Custer's Last Stand?

Custer's Last Stand?

words and photos by C.A. Matthews

The hometown of General George Armstrong Custer is located nearby to where I currently live. Monroe, Michigan, is a small city in Southeastern Michigan just across the Ohio/Michigan line. Custer wasn't born in Michigan, but he grew up in Monroe and met and married his wife, Elizabeth Bacon, there. "Libbie" and her father, a judge, were bigwigs in the community, so Monroe is where she wanted her late husband's statue erected in 1910. That's 34 years after Custer met his fate at the Battle of the Greasy Grass, also known as the Battle of the Little Big Horn. 

The delay from the date of Custer's death to the time of the statue's construction is telling in itself. The fact that the statue was moved not once, but twice within the city says something, too. It was moved in 1923 because of growing auto traffic near the courthouse. The second time the statue was moved was in 1955, during the Civil Rights era. The statue was moved this time because it had almost disappeared behind a wall of unkempt vegetation growing in the Soldiers and Sailors Park, and some townsfolk argued that the statue needed to be seen.  Today it stands at a very busy intersection next to the River Raisin.

The historical plaque beside the sculpture reflects upon Custer's Civil War experience and not his "Indian War" days in the US Calvary. He's wearing his Civil War era uniform, and the horse has all four feet on the ground, as Custer did not die in battle during that war. The fact that the historical plaque doesn't mention his death at the hands of Native Americans hints that perhaps not everyone approved of his later military service in the West or wanted to advertise it. 

Still, it hasn't stopped the controversy and repeated requests to retire the statue, according to locals I spoke with at a recent "Evict Custer" protest organized by Black Lives Matter activists and others.  A Native-led drum and dance group came to share their art. Signs and banners received honks of approval from passers-by. In spite of men like Custer, Native American culture still exists and flourishes on this continent and is appreciated by many.

Monroe residents shared with me how they were indoctrinated from grade school through high school about how great a man General Custer was. There was no way to refute this propaganda, either, according to a Native American woman who told me how she ended up more than a few times in the principal's office for speaking out about Custer's whole history. The public school system of Monroe seems intent on keeping the truth from their pupils and punishing those who know it.

So, why does Custer still stand at the corner of a very busy intersection in the city of Monroe? Is it any coincidence that many area white supremacists seem to be concentrated in this rural part of Southeastern Michigan? Is it any consequence that there's a statue of a soldier who was proud of his record of killing Native Americans located within the borders of Michigan, historic home of the Miami, the Ojibwe, the Potawatomi, and the Kickapoo? A state that currently has eleven (yes, eleven) federally recognized tribal groups/reservations. (http://www.native-languages.org/michigan.htm) 

I say there's no such thing as coincidence. Every decision (or non-decision) is a deliberate one. Face it--white supremacy exists in small town America. Racists tend to act like a bunch of children sticking out their tongues at Native Americans in general by preserving a statue of a known Indian killer. But there is nothing to be gained except contempt from people of color (and their allies) by keeping Custer's statue standing in Monroe, Michigan, in the year 2020.

Americans on the whole have moved on. Most feel only shame and regret at the horrible treatment our indigenous brothers and sisters have suffered--and still suffer--because of white supremacy. George Armstrong Custer, the poster child of an era full of genocidal actions taken against Native Americans, is no longer thought of as a hero or even a person of interest.

A statue of Christopher Columbus was recently removed from downtown Columbus, Ohio. There have been serious discussions about renaming the city to honor a Native American. Several other cities worldwide have also removed their Columbus statues. Confederate statues of generals and others are coming down faster than rain in some places in the South. Removing Custer from his ten foot tall stone plinth wouldn't stand out particularly in this current atmosphere of ridding our land of unwanted conquerors and unmerciful enslavers. The time to do it is now.

Let this be Custer's last stand. Retire his statue to a museum or assign it to the scrap heap. History should never be bowdlerized or forgotten, but there's no need to glorify genocide or a man who carried it out against a people simply because they spoke a different language and had darker skin than those in power.

