From: Greg Jackson <gda7@yahoo.com> (by way of Michael Novick part2001@usa.net>)
A NOTE TO ALL PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS IN SEATTLE AND BEYOND. I would once again like to thank my attorney, Vince Matthews; and thank the other attorneys, John McGoodwin and Dana Brown; and everyone who supported myself and my co-defendants in this case; from those who called or emailed the City Attorney's Office, to those who came down to court with us. I also want to thank all of the instructors in martial arts that I have ever had. What they taught me has saved my life. The right to self-defense is a basic human right according to both UN charter and the U.S. Constitution; it is also a basic human instinct that even those who are staunchly non-violent ideologically can easily understand. Because I understood this, and acted decisively based upon this basic understanding, I did not become another police statistic like the late Michael Ealy (1998), Robert Wayne Guy, Jr. (1997), Andre Stapleton (1996), Edward Anderson (1995), etc, etc, etc, ... The jury, as shown and proved by the unanimous verdicts of "NOT GUILITY" on 1 count of assault of a police officer and 1 count of obstruction of a police officer, understood very well what was at stake on September 20, 1998 near 24th Ave and East Cherry...MY LIFE! Indeed, prior to the City Attorney's involvement in the case, the King County Prosecutor's Office had the foresight and judicial intellect to NOT prosecute the case. This might also have something to do with the fact that I have no criminal record! I was able to make it to trial because I did not allow my state-authorized "protector", in this case, officer Ronald A. Martin; badge #781, to choke the breath of life out of me. I was able to make it through the jail time and trial because of my support network (YOU!). And I was able to make it back out into the world, thanks to a jury of people who are intelligent and paid attention to the testimony. Onward to the civil suit! I have this to ask of all of you: How many really, really, REALLY grasp that what is going on in this city and in the U.S. generally, beyond a mere "academic" understanding of the situation? Here's what I bear witness to: 1. The police are indeed an occupational army, designed to oppress certain peoples and classes; also to protect those who steal from the public legally. The police themselves show and prove this, as is reflected in the general "us versus them" mentally (particularly against so-called "minorities") that exists in various police departments, including Seattle's. Additional examples of the consequences of a militaristic approach to law enforcement can be found in recent press accounts of police brutality, murder, theft, drug dealing, prostitution, racketeering, reckless endangerment, and even "off-duty" criminal activity from all over the United States. 2. The police are only the enforcement arm of the larger problem; the larger problem is the legalized exploitation and periodic extermination of the people (especially so-called minorities) by all levels of government and the big businesses that ultimately control them. And many people generally do not know the real history of how all of us have gotten to this point in time. 3. In order for the people to be safe, the people must include the fight against police terrorism as a major part of any program designed to fight crime and improve communities. If government officials or law enforcement do not take a position on this, or refuse to help in this process, or actively sabotage such efforts, then the people will have to deal with them as firmly as they would deal with other criminals in their neighborhood. After all, it's we the people who pay for all of this, and then have to live with the consequences. The social, political, and economic relationship between taxpayers (from property-owners to renters) and government makes all taxpayers "investors" in the system. Who in their right mind would invest in a corporation that they have absolutely no real say in? Even worse, a system that is a type of corporation that we the people have no choice but to invest in; or risk fines, confiscation of property, and jail time. Certain classes and people with certain ideologies have much blood on their hands, based solely on how they vote and whom they vote for; as well as what organizations and issues they choose to support with their time and money. The rest have blood on their hands based simply on "guilt by association". And then there are those of us who actually live "in the cross-hairs", whether we know it or not, who are mandated by law to support all aspects of a system that is literally killing us everyday. Even worse, there are some amongst us who willfully aid the system in our collective destruction! On Monday, I learned that the Capitol Hill Times would be printing a picture of me from last weekend's Mumia Abu-Jamal Teach-in at Seattle Central Community College. Today, it hit the streets. I took the risk of being photographed, as everyone does when they go out in public; it is legal to film people (without sound) without their permission in public, that's one of the reasons why video taping the police in action is effective. In my case, I was identified in a front-page photo as being a member of Copwatch 206. What this does is make me a target for assassination by any fascist amongst law-enforcement (or amongst the general public); especially in light of the recent verdict in my case. A case where the Seattle Police Department was defeated physically by an intended victim (i.e.-the intended victim, me, lived to talk about the experience), was once again exposed for it's acts of terrorism against people of color, and was later defeated in court! This is in addition to my nine year involvement in social change politics and activism in the Seattle area in issues ranging from fighting city-inspired repression of the homeless, to helping to build the African-American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center. At the same time, it shows others that there are people out in the world who are not afraid to stand up and fight for what is right and just. Part of the reason I am presenting this to you is not only to give you an idea of where my head is at, but to also provide everyone with evidence in the event I am "terminated with prejudice" by "the powers that be", so you can do what you need to do. So, what I ask of all of you is this. Please:1. Keep the lines of communication between progressive people and organizations open, regardless of what you personally think of each other. 2. Make it as easy as possible for people to contact you. If you know people without email, encourage them to get on-line and show them the easiest and cheapest way you know of to get on-line or get a phone or pager hooked up. 3. Support projects that build power directly for the people with time and resources, not just rhetoric (no matter how positive). To me, power consists of knowledge, wealth, defensive capability, and unity. Projects that build those four elements are what I get involved with. Whenever I have an idea, I strive to show and prove how my idea strengthens those four elements for the individual and the group. The individual is weak without the group, and the group is weak without the individual. 4. Do not limit yourself to electoral or single-issue politics. The reason the oppressor can oppress you is because he/she/they have an institutional base from which to do so. Where's your base? Why does the oppressor determine the timetable for the issue or the election? Why are you reacting instead of acting? Is the oppressor somehow "smarter" than you are? If so, why? By the way, where's your media; and why is the oppressor's media more magnetic than yours is? When the hare raced the tortoise in Aesop's Fable, who won? And why? 5. Be 10 times more security conscious, alert, and observant than you are now (I know I am!). To be successful, and to survive, we all need to be "on the same page" as far as that goes. To me, a higher standard in activism benefits all of us as people and benefits our work. For me, a greater understanding of the current local, national, and global situation, the history of it, and how it relates directly to me in my daily life inspires a greater self-discipline, greater creativity, and a greater will to live. 6. Stop treating serious political struggle like a form of religion and cultism! Read Marx, read Bakunin, read Lenin, read Mao, read Malcolm X, read Huey P. Newton, read The Bible, read The Koran; read Mumia Abu-Jamal; read all the above and MORE! And then read Bruce Lee; especially the part in "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" when he writes, "absorb what is useful, discard what is not"; learn to separate theory and science from religion! And then apply what you learn based upon a strategy that balances what is, with what you wish it to be. I know that's easier said than done, but I've had some relative success using this approach. Like today, for example. Remember that we are all on a deadline. According to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article I read back in January, the National Guard will be on the streets in full force on December 31st of this year all across the United States, to deal with any "social unrest" that may result from the effects of the Y2K bug, "millennium madness", or the usual groups of drunken idiots with fireworks that make an appearance every New Years' Eve. So if you see any of your activities falling under either the category of "resulting from the Y2K bug", "millennium madness" or "drunken idiot with fireworks", I suggest you prepare for the worst. I'm as serious as a heart attack when I say this. I apologize for how long this email is, I'm just seeing things more clearly now than ever before, and I wanted to share my observations, apprehensions, and suggestions with the rest of you. Tell me what you think. Peace. Kaidi Allah (s/n Greg Jackson [Lewis] ). |