"we want to be the part of the process to true democracy"
Tianle Wu
Click the video below to see the difference
between Capitalism, Socialism and Communism. (video by Tianle Wu)
It has been 100 years since the First Red Scare happened. America's obsession with keeping out certain ideologies may be making a comeback.
"We believe that capitalism is obsolete, and it cannot meet the necessities of the society right now."
In the Defend DACA (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) March on Sept. 10, and other protests against Trump's travel ban in L.A., one group of people is almost always there, fighting for citizen's basic rights. They are members of the Communist Party USA.
Among the group of protesters you will find Rossana Cambron and her husband, Arturo, both 40-year members of the Communist Party.
Rossana Cambron is the vice chair of the National Committee of Communist Party USA. She and her husband work in Workers Center in Los Angeles. Although, they organized internal issue discussion, demonstrations and other kinds of activities, they would not like to call themselves as "leaders".
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They think everyone in this party is equal and they do not want to bring in class in this community. With 300 party members in Los Angeles, Arturo Cambron thinks it is a small chapter but it is growing incredibly. Rossana Cambron said: "Since the last US election we have had approximately over 2000 people joining our Party nationally."
The members vary from employed to unemployed, people who are homeless to people living in big houses, with PhDs and people with little education. "This is the only organization in my life that has true balance of young and old, black and white ... It reflects our nation and our community and that is the strongest feature of the party," he said.
Getting involved in urgent issues
"Every day, sometimes when crisis is going on, we have to focus on issues that come up. There is a rally coming up, or issues like the single prayer, health issue in California. Sometimes it requires you to change your focus to get involved in everything that is urgent. For example, we are involved in the DACA, protesting against what happened with the elimination of DACA," Arturo Cambron said.
On Sept. 5, the Justice Department announced a plan to end DACA, a program that allowed undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to remain in the country.
Communist slogan: People, peace and planet before profits.
"We will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion – but through the lawful Democratic process – while at the same time ensuring that any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve," President Donald Trump said in his statement.
Communist meeting in Chicago
In response to the elimination of DACA, Rossana Cambron changed her Facebook cover photo with a slogan "I'm for DACA". She and her husband went to the protest in downtown on Sept. 10, the day she could have spent accompanying her grandchild. Rossana Cambron said: "I think more closely is the injustice is being done to the young people. They have gone to school, they have done all the right thing, they were promised this path and now it (the government) is taking (it) from them, and threats them to be deported to a country they don't know whereas it's Mexico, Korea . . . many from different places in the world. They led a life becoming productive members of the society and now they are being old to back to their states . . . It is real injustice to young people."
"There are 800,000 young people that are going to be put in limbo right now. It has been a very difficult situation because these young people are doing things that the they (the previous administration) said do this and they will be elected a path towards legality, and so now with Trump coming in and taking it off, it puts lots of people in jeopardy," Arturo Cambron said.
The stereotype of the communism
Communism is often compared to fascism by some people. Danny Leserman, the communications director of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, said: "Democratic Party's opinion of Communism as a political ideology has not changed. It is, quite frankly, a system of government we disagree with that we believe functions as a mirror image of fascism ... Communism is based on a central power controlling all facets of what the government does."
"We also do not wish to persecute people for their political beliefs. What that means is that we are also not in the business of letting people be fired from their jobs for having a political opinion, as disagreeable as it might be," Leserman said.
Arturo Cambron said: "The communism is in the opposite direction of the fascism, giving all workers full control of resources and real estate. You cannot force any ideology on people, unless people want it. That we do want to eliminate the abuse of power of the one percent and that is totally undemocratic. We believe in fundamental change that allow people to have basic needs."
Rossana Cambron said: "We fight for true democracy. the greatest input by the greatest population as to how to have a socialist country that obviously move into a communist country. Thats what we stand for."
What is it like to be a communist in 2017
Motivations for being a communist for 40 years
"When I was young, I saw a mother bagging for money in front of a pharmacy to try to get some medicine for her child who was dying. I remembered the child died (at last), I began to question why there is so much inequality," Arturo Cambron said.
Arturo Cambron thinks Karl Marx's theory has a realistic vision about how to change the society. "We have the ability to eliminate the poverty, we have the ability to eliminate the racism. We have the ability to eliminate the inequality that exists. The only that keeping us back is the economic system does put profit before people," Arturo Cambron said.
Rossana Cambron said: "My goal is a brick in that (socialism) road. We have Donald Trump as president, that's so distressing and overwhelming. We have to keep going. because it's not about Trump, it's about people who don't have the mean to live in a decent way."
A little glimpse of communist society.
Professor Clayton Dube, director of USC U.S.-China Institute, explains the difficulty of achieveing communism.
In 2005, Rossana Cambron visited Venezuela and in her memory Venezuela has already developed their medical clinic and established free education within their community. Mothers can provide food for their children, purchase medicine and send their children to school. "It is noticeable to see those faces of mothers … Without stress, mothers are happier, kids are happier. That told me that I was in the right direction, in the right party, and in the right struggle.
When talking about the recent crisis in Venezuela, Rossana Cambron said this country has not collapsed and the chaso was created by the rightwing who represent the wealthy and do not want to give up their wealth so easily. "Their recent election on creating a constitution assembly guarantees that the people will decide how to move forward, this is Socialism, putting people before profit."
"I may not live to see it, but that's ok. Because I got a little glimpse of it, and I'm on the right track."
