Revolution #274, July 8, 2012
People Speak on BAsics 1:13
All across the country, people have been going out to neighborhoods, schools, cultural events and elsewhere with the BAsics 1:13 quote from Bob Avakian: “No more generations of our youth, here and all around the world, whose life is over, whose fate has been sealed, who have been condemned to an early death or a life of misery and brutality, whom the system has destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born. I say no more of that.” The following are a few of the responses from the people.
"We need to help youth all over the world, not just Blacks. This system is destroying their lives. If we can stop the system in doing that, we can do the 'no more.' I'm not sure how you can destroy the system. I'm open to finding out ways to do that."
—15-year-old high school student in a park
"I want to talk more about the quote...that's where this music is coming from!"
—jazz musician
"It's sad—youth are facing dangers everyday, being killed by wars and police. I say no more to that, too."
—10-year-old Black girl playing in a park
"When I saw the picture of the Haitian girl (in the newspaper's centerfold), I got the sense that people are struggling to get a drink of water. It's legalized slavery—people are paid so little for whatever kind of work they can find. The word 'condemned' in the quote is the right word. That means people have been destined for destruction. You have no say under this system. We have to unite and come together. We need to start a new revolution."
—a Black woman in her 20s
"We need to fight for justice and equality, and we need to get to the younger generation so they'll be able to see the problem and fight. That's how we'll get to the 'no more.'"
—a Black woman in her 40s
"When the baby was in my womb, I had doubts that she could make it 'cause once she grows up she would be killed by police or the drive-bys. What a terrible world my baby was born into! We need to stop that."
—a young mother with an infant
"I believe 'no more generations of our youth…' means no more police killing, here and everywhere in the world. This system is designed for the police to get way with everything they do to the people, look at the murder of Oscar Grant. People all over the world are facing police murder, police brutality, misery, homelessness, being in jail, living in fears. 'No more' means all this has to stop—we need to make revolution all over the world."
—a young Black woman with four kids
"I'm an immigrant from Mexico. For our young people, their life means violence and death if they stay in the country or if they cross the border. Even if they make it and come to here, on the streets there are violence and death, too. It's our labor that helps keep the economy going but they still come after us and they break up our families. If you are a worker or if you are poor, this is what you'd get in this country or other countries. To me, 'no more' means you try to negotiate with the government to try to change things. If things don't change, then you need a revolution…"
—a middle-aged Mexican woman with two kids responding in Spanish
"This system is based on a racist power structure. It's true that youth are condemned before they are even born—that's set up. They are already racially profiled. I've heard that they use school tests of third graders and then they plan how many jail cells to build. And it's not just here, it's all over the world—their military is invading countries all over the world and they have no sympathy for little children they kill. How about the bombing of Hiroshima? I remember seeing a photo where a little kid stuck under a rock was crying, 'help me, help me' and the mother was crying too because she couldn't help the kid. This is very upsetting and brings me sadness. It's only greed and money profit that drives this system. I think people need to hear Bob Avakian, what he says about revolution and communism. Like the prisoner (in a letter to Revolution newspaper) said, BA can break things down and use a language people can understand. He speaks in a way even people like me can understand. I have been reading BAsics."
—an 18-year-old Black man
"I agree totally with the quote. Things are so bad that we're getting to the point that nothing but revolution is the way to go. We need a huge change to make things equal."
—a 56-year-old man bringing grandsons to the park
"Police in our 'hoods bullying people is racial profiling. That's bullshit. We need to unite to fight for a law against racial profiling. We need to stand up and fight—nothing we've got was without people fighting."
—an old Black man sitting in front of a grocery store
"This country is going to hell. They don't give a damn to nothing. Obama is a puppet. Things are getting to the point that even people don't give a damn about each other. We need to change that, we need to unite. I myself don't give a damn for this system, I hate it. But I don't know how to fight it and win."
—a Black Vietnam vet who was injured in that war and is now homeless
"The quote is a strong statement. Lots of people are living a life of misery and early death. We need to stop all that."
—a middle-aged guy trying to repair his car
"It sounds like genocide. A pre-determined plan of poverty and brutality! Those whom the system has destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born—that is heavy. No more! We need to take action."
—a 40-year-old homeless man
"Kids feel like they are in prison. Kids have nothing to do in their lives. Kids in other countries are facing hunger. We say no more!"
—a 6th grade boy
"I feel that we should change the world to make it a better place so that people will feel more safe in their environments."
—a 10th grade girl who is the sister of the boy
"I agree with that quote. No more of this shit. We need to all stand together and say it loud, 'no more'. We need to organize ourselves. We do need a revolution in the final analysis to stop all this shit."
—a Black man in his early 30's shopping at a mall
"Heck of messed-up of how the system treats people in other countries. Messed up here too. I'm open to find out how to make revolution to change all this."
—a 14 years old high school freshman
"I fully agree with the quote. I've been in this city for 30 years. I've seen lots of my friends died at the hands of police. I don't know what good revolution would do for the people. If revolution can solve problems like homelessness, no jobs and police brutality, I'm all for it!"
—a Black woman in her 30's with one kid
"This quote is very deep. 'No more' would take a revolution. To actually carry the revolution through we do need a leader like this (BA). And we need to protect this leader. Otherwise, the system will put fear into people and keep them from rising up."
—Black man in his 40's leaving a store
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