Revolution Club Corner

May 18, 2020 | revcom.us

 

Note to readers: Starting this week on revcom.us, we are beginning a regular feature on the website, a Revolution Club Corner, where we share letters, correspondence, and reflections from members of the Revolution Clubs on different questions, experiences, events, or discussions. These are being shared with the aim to open up the scientific percolation, to invite and involve people who come to revcom.us in a process of working together to grapple with, and contribute to solving, the problems of the revolution. These are not intended to be “full or final” on any subject but instead to further stimulate thought, and some things may be shared that reflect different “takes” or assessments on the same things, but are nevertheless important contributions to the overall process of getting to a scientific understanding.

This week, below, we open with excerpted correspondence from Chicago Revolution Club members on their experience at the May Day protests against fascist “Reopen America” rallies (see revcom.us coverage of those protests here and interview with Revolution Tour member Noche Diaz here).

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Correspondence 1:

On May Day, a day in which America has distorted in numerous ways, brought out science minded people vs. those who wasn’t scientific at all.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten my Club T-shirt but I had my Red flag which I thought was perfect for this day.

This day members of the Rev Club as well as members Refuse Fascism, doctors, nurses from Illinois, gathered together to stand up against the unscientific Right Wing Trump supporters who believe that the coronavirus is a hoax, while some believe that social distances isn’t necessary and they should be able to return to work or carry about as if there is nothing in this virus that could be harmful. While scientists are scrambling to find an antidote that would be helpful against this virus, and trying to inform the public of the best way we can prevent becoming infected by this virus, Trump is inciting his unscientific minions to gather and return to work! Because of the Trump/Pence administration this virus was greatly ignored and as a result many people lost their lives, and we all were endangered of contracting this deadly virus.

For many who work in the healthcare field, who put their lives, and the lives of families on the line each and every day, this is heartbreaking and unbelievable.

I watched one driver shake her head as she leaned (honked) on her car horn with a sign taped on her car identifying her as someone in the healthcare industry. I waved my huge Red flag in support of all those who stood against those supporters who didn’t get it.

We practiced safe distances and whenever someone tried to get too close we tried to remind them of the 6 ft distancing rule. They, the Right Wingers, tried on a few occasions to come close to us and was confronted by myself or someone in the Rev Club. One of the best chants for this day was of course “Science over Ignorance,” because this was a Protest about exposure to an airborne killer which could cause death, or serious pain if exposed to it which many of them were! Trump/Pence refuse to wear protective covering i.e. masks, gloves, so their minions do the same. Trump tells them take a medicine he believes is promising and they do, Trump tells them to drink Clorox! and other Cleansers AND THEY DO! All with very bad results. Today so far there is new report of 105 more deaths from  COVID-19. The sign I held with my flag said “May Day 2020 The World Today Is a Horror But a Better World IS Possible!”

Addendum:

I also noticed a group from Reopen America was from Canaryville, which was next door to Bridgeport, the neighborhood of the racist mayor Richard Daley whose history is like that of Jon Burge to many in the poor community. Growing up in Chicago during the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, you learned to never be caught in certain neighborhoods ANYTIME OF THE TIME OF DAY, and again Canaryville was one of those neighborhood steeped in White Supremacy beliefs. When I saw the signs on the cars, then the Biker group, it brought back memories and listening to some of them I can see that they still have the same beliefs as those before them.

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Correspondence 2:

We weren’t near as deep as the fascists but someone needed to stand up for science, to oppose American Christian Fascism and shine forth as a beacon of a future worth living for through communist Revolution.

Some of us on the ground and more able to caravan came out determined to speak the truth that, “Reopen Now, is Mass Death” and “Normal being the problem.” We were hyped going in, bouncing with energy from fraught debates all week on what forces we were dealing with in what situation. The timely May Day call put this together in a sharp manner. A few Rev Club  kids and RF went to politically meet the other forces on foot. Chicago PD, State troopers, state police and more swarmed the street leading up to the state office building in downtown. They made moves to block off this part of the city as they soon realized this was going to be bigger than just a few or even a hundred angry Christian fascists. Since 9 am a crowd had been building, American Flags billowing, Marine Corps slogans and symbolism, signs talking about the Virus of socialism and communism intermingled with hundreds of children, older folks, a few Latinx and Black people but a very much suburban, arrogant, and determined crowd of maskless, enraged proponents of genocide stood emboldened and dangerously squished upon each other straining to meet us head on. Quickly we were surrounded and the other side too to quell a confrontation despite the fact some police laughed as we chanted “Humanity First, not America First.” Our signs included a big Refuse Fascism banner declaring in the name of humanity to refuse fascism. A couple “reopen = mass death,” the May Day call title and an image of Trump and Pence shrouded in the COVID virus sparked a “USA, USA” chant that soon died down.

For the time there we were met with macho Fucks who wanted to fight, a caravan so large and loud I really can’t tell you how many cars were there, and a cycling of people who seemed to want to join us and ghosted or stood scared shitless, quaking before taking off where I suppose the groups of nurses, teachers, union supporters, and others who thought it was imperative to come but balked at the size of the ever-swelling opposition. Maybe a dozen people joined us including some vibrant but maskless young Black men, and a host of tiny crowds of fascists trying to start something. I hope people could hear us well, but we learned afterward some chants we did on the spot could not be heard in the live streams we made.

Overall I think we did what we needed to do, but I can’t help but feel as we marched away and the other side cheered that it was like walking away from a lost scrimmage.

We needed to be there but I’m sure there where things that could have been done better including our signage, but for what we were, we represented strong. The car caravan intermixed with the idiots was very uplifting and helped us and others keep chanting strong.

 

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