NEWARK, NJ, October 21 — Forty black and white workers in front of City Hall demonstrated against the racist cut-off of water to over 1,000 tenants and homeowners. People with families and many with small children have been denied water for drinking, bathing, heating and sewage since the end of August. Many of these are tenants in apartment buildings where the landlord is responsible to pay the water bill.

Meanwhile, Prudential Insurance Company has refused to pay its bill of over $2 million, and New Community Corporation, which owns many buildings, land and businesses, owes hundreds of thousands in delinquent bills.  Neither has been denied service. 

Prior to the demonstration various groups of concerned individuals met to discuss organizing tenants door to door, initiating class action suits and moving to physically turn the water on. Tenants even offered to pay their rent to the City to reinstate water service, but the City took the position that it did not want to “interfere with a tenant-landlord relationship.” Can it be any clearer that the corporations, landlords and City work hand-in-glove to protect profits?

Most people at the demonstration were members of the People’s Organization for Progress (POP). POP demonstrates frequently against police brutality, but the leadership calls for citizen review and never links the capitalist system’s laws to racist oppression. One speaker even pressed for “Black Power.”  A nurse who joined the picket line distributed and sold 30 CHALLENGES, pointing out the article on John Brown and the need for multi-racial unity. She spoke, saying that the capitalist system was responsible for this racist attack, and called for action, “Politicians, corporations, all be gone; Black and white workers’ power turns the water on!”