BEFORE N.C. DEBATE
Crowd cheers socialist message
By Elijah
Crane
Winston-Salem, N.C.
On Oct. 11, nearly 500 activists from around the Southeast
gathered near Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., to
march against the second debate between presidential candidates
George W. Bush and Al Gore.
The demands of the protesters at Wake Forest included
opening the debates to include third-party and independent
candidates and ending the racist death penalty. Giant puppets
led the march to the gates of the campus that locked them out.
The demonstrators chanted, "They say death row, we say hell
no!" and carried anti-death-penalty signs.
The group was largely made up of people who have recently
become involved in the fight against globalization. Many of the
activists in attendance were also a part of the
anti-International Monetary Fund and World Bank demonstrations
last April in Washington and the Republican National Convention
in August in Philadelphia.
Before the rally and march, at least 300 activists took part
in a daylong conference with workshops on globalization,
student and grassroots organizing, the death penalty and the
prison-industrial complex. Some participants traveled from as
far as New York City, including Workers World Party
presidential candidate Monica Moorehead. Others came from
Georgia and cities throughout North Carolina.
Globalization and prisons
A featured panelist, Moorehead told the anti-globalization
crowd: "The prison-industrial complex is an integral component
of the globalization phenomenon. And what is globalization,
except a code word for super-exploitation, repression,
colonialism, militarism, imperialism, sanctions, environmental
devastation and much more."
Moorehead went on to explain: "Capitalism is not a
reformable system. There is no such thing as a gentler and
kinder capitalist system. So in order to make our movement much
stronger and more powerful, it must become more anti-capitalist
and anti-imperialist."
In her remarks, Moorehead added, "We must continue to show
solidarity with all of those who are fighting for their
liberation and sovereignty, including the oppressed
nationalities who occupy the prisons and the Palestinian youths
heroically throwing the rocks and bottles against the
Israeli/U.S. tank guns because they have been unjustly driven
from their land."
Many young activists at the conference were discussing the
struggle in Yugoslavia. Moorehead addressed some of their
questions during her talk by asking "Why is it that the U.S.
government and its media mouthpiece will praise anti-Milosevic
protests, but when it comes to demonstrations in Philadelphia,
Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington and Prague against the forces
of globalization, we are beaten, gassed, arrested and
vilified?
"Could it be that the situation in Yugoslavia is not a
victory for democracy but in reality a victory for
globalization and imperialism?" she asked. "Workers World Party
says yes to the latter." The crowd responded with loud
cheers.
Mass struggles make change
Participating on the panel with Moorehead was the Rev.
Carrie Bolton, an African American activist who talked about
environmental racism and campaign finance issues. Dan Coleman,
author of the book "Eco-Politics," and Lewis Pitts, a lawyer
and activist, also spoke.
Moorehead urged the conference-goers to join her in the
streets of Washington on January 20, 2001, for a
"counter-inauguration." She reasoned, "No matter who gets in
the White House, Bush or Gore, the prisons will grow, racism
will grow, poverty will grow and social inequality will grow as
the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
"Elections have never changed conditions for the
better--only the independent mass struggles have changed
conditions fundamentally for the masses."
The main demands of the January 20 demonstration will be to
shut down the prison-industrial complex, win a new trial for
Mumia Abu-Jamal, end the racist death penalty and stop
U.S.-backed police brutality at home and abroad.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
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