"I'm running for Oakland City Council to present to working people in Oakland and the Bay Area a socialist alternative to the slash-and-burn policies being carried out against workers and farmers by the ruling rich and their governments from Oakland to Washington, D.C.," Musa told the Militant. "We bring to working people in Oakland the perspective of a revolutionary struggle by workers and farmers to form our own government," he said.

In the preceding days, supporters of the socialist campaign hit the streets in Oakland gathering more than 125 signatures, way above the 50 required to place Musa on the ballot for the March 7 election. Signers included a coworker of Musa's and several members of the International Association of Machinists at the Oakland airport.

Musa and a team of socialist campaigners joined a spirited rally of 450 youth demanding freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal, a Black rights fighter and journalist facing the death penalty in Pennsylvania who was framed-up on charges of killing a Philadelphia cop. The socialist candidate also addressed the crowd.

While campaigning outside of a union meeting involving hundreds of Oakland teachers December 14, Musa learned of the school district's scheme to try to get teachers to accept layoffs of classroom support staff to finance a pay increase for teachers.

"There should be more teachers in the schools, not less. Class size should be sharply reduced. Support staff, including teacher aides, school psychologists, nurses, and others should be increased," Musa said.  
 

Interest in a perspective of revolution

"We're getting a little taste of the interest workers and young people have when we present a perspective of revolution in response to the problems confronting us," Musa said after campaigning on a busy street in downtown Oakland.

Twenty-one people bought copies of the Militant there from two socialist campaign teams December 27 and 28.

Musa noted that the main questions people asked him were what his campaign has to say about the rapidly rising housing costs in the Bay Area, and the lack of jobs.

A young Black man the socialists met on the first day returned on the second for more discussion, and helped the team distribute campaign leaflets. Altogether 11 people signed up for more information on the socialist campaign.

"We're seeing some important resistance to the bosses' attacks by workers and farmers in this country today," Musa explained. In Puerto Rico, a broad section of the population has stood up to the U.S. Navy and has at least temporarily forced it to halt its bombing of Vieques. Teamsters at Overnite Trucking are fighting hard for a union, while their fellow unionists at Basic Vegetable in King City, California, continue to confront cops and company thugs as their strike stretches into its sixth month.

Farmers who are Black are in the forefront of the struggles of working people today. Facing falling prices and soaring production costs that are squeezing all farmers, they are fighting to hold onto their land in the face of blatant discrimination by government and private lending agencies. Coal miners and others in the coal field communities have begun to hold meetings, protests, and strikes to push back moves to gut miners' health care and pensions, as well as hard-won improvement in safety in the mines.

"These struggles by workers and farmers increasingly overlap and reinforce each other," Musa said, "and fighters involved increasingly seek one another out to learn and figure out what to do next. These are some of the people who will be most attracted to the socialist campaign."

Campaign supporters are planning an active few weeks leading up to the March election, which will include campaigning on city street corners, factory gates, as well as high school and college campuses. A socialist campaign rally in Oakland featuring Musa is set for January 22.

Jim Altenberg is a member of the United Transportation Union.  
 
 
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