Defend African Resistance, Fight for Black Power Mobilization: November

[OKULAJA]

A Call to Join the National March and Conference in St. Petersburg, Fla.
African People Have A Right to Resist Our Oppression

March: Sat. November 12th, 2005 at 12:00pm
Anti-Imperialism Conference: Sun. November 13, 2005 from 10:00am – 5:00pm
St. Petersburg, Florida
Assembly Location TBA

Sisters and brothers, the African population in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida is locked in a life and death battle with the white power governments in this area of Florida. Many of you may recall the two African rebellions of 1996 in St. Petersburg in response to the police murder of 18 year old Tyron Lewis.

On October 24, 1996 the unarmed Lewis was shot dead after a St. Petersburg cop, James Knight pulled him over. The aftermath of the murder saw hundreds of young Africans battling the police for control of the streets of the African community. A second rebellion occurred on November 13, 1996 when hundreds of cops from several different police agencies surrounded the National Headquarters building of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) in St. Petersburg during a meeting attended by more than 150 people. The police attacked the meeting using tear gas as women, men and children panicked. The African community came to the defense of InPDUM and pushed the police back using guerilla warfare tactics. The mostly young African warriors shot down one helicopter and wounded one cop. Gun battles between these young Africans, who became known as the “ghost faces� because they tied shirts around their faces, and the police agencies raged throughout the night. White businesses were destroyed to the tune of millions of dollars.

The fact that we survived the police attack allowed us to organize demonstrations and other protest to give the resistance political definition. The organization raised the demand for economic development for the African community where some 71% of the people live near or below the poverty line, and only one third of the African children graduate from high school with a regular diploma, a third drop out and the other third receive worthless “certificates of attendance�. Because the African community was becoming more and more organized under the leadership of InPDUM, for eight years after the murder of Tyron Lewis there were no more police murders of Africans. The African working class and poor community had come into its own power through its resistance to police terror and its ongoing demand for economic development.

However, on May 2, 2004 the brutal Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department (St. Petersburg is the largest city in Pinellas County) took up the vicious role of controlling the African community formerly carried out by the local police. The Sheriff’s department had been invited into the city to do the dirty work for the local cops. On May 2, 2004 two sheriff’s department deputies fired 14 shots at 17 year old African, Marquell McCullough, hitting him 9 times. The relative peace had been broken. On May 10, 2004 the people responded with a vengeance. The wrongful death civil trial concerning the police murder of Tyron Lewis was already under way and tensions were already high after the murder of Marquell. The African youth of the city went into self defense mode and several gun battles with the police went on throughout the night. The local news media all but accused InPDUM of instigating the rebellions in 1996 and 2004 because of our connection with ordinary African people.
On April 12, 2005, with tensions still lingering from the McCullough murder which had been ruled “justifiable homicide�, by racist state attorney, Bernie McCabe, Pinellas County Sheriffs deputy Chris Taylor leading a swat team raid, shot 19 year old African Jarrell Walker in the back twice as he awoke from his sleep. This murder has also been ruled “justifiable homicide� by the state attorney.

On May 8th the police instigated another African rebellion after pepper spraying Young Africans as they were forced to leave Childs park in the African community. African youth again battled police. In the Aftermath of the rebellion, the cousin and brother of Jarrell Walker have been charged with “inciting to riot�. These are political frame up charges meant to distract the African community from organizing against police murders of our people at the same time these charges are used to incite the white community to a deeper and deeper anti-African stance. This unique political situation in St. Petersburg is reaching critical mass. As our organization and community organized demonstrations protesting the police murders of African people, we learned from news reports that a 5 year old African child, Ja’eisha Scott was brutally handcuffed by four thugs from the St. Petersburg police department. The case of Ja’eisha Scott has made international news with the video playing over and over again all over the world. The handcuffing of Ja’eisha Scott took place at Fairmont Park Elementary School right here in the white tourist town of St. Petersburg, Florida. The case of Ja’esha Scott underlines the general attack on African people in the city.

Leaders of the Black middle class are attempting to distract the people from their just demands by counter-organizing, calling a press conference meant to undermine the work of InPDUM by providing the white power system with a group that will soften the demands of the people. The NAACP and its local president, Attorney Darryl Rouson, have played a major role in the undermining tactics of the white power system. The system utilizing a neo-colonial strategy to break the long held unity against police terror of the African community in St. Petersburg.

The International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement and the African community calls on African organizations and individuals and people who believe in justice to join the national mobilization to St. Petersburg. The African community of St. Petersburg, although small by most standards ( 45,000 and decreasing), has a long history of resistance to police terror and murders of African people. In these critical times we are requesting that all who believe in freedom for African people and our right to fight for that freedom and defend ourselves against violence from the police, must be in St. Petersburg on November 12 – 13, 2005. We need Africans and our allies to organize busses to the national “Defend African Resistance, Fight for Black Power Mobilization�. An Organizing Committee is being formed to coordinate this important work. These are the demands of the mobilization:

1. Reparations to the families of Tyron Lewis, Marquell McCullough, Jarrell Walker and Ja’eisha Scott
2. Economic development for the African community, an infusion of millions of dollars for the creation of African commerce and businesses, not more sell-out deals for the Black middle class
3. Jail the cops who murdered Jarrell Walker, Marquell McCullough, and Tyron Lewis.
4. Drop the charges against all Africans arrested in connection with the May 8, 2005 African resistance, especially Dorian Williams and Orin Walker
5. An end to police murders of African people and trials for these murdering cops in an international court

What organizations and individuals can do:
1. Organize a bus to “Defend African Resistance, Fight for Black Power Mobilization�. Bring your banners to express the issues you are fighting for
2. Endorse the March on Sat. November 12th and Anti-imperialist Conference on Sun. November 13th
3. If you can not attend send letters or e-mails of solidarity to InPDUM
4. Hold press conferences in your city announcing the participation of your organization in this important action
5. Donate toward the expenses of the mobilization and conference
6. Join the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement
7. Help us build an Anti-imperialist Coalition

Contact: International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (inpdum_international@yahoo.com)
World Headquarters: 1245 18th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Fla. 33705 (727) 502-0575
Atlanta: uhuru_atl@yahoo.com (404) 454-5422 / West Coast: (510) 569-9620 / Northeast: (347)385- 1574