On The L.A Protests
Making sense of the insanity.
Most of the world has seen footage of the City of Angels, now a warzone, and looked on in horror. The “shining city on a hill” that America once claimed to be is now entering its newest form—a violent, militarized police state, whose citizens are fearful of each other and of what they say in public. Fear is one of many tools in the capitalists’ toolbox, and they are spreading it all across our country in a desperate attempt to cling on to power. Fear erodes compassion, trust, and empathy for others, allowing the workers to be turned against each other and repelling any chance we might have at uniting. What if your co-worker is undocumented, and you’re fearful of an ICE raid? Do you turn your co-worker in in the hope that the ICE agents don’t abuse you, too? Or imagine you’re an undocumented worker with an immigration court hearing. You’ve surely seen the countless headlines of ICE agents kidnapping people right in the courtroom after their hearing. This will likely make many people second-guess even going to their hearing, but that will only make matters worse for them, having now missed a court date. This is what an environment of fear does in society; it sows chaos and suffering.
Failed federal government lackey, Elon Musk, said “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy,” a quote Ayn Rand herself could’ve written. I write often about these values because, as Communists, we mustn’t let ourselves lose sight of the more intangible things that make us human. Compassion, empathy, and love for one another matters so much, and we are currently witnessing what becomes of a society when these core values are eroded. A regular sight to see now is ghouls kidnapping children, high schoolers, the homeless and disabled. This is not normal!
Los Angeles has seen a wave of protests led by some of the bravest individuals in our country. These workers are risking everything to protect their community from the ICE goon squads, high on a violent spree, inflicting fear and torment into the hearts of some of our most vulnerable people. Trump, never one to let a bad situation go to waste, has taken over California’s National Guard and has even mobilized our nation’s Navy against its own people. The idea of the military being used against its own citizens is often lost on many. The history of capitalist power in the US is filled with such instances and Trump is only another example in that dark reality. So, to any military member who may be reading this—which side are you on?
To the protesters putting their lives on the line to defend those who are defenseless—we support you. Regardless of our skin color, the language we speak, the nations we hail from, or the gods we pray to, we are the working class. History has yet to prove us wrong. The only way we can ever hope to win against the rising tide of the far-right is by uniting together in a clenched fist, ready to strike back against its source—capitalism.
Remember, we have nothing to lose and everything to win!