This past weekend the Black Hammer Organization headed to the streets to spread the word far and wide that Hammer City is on the horizon, with our campaign #HammersInYoHood.
For the past couple of months, the Black Hammer organization has been focusing on creating a safe space where our people can practice self-determination, with the construction of our first micronation “Hammer City”. As dialectical materialists, we understood that our people were crying out for tangible solutions, so we went to work to get them some.
Meetings after meetings, plans of action, action items, events, and fundraising have kept us very busy. We are fast approaching our goals, and hitting every milestone, but we needed a reminder of what this is all for. This is for our people!
So we slowed down the meetings and hit the streets. Hammers were out in Illinois, Utah, New York, Louisiana, the Carolinas, Colorado, Massachusetts, and California, just to name a few. As a Hammer here in California, it was so fulfilling to see all of us Hammers hitting the streets and serving our people.
LA Hammers in yo Hood
The Los Angeles unit of the California Chapter got to engage the community on a very popular street corner, Slauson and Crenshaw. In case you aren’t familiar with the area, Slauson and Crenshaw is a notorious intersection in South Central Los Angeles. It is no stranger to the horrors of colonial violence this system has created.
The intersection is also an area where many community members shop and dine, so much so that the city metro company has been constructing a metro train right down Crenshaw Blvd. With the train came the displacement of locals and their businesses. Last year before the pandemic and the tragic loss of the popular local rap artist, Nipsey Hussle, it felt like the community was trying to come together.
Nipsey Hussle was using his art and resources to uplift his community. He spoke to the local schools about self-determination, the realities of street life, and starting businesses in their community to make changes. He employed many local gang members and preached that life was a marathon that wasn’t over yet, and no matter what happens, it’s up to us to continue that marathon.
Nipsey Hussle was like a street prophet to so many of us in the hood. Tragically he was a victim of horizontal violence.
The loss is still felt in the community, and nearly every weekend, people gather at the murals around his now boarded up store, to honor his memory and take photos. This past weekend was no different. It was the hottest day of the summer, with triple-digit readings, and even that didn’t stop our people from showing up and showing out to honor Nipsey Hussle.
We Hammers were not surprised to see so many beautiful people out in their flyest outfits, smiling and sweating. Music was pumping, and people were out with either no masks or clothe masks. While the people went about their day, The Hammers got to work, taping up signs, passing out flyers, dancing, talking to the people, and handing out free PPE care packages.
The people were so proud of what we were doing that a street merchant allowed us to tape our principles of unity and a Hammer City flyer directly to their table. We then continued down the block, putting up more signs and answering questions from the people. Eventually, we noticed some local women sitting under a tent labeled “Disaster Relief.”
The Colonized Masses for Hammer City
As Hammers, we were, of course, intrigued and made our way over. There we met a local African woman by the name of Ramona, who is a certified EMS instructor. We got an amazing interview with them, where they told us that if they didn’t have to work to pay rent, they would give people of color free classes in life-saving emergency techniques, like CPR, because we all have the power to save someone’s life.
Ramona was so dynamic and powerful and super excited about Hammer City. They said we need to figure out the alligator situation before they would move to Florida! We said that we would be one with the land and animals, so don’t worry about gators!
We need people like Ramona and all those amazing street merchants at Hammer City.
Talking to the people was so inspiring; our people are ready for this. Working in the sweltering heat, in unsafe working conditions, is what our people are experiencing right now for countless hours.
They have to put their lives on the line, just to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. They are ready for a material change. They are ready for Hammer City.
This work becomes more clear each day as I watch my people just fight to stay alive. Our mission is clear. It’s Hammer City or Die!
