From jdav@noc.orgSun Jul 2 10:23:11 1995 Date: Sat, 1 Jul 95 17:13 GMT From: Jim Davis To: pt.dist@noc.org Subject: People's Tribune 6-26-95 (Online Edition) ****************************************************************** People's Tribune (Online Edition) Vol. 22 No. 23 / June 26, 1995 P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654 Email: pt@noc.org ****************************************************************** INDEX to the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE (Online Edition) Vol. 22 No. 23 / June 26, 1995 Page One 1. WHICH ROAD FOR AMERICA: POVERTY OR PLENTY? News & Features 2. FOUNDER OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY VISITS CHICAGO: PRIEST SPEAKS OUT IN DEFENSE OF OUTCASTS 3. STUDENTS VERSUS PETE WILSON 4. 'YES' TO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION UNTIL THERE'S SOCIAL EQUALITY! 5. REVOLUTIONARY WAVES ON MOTHER'S DAY 6. 1,000 RALLY FOR MOTHER EARTH IN NORTHWEST 7. ONE OF THE 'KEEPERS OF THE FAITH': A LAKOTA WOMAN FIGHTS TO BUILD A STRONG NATION 8. WHO SPEAKS FOR THE MAJORITY IN AMERICA? Focus on WELFARE 'REFORM' 9. CONGRESS MOVING ON WELFARE 'REFORM' 10. ACTIVISTS SING THE TRUTH; LEGISLATORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS SQUIRM IN SUFFOLK COUNTY 11. 'REFORM' MAKES SCAPEGOATS OF THE POOR 12. EVEN THE POOR HAVE ONE VOTE PER PERSON 13. STOP WELFARE CUTS! (PETITION) American Lockdown 14. CHAIN GANGS, CORRUPTION AND LOCKING UP THE POOR: THE IMPRISONMENT OF AMERICA Deadly Force 15. NEW YORK POLICE RAMPAGE: 'FEAR THAT BORDERED ON TERROR' Culture Under Fire 16. CAN PAINT, WILL TRAVEL! 17. IS RAP THE PROBLEM? 18. LETTERS 19. ABOUT THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE ****************************************************************** 1. WHICH ROAD FOR AMERICA: POVERTY OR PLENTY? The "economic indicators" are clear: The economy is stumbling toward another recession. Home sales are dropping. Orders for cars, appliances and other durable goods are falling, and manufacturers are cutting production. Construction is down. And the economy lost 7,000 jobs in April, and another 101,000 in May. The worst of it is, the last recession never ended for many of us. Even the ruling-class economists and politicians have been forced to acknowledge that it has been a "jobless recovery." Millions are still unemployed, and a third or more of those who found new jobs are working at lower wages. Millions are working at part-time or temporary jobs. And, of course, there are many people who have never worked, because this system has never given them the opportunity to work. What really "recovered" from the last recession was profits and production -- both went up. But millions of jobs were permanently eliminated as corporations downsized, replacing labor with computers and other forms of electronics. Some examples: Banks are replacing tellers with automatic teller machines, and 40,000 bank teller jobs have disappeared since 1990. Half the remaining bank tellers could be gone in 10 years, the bankers say. Telephone operators are also being replaced by computers. In 1956 there were 256,000 operators; today there are 60,000, and the number keeps dropping. This downsizing is going to continue. The capitalists -- those who own the factories, mines and offices where employed people work -- are not going to pay a person to do something that can be done faster and cheaper by a machine. Trouble is, machines don't buy cars and refrigerators. This is the capitalists' dilemma: Mountains of goods can be produced with very little labor, but people without jobs or income can't buy them. The result? Perfectly good houses sit empty while the homeless freeze in the streets. For the capitalists and their system, there is no way out of this dilemma except establishing a police state to control the millions thrown into misery. Competition forces the capitalists to keep cutting jobs to produce more cheaply. This is happening in every country in some form. What we are really seeing is the beginning of what will sooner or later become a global depression. But while there is no rational or just way out for the capitalists and their system, there is a way out for the people of the world. Our labor and ingenuity, combined with computers and other advanced electronics, can give us a world without poverty and injustice. Electronics is making capitalism impossible, but it is making possible -- and necessary -- a cooperative society free of oppression and want. Through organization, education and struggle, we can create this society. Our future -- our liberation -- is in our hands. ****************************************************************** 2. FOUNDER OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY VISITS CHICAGO: PRIEST SPEAKS OUT IN DEFENSE OF OUTCASTS By Chris Mahin [Editor's note: Below we print the third in a series of columns about spirituality and revolution. We encourage readers to submit articles to this column. We would also appreciate any comments readers have on the articles which appear here.] CHICAGO -- The scholar sometimes called "the intellectual founder of liberation theology," a man who has written about "the power of the poor in history" visited this city in early June and spoke out in defense of society's outcasts. Father Gustavo Gutierrez is a theologian, writer and professor. He was born in Lima, Peru in 1928 and ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1959. He has been a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru since 1960. Gutierrez has written numerous books, ranging from his now classic A Theology of Liberation to The Power of the Poor in History and his most recent work, Las Casas. On June 1, Gutierrez received an honorary doctorate from the Catholic Theological Union. The next day, Gutierrez presented the Fifth Annual Ignacio Martin-Baro Lecture to a standing room only audience at the University of Chicago. The annual lecture, sponsored by the university's Center for Latin American Studies, honors the memory of a prominent Jesuit priest and human-rights activist who received a doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1979 and was murdered by the army in El Salvador in 1989. Last year, Father Jean Bertrand Aristide, president of Haiti, gave the lecture. Gutierrez began his lecture at the University of Chicago by praising Father Martin-Baro, a man he knew personally, calling him a "witness of our times." Gutierrez then said that he wanted to speak of "another defender of the outcast," a man who was also a witness to his time -- Bartolome de Las Casas, the 16th century Spanish missionary. "He issued a challenge for all of us," Gutierrez said of Las Casas, the first Westerner to condemn Spain's enslavement and oppression of the Indians of the Americas. Gutierrez, the founding director of an institute named in honor of Las Casas, recounted the main facts of the friar's life: Bartolome de Las Casas was born in 1474 in Seville, Spain. He came to the New World in 1502. He was ordained a priest in 1510. In 1542, Las Casas secured the passage of laws to protect Indians. In 1544, Las Casas became bishop of Chiapas in southern Mexico, a post he held until 1547. "The name 'Chiapas' is probably known to you," Gutierrez observed wryly, gently teasing an audience quite familiar with that area in southern Mexico, the scene of the current Zapatista rebellion. (That comment sparked laughter in the crowded lecture hall.) Gutierrez praised the current Roman Catholic bishop of Chiapas, Samuel Ruiz, calling him a successor of Las Casas. >From the time Las Casas arrived in the Americas, he defended the Indians, Gutierrez pointed out. Las Casas argued that the only justification possible for the European presence in the Western Hemisphere was to announce the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was convinced that the Indians were as capable as Europeans of understanding the gospel and of receiving the Christian faith. He argued that Christians did not need to use force to spread the gospel. Gutierrez contrasted the morality of Las Casas, who he called "a great Christian in his time" to the "arrogance of the modern spirit" which claims that today's ideas represent the "end of history." "What is the meaning of Las Casas for us?" Gutierrez asked. "Try to take the point of view of the Other," he answered. Gutierrez stressed the importance of dialogue between cultures, calling for everyone to reject the idea that Western culture is the only human culture. Gutierrez reminded his audience that between 1492 and 1570, at least 50 million Indians died because of the European invasion of the New World, noting that Las Casas wrote about the "hell" the Indians were living through at the hands of the Spanish invaders. Gutierrez stressed the importance of dialogue between cultures, calling for everyone to reject the idea that Western culture is the only human culture. "Death is not the last word