Tock

Tick

Tick

TOCK
FTTP
Issue 11
Spring 2011

“We don’t just talk
about violence; it is our
element, our everyday
fate...the conditions we
are forced to live in...”
-Os Cangacieros

DISCONTENT
Disclaimer
Fire to the Prisons is for informational
and educational purposes only. This
magazine in no way encourages or supports any illegal behavior in any way, it
looks only to provide a printed forum
for conversation and news.
We are reporting not inciting. The entirety of the content in this publication
was found as public information, and
later compiled or reorganized for this
magazine. Nothing here is the original
content of those who may or may not
be responsible for this literary project.
The topics brought up in this magazine
in no way reflect the perspectives of
any specific person allegedly involved
with this publication.
They also do not reflect the perspectives or outlooks of any individual or
group mentioned in or receiving this
publication.

Generalize Distribution
This magazine is in NO-WAY a “for
profit” publication nor is it in any way a
formal enterprise or business venture.

table of Contents
What is the point?
Pg. 3
On Building Dangerous Bonds
Pg. 5
Days of Rage
On Spreading Conflict in the Arab World
Pg. 10
School
Often Compared to a Prison
Pg. 28
Southern Appalachia:
On the On-Going Struggle against M.T.R
Pg. 30
Against Justice//Against Peace
Follow Up on “Justice: A Dead Word”
Pg. 33
Repression
On the Obstacles Before Revolt
Pg. 39

Dedication
Special thanks to our proof-readers.
Special thanks to those who provided
the resources, space, and patience
needed for this publication to exist.
Special thanks to all those who helped
to produce the content in this issue,
both in writing and reality.
Special thanks to those who took the
time to write words of support in continuing our project. Special thanks to
all of our distributors, or anyone who
has helped circulate this publication
around the world.
Sending Solidarity and comfort to all
those looking for something else.
Agitating till the grave.
Fire to the Prisons Magazine

FTTP
www.firetotheprisons.com
firetotheprisons@gmail.com
P.O. Box is No More

Notable Failures in Justice
Pg. 57

Chronology of Prisoner Resistance
Pg. 59
We encourage the re-distribution and
re-printing of this magazine by anyone
The Strike!
with resources to do so. PDFs of this
On
the
Recent
Strikes in Georgia’s Prisons
magazine are also available for reading
Pg. 63
and printing on our website. We encourage any and all feedback.
Japan: The End of a World
Pg. 66
This magazine is free to people currently incarcerated by contacting the
Levantate!
prisoner support groups mentioned
Foreseen
Migrant Unrest
at the end of the “repression” section.
Pg.
69
This magazine is pretty much free to
everyone, except for book stores and
Wake Up//Meet Each Other
people buying this at for-profit literaLinks to Other Projects
ture events.
Pg. 73
FTTP #11 - T.O.C. - Pg. 2

What is
the point?
fttp #11

I

*Picture is of rioting youth in Lurgan,
Ireland. It was taken after a fake bomb
threat brought police to an area that a
group of youth discontent were prepared
to attack with rocks and Molotov cocktails.
The youth also disrupted train lines by
throwing debris on nearby tracks.

