Memorial at Nickerson Gardens
Revolution #027, December 19, 2005, posted at revcom.us
A chilly evening wind blew across the Nickerson Gardens Projects in Watts on Saturday, December 3, as people gathered to pay tribute to Comrade Willie "Mobile" Shaw. Mobile died on November 24 due to complications following surgery. The people who came to celebrate Mobile's life as a communist included his comrades, relatives, friends, and others from the neighborhood.
Mobile was known all over the projects in Watts as a revolutionary communist. He grew up in and lived his whole life in the Nickersons, and he always had a rock-solid love for the people in the projects. Some of his long-time friends talked about how you could never be in need of anything or facing any kind of trouble without Mobile trying to help out. When he hooked into communism, all this extended out to proletarians and oppressed people around the world. Mobile found hope in revolution, communism, and the leadership of Chairman Avakian; he had an endless enthusiasm for our cause and fought to make it real. And as a speaker from the RCYB said, this boundless enthusiasm--even in the face of his terrible illness--inspired many youth in the revolutionary movement.
Everyone spoke about how big Mobiles heart was. And his heart seemed to grow so much bigger and stronger as he dedicated his life to communism. A comrade who worked very closely with Mobile had heads nodding and people laughing as he called on them to remember that no one had a conversation with Mobile that didnt talk about revolution and didnt contain the phrases "Its like Bob Avakian says" or "You still thinking in the old system way." Mobiles nephews pointed out that one thing they always knew for sure about visiting Mobile--you'd get some amazing fried chicken and a hellacious debate and discussion about communism and Bob Avakian.