Charity

At Thanksgiving my partner and I usually hope from place to place. We went to my mothers and hung with my immediate family and then we made our way to a family of tenants Campaign for Renters Rights organized with of which we are both members.

Tenants we have organized with invited us over to eat, talk and catch up on the goingson at the apartment. Since the campaign has concluded the apartment has been repainted, a security door installed at the front entrance, the painting of the doors, railings and fumigations for the entire complex. this was organized by mostly Latina women and on a shoe string budget of donations. In the conclusion of it CRR has been able to play a role in showing working class people our own strength and how our militantcy can chill the bones of millionaire slumlords. And of course, we have made friends.

This particular couple Luis and Marisol are fighters. In one instance a landlords henchwoman pushed Marisol's son Junior when she wanted to illegally enter the house. Marisol pushed back. Marisol was put in handcuffs in front of her son. The police later had to retracted their threat of arrest when another tenant present showed the police a video of the landlord's henchwoman initiating the conflict. The henchwoman was not charged.

Thanksgiving day Marisol was feeling good and offered me and my partner some fruit punch-with or without tequila. We ate a little all of us pretty full already. Marisol tells us about her son's school. It seems the same henchwoman called Child Protective Services to report this family as retaliation for organizing. Marisol and Luis are one of the most patient and tolerant parents I have met. Whenever we have had meetings they have encouraged Junior to speak his mind and ask questions. Well it paid off! According to Marisol and Junior (who is nine) when the CPS worker came to interview and Junior about abuse he began to interview her demanding who told her these lies about his parents and insisted on owning the culprits! The CPS investigation concluded with no findings and Luis and Marisol are considering their fight back options on harasment on the part of the landlords.

Marisol then began to talk about the school. She said before the Thanksgiving holiday the school asked for donations to the "less fortunate" families. But this was not out of goodwill but mandatory charity enforced by the school! Marisol would have none of it! She said, " we are poor, why should we buy these families pizza when we are hungry too?! The school should not ask us for food but ask the rich who have plenty of food and money".

The holidays are ways to bleed working people a little more. We not only spend a great deal of money for presents, decorations, airplane tickets and of course the silent attack of guilt. Every holiday there is an implication: people are poor because working people do not give enough. With trillions of dollars are spent on the bailout and war we have already given enough to the rich. We can take it back. No it is capitalism-making people homeless and jobless and perpetually struggling. Giving to our sisters and brothers creates solidarity and maybe this year we can work on donating our fight back advise as well. If we are donating this holiday lets also give the gift that keeps on giving. Knowledge, courage, support, organization.