Related articles:

What if All US Treaties Were Upheld? 
https://theintercept.com/2020/07/17/mcgirt-v-oklahoma-indian-native-treaties/ 

Christopher Columbus Statue Removed Outside Columbus City Hall
https://nypost.com/2020/07/01/christopher-columbus-statue-removed-outside-columbus-city-hall/ 

Did You Protest Recently? Your Face Might Be in a Database
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/64067-did-you-protest-recently-your-face-might-be-in-a-database

List of monuments and memorials removed during George Floyd protests
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monuments_and_memorials_removed_during_the_George_Floyd_protests

Strike For Black Lives! 

Solidarity--that's the best way to describe the coming together of many groups and individuals to make a difference, to keep the conversation going on a difficult topic. July 20 was a national day of strikes and protests emphasizing the rights of workers to a living wage, decent protection against the coronavirus, and the right to be treated equally. Toledo area health care workers took it to the street and made their voices heard, shouting: "Black Lives they matter here! What do want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!" And the fight will continue.

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Remove the Robert E. Lee monument in Roanoke City and replace it with a lynching memorial

Sign now with a click

It is past time for us to remove a monument that memorializes the Confederate general, Robert E. Lee. Roanoke City should show its citizens of color that this is not a history that we want to commemorate. As collective awareness grows that these sort of monuments were constructed to send an anti-civil rights message to the community, it has become clear that we need to send a new message today. We propose that this monument be replaced with a memorial to the Black victims of lynching in Roanoke in the late 1800s. "William Lavender and Thomas Smith were two black men who were lynched on separate occasions by white mobs in Roanoke. Both men were accused of assaults on white women that were never proved. Neither man stood trial. They were simply captured, beaten, hanged and murdered." - The Roanoke Times. This piece of our history has been unrecognized and we must reckon with it. This is one simple step we can all take towards building a community in which every citizen can begin to feel equally valued, regardless of their skin color.

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The pandemic is making it clear that water access is critical for public health. But utilities continue to shut off water service for many, despite the threat to public health. We all deserve access to water to keep ourselves and our communities safe.

That’s why in May the House — as part of their next stimulus bill called the HEROES Act — passed a national moratorium on water shutoffs and $1.5 billion for low-income water aid. While the bill is imperfect, the water service elements are important and necessary.

We know that Mitch McConnell is drafting his own stimulus bill, and we need to make sure it includes the utility shutoff moratorium and aid from the HEROES Act.

Join us now in urging your senators to support a nationwide moratorium on water shutoffs.

With your help, Food & Water Action worked to stop water service shutoffs in about 700 communities, protecting approximately 240 million people. Unfortunately, at least three statewide and 41 local water moratoriums have already expired. This means that more than 12 million people have lost the protections we helped win. We need to fight for them again.

According to new research from The Guardian, two in five households struggle to pay for water. Black communities face some of the most unaffordable water bills in the country, and shutoff rates are higher in communities of color, as well as rural and low-income areas.

Households facing a water shutoff will struggle to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. They may be unable to protect their families because they will lack one key resource the CDC recommends to prevent or manage the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19): the water needed to to wash their hands frequently.
You’ve joined us in fighting water shutoffs since the beginning of this pandemic. You've probably already contacted your members of Congress on this issue, but we know the more we continue to pressure them, the more they will listen. So let’s keep the pressure up.

We need our federal government to step up and ensure that everyone's access to water is protected. Access to clean water is a human right. Period. We must guarantee access to clean and affordable water for all.

Send your message calling for the federal government to enact a national moratorium on water shutoffs.

Onward together,

Wenonah Hauter
Founder and Executive Director
Food & Water Action and Food & Water Watch

This Is A Revolution

This Is A Revolution

photos and words by C.A. Matthews

Happy Fifth Anniversary to The Revolution Continues!

We've been posting a weekly blog for half a decade now. It seems like only yesterday when a bunch of isolated Ohio progressives got together and decided to post a blog to promote Bernie Sanders to a larger audience. Well, times change and candidates drop out (or was he pushed?) and both ours and our audience's political outlooks have developed and expanded. Five years on, we're still privileged to publish opinion and news pieces from a variety of writers. Truly, it's been a learning experience. 

