Uhuru Fight Back - This time till it’s won!
Report on March 26th Uhuru Solidarity Press Conference
By Penny Arcos
The Uhuru movement’s legal fightback for free speech is entering its final stage. Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Jesse Nevel and Penny Hess, also known as "The Uhuru Three,” are appealing their legal case to overturn the judgement that was made against them of committing a thought crime: Conspiring to be Russian Agents.
The FBI violently attacked the homes and offices with SWAT teams, tanks, drones and flash bang grenades in a pre-dawn raid in 2022. The FBI falsely claimed that the African People’s Socialist Party, founded by Chairman Omali Yeshitela in May 1972, was working for the Russian government.
UHURU means freedom in Swahili. The UHURU Solidarity Movement unites African people with white solidarity to work for African Internationalism and Liberation. The UHURU THREE were facing a sentence of 15 years in jail and a fine of $150,000 each.
Chairman Omali did not cower under pressure. He understood that these charges were political. The UHURU movement had committed no crime, even under the laws of what he calls the Colonial Government. He educated lawyers to see that this case was political rather than legal. It was an attack on the First Amendment, which affects everyone. The Biden Administration was trying to shut them up forever because of their opposition to the Ukraine Proxy War. Chairman Omali insisted that they go to court and put the FBI on trial, rather than pleading guilty. Supporters sent 16,000 character letters to the judge and packed the courthouse. And the UHURU THREE were not convicted of being Russian agents.
But the jury, likely intimidated by the FBI, charged the UHURU THREE with CONSPIRING to defraud the US government by not registering as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Charman Omali, Jesse Nevel and Penny Hess were sentenced to three years of probation and 300 hours of community service. They completed their community service in six months because their organization is all about serving the community.
Now, they are taking the fight all the way to the Supreme Court to overturn the conviction. And they are organizing a campaign to eliminate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which is completely unconstitutional.
On March 26th the UHURU THREE held a press conference to explain the significance of this fightback and the importance of standing in solidarity with them and with other anti-imperialist organizations.
The theme for their upcoming plenary session is “It’s Not Just Trump. It’s the Whole Damn System!” They argue that the United States Empire is facing imminent collapse. The exploitative economic system of Imperialism/Globalism, run by Wall Street and International banks is gasping for its last breath.
Wars around the world are creating global security crises. The Trump Administration is bombing civilians and high level leaders, including their spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Seyed Khamenei, in Iran. This war is creating a ripple effect on the global economy because the oil supply chain has been disrupted. The Trump Administration bombed Caracas and kidnapped Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, and his wife, Celia Flores. They are being held in Federal prison under charges of trafficking drugs. The Trump Administration is blocking Cuba from receiving oil to power their electric grid in an effort to starve the people and overthrow the elected government.
The European Union and NATO allies are supporting terrorism in Ukraine and in North Africa. The EU. facing its own economic crises, just voted to demand that Niger restore a former president .
The State of Israel continues to pull the strings of the United States government, taking billions of dollars from American taxpayers to fund their wars in the Middle East.
Extreme weather patterns are displacing millions and wiping out farms. Government policies in Europe and in the United States are forcing farmers to go out of business.
Many people look at these events as isolated. But they are all connected to the economic system that is run by Wall Street. Chairman Omali refers to it as Colonialism. We call it Imperialism/Globalism. It is not a new phenomenon.
The Imperialists have a long history of attacking the anti-colonial struggle. They murdered Lumumba, Nkrumah, MLK and Fred Hampton. They want us to believe that the struggle cannot be won. They want us to resolve ourselves to a bleak future of living in a pod and eating bugs.
The Federal government and the City of Saint Louis have intentionally let North Saint Louis rot in order to discourage the African community from living there. They have blocked Black Power Blueprint community projects at every turn. They tried to stop BPB from opening a bakery and restaurant. But BPB has been victorious. They built a basketball court, a community garden, housing units for men coming out of prison, job training, and a doula program. They are uniting the community to rebuild the homes that the recent tornado destroyed. They are demanding that the city government release the funds to invest in modern infrastructure in North Saint Louis rather than letting it rot.
The Center for Political Innovation were one of the loudest voices supporting the Uhuru 3, holding protests, organizing United Nations press conferences and even speaking directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the case.
SOLIDARITY
The UHURU fightback is a testament to the importance of solidarity and longevity. The African People’s Socialist Party has been consistently serving the African community since its founding and spreading the vision of African Internationalism. UHURU means liberation. A united and liberated Africa means that Africans have the ability to feed, clothe and house themselves. It means being freed from dependence on their Colonial masters and the economic demands of the International Monetary Fund or the whims of whoever sits in the White House in Washington, DC.
Being part of an anti-imperialist organization is critical. A week before the UHURU THREE case went to trial, a Chinese national was accused of working for the Chinese government. He didn’t have an organization to support him. So he pled guilty and received the maximum penalty. The FBI tried to use this case against the UHURU Three as a legal precedent.
But Chairman Omali was not intimidated. He understood the political nature of the case. The Federal government has a 99% conviction rate because people yield to intimidation and plead guilty. This is a violation of the right to a trial by a jury of one’s peers. He argues that if even half of the cases went to trial, the judicial system would collapse.
The UHURU THREE lawyers put the FBI on trial and won. The court case revealed that the FBI lied. Now the legal precedent is set. Grand juries are refusing to side with prosecutors for FARA cases.
This Time TIll It’s Won
As the wars rage on and the economic crisis of Imperialism/Globalism intensifies, more people are asking questions than before. This is giving more space for anti-imperialist voices to be heard. If Chairman Omali and the Rage Against the War Machine would have been heard, more people would understand that these wars are all connected to the exploitative economic system of Globalism/Imperialism.
The ruling class tries to keep us divided by hyping up Culture War issues and monetizing the Blue Team vs Red Team and protest cages. They want us to believe there is nothing we can do to change the world.
But the time to build is now. These wars do not serve the American people or any working class people. True liberation means the ability to feed, clothe and house ourselves.
BRICS countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Alliance of the Sahel States are part of the new economy of growth and innovation.
The only way to bring about change is to join an anti-imperialist organization. The African People’s Socialist Party and The Uhuru Solidarity Movement invite you to participate in their upcoming plenary session.
The Center for Political Innovation stands in solidarity with The Uhuru Three. We invite you to join us as we build an anti-monopoly coalition to end the wars and rebuild America.
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