Los Angeles Counter Inauguration: REFUSE & RESIST !

On January 20th we will welcome George W. Bush to Washington D.C. in the

only conscionable way - marching, speaking, chanting, screaming, and

taking the streets in opposition to all that he embodies. On that day

thousands will stand together to repudiate the new administration as soon

as it begins. There will be no 'honeymoon'. There will be no business as

usual.

On January 20th WE are determined to set the terms for the next four

years. In the past year, as political battles in society intensified, the

resistance movement has continued to grow: in the fight against the

racist death penalty, in the struggle to stop the execution of Mumia

Abu-Jamal, in the fight against police brutality, in the fight for women's

reproductive freedom, and among youth. Just as in this past year, in 2001

we will continue to fight back against the politics of cruelty in new and

bolder ways!

The 2000 election was marked by massive disenfranchisement of African

Americans taking place in the glare of a media spotlight, with no protest

from Al Gore or others in high office, and the stamp of approval by the

Supreme Court. Many other people were deprived of translation assistance.

And immediately after November 7th, Republican goons were sent to Florida

to ensure the outcome they wanted - they packed the streets in support for

Bush and threatened the vote counters. Candidates for Bush's Cabinet and

other top agencies are a markedly un-diverse group - all closely tied to

the Pentagon war-machine, big business and right-wing think tanks. All

this has exposed how much the politics of cruelty, racism, poverty and

punishment are setting the national agenda.

Today in the U.S., Clinton leaves office with more than 2 million human

beings in prison, thousands on death row, and Black people hugely

over-represented. Welfare and aid to the elderly has been slashed.

Affirmative action has been dismantled. Immigrants are denied education

and health services. Abortions have become more difficult for many women

to obtain and abortion providers are terrorized and murdered. Vigilantes

take heart in this official atmosphere and act on it a Black man dragged

to death, a gay man tortured and left to die. A Christian fascist,

fundamentalist morality infuses institutions, censoring books, music, art

and increasingly becoming the law of the land. We say it's all one attack!

It's now more important than ever to build a climate, culture and

community of resistance to defeat this whole reactionary agenda. And it

shows how critical the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal continues to be, focusing

up issues of the railroading of Black men onto death row and efforts to

silence dissent, especially the voices of those who speak for the

oppressed as Mumia does. Stopping Mumia's execution is critical for the

whole direction of society in coming years - whether the politically

powerful are able to continue their official program of murder and

repression or whether the people's movement will be able to put them on

the defensive and force them to back down.

On January 20th, George W. Bush inherits not only the keys to the White

House, but the full force of a movement determined to stop the entire

reactionary agenda he embodies. George W.Bush may speak of 'bridging the

divide' and of 'bringing people together', but we will never unite with

his attacks on the poor, on people of color, immigrants, women, youth, and

all who would stand in his way. The next four years must bring people

together - but it will be a union of repudiation, of resistance, and of

determination to change things.

Refuse & Resist! is the organization for everyone who refuses to go along

with today's national agenda of repression and cruelty, poverty and

punishment. It is an organization of people of diverse backgrounds and

walks of life who accept responsibility for the future. Join us!