A Brooklyn, NY church held a forum on the issues related to the mass incarceration of black and Latino youth and workers. It was a follow-up to reading Michelle Alexander’s widely read book The New Jim Crow. Over 100 people heard a panel of community leaders and activists present their experiences with the realities of this systematic, racist attack on black and Latino communities.
In short, with the excuse of a “war on drugs,” the bosses set in place a system of what seems like “colorblind” laws such as the Rockefeller Drug Laws, mandatory sentencing, and policing methods like Stop-and-Frisk and community policing. But, because these policing tactics are carried out almost exclusively in black and Latin communities, the racist outcome is many thousands of people being terrorized, arrested and fed into the criminal justice system.
Once in the system, the racist application of the Rockefeller Laws, mandatory sentencing and the unchallenged discretion of the prosecutor, hand most of these defendants outrageous prison terms. In many cases, these are minor infractions for which a white person wouldn’t even get a reprimand.
A panelist that helps felons re-establish their lives after prison discussed the hardships encountered after release. The stigma of “felon,” the new codeword for race identity, results in a lifetime of racist discrimination. Employers, landlords, lending agencies and government programs use the “felon” status to deny jobs, housing, loans and government assistance.  How can anyone survive like this? It’s no wonder 66 percent of ex-felons return to jail within three years.
Another panelist, a Harlem woman, described numerous acts of police harassment and brutality. Many residents, especially males, are repeatedly harassed by Stop-and-Frisk tactics. One heinous police action forced children in a public play area to stand line-up style as a bright light was shined in their eyes so that a pick-pocket victim might recognize the criminal.  This would never happen or be tolerated in more affluent areas.   
Why is this happening?  Who benefits? Some panelists answered: Prisons are big business. In some places, prisons are the biggest or only employer in economically strapped towns. Industries use prison labor and pay them almost nothing, thus making bigger profits. The federal government gives law enforcement agencies military equipment and financial incentives to fight the “drug war” in the inner cities; the more they arrest, the more they get, including confiscated stuff. 
All this is true, but one panelist hit it home:  capitalism needs class distinctions and segregation to control the working class; to keep the working class from uniting and fighting back.  The bosses need scapegoats like black and Latino youth and undocumented immigrants to blame for the misery we suffer under capitalism.  The bosses need unemployed workers to keep the wages of all workers down.
Several reform solutions were offered, like putting more money into education, job training, housing, better mental health services and childhood intervention.  But we’ve heard this before.  These reforms are not the solution.  We need to work for multiracial unity in the working class, build PLP and build for revolution to throw off the chains of capitalism.

NEW YORK CITY, January 16 — “Red Cross, Double Cross. Red Cross, Double Cross” chanted Sandy survivors and supporters, including Progressive Labor Party members and friends, as they picketed the New York City headquarters of the Red Cross for the second time. Five weeks ago, Far Rockaway evacuees whom we had met at a shelter had been placed in Manhattan and Queens hotels with no funds for food, clothes, or other supplies. After demonstrating at the Red Cross, assistance was obtained for one month. Now it had run out and people were desperate.
In all its ads to raise money, the Red Cross claims to help Sandy survivors.  In reality very little of the money raised goes to help the working-class victims and survivors. Much of the money remains in the Red Cross coffers and pays the salaries and perks of administrators. One of the former heads of the Red Cross is Elizabeth Dole, wife of former U.S. presidential contender Bob Dole.
During our action, several Red Cross spokespeople told us no more aid would be forthcoming. “We already helped you enough, we don’t do housing,” they said. However, after this hard-hearted statement showed up on several TV stations, the red-faced Red Cross had second thoughts, and some victims did begin receiving monetary and housing aid.
Two and a half months after the devastation caused by Sandy, there are still at least 3,500 families in hotels in New York and New Jersey and 800 single adults living in fleabag hotels and single room occupancies. FEMA, New York State, New York City, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other “non-profit” agencies are still shuffling them like a deck of used cards among shelters, hotels and motels. Families are being promised apartments in City Housing, but none have yet been moved. Low-income apartments listed on FEMA’s website turn out not to be available to FEMA applicants.
The Sandy survivors we know and their children are now in hotels and motels in Queens and Manhattan. They have been promised a) assistance in finding affordable housing and medical care, since they are unable to get to their regular medical facility, b) accessible schools for their children, and c) financial assistance and case workers to help them navigate through the myriad of red tape.
They have received promise after promise, nearly all of which have proven meaningless. Instead the politicians and “non-profits” are paying hundreds of dollars per night per family for one hotel room. This benefits the corporate hotel owners who can keep their hotels full and the money flowing even when the tourists are not there. Of course there are NO cooking facilities in these rooms. In most cases even the normal microwaves and refrigerators are removed before the survivors are allowed into the rooms. Therefore, all food must be bought ready-to-eat which, especially in midtown Manhattan, is impossible on any working-class income.
But these survivors and their friends are uniting and fighting back. This demonstration at the Red Cross was part of an ongoing struggle, including actions at FEMA and other government offices. We must unite the struggles of Sandy survivors, striking school bus drivers and matrons and all members of the working class.  The politicians and the billionaires they serve are terrified of our unity.. They use racism, sexism, religion, and nationalism to keep us divided. We, the working class, are many and when united we are strong. With our unity we can continue our struggles. More importantly, we can build a revolution to destroy this entire system of capitalism where the handful of  billionaires live off our blood, sweat and tears. We can build a communist world of collectivity and sharing run by the working class.