in history," Gutierrez told his listeners. "Life is the last word in history," he concluded, to resounding applause. ****************************************************************** 3. STUDENTS VERSUS PETE WILSON By Steve Teixeira LOS ANGELES -- As Pete Wilson prepares to run for president, students in California's universities are exposing how he and his rich allies are ruining the state. On May 19, hundreds of students rallied in San Francisco to defend affirmative action for minority groups at the nine University of California campuses. On May 22, senior Jake Ross chained himself to the entrance of UC-Santa Cruz to begin a five-day fast against plans to cut social programs and spend more on prisons. And now one of their leaders, student Regent Ed Gomez, is under attack. These students have minds sharp enough to see what's going on, and hearts brave enough to fight for change. Kimi Lee, field organizer for the UC students, says: "In the past five years that I have been involved with the University of California, student fees have gone up 145 percent. ... How can the government justify raising our fees while proposing tax cuts? Our state economy is one of the largest in the world, yet we use our money to imprison people instead of educating them." Describing his protest, Jake Ross writes, "these 40 ft of chain don't come close to representing the many people locked down to a life in which they don't have the resources ... this country imprisons more people than any other country except russia and south africa." He went on to say that for the cost of the six new state prisons planned, "500,000 young people [could go] to college, bigger than the population of oakland." When the laws themselves are crimes against humanity, he said, "it is the duty of the active citizen to protest and disobey." What crimes against humanity? Kimi Lee explains, "Did you know that California prisons have recently begun making contracts with private industry for prison labor? Now it all makes sense! Wilson & Co. is trying to kick out immigrant workers so that he can replace them with prison workers and get paid for it! This system has been called modern slavery, and I agree ... government and big business both stand to profit from it." Camping out with Ross for two days was Ed Gomez, the only student on the 25-member Board of Regents, which runs the UC system. The week before, hundreds of students marched to the Regents meeting to protest a plan to end UC's affirmative action minority admissions program. Earlier, the university's own study admitted that this could reduce the number of African American students by half, and Latinos by one-third! But students of all colors travelled to San Francisco determined not to let that happen. When chairman Howard Leach cut off their speakers, Gomez asked why businessmen had been allowed to speak longer and why the riot police were not letting more students into the room. Leach suspended the session and led a walkout of most of the Regents, with only Gomez, Regent Levin and Regent Gonzalez staying. Gomez told the students these three stayed because "We want democracy, not hypocrisy" in dealing with this explosive issue. A few minutes later, not only did the police start busting students, but Gomez himself was physically carried out of the hearing room. What's happening in America when students are repressed for speaking out against "modern slavery" in prisons and universities? "Even though they didn't charge me with anything, that was an arrest," Gomez told the People's Tribune. "If that's what they do to a Regent, what can other students expect?" He may not be a Regent long -- conservative voices are challenging his ability to represent the students, and Gov. Wilson might see Gomez as a threat to his national image as the presidential campaign picks up. The stakes for both the ruling circles and the students are huge. Will a few billionaires and millionaires impose a modern slavery upon those they no longer need to educate? Or will the students take their place among the revolutionaries and reorganize society so that its wealth and technology serve the many, not the few? Their next battlefield will be at the July Regents meeting. You are needed for this fight -- call the UC Student Association at 916-447-8272, or Regent Gomez at 818-503-2419. ****************************************************************** 4. 'YES' TO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION UNTIL THERE'S SOCIAL EQUALITY! By the Editors As the 1996 presidential election approaches, affirmative action is emerging as one of the major campaign issues. Certain politicians and mass media have been bombarding the public with horror stories of "reverse discrimination" against white males. In a recent case, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to sharply restrict federal affirmative action programs. Writing for the court majority, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said that federal- level programs must be "narrowly tailored" and serve "a compelling governmental interest." Earlier, California Gov. Pete Wilson ordered his state to halt enforcement of affirmative action policies while President Clinton has ordered a review of these policies at the federal level. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas has flatly promised to end affirmative action if he is elected. The attention and controversy around affirmative action thus throws light on an aspect of capitalism, an economic and social system that is failing. Affirmative action is the term referring to policies or regulations in government and industry which, in principle at least, remove discrimination against certain groups in job or business opportunities. It came about in the wake of the civil rights movements of the mid-20th century. At that time, the capitalist economy was still expanding and the ruling class was able to provide necessary room for these previously excluded groups to participate. This bought the rulers the stability and social peace they need to make money. As the 20th century draws to a close, the capitalist economy has been contracting. Social reforms which used to benefit the rulers now have become "too costly" (no longer profitable) for them. In America, no law can exceed the Constitution, which is the fundamental law of the land. A number of constitutional amendments already assure equal human, civil and voting rights. But under an economic system based on social inequality, special laws have been needed to implement what is written in the Constitution. If those laws are removed, what is left is a society in which Americans in poverty are denied the material and educational means to compete equally with privileged Americans who have them all. What is left is society where only the rich are left with their affirmative action for them. This inequality brings us back to the capitalist economic system which is at the root of the problem. It is a system that proves it cannot guarantee what the Constitution guarantees. Until that system is replaced, the policies and regulations called affirmative action should be maintained. To the rich rulers, we say: You do away with the existing social inequality and we, the rest of society, will do away with affirmative action. ****************************************************************** 5. REVOLUTIONARY WAVES ON MOTHER'S DAY By Judy Pratt ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico -- Caroline Lucero, clutching her two beautiful little daughters, addressed the Mother's Day rally here with these words: "I am here because these [welfare and support] programs were my lifeblood. They got me out of a very dangerous situation. And I am crying because I can't stand the thought of these programs being taken away from people who need them." Lucero's words deeply touched the crowd. "We can't let people who don't know what we go through take these programs away from us. They want to make poor people poorer than they are." In the past three weeks, as organizer of the rally, Lucero discovered that she had the power to bring people together, and her call was summed up in these words: "Whether the government is going to be there or not, we're going to be there!" She had proposed that any money left over from the rally would go to help some poor family with day care. She expressed the understanding that human needs must come first and that it is possible to do the right thing. But clearly the government's welfare reform only offers prisons or death for those in need. Peter Cubra, an attorney who defends children with disabilities, characterized Gingrich's "Personal Responsibility Act" as "not about personal responsibility, but about misery." Cubra is on the offensive now, too. He is suing the governor of New Mexico for eliminating services for children in state custody. He noted that more children will be driven into state custody because of the devastating Personal Responsibility Act and when they get there, they won't get care or services! "The bureaucrats and the politicians aren't addressing the root of the problem -- which is the mismanagement of our money," stated Will Simmons, a young single father who is not only raising his little boy, but is also raising a younger brother. Simmons spoke with power as he explained, "I am one of the most responsible people I know. I have worked for nine years, and I am making $5 per hour. ... [Unemployment] doesn't have anything to do with whether people are willing to get a job; the jobs just aren't there." As part of the next concentric circle in the ripple of revolutionary change, the speakers at this rally represent that which is best in America. Simmons summed it up: "My son deserves my love and attention. ... We, each and every one of us, are part of a larger whole and we must take action!" ****************************************************************** 6. 