Wednesday, October 15, 2025
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Help for Small Businesses and Nonprofits

Reporters Desk
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Help for Small Businesses and Nonprofits

LONG BEACH —  Earlier this year, Long Beach led a coalition of big city mayors in an effort to ensure Long Beach would receive a $40 million relief package funded by the state. The City of Long Beach also received $13 million from LA County to assist with our health response. Mayor Garcia thanks Gov. Gavin Newsom for his support and the local Long Beach delegation including Speaker Anthony Rendon, State Senator Lena Gonzalez, Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, and Supervisor Janice Hahn. 

Today, these funds are being invested in the community. Long beach is using a comprehensive, equity-based spending plan that supports community activities and programs, while also minimizing the city’s budget shortfall caused by COVID-19.

Sustaining small businesses and community groups through this pandemic is a critical part of responding to COVID-19. This pandemic has devastated small businesses and caused record high unemployment nationwide. It will take federal funding like the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and strong leadership to guide us through a recovery that lies in our future.

The funds will be primarily directed towards local small businesses and non-profit organizations. The application is available on the city’s CARES Act website and funding distribution will occur after September 15.

Investments include:

  • $4.1 million in funds to small business for recovery and technology improvements
  • $1 million in grants to Business Improvement District to continue marketing and promotions for local small businesses
  • $100,000 for small business education in multilingual formats for businesses outside existing Business Improvement Districts
  • $1 million for digital inclusion partnerships with community-based organizations to support equitable access to the internet and other digital resources
  • $200,000 for an economic equity study that will be conducted in partnership with CSULB and establish a baseline for economic recovery work going forward
  • $1.5 million in funding for working capital grants and arts education to support local arts, arts and culture
  • $1 million to local non-profit organizations to fund COVID-19 support services in the community

Acknowledging work already underway:

  • $750,000 that has supported PPE distribution to Long Beach business owners, nonprofit and child care organizations
  • $1 million in a Youth Leadership and Ambassador Program
  • $2 million has been invested to increase shelter capacity for people experiencing homelessness
  • $300,000 has gone into transforming our open spaces to support small business opportunities and create safe spaces to continue building community while physical distancing
  • $150,000 to support the small business call center which has been assisting small business with health order compliance, grant applications and other needs arising from changes we’ve all had to make due to COVID-19
  • $150,000 for an Economic Inclusion Coordinator who is responsible for managing the City’s Economic and Digital Inclusion Initiatives

More work will be done through:

  • $1 million for early childhood support
  • $500,000 to augment the existing-HUD funded Health Homes Program to remediate housing conditions that exacerbate COVID-19
  • $400,000 to support basic health needs and a hotline that connects individuals and families who need food, housing, insurance, cooling supports and medical supplies to those resources
  • $1 million to improve Black Health Equity outcomes
  • $785,000 to support non-profit organizations with outreach to hard-to-reach communities to provide COVID-19 support services
  • $500,000 to support older adults with essential services as they isolate in their homes during the pandemic
  • $500,000 to connect individuals and families needing services to available options based on need and eligibility
  • $500,000 for learning hubs and other safe spaces for youth programming
  • $500,000 to prevent domestic violence and encourage mental health supports
  • $3 million to redesign and expand meal distribution and delivery for those in need.

City of Long Beach To Receive $1 Million Grant For Development of A Black Infant Health Program Public Awareness Campaign

Reporters Desk
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City of Long Beach To Receive $1 Million Grant For Development of A Black Infant Health Program Public Awareness Campaign

LONG BEACH  — The City of Long Beach Health and Human Services Department has been awarded a $1,000,000 grant from the California Department of Public Health or CDHP over two years for the coordination, development and implementation of a public awareness campaign centered on the Black Infant Health or BIH Program.

Black babies in America die in their first year of life at more than twice the rate of babies from all other populations because they are born too soon and are too small. Likewise, more black women die during pregnancy and childbirth than any other ethnic group. Evidence suggests that negative birth outcomes of black women may be linked to chronic stress associated with social factors including racial discrimination.

Established in 1989, the Long Beach BIH Program supports 150 pregnant and postpartum women annually. The Long Beach BIH Program is one of 17 BIH programs across the state.

