Los Angeles: Something Is Beginning Here

[flyby]

Los Angeles

There is Something Beginning Here
Revolution #1, May 1, 2005, posted at http://revcom.us

The following is from a correspondent in Los Angeles:

Panning the city of Los Angeles from afar, your eyes are drawn to the many bright centers—not a massive downtown business district like New York or Chicago, but pockets of tall buildings sparkling on the skyline. Panning away from the bright lights reveals vast stretches of dilapidated neighborhoods—old houses and stucco apartment buildings dotted with churches, liquor stores, and run-down markets. Lining the edges of these neighborhoods are factory and warehouse districts—not the huge factories of the 1970s, but small mini-factories where people do work like packaging coffee, making furniture, sewing clothes, or assembling machine parts. In the most impoverished places of the city there is almost nothing you can see from a far-away glance—and when you focus in and move down into these neighborhoods you feel the oppressiveness of the surroundings.

A young Black security guard lives in one of these neighborhoods and works at a warehouse some distance away. He takes the train and the bus to work, always listening to the beats in his head that he’s dreaming up to rap over. He works and supports a family and is a firm believer in Islam.

Today his backpack is full of leaflets—in English and in Spanish—of the statement from the Revolutionary Communist Party: "The Battle for the Future Will Be Fought From Here Forward."

On his way to work he stops at the gas station where he always picks up snacks. The cashier smiles and warmly welcomes him as he opens his backpack to take out the leaflets. Her first language is Spanish, but she says in English that he’s come just in time because she’s run out of Spanish leaflets. She points to the counter where there are some English ones left and an empty space where the Spanish had been. He stacks the refills for her and tells her he’ll bring more Spanish next time. She explains that the trucker from Mexicali came to pick up more than usual for the truck stops on his route. He asks if she’s watched the DVD of Bob Avakian, Revolution: Why It’s Necessary, Why It’s Possible, What’s It All About, that he brought her last time. She says it’s great and that she’s passing it around to her family members.

I asked this young spreader-of-leaflets how he happened to connect with this immigrant woman at the gas station. He said that after some conversations, she told him he wasn’t like most of the Black people she sees come through there. Her impression of Black people had been that they don’t like to work and they don’t like immigrants. When she said he was different, she meant because he works every day and because he treats her as an equal. He talked to her about the history of Black people in this country and how Black people and immigrants from Mexico have ended up in the same poor neighborhoods together, oppressed by the same system. He told her that Black people need to fight not just for themselves but for everybody and that Black and Latino people need to learn each other’s histories. He was drawing inspiration from one of his favorite parts of the Revolution DVD.

In a neighborhood nearby, a Black high school student is studying another part of that DVD, which he got from his uncle in the projects. He’s already seen it once. But when his teacher gave an assignment to write about a leader he looks up to, Avakian was the first one to come to mind. So he’s going back over some parts of the DVD to write the paper.

The student’s uncle is also fairly young and wants to help move people in a revolutionary direction. When he read the "Battle for the Future" leaflet, his imagination took flight. He answered with a resounding "YES!" to the question posed at the end: "Are YOU ready to make a real difference —to not only spread the word of resistance and revolution, but make that a real alternative in society?" He wanted this leaflet to be everywhere—so he recruited friends and relatives to make sure it got out widely. Three boxes of leaflets weren’t enough. He came back for more, and then more—and one day said, "I need a box in Spanish to get to my homie in the projects in East L.A." By the time he was done he had distributed 10,000 leaflets in various projects throughout the city and even out to Moreno Valley (40 to 50 miles east of L.A. in Riverside county) and Las Vegas! In the projects he lives in he’s distributed many of the samplers of the Revolution DVD—and the Chairman’s name is beginning to become a familiar sound in the neighborhood.

In another neighborhood not too far away, an older Black man runs a popular boxing gym. He’s watched the complete 11-hour DVD set three times. Before hearing Bob Avakian speak, he thought the only thing possible for him to do was try to help Black youth stay out of prison. He was so moved by Avakian’s talk that he’s mobilized his trainees to distribute leaflets in the neighborhood, and he’s showing the DVD samplers on the three TV’s that are set up in the gym. He’s volunteered to do public speaking to tell people everywhere about Bob Avakian.

Farther away, on the other side of L.A.’s downtown, where the land becomes more hilly but the neighborhoods are not so much different, an indigenous immigrant from Mexico has been doing his own public speaking to small crowds. Normally working in a restaurant 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, on New Year’s Day he went to the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena to tell people about Bob Avakian. He distributed the "Battle for the Future" statement, telling everyone he talked to, "We have a leader who fights for global change. You have never heard anything like him."

