NYC Revolution Club:
From Harlem to the world, People stand up to say
“We Are All Trayvon Martin, The Whole System Is Guilty!”
July 5, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Harlem, July 2, 2013
“Right now, American society—with the whole world increasingly taking notice—is polarizing. Two sides are lining up—one upholding the right of the Trayvon Martins of this world to live and flourish and, if they are attacked, to have justice... and the other upholding the supposed rights of people like George Zimmerman to kill people like Trayvon with impunity.”
—From “The Stakes of the Trayvon Martin Case—And the Need to SEIZE THE TIME!”
Since the opening of the trial of George Zimmerman 100s of people in Harlem have signed these banners calling for justice for Trayvon Martin and yesterday scores of people gathered in Harlem to rally around this demand and send a message to the world. People who wrote their message on the banner included 9-year-old girls, teenagers who look like Trayvon Martin, grandmothers, and people of different nationalities, with statements like, "I ride 4 Trayvon. We won't live this way." And "We want justice now, No more Emmett Tills killed for being Black!”
People rallied around this message and took an historic group photo with this banner outside the Harlem State Office Building. The Stop Mass Incarceration Network and the Revolution Club spoke. People came out and joined in on the spot and the crowd grew until half the block was lined with folks holding posters chanting and listening to a rally and speak out. There were teachers, students, youth, shorties, older folks, disabled people, working people, artists, tourists from the South, people from the housing projects. Most had never met each other but there was a unified spirit, a camaraderie and a determination to fight that you see on the faces of the people in this picture.
The world needs to see how the side that says we are all Trayvon Martin is coming together and standing up. They need to know that they are not alone, they need to be inspired and organized to resist, and they need to find out about the way out. YOU have a role to play in this right now. This photo needs to go viral. It needs to be spread all over through social media. Tweet this photo with #hoodiesup and #justicefortrayvon. Get it out on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, email. Post it on message boards where people are discussing the trial. Send it out to media outlets to cover this story.
The powers that be have worked to confuse people, criminalizing Trayvon. Reactionaries have vented their hatred and fury and racism at Trayvon’s friend Rachel Jeantel. Many are angry and looking for a way to act, and some feel they are alone in this and wonder if there’s anything they can do. Yesterday in the face of all of that people stood up in Harlem to send a message that we will not wait and see what happens, we will continue this struggle now and we will fight to win this.
In the midst of this people who spoke out talked about the need to end all oppression and the Revolution Club and the movement for revolution made real this determination giving people ways to continue to fight and to be part of getting organized into the movement for revolution, bringing to them the leadership we have in Bob Avakian and the ways for them today to fight the power, and transform the people, for revolution. Bringing out that a society is possible where the Trayvon Martins and Rachel Jeantels, and the millions and billions like them are not insulted and condemned to an early death or a life of misery and brutality, can not only survive, but can flourish and fully contribute all they have to offer to the world.
Now, YOU ARE NEEDED! Spread this photo everywhere, be there at 125th and Adam Clayton Powell at 5 pm on the day when the trial of George Zimmerman goes to the jury. Find out about the movement for revolution that is working to put an end to this, join in 4th of July weekend activities.
Go to igg.me/at/BAEverywhere-Summer2013 to watch the video about BA Everywhere and contribute to the Indiegogo fundraising campaign: June 20-July 15.
NYC Revolution Club
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