4.66.1193-01 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 1 of 2 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large
Extra Large
Full Size
Full Resolution
|
This page
All
|
Loading content ...
COMMUNIST WORKERS PARTY, USA
PO Box 6874
Greensboro, N.C. 27405
FOE IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marion Yuen
Press Officer
Feb. 4, 1980 Communist Workers Party
(919) - 275-6589
If Nov. 3 was a sign of what the U.S. government wants to do to people's resistance,
then Feb. 2 is a sign of what the U.S. people's response will be to it. In spite of
intimidation by the government, some 7000 people poured into the streets of Greensboro
demanding, "Unite to stop Klan/Nazi terror now!" First the government tried to stop
the demonstration. This was shown in their refusal to give the march a permit. Then
they tried to split it to keep people away. The attempt to keep people from coming
was shown in the SBI and FBI attempts to portray the demonstration as a bloody confrontation, saying that most likely there will be violence and most likely CWP will start
it. The government rumor-mongering campaign and provocation was only successful to
the extent that reformist, self-proclaimed leaders readily accepted these vicious
rumors as truth, and acted to break the coalition agreenents not to make the manner
of self-defense an issue. Joseph Lowery of SCLC openly called for the demonstration
to be disarmed. This violation was immediately siesed upon by the FBI, SBI and the
Greensboro police. In breaking with the rules of the coalition, Joseph Lowery and the
opportunists called an Independent press conference and tried to impose his passive,
non-violent philosophy on the 2/2 coalition, which is composed of many groups with
different philosophies. This was a vain attempt to fill their coffers with 30 pieces
of silver and regain the backing of the rich. In inner circles, Lucius Walker and
Joseph Lowery actively encouraged the Klan-defense and government's view that the CWP
brought the Greensboro massacre upon ourselves because of our philosophy. Publicly,
they attempted to jam the CWP to permit ourselves to be disarmed and to disarm the
masses. These opportunists collaborated with the state hand-in-glove in an attempt
to isolate the CWP. Only because of the secret love between Lucius Walker and the
state, the city of Greensboro allowed Lucius Walker to be the sole representative of
the 2/2 mobilization committee, and egged him on to ban the CWP from the demonstration.
The march was non-violent and peaceful primarily due to the unity achieved in the
broad coalition and CWP's selfless and strenuous independent efforts to prevent violence
both inside and outside the march. The CTJP security was organized in such a way as to
prevent violence and to make sure that provocateurs and attackers would be severely
punished and that the Nov. 3 massacre would not be repeated against the Party and the
masses. This is in stark contrast to the claims of the FBI and SBI, city officials
as well as media that the demonstration was peaceful and non-violent because of "peacemaking efforts and protection of the state." It has been shown repeatedly that the
state has attempted to create an atmosphere of fear and tension.
There will be untold sufferings and challenges In the 80's. There will also be
historic opportunities for the workers and the oppressed. This requires sharp line
and strong leadership instead of the linp-wristed, muddle-hesded yes-wan of the 60's
who could not even stomach Fred Hampton, who denounced Malcolm X as a provocateur and
government agent and George Jackson as a terrorist. This motley crew was clearly rejected
at the 2/2 demonstration and rally and will surely be buried in the 80's.
Object Description
| Title | [Communist Workers Party press release] |
| Date | 1980-02-04 |
| Creator | Communist Workers Party U.S.A. |
| Contributors | Yuen, Marion |
| Biographical/historical note |
The Communist Workers Party (CWP) was a Maoist group in the United States. It was founded in 1969 as the Workers' Viewpoint Organization. The party is mainly remembered for the "Greensboro Massacre", a November 3, 1979 Death to the Klan march that left five of the CWP protesters dead. The CWP emphasized unionization and self-determination for African-Americans and enjoyed some success in textile cities of North Carolina. The party established branches in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Greensboro, West Virginia, Colorado and other locations. Prior to its reorganization as a political party, the group had been known as the Workers Viewpoint Organization. Under this umbrella, it directed groups as the Revolutionary Youth League, the African Liberation Support Committee, and the Trade Union Education League. Confrontations with the Klan were particularly acute in Greensboro, where the Klan attempted to disrupt the work of the CWP and vice versa. In July, 1979, the Klan held a rally and viewing of The Birth of a Nation in China Grove, N.C., which was disrupted by CWP members who burned a Confederate flag and taunted members of the KKK. There were also challenges in the press. These provocations were a precursor to the November 3, 1979. "Death to the Klan!" rally organized by the CWP. Members of the Klan were armed, as were some members of the CWP. Two members of the CWP and three rally participants were killed in the assault by the KKK. This was the incident that became known as the "Greensboro Massacre". In response to the acquittal of the accused killers, the CWP attempted to storm the 1980 Democratic National Convention and succeeded in setting off firecrackers in Madison Square Garden. Subsequent to the Greensboro massacre, the group moved towards a social democratic formation that would work for peaceful transition to socialism; it dissolved the Communist Workers Party and formed the New Democratic Movement in 1985. The New Democratic Movement lasted but a few years. The Greensboro Justice Fund is a still extant remnant of this movement. |