Long Beach BIH Program will collaborate with the Northern California grantee, Alameda County Public Health Department, to develop a statewide public awareness campaign focused on maternal and infant birth inequities in California. The campaign will include an app that will provide pregnancy education, gestational calendars, meditation and stress reduction strategies, as well as breastfeeding information specifically tailored to black women. The campaign will span across all 17 BIH programs.

How to Vote in the Presidential General Election

Reporters Desk
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How to Vote in the Presidential General Election

With a little over 40 days before the Presidential General Election, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn shared how LA County will make voting safe and accessible for you to cast your ballot this fall.

First: Be sure that you are registered or double-check your registration status by clicking here, www.lavote.net/home/voting-elections/voter-registration/register-to-vote/register 

Once you confirm you are registered to vote and your information is up-to-date, you can make a plan to vote in the Presidential General Election.

Here are your options:

Vote by mail.

All registered voters in LA County will be receiving a Vote-by-Mail ballot at their home address starting in October. 

This is so every voter will be able to cast their ballot safely from home if they choose to do so. 

The Facts:

  • Vote-by-Mail ballots begin mailing Oct. 5.
  • You have multiple options to return your ballot, by mail (no postage required), at a local Drop Box or at any participating Vote Center.

Voting by mail is easy, safe, and secure. Be on the lookout for your ballot in October.

Vote in person.

Voters will also have the option to cast their ballot in-person at participating Vote Centers across LA County.

The Facts:

  • Select vote centers will open beginning Saturday, Oct. 24, with all Centers open by Friday, Oct. 30.
  • Vote Centers will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the early voting period and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day.
  • All voter venters will follow State and County public health and safety guidelines, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) for Election Workers, wearing of facial coverings, social distancing, sanitizing surfaces and ballot marking devices after each use, etc.

A full list of vote venter locations will be made available on the LA County Registrar-Recorder’s website here in early October. A vote center catalog listing all locations will also be mailed to you leading up to the election.

Drop off your ballot.

There will be over 300 safe and secure vote by mail drop boxes available throughout the county — many of which will be open 24/7.

Vote by Mail Drop Boxes are a safe and accessible return option for all voters wanting to drop their mail-in ballot in the secure drop box.

Once a full list of these locations is made available by the Registrar-Recorder’s office, expect another email from Supervisor Hahn so you can see the locations nearest you.Details: LAVote.net, or email their office at voterinfo@rrcc.lacounty.gov with Election-related questions.

Red Flag Warning In Effect Now For Los Angeles County

Reporters Desk
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Red Flag Warning In Effect Now For Los Angeles County

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles County Fire Department has implemented its augmented staffing plan in response to the National Weather Service’s red flag warning which is in effect now through Sept.9, 2020, in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. 

In some areas, extreme Santa Ana wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour, as well as dangerous record-breaking heat and low humidity, are expected in canyon and mountain areas.  The strongest winds are predicted along the Interstate 5 corridor. 

These conditions have resulted in an elevated high fire danger throughout Los Angeles County.  Due to the increased fire risk, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby has ordered additional staffing and pre-deployment of resources throughout Los Angeles County.

At this time, we remind residents living in areas prone to wildfires to take appropriate precautions:

  • See something, say something.  Report any sign of smoke or fire immediately to your local fire department by dialing 9-1-1.  If you dial 9-1-1 from your cell phone, be sure to know your location.
  • Have your Ready! Set! Go! Wildfire Action Plan in place.  It’s critical for residents to be familiar with the Ready! Set! Go! program that provides important pre-planning and evacuation information.

Details: fire.lacounty.gov/rsg.

San Pedro Festival of the Arts 2020

Melina Paris
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San Pedro Festival of the Arts 2020

San Pedro♥Festival of the Arts (previously the TriArt♥Festival) announces its 14th year.

This is a free virtual family event featuring dance exclusively in its many forms. The link opens on Sept. 19 and 20, open for two weeks through Oct. 4.

