From the moment that the first Africans were brought over to the "land of the free" in chains, this country's institutions, policy makers, law enforcers, and average whites have been saying to its black inhabitants: "Fuck you." For blacks, July 4th is "fuck independence for black people" day.
With this "fuck black people day" in mind, it's only natural that from time to time individuals and groups blast out in resistance. The police are the front-line enforcers of American laws, from the slave patrols of the nineteenth century to the apartheid "no cruising" laws around Lake Merritt. Due to the capitalist structure of this society, day-to-day contact between black people and the police sets up a volatile situation.
Within this framework, the Young Comrades are attempting to clarify the class, race, and gender oppression we face under capitalism, and the specific role of the police. One recent example was the June 23 "Fuck the Police Day" at Lake Merritt. The Young Comrades, also known as the Revolutionary Comrades Collective, called this event to stop police harassment at the lake and fight the unjust "no cruising" law.
Due to the nature of the event, receiving a permit to have amplification was out. A plan was devised to set up micro-radio technology at the Allright Parking Lot, across the street from Lake Merritt. As the Comrades began setting up the radio, a cop came and said that the Comrades couldn't set the station up without a special permit. When asked to provide the penal code, the cop slumped off to his car, whining that he was going to call the lot owner and have the Comrades kicked off the lot.
With the microphone set up on the sidewalk and another truck with a barbecue in its bed, the festival was beginning to rock in motion. The people at the lake dialed their radios to 87.9 FM and heard political and social positions put out by the Comrades. Interviews were conducted with community members who expressed their views and experiences with the cops. Nine-year-old rapper Nubee performed a rap on political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
The police were left sitting around as people told the truth about them. Out of frustration, the cops claimed that a brother had ventured out into the street while holding a sign. As folks at the festival began to challenge the handcuffing of the brother, the cops let him go with a ticket.
As the hours wore on, the police began stormtrooping through the crowd in search, they claimed, of anyone with an open container, or anyone they could "smell marijuana on." A "Pig Alert" went out over the radio explaining that the cops were frustrated at this peaceful and educational event and wanted to provoke violence by harassing the crowd.
A mounted cop began stirring up his horse in front of little kids and people lying on the grass. Quite naturally this life-threatening action upset the crowd, and someone threw a bottle. Upset at this action, but not at the possibility of a horse stomping a little kid to death, the police began charging their horses through the crowd. The Comrades and others were able to calm the crowd and not let the cops turn the event into mayhem.
Mayhem was obviously their objective. This was verified by the police sending life-threatening phone messages to the Comrades. Verified by the intentional knocking out of a young brother who argued that he had the right to say "Fuck the police." And verified by the historical role the police play in capitalist society. This is something that the Young Comrades hope to play a role -- a revolutionary role -- in changing.