To Kill Comrade Rashid is to Kill a Movement in Development

The following text is by Chairman Shaka Zulu of the New Afrikan Black Panther Party:

I met comrade Kevin “Rashid” Johnson nearly eight (8) years ago while imprisoned in Trenton State Prison here in New Jersey. He sent me a letter inquiring about the New Afrikan George Jackson Brigade (NAGJB), a revolutionary nationalist formation founded by comrades Lumumba, Gumu, and Masia.  Because of my advanced level of revolutionary politics, I was selected by NAGJB’s leadership to be one of its two coordinators in the prion population (as two of the founders were held in New Jersey’s control unit called Management Control Unit).

2005—A Season to Remember

I was entangled in ideological struggle with the right-wing of NAGJB at that time as I felt that cultural nationalism only served as a brake on revolutionary consciousness, that it only produced a half-way revolutionary who understood the glorious history of Ancient Afrika and the number of pyramids based in Egypt and Southern Sudan, but cultural nationalists advocates either by omission or ignorance cannot see that with the emergence of various exploiting classes—slave owners, feudalist, bourgeoisie—nations and states are comprised of opposing interests, conflicts between proletarians and bourgeoisie, neo-colonialism and imperialism. That to be free of oppression the exploited people must organize itself into a revolutionary class and unite under the ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (M-L-M).

To be fair, the ideological struggle with the cultural nationalist wing of NAGJB did not put ideological development of the cadre to another level nor did it give us the revolutionary love to keep us together as a cohesive organization. The animus that was born of that period of intense wrangling forced a Leninist split that produced the New Afrikan Black Panther Party- Prison Chapter (NABPP-PC).

Some comrades from that period will tell you that I was a bit ultra-leftist and dogmatic. They would be correct.

That experience/season of struggle with my comrades helped shape and focus my love for the people, and my commitment to the National and International liberation of all oppressed people the world over. I am highly thankful to Comrades Ubay Lumumba, Masia and Gumu for placing me on the road of true revolutionary struggle. I love them deeply. But it was Comrade Rashid who made me the ultimate/consummate working class freedom fighter, a new Afrikan Communist that only thinks about and work towards communist revolution.

2005—The Birth of NABPP

Comrade Rashid and myself started this arduous journey not knowing our party—the New Afrikan Black Panther Party—would grow and develop in chains, under the guns of our oppressors, to point the way forward for hundreds of prisoners across amerika. We thought that we would not even live this long to realize or see the practice of our strategy of “Turning the ‘slave pens of oppression’ into schools of liberation, and the oppressed communities into base areas of cultural, social and political revolution in the context of building a world-wide united front against capitalism-imperialism.”

Our only motive is love for the people. Our only weapon is truth, and the truth plus our courage and determination shall set us free. Prisoners cannot change the world alone, only the masses of people can accomplish this magnificent task.

Many comrades back then advised us not to call ourselves Panthers, let alone name our organization the New Afrikan Black Panther Party (NABPP). In a letter from Elder-Comrade Russell Maroon Shoatz of 2006, he warmly cautioned us to use another name, that we would face immediate political persecution. Well, he was right.

Comrade Rashid: Do Not Lack Courage

Comrade Rashid has experienced unmitigated brutality and political persecution for standing in the honorable shoes of George Jackson, John Andilwa Clark and D. Barkley (of Attica massacre).

As I write this, 30,000 prisoners in California are on hunger strike, defying prison abuse and solitary confinement torture, putting their lives on the line to achieve basic standards of human rights that any nation worthy of its name would automatically bestow upon its populace. Since we do not live in a nation that practices human rights, it’s no surprise to state that Comrade Rashid has spent nearly 20 years in solitary confinement units in Virginia, Oregon and now Texas—the leading state in the imperialist empire that kills its prisoners gleefully, unmatched by any rival throughput world history—just because he works tirelessly to unite black, brown, red, yellow and white people against our common oppressors and exploiters.

Dollarism is No Match for Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (M-L-M)

Dollarism is the instrument by which US imperialism corrupts, co-opts, and contains or assassinates its way around the world. It’s dollarism that killed Col. Mummar Ghadafi of Libya, initiated civil war in Syria, and caused the overthrow of President Morsy in Egypt by a puppet military that took advantage of the people’s discontent. There, the U.S. puppet military owns 30 to 40 percent of the economy. Dollarism forced or compelled Portugal, Spain and France to deny President Evo Morales of Bolivia the right to use their air space. Dollarism unleashed the wild goons of Vienna (Austria) to search his plane for 10 hours! Dollarism is the enemy of the people!

Comrade Rashid is at war with dollarism, which is why the empire of greed beats his body, starves his body, and attempts to break his spirit. In a letter dated June 21, 2013, Comrades Rashid elaborates on this reality:

“Dear Victor:

This is a bit more dire than the February ordeal, so it calls for at least as much sustained and broad help. I was flown here to Texas on June 14. The day after I’d talked to Ben and wasn’t set for another call for several weeks. It was all timed and premeditated to carry out foul designs.

First I was sent to a prison called Byrd Unit, where, as soon as I showed up, they put me in shackles, and cuffed me at the waist so my arms were immobile. Then a goon squad in waiting (hiding) forcibly cut all my hair off…”

Comrade Rashid further states that: “As soon as I got here, I’m met by another goon squad, then cuffed behind and legs shackled after a strip search. They took me into an office where the assistant warden, Wayne Brewer, Major David Forrest and a captain James A. McKee were. When I promptly asked Brewer who he was, he barked, ‘Shut up motherfucker. I’m doing the talking.’ I was then immediately attacked by Forrest and McKee who repeatedly choked and hit me in the face and head. While Brewer went into a tirade of curses and threats to ‘break’ me, ‘kill’ me, etc…”

Comrade Rashid is a victim of dollarism-imperialism as are many colonized nations here in Babylon. We are armed with a weapon of ideology much stronger than boots, sticks, and pepper mace. We are armed with a Marxism-Leninism-Maoism that is much more thoroughly potent than Marxism, and Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is more potent than Marxism-Leninism. The present cadre of the Party will develop M-L-M even further to a newer and higher stage.

When you see police terrorism in the oppressed nations here and around the world, when you see hungry children, when you see victims of unjust wars, when you see suffering faces of prisoners around the world, you see potential revolutionaries that Comrade Rashid is striving to organize and educate.

Let us take Comrade Russell Maroon Shoatz’s call seriously and put enormous security around our persecuted comrade. Dare to Struggle-Dare to Win!

All Power to the People!

Panther Love,

Shaka Zulu #244128
Northern State Prison
168 Frontage Road
Newark, NJ 07114