Eight years ago, the TriArt♥Festival moved to Ports O’ Call Village, helping draw in thousands of new spectators, performers and vendors to showcase San Pedro as a center for art. After creating settings in a few more locations, in 2019 San Pedro Festival of the Arts had a new home at Anderson Memorial Senior Citizen Center. In conjunction, a health/wellness and a visual art/community event produced by the Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks also took place both days. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was unable to return to Anderson, leaving all group events in uncertainty. However, the Department of Cultural Affairs suggested moving to a digital platform honoring Council District 15. Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County supervisor of Supervisorial District 4, has also pledged a grant supporting this.

Original founder, Joe Caccavalla, envisioned the dance, music and visual arts and crafts as the heart of the festival to foster art appreciation. After his death in 2012, the producers re-forming as SAN PEDRO ♥ TRI ART Festival. Executive producer and dance director Louise Reichlin curates a diverse range of companies from a large competitive group of applications. Performances this year include ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary and specific and fusion ethnic groups. Professional choreographers range in age up to 79 years old. Also included are professional dance companies and four studios or schools including a few performers younger than 10.

As part of its mission, the San Pedro Festival of the Arts in collaboration with Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers / Louise Reichlin & Dancers assert that education that takes place in the arts transcends generational, cultural and economic boundaries. It provides the tools necessary for people of any age to express themselves, work through problems and find self-fulfillment. 

Indeed for students, the arts are especially important to promote self-confidence, to learn to work with others in teams to think creatively and ultimately to become a successful part of a larger community.

Performances

As a special feature besides videos, each piece will have a short introduction by the artist, or an interview with Reichlin, or a short verbal introduction. Andrew Zutta is editor for the online festival.

The exact times of each companies’ interview and performance, including bios and photos will be on the triartSP.com website closer to the opening.

The festival presents 19 curated, diverse dances from 17 companies and studios:

Akomi Dance,  Alán L. Pérez, Barkin/Selissen Project, Brittany Woo, Cathartic Art, Degas Dance Studio, Emergence Dance Company, Emergent Dance Company, Jose Costas Contempo Ballet, Kairos, Louise Reichlin & Dancers/LA Choreographers & Dancers, Mixed eMotion Theatrix, Pranamya Suri, Re:borN Dance Interactive, San Pedro City Ballet, Tonia Shimin, WestMet Classical Training, plus live interviews and scenes of San Pedro.

Time: Sept. 19 and 20 through Oct. 4.

Cost: Free

Details: www.triartSP.com, www.lachoreographersanddancers.org

Preaching About Peaches

Ari LeVaux
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Preaching About Peaches

A tree-ripened peach needs nothing but a place for the juice to drip after your face dives into it. It is like no other fruit, with a complex bouquet of flavors that changes from peach to peach, fine-tuned by the subtle weather patterns that are different each summer. When allowed to properly ripen on a tree, the flavor of a ripe peach is joyfully explosive, which is why the orchard that grows the world’s best peaches is often the one closest to your house.

Once you’ve gotten used to properly ripened peaches, the store-bought alternatives quickly lose their appeal. That disappointment in the available peaches is what inspired Tom and Lynn McCamant, my peach growers here in Montana, to start Forbidden Fruit Orchard, which might literally grow the best peaches in the world. No, really.

I buy their peaches by the boxload, at both Tuesday and Saturday markets in Missoula. Whether I’m enjoying them fresh or preserving them at the peak of freshness for later use, there are few local foods as shockingly special as peaches and decidedly superior to the imported version as peaches, and now is the time to get on it.

For both preserving and cooking, look for free-stone peaches, the flesh of which easily relinquishes the seed. The other category, called clingstone, are fine for eating — you barely notice a difference. It’s impossible to tell from the outside if a peach is free- or clingstone; you have to ask.

I spend the majority of my peach-eating time leaning over the sink, my face plunging repeatedly into juicy, messy peach flesh. But when peaches are in season, we can afford to mess around. Tom’s favorite way is diced with heavy cream (40% fat — the stuff at Costo in the half-gallon cartons).

I used to forever be on the hunt for new ways to preserve my peaches, so as to enjoy their sweet glory through winter. I’d can them in quart jars, spending hours in the steamy kitchen blanching and peeling and sealing bright orange peach halves in syrup, or putting away pints of jam, sometimes with blueberries or huckleberries. I finally settled on peach slices in the dehydrator as my go-to peach storage technique. Each slice is like a drop of sunshine, and they are among the most treasured items in my freezer.

