HELP! in minnesota

[ninjakik]

I am very interested in becoming active in some sort of socialist/communist organization or group in my state but the few i have found seem to be a bit shady with there beliefs or practices anyone in my area looking to help or anyone who can find someone who can connect me it would be much appreciated



Ninjakik

[chegitz guevara]

Whatever you do, stay away from "The O." It's a clandestine Maoist cult in the Twin Cities. I can't even tell you if it still exists, but it's leader was in jail for murder.

[YSR]

Yikes! Well, I've never heard of "the O," but it sounds terrifying. I feel like I'd have heard of it though.

The only functioning Maoist group in the Twin Cities that I'm aware of is Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Fight Back!, who I have had absolutely miserable experiences with. They're a cliquish crew who basically weasel their way into leadership roles in liberal organizations and try to push a "mass line" of boring liberal inaction. The Revolutionary Communist Party might be around ('cause I've heard of World Can't Wait holding protests once in a blue moon, and they're an RCP front group). RCP is marginally better than FRSO.

As far as other socialist groups: Socialist Alternative is reasonably active, particularly in youth/counter-recruitment work. And the Twin Cities branch of the IWW is really active (I am a member) and a broad coalition of anti-capitalist workers interested in organizing at the point of production. There are also some Wobblies up north around Duluth.

There's a member on RevLeft who's active in some Trotskyist org in the TC, but I don't know what it is.

The anarchist community all around Minnesota is super crazy active and growing daily. There are a zillion ways to plug into anarchist projects. If you're interested in any of those, PM me.

[chegitz guevara]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_O_%28political_group%29

[YSR]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_O_%28political_group%29

Oh yeah, they got the shit kicked out of them in the Co-op wars in the 70/80's. No fear.

[RedDawn]

Yea, we (Socialist Alternative) have a lot of branches in the Midwest.

Check it out:

http://www.socialistminnesota.org/

If you want some contact info for an organizer there, PM me.

[chegitz guevara]

Oh yeah, they got the shit kicked out of them in the Co-op wars in the 70/80's. No fear.

I read somewhere they were still active, clandestinely, as of the 90s.

[leftspot]

The only functioning Maoist group in the Twin Cities that I'm aware of is Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Fight Back!, who I have had absolutely miserable experiences with. They're a cliquish crew who basically weasel their way into leadership roles in liberal organizations and try to push a "mass line" of boring liberal inaction.

I'm sorry to hear you've apparently had bad experiences with Freedom Road. It sounds like your mind is pretty made up about Freedom Road, but I'd like to respond for the record (as a supporter of FRSO) in case you are willing to engage in discussion about it, and for the benefit of others reading this.

What you wrote does not square at all with Freedom Road's practice in Minnesota or anywhere. Freedom Road does not 'weasel their way into leadership roles' of anything. We're talking about volunteer activist organizations and movements where people become leaders by providing ideas that make sense and doing the work that helps build the movement and fight for change.

Members of Freedom Road are dedicated to organizing and work their butts off in mass movements and mass organizations fighting for whatever changes can be won under capitalism while continuing to build for revolutionary change. FRSO members build organizations and lead activism on many issues. When FRSO members become leaders of mass organizations, it is because the work they do is good and helps build the movement successfully. Like anyone else, FRSO members are only recognized as leaders when they have ideas and do work that's successful and therefore worthy of recognition. Nothing 'weasel' about it.

Also, can you name one 'liberal' organization that Freedom Road members are active in? There aren't any. In the Twin Cities, there are FRSO members active in many mass organizations and movements - all of which are progressive or radical, but none of which promote liberal politics or illusions. The only exception I can think of is unions, which certainly have liberal sell-out leadership at the national level, but the FRSO members active in their unions do not promote liberal politics - on the contrary they promote class struggle politics in the unions.

I don't know how to respond to your vague and unverifiable allegation that FRSO is a 'cliquish crew'. I can only say that's just not true at all. FRSO members are constantly working with and engaging all kinds of people from lots of political ideologies and backgrounds, in a non-sectarian way.

You say that FRSO "try to push a 'mass line' of boring liberal inaction". That's just a total lie (and a slander of the 'mass line' organizing method). In all the mass organizing that FRSO members do, they push to build the mass movement as broadly as possible, pushing for more militance where possible, and supporting more radical advanced actions. FRSO members have organized and participated in countless civil disobedience actions over the years, as well as countless marches and protests that included direct confrontations with the powers that be that didn't necessarily lead to arrest but brought large numbers of people into the streets and to the doorsteps of power to demand change.