Not that it hasn't come with its share of pain. Censorship by the mainstream social media platforms is a given nowadays. For instance, Facebook this past week blocked our posting about the Toledo protest that resulted in the use of teargas and rubber bullets and wooden plugs being shot at peaceful protesters. Obviously, Mark Zuckerberg doesn't feel the public has the right to know about police brutality in America. (Like what is shown in this very illuminating video of protesters in Portland.) There is no way to make Facebook share the blog link on their platform once they decide to block it. 

Still, it's not quite as bad as the repression reporters have suffered in Minneapolis recently.
Teargassed, Beaten Up, Arrested: What Freedom of the Press Looks Like in the US Right Now https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63328-teargassed-beaten-up-arrested-what-freedom-of-the-press-looks-like-in-the-us-right-now

Or what's at risk for protesters' health on the streets.
Tear Gassing Protesters During An Infectious Outbreak Called a Recipe For Disaster https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63345-tear-gassing-protesters-during-an-infectious-outbreak-called-a-recipe-for-disaster 

The photos featured here this week were taken at two peaceful protests in two suburban areas, Bedford Township, Michigan, and Maumee, Ohio. Police/sheriff deputies in both municipalities cooperated with the protest organizers and made sure marchers could march down the roads unmolested, unlike the week previous when they used teargas and projectiles to stop a peaceful march in downtown Toledo. (This is explained further in the TRC story blocked by Facebook. Please click here and share the story with others if you can. If you can't, I hope it demonstrates to you how much censorship is happening on popular social platforms.)

What I found the most interesting about these smaller protests (that happened in the shopping areas of suburbia) compared to the downtown Toledo protest was the tone struck by the police on those days. Suburbia in these parts is mainly Caucasian and upper-middle-class/middle class--no real surprises there. This demographic was reflected in the majority of the participants, and it apparently help set the tone police used with the protesters. The cops kept to the background and made sure marchers weren't hit by cars speeding by on the other side of the road, for example. There were several police vehicles at both suburban protests, but there weren't a large number of officers present overall. The people felt free to express their opinions in signage, chants and testimonies at the end of the march. The tone was one of unity, community and neighborliness.

Now contrast that with the city protest a few days earlier where police officers stood on the roofs of nearby buildings (some possibly holding sniper guns I was told), drones circled overhead spying on the crowd, and as the people began to march around the corner, riot police were at the ready to meet them. The riot squad seemed aching to use the teargas and projectiles on the city marchers, a gathering that contained a good mix of Caucasians, African-Americans, Latinx and others. I dare say the Toledo city crowd contained more poor/working poor persons than either of the suburban crowds. The tone set in the city by the police was one of distrust and outright hostility toward the people

Why such a contrast in tone between these protest settings? Suburbanites can expect cooperative and helpful policing, but city folks...? Well, you just have to use a firm hand with them, don't you? Poor city people and people of color just won't behave themselves unless you use force is the message police send.

Is it the message they want to send, or is it the message their paymasters are telling them to send to less advantaged people? "Stay in line or we will crush you, violently if we have to. You are ours to use as we please. You are expendable."

I don't want to put anyone down for protesting--suburbanite or city folk, rich or poor, black, brown, red, yellow or white--but I do want to call to everyone's attention that the tone set by those in authority in their interactions with us, with all of We the People, is blatantly a pro-white/pro-wealthy tone. If you can't see it, or refuse to acknowledge it, then you are part of the problem and not the solution. You are why protesters chant, "Black Lives Matter!" because "All Lives" won't matter until "Black Lives Matter." They just won't.

This is why America needs a revolution. White privilege is far too ingrained in our society, and it's not going to go away without us taking it to the streets in outright rebellion against the corrupt system. Those in power aren't going to go quietly, so we should expect more injuries and death from teargas and projectiles--up to and including regular bullets--being shot at protesters.

Protesters are not "terrorists" as some pundits in the mainstream media say we are. We are the true patriots, the true dreamers who dream of a better world where everyone is treated fairly and justly. We envision a country where George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African-Americans killed at the hands of police would still be alive and well today and with their families. 

