Black and Brown Workers’ Solidarity -- Justice for Oscar Grant

A Statement by Topaz, Charles, Toussaint, Christina, Cesar, Julio

November 23, 2010

We have regrettably decided to withdraw from the OGC. “Justice for Oscar Grant" advocates of
“Labor, Brown, and Black power to shut the city down” are being systematically ‘shut down’.
Lately, small-minded bureaucratic players, personified by the antics of Gerald and his co-
thinkers, went too far. A thorough, documented account will be forthcoming. For now, we will
share a few of our observations of the OGC meeting of Nov. 16.

We will continue the struggle for “Justice for Oscar Grant”. We will carry on to help mobilize
the workers and community to “Shut the City Down”. We intend on finding those forces to
make this happen. We shall not be moved.

A footnote on the alleged “disruptions”: What is meant by “disruptions”? For now, instead of
slogging through the entirety of this loaded and prejudicial tract, we will draw attention to 2
allegations:

1) “This behavior began at the beginning of the meeting when one of the disruptor's voiced his
disapproval about what he felt was an undemocratic self-appointment by the chair of the
meeting.” [Quote from M. Shane’s e-mail]

We ask: Did the so-called “disruptor” (Toussaint) raise his hand and then speak when
recognized? What other means does M. Shane suggest that one take when they detect an
undemocratic self-appointment?

The so-called “disruptor”, (Toussaint) had already expressed these misgivings – with no effect!
To Lesley (who appointed herself chair via e-mail on Nov. 13)”

2) “…This person [Toussaint] felt that, not only was the leaflet bad. The way it was printed
before being discussed by the whole committee was undemocratic.”

Again we ask: Did the so-called “disruptor” raise his hand, and speak when recognized? Did he
“disrupt” the proceedings? Again, what should one do about your admitted “undemocratic”
procedure? A leaflet produced by the OGC should be discussed and approved by the OGC.
Otherwise – it’s undemocratic!

M. Shane’s e-mail spreads confusion by saturating his text with variations of the word
“disruption”. We would like to remind M. Shane that Goebbels -- the propaganda architect of
the Nazi program of Hitler's fascist machine -- said that if you repeat a lie over and over again
people will begin to believe you. Likewise, the pro-police media emulates Goebbels in smearing
Oscar Grant. We do not take "tags" lightly. We are the voices that the slanderers of
disinformation want shut down.

The “bad” draft leaflet was actually a finished leaflet (1,000 had already been printed). It was
presented to the OGC of Nov. 16 meeting as an accomplished fact. (Another so-called
“proactive” move, we suppose). Compare the leaflet headline and conception of Gerald, M.
Shane, Lesley, and Running Horse (who refer to themselves as so-called “the sub-committee”) to
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the leaflet headline and conception that we proposed.

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(Their conception):

Drop the Charges!

Show your outrage against state terror and police lies
Join us for a demonstration at the D.A.’s office

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(Our conception)

Justice for Oscar Grant! Drop the Charges against the 152 Arrested

We condemn the Police Attack on Protesters who were arrested! We salute the S.F.
Central Labor Council for taking the lead in condemning this attack.

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This kind of approach -- one that mobilizes our allies to effect -- seems beyond the small-minded
bureaucratic and reformist approach of the “sub-committee”.

The “draft" flyer missed the key issues: The Oscar Grant Committee was formed as a means to
fight for Justice for those murdered by the racist police and State. The world saw that Oscar
Grant was murdered by BART policeman Mehserle. It is key, that the voices of those who are
the targets of such murderous assaults be heard. It is key, that in defending our right to self-
defense, Black and Brown people especially need the kind of power shown by the ILWU-led
longshore call to the community and others: An Injury to One is An Injury to All! On Oct. 23,
key ports in the Bay Area were shut down in protest of the cold-blooded murder of young Oscar
Grant. We seek to carry this show of power, in defense of the Black and Brown communities
further by shutting down the City.

