{"id":9732,"date":"2020-06-01T19:16:46","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T19:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavozlit.com\/?p=9732"},"modified":"2020-06-01T19:16:46","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T19:16:46","slug":"two-days-that-shook-the-country-burn-baby-burn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/2020\/06\/01\/two-days-that-shook-the-country-burn-baby-burn\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Days That Shook the Country – \u201d Burn, Baby , Burn!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Steven Leigh, Seattle Revolutionary Socialists<\/a> and RSN (Revolutionary Socialist Network<\/a>)<\/strong>
\nSeattle May 30—Seattle was slow to respond to the death of George Floyd. While Minneapolis was burning ,and other cities were clashing with the police, Seattle was quiet.\u00a0 That changed on Friday May 29 and especially on \u00a0Saturday May 30.
\nOn May 29 hundreds of people gathered at the downtown police headquarters at night after marching from the International District. Through the course of the night , some windows were smashed and a bit of graffiti was painted on store walls. ACAB ( All Cops Are Bastards) was a favorite, though this is a vicious slur against the children of unmarried parents.
\nOn Saturday, again around 500 gathered in front of the police headquarters at noon. The cops protected the building from behind metal barricades. Speeches galvanized the crowd though many were of the liberal variety. \u201c I love this country\u201d said one speaker. After an hour, people left and many ended up at the 3 PM rally in the center of downtown at Westlake park.
\nThe 3 PM downtown rally of several thousand \u00a0was planned to be peaceful . The main organizer \u201c Not This Time\u201d scheduled preachers to inspire the crowd.\u00a0 Not This Time grew out of the protest against the police murder of Che Taylor 4 years ago.\u00a0 It successfully organized a state wide initiative that forced the legislature to increase police training and \u00a0make it easier to prosecute police who kill. The plan was to listen to speakers and then marched\u00a0 to the nearby\u00a0 Federal Building. The main organizer, Andre Taylor , urged the crowd to be peaceful so that it could be safe for families and children.
\nThe rally went on for an hour and a half and sections of the crowd were clearly getting restless . On the edge of the rally up by 5th<\/sup> and Pine the police aggressively pushed people out of the intersection firing off a series of flash bombs and tear gas. Several times people ran away from the tear gas but then regrouped. The police violence agitated the crowd. At some point,\u00a0 someone was able to\u00a0 set fire to a police car . Over the course of the afternoon and evening several police vehicles were torched. 2 police rifles were stolen. Several store windows were smashed and some stores were looted.
\nLarge numbers of protestors also blocked the south bound lanes of Interstate 5 which runs through downtown
\nEven before the rally marched to its intended end point, the city imposed a 12 hour curfew from 5 PM to 5 AM on both Saturday and Sunday.\u00a0 \u00a0This is a longer curfew than in any other city. This gave the police the right to clear the streets.\u00a0 The city also got the state\u00a0 to send in 200 \u201cunarmed\u201d national guard to help the police. The mayor said:
\nI understand the immense \u00a0rage, grief, and sense of betrayal felt by not only our community, but communities across our country this weekend. However, the escalated, destructive, and violent incidents that took place during today’s demonstrations cannot, and will not, be allowed to continue. They jeopardize the health and safety of all those involved, from the demonstrators, to our first responders, to civilians just passing by.<\/em>
\nPredictably, the local press \u00a0echoed the mayor and focused on the \u201cviolence\u201d while giving only lip service to \u00a0the issue which caused the protests. The pictures of shattered glass, and littered and tear gassed streets were more fascinating than discussions of police brutality ,systematic racism, and the actual brazen, cruel and vicious murder of a vibrant and loved .human being
\nLocal TV spent hours showing damaged windows and burned out cars but scarce minutes interviewing protestors or broadcasting speakers\u2019 words. . When they did interview protestors they focused on those who opposed the violence by other \u00a0protestors. One woman interviewed was on the police-community liaison commission.
