers in the back of their driveway where he was murdered. With the several members of the Flores family, who lost their loved one, Alex, in an eerily similar fashion nearly four years ago, we knocked on their door meeting his stepfather, Jose, and his mother, Petra.  

They were clearly devastated by their loss and also angry and ready to fight.  We learned from them that after they killed Ivan, the killer cops left his body on display for nearly 12 hours without any coverage. The family reported that their neighbors were also rightfully enraged, throwing bottles and trash at the Klan in blue. The kkkops then further intimidated the family and neighbors by breaking into their homes trying to confiscate their cell phone footage of the assassination and threatening arrest if the cell phones weren’t turned over. With many neighbors being undocumented, this was obviously terrorizing.  

Workers need communism, not kkkops
We shared our condolences and also CHALLENGEs  We pointed to a couple of articles, connecting their tragedy to the fights PLP is involved in the Bronx for Eric Duprey and in the Chicago area for Morad Kurdi and Hadi Abuatelah.  We talked about the function of the kkkops under capitalism and particularly in their role in the racist gentrification of Inglewood with the construction of two new stadiums just blocks from their home. They welcomed us, took our literature, and invited us to the protest they were planning the following day at 10am in front of the Inglewood Police Station.

It was at this rally that we first met Cesar and his parents. This is where we learned his story about what happened to Ivan and their fears. Cesar and his older brother were both recent students at the high school where one of our comrades teaches.  

Several members of the local tenant’s union and  friends of the Party also joined this rally.  A veteran comrade and member of the tenant’s union spoke, further connecting the racist police terror to the skyrocketing rents, evictions, and homelessness in Inglewood and how every local politician from the former cop, Mayor Butts, to the City Council has been complicit.  

Amanda, the sister of Alex Flores, also spoke, connecting what happened to Alex and to Ivan and also drawing out the bigger picture of capitalism. She shared what PLP has meant for their family and struggle. Another family, the mother of Marco Vazquez Jr. who witnessed her son murdered by sheriff’s three years ago also joined us.   

A physician and friend of the Party was another rally participant.  He’s been active for several years in local reform fights with a comrade and will also be going to the American Public Health Association conference with that party member.  Our comrade also spoke at the rally, connecting what happened to Ivan with the murder of Nick Burgos three years ago.  He was murdered while hospitalized at a local county hospital while in a mental health crisis. He explained how the kkkops are the armed weapon of the state that serves the interest of the bosses and how ultimately, for these murders to end and for any real justice, we have to organize for communist revolution.  The day prior, when we first met Ivan’s stepfather, Jose, he said, “What do these people want, for us to rise up in a war?”  “Yes,” the comrade said.  A class war is ultimately what it will take.

Liberal reform a dead end
These messages of support and solidarity were well received by family, neighbors, and supporters.  Our work with the Flores family, police reform group, the local high school, and tenant’s union illustrates how our line of working within mass organizations and immersing ourselves in the class struggle is essential for the growth of our Party. It also demonstrates the impact that a small group of committed fighters can make.
There is a revisionist organization, Community Control of the Police, that has also built ties with the family.

Aside from their reformist nature they are also calling for body cameras for the Inglewood police, a policy that has already failed thousands of workers murdered by kkkop. Their leader touts this dead end reform as he runs again for LA City Council.  Nonetheless, the family is already planning two other actions and we will be right there with them pointing out the inherent failures of reformism and why communist revolution led by PLP is the only solution.
In struggle!