Featured Article- The Resurgence of The Marxist Threat in America

The Resurgence of The Marxist Threat in America
By Chief Rich Rosell

Introduction
American law enforcement officers are constantly seeking to identify the next terrorist threat so they may prepare adequately to defend our nation and its citizens. The Jihadist threat is clearly here to stay, but are there groups in America that share the terrorist’s hatred of our way of life? Yes, and they are gaining strength and credibility with each mainstream media broadcast. Underestimate them at your peril. Beware the new wave of Marxism in American politics.

While it is true that right wing terrorist groups account for many more terror-related deaths than their left wing counterparts, perhaps as much as tenfold, let us not forget that Marxism has been said to be responsible for upward of 100 million deaths worldwide.1 And unlike the right wing threat, it is very clear that left wing violence appears to have strong support among the new extreme left politicians.

Only Mostly Dead

The violent American leftist movement seemed to have fizzled since the 1980s, largely due to the pressure brought upon them by law enforcement. Groups such as the Weather Underground (WU), the Black Liberation Army (BLA), the Black Guerilla Family (BGF), the May 19th Coalition and the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) took their battle against the American way of life to the streets with bombs, guns and terror, spanning over two decades. Their favorite targets were law enforcement officers and governmental buildings and functions. Oh, and let’s not forget the hapless collateral damage of civilians. Along the way, in the name of redistribution of wealth, they knocked off armored cars and banks to finance their cause. Apparently, wages earned through legitimate employment aren’t quite enough for an urban guerrilla to support a cause and keep food on the table for little anarchists. The most violent members of these groups ended up dead or in jail for the rest of their lives. Death and jail tend to have sobering effects on those comrades not quite as willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause, and so, their rebellion was over. But they did not simply disappear, nor did their cause. Could the remnants of the leftist cause from 30 years ago be the kindling for the recent upsurge in leftist violence? (No, Donald Trump does not cause violence. Violent people, using him as a scapegoat, cause violence).

In 2008, we saw the name of a repulsive violent left wing guerilla in the national headlines after a lengthy absence from the spotlight: Bill Ayers, former member of the Weather Underground, and unrepentant Marxist guerilla. Why were we blessed with his presence? He was an avid supporter of fellow Illinoisan, President Barrack Obama. Was it a coincidence that Mr. Ayers crawled out from under his rock, back into the spotlight, just as the nation elected the closest thing to a socialist POTUS we’ve had since FDR? For those of us still serving in law enforcement, this made our “Spider Sense” light up like the 4th of July.

In 2010, the Black Guerilla Family (BGF), a violent Marxist group thought to have been long extinct, resurfaced in Baltimore, more than 2,500 miles from when they were last spotted in Los Angeles in the 1980s. The BGF had ties to all of the American Marxist organizations back in the day, although they were not always happy with the direction of the movement. (It was a BGF member who killed Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton). In 2015, during the civil unrest that caused the City of Baltimore to burn while their mayor watched, the BGF was suspected of having been responsible for much of the violence, and was even rumored to have sought an alliance with the Bloods. (To refresh your memories, this is the same mayor who visited Cuba to share “Best Practices”).

Resurgence with Credibility

We are witnessing the unveiling of a socialist movement in American politics that has been brewing for decades. While (apparently) non-violent in nature, the leaders of this leftist political movement have unleashed their agenda with a fury over the past few years. Don’t be fooled, for they have a violent and willing armed wing at their beckoned call. Legitimate leftist politicians and celebrities are whipping like-minded Marxists in the streets into frenzy with promises of the Utopia their parents dreamed of, but never saw to fruition, hoping their shrill cries will convince them to take arms, and it is working. The brazenness of these new Marxists is alarming. In late March 2019, a conference featuring eight presidential candidates started off with a quote from Joanne Chesimard (Assata Shakur), a BLA radical, and convicted murderer of a New Jersey State Trooper.2 This is the same Joanne Chesimard to whom Colin Kaepernick is rumored to have donated $25,000 in 2018. In case you forgot him already, he is the poster child for the Black Lives Matter movement, yet another Marxist vehicle.3 In early April 2019, leftist darling Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, commuted the sentence of Judith Clark, member of the Weather Underground and getaway driver of the car during the Brinks armored car murders that left two Nyack police officers and a civilian guard dead. Oh, how the willing media spun this travesty of justice, putting a picture of Clark at the top of the headline alongside her cute emotional support dog which the New York Department of Corrections provided to her, at taxpayer expense, during her incarceration. Perhaps we are to believe that if she can love a puppy, then all should be forgiven. The zeal and vigor with which these new age Marxist politicians yearn for the end of our democracy is troubling, especially when there are those out there who appear willing to use violence to achieve their goal.