During the deliciously long evenings of summer, when the coals are still warm, I’ve been laying peach halves on the grill, fuzzy-sides down. Sometimes I’ll add pieces of chopped ham and pickled peppers to the spot where the pit used to be, and top it with cheese. When the cheese melts, I’ll sometimes drizzle balsamic vinegar or reduction. The blend of fatty, fruity and savory flavors has the wide ranging complexity of bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed fig.

I asked Tom if he’d ever tried grilling peaches, and he admitted that he had not. But he told me about a dish called peach sambal. By the time Lynn sent me the recipe I had already gotten involved with another peach sambal recipe which I’d met online. It calls for a spicy Indonesian red pepper and garlic paste called sambal oelek, which is available in most Asian grocery aisles. It also has lots of turmeric.

I’ve been making it with chicken, marinating whole quarters in fresh garlic, lemon, turmeric and other flavorings, along with crushed peaches, and then grilling or broiling the chicken. The balance between the turmeric, peach and chile paste is otherworldly. Only available in this world for a short, peachy time.

POLA, And Other Groups Donate 75,000 Masks To United Farm Workers

Reporters Desk
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POLA, And Other Groups Donate 75,000 Masks To United Farm Workers

SAN PEDRO – The Port of Los Angeles, Logistics Victory Los Angeles (LoVLA) and CMA CGM Group, Aug. 31, donated 75,000 respiratory face masks to the United Farm Workers of America, which represents farm workers and is actively advocating for the health and safety of all farm workers who continue to work outdoors amid the pandemic, wildfire smoke and extreme heat.

Donated by French shipping line CMA CGM, to the City of Los Angeles through LoVLA, the FFP2 respirator masks—the European equivalent to N95— were first distributed last week and will continue to be given to farm workers this week. Launched at the outset of the pandemic, LoVLA was designed to match both medical and non-medical suppliers of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with organizations in critical need of PPE and other supplies.

The Port of Los Angeles is focused on bringing more agricultural exports to overseas markets. Soybeans and grains have been among the port’s top exports for the past few years. The Port exports fruit and vegetables from California’s Central Valley and alfalfa from Imperial Valley to a number of global markets.

Random Letters: 9-3-20

RLn
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Random Letters: 9-3-20

On Bukowski at 100

I read both Bukowski and your article. I want to comment on each.

First, your article was very instructive, well said and I learned from it. Thanks. 

It has always amazed me that you (and others) like Bukowski’s writing. To me, he was a slob and when I read some of his stuff, it was ugly and repulsive. He wrote about the shit and scum drunks in Wilmington and San Pedro. His reference was the bars and alleys and filth and stupid people. I hated reading it because I saw all that stuff first hand when I was growing up. I sold the Daily News in the bars and Longshoreman’s Dispatch Hall in Wilmington when I was just 10 years old. Drunks and hard-scrabble guys were my best customers and I bought my first bicycle that way. I shined shoes down there too and even flight other kids for the best bars.

Bukowski simply wasn’t a person (IMO) to emulate, read or even care about. I still feel that way and simply cannot understand why anyone would even consider — unless they wanted to go [on] a bummer. I read war stories by Leon Uris and those kinds of writers (as a young man) because they showed me a better way to look at humans. I’m always seeking smarter not ugly.

To each his own.

And BTW, I watched every minute of the Democratic Convention and it — IMO — was much needed. I gave me a glimmer of hope. Just a glimmer.

Richard Pawlowski, Oregon

Dear Richard,

As Bukowski said, it only takes a spark to light the whole forest on fire, and he wasn’t talking about Yosemite either.

James Preston Allen, Publisher

Kudos

The thorough calling-b.s-what-it-is  in this last edition of RLn is so very important! Keep it up.

In this time of the wolf at the door of all we believe, hold precious and depend on, RLn  does us an essential and great service.

The foolish and ignorant opinions of the reality deniers are a great opportunity for us to be polite and  immediately move on to other people and  considerations. Convincing “true believers” has proven to be a questionable activity for me, much like the thought that ketchup is a vegetable and that  “facts are funny things.”

