Gregory "Joey" Johnson is not willing to say where he will be on July 4 _ "It's a big country, so who knows?" _ but he will definitely be somewhere in the public square, advocating an end to white supremacy, institutionalized racism and police brutality.
In all likelihood, he will also burn an American flag.
Last week, after I wrote about President Donald Trump's cynical demand to outlaw flag burning, Johnson got in touch. Would I be interested in talking to him? He was the defendant in the landmark 1989 Supreme Court case, Texas v. Johnson, in which the court ruled that burning an American flag, however odious or offensive, is a constitutionally protected form of speech.
On Monday morning, we met in Santa Monica's Tongva Park, in masks, to talk about his role in the famous case.
Actually, that's what I wanted to talk about.
Johnson, 63, was more interested in talking about politics and revolution.
He is a committed member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, founded in 1975 by Bob Avakian, the group's 77-year-old chairman and theoretician.
The party, which is organized in "Revolution Clubs," is dedicated to replacing our system of capitalism, patriarchy, exploitation, imperialism and environmental devastation with ... something better. It's hard for me to understand, exactly, especially since the party condemns voting. ("If you want to see NO fundamental change," wrote Avakian last month, "go vote.")
Johnson is encouraged by the protests that have swept across the globe, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. That horrendous nine-minute video has done more to radicalize the masses than a million lectures or pamphlets ever could.
"People are calling into question, in the millions and tens of millions, white supremacy and how rooted it is in the fabric of this society," said Johnson. "How do we get beyond it? How can we live in a world without this horrific oppression of Black people?"
He sent me a flyer for an Independence Day rally and march in Hollywood, sponsored by the local Revolution Club, though he wouldn't confirm that he'll be there.
"This July 4th," it said, "Demonstrate how to Dishonor the American Flag."
If you plan to burn a flag, by the way, it's strictly BYO.
