Snitching and Abuse isn't "Interpersonal" Get the Fuck Out

more info can be found: http://snitchwire.blogspot.com/2010/01/nyc-tells-snitch-dennis-burke-to-pack.html




The Love and Resistance collective in New York City has asked us to circulate the following statement about Dennis Burke aka Thadeus D. Umpster, a fixture of NYC's anarchist scene since 1999.
------------------------------
Thadeaus D. Umpster, persona non grata

Dennis Burke (otherwise known as Thadeus) has officially been dismissed from the anarchist community in New York City and everywhere else.


Dennis Burke (otherwise known as Thadeus) has officially been dismissed from the anarchist community in New York City and everywhere else.


Today the Love and Resistance collective, NYC Anarchist Black Cross (ABCF-NYC), Support NY, Bitches Roll Deep Anarcha-feminist collective, Aftershock Action Alliance, the New School in Exile, Students Creating Radical Change (NYU), and other individuals active in the anarchist and revolutionary scenes in New York City find ourselves in the position of issuing the following statement:

Dennis Burke aka Thadeaus D. Umpster has been around anarchist groups in NYC since 1999, residing in a well-known anarchist house in Brooklyn, NY and part of the largely defunct group A New World in Our Hearts.

While initially considered a comrade by some of us, Thadeaus’ erratic, disruptive, abusive and otherwise troubling behavior caused almost everyone in NYC to disavow him. Thadeaus has been called out multiple times for abusive behavior, by both ex-partners and other women who have come in contact with him, and by survivor support groups. Those of us who have been involved in political projects with Thadeaus have seen his dominating, manipulative and stubborn behavior destroy groups and drive dozens of people away.

Until now some of us have held our tongues on the subject (in retrospect for way too long), but recent events have made it impossible to do this any longer. In the past year Thadeaus has become more isolated, as well as violent and bizarre in his behavior. He has forcibly entered into rooms of other people in the collective house he lives in, and has repeatedly called the police on roommates who confront him about this behavior. Thadeaus recently threatened a roommate who has a pending legal case, with contacting the district attorney's office, and volunteering to testify as a character witness against them. In short, Thadeaus will not hesitate to use the police or the threat of the police to hold power over others.

Weeks ago, residents of the house unanimously decided that they did not want Thadeaus to live there anymore. This was communicated him and he has refused to move out. On December 10, a new resident was moving into a room at the collective house, Thadeaus attempted to physically block their entrance, called the police reporting a “home invasion” in front of several witnesses and began throwing the new resident’s belongings out a second-story window. Thadeaus met the police at the gate, and despite the efforts of another resident present, invited the cops into the house. Thadeaus lied to the cops, claiming that a non-existent roommate was being forcibly evicted, in an attempt to get at least one of his roommates arrested. A long debate ensued, in the presence of the police, resulting in the cops telling everyone present that if they were called again that night, everyone (including Thadeaus) would be arrested.

Four days later, on December 16, he once again called the cops after changing the locks of a housemate's room.

On January 5, 2010, an inevitable confrontation occurred after two roommates (1 & 2) walked in on Thadeaus and two of his associates inside roommate 1's room going through the individual's personal belongings. When confronted, Thadeaus pulled out a video camera and became confrontational. In the ensuing melee, police were called by both parties and they in turn arrested roommates 1 and 2, both people of color. Unlike previous attempts to have comrades and roommates arrested, this call played on the pervasive racism of the NYPD and both of them were jailed facing serious charges.

When another resident returned to the house from the precinct, this resident and another person went to secure one of the arrested roommate's belongings. Thadeaus attempted to physically prevent them from doing so, and then promptly called the NYPD again. After about an hour-long conversation with the police, no arrests were made.

On January 6th, the day after putting our friends in jail, Thadeaus once again called the NYPD to the house on yet another made-up claim.

It pains us that we have to spend our time dealing with a destructive individual like Thadeaus who has been a plague to our scenes for years, instead of using our time and energies to fight for liberation and against capitalism. It is clear that Thadeaus is not a comrade and is instead the kind of violent, abusive individual who will not hesitate to use the police against comrades. Members of the anarchist community have spent months attempting to address his inter-personal abuse history through an accountability process. However, because of his attempts to evade accountability, continuing abuse and now snitching, Thadeaus has effectively removed himself from this community thereby precluding the continuation of that process.