This is a Revolution of Love and Justice. Learn more on June 20 from the Poor People's Campaign--A National Call for Moral Revival. It's a lesson we all need. It's a lesson we cannot afford to miss.

Join us on June 20 for the biggest digital event of the century! The Poor Peoples' Campaign--A National Call for Moral Revival will gather folks from all over to proclaim this is the year we will not forget those who are oppressed, those who are imprisoned unjustly, those who are struggling to simply survive in America 2020. Be there!  june2020.org

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Tell Congress you support making lynching a federal hate crime 158,550 have signed stop lynching coalition’s petition. Let’s get to 200,000!
Sign now with a click
Click the box above to sign the petition. From 1882 to 1986, Congress has tried to pass anti-lynching laws 200 times. They failed every time. During the Civil War and Reconstruction and up to the Civil Rights era, 4,745 lynchings took place across America from 1882 to 1968. Almost all lynchings have been racially driven, targeting and terrorizing African Americans and other minorities. Ninety-nine percent of lynch mob perpetrators have escaped any punishment at a state or local level. With no laws on the books that would make lynching a federally punishable offense, lynching victims and their families are left with no justice. Right now, a bipartisan anti-lynching bill could have a fighting chance at passing. It’s sponsored by Senators Kamala Harris (CA-D), Cory Booker (NJ-D), and Tim Scott (SC-R). There’s a small window to tell your Senators and Representatives that you support ending over a century of racial hate crimes: criminalize lynching in America. White supremacy terrorism and lynching is still a deadly threat to minorities in 2018. Over the last two years, the number of new Neo-Nazis groups have increased nationwide by 22%. Just last year, there was a 17% increase in overall racially driven hate crimes in America. Of all extremist group-led murders in the U.S., 53% were committed by white supremacist groups in 2017. White supremacy violence is on the rise. Tell Congress to protect Americans: white supremacy violence cannot go unchecked. Make lynching a federal crime. With white supremacist hate crimes and groups increasing, it’s vital that the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act passes both the House and Senate. It’s 2018, tell Senators and Representatives to make lynching a federal crime. Click the box below to sign.
C Sign now with a click
*** Join us in demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, an innocent Black woman killed in her own home! Sign Now Across the United States, and around the entire world, people have taken to the streets to protest the racism-fueled police brutality that has led to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and too many others. Today, on what would have been Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday, we ask that you add your name to the list of people demanding justice for her murder. In the middle of the night on March 13th, 2020, three officers executed a "no-knock warrant" at the home of Breonna Taylor, barging in through her front door with a battering ram without identifying themselves as police. Before she knew what was happening, Breonna Taylor was shot eight times and died on the scene. Over two months later, no charges have been brought against her murderers. The names of the officers who entered her home that night are Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Brett Hankison, and Detective Myles Cosgrove. So far, the only repercussion these officers have faced was being placed on administrative duty. They are still working, still being paid, and still walking free. At the time of her murder, Breonna Taylor was working as an emergency room technician. Her mother said she had dreams of becoming a nurse. Dreams of buying a home. Dreams of starting a family. These dreams were stolen from Breonna Taylor, and the men who stole them from her dare to justify her murder through vague claims that she was involved in a case they were working on. Breonna Taylor was completely innocent. Had she not been, her brutal murder would still have been an inexcusable act of racist violence by police. This is not an isolated incident. If the police are not held accountable for these crimes, the terrorizing of Black people in the United States will not end. Sign the petition today to call for Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Brett Hankison, and Detective Myles Cosgrove to be charged with the murder of Breonna Taylor. Thank you, Lauren W. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Breonna Taylor's murderers have faced no consequences. That needs to change. Please sign the petition today. ***  This is a revolution--and you can help! Five years on, and we're still fighting. But it's tough. This blog is pretty much a full-time venture for your faithful editor, and it's about time for her to retire.  But you as a fellow revolutionary can make it easier for her to stay on the job by simply sharing some of your pocket change now and then. Use the Paypal link below to donate to keep her lights and Internet on.   http://paypal.me/camatthews Thanks for all you do in making the world a better place. Power to the people!