The New Violent Face of Marxism in America

Law enforcement didn’t have to conduct much of an investigation to determine who is taking over the violent wing of the Marist movement. It needed only to look as far as the post-inaugural violence in Washington D.C. and the ANTIFA (Anti-Fascists) group.

ANTIFA is the name given to a group of fanatical leftists whose mission is to overthrow not only President Trump, but the American government, and replace it with a Marxist regime. Their slogan says it all: “No Trump, No Wall, No USA at All”. They have shown a propensity toward violence since their infancy, and are difficult to infiltrate due to the fact that the group ANTIFA is comprised (loosely when dormant) of individuals from other groups, expertly organized for battle at the right time.

ANTIFA has become today’s violent leftist terrorism concern. The group’s manifesto openly rejects free speech and defends assassinations.4 So radical is the group, that at a 2018 rally in Portland, they pummeled a fellow liberal for daring to carry an American flag to a rally.

ANTIFA is not without its supporters in politics and Hollywood. Last year, the deputy director of the Democratic National Committee, and US congressman from Minnesota, Keith Ellison, tweeted out a picture of the “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook”, a book he declared would “strike fear in the heart of” Donald Trump.5 (Minnesota, of course, being the home of Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, who recently banned “warrior style” training for officers in his police department.)6 Celebrities Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman and Debra Messing used social media platforms in early 2017, appearing to support the threat of violence at a UC Berkeley rally featuring Trump supporter, Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos.7

In a 2017 documentary film titled “America Under Siege, ANTIFA,” the film’s writer Trevor Loudon makes the claim that “Antifa today is like a franchise,” adding that “in many instances” it also has close ties to the Democratic Party. In this film, Loudon also claims the anarchist who won’t go away, Bill Ayers, is a supporter of the anarchy group Refuse Fascism, a group which Loudon claims is a branch of ANTIFA.

To get a feel for the violent and unrepentant nature of members of ANTIFA, one need only spend 10 or 20 minutes on Google searching videos, listening to the cavalier manner in which they refer to committing acts of violence on citizens of this country.

What Does This All Mean?

American politics has taken the leap from the center, to be fair, in both directions. President Trump is an unapologetic Nationalist. However, his Nationalist tendencies do not have violent supporters standing in the shadows, waiting to pounce on anyone who dares disagree with him. He has never condoned any violent act. It seems as though the response from the Democratic resistance was to leap in the opposite direction, embracing Marxism. Unfortunately for the left, with Marxism comes violence. American law enforcement faces a complex challenge in the very near future. Two worst-case scenarios immediately come into mind; 1) what happens if ANTIFA trades in their training wheels and hoodies for the bombs and guns used by their predecessors the WU, and 2) what if the remnants of WU, BLA, and BGF, et al decide to join together with them, forming some type of weird, yet very violent leftist Transformer? Will their supporters in leftist politics finally stand firm against this threat to our Republic, or will they rejoice in their creation?

Until such time, warriors, keep training for the worst (even those in the Minneapolis PD). Our republic needs you now more than ever.

1Courtois, Stephane, et al. (1999). The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression. Cambridge. Harvard University Press.
2Re, Greg. 2019. Fox News Online. Conference featuring 2020 Dems begins with fiery chant quoting fugitive cop-killer Assata Shakur. Retrieved April 2, 2019 from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2020-dems-conference-begins-with-fiery-chant-quoting-fugitive-cop-killer-assata-shakur
3Powers, Thurston. 2016, The Federalist Online. How Black Lives Matter Is Bringing Back Traditional Marxism. Retrieved April 4, 2019 from https://thefederalist.com/2016/09/28/black-lives-matter-bringing-back-traditional-marxism/
4Yost, Zachary. 2018. ANTIFA’s Handbook: A Primer on Violent Liberalism. The American Conservative. Retrieved April 10, 2019 from https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/antifas-handbook-a-sinister-primer-on-violent-illiberalism/comment-page-1/
5Ibid.
6Mannix, Andy. 2019. Minneapolis to ban ‘warrior’ training for police, mayor says. Police Online. Retrieved April 20, 2019 from https://www.policeone.com/police-training/articles/483600006-Minneapolis-to-ban warrior-training-for-police-mayor-says/
7Staff Writer. 2017. CBS News.com. Retrieved April 321, 2019 from https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/02/02/celebs-voice-apparent-support-for-uc-berkeley-riot-over-breitbart-speaker/

Chief Rosell is currently the Police Chief and Public Safety Director for the Town of Indian River Shores, Florida, the former Director of Public Safety for the Town of Dover, NJ and Township of Springfield, NJ, and a 27-year veteran of the New Jersey State Police, retiring at the rank of Captain. He has a very diverse skill set with vast operational, training, policymaking, homeland security, leadership, management and administrative experience.