Finally, it should be noted that Thadeaus is persistently manipulative, and will likely try to rationalize, deny or minimize the events described herein. As an example of such, below is a quote taken from a widely seen email, where he was called out for contacting the police years ago in a non-threatening aftermath of an infoshop property dispute:

“I have never called the cops in my life...people are throwing personal insults and insinuating that I am a snitch. That is bullshit and I hope that people take note of who is leveling these allegations.” (Thadeaus, 10/4/09)

Please forward this widely, and fight against snitches, snitching and individuals who prey on radical social scenes. The strength of our movements depends on it. This statement serves as a notification to all that Thadeaus is a persona non grata in NYC and should not be welcomed elsewhere. He is a dangerous, manipulative person and should not be trusted nor tolerated within any social or political communities.

-ex members of the new world in our hearts collective,
January 7th, 2010, New York City
--------------------------------
SnitchWire endorses this outing of Dennis Burke after reviewing the information presented by the aforementioned organizations. Anyone calling themselves an anarchist should never call the police to resolve a personal dispute, especially when doing so could land comrades into the clutches of the State. In the future, individuals with abusive histories should continue to be held accountable and watched closely, especially in collective housing situations.

Make no mistake, Burke is a snitch. Using the authorities multiple times to his advantage over the span of a few years is inexcusable, and negates any revolutionary potential Burke may have had. Going through the posessions of somebody else is also a huge no-no, and it would be of interest to SnitchWire to find out who his "associates" in this situation could have been. Wherever he goes, SnitchWire would advise that Burke is shunned from working any further on anarchist projects or campaigns and definitely turned away from any kind of collective living situation. He is a hazard to the radical community and a dangerous liability as a collaborator to the State.

DO NOT call the police. This means YOU.

HAHAHAHAHA

oh yeah I have a radio show now. I play punk songs, and deliver radical news that catches my eye that week. check it out by going here http://deptorg.knox.edu/wvkc/
and clicking the off-campus listening link. i'm on tuesdays at 2:30-4:00 pm mid west time.

Native Groups Protest Land-Selling (um stealing) Law

From Inter Press Service News Agency

Native Groups Protest Laws Facilitating Sales of Land

Milagros Salazar

LIMA, Aug 19 (IPS) - Defending the state of emergency declared in three provinces in Peru to crack down on protests by indigenous communities against a law facilitating the sale of their community-owned lands, Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo said the government was safeguarding "the rights of the great majority of Peruvians."

Since Aug. 9, indigenous demonstrators have been demanding the repeal of two decree laws that promote private investment in their territory, and the reestablishment of a clause from the 1979 constitution -- which was replaced by the new constitution in 1993 -- which stated that communally owned land in indigenous territory could not be sold or embargoed.

They are also demanding that the government and Peruvian legislation comply with International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention 169 (which was ratified by Peru), that makes it obligatory to consult with indigenous communities prior to any project or works undertaken in their territory.

Over the past 10 days, protesters in several provinces have blocked roads and oil and gas installations and reportedly took police officers hostage.

The 30 day state of emergency declared Monday in parts of the northern Amazon jungle provinces of Amazonas and Loreto and in Cusco in the south bans public gatherings and suspends free transit. In addition, the army can be sent in to break up protests.

In a late Monday press conference, Prime Minister del Castillo responded to criticism of the decision to declare a state of emergency. "We are not provoking native communities but safeguarding areas that are of strategic importance for the country," he said, referring to a gas pipeline in northern Peru and the Camisea gas project.

After talks between the administration of Alan García and protesters stalled on Friday, the government announced that it would not engage in dialogue again until the protests were called off. But native leaders said Monday that the demonstrations would continue.

"The government has declared open war on indigenous people and the demonstrators will stay there until the problem is solved. They prefer to die there, they aren’t afraid," said the president of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), Alberto Pizango, accompanied by several "apus", or indigenous chiefs.

Environment Minister Antonio Brack alleged that the indigenous protesters were being manipulated by an "international movement" that he said is inciting Aguaruna Indians in Peru and Ecuador to try to form their own independent territory.

"They are being stage-managed by a group of lawyers who are deliberately misinforming them," said Brack, who was sent to Loreto for talks with native leaders on Friday, but failed to secure results.

Pizango said his association is urging Congress to revoke the decree laws that were approved by the executive branch under special powers granted by the legislature for the implementation of the free trade agreement signed with the United States.

Under one of the decrees, a mechanism created in the 1990s, which allowed indigenous communities to sell or lease collectively-owned land to third parties if approved by two-thirds of the members of a community assembly, was modified to permit sales with the votes of just 50 percent plus one of the assembly members.

