By Reece Evans

5/27/20

On Monday, May 25 another case of racist police terrorism has resulted in the death of a Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The victim was George Floyd, a 46 year old resident of the community. He was murdered by a lynch mob of Minneapolis police officers.

What was the supposed crime that was worth taking the life of a human being? The police were called by a business after a customer allegedly tried to use a counterfeit form of payment. Another illustration of how the capitalist system works in hand with the police to commit genocide against poor and working class people.

These officers shouldn’t have been there in the first place. They are neither workers nor are they essential. The act of calling the police on Black and Brown people is complicity with white supremacy and the injustices that occur against oppressed peoples. The racist white police officer who responded to the call murdered Floyd with the assistance of three other officers by kneeling on his neck while knowing damn well he was killing him.

The victim was already restrained and wasn’t resisting in any way. Floyd had cried out for the officer not to kill him and repeatedly told him he couldn’t breathe. Floyd reported the pain on his neck and stomach that eventually caused him to start bleeding out of his nose. The police officer never budged, applying harder pressure in order to murder Floyd.

Like the pig who murdered Eric Garner this arrogant police officer clearly didn’t give a fuck about the life of a Black human being. Members of the community gathered in horror demanding that the officers stop the execution of Floyd. They yelled out that the officers were killing him and pointed to the blood pouring out of his nose as evidence that the use of force was causing severe bodily harm to the victim.

Minneapolis police policy allows for its officers to use cruel tactics like this on its citizens. The police chief, Medaria Arradondo has said that the department will review the use of these tactics in their policy. That isn’t good enough. The current and historical institution of policing in the United States is and has always been a tool of repression that must be abolished in its entirety.

Chief Arradondo was appointed after the resignation of the previous Chief Janeé Harteau. Harteau resigned under pressure against the department for the police murder of Justine Damond in 2017. The Minneapolis Police Department has no regard for the safety of its citizens and acts as the judge, jury, and executioner of innocent people without accountability falling where it should: the white supremacist system of policing.

The department is willing to symbolically sacrifice the officers that act on their behalf in order to maintain their continued oppression and domination of the communities that make up Minneapolis. The four police officers have been fired but have yet to be charged and arrested for the murder they committed.

Community control of the police towards full abolition

Under the current structures that exist the people do not hold the power over police activities. The police are allowed to act without any real form of accountability. They don’t serve the people’s interests but rather the interests of capital and maintain the domination of the state over the people.

We need community control over the police to ensure that power belongs in the hands of the people. Police officers must be members of the communities they serve and answer directly to elected members of the community. The community itself should be able to determine directly what laws will be enforced and how they will be enforced regardless of what the state and federal laws are. These laws are put in place by corporate controlled politicians and seek to serve the rule of capital rather than the safety of the public.

Poverty is itself criminal in nature and should be eradicated instead of criminalizing the poor and working class. The crisis of capitalism is what makes people have to take survival measures in order to live. The system is guilty of crimes against humanity. The capitalists and their lackeys, which include politicians and the police, should be indicted for these crimes.

The poor, working class, and oppressed peoples who are the victims of these crimes must be released from the concentration camps known as jails and prisons. These victims must be given reparations for this injustice committed against them.

Community control over the police also includes the right of defense against racist police terror by any means necessary. Yes, any means necessary includes reserving the right to return fire in self-defense against murderous cops that act as an invading military force in poor, working class, and oppressed communities. Community control of the police should include the right for the community itself to determine the charges and punishments that killer cops will receive rather than the corrupt apparatuses of the state.

Community control of the police is the stepping stone that’s possible within our flawed system to transfer power from the white supremacist state to the hands of the people. The transformation of the capitalist system to that of a people centered socialist system will allow for the total abolition of racist policing and the prison system. A socialist society will seek to end the inequities that cause people to act in desperate measures for their survival. Housing, healthcare, education, food, clean water, jobs, and income will be human rights under socialism. The role of a “police” type of force will be only for truly ensuring public safety, being de-escalation moderators, and performing other services that actually benefit the people rather than harm them.

Rebellion erupts against racist state repression

On Tuesday, May 26, thousands took to the streets to demand these killer cops and the police department be held accountable for their crimes. As the night went on the protesters marched down to the police precinct where the officers worked. They were met with riot police who tear gassed and assaulted protesters, demonstrating that the department itself is still committed to racist and classist police tactics.

The protesters responded with righteous rebellion by throwing rocks and water bottles in self-defense at the militarized riot police. Police cars were graffitied in protest to the murder committed by the department. The message is that the people will not stand by idly while racist killer cops get away with the state sponsored terrorism they commit against the communities they are suppose to protect. These demonstrations will continue until these killer cops are convicted.

The inhumane murder of George Floyd must be avenged and revolutionary action should be taken to stop racist police terror against Black and Brown peoples. As long as capitalism remains there will be racist oppression and state repression.

We demand community control of the police now! Empty the prisons and fill them with killer cops!