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


Vegan treats, zines, and more for sale. All ages, 21+ to drink at bar, No outside booze or drugs.

For the abolition of state repression and domination!

nycabc[at]riseup[dot]net