Roger Nájar, the new chairman of the parliamentary committee on Andean and Amazon peoples and the environment, told IPS that on Tuesday, in the first session of the new legislature, lawmakers would study two draft laws aimed at overruling the decrees in question.

"We want to provide a solution to the fair demands of these communities, because the government continues to act arrogantly, without any ability to dialogue," said the legislator.

Nájar said he had received no response to two letters he sent to the Council of Ministers asking that the indigenous peoples’ demands be addressed.

Pizango, meanwhile, said that if Congress showed a willingness to take up the issue, the groups would study the possibility of calling off the protests.

On Sunday, an Aguaruna Indian and a police officer were seriously injured in clashes between protesters and the police at the Aramango Hydroelectric Plant in the province of Amazonas, according to the local La República correspondent. Other press reports mentioned 12 people injured -- eight police officers and four demonstrators.

"The underlying problem is that the government is attempting to portray indigenous people as just another group of poor people, without admitting that they have a different way of life, a different cultural viewpoint," anthropologist Oscar Espinosa at the Pontificia Catholic University of Peru told IPS.

"The authorities think they can calm the demands of indigenous people by building schools or medical clinics, but the pending debt to the indigenous population is much more complex than that," he added.

"They should not be seen as inferior because of their attempt to block the influx of private investment into their territories," said Espinosa. "The problem is that Peru has a hard time seeing cultural differences as something positive, as part of the country’s wealth. Peruvian society sees them instead as an obstacle."

Vice President Luis Giampietri argued that "some non-governmental organisations that are active in these issues are inciting people to do these kinds of things, which in the end are subversive activities, because they are undermining the foundations of democracy.

"How have they achieved the miracle of being able to bring together, in one place at the same time, communities so widely dispersed as the jungle peoples? That will have to be investigated," said Giampietri.

But the protests did not come out of nowhere. Indigenous communities have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the two decree laws.

And while the two decrees are the main irritant, indigenous associations have a list of 38 laws and provisions that they would like to see repealed on the argument that they undermine indigenous rights.

"Peru, which in past decades (in the 1970s) was in the vanguard with respect to indigenous issues, is now in last place on the list," said Espinosa.

In the professor’s view, the country has been backsliding on the question of indigenous rights, to the point that there isn’t even a specific law on the issue, only one 1978 provision on native communities that should incorporate, for example, the latest international instruments safeguarding indigenous peoples’ rights.

Nor is there any strong state institution that represents them, he added.

The National Institute for the Development of Andean, Amazon and Afro-Peruvian Peoples (INDEPA), which would normally be in charge of indigenous affairs, has been partially dismantled and is still in the midst of a process of "reorganisation" by the government, two years into García’s term.

"These protests might end in dialogue, but the problem will continue, because there are no government policies that value and respect indigenous people," said Espinosa.

The government ordered military overflights of the protest zones and deployed some 1,500 army troops to Bagua. (END/2008)

And another article on BBC

Why Protest the DNC?

Denver Spends 50 Million (of tax money) on DNC


Instead of that money going to social services to better the Denver community.
Instead of fighting against the free trade economic system that is economically and ecologically NOT sustainble, energy is wasted on a candidate that supports this very system.
Instead of fighting against xenophobia and racism, 'equality and progress' is seen as voting for a candidate that supports building a 700 mile long wall between the US and Mexico (and the has the audacity to ask for the Latino vote).

Because "compromise" means hierarchally determining who's rights we should sacrifice, and who should assimilate into the racistheterosexistcapitalistpatriarchy
Because liberation is far from happening when millions of people CAN'T vote
Because I refuse to accept any leader, especially one endorsed by prison guards (New York City’s Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association)
Because I stand in solidarity with people in New Orleans and oppose 'reform plans' that involve police expansions
Because we are smarter than that, and know that the current system in place will not bring real sustainable change
Because we won't be duped into supporting the state that oppresses us.

HAHAHAHA

Ex-Cop Kills Himself While trying to Shoot a Turtle

“From the upward trajectory of the bullet, it doesn't appear that this
was anything other than a truly sad accident,” said Bucks County Coroner
Joseph Campbell. “It looks like he was trying to shoot at the turtle,
when he slipped on some logs and accidentally shot himself in the chest.”





heee heee hee.

Hipsters Suck, BUT I/You Do Too.

Cool article about why hipsters are the dead end of western civilization
agreed, they pretty much are a bunch of white rich kid cultural appropriators whose entire subculture is founded on consumerism and some industry produced idea of cool.

