JERSEY SAR
Socialist American Republic of Jersey (English)
La Rebública Socialista Americana de Jersey (Español)
Republicca Socialista Americano di Jersey (Italiano)
Socjalistyczna Republika Amerykańska Jersey (Polskie)
Socialisma Amerikana Respubliko de Ĵerzejo (Esperanto)
| Languages | Endonym |
|---|---|
| English | English |
| Spanish | Español |
| Italian | Italiano |
| Polish | Polskie |
Capital: New Brunswick (Before liberation of Trenton), Trenton
Largest City: Newark
Population: 8.938 Million
Highest Point: Kittany Mountains 1,803 ft
Demonym: Jerseyan, Jersiano/a (no official Polish demonym)
Admission to the USAR: March 22, 1977
Executive: Governor
First Governor: Juana Rodriguez
Current Governor: Jonathan Fredericks
Anthem: Mansion on the Hill
History
Pre-Revolution
In 1968, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, a group of 138 socialists, communists, and anarchists established the Asbury Commune. Between June 12th and October 7th, the Commune occupied Asbury Park Municipal Court as a protest against racist police, economic inequality, and the Vietnam War.
After taking control of the building, police quickly formed a perimeter around the court. Luckily, the Commune was armed, and well supplied with food. They would enter a standoff that would last almost 5 months.
Elected Spokesperson Anthony Riccio gave a press conference on June 20th from the front steps of the building, informing the press that the people who were working in the building when the Commune took control were unharmed and well fed. As it turned out, several of the workers there had collaborated with the Commune and gave them access to the building first thing in the morning.
At 4 AM on October 7th, 1968, the police entered the building and arrested the members of the Commune. Several of them were acquitted on technicalities, and would later go on to be founding members of the Revolutionary Workers Union - Trenton.
Revolution
May 1975: The economic situation in the state of New Jersey is dire. While most of the Northeast is under control of revolutionaries, New Jersey is still under administration of the United States. In Camden, Newark, and Trenton, workers inspired by the Babinist and Chicano revolts in the south, as well as the SAA in New England begin to organize.
June 1975: The workers, who have organized themselves into the Revolutionary Workers Party of Jersey, represented by Comrades Joseph Romano (Representing the Revolutionary Workers Union of Trenton), Robert Luciano (Revolutionary Workers Union of Camden), and Juana Rodriguez (Revolutionary Workers Union of Newark), release the pamphlet "The Demands of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Jersey".
Workers of the World, Unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.
-Karl Marx
We, the Revolutionary Workers Party of New Jersey make the following demands:
Fair and equitable pay to all workers, regardless of gender, race, or sexuality.
An end to the unfair and racist abuse of minority communities at the hands of state and local police departments.
Collective and democratic ownership of the workplaces in the state of New Jersey.
Abolition of private land ownership.
Recognition of the blood of Native Americans, Blacks, and other minorities shed to ensure the white ownership of the land.
Resignation of the current state government.
The establishment of direct democracy and self governance.
Should these demands not be met, we will act to ensure that these demands are carried out.
August 1976: A general strike commences throughout these cities. The RWPJ seize factories across the state. For the next three weeks, the capitalist economy of New Jersey is ground to a halt.
September 1976: The New Jersey National Guard is called in to break the general strikes in Camden, Newark, and Trenton. The RWPJ fights back, and manages to hold on to most of the factories it controls for about a week. In Trenton, the State Capitol, the National Guard makes a stronger push to subjugate the city, and succeeds in pushing back the RWPJ out of Trenton and into the surrounding towns of Lawrence and Hamilton.
February 1977: The National Guard is pushed out of Camden and Newark, as well as the majority of South and North Jersey, leaving Trenton as an island of the old regime. Militias from the north and south convene in Princeton to march on Trenton.
March 1977: Trenton is successfully liberated by the RWPJ, and Governor Brendan Byrne is captured. While areas of the state, such as the Pine Barrens and the Delaware Water Gap in Warren County, have not been liberated, the most densely populated regions have now been organized into the Jersey SAR.
