{"id":21,"date":"2008-03-19T08:58:45","date_gmt":"2008-03-19T15:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.communitychurchofboston.org\/home\/?p=21"},"modified":"2008-03-19T08:58:45","modified_gmt":"2008-03-19T15:58:45","slug":"claim-no-easy-victories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.communitychurchofboston.org\/home\/uncategorized\/claim-no-easy-victories\/","title":{"rendered":"Claim No Easy Victories"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Claim no easy victories’: New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
\nReconstruction Movement at a critical crossroads. (Part II: The
\nStruggle Ahead)<\/strong>
By Kali Akuno<\/em><\/p>\n

The "Days of December" mounted by the Coalition to Stop the Demolitions
\nand the broad forces of the Reconstruction Movement merely attained a
\ntemporary victory in halting this neo-liberal assault. The bourgeoisie,
\nalthough temporarily stunned by the resistance, is currently
\nreorganizing and regrouping to finish the job. Likewise, we in the
\nresistance are also regrouping and seeking to broaden our base of
\nstruggle locally, nationally and internationally to bring the threat of
\ndemolitions to a conclusive end and use the ground attained from this
\nvictory to start reversing the gains of capital seized in the aftermath
\nof Hurricane Katrina.<\/p>\n

To this end the revolutionary forces in the Reconstruction Movement are committed to the following a basic program in 2008:<\/p>\n

1. Continuing the fighting against the public housing demolitions "by
\nany means necessary." This will entail a local recall initiative and
\ncalls for national and international boycotts and direct actions
\nagainst the developers, financiers and state interests seeking to
\nprofit from the ethnic cleansing of New Orleans.<\/p>\n

2. Pressing each and every presidential candidate to take a position on
\nthe Gulf Coast Reconstruction Platform and Demands and programmatically
\naddress the "right of return" for the peoples of the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n

3. Continuing the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
\ncampaign for Internally Displaced Person (IDP) status recognition and
\nreparations via our international petition drive and corresponding
\nlegal appeals (visit www.katrinatribunal.org<\/a> for more details).<\/p>\n

4. Continuing to build the Reconstruction Assembly, which will be the
\nsecond Survivors Assembly, to reflect on the lessons of the past two
\nyears of struggle and consolidate the Reconstruction Movement. The
\nfirst Survivors Assembly was held in Jackson, Mississippi, on Dec. 8
\nand 9, 2005, and produced the fundamental demands that have driven the
\nGulf Coast Reconstruction Movement.<\/p>\n

Revolutionaries in the Reconstruction Movement are calling on
\nrevolutionaries throughout the world to stand with us and help us
\nadvance these initiatives. The struggle in New Orleans and the Gulf
\nCoast to reverse the ethnic cleansing of New Afrikan peoples is
\ncritical to stopping not only the advance of neo-liberalism globally,
\nbut of halting the consolidation of the avaricious neo-conservative
\nfaction of the U.S. bourgeoisie and its mission to maintain the
\nhegemonic position of U.S. imperialism at all costs.<\/p>\n

New Afrikans in the Gulf Coast, by constituting virtually half of this
\nregion’s electorate since the demise of U.S. apartheid a mere 40 years
\nago, have been and are the only determined and consistent opposition to
\nthe advance of this ruling class faction via the electoral victories of
\nthe Republican Party (which in no way should be viewed as an
\nendorsement of the Democratic Party).<\/p>\n

Should the right of return be denied New Afrikans in this region, it is
\nlikely that the strategic gains attained by the neo-conservatives via
\nthe Bush regime will be consolidated for at least the next 25 to 40
\nyears. If we as revolutionaries intend to stop the ceaseless wars of
\nimperialist aggression that this faction is clearly willing to engage,
\nthen we must not allow the right of return to be denied to New Afrikans
\nin the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n

For information on how to get and stay involved, visit www.peopleshurricane.org<\/a> or www.katrinatribunal.org<\/a> or www.mxgm.org<\/a>. You can also email info@peopleshurricane.org.This<\/a> e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it<\/p>\n

Kali Akuno is national organizer for the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the Coalition to Stop the Demolitions. Email him at kaliakuno@gmail.com.This<\/a>
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\nenabled to view it The Hurricane Information Relief Network is the Bay
\nView newspaper’s nonprofit 501(c)(3) project to provide information and
\nnews coverage by, for and about the Katrina survivors who remain
\nstranded across the U.S. and those who want to return home to rebuild
\ntheir lives and communities. Send news and financial contributions to
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\n671-0789 or toll free 1 (877) 226-8100, fax (415) 671-0316 or hrin@sfbayview.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"