BUT, disagree with the authors glamourizing of punk and hip-hop. both have prettty political origins, and I fucking insist, no matter what any bullshit punk-rock royalty warped tour asshole says, (ahem Nekromantix, lower class brats, etc *cough*) that punk IS political in origin and at heart. like the very act of reclaiming music as something you can do yourself and with your friends and not just rockstar corporate major label crap IS political. Pride in working class is political, there is a side being taken. that's not to say that every punk song's gotta be about politics or everyone's gotta believe the same shit, but like the ideals of being against authority, doing shit yourself, being proud and rejecting (not assimilating into ) mainstream crap , in itself is political.
anyway, got off on a tangent....lik yeah pre-hipster youth cultures have existed as a way to rebel against the mainstream. BUT both punk and hip hop, like hipster [suedo culture, have become mass produced and stand for fucking nothing nowadays.

like the author can't tell me the self-identified punk at hot topic that paid 30 dollars for a studded belt is resisting consumerism. or that G-unit is a way of suverting the dominant paradigim.
nowadays, punk and hip hop by and large are not political, so why does the end of western civilization end with hipsters?

I think 'the end' started as far back as Elvis and Hippies and also ends with Warped Tour and Hot 97.

WHAT THE FUCK

Apparently, if you shoo bears away, that means you are harrassing hunters

In a decision released today, the Appellate Division affirmed prior
rulings in Vernon Municipal Court and Superior Court in Newton that the
activists, Angela Metler, Albert Kazemian and Janet Piszar, had harassed
hunters, one of whom was an undercover police officer, by encircling
them and hooting and hollering to keep bears away.


The appeal argued their conduct did not constitute physical interference
with hunting and was free speech; that a defense of entrapment was
improperly barred in municipal court; and that the officer and hunters
should not have been viewed by the court as credible witnesses due to
their pro-hunting views. A three-judge appellate panel affirmed the
convictions.

The incident occurred in Wawayanda State Park in Vernon on Dec. 7, 2005,
when an undercover state park police officer was in the woods with two
hunters. There, they encountered five activists; Metler, Kazemian,
Piszar and Theresa Fritzges, and another unidentified woman who got away.

The activists were found guilty in Vernon Municipal Court in 2006 of
disorderly-persons offenses.

NYPD Pigs Beat up Political Rappers from Rebel Diaz

Early this Wednesday (6/18/08) Rodstarz and G1 of the group REBEL DIAZ were up in Bronx on Southern Blvd in Hunts Point, when they noticed the police were harassing a street vendor who was selling fruit. The two went over to witness the cops in action and when they saw the police being abusive they pulled out a cell phone to video tape the incident and asked for the officers badge numbers. Subsequently they were beaten, detained and taken to 41st Precint in the Bronx under the direction of Captain McHugh.

Rodstarz and G1 will be going to criminal court Thursday (6/19/08) and are being charged with obstruction of justice and assault.
Be there in front of Bronx Criminal Court 9AM
215 East 161st. Street Between Sheridan & Sherman Ave, East of the Grand Concourse. Take the 4, B, D to 161st Street Yankee Stadium Station.
See You There, Support Our Brothers!

Please call the 41st precinct 718-542-4771 or arresting Officer MacHugo @ 718-542-8745 to demand:
1. Drop All Charges
2. Release Rebel Diaz!

For more information contact La Peña del Bronx at the
following: e-mail: lapena2006@hotmail.com
Tel:718-292-6137

WWW.REBELDIAZ.COM
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/REBELDIAZ

Wow, well you sure got a lot of nerve.

So I got this email from an address i didn't recognize...which was really weird because i am NOT on the Chris McIntosh support list nor do I correspond or support him any longer.
Anyway, I don't want to support his cause by re-posting, however I feel that this shouldn't be tossed under the rug, especially if some people are convinced by this letter. I'd also like to add that this letter is not in response to something I have written...it was just mailed to me and from the list of addresses, it seems it was also mailed to Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
So this is the letter sent to me by what I assume is part of Chris's support:

"This is a hard letter to write as I don't know who I am writing to. I saw a request for support of a young man named Kevin,stating he is in a yard with other men serving 20 years and more. The article said Kevin is scared. Well, he should be. As you know Chris has made some statements that have been very upsetting to your community. You said his support campaign has not made a rebuttal to your decision to withdraw support for him. He has no support campaign.
For anyone who knows Chris, they would know he is not racist or sexist. He is impulsive and does do things and says things he regrets once he has had a cool down period. Interesting to me is that there seems to be no sensitivity for the perils of life in a maximum security prison and what it can do to a person who has no outside support. While Chris was in USP Hazelton, West Virginia 2 inmates where murdered, at least 2 guards were hospitalized all in separate incidents. Most of the tension is based on racism. Having never been in prison myself I can only relate second hand what I have been told. In order to survive, literally, you have to make an alliance with a group. Unfortunately many inmates do that based on skin color. Chris has had to fight more than once to not be physically harmed by people of other races, just because he is not the same color as they maybe.

