Thousands of fans boycott NFL in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick

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women, LGBT people, national minorities, etc. We support the right of self-determination Socialist Action is a national organization of activists committed to the emancipation for oppressed nationalities, including Blacks, Chicanos, and Puerto Ricans. We are of workers and the oppressed. We strive to revitalize the antiwar, environmental, labor, internationalists, and hold that workers of one country have more in common with workers anti-racist, feminist, student, and other social movements with a mass-action perspective. of another than with their own nation’s capitalist class. We seek to link struggles across Recognizing the divisions that exist on the left and within the workers’ movement, we seek national boundaries, and to build an international revolutionary movement that will facilitate to form united front type organizations around specific issues where various groups have the sharing of experiences and political lessons. We maintain fraternal relations with the agreement. In this way we seek to maximize our impact and demonstrate the power and Socialist Action believes that the capitalist state and its institutions are instruments of the In the process we hope to bring activists together from different backgrounds into a ruling class, and that therefore they cannot be used as tools of the working class but have revolutionary workers’ party that can successfully challenge the wealthy elite—whose profit- to be smashed. That is why we fight for revolution. When we fight for specific reforms, we do so with the understanding that in the final analysis real social change can only come We are active partisans of the working class and believe in the need for independent about with the overthrow of capitalism, the establishment of a workers’ government, and the working-class politics—not alliances with the bosses’ parties. That is why we call for workers fight for socialism. Our ultimate goal is a truly democratic, environmentally sustainable, and in the U.S. to break from the Democratic and Republican parties to build a Labor Party egalitarian society organized to satisfy human needs rather than corporate greed. We invite Socialist Action (ISSN 0747-4237) is published monthly by Socialist Action Publishing Association, P.O. Box 10328, Oakland, CA 94610.

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2 SOCIALIST ACTION SEPTEMBER 2017 Thousands of people are pledging to boycott the NFL this year under the banner #NoKaepernickNoNFL. Not since Mohammed Ali has a professional athlete had such a political impact on American culture. Despite overwhelming support for the embattled player, owners of every football team have blacklisted the activist/athlete for his public opposition to oppression of the Black community. NFL owners are deliberately signing quarterbacks with lower ratings to avoid hiring Colin Kaepernick.

Almost a year after Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the National Anthem, his protest is still making headlines. On Aug. 30, Aaron Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks in the league, announced to the press that Kaepernick was being blackballed for his protest. On Aug. 24, over 1000 people gathered outside NFL headquarters to support Kaepernick. Earlier in August, 100 mostly Black police officers, from New York City’s notoriously brutal police department known for it racist “stop and frisk” policies, broke ranks to hold a press-conference supporting Colin Kaepernick.

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett and other players are continuing Kaepernick’s protest by taking a knee during the National Anthem and asking white players to join them. Thirteen players on the Cleveland Browns huddled together taking a knee in solidarity with Kaepernick during a preseason game.

NFL owners recognize the danger in his protest. They want gladiators, they want their players to be seen and not heard. What’s next? Will players start questioning the effects of concussions on post-career JOIN SOCIALIST ACTION!

effectiveness of mass action.

driven system is driving down living standards and threatens all life on this planet.

based on the trade unions.

SOCIALIST ACTION Closing news date: Sept. 7, 2017 Editor: Michael Schreiber Canada Editor: Barry Weisleder designed, and laid out entirely by volunteer labor.

Name Address City State Zip Phone E-mail I enclose an extra contribution of: — $100 — $200 — Other Or subscribe on-line with a credit card at www.socialistaction.org. brain damage? The suicide of Junior Seau, one of the great defensive linebackers, who played with an incomparable passion, brought Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) a degenerative disease brought on by repeated concussions, to the mainstream consciousness. It’s not a far leap in logic to say that NFL players fighting for social justice will also demand better safety conditions on the job. That’s just one example where there is potential to cut into the owners’ profits.

