AN AMAZING DAY: NOVEMBER 25, 2014: TWO WORLDS, ONE ENEMY The night there was a welcoming home for longtime imprisoned revolutionary Sekou Odinga, there were also thousands of people in the downtown streets of New York City, indeed in over 170 cities across the US, filled with anguish and rage over the killing of yet another young Black brother and the killer cop not even indicted. I rushed back and forth between the welcome tribute for this beloved brother who had just been released from prison after 33 years of incarceration, to Union Square and Times Square. I split myself in half as I could not bear to miss either of these historic events and was totally inspired and moved by both. UPTOWN I came to the National Black Theatre where the reception for Brother Sekou was taking place, early, as I knew I would have to leave early to meet my comrades at Union Square. I immediately found myself in the presence of amazing veterans of the 60’s and 70’s. These were comrades who fought for decades for the freedom of our incarcerated heroes. The first veteran activist I ran into was my long time comrade and co-chair of the Free Mumia Coalition, Sundiata Sadiq, who was talking with Shaka Shakur, someone I’ve also known as a street activist since the late 90’s. I soon saw Asha Bandele, and Moniffa and Lumumba Bandele of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, who were young activists when I first met them around 1995 and who have not stopped working to this day. Before long, still in the hallway, I saw former political prisoner and independentista Francisco “Cisco” Torres, former political prisoner Tarik Haskins, former political prisoner Susan Rosenberg, and Sister Yasmeen Sutton, 24 /7 supporter of our incarcerated brothers and sisters. Then Sally O’Brien, who for years, 20 or more, has given voice to every political prisoner she could, and continues to open up every single radio show she does with a message from Mumia. I was particularly happy to run into Safiyah Bandele, whom I had worked with when she was working with the Black United Front and I, with CISPES, more than 30 years ago, and whom I had not seen in a long time. And just as I was about to leave to meet my Mumia Coalition comrades at Union Square, I saw my good friend, long time political prisoner activist, independentista, and wearer of many other hats, Esperanza Martell. I understand that after I left, and before I returned at the end of the event, there were other veterans of this work, whom I missed: Lynne Stewart and Ralph Pointer, Soffiyah Elijah longtime attorney for many of the political prisoners, who also played a critical role in Sekou’s legal battle, former political prisoner and political prisoner activist on many fronts, Laura Whitehorn, and tireless Anne Lamb of Jericho. I caught a quick glimpse of Pam Hanna as I returned to the National Black Theater. I’m sure I missed many other veterans of the struggle. But you get the picture: there was a sense of history in the room not only because of the release of Sekou but because of everyone who was there. DOWNTOWN When I got to Union Square the crowd was beginning to gather. Henry Hagins and Alma Pendleton of the Mumia Coalition and I unfurled our banner and to our surprise were immediately deluged with dozens of marchers and observers taking pictures of the “Free Mumia and All Political Prisoners” banner with the huge and beautiful picture of Mumia on it. I’ve marched with that banner more times than I can count, but never before had I been so overwhelmed by the number of people who somehow wanted to include Mumia in this rally. And rightfully so. Mumia has been speaking out on Ferguson from back when Michael Brown was murdered to this day when the marches and protests are still continuing. Soon we were marching, heading North toward Times Square, surrounded by hundreds, later thousands of mostly young marchers of all colors, chanting “Whose Streets? Our Streets” with tremendous conviction, “No justice, no peace , stop the racist police” and many other familiar and some new slogans. The clip was fast. We were marching uptown but apparently other groups were marching in many different directions, toward the FDR Drive, the Holland Tunnel, and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. At Union Square I had run into older comrades, but as we started to march we were clearly surrounded by young folks. One young Black sister commented warmly, as I started a chant, “Auntie, you look like you’ve been around a while and have seen a lot of this before” Later, when I learned about what the demonstrators had been able to accomplish that night, I was in awe: blocking main thoroughfares and entrances to bridges and tunnels, shutting down the FDR Drive and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Outrage over the no indictment ruling on the cop who killed Mike Brown, the police terror in Ferguson since the killing of Mike Brown with the invasion of the militarized police/army, not to mention police killings in New York, Cincinnati, Chicago and elsewhere, has boiled over. On the 25th, the night after the no indictment was announced, there were protests in over 170 US cities, more cities than rose up after the assassination of Dr. King in 1968.. . AmeriKKKa is under attack, not from the terrorists it tries to convince us to fear, but from its own youth. It has already lasted in Ferguson 100 days straight, despite the police terror and the government calling for “law and order” for the protestors, and for lawlessness for the police, prosecutors, and other governmental forces. . When we ended our marching at Times Square, having lost those ahead of us, I went back uptown to the National Black Theatre to be sure to pay a special personal tribute to Brother Sekou. By the time I got there, a lot of people had left. Pam Africa introduced me to Sekou, who stood up and hugged me warmly. He was sitting beside his wife, Dequi, both of them looking very happy though tired. It was on New Year’s