Imagine if you will, living for extended periods of time in a closed community where you can not make eye contact or show any sign of weakness just to avoid being a target. Imagine doing that time for a cause or group of people who are quick to forget you and leave you alone to face the demons of loneliness and fear.
In your statement to withdraw support for Chris you referenced his " failed attempt to burn down McDonalds". Failed attempt? Was the purpose of the action to burn down a building or bring attention to a cause? If burning down a building was the purpose, than the attempt was failed, but if attention to the cause was the purpose I disagree with your evaluation of the outcome of his actions. Chris is serving 8 years for a cause he valued enough to put his personal freedom in jeopardy for. I would hope someone in your community would value individuals enough to find out what Chris is thinking and give him support through his time. Chris does need to be reminded that not all the world is racists and kindness and goodness do still exist, he needs someone who will take the time to reeducate and remind him that life in Maximum Security Federal Prison is not how all the world is. Someone who will take the time to look beyond isolated words and examine the overview of him and who he really is. What was going on in his world when those statements where made? What you will find is a caring, sensitive person, loyal to a fault, someone who can be counted on.
Chris is currently staring his 4th month in isolation. He made it one day on the yard in USP Atwater a maximum security facility 3000 miles from his family, and was jumped by a group of men just for being the new guy. He fought back. What would you do?
I don't know what you will do with this e-mail, I would ask you to post it just to give your community an insight into the reality of prison life, the emotional as well as physical pressures that can make anyone of us do and say things we regret. I hope that some few people would care as much about other humans, specifically Chris in this instance, as they do about animals and the Earth and be willing to invest themselves in the well being of another human. His current address is: Christopher McIntosh 30512-013
USP Atwater
US Penitentiary
PO 019001
Atwater, Ca 95301
Thanks! Kathryn McIntosh"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This argument reminds me so much of the argument in support of snitches, "you've never been in that situation, so what would you do?" as a form of excusing fucked up behavior. So no I've never been in prison, I don't know what it's like to detained for a long period of time. But I do know what it's like to be assaulted by someone who's had violent, mind fucking, disturbing things happen to them in their life. And the fact that they've had awful things happen to them, does not (although at the time it did) excuse the actions they took in harming someone else. Especially when there are a lot of people who have gone through traumatizing experiences as well and have chosen not to perpetuate violence. This goes both for snitches and racists. By supporting Chris McIntosh is not only saying but doing racist and sexist things is to turn one's back on women and people of color as a whole (who don't have the privilege of not being attacked by sexism and racism when confronted with it) but it's also a slap in the face to prisoners who are going through the same if no worse conditions than that and are still anti sexist/ anti-racist. Even within the Prison Industrial Complex Chris has white privilege, and has had had activist support, which is much more than many prisoners get.Yes he's a product of his environment and a horrible one at that, but it was still a choice he made, a choice to perpetuate racism, sexism and speciesm, and for that reason he does not have my solidarity.

and yes, I do think it;s justifiable to have more solidarity with the earth and animals, who do not perpetuate oppression instead are often the target of oppression than someone who is actively a part of it.

Do you wanna stay in bed all day? Do you remember feeling any other way?

Hey look I'm really sorry
I couldn't make it to your party
I know it looks like I'm gonna cry
Got a to-do list behind my eyes so
Go tell your friends I'm still a feminist
But I won't be coming to your benefit

I give up
I give up

I'll be at home today.
-Le Tigre

Reportback from Bash Back! Convergence

so I went to the Bash Back convergence in Chi-Town this weekend which was rad. So I wanted to holla to the organizers of the conference for making it a welcoming space for activists/ anarchists of all experience levels, as well as a safe space for all of us.
So I feel like I shouldnt be the one writing this because I do not know the Chicago area very well so will probably do a shitty job explaining locations and shit. But i didnt see other reportbacks, and I have all these feelings so yeah.

