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Reclaim & honor Rev. Dr. King Jr. by resisting war & racism

A call to action on the Dr. King Jr. birthday week

STOP WAR ON IRAN 

BALTIMORE MARCH TO WASHINGTON D.C.: Jan 18 

Money for jobs, education, health care & people’s needs

In 1967 on April 15, Rev. Dr. King Jr., passionately spoke out against the Vietnam war. He exclaimed that the bombs in Vietnam also exploded at home in our decaying cities.

These words are just as true today. Donald Trump and the trillion dollar oil and fracking businesses stand to profit from a war on Iran and Iraq.while the people of the world suffer.

In Baltimore, we remember Trump’s hateful racism in describing our city and attacking Congressman Cummings. His insults hurled at our city are comparable to his attempts to demonize the people of Iran and Iraq to justify war for oil profits. 

This is the same white supremacist ideology that justifies the assassination of foreign officials of color and the nearly one million Iraqi children killed by U.S. war. These are war crimes. We will not be fooled by those who would dismiss the humanity of our international family.

If war is to be declared in our name, let it be a war on racism, police terror, low wages, homelessness and poverty. End anti-immigrant violence, sexism and LGBTQ2S bigotry. Close the detention camps.

FEED THE PEOPLE, NOT THE PENTAGON

• This April 700,000 people will lose food stamps; millions will get fewer benefits.  In Baltimore, 22.2% of people, many of them children, go to bed hungry. The loss of food stamps (SNAP benefits) will mean that many small grocery stores will have to close their doors. But not the Pentagon! This year the military got a $130 billion increase. In addition, social security disability will be cut.

EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE

• The children of Baltimore, DC and everywhere need clean lead-free drinking water, more and better paid teachers, books and decent schools. Redirect the billions for war to save our youth and pay for free universal health care for all.

LOW WAGES & WORKERS RIGHTS

• Close to half of the workers in the U.S. are poor!  53 million workers between the ages of 18 to 64 — 44% of all workers — qualify as low-wage. This amounts to a median income of $18,000 per year. Amazon and Walmart refuse to respect workers rights to unionize. Amazon even threatened to fire workers who spoke out against climate change.

PENTAGON, THE WORLD’S BIGGEST POLLUTER, SHUT IT DOWN

• Indigenous people courageously protected the Amazon rainforest from fires and destruction. Now Australia is engulfed in flames threatening the existence of an entire continent and killing millions of animals. Jakarta, Indonesia home to 30 million people is literally sinking, destroyed by flood waters. The capitalist climate crisis threatens the entire planet. The Pentagon with it’s 800+ military bases and endless wars is one of the world’s biggest polluters.  

WAR BREEDS REPRESSION 

• Police departments across this country are militarized, increasing racism and repression. Globally the US is number one in mass incarceration. Yet the problems of drug addiction, despair and violence continue. Instead of investing in the community, Johns Hopkins has hired a private armed police force.

ONLY THE PEOPLE CAN STOP THE WAR!  

The people of Baltimore are Marching on the Dr. King Jr. weekend. We invite you to join us. If you cannot come to Baltimore, and we expect that many can’t, please hold solidarity actions in your city, town, school or work place.   

Now is the time to reclaim and honor Rev. Dr. King Jr. by resisting war and racism.  

CLICK HERE TO ENDORSE THE CALL

Endorsers: Peoples Power Assembly; Rev. CD Witherspoon; Rev. Annie Chambers, Douglas Homes Community Leader; Youth Against War and Racism; Black Alliance for Peace, Baltimore; ICE Out of Baltimore; Prisoners Solidarity Committee; Marlyn Barnes Family; Baltimore Peace Action; CODE Pink; Union del Barrio; Puerto Rican Alliance; Popular Resistance; Union of Progressive Iranians; UNAC, United National Antiwar Coalition; Harvard Boulevard Block Club of South Central Los Angeles; Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice; Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ; Peoples Alliance, Bay area; Bail Out the People Movement, Wisconsin; Women in Struggle/Mujeres en Lucha; Solidarity with Novorossiya & Antifascists in Ukraine; Stand with Okinawa NY; International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Socialist Unity Party/Partido de Socialismo Unido; Struggle La Lucha;  Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA Province; Jennicet Gutierrez; Phil Wilayto, editor,The Virginia Defender;William Camarada, Comité de Solidaridad con Venezuela Alberto Lovera NYC; D19: Partido Libre USA Canada; Baltimore City Green Party; Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network; Familia: TQLM   (list in formation)

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Marietta, Ga. — March 30 started as a wonderful evening out with family, celebrating my mother-in-law‘s birthday. We saw the Temptations and the Four Tops, and sang and danced into the night. Afterward, we were hungry, so we decided to go to an International House of Pancakes (IHOP) restaurant near the concert venue in Marietta, Ga., next to local landmark the Big Chicken.