Robin Doyno, Los Angeles

A Letter of Thanks

Thank you, Random Lengths News for your coverage on the vigorous debate about reform of city departments including the Los Angeles Police Department. The city personnel website is long on qualifications but very short on job duties, and says “As a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department, a Police Officer maintains order, enforces laws and ordinances, and protects life and property; issues citations, makes arrests, prepares reports, and provides information to the public and departmental units; works with neighborhood associations and community members as a planner, community organizer, problem solver and information link; and does related work.” Salary $68,000 to $104,000. By comparison, some city council members and some code enforcement inspectors make over $200,000 per year. Powers of police are also spelled out in the city charter, as well as the extensive State Penal Code under “peace officers.”

Election time is upon us again. I have asked government officials to support a reform of the city election process. I see widespread prejudice against write-in candidates, even though many of those candidates run for Superior Court Judge positions. I suggest that the write-in candidate process be eliminated in exchange for a more inclusive and transparent process that will include (1) elimination of the nominating process petition but still keep the nominating process, or (2) eliminate the nominating process altogether and allow candidates a short window to sign up as a candidate online rather than initially appear in person, and (3) if the nominating process (not petition) is continued, or not, then reduce the voter signatures needed to 50 instead of the current 500 and allow registered voters to nominate candidates through an online process, rather than the cumbersome nominating petition.

Accordingly, I have thrown my hat in the ring for 2022 and now run as a candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles. The best of luck to everyone, in the face of our challenging political climate.

G. Juan Johnson, Los Angeles

Where is Barron Trump?

Demented Donald Trump idiotically insists local school boards should illegally force your vulnerable children back into crowded classrooms unsafely as the Trump-caused COVID-19 catastrophe only continues to get worse, while on permanent vacation, Trump golfs endlessly at the taxpayers’ expense.

Delusional Donald continues to claim the coronavirus will simply “… disappear, one day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear …” as some sort of sick, psychotic rationalization for his Russian-controlled regime’s intentional inaction during this deadly pandemic.  Vladimir Putin and his pathetic puppet Trump aren’t fooling anyone other than Jim Jones Trump’s Orange Kool-Aid drinkers and their greedy, hypocritical charlatan pastors in their private jets.

Over 170,000 Americans are dead due to the Republican Party’s ongoing criminal negligence and purposefully incompetent cruelty.  On Nov. 3, the American people will finally render their political and constitutional judgment against Orange Julius Caesar in a landslide defeat for the GOP of historic proportions.  Adios, Trump!

And if the GOP’s dimwitted, draft-dodging version of Julius Caesar (who is more like a comb over Caligula) follows through on his tyrannical, terroristic threats to sabotage and/or cancel this November’s presidential election, the American republic’s defenders will respond appropriately in the remaining days of traitor Trump’s pathological presidency.  (Perhaps the Orange Emperor has never read William Shakespeare’s play about this subject?)

Speaking of Shakespeare, where in the world is the Tangerine Tyrant’s 14-year-old son Barron Trump — a sad, tragic, unloved Shakespearean character if there ever was one? Considering the virtual blackout of almost all news coverage of President Trumptanic’s troubled relationship with his youngest son Barron, isn’t it time for the craven corporate media to highlight the highly relevant fact that Barron will NOT be returning to school in person this year like your children, but Barron Trump will instead stay safe at home and attend class online?

Jake Pickering, Arcata, Calif.

“They Say” Talking Points

• They say we want to disband police departments (and that we hate the police): we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to weed out racism and unnecessary police brutality and for those who abuse their power to be held accountable.

• They say we want to release all prisoners: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to weed out racism and ensure the punishments match the crimes.

• They say we want open borders: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want asylum seekers to be given their chance to seek asylum. We want to help people, who are coming

from unimaginable terror and poverty, help to give them the chances we have. We want to ensure children aren’t separated from their parents and that nobody is kept in cages. But we do want proper vetting.

• They say we want to take away your guns: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want logical gun control to help prevent mass shootings.

• They say we want to wage a war on Christianity and Christian values: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want people of all religions to be able to practice and worship freely.

• They say we want to get everything for free: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to work hard and make sure that healthcare and education are affordable for all.

