What does zero for the police and black community control of police look like? A personal account by werc rahman and his struggle with Usman and love park pizza. Exposing what the police REALLY do every day.

"The state is, therefore, by no means a power forced on society from without; just as little is it ’the reality of the ethical idea’, ’the image and reality of reason’, as Hegel maintains. Rather, it is a product of society at a certain stage of development; it is the admission that this society has become entangled in an insoluble contradiction with itself, that it has split into irreconcilable antagonisms which it is powerless to dispel. But in order that these antagonisms, these classes with conflicting economic interests, might not consume themselves and society in fruitless struggle, it became necessary to have a power, seemingly standing above society, that would alleviate the conflict and keep it within the bounds of ’order’; and this power, arisen out of society but placing itself above it, and alienating itself more and more from it, is the state.” (Pp.177-78, sixth edition, vi lenin

Some time in May or June I got into a struggle with love park pizza. I was their delivery driver. I had been working for them from about early Feb up until that point. During that time the owner, Usman, called the police to intervene in struggles he would have with his customers on at least two separate occasions. On both occasions the issue was around nothing more than a 10, 15 or maybe 20 dollar at the most order of food. After the second time I sent Usman an article explaining how the Philadelphia police receive training from the Israeli military. https://www.workers.org/2024/02/76821/

I told him he should refrain from calling the police on the people as Africans suffer the same oppression under the Philadelphia police as the Palestinians do under the Israeli military. He looked at me with a blank stare when I did this.

During that same period I explained to him also that I would not be delivering any food to the police. He said that was fine.

Fast fwd to May or June I come into work and I walk into a situation where Usman is on the phone with the cops. He said "wali I'm on the phone with the police this guy tried to threaten my life" or something like that. The guy he was referring to was an african armed security guard who apparently was on break or off work and trying to get some food. His gun was in his holster and he didn't look or behaved hostile at all.

When Usman said this I slapped his phone it is his hand and said"what did I tell u about calling the police on people?"

At first his reaction was "get the fuck out" then when I'm driving home he called me up saying come back cuz he has a delivery for me. Reluctantly I turned around and worked the whole shift (10-2)

The shit was on my mind the whole night.

At the end of the shift there was an african man at the store and as I kept reflecting on Usman clear disregard for wut I told him about calling police on the people I basically asked the African "what should we do about this pussy?" And I proceeded to kick the glass on his front door causing the whole thing to shatter. This time he was really mad and I left never came back.

I suspect that Usman arranged the whole thing wit the security guard to try and expose the fact that I didn't stand for wut I say. As a petty merchant who clearly sees nothing wrong wit calling the police on the people and in fact relies on the police to protect his wealth, he views my politics as something that threatens his class interests. As they always do the first line of defense the reactionary exploiting merchant classes is to try to defeat the revolution ideologically.

In this case that means exposing me as a "hypocrite" or a joke. Someone who does not truly stand for wut I say I believe in.

Interestingly Usman never called police on me, even tho he got the whole thing on video, which is further confirmation of my theory. Why pick and choose when u call the cops on niggas? Clearly there is a political basis to his decisions.

But whether my theory is correct or not what is for certain is that the struggle between me and Usman raises the question of whether or not the demand zero for the police even makes sense and whether or not it is a righteous demand.

His claim on the last incident of calling the pigs was that his life was in danger. Like I said , there was no evidence of this. And it is legal to openly carry a weapon if u r licensed to do so. So what was the problem really?

And that question is even more glaring when u look at the previous two occasions (that I am aware of) where he called the police on Africans who were not armed and jus came off the dam bus.

Like I said , what could the dispute with those Africans have possibly been about? A cheessteak and can of soda? The disputes could not have been about more than 20 bucks at the most.

Again, there was only 3 struggles like this that I was aware of between the months of Feb and June. This means 3 disputes over a 20 dollar meal max over the course of 5 or 6 months. And for that u r willing to deploy military forces who have a long history of shooting and kidnapping black people.

Those disputes could have easily been resolved with Usman saying " you're right brother/sister, here have a free cheese steak fries and a drink, on me."

And then people want even asking for free food but rather a certain kind of treatment and or acknowledgement of error he made on the order.

Not only that but Usman drives a late model mini van, his drives a BMW etc. So he is not hurting. U no my point

The point is that the pigs is deployed into African people's midst to protect the wealth and private property of the exploiting classes.

To give those people the food was not even something he considered. Cuz all he saw was his profits.

This is explained in the above passage from v.i. Lenin, where the state (police, prisons etc) is characterized as an instrument to protect the status quo in a society split by "irreconcilable contradictions"

When we put forth the zero for the police budget and begin to build grocery stores that do not seek profit off retail prices, both the FOP and the capitalist ruling class will do EVERYTHING in their power to stop us. This is AFTER we win the election. Why? Because we have reached a point of an irreconcilable contradiction. Fresh grocers , shop rite giant etc will literally DIE if we succeed. The FOP will DIE when we succeed.

So these forces will try to convince the people that there is something inherently wrong with the demand or the messenger (myself/us)

Comrades the FOP and the capitalist ruling class have basically an unlimited amount of money due to the existing order. They got enough money to hire agents and goons to win the people away from from the movement we are building.

These forces who carry out the dirty work of the white ruling class will usually come from our community. They will know our customs, think of back Obama eating fried chicken at the diner on the Southside of Chicago. This is what we call white power in black face - neo colonialism .

So we gotta be hip to that. We must be aware of that so we don't get confused when people try to slick talk us out of our principles.

But the greater task we have is showing how we can not only live with out the neo-colonial pigs but we can live BETTER without them.

So the struggle with Usman gives us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how the situations in which Usman (a representative of capitalism) called the police could have been resolved without the police simply through a just distribution of the people wealth.

This is why we call for 900 million for not for profit grocery stores, free septa, free laundry mats , end to vehicle impoundment etc- because these mandates will objectively result in an overall redistribution of wealth into the hands of the people and OUT of the hands of the capitalist and neo colonialism.

More importantly to disarm and defend the police will contribute greatly to the safety of black people cuz calling police on black people is a direct threat to our safety.

Lastly, it is important to say that our call for the socialist redistribution of the people wealth does not represent an attack on independent businesses, even ones like love park. In fact part of our economic logic dictate that the money we save on the essential 63% (food, housing and transportation) will mean we have more "disposable income" to spend on platter at black owned and independent restaurants barber shops cultural shops tattoo parlors etc.

But none of the forces can operate if they expect to be able to call the police over a 20 dollar order.

So we will say "if there's no police then everybody will be trying to get free food from me". Again, there was only 3 disputes wit customers over the course of 5 or 6 months. So that is basically a non existent issue. The people, African people, are principled, hard working people and don't have problems paying for wut we get. But when we are deprived of the ability to do so at gunpoint, we have a right to rebel and protest that kind is system.

Uhuru!