The evolution of Latino youth organizations

by a Kansas prisoner

ITAL We thank this comrade for articulating the situation facing 
oppressed nations in the united snakes and making clear the role 
of so-called gangs. Many of these organizations have their roots 
in anti-people, criminal activity (theft, drug running, etc.). But 
as this comrade discusses, often there is a political struggle 
within these organizations to push them to change and adopt the 
slogan of "Serve the People" -- some even advocate they take up a 
revolutionary perspective.

This struggle reflects the class position of the lumpenproletariat 
(the chronically unemployed) in the oppressed nations. The lumpen 
can be extremely individualistic. The capitalists keep them out of 
the mainstream Amerikan economy, so often the lumpen don't care 
who they step on to get what they want. But because the lumpen are 
among the most oppressed, they can also be among the most 
energetic in the fight against capitalism and for communism This 
is why the cops feared that gangs might ally with the 
revolutionary Black Panther Party. They didn't want that head (the 
Party's leadership) connected with that body (the 
lumpenproletariat).

The significant thing about groups like the Black Panthers, and 
later the Young Lords, is that they took up the revolutionary tool 
of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and applied it in a living way to their 
concrete conditions. The study of Maoism helped them see solutions 
to the problems facing the oppressed nations here in Amerika. They 
then popularized the lessons of Maoism among the oppressed 
nations, especially the lumpenproletariat. MIM does not shy away 
from playing the same role today.

We encourage comrades engaged in the struggle to create youth 
organizations which truly "Serve the People" to seriously study 
the legacy of the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords Party, 
to study the history of successful national-liberation struggles 
from around the world, and to study the history of the necessary 
struggle for communism -- a society where all forms of group 
oppression are eliminated. We are confident many will come to 
agree that our guiding principles reflect reality and offer the 
best hope of changing that reality. And while we build high-level 
unity through study and struggle, we encourage comrades to work 
with us on projects of mutual interest and benefit, so that we 
might strengthen our work and deepen our ties. -- MIM END

"Gang," according to the dictionary means (1) a group of people 
who associate or work together. (meaning everyone), (2) a group of 
criminals or hoodlums. (That also fits a wide range of people. 
Especially the Amerikan government, the bullying military, killer 
cops, and corporate business thieves, who conspire in a myriad of 
ways to bleed dry the resources of all third world countries.)

"Gang" is used in a deceptive context when applied to the 
oppressed peoples. Since the beginning of history, humyns have 
coalesced into groups, communed, and grown! People out-lived 
nature's oppressive conditions and achieved technical heights by 
getting together and thinking collectively. Towards the oppressed, 
some may label this grouping as a gang. The proper word though is 
organization.

In plain English, humans organized with one another to achieve 
goals through a common interest that alone was unattainable, 
especially when outside forces made life harder and more 
threatening. As social creatures, even our youth need to bond in 
the face of a ruthless society where the color of your skin will 
get you shot!

In the 1940s Latinos came here with hopes of prosperity. What they 
encountered was the cruel reality of racism and oppression, 
physical abuse that crippled and killed, modern slavery, and 
trick-nology. The contradictions of this so-called American Dream 
were the driving force that propelled out Latin-American tribes to 
form into a nucleus to defend against the bigots that 
systematically reap havoc on the oppressed.

Our Brown Force was the beginning of a phenomenon that could be 
explained scientifically through dialectical historical 
materialism. The oppressive times of the 40s and forward fostered 
and forced Latinos to unite under the Black and Gold. And if this 
natural grouping was considered a criminal gang, or even acted as 
one, in time they evolved from a gang with no set goal or plan to 
an organization with an orderly, functional, and structured whole 
with a plan. 

Look back at the 1960s: the Black Panthers, Young Lords, and many 
others.  They were not gangs, but had evolved from a gang-like 
environment and the clique mentality and grasped the revolutionary 
banner and cried out for true equality.  The government was 
shocked by this metamorphosis, which shook the country to its very 
foundation.  In response, a propaganda war was conceived and the 
word "gang" was used as a tool to ostracize these organizations 
from the political forum.  They were demonized and made to appear 
criminal in nature.  Counter-Intelligence programs were then 
formulated to destabilize these organizations.  Notably, it was 
also in the 60s that they flooded our neighborhoods with drugs as 
a sedative for control and prisons began to expand.  We were 
waking up!

Today there are groups such as the ALKQN, UBN, and countless other 
youth organizations who group together, not with intentions of 
being "gang members," but because in their hearts they know 
something is wrong and truly want to do something for their 
peoples.  Our youth are becoming socially conscious and evolve 
into groups to combat the ills of society.  They only need 
veterans to point the way.  It is in this phase of their lives 
that they begin to study Malcolm X, Albizu Campos, and many other 
heroes like Che and Mao.

Our youth is not the problem; they are the solution.  They sing it 
in their rap lyrics, "F- the police," and rebelliously breakdance 
it in the streets, a generation born out of frustration and tired 
of being held down.  The problem lies with the gullible people who 
believe anything they are spoon fed through the mainstream media, 
who believe our youth are in gangs bent on self-destruction.  On 
the contrary, they subconsciously feel the noose getting tighter 
around their necks, forcing them to herd together.

Prisons are popping up everywhere: towering walls of brick and 
steel, barbed wire fences, gestapo-like guards patrolling the 
streets wielding guns with hollow point bullets that can stop 
elephants, and courts putting away our youth forever, piling them 
into Koncentration camps that offer no rehabilitation, only 
stagnation and hopelessness.

Our youth see over 2 million people, mostly from the internal 
semi-colonies, in prison--their sisters, brothers, and parents. 
They see 5 million in some sort of supervised programs. And they 
see that Amerika, the so-called home of the free, has more 
prisoners per capita than any other country in the world. Amerika 
imprisons more people of color per capita than the overtly racist 
South African apartheid regime did.

The oppressor recognizes that the evolving organizations of the 
oppressed are a threat, thus they are going out of their way to 
keep them from growing and becoming a firm political voice--
labeling them "gangs" and throwing them into prisons because of 
their potential and creating propaganda to crush any future 
growth.

Educate yourself with dialectical historical materialism and see 
things for what they are and not as they appear.  Check out this 
quote by Carter G. Woodson from the book "Miseducation of the 
Negro."

"When you control a man's thinking, you do not have to worry about 
his actions.  You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go 
yonder.  He will find his proper place and will stay in it.  You 
do not need to send him to the back door.  He will go there 
without being told.  In fact, if there is no back door, he will 
cut one for his special benefit.  His education makes it 
necessary.  The same educational process which inspires and 
stimulates the oppressor with thoughts that he is everything and 
has accomplished everything worthwhile, depresses and crushes at 
the same time the spark of genius in the negro [and Latino], by 
making him feel his race does not amount to much, and never will 
measure up to the standards of other peoples."

Is your thinking being controlled? If not, then allow and help, 
guide, the evolution of our Latino youth organizations as well as 
all others.

Viva Puerto Rico Libre--Amor De Rey

23 May 2000