• They say we want a war against traditional marriage: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want people of all sexual orientations to be able to love freely, no matter who you love. Love is love.

• They say we want to destroy or rewrite history: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to recognize the ugly parts of our past and do everything we can to say “that’s not

okay, let’s not honor those aggressors, let’s not let those things happen again.”

• They say we want to take away your constitutional rights: we don’t, that’s a lie. We choose to believe science and wear masks and try to prevent the spread of this disease.

• They say we hate America: we don’t, that’s a lie. We just recognize our faults and want us to do better, be better.

 Stop with the us vs. them.

Stop with the straw man arguments.

Stop with the fake news.

Stop with Fox news.

Our position is one of empathy, compassion and logic.

Stop believing the hype.

Stop with the division.

Stop the lies.

Just stop.

Facebook.com/FilAmsForBiden

Twitter/Instagram: @FilAmsForBiden

Labor Must Fight for a Public Works Program

Mark Friedman
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Labor Must Fight for a Public Works Program

Strikes and job actions throughout Los Angeles and nationally have pointed to an uptick in labor’s actions to regain concessions that have reduced workers’ buying power, benefits, safety on the job, pensions and a decreasing percentage of U.S. labor organized into unions. It is apparent that America faces depression-like conditions with mounting job cuts and the scourge of a “for profit” health care in a pandemic. Conditions in the Los Angeles Harbor Area are no different.

One of the most significant mobilizations was the work stoppage at 29 ports by the International Longshore and Warehouse union over police brutality and its Oakland march in June. Many thousands attended.

With the outbreak of the pandemic and the inability and refusal of the federal government to supply necessary personal protection equipment, nurses’ unions staged militant demonstrations throughout Southern California and nationally. At the same time, workers in scores of factories, meatpacking plants, Amazon, Google and other sites staged walkouts demanding safety on the job.

Ensuing stay-at-home orders to slow the pandemic’s spread and the shutdown of thousands of restaurants and work centers resulted in millions of unemployed unable to pay rent and food. Yet Big Pharma, groceries and Amazon continued to profit.

The brunt of this pandemic has been disproportionately born by working people of color (native peoples were hit especially hard). This has increased polarization in the country with anti-science, anti-vaccine, anti-mask advocates mobilizing to denounce health and safety measures to protect the majority of the population.

Memorial Day weekend saw the brutal killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis that resulted in an uprising of protests against police brutality and racism (removal of Confederate statues, renaming of sports teams, protests by major sporting leagues, etc.). The Washington Post estimated there were 15 to 26 million people participating, making these the largest protest actions in the history of this country.  Despite the ebb and flow of these demonstrations, they have been viciously attacked by the cops in Los Angeles, Minneapolis,  Portland, Ore., Denver, Colo. and now Kenosha, Wis. The cause of the violence has been the police abuse, tear-gassing and beating peaceful protesters, not the demonstrators, as claimed by the Donald Trump administration. Daniel Miskinis, the Kenosha, Wis.  police chief has gone so far as to say the demonstrators brought it on themselves. Groups of right wing gun carrying vigilantes have attacked the peaceful protesters, urged on by the police and the President.

Nearly 30 million workers are now drawing on unemployment programs. At least 4 million workers who are still on the job have had their pay cut, and countless more face lower incomes with their hours slashed. Evictions and foreclosures are rising. Thousands of restaurants and other small businesses have been wiped out altogether.

In the midst of this crisis neither Democrat nor Republican aid packages provide enough relief nor propose any job creation to put people back to work, as the government was forced to do during the depression of the 1930s.

Our unions must take the lead and demand immediate, emergency relief for the working class, farmers, small shop owners and workers.

Workers need a union movement in every workplace, for workers’ control of production and to fend off daily attacks by the bosses. We need to build a powerful working-class movement to fight for a government-funded public works program to create jobs at union pay for all those thrown out of work, building medical centers, day care centers and low-cost housing.

This kind of fighting labor movement would be the basis for workers to organize their own political party, a labor party, to strengthen their struggles and fight to take political power into their own hands.

Neither of the two parties have any solution to the devastation working people confront — homelessness, speedup on the job, dangerous work conditions, police violence, drug addiction, low wages and housing shortages.

