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CONTINUE TO MARCH LEE One day an outstanding Lord of London told his son when he sees a good fight, get in it. This is the message from the nonviolent movement to the millions of disheartened and disenchanted Negroes. When you see a good fight, get in it. The nonviolent movement has never told anyone not to fight; it has only told the Negroes how to fight. I understand the frustration of my people. We have every right in the world to be angry with this society. However, we need to know the best way of channeling our anger. Yes, the nonviolent movement would like to see everyone accept its philosophy as a way of life. For this tactic can be used by the people of all ages; there are no age limits for the usage of nonviolence. One would not think of putting a pistol in a child's hand nor would the army accept a man for military service at the age of 60. We are saying if you can't accept it as a philosophy then everyone can use it as a tactic. Some of us talk of retaliatory violence. Maybe violence is the best way. Honesty impels me to admit that I have not seen violence work. The riots we had in our communities did nothing to change things. Watts is still the same as it was. Only token programs have started in Harlem and Chicago to relieve the economic pressure our people face. Those who did the rioting have cases pending in court or are serving time in jail. The destruction of property was in our community. Of the 30-odd people who lost their lives in Watts, only two were white, the rest were Negroes. The few Negroes who were armed were quickly disarmed. Of the hundreds of people that sustained injuries- 95 per cent were Negroes. This to me indicated the foolhardiness of trying to overpower a man with rocks, bottles, knives and antiquated guns and rifles when the "man" has automatic weapons that fire a hundred bullets without reloading. Any man that would walk up to a man with a 45-caliber gun when the other fellow has a machine-gun is not only out of touch with reality, he is a fool. Negroes who speak of violence should have the right to make a choice even if that choice is wrong. That is all a part of the democratic process. However, it is unfair to lead people to believe they can win through violence. White men have achieved excellence in the area of violence. They control all of the ballistic missiles, the airplanes, the munitions factories and the militia, even the matches we start fires with. All of these are facts that need to be considered when one thinks of waging a violent revolution. This is where the tactical nonviolence 259
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Reopened for Editing 2024-02-09 13:20:27
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Reopened for Editing 2024-02-09 13:33:06