Detroit Seen

by

Fifth Estate # 292, June 19, 1978

Special thanks to all those readers who sent in contributions and became sustainers in response to last issue’s plea for funds. Financially we are at somewhat of an equilibrium, but still remain on the edge, so although we don’t want to keep calling “emergency” before the situation warrants it, we still urge readers to become sustainers and to renew their subscriptions when the time comes….

Uprooted from their former quarters by a coalition of a landlord, the courts, cops, churches, and the left, the Detroit Nazi Bookstore has turned up on the far West side. These fascist scum undoubtedly thought they would receive a warm welcome from the white, working class residents of a changing neighborhood; however, the reception they received was from a crowd trying to storm the bookstore and raze it to the ground. Detroit’s newly integrated (sex and race) police department showed that they had lost none of their pig qualities as they arrested 55 neighborhood people and split a number of heads including that of a 65-year-old man who refused to walk around the block as ordered and was hit from behind. As was to be expected, the leftist organizers moved in. which led to the rapid disappearance of local people and the usual round of peaceful demonstrations and exhortations for non-violence by labor “leaders” and preachers….

One of the worst of the crop of authoritarian leftist groups competing for control of the state apparatus and the police is the Communist Labor Party (CLP), which had its origins as a pro-Stalin split from the Communist Party several years ago. The CLP is bringing out another tired electoral campaign with their perennial candidate, General (his name, not his rank) Baker, promising to get “every reform and benefit we can get.” The CLP has moved increasingly to the right in recent years with its support of the Soviet Union on one hand and more authoritarian on the other with their reprinting of speeches by Stalin’s chief executioner, Beria. Now the CLP has taken its final step toward the right, becoming indistinguishable from its parent CP by virtue of Baker running in the Democratic Party, the ruling party of Capital, rather than as an independent candidate as he has in the past. The CLP platform (“We promise, if elected…”) includes such “progressive” measures as a “fight against the spread of crime, pornography and dope” and the demand for the nationalization of welfare and education. SO that they will be run with the same efficiency as the Post Office? Baker and his gang call themselves communists only through a grave misunderstanding of the term and hopefully will be ignored by an ever-increasing number of the ever-decreasing electorate….

Well, the shit came down for Warren Consolidated School District officials when undercover narcotics agents arrested a Cousino High School Student on the grounds of possessing “illegal narcotics.” On May 2, 200 students at Cousino walked out of classes, protesting the use of the secret police and the fact that school board officials said they would use them again. In fact, Cousino Principal, Eugene Miller, said, “Undercover agents are a part of our society. If I had nothing to hide, I’d feel they were there for my protection.” Citizens! Be assured that your freedom is secure, Big Brother is watching….

Once again, the UAW has acted as Ford’s shop-floor police force. During an eight day wildcat strike at Ford’s Romeo, Mich. tractor plant, the UAW worked against the wildcatters (so what else is new?) and for the corporation, by continually refusing to support the workers and crying that the wildcat was “illegal” and would “divide the union.” The UAW finally forced the workers back (after letting Ford fire 17 workers) and have turned the workers direct action into bureaucratic paper shuffling. Ken Morris, UAW Region 1B Director, said, after getting the workers back on the job, “We’re going to give the company hell by urging the members to write grievances.” But all is not grey. Word has it that the workers now trust neither the management nor the Union….

Last month, the Detroit News received what they thought was a box containing a bomb and called in the Detroit Police Bomb Squad to check out the package. After lumbering over to Belle Isle with the little box, the cops opened it up and found within it a pig’s foot and a communique from the Marquis de Sade Brigade. In the communique—a copy of which was sent to the FE—the Brigade stated that they “have kidnapped God” and that “it will do you no good to search for him; you will never find him. In case you have any doubts about our claim we have included Pater Noster’s severed limb as absolute proof of both his imprisonment and our seriousness.” It’s obvious that this group of immoral degenerates have started a wave of kidnappings that knows no limits. We can only hope that they have more such pranks in store for the future (a list of the Brigade’s demands can be found in the centerfold, see “We Demand”).

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