1,000 RALLY FOR MOTHER EARTH IN NORTHWEST By Loren Salmonson, Portland/Vancouver LRNA VANCOUVER, Washington -- Our Mother Earth won a small victory, a beginning of a turning of the tide, at the fourth congressional field hearing on the Endangered Species Act here on April 24. The ruling capitalist class had staged hearings across the South and the West Coast to test the power of its populist "wise use" movement. Our rulers never expected to gut the ESA at this time, but they had expected to stage a propaganda coup. Instead, they created perfect conditions for the building of unprecedented unity by all U.S. environmental organizations. More than 1,000 leaders, the front line of the Northwest environmentalists, saw their strength, creativity and righteousness in all its glory and joy! In the rally on the banks of the mighty Columbia River, under a glorious spring sunshine, was an outpouring of chants, songs and skits, including many by high school students. The few speeches were short and to the point, and none was quoted by the newspaper The Oregonian. All it did was rant about rhetoric, calling the rallies a "melee -- the green-skinned enviros, the yellow-ribboned lumberjacks and the black-hearted media, [without] one note of genuine emotion." Our rulers had masses of riot police surrounding the motel site and on its roof in order to be able to say that there was a threat of violence from the environmentalists. (We, of course, were totally committed, trained and organized to maintain our non- violence.) The field hearings were staged in violation of the regular subcommittee procedures of the House Committee on Resources. According to The Oregonian, at least one member of the committee said the hearing was a farce and refused to attend. Seven members of the 19-member committee attended, none of them Democrats. Rep. Bruce Vento, a Democrat of Minnesota, said the committee was biased toward a rewrite of the ESA. "I felt like the endangered species. There has been no effort to be objective," said Vento. Rep. Linda Smith, a Republican of Washington, said, "My goal was to get people here to see that we are reasonable people." According to The Oregonian, Smith has a unique theory of creationism: She believes the world began when she got elected. "Congress is now leaving Washington, D.C., and coming out to the people." The only theater staged by the "wise use" organizations was a plodding chain gang in prison stripes, a totally offensive sight to those who know what the conditions are in our many prisons. Totally excluded from the hearing were any representatives of American Indians. According to The Oregonian, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation sent written testimony lamenting their exclusion from the hearing and scolding officials for the "continuous, shameless politicization" that has plagued the act and hurt its effectiveness. "Gutting the ESA will not eliminate the federal government's duties and obligations to protect and preserve the salmon." The salmon run this year is pitiful, due to the many dams, and to nuclear pollution from the Army's and General Electric's Hanford nuclear site. During the hearing, more than 100 environmentalists gagged themselves with black fabric and marched out to join the rally. Few supporters of ESA have been allowed to testify. Richard Pombo, a Republican of California, is the committee chairman. He has been a strident supporter of "private property" rights. But according to The Oregonian, he admitted, "Mistakes were made in managing our natural resources in a sustainable way." Fred Ackerlund, 59, from near Seattle, said, "My conscience wouldn't allow me not to be here. We've gone too far. We can't just take and take and take forever." ****************************************************************** 7. ONE OF THE 'KEEPERS OF THE FAITH': A LAKOTA WOMAN FIGHTS TO BUILD A STRONG NATION By Sandra Reid The People's Tribune Speakers Bureau recently interviewed Germaine Tremmel, a member of the Lakota Nation, Hunkpapa in Minnesota. Tremmel is the director of the "Mending the Sacred Hoop Within" Project, a grassroots organization that fights alcohol dependency and provides support for Lakota women. Germaine Tremmel is also a descendant of Sitting Bull, and of the earlier Lakota societies where women had equal authority with men. She makes presentations throughout the world on history, women's role as "peacekeepers" and the need for self-determination for the Indian peoples. The People's Tribune asked Tremmel to describe the plight of the Lakota people and the effect that the cuts in social programs will have. Below we print excerpts from her comments. "Right now, there is a 99 percent unemployment rate on the reservation. The only income is welfare, General Assistance and food stamps. There are current proposals that will get only four percent of this in block grants to the tribes. There is already a lot of starvation on the reservation and a high crime rate because of the poverty. "Our young women are angry and bitter and our men have taken on the colonizers' thoughts. We have a high rate of divorce, drug use, gangs. Although the casinos have created some job opportunities, some are not giving back to the communities. "The Relocation Act of 1956 destroyed a lot of families. Many of our people got into urban poverty areas, stayed on welfare in cities or on subsistence, while the ones that stayed on reservations accepted G.A. or rations. Today, people don't know how these cuts will impact them. The tribes are being deceived by the government. We are talking about 52,000 people." Tremmel described the genocide carried out against the Indian peoples: "Many tribes were based on matriarchal societies. Women were chiefs and leaders and some were warriors. But the point of view of Christianity and the early colonizers, including the military, was to change the roles for women in order to break up the tribe. Women came to be considered less than men and to be treated as slaves for the household. Now women are ignored in the political process. Since we as women had no representation in the treaties, we consider ourselves non-signers of the Indian treaties and we declare the treaties invalid. "The disempowerment of native women corresponded precisely with the extension of colonial domination [over] each indigenous nation. During the first half of the 20th century, federal authorities developed and perfected the mechanisms of control over Lakota land, lives and resources. Such legislation as the General Allotment Act, (on-going through the 1920s), the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, was done under the "trust" and "plenary power" doctrines -- for profits, at the expense of the Lakota people. "These are unequal agreements in the eyes of the Lakota women. We were denied use of our lands and the benefits from even what land base we nominally retained. We were denied our traditional customs and religion. We were compelled to become absolutely dependent upon government subsidies: General Assistance, AFDC, food stamps or food rations. Our Lakota people were reduced to abject poverty or, to survive, joined the lowest-paid sector of the U.S. work force. "We as Lakota women and treaty non-signers have made a commitment to build a strong nation. We are laying the foundation, a spiritual one that teaches our future generations of Lakota values." Lakota women will play a key role in the upcoming tribunal against genocide called by the Lakota Nation Traditional Government which will be held June 23-29 in Fort Yates, North Dakota; in the United Nations conference which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from July 20-28, and in the United Nations' Fourth Global Conference on Women which will be held in Beijing, China this fall. "One of the things we hope to bring out," Tremmel said, "is that acts of genocide have happened, not only to the Lakota women, but to the structures of the Lakota family and our