Letters: George Floyd Protests Spark Communist Struggle

The Fight for Communism, A Life-Long Commitment

Some time ago, when I met the party, a comrade told me something that I try to keep in mind, but often forget: “You have to have patience with the working class.” We sometimes become discouraged when we believe that we are not making political progress with people.

After seeing the images of a policeman putting his knee on George Floyd’s neck while other policemen held his body to the ground, my family’s calls began to come in droplets. Soon they were a torrent. They were looking for answers. The only one I could offer was the simplest, but the most powerful: Let’s fight for Communism.

One of them asked, “But are we going to the protests?” I answered with another question: “Should we ask the rest of the family and friends if they want to go? And let’s all go together!”

I called my contacts. I wanted to know what they thought, and if they were willing to go to the protests, which already looked violent on television. It was an intense ideological fight. They had never participated in such a protest, here or in Guatemala.

In all, fifteen family members and friends went together to the protest. My daughter proudly carried a first-aid backpack, including water and bicarbonate to counteract the gas and pepper spray that police use against the protesters.

For the first time, my family was united for a single political cause, and it was to me they came to organize it. A large banner that shouted “UNITED AGAINST RACISM” that my nephews carried made me feel proud to be a party member.

I chanted the party’s slogans. A few of our group joined in some, but they mingled with the reformist chants of the thousands of protesters.

After three hours, and before the situation got more tense, two friends wanted to go home. They were afraid, and they were right. They are undocumented and the fear of the immigration police is always there.

My family could have participated in the protests like the millions who have participated worldwide, but they preferred to participate with a member of the International Communist Workers’ Party.

I have many years of experience participating in the fight for Communism, but now I have had the biggest lesson. I must not abandon the struggle with anyone. I must have patience, the patience of the working class.

Many times, apathy wins in us and we think it’s a waste of time to talk about communist ideas if workers don’t pay attention to us. But it is we who don’t pay attention to those small changes that occur every time we do or say something about communist ideas.

The work I have now is arduous. I know it will be hard, but there is no going back. The fight for Communism is the goal with my family and with my friends and with the whole working class.

Long Live Communism!

—Comrade in Los Angeles (USA)

Kansas City, USA—White Coats for Black Lives

Los Angeles (USA) Nurses Protest Institutionalized Racism 

On Thursday, June 4, we received an invitation from the hospital administrator to demonstrate against institutionalized racism, all of this as a result of the death of George Floyd at the hands of racist police in Minneapolis. I immediately started asking my coworkers who would like to participate, and I honestly expected what I received: an affirmative answer from everyone.

At the daily meeting the next morning, I reminded everyone of the event scheduled for that day and offered them materials to make signs. I told them that this was a good time to express our position, and that I knew how necessary this was. When the meeting ended, ALL my co-workers started writing on the signs. “Let’s end institutionalized racism,” some said. Others reproached the police: “You are here to protect and serve us, not to kill us!” and others, “I CAN’T BREATHE” and “Black Lives Matter!”

It was so exciting to see everyone sharing ideas and selecting what phrase could represent their feelings and their thinking.

When the time came, we were all together in a group with our signs. I could see how glad my co-workers were to be able to participate. When we were returning to work, I saw my co-workers wiping their tears and commenting effusively on how much they liked being in a group and showing their discontent. I gently showed them that a racist system where the lives of the workers, of whatever race, are worth less than their profits, that system must change now!

I am very pleased to know that my co-workers and I experienced very strong unity. The environment at work improved, and I have an open path to continue talking about the fundamental changes that the capitalist system requires and that together we can make.

—A nurse at County USC Medical Center

Red Flag comments: Communism is the only alternative. We need to organize ourselves NOW!

Communists Confront Bosses’ Attacks Disguised as “Health Measures”

EL SALVADOR— “A radical and objective change is urgently needed to live in a world without bosses or money,” a comrade said to a woman maquila worker. He continued, “The bosses have implemented the policy of social distancing, not to care for workers’ health because of COVID-19; but so that workers don’t have direct physical communication and can’t demonstrate against them or oppose their capitalist strategies.”

This worker had called a comrade of the International Communist Workers’ Party— (Red Flag, as we are known in the factory) and said, “The supervisors are threatening us, saying that if we don’t fulfill the production quota they will fire us and send us home. They demand production of 215 dozen masks every day per module. Before, we had 30 minutes for lunch. Now they only give us 15 to 20 minutes. That’s not enough time.”

Through this worker who is in the factory, we have first-hand information. Before, we did not have any kind of social or political relationship with her. We keep telling her: “They are doing things this way so that the comrades who are not working now don’t get any information. They have used social distancing to get increased production and higher profits. There is no virus more dangerous than the capitalists, but we will exterminate them, by recruiting more exploited women and men workers.”

We will defeat these bosses’ attacks that exploit our class by winning over these workers in the factories. We will bring them to our meetings, today virtual; later, to our expanded meetings and distributions our communist literature, starting with Red Flag. But we are sure that now they see ICWP as the alternative.

We discussed with her what happened to George Floyd from Minneapolis, who was brutally murdered because of racism. Like him, there are many more who are dying in macabre capitalist deaths.

We concluded, “We have to organize ourselves into the ICWP and fight to overcome racism, to fight for a system where life is respected and not taken away.”

The worker is still a friend of ICWP. We are sharing these discussions about our organization with her.

She told us what was happening in confidence because of the social relations that we are building. Little by little we are overcoming some fears that she has had for a long time. We have been trying to instill communist ideas so that she is getting more confidence in our party.

—Comrade Worker

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