At 9 pm Saturday anti-assmiliationist queers took the streets from Logan Square to the Chicago Police Department in Boys Town. There were about 100 people at least, with pink and black flags chanting "1,2,3,4 bash down those closet doors, 5,6,7,8 we will not assimilate!" "we're queer, we're here, we're anarchists we'll fuck you up!"
many people joined into the protest, as we protested corporate "gay centers", the chicago police department, and other heteronormative oppressive institutions. the cops did not show up for over an HOUR (thank you Cubs game) . However at that time we had finished our last destination (a corporate owend "gay center in boys town that is corproate sponsered by whole foods and HLS) and then attempted to separate the crowd, by not allowing some of us to cross the street. However we refused to leave until we were all united. We headed towards a train station, followed by the Chicago police department, when they though we were going to split off we transformed from an unpermitted protest to an unpermitted dance party. we danced, laughed and were merry for over an hour until we got tired/ saw cops handing out police batons and bounced.


fucking beautiful, one of the best experiences I have had in a while, in and out of radical spaces.

---
and on a totally unrelated note I went vegan as of last week as a result of having a nightmare.

EMERGENCY: Protest on Behalf of Mumia Abu Jamal's LIFE tommorow!

Taken from NYC Independent Media Center
A statement by the Partisan Defense Committee, issued Thursday, March 27, 2008:

“Today the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision upholding Mumia Abu-Jamal’s frame-up conviction. In turning down Mumia’s appeal for a new trial, the Court ordered a new sentencing hearing to decide whether he is again to be sentenced to die or condemned to the living death of life in prison.

The Court’s decision is another slap in the face to all opponents of racist injustice. Recalling the infamous Dred Scott decision, the Court has again declared that a fighter for black freedom like Mumia has no rights that the courts are bound to respect. A former Black Panther Party spokesman, MOVE supporter and renowned journalist, Mumia is an innocent man, framed up for his political beliefs. He should never have spent a day in prison. There must be mass protests, centered on labor’s power, to demand his freedom now.

The PDC and Labor Black Leagues have called protests for tomorrow in different cities. For more information: www.partisandefense.org.”



ALL OUT FOR EMERGENCY PROTEST

Mumia Abu-Jamal Is an Innocent Man!
Free Mumia Now!
Abolish the Racist Death Penalty!

TOMORROW
Friday, March 28
5:00-7:00 p.m.
In front of the Federal Building
Broadway, between Worth & Duane Streets
Manhattan
(4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, or R, W to City Hall, or 1, 2, 3 to Chambers)

Sponsored by the Partisan Defense Committee and the Labor Black League for Social Defense

For more information, call 212-267-1025 or 212-406-4252
partisandefense@earthlink.net
www.partisandefense.org


The PDC is a class-struggle, non-sectarian legal and social defense organization which champions cases and causes in the interests of the whole of the working people. This purpose is in accordance with the political views of the Spartacist League.
--------
There is immense evidence that Mumia Abu Jamal is innocent, such as a confession by the man who did kill the cop, bullets not matching, and not to mention a rigged trial by an all white jury. Activists of color are always accused/framed of killing cops to further villianize us, and perpetuate the myth that we are "dangerous" and criminal".
Whether you are affiliated with Spartacists or not, come be in solidarity with Mumia

Indigenous Community Siezes Oil Territory

Bad ass. Achuar people occupy Pluspetrol Territory (big oil company); fighting globalization, imperialism, and enviromental destruction.
Unfortunatley, what was peaceful direct action erupted in police violence, where two people were killed and 12 were injured.
But they fought back.

Does this make you want to throw up too?

"Until three years ago, Benjamin Shute was living in Williamsburg, where he kept Brooklyn Lager in his refrigerator and played darts in a league.
Raised on the Upper East Side by a father who is a foundation executive and a mother who writes about criminal justice, Mr. Shute graduated from Amherst and worked for an antihunger charity. But something nagged at him. To learn about food production, he had volunteered at a farm in Massachusetts. He liked the dirt, the work and the coaxing of land long fallow into producing eggplant and garlic.
He tried growing strawberries on his roof in Brooklyn, but it didn’t scratch his growing itch.
And so last week, Mr. Shute could be found here, elbow-deep in wet compost two hours north of New York City, filling greenhouse trays for onion seeds. Along with a partner, Miriam Latzer, he runs Hearty Roots, a 25-acre organic farm."


