Justice for George Floyd! Labor must answer the call
Protesters kneel in front of the steps of the court houses in Foley Square
In the midst of a global pandemic, a popular insurrection has engulfed the city of Minneapolis after a cop murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck until he died. The anger of the people was such that it has overwhelmed their fear of police repression. The 3rd Precinct of Minneapolis was burned to the ground. The protesters went ahead and destroyed the symbols of corporate power in their communities, such as the Target and McDonalds. These acts of violence by the people against the economic and white supremacist control over their lives are justified, and a long time coming.
In response, the bus drivers in Minneapolis have refused to help the MPD take the protesters to jail. As spontaneous protest broke out in cities all over the country, other workers showed similar gestures of solidarity. In New York City, bus drives of the Transportation Worker Union also refused to take the protesters to jail. There are now calls to kick out police unions from the AFL-CIO.
These gestures of solidarity by workers should come as no surprise. After all, it is not corporate executives, hedge fund managers, or bankers being beaten or killed by the police. The receivers of police brutality are workers, or children of workers. To patrol our communities, to protect the private property of the bosses, and to instill terror so we don’t attempt to free ourselves, that is the whole purpose of police.
"But not all cops are bad," that's what some say. But what happens when those "good" cops denounce the brutality of their colleagues? In many cases, far from being congratulated, they are put on disciplinary action or fired by their respective departments. What kind of public servant gets fired for doing the right thing?
The police are not workers. They are armed agents of the state acting on behalf of corporate power. When workers rally to demand better wages and union representation police are always standing between the workers and the boss, protecting private property against the interests of the working class. When white supremacist rally to celebrate their hateful ideology, the cops shield them from the anger of the people. When immigrants organize for their rights as workers, immigration cops are called to take them to cages and finally deport them. They will come after workers in full force if they are ever accused of stealing from their boss, but when a worker accuses their employer for wage theft, unpaid overtime, and other labor violations, the police are a no show.
When has the police ever put up a statement supporting a worker strike? When have they ever promised not to attack workers protesting against the boss? However, when it is time to arrest protesters, when it is time to defend the property of the bosses, when it is time to commit violence against the members of the working class, cops are the first in the scene.
This is the reason labor cannot stand as a mere witness to these acts violence against working class communities, specifically against Black working class communities. We must follow the examples of the bus drivers in Minneapolis and New York City, and extend our full solidarity to the protesters against police violence. As long as the police have free reign to murder people without repercussions, no worker is safe.
Perhaps a lot of workers won’t experience police violence for the simple act of standing around their neighborhoods, or walking to the store like Mike Brown, or after being stopped for a traffic violation like Sandra Bland, or for simply being in your house like Breonna Taylor. But what we as workers must understand is that if the police can act with impunity against our Black sisters and brothers, that means they can also act with impunity against you and any other worker.
Justice for George Floyd!
Solidarity with the police brutality protesters!
Police unions out of worker organizations!
Fist up, fight back!
