FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
	International Communist Workers Party
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LOS ANGELES MTA--The street protests against the decision to give a “green light” to the killer cop in Ferguson have mainly involved the youth. I, as an MTA worker, decided to interview my friends, fellow Party members and Red Flag readers. I asked everyone what they thought about the protests in Ferguson.Here are  some of their responses.
S: “I think that a protest against the whole capitalist system would be even better. Many people sensed that the whole structure of this society is rotten and needs to be changed. The problem is that the leadership is sellout, reformist and opportunist. As workers we must involve the masses in learning the political ideas of Red Flag so that these marches culminate in a real revolution.”
“Communist?”
“Yes, communist!”
W: “I think that the marches are good and necessary. People are tired. There are no jobs and the working class is waking up. They realize that the poor are getting poorer and the rich getting richer and they are trying to control all the movements and even the internet. The bosses are afraid.  They know that the workers aren’t only angry but that they are willing to burst into a larger movement.”
“What do you think is the solution?”
“A revolution.”
“Communist?”
“Of course.”
G: “In these marches I don’t see a definite objective, or leadership. They seem to be anarchists and I even think they are counterproductive. They send a wrong signal and in some cases they attack or damage the same community.”
“Don’t you think that if we are involved more and we give communist leadership, these demonstrations will have better politics and would help more workers and youth understand the real solution to the problem?”
“Maybe so, but it won’t be easy.”
J. “Now that I’ve seen that it’s not only us black people protesting but also latinos and whites, I understand more what Red Flag says about the unity of workers regardless of color or nationality. That’s why I think it’s very important that more people read the newspaper.”
D: “What many people don’t understand is that this anger isn’t only about this case but because of a history of abuse, mistreatment, harassment and murders. As a black man, every time  the police stop me I have the feeling that any movement can be the motive for being killed by a white man.”
“Do you think that this isn’t a fight between whites and blacks, but instead a class struggle between rich and poor because there are also rich blacks and latinos and also black and latino cops?”
“You’re right.”
“Would you like to join ICWP to better understand how the system functions?”
“O.K. Let me know when the next meeting is.” 
DD: “I don’t understand why they are protesting over this death and not over the hundreds of youth who die in the war. I think that the leadership of these marches only do it to get personal benefits.”
“I know  you understand that by trying to ignore the problem this situation is getting worse. If you don’t struggle, it will have to be your children who will have to look for a solution. As workers, it is our duty to help spread communist ideas to give leadership to the protests.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
After the questions, there was a small discussion between a black, latino and an asian worker about the need to get more involved in the struggle.
“Wouldn’t it be more effective not to go out shopping on ‘Black Friday?’” suggested a black worker.
“It would be better to have a political strike against capitalism!” said another mechanic.

LOS ANGELES, November 25-“Capitalism isn’t capable of anything that you or  I would call justice,” said an ICWP comrade. She was responding to the chant of “No justice, no peace! No racist police!” that rang out at the protest at Leimert Park on the day the Ferguson grand jury report was revealed.
“You’re right about that,” interrupted an older black worker. “Capitalism in its inception was based on the slave trade.”
“And capitalism is based on a fundamental robbery,” continued the comrade. “You work, and the bosses take what you produce and sell it to make a profit. They only give you enough—barely—to come back to work the next day.  I don’t think anybody would call that justice.”
In conversation after conversation that day, workers agreed that capitalism is the problem.
“We have to get rid of it,” emphasized our comrade. “We have to fight for a communist world, without money, or wage slavery. Only by uniting workers of all ‘races’ against this capitalist system can we build that world.”
“People are afraid,” said person after person. “I’m 66 years old and I’m afraid to go out at night,” said one black worker. “Black people walk around with targets on their back.”
“The bosses are even more afraid of us than we are of them,” said the comrade.  “That’s why they hide the history of ghetto rebellions of the 1960’s and the anti-racist rebellions in the military led by black soldiers during the Vietnam War. By building a movement for communism we can get rid of capitalism for good.” And all those workers gladly took Red Flag.
The next day, hundreds of angry protesters—black, latino/a, asian and white, mainly youth—defiantly marched and blocked traffic at busy intersections in south and downtown LA.  When marchers sat in the intersections, the police backed off. The bosses are worried that the growing anger at their system means that the youth they need for their wars and  slave labor are turning against capitalism. 
They will try to turn these youth toward elections and reform. ICWP is struggling to help turn the youth to the working class and the mobilization for communism.
At the march, there were chants about fighting back against racism, and the whole system, for jailing killer cops, and for “freedom,” but no chants for communism. However, marchers and onlookers gladly took Red Flag and our communist leaflet calling for a new system, communism, and a new strategy of mobilizing the masses, especially the industrial working class and soldiers, for it.
A young woman comrade and her friend came to the march ready to distribute Red Flag and the leaflet to their friends and others there.  As we explained to marchers that we are mobilizing for communism, which will have no cops, racism, or bosses, two different marchers offered to pass out the leaflets and Red Flag to fellow marchers.
Clearly this is a good opportunity to win angry youth and others to communism. Self-critically, we should have mobilized more comrades and friends to bring our communist vision to these angry marchers. Anticipating the verdict and the reaction, we should have prepared more literature in advance. We ran out of leaflets and Red Flags at the Tuesday march.
We are now inviting youth and others angry at capitalism’s growing racist terror to help distribute Red Flag and communist leaflets about Ferguson to workers to mobilize for communism.

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