After our meal we were getting ready to leave when I heard a man (later identified as Renardo Lewis) loudly asking, “Why didn’t you tell me this 30 minutes ago?”

We started moving towards the door since it was time to go. I heard the same manager who was rude to my husband screaming at Mr. Lewis’ wife, “I don’t have to give you my name or number.” She then asked for the phone number of the corporate office, and this too was refused by the IHOP manager.

Then, two police officers, a man and a woman, entered the restaurant and I began to record the incident.

The male officer escalated the situation by yelling at Mr. Lewis to shut up, without any provocation. Mr. Lewis, who is Black, asked the officer not to yell at him and to treat him like a man.

Three more cops then entered the restaurant. Mr. Lewis and his wife were not allowed to leave, although they were not under arrest. One of the cops who had just arrived asked Mr. Lewis for identification. As he was pulling his ID out of his wallet, he was pushed against a window by three officers.

The first racist cop who’d come in screaming joined his out of control pals to restrain Mr. Lewis. This first cop tased Mr. Lewis five times and punched him several times, breaking his tooth and injuring his head.

Three of these officers came in without asking any questions and assaulted this African-American man. They pushed his wife and my sister as they were trying to help.

As can be seen in the video, at no time did Mr. Lewis threaten or touch any of the officers, their tasers or guns! In addition at no time prior to the police getting there did I hear or see Mr. Lewis making a threats or gesturing in a threatening manner.

The Marietta Police Department posted a bunch of lies on their Facebook page to cover their racist response to a call involving a Black man. However, the video says it all. They were wrong from the start.

Renardo Lewis is being held without bond as these racist cops try to come up with charges to justify what they did. It’s all on tape, and there is no justification for the gestapo tactics these and other cops use against Black and Brown people.

The Atlanta People’s Power Assembly is calling for a national boycott of IHOP, calls into the Cobb County DA’s office to drop all charges and free Renardo. A petition for the DA to investigate the abuse of power by the Marietta Police and a demonstration at the National Headquarter of IHOP in California and the local franchise where the incident occurred.

Contact Atlanta People’s Power Assembly at +1 (470) 402-4493
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Peoples-Power-Assembly-Atlanta-808587709475236/
Email: AtlantaPeoplesPowerAssembly@gmail.com

CARAVAN TO THE BORDER:

We the undersigned groups and individuals call on community, union, student
and worker groups to hold “Welcoming Committees” at the U.S. border.  Let’s bring food, water and aid. Let’s bring our bodies to welcome and show support for the thousands of refugees who are risking their lives to build a better life for their loved ones.

HOLD LOCAL ACTIONS:

If you cannot get to the border, hold emergency actions in your city, town,
workplace or school as the migrant and refugee caravan nears or reaches the U.S. border. Shut down ICE offices, rally at detention centers, and schedule rush hour marches.

BUILD SOLIDARITY

We as workers, students and youth have more in common with the migrants who are fleeing conditions that have been manufactured by global capitalists and the Pentagon, than with these same bosses who refuse to pay workers a living wage or fight against enacting universal health care or workers’ rights.

As women, LGBTQ, queer and Trans activists, we extend our hand to our refugee sisters, brothers and siblings to build solidarity.

It is critical that we guarantee our opposition to every form of racism both at home experienced by Black and Brown people in every major city and corner of this country — along with fighting to say no to the racist policies that target Muslims, African, Caribbean and Latinx migrants. We say No Walls against Mexico or Palestine.

It’s important to remember that the refugees who embarked on this grueling march are doing so because of U.S. imperialist policies that have left a legacy of violence, oppression and crushing poverty forcing people to flee their homes and risk everything.

TO THE GI TROOPS

To those rank and files GI’s being sent to the border, we call on you not to go. If you are already there, then conduct work slowdowns, get sick, but most of all follow your conscience — don’t shoot or brutalize defenseless unarmed children, women and men.

The cost of this troop deployment is estimated to be $220 million: this is badly needed money that could be spent on schools, jobs and veteran services that have been slashed.

PUSH BACK TRUMP REACTION

It’s urgent that we do everything possible to push back the Trump reaction which has ushered in a violent neo-right-wing current that threatens everyone.  We cannot wait until the elections; we must mobilize now!

We call on all groups to cooperate and work together to make this happen.  We urge those who are able to also join SOA School of the America Watch at the border (You can contact them at: http://www.SOAW.org)

To sign on to this CALL respond on Facebook or email: WelcomeMigrantCaravan@gmail.com or call or text
410-218-4835.

Si se puede, Yes we can!