The historical significance of the Watts uprising August 2000
by Nelson Peery August 11 marks the 35th anniversary of the Watts rebellion. Why did it happen? Armed, mass uprisings are a specific stage of struggle against an oppressing state power. In the struggle against violent oppression, the masses become conscious of themselves. Rejecting the compromised leadership of the reformist elite, they inevitably turn to defensive violence. Watts was the culmination of this process within the African American freedom movement. The rejection of reformist leadership and the subsequent fighting in Harlem, Detroit, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Cleveland and numerous other places was not lost on the people of Watts. By 1965, the distrust of the "power structure," be it black or white, was near total in the Ghetto. This was clearly shown at the beginning of the fighting in Watts. The African American newspaper The Sentinel called the uprising the most disgraceful day in African American history. The respected "militant" comedian Dick Gregory mounted a police car with a bull horn and crudely demanded that the people calm down and go home. A young man with a single-action .22 hesitated for a moment, then shot Gregory instead of the cop standing beside him. It is noteworthy that as the fighting began, not one so-called leader left the police side of the barricades to defend the interests of the people. Throughout 1963, 1964 and into 1965, the crisis in the reformist leadership intensified as the tactics and leadership of the Freedom Movement shifted back and forth between the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and the scattered local, semiorganized movements led by mainly young people who did not have access to city hall. The SCLC was mainly Southern, based in the churches and the black middle class. The local movements were throughout the country and based in the streets. (The excellent video "At the River I Stand" clearly shows this division during the struggle in Memphis that led to King's death.) It was not possible for the SCLC to deal with the thousands of daily acts of humiliation, brutality, unemployment and poverty that were part of the system of American apartheid. As the masses resisting segregation were met by brute force from the police, they turned toward meeting violence with violence. Any impulse toward violent defense forced the SCLC to sharpen it's call for nonviolence, which deepened the division. Nonviolence was the only form of black struggle acceptable to the white liberals. They were indispensable to the reform struggle, hence the inability of the reform leaders to compromise. An example of this was the situation in Birmingham, Alabama where black strikers were attacked by dogs, Bull Conner's police force and mobs of white, civilian fascists. When the workers organized to defend themselves, Reverend King was brought in to calm the situation. "Remember always that the nonviolent movement seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory," he told them. "Let our blood flow, not theirs." On August 15, 1965 after observing the situation in Watts, Dr. King said, "It was necessary that as powerful a police force as possible be brought in to check them." Police informants advised against him entering Watts for fear he might be killed. These quotes are not intended to denigrate Dr. King, who gave his life in the struggle. Our intent is to show the deepening class divisions that brought about the uprising. full: http://www.lrna.org/league/PT/PT.2000.08/PT.2000.08.3.html _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
