The Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles (USA) loomed large in the searing afternoon heat. Nearly a thousand members of our international family are inside, captives of the federal government. On June 30, another thousand were outside chanting “let them go!”
We had marched, with some 70,000 others, from City Hall. We were young and old, a diverse crowd (ethnically and politically) that included many families. Many, including most of our ICWP comrades, had left earlier—hot, thirsty, and worn out by too many speeches. In three hours, we had distributed every copy of Red Flag we had with us—over 600 — and thousands had seen our signs.
I followed a group up to a plaza behind the main building. Many had signs: “No Such Thing as Other People’s Children.” “No Human is Illegal.” At least there was some shade. We looked up at the tiers of “rooms” – the authorities don’t like to call them cells. We started chanting.
Our family inside heard us. A few shone lights out their windows. We chanted louder: “You are not alone!” in English and Spanish. Then loud rhythmic banging noises came from inside. When they stopped, we who were outside began clapping the same rhythm. Chanting, singing, banging, clapping, shining created a powerful demonstration of solidarity that lasted close to an hour.
If a few more comrades had been there, we could have led communist chants. If the march organizers hadn’t dragged out the rally, there could have been tens of thousands surrounding the federal prison. Clearly those organizers – working hand in glove with the Democratic Party – had no intention of letting that happen.
One day our Red Army will mobilize masses to tear these prisons down.
