File spoon-archives/marxism-general.archive/marxism-general_1997/97-03-01.001, message 8


Date: 23 Feb 97 02:47:58 EST
From: neil <74742.1651-AT-CompuServe.COM>
Subject: M-G: Anti-CIA/cocaine  march & rally


dear friends,

Saturday, there was a spirited picket line march 
and rally at the LA Times building then an 
assemblage at LA City Hall across the street
followed by a lively legal  march to the 
Ronald Reagan State bldg. then march
went north 4 blocks back  to the Federal
Bldg. downtown.

In all the anti/CIA/cocaine mass event 
drew about 750 protestors.
The  protestors denounced the CIA/contra
drug connection which flooded the mainly
latino and black working class area of So. Central LA 
with wholesaled crack cocaine beginning
around 1982.
The CIA/contras funneled this thru local
drug dealers like "Freeway Ricky Ross"
and also spreading out the "action' to include
street gangs like some of the "Bloods"
and the "Crips" groups.. 
The drug businesses are one of the main
 material basis for the bloody gang turf wars
that have plagued LA and other cities 
since the early 80s.
The other causes are the loss of most the
industrial infrastructure and stable 
industry jobs that left when corporations
like GM, Bethlehem Steel, Firestone,
Goodrich.etc pulled up stakes from 1978-83
and packed off their capital in search of cheaper 
labour and supplies, materials ...higher profits..
Also continuing  Federal and State social services  slashes,
 health, education and welfare "reforms" (cuts
and layoffs mainly) ordered by big business and 
carried thru by the Demopublicans have really 
started to get close to the bone marrow now--
and the cuts are not over.
Also the ubiquitous racist hiring and firing practices
by a great majority of Corporations has also had 
a demoralizing effect on those they  cheat and
rob heavily in poor workers communites of color..

Protestors at the LA march and rally came
>from over 50 organizations at least. 
The protest targetted the LA Times 
because of the slick  cover up  series 
of articles the bourgeois paper printed
in November '96 whitewashing the CIA
and the rest of the US government agencies.
All this in spite of the piles of evidence 
exposed  by the Series of articles in 
the San Jose Mercury  News last August
and other credible  research. Even a couple
ex-cops are fessing-up to their foul deeds
in protecting the CIA/contra  drug sales outfits.

Protestors are also angered and upset
by the continued stonewalling of the 
"investigation" of the CIA/cocaine  by Clinton's
so called  Justice Dept. and Congress.
Many protestors  felt this was  a sham from the
get-go. Kind of akin to asking  a group of 
Corporate exploiters  to investigate  whether 
capital exploits and robs  waged workers!.

The chantings at the march were lively and militant
 in many contingents and  they also pointed to  other
 numerous crimes of the CIA since its inception.


A minority however felt the CIA was now an anachronism
since the "Cold War' is over and sowed illusions in 
various liberals who only  want to lick the blood off the US  flag
and "Reform the CIA". A real bankrupt form of politics,
typical of liberalism and  opportunists, who fear 
any kind of mass movement of struggle they 
can't dominate and bogart.


This also  shows  new activists  inexperience and political 
confusions. Marxists here need to sharpen up our 
critique of imperialism and explain that huge   CIA type 
secret services are used by all imperialist powers
with the US the top robber at present, hence 
the use of huge police -intelligence  forces to 
keep  workers militancy and organizaing at bay and 
attack  rival capitalist  powers..
To really oppose the CIA, etc, you have to oppose
capitalism and imperialism

Many activists thought  correctly that  Social Control was the
main reason for the CIAs crack cociane operations in the US
 --as well as raising money for supporting  the Nicaraguan  contra
war (possibly 200 million dollars over 7 years from LA alone.)

We can see how "successful" the US government 
has been when we see how they viciously  mopped up the
Black Panthers and Young Lords miltance and organizing
against racism and class oppression in the  late 60s-early 70s,
including their positive work to rid communites of 
drug dealers and other hoodlums, including racist cops
and organizing political  groups to fight for steady  jobs and
 expanded  human services..

Sadly today this kind of politicization for struggle  has given way to
the gangs like the "Crips" and the" Bloods" who in spite of
 posturing  end up reliant on the State, Crack  Cocaine ,and 
contra middlemen and "turf" wars for drug markets  in which thousands 
 of innocents in LA and other  US cities get caught in gang crossfire
 & have become stats for the morgues to count.

A new movement from below , from working class 
forces needs to be built , onebased on socialist 
concepts of workers of all colors fighting the 
bourgeois exploiters  , their rancid parties ,
their $300 billion/yr.  drug industry used to bolster 
bankers/Corps.  profits and keep ruling class  social control in
the metro cities of the USA. 


The marxist  LA Workers' Voice distributed  about
600 leaflets to protestors and passers by denouncing
the congressional/CIA cover-ups and calling for new
 worker organizing from below  to fight Welfare/SSI cuts.

About a dozen other leftist outfits were also hawking
their papers and leaflets and others had lit. tables
in the park at City Hall.
There seemed to be much open mindedness amongst
most participats in the mass action.
 






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