From Revolution Club, Chicago:

Music, Dancing, and Revolution at Fundraiser for #FreeMaya

February 11, 2019 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

On Friday, February 8, a #FreeMaya fundraising party on the North Side of Chicago brought together fantastic musicians and a diverse grouping of about 50 people for a night that was a lot of fun and raised over $2,500 (and an additional $1,000 was donated online the next day). The night opened with Mariachi Tradiciόn Juvenil, an ensemble of youth musicians, playing traditional Mexican music, followed by a performance from world-class Chicago blues musicians led by award-winning songwriter and harmonica player Matthew Skoller. The music lit up the night as people took to the dance floor to the sounds of Mexican music and blues.

Maya is facing trial and the possibility of seven years in prison as part of a national trend of political arrests of Revolution Club members and Refuse Fascism activists. She was arrested for doing a silent protest for immigrants at the University of Chicago (more details below). Her outrageous case has begun to inspire people from different political perspectives to step forward to support her and fight to get this case known widely and raise and donate money for the legal and political battle. The fundraising party was a real expression of that, hosted by Refuse Fascism and Revolution Club, Chicago with different kinds of people really throwing in to make it happen. It was held at the Centro Autόnomo (Autonomous Center) of Albany Park which gladly opened up their space to contribute to fighting this case, and two representatives of the center spoke at the party. The musicians donated their art and their time, and some really threw in a lot of effort to help it all come together. A number of people worked with the #FreeMaya Defense Committee to do outreach and get donations from local restaurants, bakery shops, and incredible gifts to raffle such as drum and singing lessons and other art.

Speakers from the Revolution Club challenged people with the need for revolution, not reform, and being part of meeting the needs of making revolution. One speaker called out the craven “USA, USA” chants of the “hip new Democrats” at the State of the Union and challenged people with the reality that this system has no solution to what is being done to immigrants other than to continue it, but the revolution does and people need to get with this revolution. Another Revolution Club member gave a fund pitch that put in front of all the great need for people to financially support the revolution and fighting the cases that stem from going up against this system so that we can break through and take this fight all the way to getting rid of this system.

To donate to Maya’s legal defense go here.

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Maya is a member of the Revolution Club who is being politically prosecuted for daring to be part of working for revolution and leading others to do so. She is facing trial and the possibility of seven years in prison for a silent protest for immigrants at the University of Chicago last March: 11 minutes of silence for the 11 million undocumented immigrants under attack by the fascist Trump/Pence regime. This protest was in conjunction with similar actions nationwide called for by RefuseFascism.org which was sounding the alarm about what this regime was doing to immigrants well before things like separating families and caging children even came to light. The protest was inside the public dining hall and was a challenge to the students, many of whom did in fact join in the 11 minutes of silence on the spot. University of Chicago police have a history of targeting the Revolution Club—as does the Chicago Police Department with which they work closely - and came down hard on this protest that wasn’t breaking any laws or even campus rules. They violently removed Maya from the building and then charged her with a bogus charge of battery on a police officer. At her first court appearance the real reasons she is facing trial were made clear by the prosecutor who laid out Maya’s political affiliations to argue against releasing her without bond.

Maya, a member of the Revolution Club, is being politically prosecuted for daring to be part of working for revolution and leading others to do so.