BALTIMORE, MD, 9/6 — This evening a number of local workers angrily protested the racist police murder of Donnell Rochester. Three years ago, Donnell was unarmed, but Baltimore police nevertheless gunned him down in cold blood, shortly before he would have graduated high school. Comrades from the Progressive Labor Party have been active in this struggle, to fight for a system where Donnell would have still been alive–communism.

Prosecutors back killer cops

The reform demand is for Governor Wes Moore to move the case from the Baltimore City State’s Attorney to the statewide Attorney General’s office. This is because the City State’s Attorney, Ivan Bates, has refused to prosecute the killer cops that horrifically stole Donnell’s life.

Face off in the streets 

Led boldly by Donnell’s mother, we faced off with police for about an hour. During that confrontation, one of the supervisory white-shirt cops was in contact with racist Police Chief Richard Worley. He was in charge of the Northeast District, when cops under his command killed Tyrone West. Apparently, Worley figured it wouldn’t be a good look for his cops to arrest us.

Liberal governor friendly to finance capital 

However, we need to keep in mind that the U.S. system of so-called democracy is, in actuality, a dictatorship of the capitalist class. For example, Maryland’s first Black governor, liberal Wes Moore – just like all the governors before him – has a background of “friendships and board relationships with America’s super-wealthy corporate elite” (Baltimore Sun Commentary, 8/8). 

For five years, Moore was an investment banker at Deutsche Bank in London and at Citigroup in New York. In 2017 his big corporate break arrived when he became CEO of the “anti-poverty” Robin Hood Foundation. That organization, in essence, is a tax shelter for hedge funders. “It’s still run by financial masters of the universe” and “its board members” - such as David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs (Sun Commentary).

Is Maryland Governor Wes Brown likely to change the jurisdiction of Donnell’s case to the Attorney General’s office? Probably not (even if he does, the courts will never bring the justice Donnell truly deserves).

Let’s keep in mind that murders in the U.S. - during 2023 - went down by more than 11 percent. However, in sharp contrast, police killed more workers in 2023 than during any other year in more than a decade [MappingPoliceViolence.us].

Can't rely on capitalism for justice

Capitalism needs racism. The lower wages paid to Black and Latin workers account for about a fifth of total corporate profits. And racism, even more importantly, is used by the capitalist class to divide and weaken the working class. Police murders are part of this racism.

If Governor Moore were to turn over Donnell’s case to the Maryland Attorney General, it would be theatrics. We must keep in mind that Moore would simply be posturing, pretending that the capitalist state will end its violent and racist suppression of our class.

We must smash racism and the capitalist state, and build a new, fully egalitarian communist world of sisterhood and brotherhood. We must honor Donnell Rochester. Dare to struggle. Dare to win!