In Solidarity with the Victims of US Imperialism
As you’re reading this, the insatiable appetite of American profits continues to chew through the planet. From Ukraine to Gaza, the insidious jaws of US imperialism bears down on the lives of millions. Even in the belly of the beast, the United States government is waging its own war in California, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia. The miliatry occupation of America cities has armed American citizens against citizens, against their own neighbors and communities. Often it feels impossible to meaningfully resist and fight back against US imperialism. The beast is large. Its claws seem to hold everyone in a cage. While there are people fighting and resisting, there are near equal efforts of those who worship the beast, who will protect it and nurish it.
Over the few months of “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, Illinois, I saw first hand how these tensions played out. Nieghbors putting our bodies on the line for our neighbors, people gathering all over the city to hand out literature and tools for resistance, communities mobilizing to provide for one another and to protect one another. Though it filled me with hope, I couldn’t help but notice the people who were content with things as they were. There were people who claimed this kind of militant occupation was necessary. This tension caused great pain inside. All the while, I assembled this second issue of The Pill.
Each poem in this issue is a room in the house of the dispossessed. Pay close attention as you walk through them. They all have something to teach you. There is space for you in each one. There is space for everyone. And everything. And the windows are full of light.
Binx
Poet, activist, and Editor-in-Chief of The Pill Magazine.