Drop All The Charges

Two Revolution Club Members Arrested at Good Friday Peace March

April 15, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

The Catholic Church’s Cardinal Cupich organized a Good Friday procession through Englewood on Chicago’s south side to pray for an end to the violence among the people.

At the end of the procession, two women from the Revolution Club, Chicago were arrested while Chicago police menaced other members. We demand to know why they were arrested. Did the Catholic Church or sponsors urge the authorities to drag away the revolutionaries on Good Friday? If not, then where is the outrage and the demand that the charges be dropped immediately?

We challenge anyone to tell us what is wrong with what is said in the quote from Bob Avakian (BA) that we carried? Or our other signs challenging people?

Oppressed people who are unable or unwilling, to confront reality as it actually is, are condemned to remain enslaved and oppressed. (BA, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party-RCP)

If praying could stop our youth from killing each other, it would have stopped a long time ago. If you are going to pray—pray for people to get into the revolution—and then support them when they do!

Get out of this insanity of killing each other. Get into the Revolution!

Authorities Say: Praying—OK, Revolution—NO!

In making these highly visible arrests on Good Friday, the state was enforcing the message that you can pray for an end to the violence among the people but you can not call for an end to the system that creates the conditions and the values that is responsible and gives rise to youth killing each other by denying them any future. What does this tell you?

These arrests were BS and an outrage. Here is how it went down. Before the start of the Good Friday procession, the revolutionaries marched up to a gathering of a couple of hundred people, holding up their signs and banners for all to see and passing out flyers through the crowd with the message: “From the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Communist Party to ALL People: What The Trump/Pence Regime Will Mean For Black People—and What Must Be Done About It, NOW!” and a message from the Revolution Club: “To the Youth Who Are Caught Up in the Violence—You Are NOT ‘Too Far Gone,’ But You Need to Get into This Revolution or You Will Be.” People came over to talk and to find out who these revolutionaries were and one came to help hold the signs. Some other people stood in front of them and prayed as if their message was evil. Police gave them a citation for using amplified sound (even though the Revolution Club members were careful to not be disruptive of the event) but told them that they were welcome to be part of the procession if they didn’t use the sound.

As the procession was ending, the Revolution Club marched up to meet it (without a sound system), and the police immediately vamped on them. The police said that they could not be in the street, even as hundreds filled the blocked off street. One Revolution Club member was grabbed and arrested while others were backed onto the sidewalk. Some people began to chant, “Let her go,” and police grabbed and arrested another club member. Other club members were followed and menaced by police as they tried to leave the area. A priest and a videographer trailed along to protect them. The fact that this was being filmed made the police back off. The two Revolution Club members arrested were held for hours while the police went back and forth about what to charge them with since they had no cause to arrest them in the first place.

Everyone who wants to see our youth get into radically changing the world and becoming emancipators of humanity in the process needs to condemn these arrests and demand that the charges be dropped immediately. Call Edward Siskel, Corporation Counsel at the City of Chicago Law Department 312-744-0220 and tell him to drop the charges.

Come Learn about the Revolution Club

Come to the Revolution Club office in South Shore at 1857 E. 71^st Street on Thursday, April 20 at 7pm to meet the Revolution Club and to find out why they were arrested and what the Revolution Club is really all about.

A lot of people ask us if everyone in the Revolution Club doesn’t believe in god. The answer is that people who have religious beliefs can join the Revolution Club as long as they uphold Point #5 of the Club’s Six Points of Attention: “We search for and fight for the truth no matter how unpopular, even as we listen to and learn from the observations, insights and criticisms of others.” The Revolution Club is led by the RCP, which is thoroughly scientific and does not believe in any kind of gods or supernatural beings. The Club and the Party work with many religious people and clergy on the basis of the following principle:

While many people will do positive things in opposing the crimes of this system, we need to approach everything—evaluate every political program and every organized force in society, every kind of culture, values and ways of treating people—according to how it relates to the revolution we need, to end all oppression. We should unite with people whenever we can, and struggle with them whenever we need to, to advance the revolution.

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, May 6th–Come to a Showing of REVOLUTION AND RELIGION: The Fight For Emancipation and The Role of Religion, A Dialogue Between CORNEL WEST & BOB AVAKIAN

The Revolution Club Office in South Shore is located at: 1857 E. 71^st Street

Its Hours are: 3pm-7pm Every Day but Monday

Contact Information: 312-804-9121, RevClub.chi@gmail.com

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