In Case You Didn’t Know

t is quite tempting to just cut and paste prior introduc- ing on these struggles others who feel frustrated with the contions, cause our intentions remain the same. If not merely ditions they face will be inspired to do something about them
for a lack of creativity or desire to explain oneself, we will as well. Further generalizing discontent before domination.
We are against all forms of domination; especially the exbe short and blunt with our introduction this time around.
This is written for those discontent with the world istence of the state (government) and economy (capitalism).
around them, and the role they are forced to have in it. Institutions that help mobilize or expand the current systems
This is for the world’s exploited and dominated groups or of domination, like patriarchy or industrialism, are also instituclasses. It is for the uncomfortable, the miserable, the disem- tions we oppose. We also avidly oppose social dividers like sexpowered, or the lost. It is also for the uncontrollable, empow- ism, racism, or classism, but believe that they are a result of the
ered, fed up, and criminalized. It is a reminder for those living current systems of domination, and can be most easily exposed
in conflict every day with the social
of from our humanity through our
“We wish we could provide
struggle against the totality of conorder that reigns upon the earth,
some coherent politics, a
trol and exploitation today.
that they are not alone.
Our priority is to confront and
We are a revolutionary publication concrete identity, or a precise
expose that which exists today that
that hopes to report on struggles program; but we are not
we oppose. This opposition must be
that will otherwise be mentioned looking to make decisions,
most easily understood as a perspecinappropriately or not at all. We reonly to realize frustrations and tive motivated by a broad and radical
port on struggles that stem from a
idea of desired freedom. A freedom
frustration with different forms of unify different tensions as a
that is only foreseen as possible in
domination, and intend to achieve result of them.
the ruin of what it is we are fightfreedom from them, without coming against. While most active in
promise. We hope that by reporting We need to act on our desires
producing change struggle to debate
on these struggles, more awareness
now, worry about where it
their concrete political programs or
and support for them will be proplatforms, using the term freedom,
duced. We also hope that by report- takes us later. ” -FTTP #9
FTTP #11 - What is the point? - Pg. 3

The
laws
are
silent
In
times
of
war

in its most literal sense, is
the only solution we have
to offer.
Our publication will
hopefully help to connect
different struggles that
otherwise would have remained isolated. Our publication will also hopefully
help to comfort those in
prison or undergoing different types of state repression, by letting them
know they are not alone,
or helping to strengthen
networks of awareness
that will help those behind
bars, through such harsh
times. Solidarity between
those in struggle against
domination is an essential aspect of posing any
threat to domination, or
upholding any sense of
strength as a social force
of agitation against the social order of today.
In the past we have used
more space for reporting
on specific instances of
rioting or sabotage around
the world. Yet, as mentioned in the last issue, we
are truly trying to prioritize
less time-sensitive content.
Although there is a links
section at the end of this
issue that can help guide
you to web-sites that have
daily updates on different
forms of revolt happening
around the world.
We are going to finish
this introduction off by
contradicting our original
statement, and fulfilling
our temptation of cutting
and pasting a conclusion
from a prior introduction.
In this case, we chose an
excerpt from issue nine’s
introduction:

We very much envy bank robbers. We hope that every party
we attend will turn into a riot
if the police shut it down.
When police are shot it is always revenge. When somebody
kills or wounds somebody who
raped them; such blood arouses
us. When the rich suffer the
poor are revived. When the
banks are in crisis, we are all
a little closer to being rich. “In
a world which really is topsyturvy, the true is in a moment
of the false.”
We hope that this magazine
will act as another voice helping
to foster discontent and frustration to all forms of domination
today. As we said in our last
issue: “this is why we exist.
This is why we continue to come
out with a new magazine every
few months. But we hope to not
be around forever, because like
all revolutionary literature, we
will only continue to exist until
the current conditions we are
frustrated with, cease to.
You get the point....
-FTTP Collective
“let our
allegiances lie with
those betrayed by
the facade...
for the calm is an
illusion...
the struggle is not
over, it assumes
new forms...
for no matter what
the face, no matter
what the name
it's still:

war”

P.S.
FTTP #11 - What is the point? - Pg. 4

On Building

dangerous
Taking Action
Confronting Isolation
Expanding Solidarity

W

Bonds

hy is it that we need prisons? When asked
to the prison apologist, our question is typically answered with another question: “But
what about the serial killers and rapists?”
Such a question reeks of stupidity once it
is pointed out that these sorts of crimes are
a mere percentage of the prison population.   In the United States alone there are roughly 2.4 million
people currently in prison.  Of that population 70% is nonwhite, and 32% are black, although blacks only make up 13%
of the general population.  Over half of the prison population
is in jail for non-violent crimes. Despite that the majority of
people in prison for violent crimes committed those crimes for
economic gain.  If prison is our only barrier between us and
the “crazies who naturally rape and kill people”, it is interesting
that statistics also show that police respond to only 16% of
rape calls, and only 5% of rapists actually spend any time in
jail.  Random killing sprees motivated by “voices in someone’s
head” make up only a small percentage of the overwhelming
prison population as well.
It is important to recognize that most people are currently in
jail for financially driven crimes.  We don’t mean white-collar
crimes, but crimes that stem from trying to overcome poverty or survive capitalism.  Drug-related crimes have been at
the forefront of this growing population since the 80’s.  While
you have the exceptions, the majority of those imprisoned for