Panning up and out of these neighborhoods, the panorama of the city is beginning to look a little different. The same landmarks are still there, but there seems to be a pulsing that wasn’t apparent at the first sweeping view. There’s something growing here that can be sensed by hearing pieces of conversations caught in the wind. A youth in the gangster scene sees the DVD sampler and says, "Damn, watching that makes me think a muthafucker got to change the whole way he has been looking at things." In the projects down the street two men greet the neighbor who got them their DVD samplers by putting their fists to their hearts and shouting out, "B.A.!" Farther away two young people talk outside a concert, and one begins to cry as he hears of the future envisioned by Bob Avakian—"People need this kind of leader to unleash their creativity."

There is something beginning here.


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This article is posted in English and Spanish on Revolution Online
http://revcom.us
Write: Box 3486, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: 773-227-4066 Fax: 773-227-4497

[Urban Rubble]

Good article, nice to see some progress being made.

However, this bothers me:

He’s volunteered to do public speaking to tell people everywhere about Bob Avakian.

"We have a leader who fights for global change. You have never heard anything like him."

"People need this kind of leader to unleash their creativity."

Uggggghh.

We need to be spreading the word of Communism, not the word of Bob Avakian. It's great to hear that people are becoming aware of their conditions and interested in Communism, but this Avakian worship bothers me.

[bolshevik butcher]

very good, is this comon place throughout black and hispanic communities in LA?

[Bolshevist]

If you don't mind me asking, how many member do the RCP have?

[flyby]

as for membership:

The RCP is a national party -- across the U.S.

http://revcom.us

you can get a sense of that by the main cities where it has bookstores or offices: http://rwor.org/a/online/contac_e.htm

It has a national youth movement called the "REvolutionary Communist Youth Brigade" with chapters in many cities and some campuses.

As for specific numbers of members, this is not published, and is not publicly known.

The RCP supporters often quote the Black Panther Party: "Those who say don't know, those who know don't say."

===============================

Also, i don't think there is a hint of slavishness or worship in the RCP's approach to its leader.

Bob Avakian is developing marxism in ways that are profound and new.

And if bringing out in powerful new ways, the need for revolution, and the ways that it is possible.

and in many ways, promoting him, bringing out what he stands for and is saying, is the best and most powerful way to put the vision of communism before people.

check out the audio here for a sense of that http://bobavakian.net

[OleMarxco]

I am opposed to all this fervent fictioning upon one leader. This could only lead to despotism (in the end). Focus more on saluting the working people's OWN ability to rebel, not some friggin' Bob "commie-guru" Avakian. If he sure is that great, he should know that a "good leader" does naught but be as a spiritual advisor to the people - Furthering the workers' cause by guiding them to guide THEMSELVES to revolute against Capitalism - helping them understand how forfeit the system is (not as if implying they have been unable to understand so already, but the inevitable truth they too must be confronted with, the lack of motivation and/or self-belief TO REALLY DO IT - I must admit I too suffer a bit of this). That's my hold on it. One man alone should not be given absolute power... there is always more elements to credit as they are needed for a TRUE revolution - So don't get me started about Orwell. This could only lead to a vanguard party....or worse - No matter how nice he is, a budding tyrant is a tyrant

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Originally posted by Urban Rubble@May 1 2005, 03:25 PM
Good article, nice to see some progress being made.

However, this bothers me:

He’s volunteered to do public speaking to tell people everywhere about Bob Avakian.

"We have a leader who fights for global change. You have never heard anything like him."

"People need this kind of leader to unleash their creativity."

Uggggghh.

We need to be spreading the word of Communism, not the word of Bob Avakian. It's great to hear that people are becoming aware of their conditions and interested in Communism, but this Avakian worship bothers me.

Urban, you're like a protestant claiming that the Pope has no authority over The Bible and Christianity, etc.
I agree with you, but that's what you're post sounded like.
It amused me.

[OleMarxco]

Bob Avakian is naught but a man like everyone else, and definately not a prophet with monopoly of how we should interpreting the Communist Manifesto. And more like "catholic" instead of "protestant"; I think you mean that, since the pope is catholic and Rubble is a commie. Bah, pettyful - Perhaps Karl Marx, but like, NEEDING Avakin? No, One needs IDEALISTS who are willing to SACRIFICE. Not leaders, but GUIDERS. Not cultists for a person in lead, but equal workers for an equal cause

You presume they are "Gutless, iniativeless, sheepish people"? And that they "all need leaders"? No....what they really NEED is FAITH....Not like, BELIEVING in ABSTRACT STUFF, but AT A GOAL THAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED. And as for revolutions, I think they should rather start in the third world then in America. They need it more there, sort of....atleast now, that is. I heard at one of Bob's speeches and yes, it was fiery, but he wasn't that special. He had faith, and tried to transmit it, but anyone could talk the talk.