communities." Tremmel says that although her society's history has been suppressed, it has been passed on orally. "This history went underground. The language, heritage, customs had to be preserved. It was kept by certain families that were recognized leaders and passed down through the generations. Many women are finally coming out with a lot of information. They are remembering what their grandmothers or grand-grandmothers taught them. But there is still a lot of fear." The "Mending the Sacred Hoop Within" Project tries to pass these teachings on to young women and mothers. "We work on their anger and self-esteem and [on] overcoming many abuses they face," Tremmel told the People's Tribune. "We give them tools to utilize in their lives." In this way, "our traditional beliefs are utilized to make us stronger," she said. Tremmel's vision of the future is one where Lakota people control their own destinies. "Many of our programs, like a youth shelter funded partially under federal monies, had to close two weeks ago. This hurt young people and is another form of genocide. We need to create jobs where there is self-worth and autonomy. We have to educate people to the fact that you have choices, you have resources. If I have to go to other countries to bring resources, I will." "As Lakota women, we are keepers of the faith -- land, minerals, families, community -- but we need to talk about political power. Power is something we need to acquire, need to learn how to utilize, not something to run from or cower at because someone else is imposing it." [Germaine Tremmel is available for speaking engagements through the People's Tribune Speakers Bureau and is part of the "Women Crusading for a New America" speaking campaign. For more information, please call 312-486-3551, or email speakers@noc.org] ****************************************************************** 8. WHO SPEAKS FOR THE MAJORITY IN AMERICA? By Lenny Brody Who speaks for you, the majority of the American people? a. Newt Gingrich and the new right-wing Republicans. b. President Clinton and the tired old-line Democrats. c. Your state's governor or city's mayor. d. None of the above. Those who rule this country are speaking much more openly about the need to impose tighter political control. The political atmosphere in this country has changed dramatically since the November 1994 elections where the Republicans gained control of the House and the Senate. The real danger is the absence of a strong and independent voice of political clarity. A voice which represents most Americans, especially the poor. A voice which can explain not only the problems we face but also the solutions to these problems. Those who advocate a police state are virtually the sole source of "answers." A relatively small, economically comfortable section of the population has been consolidated around the ruling class' vicious tactic of blaming and isolating the victims of the economic crisis. They are demanding fascist policies to deal with the problems in the country. However, this group is not large, in spite of talk of Republican Party victories. A close look at the Republican victory last November reveals that less than 40 percent of those eligible actually voted -- with the winners getting the votes of less than 20 percent of those eligible. Many of those voting voted for "change," not for the Republicans or their programs. The overwhelming majority of Americans, particularly the poor, continue to be confused and disoriented about the economic and social problems they face. At the same time, they are increasingly looking for answers. The ruling class is now further developing its slanderous campaign against the poor and taking serious steps to change a number of policies. Their basic assumption, now widely accepted in government circles, is that government has no responsibilities or obligations to the people of this country. Any current problems, they claim, can be solved through the "free market" or private charity -- or else these problems should simply be left alone and allowed to run their course. Restructuring the government is on the immediate agenda. Proposals to let the state and local governments deal with problems ("states' rights") are cruel and vicious. Claims that this approach will increase democracy and free up funds for programs are nothing but lies. Today power at the state level is in the hands of suburban and rural politicians who have no interest in the problems of the inner cities, or the rural and suburban poor, for that matter. Most Democrats are either taking the same positions as the Republicans, or trying to candy-coat the bitter pill. However, certain sections of the Democratic Party are moving to defend "New Deal," big-government, Democratic Party rule. The policies that these Democrats are defending are the current woefully inadequate welfare and food stamp systems, the minimal education and housing programs, etc. These new "defenders of the poor" are a ruling-class trap to contain the growing resistance to the economic crisis and the government's policies. While they may ridicule or attack Newt Gingrich, they have no serious alternatives. We can't leave the political discussion in the hands of the ruling class. If we are unclear about what the ruling class is trying to accomplish, we will accomplish nothing. Setting up the "liberal Democrats" as leaders in opposing Newt Gingrich and the right-wing Republicans is a ruling-class trap. This can only exhaust the movement with battles leading nowhere that end in confusion and disorientation. The political situation is becoming urgent. The fight against the deteriorating conditions we face and against the rapidly forming police state cannot develop significantly by simply urging people to fight harder, or by gathering more people together, although this is necessary. All those who are concerned about changing the conditions in this country must ensure political education of the fighters. We need to break the stranglehold of the ruling class' views on the situation we face, their projections for the future and their programs and solutions. Revolutionaries need to instill a sense of direction and goals, an understanding of who the enemy is and why we stand in irreconcilable opposition to them. This understanding will allow for independence from the ruling class. We do not have to suffer hunger and homelessness. We do not have to live in constant terror that the police may break down our door, or arrest our children. Electronics and the new methods of production can create a country free from want forever. We can eliminate race and national hatred, sexual oppression and human exploitation. It is possible to develop the conditions for the educational, cultural and spiritual development of everyone. How can this be done? Millions of Americans, the overwhelming majority, must take control of this country. We can organize the economy on a cooperative basis, where we all can share in the tremendous wealth that can be produced. This article was based on a report from the Political Committee of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America to the LRNA's Steering Committee. ****************************************************************** 9. CONGRESS MOVING ON WELFARE 'REFORM' As this edition of the People's Tribune went to press, the U.S. Senate was expected to act soon on its version of welfare "reform." The House of Representatives has already passed its version -- the so-called "Personal Responsibility Act. "The version that the Senate passes will probably be somewhat different than what the House has approved, which means that a Senate-House conference committee will determine the details of the final bill. But whatever passes, you can bet it will not be good for the vast majority of the American people. There are at least three versions of welfare "reform" floating around in Congress: the House "Personal Responsibility Act" (PRA), the Senate "Family Self-Sufficiency Act" (FSSA), and a Senate "Democratic Leadership Alternative" bill. While these bills differ somewhat from one another, they tend to have certain basic things in common, especially the FSSA and the PRA: They blame the poor for their poverty; they would result in public aid recipients getting less benefits; they would give the states much more authority over welfare programs, leaving recipients at the mercy of state governments; and they set the stage for deeper cuts in other programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. The PRA would eliminate the "entitlement" status of SSI (aid for the elderly and disabled), AFDC, child support enforcement, food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the school lunch and breakfast programs. Under present law, anyone who is eligible for these programs is entitled to benefits. The PRA would end this entitlement status; instead, the programs would be funded through "block grants" to