By Ashton Jaymz

“Any unarmed people are slaves, or are subject to slavery at any given moment.” -Huey P. Newton

If the violence and terror perpetrated by the fascists in Charlottesville has made the public more conscious of anything, it is two things: That the police are not here to protect us from white supremacy, and secondly: that peaceful discourse and casual sign waving is useless in combating the manifestation fascism. Numerous reports (including those from several members of Revolutionary Action St. Louis who were present) have indicated that not only did the police not intervene, they also actively protected the Nazis from counter protesters.

This of course is a truth that has been known by black people for centuries. A recent Gallup poll showed that “59% of whites have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police, compared with 37% of blacks” (source). If the police cannot, or won’t, protect some of this country’s most oppressed, of what use are they? And doesn’t that mean the people must take up the task of defending themselves?

In 1967, the Mulford Act, a California bill which repealed the right to publicly carry loaded firearms, was passed. Before its passing, white people were terrified when armed members of the Black Panther party entered the State Capital building to protest the bill. No one was harmed, and they left peacefully when asked, but the incident garnered national support for the bill, even from the NRA. The vision of armed black men, however peaceful, was just too frightening for white America.

“Concerning nonviolence: It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself, when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. It is legal and lawful to own a shotgun or a rifle. We believe in obeying the law.” -Malcolm X

The gun rights movement is now predominately led by angry, white, conservative males. But these are the least vulnerable to societal violence among us, rather the perpetrators of violence be police, or the white nationalists the police give a public space to, to call for the genocide of black people.

The left, rather black or white, of every gender; desperately needs a “gun culture” in the midst of this ever encroaching threat. And liberals need to be shut down for shaming those who use violence to defend themselves and those they love against violence perpetrated upon them. More than ever, we need the people to take up the mantles of Nat Turner and John Brown, and be prepared to defend our communities. Gun control in the US has its roots in racism and we must fight back against it. We need to educate and train each other to provide the protection we cannot rely on those in power to give us. Power to the people!

Prime Protection STL offers CCW classes at the most affordable rate in St. Louis. They are a black family owned and operated business, open to those with any range of experience with firearms, or those with none. Please support them! You can visit their Facebook page here.

Ashton Jaymz is a rant-prone undergrad English student residing in St. Louis, with a fondness for theater and cigars. He is editor in chief of The STL Voice, and his poetry has also appeared in The New Verse News. He is the author of the upcoming book, These Bleeding Streets: Collected Poetry, and the co-author of American Asylum, a series of short dramas which has been workshopped multiple times in NYC.