Posted by Daniel C.
In response to the July 31 Call to Action Against Fascism and Racism, members of Four Star Anarchist Organization brought attention to the murder of Anthony Kyser, an unemployed African-American barber, outside of a CVS Pharmacy in the Little Village Neighborhood of Chicago in May. Kyser was choked to death by the manager of the CVS in an alley for stealing toothpaste and crayons. Four Star Anarchist Organization was appalled not only by this senseless act of violence against a working-class person of color, but also by the fact that the manager that murdered Kyser was not held accountable for his actions.
Four Star Anarchist Organization chose to respond by hanging a banner with a painted picture of Anthony Kyser at the CVS location and talking to people on the street outside of the store. We arrived at the location at noon, and were joined by members of the Iowa City-based anarchist group Wild Rose Collective that came to Chicago to participate in our efforts. When we asked people walking by the CVS about their thoughts on the murder, reactions ranged from shock at just having heard about it for the first time to people who remembered when Kyser was murdered and knew him personally. We also listened to people talk about racism, capitalism, unemployment, imperialism, and other issues that affect working-class people today. After spending a little over an hour at this location, we moved to the nearby North Lawndale neighborhood (where Kyser lived) and continued to talk to people about his murder. By the end of our action, we made contact with a number of people who wished to be informed about any further organizing efforts.
Afterwards, some members of Four Star moved on to a barbecue hosted by South Side Chicago Anti-Racist Action in the Lakeview neighborhood, where we mingled with members of Wild Rose Collective, North Side Chicago Anti-Racist Action, and Bring The Ruckus. While eating lunch, we talked about upcoming anti-racist and anti-fascist events and received recently published literature on local anti-fascist work from ARA and anti-fascist music compilations from Bring The Ruckus.
Overall, our participation in the July 31 Day of Action Against Fascism and Racism saw members of Four Star out in the streets talking (and listening) to people about how racism and capitalism affect our lives and making contact with other local groups working towards radical change.