The body of a homeless man in San Diego, CA, was set on fire—after he was murdered. This was one of a series of attacks on the city’s homeless that left two people dead.
What accounts for this hatred? The homeless, the victims of a collapsing economic system, are scapegoated by the powers that be and blamed for its failures. This sows division and hatred. This hatred can’t be thoroughly understood unless examined in light of the conditions that gave it birth.
A section of American history is rooted in the horrors of African slavery and genocide against the natives. The government’s assault on civil liberties, coupled with the whipping up of racist terror, is fueled by this history.
But there is another root to our history. It is exemplified by the vision in the Declaration of Independence that inspired revolutionaries throughout the world. It is in the songs and battles of those who died to make people free.
This is a new era. New technology is making millions homeless. The rulers have no solution except fascism. There is plenty of housing. We must bring the demand that the government guarantee everyone the basic necessities of life, including housing, into the electoral process at every level. We must unite around a vision of the free and prosperous America that could be.