the states, and there would be a cap on how much could be spent on anti- poverty and nutrition programs. The Republicans have estimated the PRA would reduce welfare spending by $40 billion over five years. Under the FSSA, the PRA and the Democratic Leadership Alternative, increasing numbers of AFDC recipients would have to work in exchange for their benefits, but no extra money would be given the states for child care and job training. (Of course, these bills ignore the fact that there are no jobs for most aid recipients anyway.) The PRA would even eliminate the existing child care guarantee. Under all three bills, a person could generally get welfare for no more than five years total in their lifetime. While none of the bills is good, the Republican PRA is certainly the worst. It would provide no cash assistance to a child born to an unwed mother under 18, or to a child born to a current welfare recipient. The money thus saved would go to the states as block grants to establish and operate orphanages and to create group homes for unwed mothers, among other things. ****************************************************************** 10. ACTIVISTS SING THE TRUTH; LEGISLATORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS SQUIRM IN SUFFOLK COUNTY By the Suffolk Welfare Warriors RONKONKOMA, New York -- It wasn't on the program, but audience members were treated to some red-hot political satire at the Suffolk Community Council (SCC) function March 24 at the Holiday Inn in Ronkonkoma, New York. SCC is an umbrella organization of social welfare professionals and agencies serving Suffolk County, New York. The satire was courtesy of the Suffolk Welfare Warriors (SWW). SWW is a group of current and former welfare participants and their allies. SWW formed recently as a direct-action group to mobilize public opinion against the Republicans' Contract on America. "We intend to reframe the whole debate from 'the welfare problem' to the problem of the disparity between the poor and the wealthy," says SWW member Melissa Arch-Walton. The Welfare Warriors point out that poor people, rather than any bureaucrats or politicians, are the real experts on poverty. So when the Suffolk Community Council failed, once again, to include any welfare participants in the program for its annual Legislative Reception, SWW got busy. According to Therese Scofield, SWW member, "This reception is basically an ass-kissing session where they give awards to politicians who have funded their pet projects, providing job security for social welfare professionals under the guise of 'helping' welfare participants." SWW raised funds for admission for 10 members. They planned their own segment of the program to convey their message. "We wrote and rehearsed a song and prepared several award certificates to present," said Corey Dolgon, professor of American Studies from Friends World Program-Long Island University, and SWW's musician. They were met with threats and intimidation. On orders of Ruth Kleinfeld, SCC executive director, five large plainclothes 5th Precinct police officers surrounded Dolgon minutes after his arrival, while he was talking with other guests. Dolgon was told that any disruption, which included singing, would subject group members to arrest. However, spontaneous support from the audience forced the SCC to allow the activists to present their song and awards. The SWW's awards included: The Ronald Reagan "I'm No Leader, I Just Play One on TV" Award, which went to New York Gov. George Pataki for dutifully following the policies of U.S. Sen. Al D'Amato and other New York Republicans while pretending to offer new ideas. "There is nothing new about redistributing money from the poor to the rich," read the award certificate. The George Orwell 1984 Ministry of Truth Award, which went to Newsday for avoiding coverage of dissent in their reporting on proposed welfare reform. Mainstream media like Newsday help create the impression that conservatism has swept the country, but it isn't so. The Biggest Welfare Recipient Award, for Long Island developer Wilbur Breslin, who gets corporate welfare in the form of tax breaks and publicly subsidized physical improvements to develop shopping malls. SWW has vowed to continue to confront service providers, legislators and other reactionary elements in order to speak truth to power. ****************************************************************** 11. 'REFORM' MAKES SCAPEGOATS OF THE POOR Congress is apparently about to pass some kind welfare "reform" plan. As we go to press, there are at least three such proposals before Congress. (For details, see the other article in this centerfold.) While none of these bills (including the so-called "Democratic Alternative") are in the interests of the vast majority of the people of this country, certainly the one that the House of Representatives has passed -- the "Personal Responsibility Act" -- is the most dangerous and insulting of them. Of course, they call it the "Personal Responsibility Act" because the idea behind it is that poor people are responsible for their own poverty. According to the people who the Congress really represents -- the people with most of the money and power -- if we took responsibility for our actions, we wouldn't be poor. Well, here is a proposition for this country's wealthy rulers -- we'll take responsibility for our condition, if you do the following: * You guarantee a good-paying job -- meaning wages that will give a family a decent standard of living -- for everyone who needs one; * You provide education and training for everyone who needs it to be able to work; * You provide high-quality child care for working parents; * You guarantee support, at a decent level, for the disabled and for all those who can't work; * You provide free, universal health care. We know you can afford to provide these things. The labor of the people has created untold wealth, after all, and we see where it goes. We see your mansions and limousines; we watched you spend hundreds of billions bailing out the millionaire savings and loan owners; we see the billions of our money squandered on welfare for the rich while women and children are sleeping in the streets. What we are really asking is that you, our rulers, accept personal responsibility for the crisis you and your capitalist system have created. The people did not create unemployment. We did not decide to throw millions of people out of their jobs and replace them with high-tech electronics in the headlong pursuit of profits. You did that. We did not decide that, because very little labor is needed now to produce things, we would stop paying to feed or house or educate or provide medical care to workers we don't need. You did that. We did not start a war on the poor, under the guise of "welfare reform," to provide a convenient scapegoat for the crisis. You, the billionaire rulers of this country, must accept responsibility for that. Of course, we know you have no intention of doing so. We know you can't meet the needs of the people and still have your profits and your power. And so here is what we, the people, will accept responsibility for: We will make it our personal responsibility to educate ourselves to the fact that your capitalist system is the root cause of our poverty, and we will organize ourselves to overturn this system and in its place build a cooperative society free of oppression and want. ****************************************************************** 12. EVEN THE POOR HAVE ONE VOTE PER PERSON By Jan Lightfoot HINCKLEY, Maine -- One small Maine group is inviting other national groups to call for the poor to vote down any senator who votes for the welfare reform bill known as the Personal Responsibility Act (PRA), and to vote against President Clinton if he signs the PRA into law. The Homeless Crisis Hotline serves people nationwide, focusing on Maine and New England. Its goal, to end homelessness, seems unobtainable if this PRA passes. It is estimated that this welfare reform bill will create two million new homeless people. People of all ages, including infants, will be out on the streets and hungry. The specter of premature death will be a constant companion of the financially poor. The call to vote down "the murderers of the poor" is based on facts and an assumption. It is assumed that even uncaring lawmakers will be wise enough not to harm their own jobs by voting against the desires of a large percentage of the voting population. The poor compose at least 18 percent of the U.S. population. We, the materially poor, are a "significant minority." Voting friends of the poor, and the poor themselves, would create a majority capable of ousting anyone they sought to. The Homeless Crisis Hotline has written a dozen groups calling for the poor to utilize our voting power, voting out of office anyone agreeing with this murderous welfare reform proposal. ****************************************************************** 