Democrats: ‘It’s Trump!’

At their convention, the Democrats promoted one central theme — the problem is Trump. They call on progressives, Republican Never-Trumpers, and democratic socialists to unite to drive him out of the White House. Once in office, Joe Biden promised, his administration will “rebuild our economy.” But he offered no proposals to reverse the ruinous impact of unemployment today and he spoke out against “violence” without naming the police as the instigators.

The Democrats’ anti-Trump theme, glosses over deepening divisions in their ranks. The democratic socialist wing of the Democrats would like to take over the party — something the ruling capitalist families the party serves will prevent. These forces will have to form a party of their own, equally loyal to defending capitalism but with a more radical and socialist “face.”

The Trump campaign has made his management of the capitalist economy a central issue in his reelection campaign, never discussing the pandemic nor police killings. At the Republican convention Trump said he had produced “the most successful economy in the history of our country.” 

Vice President Mike Pence, highlighted another major theme, “Law and order is on the ballot.” They violence bait the nation-wide protests against the cop killings by cops, while knowing that the disruptions are caused by a small group of anarchists, undercover cops and rightists encouraged to attack peaceful protests. This is what has happened at some LA protests when adventurists and opportunists seize control of the marches, in the absence of organized, disciplined actions — a failure of the Black Lives Matter official leaders. This provides an opening for those intent on confrontations. 

Where are our unions that have experienced bosses trying to break our picket lines and strikes? They should be providing leadership — but fail to get involved. Instead they propose voting as the solution.

What is needed is a national convention of thousands of anti-police brutality activists, black, white, Latinx, Asian … to develop demands and strategy to successfully jail the killer cops.

The Republican Party has been changed by Trump’s presidency. He was elected in 2016 not as a Republican, but as an outsider campaigning against the “swamp” in Washington. His term in office has been marked by his politics, not those of traditional Republicanism. 

For the next few months labor mis-leaders, liberal organizations will demand we support Biden and contribute tens of millions of union dues hoping to elect “labor friendly” politicians.

But doesn’t history show us that regardless of which capitalist party is in power, workers heads are on the chopping block? Our standard of living and job safety are attacked, our wages don’t keep up with inflation, medical co-pays increase, Social Security and the U.S. Post office are under the gun, voting rights are gutted, abortion rights are assaulted and they use anti-immigrant racist and sexist sloganeering and scapegoating to divide us. Further, they take us to war around the world to defend the interests of the oil companies and other corporations. They blockade Cuba, whichthat has chosen a socialist economy, or Venezuela, which it won’t submit.

Imagine how much more powerful and successful labor would be if we had our own party, a Labor Party, based on the trade unions that would elect workers to public office putting the weight of millions of unionized and nonunion workers, blacks, Latinx, immigrants and youth into the political arena for our benefit … our party, not theirs.

Defend Us from Donald Trump: A Labor Day Plea to Police, Military

Greggory Moore
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Defend Us from Donald Trump: A Labor Day Plea to Police, Military

Without Russian influence in the 2016 election, Donald Trump might not be president. Without partisan voter purges and identification laws and uncounted ballots and choking off poll access, Trump probably wouldn’t be president. Without the democracy-nullifying clusterfuck that is the Electoral College, Donald Trump definitely would not be president.

But Donald Trump is president. You already know that, of course, just as you know this makes him commander-in-chief of the U.S. military. 

What you don’t know is how he may wield this power in the coming months. The generals — his generals — don’t know. Their troops don’t know. Local law enforcement doesn’t know. Civilians don’t know.

None of us know because our president is unpredictable and unstable, save that he will always act in what he perceives to be his best interests. In that, he is a model of consistency. He will lie. He will break the law. He will violate the Constitution. He will replace qualified public servants with incompetents whose loyalty is to Trump above country. He will attempt to enlist foreign governments to bring down political rivals. He will spout propaganda to the detriment (medical, environmental, educational, you name it) of the American people. He will undermine our electoral system.

And he will use his military against us. He did it in Washington, D.C., deploying the National Guard to forcefully remove peaceful protestors from the grounds of St. John’s Episcopal Church in order to exemplify the “LAW & ORDER” [the Donald likes all caps] message that plays so well with his base. A month later, he did it again in Portland, Oregon. 