To halt the wild popularity of Kaepernick’s influence the owners brought out big names from football’s recent past—retired stars Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, and Tiki Barber—to give Kaepernick suggestions on how he might return to the NFL. They said, “Cut your hair,”

Fourth International. We support the struggles of those who are specially oppressed under capitalism— you to join us in the struggle to make the world a better place! • • BuFFalo, ny: wnysocialist@google. com • chicago: P.O. Box 578428 Chicago, IL 60657, [email protected] • connecticut: (860) 478-5300 • duluth, minn.: [email protected]. www.thenorthernworker.blogspot.com • kanSaS city: [email protected] (816) 221-3638 • LOUISVILLE, KY: [email protected], (502) 451-2193 • minneaPoliS/St. Paul: (612) 802-1482, [email protected] • new york city: (212) 781-5157 • PhiladelPhia: (267) 989-9035 [email protected] Facebook: Red Philly “Honor the flag,” “Get away from that nonsense.” Kaepernick has maintained his principles despite a rush of abuse. In response, he fired back, “I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed.”

Kaepernick’s example poses a threat because it also undermines the militaristic and patriotic spectacles created during major sporting events. These spectacles are an important part of legitimizing U.S. wars and occupations abroad. The Department of Defense has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on paid patriotic displays. It’s easy money for the owners. Kaepernick is in the company of greats like Jackie Robinson, Mohammed Ali, John Carlos, and Mohamed Abdul Rauf. All were famous athletes who protested during the National Anthem to show their solidarity with those suffering under the repressive might of the U.S. capitalist class.

When Kaepernick started his protest during “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 2016, it sparked a season of solidarity among young athletes. Every day, news stories broke about high school soccer, football, volleyball, and basketball ball teams following Kaepernick’s lead. Kaepernick has since continued to be active, holding “Know Your Rights” workshops for youth of color and donating $700K in seven months to organizations fighting for social justice. He’s inspiring a young generation of athletes to open their eyes to more than what they see on the field. Most importantly, he is setting an example by taking a principled stand for social justice above lucrative contracts and endorsement deals. Give Kaepernick a fair chance on the field and take him off the blacklist for his political beliefs! n For info about Socialist Action and how to join: Socialist Action National Office, P.O.

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Support grows for Guatemalan immigrant “Go out of the shadows. Go out and fight.” — Amanda Morales-Guerra.

Amanda Morales-Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant living in New York City, faces deportation and separation from her three children, but she is not alone. Amanda has found sanctuary for herself and her three children within the Holyrood Church in the largely Hispanic Washington Heights community in upper Manhattan.

A week after a request for a stay of deportation was granted for 90 days, subject to review, she was told on Aug. 21 that the stay was denied. But Amanda, Holyrood church, and the New Sanctuary Movement vowed to keep on fighting.

In the first hundred days of the racist Trump administration, ICE has arrested over 41,000 immigrants, a 38% increase over last year. An Amnesty International study found that Trump’s measures aimed at “tackling immigration” violate international law. Amanda Morales-Guerra, 33, fled Guatemala in 2004 after threats to her life in that violence-torn country. Amanda made her way to Long Island, N.Y., where she has worked and paid taxes for years. In 2012, she was a passenger in a car accident and ordered to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regularly, which she did. She received deportation orders on Aug. 3 and was told to report on Aug. 17, with a non-stop ticket to Guatemala. Instead, she went to Holyrood Church with her three children Dulce, 10, Daniela, 7, and David, 2, who have never been to Guatemala and are American citizens. Father Luis Barrios of Holyrood Church and the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York said, “It’s not a religious issue, it’s a human rights issue; it’s about dignity.” He added, “We are putting together a legal campaign” for Amanda.

In an interview with Socialist Action, using a translator, Amanda said that in Guatemala there is, “a lot of crime, and I was afraid of being kidnapped. I was threatened by the gangs. I’m very grateful for the parish but I miss my liberty, getting the kids to school, the normal things mothers do. The kids were afraid because I was crying all the time. I do all this for my kids. If I go back with them to Guatemala there will not be a good future for them. ”

Amanda added, “Guatemalans feel threatened because they think Donald Trump doesn’t want people from Central America and Latin Americans in the U.S. They should not hide. They should not keep silent. Go to a church or any other solution. Go out of the shadows. Go out and fight!”

