A driver fired shots at Customs and Border Patrol agents in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on Saturday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS said the border patrol agents were “conducting immigration enforcement operations” near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue when a man driving a black Jeep fired shots.
DHS also said people nearby threw a paint can and bricks at the agents’ vehicles.
The most effective non-violent action we can take is to organize a General Strike.
The country would be brought to its knees if suddenly deprived of profit and labor. That tactic was extremely effective in Chile in 2019, and had they not fallen for the trick of liberal reform, they would’ve had a successful revolution on their hands with virtually no bloodshed.
If you aren’t in a union (or even if you are, it’s worth dual-carding), please consider joining the IWW to unionize your workplace (bonus: you’ll get higher wages, better benefits, and more time off if you succeed!) to strengthen a general strike if we manage to enact one, as most unions have a strike fund that can supplement your income during a general strike to make it more financially bearable (you should also save as much money as you can reasonably do, so it can also be used to keep yourself afloat during a strike).
And for our international friends, you should join one as well, as fascism is gaining momentum globally. If your country isn’t listed below, just contact the IWW directly in the link above, and they’ll help you set up a new local branch.
Why are you critical of liberal reform in Chile?
The linked documentary offers a strong critique of the reformist attempts from local Chileans who were there on the ground (starting at around one hour in). I can only offer my own criticisms as a non-Chilean looking in from the outside.
Historically liberal reform either kicks the can of capitalism’s problems down the road (FDR in the 1930’s), or fails to even kick the can due to so much corporate capture of the government, that it actually accelerates a turn toward right-wing authoritarianism.
In the case of Chile, the latter case seems to be happening. The proposed progressive constitution to replace Pinochet’s constitution likely failed due to the deep corporate pockets available to right-wing institutions, who are able to effectively trick under-educated citizens into voting against their own interests through massive propaganda campaigns (the same thing happened in the US thanks to Fox news, hence why they are now in a power struggle against literal fascists).
The right-wing then mobilized to create a new right-wing pro corporate constitution, which was only narrowly avoided despite their propaganda efforts.
The new leftist president Gabriel Boric, as most leftist politicians do after reaching political office, began to become more moderate, all the while congress, who are corporate captured, continued to vote down his reformist taxation policies. It’s a classic tactic of letting the left spin their wheels and burnout in congress/parliament for years to stall direct action. All the while regular people continue to suffer under capital, and become more and more enchanted by the easy solutions fascists can offer.
History has generally shown that the olive branch of reform is a tool used by the elites and capital to quell a growing movement to overthrow them. It’s their last option before using more brutal authoritarian control to maintain their grasp on power.