by  James Thompson

People of conscience in the United States and around the world have recently been disgusted by the brutal murders of African-American males in the United States. What’s worse is that the terrorist police officers have so far escaped prosecution. Of course, I am referring to the cases of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York.

Many people have commented on the militarization of the US police force. There is a long history of police terrorism in this country. Local police have consistently been used by the upper-class to enforce racism and protect the property rights of the wealthy. In the US, the police are clearly unarmed of the state and their mission is to terrorize working people, particularly working people of color.

In Houston, many of us remember the famous photograph of a person in KKK regalia exiting a Houston Police Department patrol car in the 1970s. We also remember the brutal slaying of civil rights leader Carl Hampton and, more recently, the racist execution of James Byrd by white supremacists.

Very recently, anti-immigrant racists in Texas and elsewhere have formed unlawful militias to terrorize immigrants.

The legacy of terrorism, brutality and racism is long in nature and national in scope.

However, the recent events are particularly despicable. The court decisions create the impression that racism is okay even when it leads to murder.

The first African-American president of the United States, Barack Obama, has called for peaceful protests as a reaction to the failure of the courts to put the murderous police officers on trial even though there are videos documenting their murders. This should give people of conscience pause to consider the efficacy of protests in redressing social grievances.

Peaceful protests as a first step in reaction to police brutality are always a good idea. However, a serious movement to oppose police brutality is needed. A serious movement would include political activity as part of the struggle against police brutality.

People of conscience should work together in a united effort to elect people to public office who will fight for the interests of working people and particularly working people of color.

One place to start would be to enact legislation that would harshly punish racist terrorist action by both private and public law enforcement organizations.

One model for new legislation in the United States would be the “Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.” There has been a great deal of negative propaganda against the USSR produced by the US government and the largest corporations since 1917. However, the reality is that the USSR had a long history of supporting civil rights internationally. Many black leaders in the United States received a great deal of support from the USSR. Most notable was Paul Robeson, but there were many others, including Angela Davis.

Article 36 of the USSR Constitution (p. 38) reads (Citizens of the USSR of different races and nationalities have equal rights.

Exercise of these rights is insured by a policy of all round development and drawing together of all the nations and nationalities of the USSR, by educating citizens in the spirit of Soviet patriotism and Soviet internationalism, and by the possibility to use their native language in the languages of other peoples of the USSR.

Any direct or indirect limitation of the rights of citizens or other establishment of direct or indirect privileges on grounds of race or nationality, or any advocacy of racial or national exclusiveness, hostility or contempt, are punishable by law.”

There is no longer a USSR to stand up for and advocate for the rights of African-Americans in the United States. It is up to the people of the United States to take on this role and demand that our citizens not be brutalized by the vicious, paid, stooges of the bourgeoisie. Until working people fight for political power, the brutality will continue and expand.

Wake up, people of the United States! What Gus Hall used to call a “whiff of fascism” has expanded into a stench of fascism. A unified movement of working people can turn this around!