Not all federal authorities going into states recently have been uninvited. Cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago signed on to be part of Operation Legend, which the Department of Justice calls “a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime.” But many of these local authorities no longer trust that the federal government will be limiting their actions to the agreed-upon scope.

“[… W]hen we see what’s happening in other cities and see these stories, I think every mayor in America should be concerned,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said during a July 29 telephonic press conference, at which he was joined by the mayors of Oakland, Philadelphia, and Seattle. “And [although] we are working locally to get the written assurances and guarantees that we can, […] I’m worried that our local authorities aren’t the ones in charge.”

Considering that Trump, with his sliding poll numbers, has both floated the idea of delaying November’s scheduled election and has repeatedly foretold its invalidity, we might wonder whether Operation Legend — along with incursions made over the explicit objections of local officials — has an ulterior motive: to put boots on the ground in predictable pockets of resistance should Trump either manage to get the election delayed or declare it invalid and then institute some form of martial law.  

While the former gambit would require congressional assistance (seemingly unlikely, considering the response of even Republican bigwigs; but when haven’t they ultimately enabled him when the rubber meets the road?), to some degree he can go solo with the latter. He’s the commander-in-chief, after all, capo di tutti i capi, and nowhere is a chain of command more sacred than in the military. 

Martial law seems far-fetched, I know. But what about the Trump presidency — and 2020, in general — hasn’t? And what is the one thing we know about Donald J. Trump, children? What is his most consistent trait? Above all, he acts out of self-interest.

To be sure, the alarm has been sounded. Retired U.S. Army officers John Nagl and Paul Yingling recently wrote an open letter to Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “to assist you in thinking clearly about [the potential] choice […] between defying a lawless president or betraying your Constitutional oath [… i]f Donald Trump refuses to leave office at the expiration of his constitutional term.” In such an instance, they say, “the United States military must remove him by force, and you must give that order.”

But as military expert Fred Kaplan pointed out recently in Slate, if Trump is voted out, existing mechanisms regarding the transfer of power should be sufficient to remove him even if he refuses to go quietly and gets a few misguided loyalists with guns to back him up. 

But Kaplan doesn’t fully imagine all that Trump and his enablers might do in the two-and-a-half post-election months when he’s still legally entitled to occupy the Oval Office. Writing for The Guardian, Lawrence Douglas does better, conceiving of a “worst-case scenario” in which Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — all with Republican-controlled legislatures but Democratic governors — each submit conflicting electoral certificates to a deadlocked Congress. “As protests roil the country,” Douglas writes, “Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, deploying the military to protect his ‘victory’. The nation finds itself in a full-blown crisis of succession from which there is no clear, peaceful exit.”

But my worst-case scenario is worse, because of what I noted earlier: boots are already on the ground. In addition to Operation Legend, National Guard troops are currently deployed in at least 44 states in order “to Respond to COVID-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery.” What is to stop Trump from giving these troops new orders?

Over the next few months, we should prepare ourselves for the possibility that our president may attempt to use the military to subjugate or even overthrow our (frailer-than-it’s-been-since-the-Civil War) democracy. A top-down coup d’état. 

Military personnel, from the four-star generals to the newest recruits, should mentally prepare themselves to break the chain of command. Because it is foreseeable that not all would be willing to do so, internecine military conflict could result — another possibility for which to prepare. We have a long history of preparing for the unlikeliest of scenarios (e.g., all-out nuclear war); we should be no less diligent here.

By the same logic, police should make contingency plans to defend the local citizenry — the people they are sworn to protect and serve — from possible military incursions. This is a president who recently effected a unilateral deployment of federal troops against peaceful protestors simply to secure a photo op. What might he do as a lame duck to maintain power? 

Dear brothers and sisters in blue and olive drab, please keep in mind your sacred covenant with the rest of us. We the People have invested you with extra power so that you might defend us and the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. This is your labor, your vocation, your oath. 

I submit to you that Donald Trump has already proven an enemy of the United States. But if it comes to pass that he is officially voted out of office despite his best efforts to prevent it, you may be our last line of defense against yet greater attacks on our country.

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