The Republican National Convention (RNC) has never been a welcoming place for communists. With Trump being shot two days prior to the start of the RNC, the stakes were even higher. During a tense time and an extremely hot day, 20 Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members and friends were able to overcome a lot of fear and bring our line to the working class of Milwaukee. While navigating through a sea of revisionists and single issue groups, we reminded everyone around through our chants and our literature that communism is the only solution.
Planning a summer project in a city 30 minutes from where 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse shot three workers - two fatally - for standing up against racism in August 2020 was no easy feat. Everyone involved felt fear particularly about the open carry status of Wisconsin and the potential for crazed MAGA supporters to show up. Through collective planning and action though, confidence took the place of fear and determination positioned us to provide leadership to the working class.
Local bosses, kkkops offer nothing but fascism
Milwaukee is historically one of the most segregated cities in the country. The working class there was left behind decades ago when bosses abandoned the city, moving their factories in the search for cheaper labor. Vacant lots, boarded up buildings, and encampments of unhoused workers just outside of the downtown area demonstrated the state in which the city has been left. The $200 million RNC bill after just four days could have certainly been put to better use for workers there.
A chunk of that huge bill went to showing workers of Milwaukee fascism up close and personal. 4500 cops were brought in from around the country in addition to the local city and state police, as well as the Secret Service. Concrete barricades were used well outside the perimeter of the convention to prevent residents from driving around downtown. Cages were set up ready to handle protests in the event of mass arrests.
There were dozens of security checkpoints. Cops used horses, bikes, and boats with M240 belt-fed machine guns to cover maximum ground.
Beating back revisionism
We bravely stared fascism in the face and carried out our plan to provide political leadership to the march. As revisionists and misleaders chanted “Si se puede'' and “Power to the people',” we interjected, “Trump and Biden, all the same, racist terror is the name of the game” and “Free, free Palestine, fight for communism, now’s the time.” Many marchers joined our chants. Even those affiliated with the revisionist parties commented on their appreciation for our chant’s revolutionary fervor.
One young woman stayed with us the entire route. We shared a CHALLENGE with her and asked her why she chose us out of all the groups there. She said we are communists and she is a communist. Although only 16, she came to these ideas on her own and identified them in us through our chanting. She shared her address to receive a subscription to the paper and said she will join our events and potentially our organization once she turns 18.
Another woman was driving and honking alongside the first lap of the march, so we got her a newspaper. She came back around the second lap of the march and held CHALLENGE out of her car and screamed enthusiastically about what she read.
Workers need a real solution!
At the end of the day, everyone in earshot of the march knew that there are choices beyond Trump or Biden. They may not be ready to make that choice yet, but they will certainly remember that whether they were there to protect abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, or something else, PLP was there to remind them that abolishing capitalism and setting up a communist world is the only way to actualize their vision. We will take this momentum and use it to prepare for bringing the same message to the DNC next month. The struggle continues!
