Minneapolis forum blasts cop drug raids

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6 SOCIALIST ACTION APRIL 1989 At a Socialist Action forum held at Macalester College in Minneapolis last month, 40 people heard the so-called war on drugs exposed as a police-led war on the Black community.

While police are throwing grenades into the homes of innocent Blacks, speakers pointed out, government officials are deeply involved with international drug dealers such as Gen. Manuel Noriega in Panama.

Chris Nisan, Community Director of the African Student Cultural Center, put the blame squarely on the ruling class for drug addiction in the poor communities. "Drug abuse is a serious problem in our community," he said. "But who are the real culprits? They are not the small dope dealers on the corner."

"We know the real dope dealers are in the highest echelons of the government. We know Oliver North is a dope dealer.... We know that during the Vietnam War dope was pumped into the Black community, as the military helped drug dealers in South East Asia."

Brian Schwartz, a member of Socialist Action, backed Nisan's charges. "There is no war on drugs," he declared. "The propaganda campaign against drugs has been carried out with two major purposes: One—to provide a smokescreen to hide the U.S. government's complicity in international drug traffic.

Cla Lynn Henderson/Socialist Actlon Two-to create an atmosphere in which people will accept a stepped-up war on the Black community and a war on everybody's civil liberties."

An outcome of the "war on drugs" was the death of Lloyd Smiley, 71, and Lillian Wiesse, 68. While asleep in their home, they were killed in a fire started by a "thunderflash" stun gun hurled through their window by members of the Minneapolis Police Department. [See March issue of Socialist Action.] As a result of this outrage, Nisan reported, the Black community has organized and is demanding criminal prosecution of the police officers responsible and an end to police harassment of the citizens who are making these demands.

"People are starting to protest," Nisan concluded. "It is not just a coincidence that for the last month there have been no further grenade attacks or bulldozer parties. They haven't occurred because a protest movement has emerged."

LONG BEACH, Calif.—On March 11, startled Saturday shoppers heard chants of "Re-teach Long Beach police" and "One day when you're going to class, Dickey may shove you through glass."

A march and rally of over 100, called by Students Against Police Abuse (SAPA), condemned police harassment of Long Beach Blacks and the brutal arrest of Don Jackson, a Black police officer on disability from the personalities and Black leaders, including Jesse Jackson, were present.

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Demonstration denounces racist Long Beach cops