Leon V. | Red Phoenix correspondent | Florida–

On April 29, a coalition of groups held their own Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa. After setting up one tent, USFPD swarmed the group and arrested three people, among them a good friend of mine. I showed up afterwards ready to provide aid, but there was no more aggression from the cops.

After we bailed out those arrested, I thought to myself, there was no need to attend the next day’s demonstration as I did not believe that the police would further antagonize anyone else. After work the next day, April 30, I chose to get lunch and postpone my arrival at the encampment, but was interrupted with a frantic call:

“The cops are coming in full riot gear and are threatening to use tear gas.”

In a state of panic, I ended my meal and sped as fast as I could to the University. In vain I tried to communicate with my comrades and friends to ask how everything was going and if they were safe or not. With no ability to communicate with my friends on the ground I tuned into a livestream of the event while I drove.

As I was only five minutes away I watched in horror as I saw tear gas thrown at the protesters, and hundreds of cops in full riot gear descending on my comrades. I cried. I felt pure terror and agony as I watched my friends get abused for seemingly nothing.

In the end, I was able to find scattered comrades and evacuate them off campus. But as I was running around campus, desperately trying to find any of my friends and while the police helicopter roared above us and hoards of riot police approached us, I could only think to myself: “How could someone be this cruel to someone else?”

But that’s when I realized that the cruelty is the point. Tear-gassing peaceful protesters. Intimidating students by outnumbering them with a legion of police. Brutalizing and abusing those fighting to stop a genocide. It all made me realize that the cruelty of the capitalist system is not some unintentional byproduct; it is a vital cog in the machine of capital. 

The cruelty is purposeful. It is not random. Cops do not mentally and physically scar teenagers because they are evil, but because it is needed for capitalism to work. The system cannot run if people rise up against it. This abuse keeps the working class in check. No longer can the working class fear abuse at the hands of the state. It is inevitable. The working class has the duty and obligation to end this system of oppression. We truly have nothing to lose but our chains.

Categories: Anti-War, Police Brutality, U.S. News