The Converging Crises of Capitalism Reveal the Need for Organizing
In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Lashunna Grier, cousin of An’Twan Gilmore, and Jay Brown, founder of Community Shoulders to discuss the killing of An’Twan Gilmore by DC police, the disturbing pattern of the use of excessive force in DC MPD and in police departments nationwide, and the broader issue of policing as a military solution to economic problems.
In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, the editor of TechforthePeople.org to discuss streaming services collecting data on users and using that data for advertising, the false image of media decentralization that these services conjure, issues with harassment and assault at Apple, and the broader labor movements in tech.
In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Salifu Mack, an editor at Hood Communist and a member of the Lowcountry Action Committee and the Black Alliance for Peace to discuss the insidious nature of the “diversity economy” marketing of McDonald’s Saweetie meal, the exploitation of celebrities in these schemes, and how community can fight back against corporations like McDonald’s.
Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Jon Jeter, award-winning journalist and foreign correspondent, radio and television producer, Bluesologist and Decolonizer, and author of the book “Flat Broke in the Free Market: How Globalization Fleeced Working People” to discuss how capitalism contributes to a spiritual death where individuals are alienated from their identity, the lack of preparation for Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, the skewing of the consciousness of poor and oppressed people under capitalism.