Seize the Time: Into the Streets and Out to the People

Right now, society is boiling—especially, but not only—over the outrage of repeated unpunished murder by police. Things erupt—in Madison, in Ferguson, in LA, and Atlanta—where next? The people rise up, the clamps and the confusion-peddlers come down, but the people do not stop. Big questions about the whole history and present-day character of this capitalist-imperialist and white supremacist society are forced into the open and are being debated. Those on top of society do NOT have it all together—they are riddled with problems and deep into conflicts with each other, even as they try in different ways to come down on the people. What we do right now matters—a great deal! Whether people, in their millions, come to see the possibility of a whole different way the world could be—the possibility of an actual revolution—and whether they see ways to build the struggle against the oppressive power we face today in more powerful and really unstoppable way: this is a big thing. Revcom.us/Revolution is focusing right now on two major initiatives aimed at reaching those goals. The first is the March 28 online launch and premiere of the filmed Dialogue between Bob Avakian and Cornel West, REVOLUTION AND RELIGION: The Fight for Emancipation and the Role of Religion. Elsewhere on this site we get into the nature of this Dialogue and why it is so crucial to people gaining an understanding and a deep sense of a REAL alternative, a real revolution—including a very real and deep speaking to the current struggles that are raging. The interview with Ardea Skybreak, the trailer for the film, and the YouTube clip of how BA and Cornel West take on a key question about why these outrages keep happening and what must be done in the face of that... all these give you a sense of what a difference it could make to get this dialogue out to hundreds of thousands and then millions. Second, on April 14, the Stop Mass Incarceration Network has called for a day to “Shut It Down” in defiance of and resistance to the ongoing wave of murder by police, and the whole New Jim Crow of mass incarceration directed against Black and Latino people, as well as other people of color. This day must make clear to millions that this struggle must not only “not go away” or have its sharp edge worn down or blunted, but it must take, and is taking, a leap to another level. The statement in this issue from Carl Dix, along with the article, “Let’s Be Crystal Goddamn Clear: The Problem Has Been and Is the Relentless Unpunished Murders by Police. This MUST Be STOPPED! And We Must Stop It,” as well as other pieces, give a sense of the stakes and how to understand and speak to the controversies that boil over every day... with the enemy, and among the people themselves. Right now, making these two things—the online launch and premieres of the film of the Dialogue and #ShutdownA14—really big is the major way to act on the whole situation. And again, what we do matters—and at a time like this, it is magnified. Right now—starting on Wednesday, March 18 and running through Friday, March 27—we call on everyone reading this to give as much time and effort and ideas as you possibly can to massively flyer, get out posters, work social media, break into regular media, and in one way or another get people informed about and organized to be part of both these crucial efforts. Teams should form up and be organized to get out materials to sections of the people and areas where the revolution is known or should be known—communities, campuses (college and high school), and anywhere people gather who are raising their heads and want to see things change. These teams should have a mission of getting out massive amounts of posters, fliers, and palm cards... showing videos (like the trailer for the film of the Dialogue) on the street or in classes and shops... and getting out Revolution newspaper and the “5 STOPS“ at the same time. Key areas should be saturated with these materials, to the point where everyone knows about these things. These teams should try to apply the article “Lessons from November in NYC: Building for the Dialogue Between BA and Cornel West.” And they should be ready to jump into and help lead struggle at any time (blowing their whistles as they do!). As the article “Lessons” points out, they should constantly be going back to the main articles and videos we’ve pointed to and re-grounding in what we’re doing and why. Centers of revolution in local areas should prepare now to serve all this, with plenty of materials and well conceived plans, beginning Wednesday morning. Funds should be raised over these next few days, and then later, through consistent phone banking, reaching out and reaching back to friends and supporters, shaking the can on the street, and finding potential donors at different events. In many places, real cores have begun to take shape in the Revolution Club, around the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, the BA Everywhere Committees, Revolution Books stores, and other initiatives; these cores should be further built and relied upon. These 10 days will be intense and challenging, coming at a time when society is roiling and millions have awakened... AND they should be fun and a time to learn as well! Most of all: these efforts can contribute to changing all of society, first by making the online launch and premieres of the Dialogue something that radically expands the thinking of tens of thousands in the next period and, second, by making #ShutDownA14 a major social question in society, giving people everywhere a way to be part of powerfully retaking the offensive against police murder.