Newark, NJ, May 9­­ - A multiracial, worker-led movement against the privately funded ICE detention center, Delaney Hall, was co-opted by a protest in response to the arrest of Newark’s Mayor Ras Baraka amidst his gubernatorial campaign. The Progressive Labor Party (PLP) and friends were there to fuel the communist confidence of our class to reject the spectacle of claiming Baraka as savior. We raised the need for revolution–the mass leadership of workers as the solution to smash racist detentions, deportations, and all of the bosses' borders.

PL’ers showed how communist power works by building on our base with workers, students, and community members—people we have fought alongside in various local struggles—to sharpen the politics of the demonstration with our own chants.  

Liberal identity politics confronts multiracial mass unity

“Hey Hey, Ho, Ho, Detention Centers Have Got to Go” a Muslim young woman started to chant before quickly being shut down by Baraka’s supporters. They were satisfied with the Democratic Party controlling the mic and shouting “Free Ras” and the vague and safe slogan “No Justice, No Peace.”

The political base of Baraka is composed mainly of Black and Latin workers whom Baraka, a Black politician, has provided jobs to in exchange for supporting him. Baraka uses the political power of his common identity with workers to act as a shield for millions worth of capital and law enforcement coming to terrorize and displace hundreds of thousands more workers in the city. 

At first the majority of people in the crowd were silent. We paused and explained that no matter how golden the words of any politician are, no politician can stand in the way of growing fascism. Then, workers started to cheer. Sensing the fire, we chanted, “Who Got Us?!” Workers didn’t need us to teach the rest of the chant. They responded “We Got Us. Who Keeps Us Safe?! We Keep Us Safe!” 

After winning half a dozen friendly Black, Latin, and white workers to wait for an opportunity to chant something sharper, we witnessed a brave young woman get shut down. Thereafter, we united and backed her up. Despite the threats, this brave woman worker and PLP members inspired each other to be bold and fight back. Right before Baraka left after being released, we began to chant “When Immigrants are Under Attack What Do We Do?!” and the crowd thundered “Stand Up Fight Back.” 

Maga or liberal fascists all the same: detain, deport, divide

Baraka’s arrest occurred outside the Delaney Hall detention facility during a protest where he and other Democratic Party officials were attempting to enter the facility to inspect it and were accused of trespassing. Delaney Hall is owned by Geo Group, a massive, private prison company with ICE facilities throughout the U.S. The gutter racist Trump administration in February gave a 15-year contract worth $1 billion to Geo Group to operate Delaney Hall. 

One worker in the protest shared, “ This shows how U.S. imperialism is imploding.” .” It is true. The splits in the U.S. ruling class are becoming more dangerous. Baraka’s arrest emboldened Trump and the short-sighted, isolationist Small Fascists in the Republican Party against the Bigger Fascist-backed Democratic Party. The section of the U.S. ruling class tending to be backed by Republicans we call Small Fascists, and short sighted is because they tend to be more interested in accumulating wealth quickly to catch up, in flashy acts of terror, are erratic in their commitment to protect U.S. imperialism abroad, and want to get rid of the expenses associated with governing over the working class, evidenced by the recent push to cut funding. In comparison, we call the Democrat-backed section of the U.S. ruling class the Big Fascists because of the threat they present to the working class with their broader connections to finance capital across the world.. 

Less than a year ago, Baraka used Newark kkkops to attack Rutgers students and destroy the longest running encampment against the Israeli genocide of Palestinian workers and youth. The arrest and deportation of immigrant workers and students fighting back is a small sample of the fascist violence to come. This is happening as a world of aspiring bosses await the defeat of U.S. imperialism  as it spirals closer to World War III with Chinese imperialists. 

The most dangerous Big Fascist Democrats from Baraka to AOC are trying to build unity with workers in support of undocumented workers. The most racist, deranged Small Fascist Republicans try to build unity with workers against undocumented workers. All of them exist to protect bosses’ profits. They will never say nations only serve bosses, not workers!

Build a mass base of communist fighters to defeat the builders of fascism

Neighbors committed to building a tenants union and learning about the communist politics of the Progressive Labor Party recognized the need to show up. .

We must  fight to shed the misleadership of politicians.. Simultaneously we must target the whole profit system that is fed by these concentration camps. Building PLP and its mass base of millions of communist fighters for these ideas is the shining path to a brand new world for the international working class! Join us!