drug-related crimes are of a lower class upbringing.  It is understandable that given the opportunity, legal or not, those who
were born into poverty would look for any chance to get out
of it (ask yourself, an hour at burger king, or the second it
takes to sell a dime bag?).  Additionally, the violence involved
with most drug-related crimes stems from the intervention of
police in the market.  The risk (the police or prison) and violent
precautions (intimidating on-lookers, claiming territory, or attacking possible informants or snitches being a few examples)
taken to defend and expand underground drug markets in poor
neighborhoods is all informally in response to the possibility
of police intervention or prison. Bank robberies, grand theft
auto, kidnapping, prostitution, or shoplifting are a few other
examples of criminalized professions that stem from the struggle to overcome the poverty of capitalism.
We take the perspective that those in prison are all worthy of
our support and consideration. This being said, we obviously
refrain from specifically supporting most “serial killers”, and
certainly anyone responsible for rape, or what the state calls
“hate crimes”. But even those cases we see as a result of the
logic and construction of our society. Prisons stem from the
same logic of power that encourages humanity to live in the
alienated, stratified, and competitive social context we exist in
today. In that sort of mediated society, many of us see each
other as strangers, and rely on gender, class, or race (being a few
examples) as the core of our understanding of how to relate
FTTP #11 - Noise Demos - Pg. 5

with one another.  In a mediated society
that thrives on power hungry competition, it is not surprising that some may
resort to desperate measures like rape or
recreational murder to feel this fetishized
power inherent to a prison society.
With that being said, it is quite obvious
that the majority of those in prison were
probably already at odds in some way
or another with a culture that promotes
regulation of itself by police and prisons,
and if not then, they are even more likely
to have an issue with it now. It is important for those who consider themselves
in active revolt against a prison society
to try and build relationships with those
currently behind bars as a way to prevent
those feelings from being considered isolated to the prison experience. It is also
our task to help encourage a perspective that connects the prison experience
or social institutions like it, as part of a
larger system we are all overcoming, in or
out of prison. It is also important to disrupt the iron hand of religion indoctrination in prisons, particularly in the United
States.  Alternatively becoming a social
force that does not encourage prisoners
to let the prison system correct them,
both physically and spiritually. Anarchists
or anti-authoritarian revolutionaries of

all kinds should act as a voice of encouragement for prisoners to empower themselves without the self-blame and hatred
that is taught to them by prison based religious institutions or therapy programs
designed to encourage a prisoner to both
accept the experience and their position
in society.
A very simple and accessible attack
on the isolation that helps to keep the
process of corrections routine is something groups of people have been doing
around the world called noise or prison
demos.  It’s a very simple act with significant potential in terms of building
new bonds of revolutionary solidarity
between discontented people in and out
of prison.  This most recent New Year’s
Eve acted as a night for these noise demos to happen across the world as a tactic
to support those imprisoned during the
emotionally challenging holiday season
.  New dangerous bonds were created informally by those engaged in the demos,
and those inside listening to them.  It
all came as a result of a simple call out
spread across anarchist media around the
world.  Below we included the call out
that encouraged this night of solidarity,
as well as reports of the events that happened as a result of them.

“A very simple and
accessible attack
on the isolation
that helps to keep
the process of
corrections
routine...”