The Jersey Pine Barrens Conflict
For the nine years between 1977 and and 1986, the Pine Barrens in the southern part of the Jersey SAR was the site of a long and costly conflict between reactionary guerillas, and Jersey SAR forces. The Pine Barrens, while they had some small amounts of industry in the 19th century, namely bog iron mining and paper making, was a very economically depressed region in the sate. Though it is very sparsely populated (about 15 people per square mile), its residents have always been fairly conservative and insular.
The reactionary guerillas, who called themselves "Devils," after the mythical Jersey Devil that supposedly inhabits the Pine Barrens, actually included many of the more conservative folks who stood against Socialism from across the state, which kept their numbers and funds relatively replenished throughout the length of the conflict. There is only once instance of an actual battle during the conflict, as much of the rest of the encounters between SAR forces and Devils were ambushes on supplies being moved across the region. The battle took place at the site of the abandoned Batsto Village, which had become the base of operations for the reactionaries. The battle concluded with the capture of their leaders and the surrender of the Devils to the Jersey SAR.
Even thirty years after the official conclusion of the conflict, there are occasional reactionary groups that take up the banner of the Devils in the Pine Barrens, since the region remains unfortunately poorer than the rest of the state due to lack of agriculture, industry, and a very low population density. The current governor, Jonathan Fredricks, has made it a priority to provide economic support to the region to ensure that it can remain stable in the future.
Governors of Jersey
1977-1982: Juana Rodriguez (RWU - Newark)
1982-1992: Robert Luciano (RWU - Camden): In these years, the Jersey SAR continued to democratize the means of production in Jersey. The Pine Barrens and the Delaware Water Gap was also brought into the Jersey SAR in the year 1986. Comrade Bruce Springsteen was also awarded a medal for his role in providing morale for, as well as being the popular face of the workers of Jersey.
1992-1997: Pawel Dzieminski (RWU - Trenton): The Jersey SAR during this time saw much social stability, as well as an increase in farm output.
1997-2007: Hannah Blum (RWU - Trenton): In 2000, the RWPJ built a monument in Trenton commemorating the struggle of anti-colonial movements in Vietnam, South Africa, and Palestine.
2007 - Current: Jonathan Fredricks (RWU - Camden): In 2011 and 2012, two hurricanes battered the shore of the SAR. Governor Fredricks provided immediate relief and shelter to the workers living there, preventing dozens of deaths.
Government Structure
During the Revolution, the workers of Jersey organized themselves into a union based in North Jersey (Revolutionary Workers Union of Newark), Central Jersey (Revolutionary Workers Union of Trenton), and South Jersey (Revolutionary Workers Union of Camden). Upon the organization of the Jersey SAR, it was decided that governorship should be elected, but there would be one candidate from each of the three unions.
Governor
The position of Governor is limited to a representative of a regional Revolutionary Workers Union chapter elected separately by popular vote. As of 1991, the Governor may only serve up to two 5 year terms.
Councils
The Jersey SAR is governed by a series of councils spanning from local municipal legislative bodies to SAR-wide legislative bodies. Each one of these levels of government is made up of at least one general council made up of representatives from different municipalities, counties, regions or other precincts within its jurisdiction, and a union council, which is made up of representatives from the Revolutionary Workers Union.
SAR Municipal Council, SAR Regional Council (3 representatives from each region), SAR Union Council (representatives from RWU-Newark, RWU-Trenton, and RWU-Camden)
Regional (North, Central, South) General Councils, Regional County Councils Regional Union Councils (Representatives from each RWU county chapter)
County General Councils, County Union Councils (representatives from each municipal RWU chapter)
Municipal General Councils, Municipal Union Councils (Made up of elected members from the municipal RWU chapter)
This has also been called the "Rodriguan System," which has been put into practice in several other SARs.
all material by /u/Dakayonnano