At the Tuesday, November 16 meeting, Gerald and Co. wanted to shove down our throats a
“draft” flyer that was disgustingly “race neutral.” This leaflet also tagged the Oscar Grant
Committee as being “we,” a part of the “runaway march”. This is significant, as it opens the
door for the State to then add additional charges to the protesters and also to target the OGC. It
implies that the OGC had knowingly taken part in the “runaway march,” as opposed to the OGC
noting that a “runaway march” is a predictable consequence of any protest-- particularly
following the white-supremacist court’s fake sentencing of Mehserle, giving him less than a
“slap on the wrist” as well as a license for Police Departments to kill any Black or Brown person,
because in the eyes of the State our lives mean nothing.

Oscar Grant’s life does matter to Black and Brown people around the world. The Oakland
Police Department murdered Derrick Jones just 3 days after Judge Perry issued his white-
supremacist ruling in favor of Mehserle, giving the police a green light to carry out murders.
Nothing about this recent atrocity is mentioned in the “draft”. This is atrocious because the
family of slain barber, Derrick Jones, expressed interest in joining their fight with those fighting
for Oscar Grant. This is intelligent and encouraging. We will note in passing that it is fortunate

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that we (who have been smeared with the label of being “disruptors”) attended the funeral of
Derrick Jones. We also put our solidarity into action by joining the town hall meeting that
followed the funeral. We are happy to have saved the OGC from appearing too small-minded to
show the support the family asked for.

Gerald and Co.'s flyer has nothing to offer to our Brown and Black working-class community,
which now more than ever needs to see their allies like the ILWU step up to the plate to shut the
city down. The flyer buried any connection to the powerful ILWU-led protest and does not even
mention the SF Labor Council’s Condemnation of the Police Attack. The flyer’s ignoring of the
welcome presence of labor as an ally-- is glaring. It means that even those facing “charges” are
being isolated from a very powerful ally. It means that those arrested are put on the front line to
face the attack by themselves. How “small-minded”! It boggles our sensibilities that these folks
cannot see workers’ power as exampled by the Oct. 23 rally and port shutdown. We must use
every opportunity to educate the masses with a concrete example! We must share this concrete
action so that the rest of the working class and its communities can follow this example.

The anonymous flyer did not name the “Oscar Grant Committee” as its sponsor! Who -- what
organization -- is asking the people’s participation and support? Why should any Oakland
resident risk following the lead of an unsigned leaflet? Why would any arrestee risk his/her neck
again responding to an unsigned leaflet, that they can’t even contact to verify? People were
subjected to a real police trap. We are constantly subjected to the pro-police lies and
orchestrated vilification by the corporate media. An arrestee might think this unsigned flyer is
perhaps another trap. But Gerald’s “sub-committee,” living in their tiny bubble, didn’t seem to
think this omission important enough to correct. The flyer didn’t even have a phone number, or
‘labor donated’ on it. So anyone wishing to help, or calling for info are snubbed by Gerald’s
“No time to worry about that bit of disruptive intellectualism, they had already printed 1,000” –
“How dare you naughty ‘disruptors’ suggest we destroy them and do it right!” It is this type of
insincere and mindless activism approach which throws away a very hard-earned momentary
victory for Oakland, and Brown and Black people in particular, who have more to lose than
anyone.

We suspect that these small-minded activists, schooled in the insular mind set of talking to
themselves, don’t take the masses seriously. The standard details of contact info, identification
of who is responsible for the leaflet produced are the ABC’s to serious activists.

This flyer could not be given to any serious Unionist who would see through folks that posture
with words like ‘bullshit’, and who print leaflets without a union bug or ‘labor donated’. The
flyer’s “f--- the police” comment is not the Oscar Grant Committee’s call: The ILWU Rally’s
call was “Justice for Oscar Grant” and “An Injury to One is An Injury to All" -- never was it “f---
the police”. What we need now is to go further and organize to shut the City down! Does
Gerald’s sub-committee agree?

In short, we pose “No business as usual!” In contrast, the fake flyer proposes monkey business
as usual and more arrests and isolation from our allies of the labor movement. We already know
that Oakland’s newly re-organized Police Department uses a black puppet (Chief Batts) who
conspired to stage and cage protesters for arrests. Likewise, it is our time to organize real power:
Black and Brown Ready to Fight: Workers of the World Unite!

Justice for Oscar Grant! The Struggle Continues! Shut the City Down!