\nLauren Tozzi \u00a0explained how distorted this coverage was:
\nNOTHING is being said by the local reporters about the police behavior at the downtown precinct. Hundreds were gathered in front, saying George’s name, many with their hands up in the air. I then saw several officers wearing gas masks….at that point I said to myself…”that’s not a good sign”. I started walking away. I wasn’t but a block away, when BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!! People were running trying to get away from the gas. I ran into a family- whose young children were crying and screaming! People had their hands over their eyes…folks were trying to help by pouring water on their faces. It was pretty bad. There was NO PROVOCATION for the police at the precinct to do what they did. There was NO REASON why they had to set off stun guns and gas! THEY WENT OUT OF CONTROL! They created a very bad scene!!! I finally made it home and I have been contacting local news to express my outrage about the lack of reporting on what happened at least where I was. I’m bearing witness to a situation that was peaceful. And all I see on local reporting is about looting and destruction…..Well, I want to say that what I saw with mine own eyes, was police at the precinct WERE OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!! They had NO REASON to d what they did there today. It is unacceptable!<\/em>
\n* THIS IS NOT WHAT DE-ESCALATION LOOKS LIKE!!<\/em>
\nThe protest in Seattle and around the country highlights several issues and raises tactical considerations:
\n1)The intensity of the protest movement around the U.S. flows from the current political situation. The BLM movement developed during Obama\u2019s presidency in 2014. The horror of racist police murder was tempered by having a Black president, presumably anti-racist in office. Now the President is an incompetent buffoon who is also a vile racist with little talent for pretending compassion. Further George Floyd\u2019s murder happened after a further concentration of wealth and in the middle of the Cornona Crisis which is killing Black people at a much higher rate than whites. Also , it happened during the biggest economic crisis since the 30\u2019s which has again shown the rampant inequality of the capitalist system. As more gallop into poverty, the billionaires have gained\u00a0 BILLION since March! All of this increases the anger of those triggered by the racist murder of George Floyd.
\nThis increased intensity resulted in faster action than virtually any other similar case. Recall that Eric Garner who was likewise strangled on video by NYC police in 2014 never received justice. His murderers are still at large. In this case, Floyd\u2019s murderers were fired within a couple days. The chief executioner was indicted quickly. Obviously, this is not near enough—cops still get special treatment, but it is a reflection of changed circumstances. These changed circumstances will probably result in continued radicalization around these and other issues. Along with continuing right wing organizing, this shows continued polarization in the U.S.
\n2) The inability of the police to control the few thousand protestors today, shows the potential strength of our side . As the poet Shelly said \u201c We are many, they are few. The great are only great because we are on our knees. Rise!\u201d Our side was disorganized.
\nThis belies\u00a0 Trump toady Attorney General Barr\u2019s statement:
\n“Unfortunately, with the rioting that is occurring in many of our cities around the country, the voices of peaceful protests are being hijacked by violent radical elements. In many places it appears the violence is planned, organized, and driven by far left extremist groups and anarchic groups using Antifa-like tactics\u201d
\nWould that we were that organized! The socialist left is tiny. This is moreso true of the revolutionary socialist left. Anarchists are notoriously disorganized. The point is that with large numbers\u00a0 and more organization we could accomplish much more. If we were more organized , had clear goals and especially if we had the organized support of those who can cut off the flow of profit, we could make a much bigger impact. In the long run, if all these factors are added to the creation of a revolutionary socialist vanguard party, we can not just keep the police on the run and guessing, but actually dismantle the state apparatus. The cat and mouse skirmishes of today can lead to a time when the mouse becomes the cat. Though little was won directly today, it shows how much more can be won tomorrow.
\n3) This movement will have to resolutely confront the Liberal narrative that peaceful protest is fine but \u201c violent \u201c protest is an anathema. What this really means is that ineffective protest is fine but effective \u00a0protest is unacceptable. The ruling class has the power and it doesn\u2019t want the masses to challenge that power. It wants to preserve the illusion of free speech, elections and other aspects of \u201cdemocracy\u201d.\u00a0 These illusions help to cement the loyalty of the masses to the current order. We may not have a perfect society, but at least we are not China\u2026Iran\u2026Syria\u2026Russia..( name your favorite repressive regime) so goes the Liberal line.\u00a0 As long as people accept this, they will be less likely to revolt.
