New York City, November 16 — Workers from a community mass organization in Bushwick, Brooklyn had a joint “mini conference” with the congregation of a church in Harlem. This was a follow-up to an October rally held in the working-class neighborhood of Bushwick against the renovation-rent hikes that are driving out mainly Latino and undocumented workers who have lived there for years, near their families and workplaces.
Bushwick, fifteen minutes from Manhattan, has become one of the most desired neighborhoods in New York City. It borders Williamsburg, a neighborhood already redefined by a growing wealthy population and rapid capitalist development of overpriced housing, so it’s no surprise that the landowners are now targeting Bushwick. With the recent development of the Barclay Stadium, home to the new Brooklyn Nets, the borough has become even more of a hot spot for the real estate capitalists.
The conference called for multi-racial unity of Latin, Asian, white and black against racist gentrification, since most of the new population moving into these neighborhoods are white. Meanwhile Latino and black families are being pushed out. Most of the latter are feeling hostile against the white workers moving in and landlords, who openly tell them that they want them out so whites will pay their higher rents and buy their new luxury condos.
We have constantly reminded our friends that white workers are not the enemy, that capitalism and its bosses are the true enemy. They use this type of racism to divide the working class and make us fight each other, but it takes a lot of work and convincing when desperation clouds workers’ minds. We reminded our friends, who were pessimistic about winning the fight against the landlords, that back in the 1930s during the Great Depression whole communities would unite and occupy foreclosed houses in order to stop cops from evicting workers out of their homes. One comrade also said, “Don’t underestimate the power of the working class.”
At the conference, one new comrade, a victim of Storm Sandy and a homeless parent, spoke eloquently about the racist oppression she and her children have suffered over the past year and how the Progressive Labor Party and friends had given her personal support and political leadership. She demonstrated how victims of the storm and victims of homelessness due to gentrification are being forced to compete in order to receive public assistance and a new home. University expansion is pushing gentrification in both of these communities.
A college student from Venezuela spoke at length about the need for both a worker-student alliance and international solidarity for our struggles to move forward. Three college students participated in the conference, won by three PLP members’ weekly participation in their student-worker solidarity group on campus. One of the students emphasized the importance of a worker-student alliance, since one day students will also be joining the workforce.
The conference proposals included building multi-racial actions against racist gentrification in Bushwick. Brooklyn forces will participate in a University/State Office Building rally and march demanding low rents, jobs and expansion of food stamps.
We tried to connect anti-imperialism to university expansion and anti-racism to racist gentrification. The college students we work with are considering this action as one of their main projects as soon as winter break ends. The college students and workers did come to understand that the problem was the capitalist landlords and the only way workers will ever have safe housing conditions is by destroying capitalism and replacing it with real workers power.