RSCC Statement on the Demolition at Silverio Compound in Metro Manila

Silverio resident arrested. Source: bulatlat.com.

Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee (RSCC) condemns the US-Aquino regime for its crimes against the Filipino people, including the most recent demolition in Silverio Compound in Metro Manila aimed ultimately at evicting 28,000 urban poor families. Silverio residents were rightfully protesting against the demolition of their homes when the police violently attacked them. The police killed Bodging Isaisas, 16, Rodman Ortega, 16, Arnel Toletino Leonor, 21, and Raymond Aquino, 36. These conditions of impoverishment and repression are enforced by US imperialism, including the US military, in the Philippines.

RSCC is a student organization based in the City University of New York, the largest urban university system in the US. We recognize that police killings in urban poor communities and the violent displacement of residents by commercial interests is an everyday occurrence around the world. Students must understand that our struggles over economic issues like tuition hikes, budget cuts, and student debt remain narrow, if we do not integrate with the youth in the communities who cannot get into school in the first place, who suffer with the workers and the urban poor.

RSCC stands with the Filipino people in their just struggle for genuine independence and democracy. We call on all youth and students in New York City to participate in the educational forums, pickets, and other mass actions initiated by the grassroots Filipino people’s organizations in the US.

March with RSCC’s Youth and Student Contingent for May Day! Wear a Red Shirt!

Celebrate the Peoples’ Struggle
for a World Free From Exploitation and Oppression!
March with RSCC’s Youth and Student Contingent for May Day!

Convene at 3:30PM, Tuesday May 1
Intersection of 17th Street and Park Ave
We will march to Union Sq. for the citywide rally.
N, Q, R, 4, 5, 6, & L to 14th Street-Union Sq.

Wear a red shirt for solidarity!

May 1st, or May Day, is an international workers holiday celebrating the peoples’ struggle for a world without exploitation and oppression. It has also become known to represent the fight for immigrant workers. This May Day we are confronted with a deepening world economic crisis, and we are seeing new beginnings of movements to challenge the power of the ruling classes, the “1%”, or in other words, the capitalists. Today’s world economic system is dependent on the exploitation of the vast majority of the world for the benefit of a relatively small class of capitalists. This exploitation also takes an international form where imperialist countries exploit “third-world” countries. Because the United States is the dominant imperialist power today, seekers of justice within the U.S. must address not only the attacks on U.S. workers, but also challenge the exploitation of the world’s toiling masses. We cannot challenge capitalism without challenging imperialism!

Contrary to the “American Dream” myth of working hard and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, the American imperialist power structure has historically thrived off of the exploited labor and resources of the oppressed nationalities: the native peoples of North America murdered in order to steal their land, and kidnapped African slaves to build the economy of the U.S. imperialist power structure that we see today. Generations of immigrants later endured racist treatment in the U.S. and have often been some of the most exploited people within its borders. Also a large portion of U.S. territory was stolen from Mexico in 1848 by military force. The U.S. continues to hold Puerto Rico and Hawai’i as colonies, and has exploitative economic and political power relationships with most of the world’s countries, especially the third world. The U.S. has the largest military budget of any country, and has over 1,000 (known) military bases throughout the world with which to defend its power and wealth.

For a movement against this racist and violent system we must bring to light the fact that this country’s wealth was built on the backs of black, brown, yellow and red peoples of the world. Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee (RSCC) will be coming out this May Day with the red flag in solidarity with the toiling masses of the world, as well as the flags of our own third-world nationalities to signify that we haven’t forgotten about the exploitation of our homelands by imperialism! Join us!

Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee
rscc.nyc@gmail.com
revolutionarystudents.wordpress.com
347.391.1949

RSCC May Day Contingent Flyer [PDF]

March with RSCC this May Day. Wear a red shirt!

Download the RSCC May Day flyer as a PDF for printing and distribution.