In this country where illegality is systematic and injustice deliberate, not only Black people but Brown people as well, suffer the brunt of repression. The American eagle, with its predatory instincts, vamps and Miss Liberty, with her deliberate ruthlessness, tramples on those people they find it profitable to attack and crush. America compresses its oppressed between an atmosphere of vileness and a ground of hostile instability and dares them to challenge the mediums. The Young Lords Organization, a Latin-American revolutionary group who are working in Chicago, have dared to dispel the mediums; they are demanding an end to the injustices heaved upon Latin-American people.

Latin-American people in this country face some of the same problems that we, Black people face, i.e., inadequate food, indecent housing, irrelevant education, police brutality, and unemployment. And what are the Young Lords doing? They are working for adequate food, decent housing, relevant education, police brutality cessation, and employment for their people. The power structure would have these problems continue, as people who have little power to solve these problems are easy to exploit. The Young Lords, however, cannot be placed into this category because they are showing their people the strategic method to resist the oppressive forces of the power structure. This has made them the "enemy" to the power structure and the "friend" to all who desire an end to imperialism. The power structure's perception of them has resulted in them being harassed, arrested, beaten, and shot by the pigs who "protect and serve" (yes, protect capitalistic enterprises and serve us with arrest warrants, search warrants, subpoenas, summons, and the like).

On Sunday, April 4, one of the Young Lords, Manuel Ramos, Minister of Defense was killed and Ralph Rivera, Minister of Education was critically wounded. yes these two were dedicating their lives to the revolutionary struggle. They were shot by pigs who made it their goal to deal with them as all protesting poor and exploited people are dealt with: elimination.

These brothers who sought to overtake those who have unjustly taken over, whose love was liberation and hate was oppression, whose bodies lie stiff and contorted, whose blood overflows the State of Illinois and surges into those adjacent states, who words (Todo eo poder a la genta -- All power to the people) can be heard reverberating in response to the scream of the oppressed --- these brothers we hold sacred; these brothers we hold dearest; these brothers we hold highest.

Presently facing many trumped up charges (such as mob action, disorderly conduct, inciting to riot, and everything else that is false) Chairman of the Young Lords, Cha Cha Jimenez is picked up at least once a week by the pigs. Many other Young Lords as well have been arrested on similar conspired charges. The news media and the pigs would have us believe that the Young Lords are a menacing gang, but we know otherwise. Their continuous community efforts have proven this. But the massive intimidations and negative propaganda have not made the Young Lords cease their struggle for the liberation of their people -- quite the contrary. More determined than ever, they are now intensifying their efforts to see that the needs of their people are met.

We ask the people to witness the Young Lords as they attempt to improve their community and place its control in the hands of the Latin-American people, to witness the pig persecution of those who believe that power should be vested in the people and not in minority enterprises. We call on the people to judge whether the struggle for justice now being waged by the Young Lords is invalid; whether the murder of one and the intended murder of the other is right. We call on the people to judge whether the Young Lords deserve such persection.

Regarding you, the Young Lords, as our true revolutionary brothers, as our comrades, and as our allies, the Black Panther Party is working jointly with you to see that aggression is thwarted and suppression is ended. Illinois Chapter Reporter Carletta Fields