Shoot first.... then sort out the bullets after... I'd rather have mr. Red Star 2000 as a "leader" (if any) than mr. Avakian, that's fer sure - If one AT ALL. He seems to me to have more concrete plans than just "anti-Talk". Maybe it's just "the lesser of two evils", but that's assuming we have to take any evil at all and no other alternative is possible. I'd choose a third good, anyday, anyways.

This pessimism to people's possibility for a leaderless revolution BORES me. I mean like, suddently, it's IMPOSSIBLE for thousands of people, figurely, to revolt? Then suddently a LEADER comes, and they just like, magically, WINS. Nevermind it's the same rifles and bullets as the second before. When the leader arrives, everyone just like *BANG* snaps into it and wins the battle? And when the leader go, they lose? Bah.

[Anarchist Freedom]

Avakian worship is limiting exporuse of Marxism. Your bringing to much focus to Avakian your great leader, But Less about Marxism and how it will help people.

[redstar2000]

"Good" Personality Cults?

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

I think we can't get people to "take a second look" at communism without putting Bob Avakian in the front.

Why?

Because his approach to communism, his way of talking to people breaks it out of the prejudices of the past.

That's crazy talk. Almost everyone that I showed Aviakan's text almost fell asleep while reading, the others just got bored. Yes, I actually showed Aviakan's text to friends and family. For the fun of it, but still I did show it.

People make revolutin, but they don't make it "on their own" without leadership.

You deny the existence of revolutions without (dictatorial) leaderships?

People have revolted for thousands of years -- but without a lenin or a mao, without a party that concentrates the most advanced people and ideas -- then revolution is imossible.

Interesting enough, for thousands of years revolutions succeed. The majority fails though, just as Lenin's and Mao's failed on the long run. Who decides who are the most avanced people and are these people "better" then others, are they "worth" more then Joe Normal. Why do you reject class society?

If you go out into LA with the approach you are raising (telling people "you know what to do, go do it!") they will say "You must be nuts! We actually don't know what to do! Don't you have a party and a leadership that we can get behind?"

You must be listening too much to Aviakan and too less to workingclass people. Never when I spoke to people did they say that they want more authority over them. Or even say that they wanted to give their life for something that they did not know. Au contrare. Any sane person knows that your conversation is fiction by just looking at the size of the RCP.

This is real life. And the article I posted gives a sense of what kinds of things happen when people get a sense that there is a leadership like this, and they can "hook up" and make a difference.

No it's not. By saying stuff like this, I sincerely doubt whetever you ever talk to workingclass people or that yourself are workingclass. The point is, the RCP isn't lacking attention. It's pamflets, dvd's and public stunts get lots of attention, but people just don't want to end up in a gulag or get even less freedom then they have now. As hard as it seems, people are not sheep. They just sometimes behave like 'm.

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

Recruitment! Moved.

[DoomedOne]

Avakian frightens me, he seems to inspire more of a blind following of his interpretation of Marxism. That's why it models Catholicism so much. The frightening thing is that less and less communists are thinking critically, and are ebcoming more like soldiers in waiting.

[JustinG]

Avakian has experence, he also has some decent things to say...

However, to deposit our interests in a single man and his personal beliefs is to burn our real interests in the people at hand.

I'm a communist and my faith lies in the diverse workforce, not a man who is gunning to lead a movement.

please...it's not revolutionary to blindly follow a single mans word.

Also, the man even has his own section in the http://rwor.org website, which may be found here:
http://rwor.org/chair_e.htm

Why does he deserve his own slot on a communist website, while real communism begs for equality...He may be a smart man, but that does not make him a better man than the rest of the party. Without his followers he would be nothing, just as without the workers the elite would be nothing.

[bolshevik butcher]

Sorry i'm not very well imformed on thsi subject, aren't there other prominent members of his party?

[Commie Rat]

this Bob Avikain (i know i spelt it wrong), is he spreading his word or is he spreading the word of MARX, it is all good and well that his charisma is being used for the good of the cause, this could lead to a Lenin or a Mao (not comparing them)

[antieverything]

...you, sir, are a fucking idiot. Bob Avakian can go choke on a pretzel for all I, or anyone in LA, the US, or the rest of the world cares.

Seriously...what the hell makes you think this sort of shit is going to catch on where groups with much less apparent lunacy on their side have failed? Please.