BOSTON
City councilor says no to war
By Stevan Kirschbaum
Boston
The growing anti-war movement, which has seen tens of
thousands in the streets, on college campuses and at community
teach-ins, has found expression in the chambers of Boston's
City Hall.
In response to a racist, right-wing, pro-war resolution
presented at the weekly meeting of the Boston City Council,
Councilor Chuck Turner stood and eloquently articulated the
anti-war feelings of many in the city.
"While we were all shocked by the loss of lives on September
11, an event that touched everyone, we must not allow emotion
to cloud our thinking," said Turner. "We should not be making
war on another country, regardless of the amount of food we
drop or the number of people killed.
"We should join in an alliance with other nations to
investigate the tragic events of September 11 to determine who
was responsible. We should not make war on the people of
Afghanistan."
He was immediately confronted with a torrent of ultra-right
venom by resolution sponsors Jim Kelly of South Boston and Paul
Scapicchio of the North End.
Resolution a rubber-stamp for war at home and
abroad
Their resolution read in part, "We express our support and
commitment to the President, our Congressional leaders ... and
the policies which they now pursue in protecting our Nation
from further acts of terrorism."
Billed as a "unity resolution against terrorism," it was
designed to provide a City Council rubber stamp for
Washington's racist war in Afghanistan as well as the racist,
anti-Arab and anti-people war at home. It gives a blank check
for denial of civil liberties, an undeclared war on immigrants,
and massive layoffs and cutbacks.
As of this writing, hundreds of Arab people have been held
without charges and without counsel, while many have been
victims of racist attacks.
Resolution sponsor Kelly has a racist record well known in
this city. From organized attacks on African American students
during desegregation in the 1970s, to leading the vigilante
South Boston Marshals, to excluding the lesbian, gay, bi and
trans community from the St. Patrick's Day parade, to opposing
affirmative action, Kelly has been a mouthpiece for racist
injustice and war.
Chuck Turner represents District 7, encompassing Roxbury,
Dorchester, Mission Hill, Fenway and other areas that are
largely African American, Latino and poor. This district has
disproportionately borne the burden of deaths in past U.S.
wars. Its youth have been the victims of both the draft and
later the "economic draft."
This district, like many across the country, will also bear
the burden of economic cutbacks and layoffs.
Turner has been a community activist for over 30 years and
was an early endorser of the International ANSWER coalition. He
has marched in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal and against the death
penalty. He was recently a featured speaker at a Boston
anti-war demonstration of over 2,000.
He will also be a featured speaker at the upcoming Oct. 27
Boston March and Rally against War and Racism, assembling at 12
noon at Government Center.
The pro-war resolution passed by a 12 to 1 margin. In the
wake of Councilor Turner's courageous stand he has received
countless threats, including some from right-wing elements in
the city establishment.
The Oct. 27 demonstration has now added a demand to defend
Councilor Turner from the attacks by racist, pro-war forces. As
the anti-war movement continues to grow, it is clear that Chuck
Turner's vote was cast in the interests of a broad
constituency, while the 12 other votes parroted the interests
of the privileged few. As with Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland,
Calif., history will confirm the truth of their stand for
justice.
Reprinted from the Nov. 1, 2001, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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