FTTP #11 - Noise Demos - Pg. 6

Now for
the report
This announcement was spread across
anarchist media prior to this new years eve:

New Year’s Eve international noise demo
demonstrations report back:

Noise demos outside of prisons in some countries are a continuing tradition. A way of expressing solidarity for people imprisoned during the New
Year, remembering those held captive by the state. A noise demo breaks
the isolation and alienation of the cells our enemies create, but it does not
have to stop at that.
Prison has a long history within capital, being one of the most archaic
forms of prolonged torture and punishment. It has been used to kill some
slowly and torture those unwanted – delinquents to the reigning order - who
have no need of fitting within the predetermined mold of society.
Prison is used not only as an institution, but a whole apparatus, constructed externally from outside of the prison walls. Which our enemies
by way of defining our everyday life as a prison, manifest themselves in
many places, with banks that finance prison development (like Wells
Fargo, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Bank of the West, and Barclays), companies that are contracted for the development of prisons (like
Bergelectric Corporation, SASCO Electric, Engineered Control Systems,
MacDonald Miller Facility SLTNS and Kane MFG Corp.), investors
in prison development (like Barclays Intl. and Merril Lynch) to the police
and guards who hide behind their badges and the power of the state.
Solidarity is not only an expression by way of our own revolutionary
poetry which is defined by a developing anarchist analysis, but as an expression of actions put into practice within the social war daily. That
is why we propose to others who have a certain reciprocal understanding
of the prison world and the conditions it creates to remember this day,
to mark it on their calendars. To locate points of attack. To not limit
ourselves to just a noise demo, but proliferating actions autonomously from
one another. That break the mundane positions we lock ourselves into by
our own internalization.
To all our comrades known and we have yet to know. Just because we
have not met, does not mean we do not act in affinity with one another.
Our struggle continues not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.
Prison is not an end, but a continuation. Through individual and collective
moments of revolt, by the methods one finds possible.

Canada

Like fire our rage must spread.
Against prison, and the world that maintains them.
For the social war.

Laval, Quebec
Noise demonstrations were held outside 2 federal prisons and
one immigrant detention facility. Those involved shot off fireworks and chanted outside the prisons, and although this was
the third noise demo in 6 months at these prisons, this was the
first time those involved were able to get close enough to the
jail to witness prisoners inside chanting and waving bed sheets
in solidarity with them outside.  
An excerpt from the report back done by those involved stated:
This noise demo was organized to express solidarity with prisoners and
break the isolation that is both a requirement and a function of prisons
and corrections. Our presence outside the walls of these institutions, in
conflict with the desires of the screws, policy-makers, and police, opens up
avenues of solidarity, through which we seek to develop relationships, both
with prisoners and outsiders, with whom we share an opposition to bars
and guards and the world that needs and maintains them.
Hamilton, Ontario
A noise demonstration was held outside the Barton jail in
Hamilton, Ontario.  Demonstrators chanted and set off fireworks in solidarity with those inside.  Speakers also explained
their reason for the events through a loudspeaker on both sides
of the jail. 
“From these continued attacks on our lives, we will gather strength to fight
together.” -A person at the demo with a loudspeaker.
Vancouver, BC
On new years eve a demonstration was held outside the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre, in Maple Ridge, BC. Around
25 people arrived in a rented bus and immediately started disrupting the silence.  The crowd shot off fireworks, flares, and
sparklers. Incase prisoners weren’t able to witness the fireworks
from higher cells in the building, they used helium balloons to
raise banners of support, so everyone could see.  
They also blasted music on outside of different prison
wings.  They carried a banner that read “Against all prisons,
for freedom!”  It was reported that a very visible response of
FTTP #11 - Noise Demos - Pg. 7

support was demonstrated by prisoners
inside the jail.  Most screamed from inside prison cells, while a few were able to
walk outside temporarily and show support through the fences separating them
from the rest of the world.
United States
St. Louis, MO
Communique describes the events:
On New Year’s Eve we gathered with around
35 friends to hold a noise demonstration outside
the Hogan Street Regional Youth Center in St.
Louis. Just before midnight, a torch lit procession made its way to the former school turned
prison where for a brief moment the night was
illuminated by fireworks and the exuberant joy
of children’s smiling faces. Jumping silhouettes
behind the dormitory windows echoed our exhilaration in the street below. A resounding cry
of “Our passion for freedom is stronger than
their prisons!” filled the air as two banners were
hung on the fence of the youth detention center –
“Every jail is an abuse” and “2011: Year of
the breakout.”
This particular place of confinement has seen
several successful escape attempts in recent years,
one of which involved nine rebellious and freedom loving kids.
In St. Louis city jails, which have also been
the sites of individual and collective escapes, the
pigs have been callously denying needed medical
attention resulting in several deaths. This fact
was on all of our minds that night along side the
unprecedented five day state wide prisoner strike
in Georgia last month; the former pointing toward the necessity and the latter to the potential
of a renewed collective struggle against prisons
and the society that produces them.
A text circulated around the demonstration
called for just such a struggle while acknowledging the divisions between us (both the physical
walls separating inside and out and the social
boundaries isolating us from each other) and the
need to overcome those divisions through a common fight against our common misery.
Graffiti, spotted in the neighborhood of the kid
prison, suggested a few directions in which to
channel our collective rage:
BURN THE BANKS,
DESTROY THE PRISONS
AGAINST ALL PRISONS (A)
and POTOSI WILL BURN (A)

