Haiti: Imperialist-created hellhole or hotbed of fightback?

The call by the U.S. President Joe Biden and the United Nations for a multinational invasion of Haiti is motivated in part by their racist dread of yet another refugee crisis. If you ever needed an example of how capitalism is hell on earth, look at what the bosses have done to our class in Haiti. Yet even as capitalist institutions failed at every turn, workers organized a general strike. The masses, led by Progressive Labor Party, (see page 4), will lead the way out of this hellhole. Working-class lives are expendable for all bosses. For the working class, trading in local gangs for the biggest gangster of them all—U.S. imperialism—is a losing strategy.

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Imperialists, the biggest thugs

“I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers…I was a racketeer; a gangster for capitalism.” — U.S. Maj. General Smedley Butler The current crisis in Haiti is the consequence of more than 200 years of gangsterism by the U.S. and other capitalist powers. 1915-1934: Following the assassination of President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, the U.S. invaded and seized control over Haitian finances in the name of “stability” for U.S. interests (Foreign Affairs, 12/1/22). Then it violently suppressed uprisings against the U.S. occupation.

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Johns Hopkins: Police terror is essential to capitalism

Baltimore, Maryland, November 30—Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members joined about 40 students, faculty and community supporters to protest Johns Hopkins University’s plan for a $10 million private, armed police force. The day’s activities included a two-hour march through the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University (JHU), an evening vigil, and then a West Wednesday rally outside City Hall. During the campus march, a PLP member distributed 20 flyers and copies of CHALLENGE, and engaged in conversations about socialism, communism and the history of racist police murder in Baltimore.

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All 2022 Keep fighting through the dark night

In 2022, the international working class faced what sometimes seemed like the darkest of nights. January saw Covid-19 deaths soar above six million worldwide with no signs of slowing. In February, Russia invaded Ukraine in what may turn out to be the spark for World War III. The pink tide of liberalism continued to infect Latin America, with leaders opportunistically working both sides of the imperialist competition, cynically promoting all-class unity, nationalism, and identity politics while simultaneously escalating racist and sexist attacks. The Monkeypox epidemic, once again, magnified the gross inequalities of the racist, sexist capitalist for-profit healthcare system which is a disaster for our entire class, especially Black and women workers.

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Justice for Raymond:​​ Smash the bosses’ kkkops & kkkourts

BRONX, NY, December 12– Before court officers brought kkkop/Corrections Officer and murderer Dion Middleton into court on Nov. 16, they wanted a word with the block of 18 supporters that packed the small Bronx courtroom. Looming over our group and looking directly at the mother of Raymond Chaluisant (the victim of Middleton’s racist rampage), they said they didn’t want any trouble. No one could make any moves toward Middleton, or make any noise while he was escorted in or during his appearance in front of the judge.

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Fighting capitalist-made starvation, one kitchen at a time

HAITI— At a birthday celebration of a child a mother asked: “In these times of misery, how can anyone have the courage to set off fireworks.” This mother knows how much fireworks cost. But it was a small opportunity to try to recapture some normality in this country where a vast number of workers and their children are starving. These “times of misery” are the direct result of the racist super-exploitation of capitalism. It is repeated millions of times worldwide. The “small opportunity” is a tiny glimpse of workers organizing together to help each other —that’s our communist future.

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The New School Strike: Workers and students in solidarity threatens bosses

New York, December 13—Workers’ fightback and unity among part-time faculty (PTF), full-time faculty (FTF) and students has won major improvements in wages, job security, and health care for PTF at the New School in New York City. On strike since November 16 – the longest PTF strike in U.S. history - the PTF’s union announced an agreement that met almost all of the strikers’ demands. Final ratification is slated for December 17. Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members joined the PTF picket lines, bringing revolutionary politics into the mix of this class struggle. (see Challenge, 12/14/22). The New School bosses were exposed during the strike as ruthless exploiters who have no concern for the welfare of students, workers, and faculty.

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Interview with a railroad worker: on super exploitation

Recently, the U.S. Congress came to the aid of the railroad bosses, bankers and Wall St. and voted to impose a contract on 120,000 freight railroad workers in 12 different unions, who are subject to the federal Railway Labor Act (RLA). President ‘Jim Crow’ Biden, “the most pro-union President in history,” stepped in to make sure that workers didn’t defy the bosses and union leaders with wildcat strikes and job actions. Congress, which can’t seem to agree on anything except war budgets and billions to Ukraine, acted with remarkable speed, proving that despite all their splits and in-fighting, all the politicians can unite on stomping out any threat from the workers.

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Reds vs. Evictions: Part 5 - MacDonald’s path of many struggles lead him to be a communist

The following is part five of a seven-part series reprinted and lightly edited from the communist newspaper Daily Worker in September-October, 1932, written by famous communist Mike Gold. The series was titled, “Negro Reds of Chicago.” Workers here are referred to as Black instead of the original “Negro” to reflect our antiracist principles as well as the linguistic shifts that occurred over decades of antiracist class struggle. Communists have a long history of fighting against racist attacks on our class.

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RED EYE ON THE NEWS . . . January 4, 2023

Dominican Republic officials: gutter racists Al Jazeera, 11/24/22–Authorities in the Dominican Republic have rounded up thousands of Haitian migrants — and anyone who looks like they could be from Haiti — and deported them to a country in the grips of deadly gang violence and instability, advocates say. The forced removals, which rights groups say have escalated this month, have drawn international criticism and calls for restraint amid reports that unaccompanied children, pregnant women and other vulnerable people are being deported. Some deportees have never set foot in Haiti…Dominican police and armed forces are detaining Haitians in the streets as well as “all those who look like Haitians.”

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