oh cool, so now hipsters are taking up farming. the article doesn't say, but i wonder what the effects of this are on non trust-fund baby farmers, you know?
and of course, now they grow organic sheep, chicken and cows, so they can eat meat while feeling "exploitation free", because they have happy non-factory farm cows.
That is, witout analyzing the fact that the farm production of animals itself is exploitive and NOT eco-friendly.
It just feels like another extension of green capitalism that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Hell, hipsters leave a bad taste in my mouth in general. which sucks. because at Knox it's a bunch of more or less middle class mostly white kids, so it feels isolating if you dont fit the above description, as well as being a bubble where we do not have to confront these issues. and activism is often limited to within campus. but in the city, there has been such a change since i was 15, i can recall. Like i would go to abc no rio or something and everyone would be form the area. now it's like "i'm here from a summer program at Barnard..."
and fucking Williamsburg, i''m like never setting foot there again, cause everyone looks the same; pale shaggy haired thin ugly outfit. and yeah nothing feels like home.
yet there is soo much shit to do here, and i can understand why they move in but i hate the way they ruin it.

I don't know. does anyone know any cool, radical, diverse, laid back cities out there, that don't have the gross migration of just-out-of-liberal-arts-college hipsters?


yeah i know, i should talk. i am a liberal arts college middle class-background kid. but i don't move into areas because it's a "cool hip area" or because of "the buildings arhcitecture" or to push people out so my middle class friends can move in, when i do move somwhere its because its a place i can afford to live in.
if this meand that i will contribute to gentrification, than i will do my best to ally with my neighbors to fight against rent being raised, people and locally owned businesses being put out and etc.
if one contributes to gentrification than it's a fucking responsibilty to activley fight against it, with yer neighbors who didn't "chooose" to live in that area instead of the suburbs.

NYC ABC Benefit!

****REPOST! FORWARD!****

DEATH TO THE STATE!

A benefit for activists facing charges and political prisoners

brought to you by NYC Anarchist Black Cross Federation

Sunday, March 16th: EARLY-ISH SHOW!
6 pm, at Death By Audio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(49 S. 2nd, L to Bedford or JMZ to Marcy)

WITH! Death Mold: NYC Spore Core. Members of Planned Collapse, ex Oi
Polloi, Dregs

Razor Bois: Hardcore Antifa Punk on tour from Moscow!


Perdition: Ex A.P.P.L.E. Noise Blast


Hipster Holocaust: Hometown Hardcore Heroes


Fucked By The State: Fast and Loud, Political Punk


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Criticisms of the Time Square Bombing

So it really bothers me that a lot of the criticism I have heard about the Time Square Bombing have been "oh it benefits the State more because the media gets to smear leftists/anarchists now, as a result and public opinion will be against us."

Um, since when has media and public opinion been "pro-anarchist"?

Like, honestly since when has it been a primary concern to impress the media? No matter how 'peaceful' (which has some how come around to mean docility) we are, the media will ALWAYS keep the image of anarchist being "terrorists" because thats whats benefiting to the state.

And as far as this particular action is concerned, the recruiting station was shut down for a day, that is time and money, the recruiting station has lost. So that, is not benefiting the state.

I support making criticisms of this action via safety of others or whatever, crticism is always good and constructive, but to say "oh the media won't like us, booo on direct action" is bullshit.

Briana Waters Trial

Hung Jury. however, she was found guilty of two counts, being a look out. Each which carry a mandatory minimum of 5 years, so thats 10 years total. Briana Waters maintains her innocence and will likely appeal.

Time Square Military Recruiting Station Bombed

Time Square Military Recruiting Station was bombed at 3:45 in the morning when the building was empty; no one was injured. The Building was shut down.

Police speculate it was done for political reasons. Some point at Grandmothers Against the War, and anti war activists. They also believe it is connected with the May 2005 bombing of the Mexican Consulate in response to the assassination of Brad Will, an anarchist activist.

Mayor of NYC Mike Bloomberg says "Whoever the coward was that committed this disgraceful act on our city will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," he said. "We will not tolerate such attacks. .... People are going about their business. They are not intimidated."
But really, those pig motherfuckers have no idea who did it.

so apperantly I'm not the only one who thinks so too...

excellent article on Green is the New Red
by Will Potter on the Seattle Arson and the media's effect on the Briana Waters' Trial.