Day of 2014 that many of us were at La Guardia Airport to joyously greet Lynne Stewart upon her release from prison. Dequi was among us, greeting Lynne with tears streaming down her face. It is less than a year later and here she is, smiling beside her husband whom we could not have guessed would be released by the end of 2014. I was thrilled to be in this setting again, having left for a few hours. My evening was complete. I had experienced two worlds, both opposed unequivocally to the horror of the US dominant reality, not exactly working together but surely in the same direction. . The median age at the National Black Theatre was probably about 60, that at Union Square and in the streets probably about 30. The crowds looked so different, and yet I definitely had the sense that both worlds were powerful expressions of opposition to everything this country has stood for with its wars, imperialist domination, unbearable racism, and escalating economic exploitation. We all need to learn from both groups and support them in every way possible. Many who have supported the political prisoners for years still often wonder about how they continue to do it: how they took that leap back in the 60’s and 70’s, the strategies they developed, what worked, what didn’t, how the State decimated that movement, how those who miraculously escaped targeted assassinations continue to survive after thirty or forty years in the belly of the beast as the State remains relentless in its vicious attempt to destroy them. The point has always been, starting with the famed J. Edgar Hoover war on the Black Liberation Movement, to discourage young people from ever being tempted to follow in the footsteps of these freedom fighters. While the State did succeed in destroying the militant movement of the 60’s and 70’s, these freedom fighters continue to inspire hundreds if not thousands of activists by their example of principle and their courage. Living under the punitive conditions they are subjected to, these fighters have to be so committed in their beliefs, so strong psychologically, and so connected to their supporters, be they relatives or comrades, to be able to survive the conditions they have to endure to this day: beatings, isolation, denial of medical care, low quality nutrition, frequent blocking of communication with their lawyers and supporters, attempts at humiliation, and denial of parole even when they meet well defined criteria for parole. How have they been able to hold on to the values that motivated them to take those huge risks in the first place, how have they avoided becoming too bitter, how have they survived as thinking revolutionaries developing and arguing strategy … how have they, how have they? These are some of the questions many, young and old, continue to have and it is important to study that history. And what about strategy? How would they assess their attempts at building revolution through the Black Panther Party, the Black Liberation Army, or whatever other structures they belonged to? What about Cointelpro or current counterintelligence strategies? How do we fight them? Yes, we want to learn all that. Many of the political prisoners have written a great deal about their history and have given their views on many of these questions. They share what they can, when they can whether in prison or out. In the meantime, inspired by the release of Sekou, not too long ago Marshall Eddie Conway and Lynne Stewart, and those further back such as Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Geronimo Pratt, the Puerto Rican political prisoners, the white North American anti-imperialists, and even further back the 5 Puerto Rican nationalists, our job is to fight for the release of our political prisoners and to support them while they are there still in prison and when they come out.. Just to name some who remain behind the prison walls: Herman Bell, Jalil Muntaquim, Seth Hayes, David Gilbert, and Abdul Majid in New York; Mumia, the MOVE prisoners, Russell Maroon Shoats, and the legendary formerly H. Rap Brown, now Imam Jamil Al-Amin, in Pennsylvania; as well as Sundiata Acoli, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Ruchell Magee, Leonard Peltier, Oscar Lopez Rivera, Norberto Gonzales, and others that some of us may not know as well. Recent signs are encouraging. : And surely all of us want to know and support the young activists across this country who have risen up in the aftermath of Ferguson and seized the stage of resistance. How have they gained such momentum and sustained it? How have they built unity and solidarity? How have they maintained their courageous stand? How are they confronting infiltrators and other destabilization strategies? Most of all, what must we do and how can we help organizations such as Hands Up United, Don’t Shoot Coalition, Black Lives Matter, or Urban Friends of Mike Brown, just to mention some of these recently formed groups. Hopefully the necessary structures and leadership will continue to develop to consolidate a much needed movement. These are just some of the questions that come to mind at such an exciting moment. On November 25th this convergence of events was more than encouraging. It was inspiring and awesome, proof of our collective power, the people’s power, and proof that nothing is impossible. The struggle continues. Suzanne Ross suzannewross@aol Suzanne is a longtime anti-imperialist/anti-racist activist, has worked on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal and other political prisoners for more than 20 years, chaired the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition from 2000 to recently, and has represented both the Coalition and International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal internationally. She is a clinical psychologist by profession, and spent many decades working as an educator in the NYC schools, from CUNY to the city high schools.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 02:31:36 +0000