Statement Condemning Police Violence in the Mission

We are the Tea House Union, recently formed by the workers of Om Shan Tea under the umbrella of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). We work on this corner every day and have experienced numerous manifestations of violence from gang antagonisms to overwhelming police force.

On 9/20 around 9 pm a plainclothes cop rolled up on a guy standing near 14th and Mission and shot him two times in the back as he ran away. He was hospitalized with supposedly non-lethal wounds and is facing time behind bars. We don't need the cops to shoot up our corner in the name of justice, we need community justice!

Therefore, we, the workers officially condemn the violence of last night and stand in solidarity with the victim's family. We recognize that the “bad guys” are not the sisters or brothers on the block, but rather the oppressive system that is tightening the vice around our autonomous freedom and sustainability.

The historical moment is on us to triumph over alienation and locate the real enemy of the people—the corrupt and kleptocratic state and its agents of physical and cultural violence. Don't fight each other, fight together.
Stop broke on broke crime and start a struggling class solidarity front!