The first of many planned community prayers/rallies was held for Amanda and her family outside the church on Aug. 28, attended by over 100 activists, religious leaders, and politicians. As a backdrop, a large banner hung high above the church entrance with Amanda’s name on it.

Speaking with Socialist Action, Holyrood’s Father Barrios cautioned immigrant rights supporters: “Do not be confused. Obama was doing the same, but not openly. So was Bush and Clinton—but not openly. [Trump] is not bringing anything new. He’s going to Marty Goodman / Socialist Action implement what was approved by Obama and Bush. They’re all the same.” Indeed, President Obama deported over 2 million immigrants, more than any previous president, earning him the nickname “Deporter in Chief” among immigration rights advocates. Barrios said Amanda’s children had seen a pediatrician and psychologist who determined the children suffered from post-traumatic stress. They were “not sleeping” and saying, “they’re going to take away our mother.” Barrios explained that ICE says that hospitals, churches, and schools are “sensitive areas” and have yet to come inside Holyrood. “But,” warns Barrios, “we’ve seen videos of ICE going into churches and schools.”

Concerning the setback for Amanda, Barrios said, “We learned from activist training that delayed justice is not justice. We knew that from the beginning. We want the authorities to know that we’re not giving up.”

Washington dominates Guatemala Guatemala has long been under the thumb of Washington and U.S. corporations. The CIA organized a military coup in 1954 against an elected mildly reform government that Washington labeled “communist” after it challenged the absolute dominance of the U.S.-based United Fruit Company. Subsequently, U.S.-backed governments, supplied with U.S. arms—including napalm—and U.S. military personnel, led to decades of mass slaughter of the Guatemalan poor, particularly the Native people.

Today, Guatemala is a haven for companies seeking sweatshop labor—in particular, giant U.S. agricultural and textile corporations. Guatemalan society is rife with corrupt (Left) Amanda Morales-Guerra stands with Father Luis Barrios of Holyrood Church in New York.

politicians, a brutal army and police. Poverty, drugs, gang warfare, rape, and extortion are rampant.

According to Amnesty International, Guatemalan women are murdered with impunity. Between 2012 and 2010, less than 4 percent of nearly 1900 homicide cases resulted in convictions.

Father Barrios emphasized the social and political reasons for Guatemalan immigration as a “combination of U.S. policy and the rich people who surrendered to the U.S. They throw people out as human surplus in a capitalist society.” Barrios called it, “structural violence,” due to an incredibly unequal distribution of resources.

Barrios added, “It was a CIA military coup in 1954 that overthrew the Guatemalan government because “our interests” were being affected by a progressive government. In the 1950s, the whole transformation of the social, political economy in Latin America started in Guatemala.” In Guatemala today, “The biggest organized crime is coming from the military, mostly trained at the [U.S.] School of the Americas.” It is urgent that the immigrant rights movement extend its reach into the unions, as well as throughout the oppressed communities. The historic immigrant workers strike and protest of two million in 2006 showed us the way forward to beat back Trump.

Capitalism in crisis is to blame for attempting to divide working people with racist lies against immigrants. Neither capitalist party will truly defend immigrant rights. Solidarity with Amanda MoralesGuerra! No to the Wall and racist deportations!

For updates on Amanda’s case, see www.Facebook. com/HolyroodSCruz/ or Facebook: New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City. n Marty Goodman / Socialist Action Thousands protested around the U.S. (above in New York City) against the Trump’s administration’s decision to “wind down” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Congress would have six months to consider alternative employment, educational, and residency protections for the nearly 800,000 young immigrants (“Dreamers”) who are affected.

seek to arm themselves.

If we treat North Korea as a rational actor, it is hard to imagine Kim Jong Un

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