PHILADELPHIA, January 28 — “The bosses got this slave thing going on,” a Philadelphia hospital worker complains. She observes that supervisors are more disrespectful and quick to write up workers for insubordination. Then there’s the two-tier wage system and biometric testing brought in by the contract in July 2012, which are used to divide workers.
Another hospital worker noticed that the bosses at their hospital are hiring many new inexperienced workers, especially nurses. These new workers more readily follow supervisors’ orders to do work in other workers’ job descriptions. Meanwhile older, more experienced workers are more frequently harassed. And everyone is being overworked.
Thousands of years of civilization, decades of union fights — so why do we still have this slavery going on? The answer is capitalism. Only communist revolution can abolish this wage slavery because only communism abolishes classes and wages. The whole point of capitalism is wage slavery for the working class to generate the greatest profits for the bosses.
Under capitalism the rich bosses use state power, the government, to rule the working class. Racism and sexism are necessary to generate superprofits for the bosses. Communism means that the working class holds state power and runs society. Communism is the only way to organize society without wage slaves or slaves of any kind.
Capitalism also creates profit wars as competing bosses fight for resources and markets. To pay for these wars and to discipline the workers the bosses need fascism, a more open dictatorship by the capitalists. Any workers’ “legal rights” are abolished. Workers’ wages, benefits, living standards and “rights” are destroyed. Fascism is the scientific name for this type of slavery. The bosses need an obedient working class to accept a poverty living standard and to fight their wars.
The two-tier wage system and biometric testing in the Philly hospitals are a part of fascism. A two-tier wage system obviously means greater profits for the bosses while bringing new workers’ wages down further toward poverty wages – like it was before the union! The biometric testing means that workers must agree to a health screen. If they refuse they must pay a penalty of paying more money for their health benefits.
Many workers rightfully suspect biometric testing is a ploy to sneak in drug and alcohol testing on everyone. Other workers think it may be a good idea because it would compel people to get medical treatment for their untreated health problems. “Some of us are walking time bombs!” as one worker said.
The biometric testing however not only opens the door to drug testing all workers but also attacks all workers with health problems, which is tied to living under capitalism. Many workers suffer from diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, respiratory and cardiac issues, anxiety, depression and drug addiction.
Capitalism fosters these diseases through the production and marketing of unhealthy foods that generate the greatest profits, promoting smoking, alcohol, drugs and other unhealthy life styles. It’s stressful just to live in this damn system. The biometric testing penalizes the very workers that capitalism victimizes.
There’s only one way to end this slavery once and for all: the working class must destroy capitalism with communist revolution. On the day-to-day level, this means that the Philadelphia hospital workers who read PLP’s Challenge newspaper should distribute it to more and more workers. Study groups should be formed. Readers should promote, organize and lead small and large fights against the bosses’ attacks. Let’s bury this slave system once and for all!
(For more info on PLP in Philly call 267-319-3515.)


ALBANY, NY, January 8 — Nearly 1,000 workers rallied here in a fight to prevent the closing of Downstate Hospital, stop layoffs and preserve patient services. Rising at 4:00 a.m., they used a vacation day to board buses from Brooklyn to the State Capital. Black and Latino women workers led the way, bringing family and friends.
The closing or privatization of this hospital, which serves central Brooklyn’s predominantly black and Latino population where healthcare needs are the highest, is a racist and sexist attack. It will ultimately take patient lives and cause the death of their community. Already 400 layoffs and the threat of many more to come are devastating these workers and patient care. Actually privatization has already begun. Outsourced non-union cleaners are replacing those laid off.
Hundreds of fists in the air in that usually quiet State legislative palace signified workers’ commitment to struggle. The facts were stated clearly, such as Downstate cares for 400,000 very needy patients annually; 15,000 petitions collected by workers and their allies told Governor Cuomo the facts, but he ignores them. He’s been planning healthcare cuts for several years.
He appointed a Wall Street tycoon, Steven Berger, to lead a commission — which includes two leaders of Service Employees International Union’s 1199 Healthcare Workers East — to deconstruct healthcare in Brooklyn.
Cuomo’s plan, mirroring similar cuts around the U.S, takes away gains in job security and healthcare that workers have won from struggles in the 1930s, ’40s and ’60s. The bosses’ success in eroding health care here will spread.
The pro-capitalist misleaders of the State AFL-CIO and the head of the State’s Civil Service Employees Association (representing hundreds of thousands of NY State workers) refuse to lead a real offensive against these cuts. A massive fight could marshal support in our communities and might keep hospitals open. Instead of a plan of action all we got was a pep talk and prayers.
Many workers were frustrated by this show and complained, “Or else what?” and “Where’s the punch?” Some of us tried to start a chant “Occupy Downstate!” The potential energy of the aroused workers was deflated by the union mis-leaders, ministers and politicians.
Progressive Labor Party is committed to leading a militant class struggle to keep Downstate open, return laid-off workers to their jobs and to fight for healthcare services for all. But we also know that a system based on profits first and workers last won’t create jobs and provide decent healthcare. It has to go.
The bosses who control this system aren’t concerned with our health or other needs. They’re locked in competition with their capitalist rivals abroad. They aim to divert funds for healthcare to finance wars that they hope will maintain their domination of the world’s resources and the exploitation of the international working class.
Their system is geared to keep the lion’s share of the world’s wealth for the capitalists who own it and will always sacrifice our needs to that end. We need to develop leadership to build an egalitarian communist world in which society is organized to meet the needs of all workers.