Angry Rally Demands Justice for DeOnte Rawlings

Over 100 angry people rallied at the main police station in Washington, D.C. Friday, October 19, in response to what many are calling an “execution style” murder of 14-year-old DeOnte Rawlings, a Black youth shot down by an off-duty cop on September 17.

Organized by the African Liberation Organization and Cease Fire-Don’t Smoke the Brothers and Sisters, many other groups and individuals joined the rally. DeOnte’s father, Charles, and sister both spoke in tears, calling on the people to step up the fight for justice. “This could be your baby,” Charles screamed out. “This has to stop now!”

Victims of police brutality spoke, as well as older activists who recalled the Black Panther days. Reverend Lennox Yearwood told people, “No more will they get away with killing our Black babies, NO MORE!”

The autopsy report revealed that DeOnte was shot in the back of the head and that his body had suffered severe multiple injuries from beating. The cops claim he took their motorbike, but they also claimed he shot at them and no gun has been found.

“Will your child be the next victim of these assassins with badges?” one organizer asked. Another speaker said, “They are not going to be allowed to cover up anymore. We are demanding, not requesting, Justice.”

People spoke about slavery in this country, about the battle to free the Jena 6, about the immoral war, about the prisons being filled with Black and brown people, and about the criminalization of a whole generation.

Many people held a copy of the statement sent to this event by Carl Dix and they urged me to get up at the rally and deliver his message. People yelled in agreement at parts. Carl’s message ended with these words:

“It’s gonna take a revolution, millions of people rising up to get rid of all this shit once and for all—to stop this oppression and brutality, stop their wars and everything else foul they bring down on people here and around the world. This kind of revolution can only be made when the system is deep in crisis and millions of people are conscious of the need for this kind of change and determined to fight for it. …If we don’t resist, they’ll grind us down till we’re beaten and broken. We have to build resistance to their attacks. That’s why what you’re doing here is so important.

“That’s also why it’s very important that on this coming Monday, October 22nd, people in dozens of cities across the country will take to the streets as part of the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation. On this day, people who are forced to live their lives under the guns and billy clubs of brutal police will have a platform to tell of the devastation they’ve suffered. And many others from different parts of society will stand with them in calling for an end to this official brutality.”

Many people, including lots of youth, read the latest copy of Revolution as the rally continued. The poster on the back, “Danger—Police in Area,” attracted the attention of many. I heard one conversation between a youth and a young man in his 30s.

“Do you know what this newspaper is about?” he asked the youth. “Communism is the opposite of capitalism. It’s about getting rid of everything that’s wrong about this system. You need to educate yourself, my young man...this newspaper is deep. It tells you the truth.”

Then, suddenly, drums and chants of “No Justice No Peace,” were heard, getting louder and louder, as over 100 people, approached the rally and joined in. These anti-globalization youth were in D.C. to protest the meeting of the IMF and World Bank being held October 19-21. They had been at a demonstration against the ICE raids earlier in the day. When they heard about the rally protesting the murder of DeOnte, they came over in an act of determined solidarity.

Many of them told me they want to be part of fighting for everyone, against every injustice, to create a better world. They said all of our struggles are linked together. The march from the police station to the Department of Justice was spirited, with people of all nationalities, ages and backgrounds in the streets together, most wearing black as the rally organizers had called for. There was an uplifting sense of great solidarity and of the strength of our movements coming together, a new thing for almost everyone.

Several of us carried a banner reading: “Justice for DeOnte! Stop Police Brutality; Stop repression; Stop Criminalization of a Generation...October 22.”

As the October 22 Revolution editorial states: “...We must build on these beginning shoots of struggle. On October 22, people need to come together, and rise above the way people are played by the system and set against each other...”

In front of the DOJ, a young African American brother addressed the people. “When all of you joined with us, it made me wanna cry. This is what we need, but never see it happening. I implore all of you, inform yourselves about the ICE raids, about all of the injustices...we need collective knowledge of each other’s struggles.”

Another speaker got up and said, “we need to tear down the old rotten system and build up a new one. One where all this brutality has to be stopped.”

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