Common Struggle

This January, in Boston, NEFAC's US section continued our progress toward our own reformation. We enacted a constitution and a new internal structure that were developed over the spring and summer of 2008. We dedicated time to analyze the situation we face, in which the capitalist class faces difficulty in propping up its rotting order, and proves itself willing to stretch and to take risks to do so. Most of the working class in the US remains on the defensive, but many in the social movements are also discovering openings to move things forward. NEFAC-US members compared our local experiences and discussed strategies to advance our socialist and libertarian vision in the context of this crisis. After a long period of introversion and local focus, we see these as important steps toward building a fresh, publicly active, class-struggle anarchist group rooted primarily in the northeastern United States.

by Elie Feasley and Frotchy (Baltimore-Washington NEFAC)

At 3pm on Thursday, February 19th, fifty members and supporters of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) gathered outside a boarded-up rowhome in Highlandtown. ACORN representatives handed out t-shirts printed in black, red, and white proclaiming a foreclosure-free-zone as the crowd of supporters grew. Followed closely by reporters and news cameras, the group used a pair of boltcutters to remove a padlock, broke down the door, and entered the house. Louis Beverly, an organizer with ACORN, declared, "This is our house now!" after cutting off the lock. The house was formerly owned by Donna Hanks, a fiery woman who has seen her life turned upside down by an adjustable rate mortgage and mounting bills. She was evicted last month after falling victim to foreclosure. Clearly exhausted and embittered, but eager to continue the fight, she proclaimed, "This place is gutted. This is wrong." She will soon begin moving back in to the house. Before they left, ACORN replaced the lock on the door with one belonging to Hanks.

The election is over. Barack Obama will become the next president of The United States. The news of Obama's victory resulted in spontaneous celebrations across the country. The energy was infectious and everywhere conversations seemed to contain a positive outlook that people in the U.S. have not known for many long years. Words like change and hope are being used, and it seems widely assumed that the election of Obama will herald a new age of social justice, an end to the wars, and significant reduction in the racism the plagues U.S. society. But as the energy and media spectacle dies down, we would like for you to consider the election from a different perspective. It is our belief as Class Struggle Anarchists that elections in a capitalist society in fact can never bring true justice and security to the average working person. We do not believe that such elections can with any degree of permanence prevent wars, or deal effectively with racism, sexism or environmental degradation.

Welcome to America
by John Parson

There are many “facts” currently being circulated about illegal immigrants, particularly from the conservative groups like Help Save Virginia and Help Save Maryland. Supposedly, per their “experts,” illegal immigrants drain our economy, mooch off of our system, burden our schools and communities, raise our crime rates, lower our housing values, and generally rape and defile our good old home grown American culture. They would have you believe that illegal immigration is the key issue in our country, and that “illegals” are a plague to our society that must be removed.

These groups will suggest that immigrants drive down property values, raise crime rates, and ruin our communities. However, these ideas are nothing more than the same arguments presented against the poor and working class communities in any city in America, especially areas where whites are in the minority. It’s a sign of class division and poverty, not immigration status. Rather than being a legitimate argument against immigration, it is nothing more than rehashing the same old case for gentrification.

It’s time for all of us, as workers, to recognize the plain and simple truth: “illegal” or not, we are all human beings, we all have needs, and immigrants face the same struggles as us: a boss who seeks to exploit us, and a wealthy few who seek to control us. Regardless of who we are, or where we’re from, we are workers. Its time to stop griping about immigrants “taking our jobs,” “destroying our language,” or “destroying our culture,” realize such vitriol is nothing more than a lie, and join with the immigrant community in struggle. We must recognize anti-immigrant policy, and anti-immigrant lies, do nothing but divide the working class, and if we seek any realistic gain, such divisions must be erased.