| Subject headings | Greensboro Massacre, Greensboro, N.C., 1979 |
| Topics | Greensboro Massacre, 1979 |
| Place | Greensboro (N.C.) |
| Description | This February 4, 1980 press release, issued by the Communist Workers Party USA, describes a February 2, 1980, demonstration held in Greensboro. The demonstration, which coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins, protested Ku Klux Klan activity, particularly the November 3, 1979, Death to the Klan march where five protestors were killed. The press release is critical of government agencies for their lack of support for the demonstration, and of civil rights leaders, including Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) for their "passive, non-violent philopsphy" and their calls to disarm the demonstration. Andrew Young's February 1, 1980, speech at North Carolina A&T State University was similarly criticized. |
| Type | text |
| Original format | reports |
| Original dimensions | 8.5" x 14" |
| Original publisher | Greensboro, N.C. : Communist Workers Party U.S.A. |
| Language | en |
| Contributing institution | Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University |
| Source collection | RL.00134 Blanche M. Boyd Papers |
| Finding aid link | http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/boyd/ |
| Rights statement | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Additional rights information | IN COPYRIGHT. This item is subject to copyright. Contact the contributing institution for permission to reuse. |
| Object ID | Duke_RL.00134.1193 |
| Digital publisher | The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5305 -- http://library.uncg.edu/ |
| Sponsor | LSTA grant administered by the North Carolina State Library -- http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ld/grants/lsta.html |
| OCLC number | 884367564 |
Page/Item Description
| Title | 4.66.1193-01 |
| Full text | COMMUNIST WORKERS PARTY, USA PO Box 6874 Greensboro, N.C. 27405 FOE IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marion Yuen Press Officer Feb. 4, 1980 Communist Workers Party (919) - 275-6589 If Nov. 3 was a sign of what the U.S. government wants to do to people's resistance, then Feb. 2 is a sign of what the U.S. people's response will be to it. In spite of intimidation by the government, some 7000 people poured into the streets of Greensboro demanding, "Unite to stop Klan/Nazi terror now!" First the government tried to stop the demonstration. This was shown in their refusal to give the march a permit. Then they tried to split it to keep people away. The attempt to keep people from coming was shown in the SBI and FBI attempts to portray the demonstration as a bloody confrontation, saying that most likely there will be violence and most likely CWP will start it. The government rumor-mongering campaign and provocation was only successful to the extent that reformist, self-proclaimed leaders readily accepted these vicious rumors as truth, and acted to break the coalition agreenents not to make the manner of self-defense an issue. Joseph Lowery of SCLC openly called for the demonstration to be disarmed. This violation was immediately siesed upon by the FBI, SBI and the Greensboro police. In breaking with the rules of the coalition, Joseph Lowery and the opportunists called an Independent press conference and tried to impose his passive, non-violent philosophy on the 2/2 coalition, which is composed of many groups with different philosophies. This was a vain attempt to fill their coffers with 30 pieces of silver and regain the backing of the rich. In inner circles, Lucius Walker and Joseph Lowery actively encouraged the Klan-defense and government's view that the CWP brought the Greensboro massacre upon ourselves because of our philosophy. Publicly, they attempted to jam the CWP to permit ourselves to be disarmed and to disarm the masses. These opportunists collaborated with the state hand-in-glove in an attempt to isolate the CWP. Only because of the secret love between Lucius Walker and the state, the city of Greensboro allowed Lucius Walker to be the sole representative of the 2/2 mobilization committee, and egged him on to ban the CWP from the demonstration. The march was non-violent and peaceful primarily due to the unity achieved in the broad coalition and CWP's selfless and strenuous independent efforts to prevent violence both inside and outside the march. The CTJP security was organized in such a way as to prevent violence and to make sure that provocateurs and attackers would be severely punished and that the Nov. 3 massacre would not be repeated against the Party and the masses. This is in stark contrast to the claims of the FBI and SBI, city officials as well as media that the demonstration was peaceful and non-violent because of "peacemaking efforts and protection of the state." It has been shown repeatedly that the state has attempted to create an atmosphere of fear and tension. There will be untold sufferings and challenges In the 80's. There will also be historic opportunities for the workers and the oppressed. This requires sharp line and strong leadership instead of the linp-wristed, muddle-hesded yes-wan of the 60's who could not even stomach Fred Hampton, who denounced Malcolm X as a provocateur and government agent and George Jackson as a terrorist. This motley crew was clearly rejected at the 2/2 demonstration and rally and will surely be buried in the 80's. |