13. STOP WELFARE CUTS! (PETITION) [Editor's note: The following petition about California welfare cuts was sent to us by 'Mother's Friend' at the Women's Economic Agenda Project.] If we have a welfare cut, our children could be taken away from us if a person reports a family for not having food in the household or no shelter or clothing or medical care. The police could come and take your children away. For every child that is taken away, it is considered child endangerment. We face criminal charges, then go to juvenile court. We then have to show we did what the court asked us to do, to provide for our family. If a parent cannot find work and fails to provide for her children, our children will be wards of the court. Our parenting rights are taken away. Our children can go to an orphanage. Our children will have a case number and be put in a setting similar to a prison camp. Our children can be in the orphanage until they reach the age of 18. Soon we will be overpowered by the government and our children will belong to the government. Stop this welfare cut. Sign this. Full name _______________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City/State/Zip __________________________________________ Cut this out and send it to the Women's Economic Agenda Project; they will send your petition to the California legislature. Women's Economic Agenda Project; Attention: Mother's Friend; 518 17th Street, Suite 200; Oakland, California 94612; 510-451-7379 ****************************************************************** 14. CHAIN GANGS, CORRUPTION AND LOCKING UP THE POOR: THE IMPRISONMENT OF AMERICA By Anthony D. Prince BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Shining in the sun, towering some 250 feet in the air, a Saturn 1-B rocket appears out of nowhere as you cross the Alabama state line heading south on Interstate 65. The monument to the technology that launched Apollo astronauts 30 years ago now beckons travellers to visit the Space Center in nearby Huntsville. But if that rocket once heralded a would-be future, then another spectacle just down the road hurtles you deep into the past, a past which once aroused the enraged conscience of a nation: the sight of men, black and white, young and old, shackled together like animals toiling beneath a Southern sun. SHADOW OF SLAVERY The profile of a steely-eyed state correctional officer and the barrel of a shotgun held at the ready cast long shadows on the shoulder of the road where hundreds of non-violent offenders in bright white jumpsuits and shiny new leg irons are bagging trash and whacking at weeds on the highways of Alabama. Convict labor in shackles has returned to the Deep South and with it, a long and ominous pall rooted in slavery has been cast across the whole country. Yet, where there is darkness, there is also light, as was recently shown with the convening, right in the shadow of the chain gang, of an important national conference against the mushrooming "prison-industrial complex" in America. "This was the brainchild of a man transferred from one prison to another," declared Mrs. Weyni Lake, referring to the April 8 meeting in Birmingham entitled, "The Imprisonment of America: A Human Catastrophe." Her husband, Richard Mafundi Lake, long a thorn in the side of the Alabama Department of Corrections, had only days before been hurriedly transferred from nearby William Donaldson Prison to another facility far away from where nearly 100 delegates convened April 8. Here they learned that Alabama citizens, some of the most impoverished people in the nation, are being looted to the tune of $145 million annually to chain together and lock up other poor men and women at the rate of 100 new inmates a month. The vast majority of the 20,000 inmates are doing hard time for property and drug offenses. These crimes, rooted in the grinding poverty of a state where malnutrition is rampant and the average welfare recipient "lives" on $50.17 a month -- pale before the official grand theft being perpetrated on the public. As conference organizer William Muhammad put it, the state is "using blacks and poor people to fuel the system and soak the middle class." Indeed, on the day before the conference convened, Alabama Gov. Fob James announced funding cuts as high as 20 percent for numerous state agencies, including the state's Special Education Trust Fund. Commenting on the shift of funds, the Huntsville Times said, "The Department of Corrections will be the biggest beneficiary." In addition, nearly 40 years after public opinion helped abolish the barbaric chain gang, this hated institution has returned to Alabama at the Limestone County Correctional Institution near Huntsville. Reports have surfaced that even men suffering from sickness and injury are being forced to labor in chains or be handcuffed all day to a "hitching post" for "refusing to work." In response, prisoners have filed suit charging violations of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. 'HEART OF DIXIE' As far back as 1976, District Court Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. declared the entire Alabama prison system to be unconstitutional on the basis of "inhumane and barbaric" conditions. Nineteen years later, as activists assembled April 8, conference speaker Casmarah Mani declared, "Alabama is still the heart of Dixie." Representing the Josephine Miller Community Organization in nearby Mobile, Mani hit the gaping disparity between the "justice" meted out to the poor and the free ride given political and corporate white- collar thieves who get away with "stealing millions." This honor society includes former Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt who was found guilty in 1993 of stealing $200,000 from a tax-exempt inaugural fund for personal uses such as buying cultured marble for a shower. Gov. Hunt will never see the inside of a prison cell, but, says Mani, "Rob K-Mart and you'll go to Atmore," referring to the brutal prison that "Scottsboro Boy" Heywood Patterson once called "the southernmost part of hell." It was precisely to that "hell" -- Atmore State Prison Farm -- that then 17-year-old Richard Mafundi Lake was sent in 1960, sentenced to an outrageous 13-year term for a $38 robbery of which he still maintains his innocence. Mired in corruption, guard brutality and filthy conditions, the prison finally exploded in May 1971, as 1200 prisoners staged a sit-down strike that lasted four days and led to the formation of Inmates For Action (IFA). Its first chairman was Richard Mafundi Lake. According to an account of his life entitled, "The Trials of Mafundi," the outspoken leader "had survived 121 days in the dog house, living on bread and water in a five by seven darkened cell" and "rebounded from a beating so serious he was mistaken for dead and placed in the morgue." Later, when guards set Lake up to be murdered and placed him in the segregated prison's white cell block, "he not only survived, but organized a food boycott among the whites." 'NEW WORLD COMING' In the almost quarter-century that has passed since the formation of Inmates For Action, Mafundi Lake has uninterruptedly faced re- arrest and re-incarceration on numerous trumped-up charges. Still, from behind bars, Lake played a pivotal role in organizing the April 8 gathering. Today the Committee for Prisoner Support in Birmingham continues to grow. Led by Weyni Lake, along with Makeda Dabney, William Muhammad and other outstanding members of the Birmingham community, the Committee brought participants from as far away as Oregon and Chicago to its conference, showing that the truth cannot be imprisoned and leg irons won't halt the march of justice. In the words of the beautiful spiritual presented by Mrs. Lake to welcome the delegates, "There's a new world coming, everything gonna be turned over. Where will you be standing when it comes?" For more about the prison struggle in Alabama and the case of Richard Mafundi Lake, write the Committee for Prisoner Support in Birmingham, P.O. Box 12152, Birmingham, Alabama, 35202-2152. