STATEMENT FROM KCIWW MEMBER REGARDING HER COMMENTS

RACISTS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN

I'll start by saying I think that it shows fairly remarkable courage for this young women to so publicly and completely accept responsibility, regret, and to openly apology for something she posted on the OCCUPY KANSAS CITY facebook page.  Those original comments, as you know, were first reported and commented upon here. They were then picked up elsewhere.  


I will also add that since that time I have been in contact with another of those mentioned and I have tried to make it clear to SCISSION readers and others that they now completely understand the errors of the original comments.  I have also tried to make it clear that while I will continue to strongly oppose what those comments imply politically, I do not feel that any of those involved or the Kansas City IWW are racists.  I have called and will renew my call for people to halt the emails to them.  Again, they get it.  They are sorry.  Won't happen again.


Unfortunately, I do have to add here that while they get it, others unrelated to them, still don't.  I am still having arguments with people from that site who still think everyone, and I mean everyone, should be invited.   Mostly, they boil down to one of two arguments.  Either they think it is best to have these folks around so "we" can talk them out of their racism with reasoned discussion, or it is the old "lowest common denominator" approach.  You know, find the one thing "we" can all agree on and worry about the rest later.  I ADAMANTLY REJECT BOTH ARGUMENTS.  They are simplistic, naive, and down right dangerous.  


There are, of course, also Ron Paul folks all over especially one of the two Kansas City Occupy facebook sites...and they have their own agenda.  They are big defenders of let everyone come and join.  Well, I take that back.  They don't want any commies or socialist involved.  I believe it is another gross error to include Ron Paul supporters, for all the obvious reasons, as legitimate members or participants in any OCCUPY group. 


This sentiment of letting EVERYONE who expresses any sort of anti-corporate feeling participate as allies, is NOT confined to Kansas City. Neither are the Paul supporters  You can find it and them all around the country at various Occupy groupings.  


All that said what you will read below comes directly from the web page of One People's Project (one of, if not the best, anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-nazi sites around.  You should check it out.

STATEMENT FROM KC IWW MEMBER REGARDING HER COMMENTS

Thursday, 06 October 2011 05:15 OPP HQ

There are some folks who have said that the anger over the comments made by a Kansas City IWW member iworking with Occupy Kansas City that implied we all work with racists and tea partiers were blown out of proportion. We don't think so. We think anyone that is doing so is treading on some very dangerous ground when you do that. We have seen it throughout history, and we have seen it regularly as people active in our respective political scenes. And we as an organization have made it clear that you can be the biggest antifa in the word, or the most respected progressive ever known to humankind. If you make excuses for white supremacists within the ranks of those on the left, we will take public issue with it. That being said, it is good to see that the KC IWW member in question is apologizing for those comments, and we thank her for it. We are sorry she is going through all this. She may be a great person otherwise and someone that people can work with regardless of this,  but that kind of advocacy is a problem. A HUGE one. That is why so many people, most recently South Side Chicago Anti-Racist Action, had a problem with the remarks. Look, intentionally throwing one major concern to the wind for the one you are concerned about the most may work for PETA (exploition in the name of saving animals...c'mon), but we can't do this, and we have to nip this in the bud just as quickly as it starts.

Brianna Holmes-Burton, Kansas City IWW

I, Brianna Holmes-Burton, when making the statement below, was not speaking for the IWW as a whole, nor was I speaking for the Kansas City Branch of the IWW:

"KansasCity Iww Occupations, please do not fall for divide and conquer tactics! this is not about partisan politics, this is about class solidarity among the 99%. Tea Party members are part of the 99%. If we reject each other based on political affiliation, we will fail. We need to focus on what we have in common as 99% of the world population who is suffering at the hands of the 1%. Find one demand that we can all embrace. It is there. Find it. Turn no one away. Explain to the racists why race is not the problem, explain to liberals why the Tea Party is not the problem, explain to conservatives why Obama is not the problem. Tell everyone, the 1% is the problem. We are the 99%"

I have asked other branch members if someone else can manage the Kansas City IWW facebook page and will not be using it except to check for IWW inquiries so that no one is ignored while we are waiting for someone else to volunteer to keep up with the page. I consent to being named publicly as the source of this problem and concede to all points against my statement. I offer no defense for any contested point whatsoever. This is entirely my fault and I should never have posted a personal opinion on the Kansas City IWW page. I did not seek input from my branch or any member of the IWW before making the statement.

Also, on a personal note, I do not condone racism or any other similar forms of hate in any way whatsoever. That was not my intent in any shape, form or fashion.

I am so sorry.

Please contact me if there is anything else I can do to help fix this  opendoorsinc1@hotmail.com

Brianna