We have formed this Support Committee for our comrade Jakhi McCray who is facing a campaign of targeted repression by the state. We do not speak on behalf of Jakhi or his lawyers, but independently as members of his support committee. The only coordination we have with his lawyers is in regards to donation of funds raised on the behalf of Jakhi. Everything else is our independent political expression.
Jakhi is facing a federal sentence ranging from 5-20 years after he was accused of setting fire to several NYPD vehicles in Bushwick, Brooklyn. In fact, this young, black political actor is someone, who, unlike the state, is standing on the right side of history.
The weight of the historical moment is exceedingly suffocating for those of us with a conscience. This latest act of draconian repression that Jakhi and his loved ones are now confronted with fits into an unambiguous pattern. The waning power of the US empire, like all white supremacist empires, has led to an expansion of its wanton, genocidal barbarism, and with that violence comes repression. The rapid descent is revealing a thinly disguised truth: the law – whether domestic or international – is primarily a subterfuge for white supremacist hegemony. We are all now presented with a uniquely ethical challenge. How does one stop a genocidal regime?
The empire’s template is familiar, perpetual, and unnerving. The abolition of slavery was followed by Tulsa, Rosewood and Ellenton. The genocidal Seminole campaign continued ceaselessly in the war against the American Indian Movement. The Trail of Tears and the Middle Passage are the heart of this bloodstained colonial US project, that is now showering our siblings in Palestine with the same venomous rainstorm. Hind Rajab is to us in the imperial core, who Tamir Rice is to our siblings in Gaza. The widely broadcasted starvation of the entire society in Gaza is typical of the United States. To be clear, the US is now actively engaged in a racial assault, with genocidal intent, on three fronts: in Palestine internationally, and against Black and Brown people domestically
It is no coincidence that as the Zionist and US regime brazenly engage in genocide, the US also executes a large scale ethnic cleansing campaign against migrants in general and Latinx people in particular. The process is functioning smoothly due to the ceaseless expansion of mass incarceration that rose from the enslavement of Black people and was expanded to crush the Black Liberation Movement. The Spirit of Mandela Coalition, launched by US-based Black revolutionaries, concluded in their consequential tribunal that the US was guilty of genocide against Black, brown and indigenous people through health-based discrimination, mass incarceration, extra-judicial killings, and targeted political repression.
It is in this light that we come together to support Jakhi as he is the latest target of empire. Jakhi’s selfless and warm-hearted nature has made him both a source of inspiration for the movement and, predictably a clear target for the regime. After brutal raids on his parents house and two other residences, offering a $30,000 reward, Jahki presented himself to the courts. He received bond and is now under house arrest. All this is an attempt to silence him and curtail his engagement in politics.
In contrast to the US colonialism, the movement is actively engaged in an internationalist struggle based on fundamentally different principles: equality, solidarity and the humanity of all people. On a daily basis the movement supports migrants who are preyed upon by masked ICE agents, demonstrates solidarity with Palestine in the imperial core, and offers jail and prison support for people subjected to mass incarceration. Standing with Jakhi is not just supporting a lone individual facing repression, but this case is a rallying point to bring people together to build popular resistance to a genocidal regime.
He now joins, Tarek Barzouk, Casey Goonan, and Malik Muhammad as a political prisoner in need of international solidarity. Our collective support has the potential to uplift our comrade and set a precedent against the state’s continued oppression of Black and Brown people. We, in the Support Committee for Jakhi, would like to further the anti-colonial movement by expanding the base of support for him and we invite you to participate with us in this journey. We will all work together to help free Jakhi, and in so doing, create the groundwork for longevity in the struggle.
Together we will win! Free Jakhi!