Workers viewpoint [1980-05-26]

              WORKERS VIEWPOINT, May 26, I960        Page 3
On Nov. 11, in honor of our five comrades murdered by KIan/Nazij/FBI armed funeral marches defied the military might of the state. j ,
Gun Charges Against CWP 5 Funeral Marchers Dropped
Victory for Right to
Armed Self-Defense
GREENSBORO. N.C.-The Communist
Workers Party won a victory on the right to
bear arms to defend ourselves from attack.
On April 8. Judge William Z. Wood of the
Superior Court was forced to drop all gun
charges against seven CWP supporters for
violating the city's "state of emergency"
on Nov. II. All seized weapons will be
returned to the seven. This decision saved
the city the embarassment of arresting us
for carrying arms when they had set us up
for the kill just a week before. The seven
were arrested with 19 others while driving
into the city to attend the funeral march for
the CWP 5 who were murdered by Klan/
Nazis/FBI on Nov. 3. In the District court
trial. 14 people were convicted by Judge
Joe Williams with a five year suspended
sentence (meaning if they commit similar
acts again within five years, they will get a
one year sentence automatically.) The
CWP appealed the decision challenging
the legality of the state of emergency, the
blanket search warrant, and the fact that
they were arrested outside of Greensboro.
The Superior Court judge threw out the
earlier conviction on the grounds that these
seven people were arrested in an area outside the jurisdiction of the city. From the
very beginning, since Nov. 3. the government has been on the political defensive.
First of all, it was the city that had set us up
for the kill by explicitly denying us the
right to bear arms as a condition to obtaining the permit for the Death to the Klan
rally. When we openly pointed our finger
at the state for the planned assassinations
and insisted on carrying out an armed funeral march in honor of our slain comrades,
the city government was in total disarray.
They first tried to stop us by denying us the
permit. When it was clear that nothing was
going to stop us. they backed down by
saying that a funeral march didn't need a
permit. Then, they declared a state of
emergency on the day of the march, issuing blanket search warrants to allow cops
to stop vehicles and search anybody
suspected of carrying arms. Then- they
went on TV and radio telling people to stay
home to avoid violence.
Confronted with the Party's uncompromising stand on upholding the right to
armed self-defense, the state had to
mobilize over 750 National Guards
men. state troopers and local police,
while sharpshooters hung over roof
tops and helicopters churned overhead in the city to intimidate the
marchers. All this commotion scared
no one.
Other than the arrests they made, all
the way outside of Greensboro when
nobody was around, the cops didn't
dare touch anybody in the march. The
government knew that the marchers
were armed, but there was nothing
they could do. Now. the court has had
to drop charges against those arrested
and return their weapons.
Persistence in upholding the right to
armed self-defense, and actually being
able to carry it out in an organized way
was the only way to defend ourselves
from  being  attacked  on  Nov.   II.  on
|J
Feb. 2. in Greensboro, in Kokomo'and
in the May 3 rallies in DC and Greensboro. This is the only way we can
minimize casualities in future struggles. Nobody could take that right away
from us. not the state nor opportunists
within the people's movement, such as
Joe Lowery of SCLC. SWP and
CP"ML" types.
The 80's is going to be a very flammable decade. It's a world totally j different from the 60's. Armed uprisings
such as the one in Idabel. Oklahoma,
Wichita. Kansas, and the recent one in
Miami. Florida will be daily occurences
and armed repression will also be more
severe as the bourgeoisie can't give us
reforms anymore. That's the only way
they hope to squash the people's
struggle. CWP is the only party that
never gives up the right to armed self-
defense against reactionary violence.
That is the only kind of leadership that
is capable of leading the masses in the
80's in their life and death battle with
the bourgeoisie for state power.
National Tour Exposed Real Criminals
GREELEY, Co.-The City of Greeley and the surrounding communities were
turned "upside down" for the National Tour on March 29 on Avenging the Communist Workers Party 5. With this motion going on, the local courts decided to drop all
charges of Kathy Lopez, a member of the Committee to Avenge the CWP 5. Yet they
still fined Jose Calderon $50 for charges stemming from a demonstration organized
to protest the assassination of the Communist Workers Party comrades on Nov. 3.
Both Kathy and Jose had been accused of violating a parade permit which the
city cops had not wanted to sanction on the day of the march. The cops used the
excuse that there was a "lack of forces" for not allowing the marchers to march
down the streets of Greeley. Even the police chief claimed that all of his men were
tied up in the 24-hour-a-day strike of Monfort Meatcutters. Yet on the day of
the demonstration, dozens of policemen were on hand to harass and intimidate the
marchers!
The parade permit had only allowed marchers on the sidewalks,but so spirited
was the demonstration that people took to the streets and made their own route.
It was only after the march that the police selectively arrested Jose and Kathy. It
was then they charged the two with "violating a parade permit." But they slapped
another charge on Jose for parking in a "handicapped parking" space and arrested
him. These were the kinds of excuses and intimidation tactics the police had to use
in the hope that our marchers' spirit would be crushed. Jose's parking charge was so
ridiculous and unfounded that it was later dropped.
Down
On Attacks
On Jose Calderon,
Party Member
It was clear from the very beginning that the police and the city officials did
not want the march to take place. They did not want people to know the real truth
of how the police/FBI and the government had worked together in the assassinations
in Greensboro. And since they could not stop the march from going on, they arrested
two of the leaders and used the state and local media to make them look as criminals,
and to try to discredit the struggle of Avenge the CWP 5. Their game has'backfired
on them, as the CWP 5 campaign is still bringing out the truth behind the massacres
of the five CWP members on Nov. 3 in Greensboro. Hundreds of people throughout
the state of Colorado are listening and rallying to our ranks. That's why the City
was forced to drop the trumped-up charges. And no matter how many excuses the
government tries to put out and no matter how many roadblocks they place in
front of us, the CWP and our friends will continue forward. We will continue to win
battles against the state's attack on our members and supporters. D