Letter: Neighbors Battling ICE Need Communist Ideas
“Ready for ICE?” was the name of a community meeting I attended recently. It was sponsored by a Seattle (USA) neighborhood group. A friend from that neighborhood invited me to join him, but he got sick and couldn’t go.
People were there because they wanted to find ways to protect their friends and neighbors from fascist attacks. I handed out Red Flag at the door, and about ten of the fifty people who came took copies.
I spoke briefly to the woman who organized the meeting. She gave me five minutes (like all the other speakers) to talk. Everyone else spoke about ways to protect their neighbors from ICE. Many were already directly involved in some aspect of this. One white woman who lives in a Somali neighborhood goes around to check on people. Some are getting trained to physically confront ICE. A Jewish group is training observers.
I started by saying that I ad mired what everyone was doing, but as a Communist, I am fighting for the total abolition of xenophobia, as well as racism, sexism, homophobia, and all the other hateful ideologies that divide us. These ideologies are necessary for the capitalists, but with Communism there will be production only for need and no wage slavery.
People were nodding their heads as I spoke and some clapped when I finished. I invited them to get a paper or go to our website, and to see me after the meeting for more information.
At the end, a woman came in whom I know from work against racist police violence. We spoke briefly and I look forward to working with her again.
I plan to go to the next meeting and will begin to get to know some of these people. I was very pleased to see all these people, most of whom are not immigrants, willing to put themselves on the line to protect their immigrant neighbors. They have the potential for being Communist fighters!
—Red in Seattle (USA)
Read our pamphlet Fight for the Day when No Worker Will Be Called Foreigner here