Although lasting only four or five minutes, this
small action and its recognition by the kids
inside was a step towards re-building our confidence and creating momentum in the streets.
We hope to continue taking such steps and find
others walking with us in the months and years
to come.
For Iole, Davide and the twins.
-Some Anarchists
Santa Cruz, CA
Around 25 demonstrators marched and
chanted outside of the Blaine street
woman’s correctional facility.  Prisoners
responded to the demonstrated solidarity by flickering lights on and off and
pointing lights out the windows.  One
prisoner attempted to hold a piece of
paper to the windows, but the message
was not able to be read.  The New Year’s
noise party lasted between demonstrators and prisoners for about 40 minutes.
Richmond, VA
A small crowd of committed anarchists
marched outside the Richmond city jail
in support of those inside.  The demonstrations were reported to be small, but
still loud enough to catch the attention
of those stuck inside.
New York City
Communique describes the events:
Just an hour before the dawn of the New Year,
we gathered outside of the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in downtown Manhattan
to make some noise and show our disgust for
the prison system. We unfurled a banner reading
“DESTROY ALL PRISONS” and another
with a circled-A while making as much noise
as we could with horns, noisemakers, and our
voices. Our temporary goal was met when we
saw lights from the prison cells flickering on and
off in response to the commotion. 
Although even the faintest communication
through the walls fills us with strength, the full
completion of the struggle against the prisons
only ends when each of its walls are reduced
to ashes and cinder. The passion for freedom is
stronger than the prisons!
Seattle, WA
This demonstration actually occurred on
February 6th.  We did feel that it should
be included here.

A communiqué describing the events
was written as follows:
On Sunday night at 10pm around 40 people
met in front of the downtown Seattle jail on 5th
avenue. They proceeded to make noise with bells,
pots, horns, yelling, screaming, howling, chanting, and the like. People yelled such things as
“Hate, hate, hate, the hate inside of me. All
cops are bastards, A-C-A-B!” and “cops, pigs,
murderers!” A surveillance camera was taken
down, a grate from the guards parking lot was
ripped down, and a trashcan was thrown at a
cop. A lot of noise was made for 40 minutes.
People locked in jail were banging on the windows of several stories and could be visibly seen
from across the street.
Many people came out to support their friends
who, in the early hours of Superbowl Sunday,
were threatened, attacked, and arrested by the
police in their home. Two are now being held on
false charges, and one has been released but still
faces false charges. This all took place during
a climate of escalating tensions with the SPD.
Solidarity with all imprisoned comrades, and
those resisting police repression.
Europe
Germany
The following was a translated report
back regarding New Year’s anti-prison
resistance in Germany. Please excuse
some of the grammatical errors due to
translations.
New Year’s Eve has been a busy one this
year in several German towns – Here is
a short report:
Under the motto “from Grünau to
Moabit…Dynamite!” ,“Dynamic new
year’s eve day against all forms of prison
and a society of imprisonment and exclusion!”, “Let’s open up the walls…” 
Several comrades have organized two
public events in Berlin to show their hatred against the prison society.
To give a wider expression to our critique, a rally to the detention center for
immigrants was planned as well. At
3pm about 100 people gathered in front
of the detention center for immigrants,
which lies in the extreme outskirts of
the country (in Grünau), and due to the
high level of snow is very difficult to
FTTP #11 - Noise Demos - Pg. 8

