CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–June 13, 2016. The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression expresses its most heartfelt solidarity with the victims of an act of terror in Orlando, FL, and their families. We declare our solidarity with all victims of such attacks. We note with great concern that the victims in the past few years have mainly been African Americans, the LGBT community, Latinos, and children.
We also declare firmly that which should be obvious. Militarization and increase of police forces have not and cannot stop such attacks from occurring. We reject all attempts to utilize these horrors to promote xenophobic fulminations against those who are foreign born or followers of Islam. The Muslim faith is no more responsible for this crime by Omar Mateen than the Christian faith is for the crime of Dylan Roof, who murdered Black worshippers in the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, NC, almost exactly one year ago.
We do not claim to have “the answer” to the problem of mentally unstable people wreaking havoc among us. But we do know that social problems require social solutions. We know that declaring “war” on a religion can only aggravate the problem, just like declaring “war” on the poor. What is needed if we, as a society, are to make progress against these problems is a massive investment of resources for education, housing, health care (including mental health care) – and employment.
The “rule of holes” applies. When in a hole you can’t get out by digging in deeper. Instead of fascist-like measures against immigrants and Muslims, we need to embrace foreign refugees of wars and crises that our country has helped to create. Instead of more police, more heavily armed, we need community control of the police. We need to unite to defend all whom some would try to blame and marginalize. Black, white and brown; gay straight and trans; men and women – we are all in this together and we will only get out if we stay together and not let the forces of reaction and bigotry divide us.
Source: Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