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ PRISON STRUGGLE PART OF BROAD MOVEMENT: 'CHART A COURSE TO THE BRIGHT FUTURE' Editor's note: The statement which follows is an excerpt from a longer statement from the People's Tribune to the April 8 conference in Birmingham, Alabama on "The Imprisonment of America." "As a society, we now possess the technological capacity to completely eliminate the inequity, poverty and desperation that has landed 90 percent of the inmate population in prison. Yet, rather than be put to such a purpose, the present social order instead produces pre-fabricated, stainless steel prison cells in computer-driven factories, cells that can be shipped to the remotest desert or the most congested innner city and snapped together like Lego blocks. "That same technology is permanently displacing millions of workers, thousands of whom are finding themselves on the inside of the one industry that is growing by leaps and bounds: prisons. "A system that can no longer feed, clothe and house its people ultimately turns to violence. The incarceration of America is the last link in a chain that begins with the police and moves through a judicial system bursting with repressive, fascist legislation. "Yet, the historic changes in the way society produces its necessities is birthing a class of people who, having been pushed out of and rendered superfluous to the capitalist system, have no choice but to battle it to its destruction. Those who are in attendance at this conference are just such people. They represent a growing class of people who, having no stake in this system, are in the position, historically speaking, to drive a stake through its hardened, decrepit heart. "The manifold struggles represented -- against prison guard brutality, " three strikes laws, control units, in-custody murders etc. -- comprise part of a growing, objectively revolutionary movement getting under way in this country, a movement which includes the unemployed steel worker, the persecuted immigrant, the deprived senior citizen, the bloodied and beaten victim of police terror just as assuredly as it includes our loved ones behind bars. All that remains is for the leaders of this broad movement to combine, strategize and chart a course to the bright future that is surely within our grasp. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ ****************************************************************** +----------------------------------------------------------------+ "Deadly Force" is a column dedicated to exposing the scope of police terror in the United States. We open our pages to you, the front line fighters against brutality and deadly force. Send us eyewitness accounts, clippings, press releases, appeals for support, letters, photos, opinions and all other information relating to this life and death fight. Send them to People's Tribune, P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, Ill. 60654, or call (312) 486- 3551. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ 15. NEW YORK POLICE RAMPAGE: 'FEAR THAT BORDERED ON TERROR' By Anthony D. Prince By now, details of the drunken orgy of intimidation, violence and debauchery perpetrated by New York police during "National Police Week" in Washington, D.C. are well known. As thousands of police officers from around the country gathered in the nation's capital in mid-May, members of the NYPD housed at four D.C. hotels assaulted guests, banged on doors, slid naked down beer-soaked escalator handrails and ripped fire extinguishers from the walls. A false fire alarm at the Hyatt Regency drove hundreds of terrified people into the early morning cold where emergency oxygen had to be administered to older guests. Speaking with reporters from the New York Times, Frank Blackwood, an Alabama postal worker in town for a meeting of the National Association of Letter Carriers, declared, "It was the worst experience, and the scariest I've ever seen." When nine squad cars from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police finally showed up, not one cop was arrested and three weeks after the rampage, not a single guest at the Hyatt had been interviewed by NYPD investigators. That an event that began as a candlelight vigil at the National Law Enforcement Memorial could rapidly degenerate into an unchecked police assault on middle- and working-class hotel guests is an ominous sign of the times. Two years ago, 10,000 cops staged a riot on the steps of New York City Hall in response to a revamped Civilian Review Board. Plate glass doors were smashed, reporters were beaten and subway passengers were tripped and punched by the police, who had earlier received public support from soon-to-be mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Now, as that administration completes its second year, police have made the largest number of arrests in New York history targeting the homeless, "squeegee kids" and others on the societal margins of the city. But it was only a matter of time before the unchecked, unpunished police violence would spill out of the familiar surroundings of housing projects and homeless camps and into the ranks of the so- called middle class. The son of a prominent New York dentist was recently killed while in police custody. A young Romanian immigrant who panicked when questioned about a credit card purchase was chased from a department store and shot in the back of the head by police officers in nearby Suffolk County, New York and the Mollen Commission inquiry into New York police corruption revealed widespread drug trafficking, shakedowns, beatings, robberies and other mayhem -- all in a single precinct. Commissioners compared police to "a street gang." The recent outrage in Washington has now significantly escalated a process already well under way not only in New York, but in cities and towns across this country. The days when "law-abiding" Americans could evade the consequences of the concentration of more and more authority in police hands are coming to an end. The days when the "middle class" considered itself immune, while on the other side of the tracks, police assumed the role of judge, jury, and executioner -- those days are gone. In Washington, D.C., the same police "code of silence" long practiced to cover-up brutality in the "ghetto" has now been invoked to shield the cops who perpetrated last month's police riot. The meaning of this incident goes beyond mere corruption and disgrace. Heavily armed, politically active, highly organized and absolutely contemptuous of civilian restraint, American police are clearly moving toward the establishment of their own dictatorship. Behind them stand the dominant political forces holding power at this time. From President Clinton on down, it's a rare politician who dares criticize the police, indeed, who does not advocate more of them and more power to them. This New York police rampage should give every freedom-loving person in this country pause for thought. We in the League of Revolutionaries for a New America are convinced that there is going to be more of the same. That is because this country is rapidly sinking into a crushing economic depression with no way out within the confines of the present social order. A system that cannot feed, employ and house its people inevitably resorts to violence of which the police are the foremost official representatives. What happened last month showed that no one will be able to stand aside from the consequences. The refusal of the police higher-ups to take any serious disciplinary action in the wake of what happened in Washington, D.C. is fair warning: No one in authority is going to reign in the cops. Serious progressives and revolutionaries are going to have to get out and rally the American people to the danger we face. ****************************************************************** 16. CAN PAINT, WILL TRAVEL! By Kim Petersen PORTLAND, Oregon -- It would seem that Portland police have more to do than harass people who love to paint. They call certain kinds of painting vandalism. In fact, a distinction needs to be made. There is a 16-year-old artist we'll call Jon. Jon recently attended the Art Institute of Seattle where he realized his true desire was to paint -- spray paint. The only problem is that a place in Portland to paint is virtually non- existent. Jon has written numerous letters to business owners with walls of need. His repeated requests for permission to replace an eyesore with a vivid mural have been ignored. When one neighborhood business was truly defaced (the windows were scratched), the owners called the police on Jon. A certain police officer, knowing of Jon's ambitious endeavors, answered the call. He spent 45 minutes hassling Jon on his own front porch at 1 a.m. Weeks later, a public wall painting was going on in Eugene, Oregon, and Jon shared a ride with friends. Can artists came from California and all over. Creativity oozed. The end of the day approached and the boys headed home. On the way out of town, a slow-rolling freight train was spotted. The boys climbed from the car and chased after the train. With wild abandon they painted colorful images of urban malcontent. Someone from a nearby tract house dialed 911. Officers arrested Jon, who seemed to fit the description that the caller conveyed. It was late. Juvenile Hall was crowded that night and filling rapidly, yet Jon spent the night there. Jon was released and sent back to Portland via Greyhound the next afternoon. Frustrated, Jon continued his quest for a place to paint. A single Fred Meyer store continues to be one of the few industrial or commercial enterprises that allows young artists expression in the city. The store's underground parking area is a monument to this. The same structure