The jury is currently divided on Briana Water's trial. For those not familiar with Briana Waters she is a environmentalist that has been accused by snitches (who get shortened sentences by implicating her) of having a role in an ELF arson in the Center of Horticulture in the University of Washington. She is pleading innocent and facing a minimum of 35 years in prison. statement made by the Olympia Civil Liberties Union:
"One thing that is certain to those close to the case is that the arson Monday has only damaged Briana's chances of getting a fair verdict. The corporate media have consistently pointed out how curious the timing of the arson is, with the "UW Ecoterror Trial" still going on, further linking Briana with a shadowy ELF underground in the minds of the public. Anyone should have been able to predict the negative impact of an action like this on Briana's trial, and that just makes this whole event even more frustrating.

There are many reasons to view this fire and it's motivations as suspicious, and there is not yet any evidence that it was actually based on environmental motivations. The vast majority of arsons in this country are caused for run-of-the-mill reasons, and fraud or financial reasons are some of the biggest. The media seem all too happy to jump to conclusions about the people who started those fires based on the most preliminary investigations. Also there have often actions by agent provocateurs during political trials throughout history."

Anti-Racist/ Feminist Zine

so i took like a million year hiatus from making zines.

But I'm back doin' it, slowly but surely...hopefully this will be long term and it won't just be an incomplete or pathetic one zine and then me pooping out. any who, recently at my school Knox College, (which believes itself to be the most radical place ever because it was founded by abolitionists) had a really racist article in the school newspaper. Which caused a lot of uproar because the administration failed to address the article and racism on campus (until they finally did). it was the tip of the iceberg because while Knox prides itself in being so diverse and welcoming a lot of students of color are often tokenized by teachers, marginalized by RA's as "troublemakers", and we feel the fucking stares, we hear the fucking comments, that people make. Especially because a lot of (white) people in this school admittingly come from suburban predominantly white backgrounds, when they come to Knox it's like the first time they seen a Black/Latino/Asian/ Middle Eastern/ etc person in their entire life. So FUCKED UP SHIT is said (for example in one ANSO class I had this one kid referred to Black people as "Negroes" because he thought "that's what they like to be called"). And it's especially shitty when people that claim to be activist, vehemently anti-racist, 'liberal', feminist, or radical SAY and DO fucked up things.

So me and my friend Nicole from my Woman Studies class or compiling a zine about feminism., racism. etc for our Action Project. and in light of the current situation at Knox, this is the first thing I wrote:

Tips for Anti-Racist White Allies.
(For those who care about deconstructing privilege and fighting internalized white supremacy)

1. Don’t tell me not to get emotional. I am not a child. I don’t have temper tantrums out of nothing. Getting angry, upset, sad, disappointed over a racist event taking place is a rational, validated reaction. I can’t not take racism personally because it affects me as a human being.

2. Don’t tell me that you have friends who are Black, Latino, Asian, etc to back up your racist views. I don’t care who you’re friends with. If I call you out on being racist, I’m not asking you if you are being racist, I am telling you your being racist.

3. Do go outside your comfort level. I went outside my comfort level by leaving a diverse community back home and going to a predominantly white school. So if I invite you over my Spanish-speaking household, don’t sit there all awkward like a chicken about to lay an egg. Interact with people, ask questions, make conversation, I’ll translate I promise.

4. Don’t make generalizations about other cultures. Um, I don’t care if you took a class, went to a country, or have a friend with the cultural background being discussed. In anthropology 101, first thing you learn is to not pass judgment on other cultures and to adopt the perspective of those within that culture.

5. You are not a feminist if you tell me Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, etc, men are inherently sexist. No, that just makes you a racist. No one is inherently anything! Besides white dudes can be just as sexist as men of color. If anything an argument can be made that sexism is expressed in different ways world wide. Sexism isn’t closed to any cultural group, most societies world-wide currently live in a patriarchy and the US and Europe sure as hell does.

6. We probably won’t fuck you if you fetishize us. Telling Asian women you have “yellow fever”, or commenting on the size of Black men’s penises, doesn’t translate to “I think you as a person, are attractive, I like you.” More so it says, I “view you as a sexual commodity.”

7. There is no such thing as “reverse racism”. First of all the term itself is racist, “reverse racism” means admitting that there is a “right way” to be racist (aka white supremacy). Racism is social, political, economic, systematic institution that is ingrained in our education system, our culture, science, EVERYTHING. This type of institution does not exist against whites as a socially stratified class the way it does to people of color. Prejudice, against anyone and everyone exists. So if you do experience discrimination because of white skin (which does happen, I’m not denying that) it is just that, discrimination/ prejudice. But it’s not founded on an overall system the way racism is.


there is so much more that can go into this list but, hey, zine for Action Project is due the 15th so I gotta hustle.