It is the complete opposite of the truth to say that FRSO promotes 'inaction'. On the contrary, what FRSO members basically always emphasize and promote in mass organizations and movements is the need for taking action, for publicly confronting the powers that be. This is because people mainly learn about the nature of the system we're up against and what it will take to change it through their experiences of trying to fight for change. I don't think anyone could credibly argue that FRSO members argue against taking action, and it also does not ring true to me at all that you imply FRSO members push for 'boring' approaches. On the contrary, FRSO members push for creative and fun ways of doing things that engage people and push the envelope. And 'liberal'? Really? Just one example - in the anti-war movement FRSO openly advocates consistent anti-imperialism, and therefore advocates support for the Iraqi and Palestinian resistance, as well as for the revolutionary movements in Colombia, the Philippines, Nepal, etc. FRSO guilty of liberalism? Um, I don't think so.

Anyone who wants to learn more about FRSO's politics can check out frso.org and if you want examples of activism that FRSO members are active in and/or support, check out the Fight Back Newspaper website - fightbacknews.org. I don't think you can look at the activism promoted on the Fight Back website and honestly say that FRSO promotes 'liberal' or 'boring' anything, or promotes 'inaction'. It's just totally untrue.

And a last point - FRSO does not describe itself as a "Maoist" organization, but rather as a "Marxist-Leninist" organization. It's not a huge point, and we can discuss the distinction if you want, but for now I'll leave it at that.

Your criticisms of FRSO are so off base that it leads me to believe that either you have no actual experience with FRSO, or you have some unstated political differences and rather than engage in a principled discussion of your political differences you instead chose to make vague unverifiable slanders against the group. I would hope for a more principled discussion of actual differences, to help clarify politics rather than muddy the waters.

In struggle and solidarity.

[YSR]

I've got big political differences with them, that ain't exactly "unstated". I've also had plenty of experience with your organization and continue to work with them on a daily basis. I continue to uphold my statements that FRSO is a non-revolutionary clique. Some of the people in it might be okay, but it's organizing strategy is fucked up and cliquish, absolutely.

I don't want to air our dirty laundry in public though, so I will stop talking about this here.

[Axel1917]

I've got big political differences with them, that ain't exactly "unstated". I've also had plenty of experience with your organization and continue to work with them on a daily basis. I continue to uphold my statements that FRSO is a non-revolutionary clique. Some of the people in it might be okay, but it's organizing strategy is fucked up and cliquish, absolutely.

I don't want to air our dirty laundry in public though, so I will stop talking about this here.

Ugh. Don't even get me started on the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (Fightback) group. They are basically the CPUSA with a "Maoist" label on it. They constantly violate democratic decisions taken in coalitions (take the immigrant rights one in the Twin Cities for a prime example), and they always try to water programs down into worthless liberalism. The FRSO (Fightback) initially supported the anti-immigrant STRIVE Act for one example. They also have repeatedly supported the democrats.

In fact, when it comes to immigrant rights, the demands of FRSO in lag behind the demands and slogans of reformists active in immigrant rights struggles.

Comrades have seen FRSO suddenly bring in more members of their organization to stack the votes too. I could go on and on with the crap they pull, but I won't spend all day talking about that.

In short, FRSO (F) is a combination of totalitarianism and rotten liberalism.

The Workers' International League is active in the Twin Cities, and it has grown a bit. It has a solid theoretical core.

[chegitz guevara]

All I know about the FRSO - Fight Back crowd was that when my comrades and I happened to be in a bar with them, and we started singing the International, they didn't join in. Damned sectarians! ;) (true story)

[Die Neue Zeit]

^^^ I wonder what the main, non-Stalinist FRSO (freedomroad.org) is doing in Minnesota.

[leftspot]

^^^ I wonder what the main, non-Stalinist FRSO (freedomroad.org) is doing in Minnesota.

The freedomroad.org FRSO is not present in Minnesota. Only the frso.org FRSO.

[Lacrimi de Chiciură]

Hey comrade what part of Minnesota are you in? We have Centro Campesino
(http://www.centrocampesino.net/) here in the southeast.