\nThis requires a delicate balance by the rulers. They must allow enough protest to preserve the illusion, but not enough to actually disrupt its profit and power. They claim to oppose violent protest. What they really oppose is effective disruptive protest. \u00a0\u00a0Remember that they treated the non-violent Civil Rights Movement with dogs, gas, beatings, fire hoses and sometimes murder.\u00a0 Remember the National Guard response to the anti-war movement at Kent State 50 years ago this month. From time to time , they try to label even non-violent protest as \u201cterrorism\u201d .When they attack protest that hurts their interest, we have to vehemently defend it. We have to say clearly, that the issue that caused the protest is more important than the tactics of the protestors. To those who deplore violence, we have to explain that the cause of violent protest is the violence inherent in capitalism. If you don\u2019t like broken windows in stores destroy the capitalist system.
\nThe hypocrisy of the ruling class line is overwhelming. The ruling class and its kept press deplore the looting of stores yet never even mention the looting of the working class that goes on every day. Exploitation is the core of capitalism, but is never even discussed in the mass media.\u00a0 They deplore the violence of demonstrators, but barely mention the daily violence of forcing workers to risk their lives to Covid 19; of unsafe working conditions that kill thousands yearly; \u00a0the violence of poor or no housing, the violence of no health care ; the violence \u00a0\u00a0of U.S. wars , sanctions and drone strikes that kill thousands yearly or the racist and sexist violence that the system condones and promotes. As Kira Woodworth put it:
\nThis is all I have to say to people who say \u201cIts not okay to willfully destroy property.\u201d<\/em>
\nThere is never a good reason to willfully kneel on someone\u2019s neck until they cry for their mother and die. There is never a good reason to shoot a sleeping woman in her bed. There is never a good reason to willfully stalk and confront a teenage boy and then shoot him. There is never a good reason to willfully shoot a man in front of his partner and child on a routine traffic stop. There is never a good reason to strangle a man on a sidewalk who is saying \u201cI can\u2019t breathe \u201c for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. There is never a good reason to willfully kill a small child for playing soldier in the park. There is never a good reason to willfully shoot a young father on a subway platform for hanging out with his friends on New Years Eve.<\/em>
\nThese are just the ones that immediately come to mind.<\/em>
\nYou care more about personal property than human life. Did you support Colin Kaepernick taking a knee? Or did you say \u201cshut up and play football?\u201d THIS is what happens when peaceful protests are ignored. Don\u2019t like it? Then fight racism instead of turning a blind eye to it. Try and be better. Target and Auto Zone and Old Navy will be just fine. George Floyd is dead forever and the people who loved him will live with that forever. You speak cruelty and I hate it.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>
\nAs Rev. \u00a0Martin Luther King Jr said \u201c Riots are the voice of the unheard\u201d. <\/em>As long as people feel unheard, as long as people have no effective power, there will be riots !
\n4) Though we need to defend riots against the hypocritical liberal attacks, we do need to seriously consider the most effective strategies and tactics going forward. We need to choose tactics that can involve the most people. Small numbers, no matter how militant cannot take down this vicious system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Steven Leigh, Seattle Revolutionary Socialists and RSN (Revolutionary Socialist Network) Seattle May 30—Seattle was slow to respond to the death of George Floyd. While Minneapolis was burning ,and other cities were clashing with the police, Seattle was quiet.\u00a0 That changed on Friday May 29 and especially on \u00a0Saturday May 30. On May 29 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13882120,"featured_media":9733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[27671],"tags":[30144,29271,30145],"class_list":["post-9732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en","tag-george-floyd","tag-police-brutality","tag-stop-police-brutality"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"es","enabled_languages":["en","es"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"es":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdQxqk-2wY","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13882120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}