reach these days since the train system is
working with several interruptions. With
music, chants, slogans, drums and good
spirit, which has not been put down by
the heavy police presence, the comrades
broke the isolation for a while that the
refugees are forced into every day. Prisoners participated any way they could
during the rally by responding with
shouts, and waving hands and pieces of
cloth from their windows. After an hour
and a half, the rally ended.
That night, over 500 comrades moved
on around the district of Moabit, where
Berlin’s pre-trial detention prison is. The
demonstration has taken place for 20
years, and aims to break the monotony
of prison life for a few hours and show
again our refusal for a society based in
punishment. This year
again was a moment also
to wish freedom and solidarity for Thomas, a comrade sitting there since
September because he has
been accused of burning
a car. Chanting slogans
like “freedom for everybody” and “from Grünau
to Moabit… Dynamite!”
(again, Grünau is where
the detention center for
immigrants is) the demonstration moved on, lighting
fireworks frequently, and
also passing the local courthouse. The
police were not too happy about that
and tried often to intimidate the people
by walking quite close and on at least one
side of the demonstration. After arriving
at the final rally in front of the prison,
fireworks began massively exploding to
salute the prisoners.

courthouse. Slogans were spray painted on the
walls, directed against the prison system, that
demanded the freedom for all prisoners. The action was also accompanied with exploding fireworks the whole time, in order to send greetings
for the new year’s eve over the walls. Some of the
spraypainted slogans were reported by the press
as: “for freedom”, “prisons to become hole in the
ground”, “criminal is the system”, and “revolt”.
Later in the night a police station located
in the Brunnenstr. district of Mitte, was
attacked with flares, stones, paint bombs
and Molotov cocktails by a group which
called itself “autonomous groups” in a
message that can be partially read here:
As the press reported, a barricade has been
erected on the same street and set on fire, caltrops
have been left around which caused damages to
two police cars which saw their tires get flat.

been sentenced to two years’ probation
this summer. His murder sparked two
years of actions by different comrades,
his family and friends, as well as random
people angered by it.
In Hamburg about 150 people took the
icy streets towards the prison of Holstenglacis where they held a rally and exploded fireworks to brighten the night of
the prisoners.
About 200 people demonstrated to the
local prison in Köln in solidarity with all
prisoners.
A similar demonstration took place also
in Stuttgart, where after an anti-capitalist
night demo over 100 comrades lit fireworks and shouted slogans at the prison
of Stammheim.

“Although even
the faintest communication
through the walls fills us with
strength, the full completion
of the struggle against the
prisons only ends when each
of its walls are reduced to
ashes and cinder.”

Also that evening about 20 people paid
a visit to the women prison and courthouse located in the district of Pankow.
Reports from that demonstration claim:
An unregistered demonstration took place in
the evening against the women prison of Pankow, following a rally of about 80 people which
took place today in the afternoon in Grünau
in front of the detention center for immigrants.
About 20 people moved around the prison,
breaking some of the windows on the facility,
as well as some of the windows at the nearby

Two years ago the cop Reinhardt Rother murdered Dennis J. in Schönfließ. The capitalist
system manages to remain in power only through
the terror of the “authorities responsible for security”. The citizens will be prevented to search
any alternatives through fear. However everywhere in Europe it comes to explosions of rage
against police authorities; only a while ago conflicts escalated in London, Rome and Athens.
We want to push such a sharpening through
making clear: no state murder will remain forgotten! Therefore we attacked the police station
31 in Berlin on the New Year’s Eve. Police violence will always release our resistance.
-Autonomous groups
Dennis J. was a young lad from the district of Neukölln which got murdered on
new year’s eve of 2008 by the cops while
he was on the run following some minor
criminal charges. The main murderer has

In Nürnberg about 100
people rioted around the
area of the prison, smashing shops and pulling up
some barricades, the cops
identified a high number
of people around the area.

