Lots of syncs for me in my home life with the Black / White issue.
And today is a "black / white" election day.
First a KKK member "Goran" tried to recruit people from our bicycle workshop for disadvantaged Brooklyn youth - predominately African-American descent, to a White Supremiscist rally. Last week some "Anarchist"-associated political activist(s?) tried to beat him up or threatened the same.
Here is a letter from Pilot, our house-mate from Zimbabawe, who is African and only been in the US for several months:
Last weekend, Goran had a bottle thrown at him and his bicycle was kicked while he rode off. In response to this incident, this letter was written by Pilot Dube, the Zimbabwean gentleman that has been living at Surreal Estate for the past five months who has become a friend of Goran. I would like all people involved with the Goran discussion to please read:
Dear sirs and madams,
I have noted the concerns of the cycle club regarding the past association of one Goran's association with some radical groups. Before I delve into that I wish all of us to reflect that we are products of the societies that we were not part to choose. Does any one care to reflect that even the names we have were probably given to us without our consent. The colour of our skins are even without our consent.
Our values and attitudes are shaped by the society that brought us into this earth. There is a story of a child that was brought up amongst apes. The result was the child behaved like apes until he was rehabilitated by humans. A child born into the mild of Iraq will be probably be a Muslim. We are Christians of our denominations not because of our choices but by the accident of where we were born. We are Americans because our parents were Americans. I deal with this back ground for us to reflect on ourselves and others.
Invariable some of us were fortunate to be born in societies that are considered by the civilized societies as liberal It is these societies that have shaped our values. Having been born in such societies it is our duty to impart these values on the unfortunate members of society. The question is how do we do it. I have referred to the case of a boy who was raised among apes. Humanity took its time to teach this boy the values of humanity.
I have alluded the fact I come from Africa. Goran also comes from Africa. He is a member of the group called Afrikaans. This is a white that came from Holland in 1650. The group had no supply links from Holland and had to learn to be tough to survive in the African environment. A race there was created of a tough Boer clan that had to be brutal to the African people. With time the Africans were subjugated and the Afrikaans started to industrialize South Africa and Namibia (where Goran was raised). They established a society based on the concept of apartheid (literally meaning separation of races). I imagine in this Goran was taught to hate Africans and the Europeans. There was virtue in subjugating any of these. I will come to the reasons of this attitude.
At the turn of the 1890's the Europeans were colonizing the continent of Africa and they found the Afrikaans already established. The Europeans had to displace Afrikaans and there was bloody wars. The Afrikaans were defeated and never forgave the Europeans for it up to this day. They remained in Africa as the British subjects but by the passage of time they started to re establish themselves through democratic processes. Now it was the white race against the African people. As if that is not enough in the 1960's the African nationalism was on the rise. The Africans fought for their independence and the Afrikaans were replaced by the Africans by 1990. They again felt bitter with the Africans and the Europeans who they accuse of being soft on Africans resulting in the takeover of the land they had developed since 1650.
Goran comes from such background. There as is always the case some members of that society which still harbours hatred for any body other than themselves. I have met Goran in USA as Africans we had to get along. I would understand him and he would understand me. He is a nice fellow and needs every body's acceptance. There is no threat to security to anybody by associating with him.
For starters this is an alien society for him and he can not mobilize anybody to carry out his unfounded extremist views. For him to do any harm he needs to go to Africa and team up with the fellow Afrikaans.
Does it therefor not occur to you that by coming to the USA Goran is akin to be in rehabilitation centre. I think America has done a wonderful job and he is changed man and quite cheerful for that matter. Shunning him as is proposed by the members of the club does not change his ideas. What changes is your acceptance of him among your ranks. Even giving him executive duties will make him a changed man. A privileged group like yours which fails to rehabilitate an individual who has been unfortunate to be born in a different environment is no better than Goran himself. After all are we all clean. We are probably in our small ways members of some bad organizations such as drug cartels, bad company of thieves or robbers. Let us then think on the log in our eyes before we see a speck in Goran's eye.
The limit of time prevents me from exhausting this issue to its logical conclusion but hope with this contribution your organization shall not persecute a member of this society whose probable crime is that he was at one time a member of a club(s) which you all know were discredited by the American. Does it occur to you that the KKK was not formed by Goran but the Americans who prayed on a new immigrant and coerced him into membership - my question is what are doing or have you done to all the Americans who were involved in the KKK.
My comments were not solicitated by any one.
Thank
Pilot
*****************
Second incident:
Housemate, member of incipient collective, Sean, felt unsafe and the receiver of rascism "dis" in the household. She would not tell us what. She did not feel safe enough to do so. She broke down and cried at our house meeting. She is being coached, IMO, by fellow - activist freegan, Adam Weissman, since many things she said to me were verbatim of what I listen to constantly from Adam. But of course, IMO, the core of her feelings is what is real.
Adam hates our collective and wants it to be destroyed. He thinks we are the forefront of "gentrification" and that we are gaining what we have as a result of the suffering of others, less fortunate, who are not "white" and privileged.
We are having a discussion on this now which I will link to soon.
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