Dis-Respecting the U.S. Rag—
And Putting the System on Trial
Updated October 31, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
In front of the Cleveland courthouse, September 29. Photo: Special to revcom.us
RNC 16 Put the Pigs on Trial
People's Tribunal Finds the System GUILTY!
Judge:
As one of the RNC 16, and in the interest of emancipating all humanity, I now call this People's Tribunal to order. Please come forward to make your opening remarks.
Opening Statement:
I'm a member of the Revolution Club and one of the 16 people facing criminal charges.
We’re standing here outside the criminal INjustice center in Cleveland, a meat grinder that grinds up the lives of masses of oppressed people every day. What we are doing here is a People’s Tribunal to indict agents, known and unknown, who were involved in suppression of righteous protest against the hideous Republican National Convention. This past July, Donald Chump came to Cleveland with the fascist message of “Make America Great,” of law and order, white supremacy, “build the wall” scapegoating of immigrants, disgusting misogyny, and naked “USA #1” chauvinism.
But this did NOT go down without a fight. On July 20, the Revolution Club went right up to the gates of their RNC Nazi rally, linked arms in a circle, and then Gregory “Joey” Johnson stood in the middle of the circle and announced, “America Number 1? America first? It always has been first: at genocide... at slavery... at exploitation... of destruction of the environment... of torture... of coup d’etats... of invasions. We’re standing here with the people of the world today.” Then Joey lit that bloody red, white, and blue rag on fire. This bold action, and the message behind it, was picked up by national and international media and broadcast to the world: There is a force right here in the belly of the beast, the Revolutionary Communist Party, the Revolution Club, and our leader Bob Avakian, with a whole different message: America Was NEVER Great! We Need to OVERTHROW the system!
At a time of deepening divisions and cracks in their system, of growing eruptions of struggle against the ongoing epidemic of police murder, this was NOT what the ruling class wanted to see interrupting the “legitimacy” of their election charade. Despite the fact that burning the U.S. flag is constitutionally protected political speech thanks to the Supreme Court decision Texas v. Johnson, and despite the fact that the same Gregory “Joey” Johnson that decision is named for is the one who also burned the flag this time, that did not stop the pigs from breaking their own laws to brutally assault and arrest Joey and 15 other members of the Revolution Club! Even before he lit the flag on fire, the pigs were attacking the Revolution Club’s protective circle to try to prevent the flag from burning and silence our message, which they failed to do.
Today, we are going to put them on trial, We will indict the various pigs and pig agencies responsible for this illegal attack. They have been subpoenaed and have arrived at the court in their full pig regalia... Homeland Security/Secret Service pig, FBI pig, Cleveland police chief pig Calvin Williams, Alex Jones Infowars pig, Cleveland prosecutor pig Timothy McGinty, and others. They are in the pig pen and they will be called up to testify one by one. We will prosecute them, present evidence and they will testify in their own words. If all they can do is oink, a pig Latin translator will be provided. Joey Johnson will give the closing arguments. The jury will listen to all the evidence and then give their verdict!
Read entire transcript of Peoples Tribunal
The indictment, September 29, Cleveland. Photo: Special to revcom.us
Joey Johnson, The Revolution Club and others of the RNC 16, September 29, Cleveland. Photo: Special to revcom.us
Joey Johnson Interviewed on Al Porter Hip Hop Workshop
LISTEN NOW
Joey Johnson and the RNC 16 Put the System on Trial in Cleveland
This past July, Donald Chump came to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland with his fascist message of law and order, white supremacy, “build the wall” scapegoating of immigrants, disgusting misogyny, and naked “USA #1” chauvinism. He said he would “make America great again.” But this did NOT go down without a fight. On July 20, the Revolution Club went right up to the gates of their RNC Nazi rally, linked arms in a circle, and then Joey Johnson stood in the middle and announced, “America Number 1? America first? It always has been first: at genocide... at slavery... at exploitation... of destruction of the environment... of torture... of coup d’états... of invasions. We’re standing here with the people of the world today.” Then he lit that bloody red, white, and blue rag on fire.
What You Can Do
Funds are needed to defray the costs of the defense, and to make speakers available on this case. To donate, go to: https://www.crowdrise.com/revolution-club-at-the-conventions
To contact the RNC 16 and to request Joey Johnson or one of the other RNC 16 to speak at your school, email:revclubmedia@gmail.com
Demand that prosecutor Timothy McGinty drop the charges on Gregory "Joey" Johnson and the RNC 16. Phone: 216-443-7800. Twitter: @Pros_TimMcGinty
Sign the online petition– We demand: Drop the Charges on Gregory "Joey" Johnson and RNC16 Now!
Pigs on trial. Photo: Special to revcom.us
After the verdict at the People's Tribunal in Cleveland, September 29. Photo: Special to revcom.us
If you can conceive of a world without America—without everything America stands for and everything it does in the world—then you've already taken great strides and begun to get at least a glimpse of a whole new world. If you can envision a world without any imperialism, exploitation, oppression—and the whole philosophy that rationalizes it—a world without division into classes or even different nations, and all the narrow-minded, selfish, outmoded ideas that uphold this; if you can envision all this, then you have the basis for proletarian internationalism. And once you have raised your sights to all this, how could you not feel compelled to take an active part in the world historic struggle to realize it; why would you want to lower your sights to anything less?
Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:31
As more athletes—professional and high school—sit, kneel, and lie down for the national anthem, visit regularly:
Sit Down for Their Nasty-full Anthem! A Teachable Moment in the USA
Top 10 Reasons to Sit Down for the Nasty‑full Anthem—#sitdownfortherag
- Because the United States was founded on slavery, Black people still have no rights this white supremacist system is bound to respect, and there is an epidemic of unpunished murder by police.
- Because the U.S.A. was built on and continues to carry out genocide of the native peoples.
- Because America was created by stealing half of Mexico’s land in a war of conquest, rape and plunder in 1846-48.
- Because in America a woman is raped every 2 minutes and a woman is battered every 9 seconds—violence fueled by a culture of porn and patriarchy.
- Because the U.S. massacred over 200,000 innocent civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, with nuclear bombs and is the only country that’s ever used them.
- Because the U.S. murdered 3 million people during the Vietnam War and has killed over 1.3 million in the Middle East since 9/11.
- Because America imprisons 2 million people, mostly Black and Latino—more than any country on earth.
- Because the U.S. terrorizes and demonizes immigrants, deporting 1.7 million in the last 5 years alone.
- Because America’s wealth comes from exploiting and enslaving millions of people here and around the world, including children, from Mexico to China to Congo to Bangladesh.
- Because America has done more to destroy the planet’s environment than any other country on earth—the U.S. military is the single greatest institutional polluter in the world.
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