August 16, 2019:

Building for Mass Film Screening of Why We Need An Actual Revolution And How We Can Really Make Revolution in Hyde Park

August 17, 2019 | revcom.us

 

The following is a report from a team of the Get Organized for an ACTUAL Revolution Tour going out to two different parts of Chicago with different cross sections of people.

We mainly got out the palm cards for the film screening and showed people the trailer for the film, which makes the case for why they need to be there on Sunday to watch the film.

All of this was infused with and guided by the orientation of the “3 reasons” which appear on the back of the palm card. This was the basis for our agitation, even as it was not limited to just that. On this outing more so than in those earlier in the week, real life came through in our agitation, even as it was mainly concise, punchy, and on message. There was a real openness to our agitation among a lot of people. We think this really speaks to the moment. Another new scene: people in not just one or two, but in groups of five or six at a time would gather together (or, rather, were led to do so with open arms but firm conviction by Tour and Revolution Club members) to view the trailer. Sometimes it was as simple as telling someone, “You really gotta watch this trailer!” and then they would come. All of our sign-ups came from people engaging the trailer. And those who did came off of it with a lot of substantive thoughts. This was not just passive engagement; people really felt a connection with what Bob Avakian was speaking about. Not just on today’s outing, but on others this week, people said things like, “Nobody is saying anything like this!”

The most responsive and open people we talked to (and organized) were young people, mainly people of color.

One comrade talked to a black immigrant from Senegal who recently came to this country. He was struck by the “STOP” poster on police brutality and murder and this caused him to stop and talk to us. He told us that he was the victim of constant police harassment.

A broad sentiment we encountered and sometimes heard outright was “FUCK DONALD TRUMP!” and we definitely united with this while we struggled to take it further to indicting the whole system that gave rise to Trump.

One white woman looked at our “STOP” display on the immigrant question and was brought to tears by the images of families being rounded up and torn apart. We brought her the “5-2-6” broadsheet, and off of the Points of Attention she recounted her experiences being a female in this world and how something desperately needs to be done about patriarchy. She told us that she regularly gets together with a group of like-minded women and talks about what’s going on in the world, and that a lot of the time they vent but feel like they are hopeless. After watching the trailer, she said that this group of women really needs to see the film, and she took materials promoting the screening to bring to them.

More generally, there was a sense among the advanced masses we drew forward with the trailer that “something needs to be done,” and that they wanted to learn more about this movement and this leader.

One Black woman who was righteously angry at the Trump/Pence regime and its agenda expressed that the youth deserve better and need to get out of killing each other when this contradiction was posed to her. She said that we need more programs for the youth to express their creativity, like poetry and dance expositions. She was also upset about the persecution of immigrants and said that she thinks we are all human beings and that America was built by immigrants. She took some posters for the film to put up at an intersection near a school and also in Englewood, a center of violence in the city. We invited her to post pictures of the posters when she put them up and to tag us on social media. She followed us on Facebook, both the national and the local club.

We also interacted with and tried to organize people from out of town or even out of state, including people from Michigan and Missouri. A young couple from Missouri was stopped by the palm card and the 5 Stops. They stayed and watched the trailer and were very struck by it. One of them had a very strong critique of “The Left” being inactive and not really being about revolution and aren’t doing anything. He commented that it was great that someone (BA) is actually leading this! He recognized that this was something very different! He was talking about the terrain in Missouri and we put to him that the Tour is going everywhere and he should link up with it. He bought BAsics as well. We have his contact information and will follow up with them soon on how to start a Revolution Club in their area.

A Black couple from Michigan watched the trailer, agreed that the system can’t be reformed, but had concerns about how we can make revolution and what would replace this system. There was a real interest here. We posed the three reasons and that we are on tour. They asked if the Tour could come to Michigan.

People in downtown Chicago watching the trailer of the film from Bob Avakian, Why We Need an Actual Revolution and How We Can Really Make Revolution, which will be screened this Sunday 2pm @ Logan Arts Center pic.twitter.com/E0uosJtal1

— Revolution Club Chicago (@revclubchi) August 15, 2019