Newark, NJ—Over two dozen protestors marched outside Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s “State of the City” address today. The goal of the protest was to shed more light on the water crisis occurring in Newark and other cities around the U.S. While the protest did that, it also exposed the liberal politicians for the fascists they really are. Many groups focus strictly on Trump and other open right-wingers as ushering in fascism, but Progressive Labor Party has always maintained that the liberals will be much more successful at getting the working class in line for what the capitalists have in store for us. Some of our friends are starting to realize that as our struggle sharpens.
Class struggle will expose liberals
The protest was organized by the Newark Water Coalition, a group trying to organize students and workers to fight for clean water. The organization began a few months ago with meetings twice a week, but this was the group’s first action—a big step forward.
The action not only energized many who have been coming to the meetings, but it also exposed how the liberal politicians are going to be able to usher in fascism more successfully in the cities than the open white supremacists. As we marched outside the front entrance of the New Jersey Performing Art Center, a few members of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition came out of the building to heckle the crowd, and called on the police to remove them.
The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, started by Baraka before he became mayor, has been “fighting” police and gang violence in Newark. The group had a history of shutting down traffic in the street. Many of the members have now been able to work with City Hall and look at cops as their allies. Soon after a confrontation with these liberal fascists, the cops pushed the crowd to the other side of the street behind barricades.
This so-called revolutionary Mayor had a plan to work with the cops to try to shut us down immediately.”
The fact that Baraka had to set up barricades and have the cops push the protestors back outside the event is actually a step backwards for him and the capitalist class he serves. Liberals always try to control the masses through winning them over with ideas. In his speech, Baraka spoke a lot about fighting gentrification and getting people jobs. Whether or not these things will come to fruition is not the point. What is clear is that liberal politicians need to address the issues that Black and Latin workers are concerned about to try to win them to believe that capitalism can be made to work for them. It seems to be working for the moment. The protests for clean water have been relatively small.
However, as the fightback continues, more and more workers and students will recognize that the liberals, through their words and deeds, owe their allegiance to the capitalist class.
City council tries to silence protestors
While the Mayor sends cops and his stooges to try to silence protestors, Council President Mildred Crump is doing it at the Newark City Council meetings. Over the last month, Crump (another one of the professional liberal politicians who has been on the council since 1994) had the police remove three speakers from the podium because they were using “inappropriate language.” One of them used the word “damn” as he was talking about the lead water crisis.
Many people are working alongside legalistic groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (TAPinto 3/25/19), but it really is going to take a mass movement to stop the attacks on workers who are fighting back.
Class struggle will make our ideas shine
Members of PLP have been involved in this struggle and will continue to fight alongside students and workers to expose  liberals as we fight for our class needs. While many of our friends still believe that workers can get power through voting for the “best” candidate, it is up to us communists to show them how this system really works. In this battle over the lead in our water, we have met some great young fighters. Many of them have been open to receiving copies of Challenge and we hope to build a study group to further discuss our political philosophy and to sharpen the struggle. As one friend recently put it, “I know you always like to call Democrats the more sophisticated fascists and I thought you were just paranoid, but this sh*t today showed me.”