of walls that held the topic of conversation at a recent first Thursday gathering. Some of Portland's most well- known and respected painters were heard discussing these walls. "Oh my, it's just wonderful to see," remarked one artist. "And someone painted the Pope!" she went on. "I don't know why more people can't paint walls. In Europe, they paint everything," exclaimed an elder of the Portland art circuit. The incident in Eugene was remanded back to Multnomah County and Jon was told to report to the Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program. He was given a date and told not to miss it or dire consequences would take place. Then, a week later, he received a call to postpone the date. Weeks passed and another call came. This time a non-apologetic cancellation. Chris Tokonitz, assistant director for VORP, explained that the Southern Pacific Railroad wasn't willing to meet with Jon and his parents. "Apparently, they have no record of the violation and aren't willing to appear for a mediation." Once again, the case would be turned back over to the court systems. Jon would "have to await the outcome." Jon continues to paint where he can and he watches for the police. He still writes letters to businesses, including pictures of his artwork, struggling to find a canvas to serve as a paradigm for his and his friends' unique form of passion. Jon awaits the outcome. ****************************************************************** 17. IS RAP THE PROBLEM? By Cruel the Joker's Son PATERSON, New Jersey -- Most of America wants to blame violence on rap music and the youth of today. Every time you turn on the TV, somebody different is trying to put rap down. As a rap artist with the hip-hop group Paranoia, I am tired of the media and people blaming violence on rap/hip-hop music. Rap music takes too much time and talent for it to be put down. It's time that we stand up for our music and what we stand for. Rap has come too far for the media to try to kill it. We should concentrate more on racism and the wars in our communities than on the music our youth listens to, even though it plays a big part in our lives. For information, a press kit or group merchandise (like T-shirts, flyers, etc.) on the unsigned hip-hop group Paranoia, write to: Paranoia, 725 East 22nd Street, Paterson, New Jersey 07504 or call 1-201-684-8729 or 1-917-377-1625. ****************************************************************** 18. LETTERS +----------------------------------------------------------------+ A PRISONER'S PLEA FOR LETTERS Dear People's Tribune: You probably don't remember me, but I am the battered woman who wrote to you about the CROP Walk at Dwight Correctional Center. I am trying for a clemency hearing with the battered women on July 10 through the 12. I desperately need letters of support. The only way I will be released is due to this clemency as I have a natural life sentence without parole. The more letters, the better it is. I have been incarcerated nearly nine years. Could you possibly print this plea for letters? I surely would appreciate it. Letters need to be sent to: Shelly Bannister c/o Illinois Clemency Project for Battered Women Post Office Box 25-7292 Chicago, Illinois 60625. The letters need to be received no later than July 10, 1995. Many thanks for all that you can do for me. All your help is greatly appreciated. Again, thank you. Janet Jackson #N77201 Dwight, Illinois [Editor's note: Janet Jackson helped organize a five-kilometer CROP Walk against hunger at the Dwight Correctional Center last year where $9,000 was collected.] +----------------------------------------------------------------+ PUNISHED FOR LACK OF SKILL? Dear People's Tribune: Why should people be punished for their lack of skill? In 1986, I got off of food stamps and accepted a full-time job. I didn't have too many days off, and no benefits with the job. Later, I learned that certain jobs were exempt from the "one day of rest in seven" law (Wisconsin 103-85). There were times when I've had to work for months without a day off! J.F. Wisconsin +----------------------------------------------------------------+ PRISONER FIGHTS FOR HIS RIGHT TO READ THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE Dear People's Tribune: An edition of the Tribune was recently withheld from me. I was informed that the article on "Chain Gangs" (Vol. 22 No. 16) was inflammatory and that it abets criminal activity and violence against others, that [the People's Tribune] is a communistic paper that proposes revolution in the "Chain Gangs" article. So, from my perspective, I wrote a short statement to retort this perspective: "The People's Tribune is a paper that characterizes socialistic ideologies. Communistic philosophies and Marxism are somewhat parallel to socialism. But as far as being a paper that promotes violence (physical) or criminal activity, [this] is a misconception. The Tribune reports deviant class behavior from a socialistic perspective. This is a simple political stance and not radical Marxism. The paper promotes unity in the lower caste of this society to become a political entity. That is a political revolutionary thought (non-violent) that does not deviate from the motion that the government should be 'for the people, by the people.' This is neither criminal nor incites violence lest we see American (Amerikkkan) culture and history in the same fight. Mao Tse-tung stated that 'politics is war without bloodshed.' Truth, like light, can never be extinguished. "The paper is informative. The news articles are about what is going on in this world. What the [League of Revolutionaries for a New America] proposes at the end of the articles are not of a violent nature, but political in thought. ... [League] ideologies and philosophies do not call for bloodshed or criminal activity in any way, shape or form ... but for becoming one unit to unite and become a dominant voice in this society." I sent this in and asked for a review, a reconsideration. I will inform you later of the administration's decision. Thank you much! Billy Renshaw [Editor's note: In a second letter, Mr. Renshaw informed us of the following: "I was permitted to have the April 17 issue, Vol. 22 #16."] ****************************************************************** 19. ABOUT THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, published weekly in Chicago, is devoted to the proposition that an economic system which can't or won't feed, clothe and house its people ought to be and will be changed. To that end, this paper is a tribune of the people. It is the voice of the millions struggling for survival. It strives to educate politically those millions on the basis of their own experience. It is a tribune to bring them together, to create a vision of a better world, and a strategy to achieve it. Join us! Editor: Laura Garcia Publisher: League of Revolutionaries for a New America, P.O. Box 477113, Chicago, IL 60647 (312) 486-0028 For free electronic subscription, email: pt.dist-request@noc.org To help support the production and distribution of the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, please send donations, letters, articles, photos, graphics and requests for information, subscriptions and requests for bundles of papers to: PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE P.O. Box 3524 Chicago, IL 60654 pt@noc.org Reach us by phone: Chicago: (312) 486-3551 Atlanta: (404) 242-2380 Baltimore: (410) 467-4769 Detroit: (313) 839-7600 Los Angeles: (310) 428-2618 Washington, D.C.: (202) 529-6250 Oakland, CA: (510) 464-4554 GETTING THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE IN PRINT The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE is available at many locations nationwide. One year subscriptions $25 ($35 institutions), bulk orders of 5 or more 15 cents each, single copies 25 cents. Contact PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, P. O. Box 3524, Chicago, Illinois 60654, tel. (312) 486- 3551. WRITING FOR THE PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE We want your story in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE. Send it in! Articles should be shorter than 300 words, written to be easily understood, and signed. (Use a pen name if you prefer.) Include a phone number for questions. Contact PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE, P. O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654, tel. (312) 486-3551. ****************************************************************** We encourage reproduction and use of all articles except those copyrighted. Please credit the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE. The PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE depends on donations from its readers -- your generosity is appreciated. For free electronic subscription, email: pt.dist- request@noc.org ******************************************************************