UK
Following an attempt by
prison authorities to give
prisoners a breathalyzer
that may have been sneaking alcohol on New Year’s
Eve at the Ford prison about two hours
outside London, forty masked inmates
rampaged the prison’s infrastructure; literally burning down multiple cell blocks
and recreational buildings.  While some
have been accused of the damage, many
of those involved with the riot remain a
mystery to prison authorities due to their
concealed identities.  A specialized antiriot goon squad was forced to enter the
prison to quell the resistance.
The following day anarchists in the UK
claim to have attacked a probation office
and police road station with easily found
rocks in solidarity with those struggling
at Ford prison the night before, and
those incarcerated around the world.

FTTP #11 - Noise Demos - Pg. 9

days of

RAGE
Regarding Continuing Conflict in the
Middle East and North Africa

*Photo of a Youth taking a picture of
Egypt’s National Democratic Party
headquarters as it burns.

A

wave of revolt is spreading across the Arab
world. Leaderless insurrections are forming
through a broad call for ‘Days of Rage’ against
government rule across the region. This social
tsunami has its roots in Tunisia, but the spark
that erupted in Tunisia has flooded the streets
of Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, Libya, Algeria, Syria,
Lebanon, Jordan, and even Saudi Arabia.

These re-occurring revolts have sparked fear in ruling parties
across the region, and forced desperate political reforms by
governments in multiple Arab countries to try and prevent further generalization of these ‘Days of Rage’. Before saying anything, it is important to realize that these revolts are constantly
occurring and taking new forms.
Changes in information is incredibly likely by the time this is
read, but discussing the situation is essential for the dialogue of
anyone who yearns for popular revolt against the state. While
the media is frequently changing its focus as petty demands are
met in some countries and violent conflict escalates in others,
one of our goals for this article is to provide an understanding
of why these revolts are happening, and what is important to
focus on as revolutionaries against the state and capitalism.
Those empathetic in the first world are taught to wear their
political blinders when it comes to viewing conflict in the Arab
world, and can not imagine something like what is happening
in the region reproducing within the world’s more “powerful”
borders. This specifically goes for the United States. Yet in
the case of the U.S., more people are actually imprisoned in the
country than any of the nations currently in revolt. In fact, the
U.S. shares many of the same conditions driving these insurrections. Whether it be unemployment, police brutality, or frustrations with the government. Yet those struggling to push this
discontent further inside places like the United States remain
caught up battling the social divisions and large scale apathy
that defines its “liberal civilization.” At the same time, no one
expected a singular uprising to become a widespread social upheaval effecting the political climate of various countries in one
of the world’s most repressed and exploited regions.
Torture, brutality, or death have been the line between social
peace and unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, yet the
people are beginning to recognize that whether or not they accept these conditions, life will remain in constant strife. Similarly in the United States, many of the same state appendages

lay at the foundation of social peace, and at some point we
could just as easily see the poor, the youth, or the “disenfranchised” also lose their false hopes in ever being given an opportunity to escape the misery or poverty delegated to them by
the dominant social system.
Common conditions have been the core and direction of the
fighting, social splits, and targeted violence in the Arab world
these last few months. While the media glorifies Western inventions like Facebook and Twitter as the origin of these revolts,
the tensions motivating them have been existing for years,
and people have been acting on them without attention for
years. Especially in places like Algeria, isolated incidents of
unrest have simply gone without media attention before these
last few months for decades. The fetishization of Facebook or
Twitter as anything more than a mere tactic, only disempowers
the strength of human agency behind these revolts. Only the
desperation of a struggling people must be given the first and
foremost credit here.
Police and government buildings remain the most popular target of Arabs resisting. Police repression has been an essential
driving point behind the consistent threat posed by these ‘Days
of Rage’. These targets stem from everyday experience under
their rule, and provide an essential grounds for solidarity by
people around the world struggling against the state. Targeted
looting has also displayed class frustrations as another essential driving point for these revolts. Governments at first tried
to prevent support from the outside world by attempting to
frame these acts as simply common crimes, or outside agitator conspiracies. The Egyptian state for example, at first tried
to demonize the unrest in its country by trying to hype up the
looting, and distinguish looters from common people. With
only a little more research one will find that the looting was actually very much targeted. Museums that previously fueled the
country’s tourism economy were attacked by people most likely
too poor to enter them before. When the police disappeared
in Cairo’s streets, it wasn’t the poor scrambling for a weapon to
defend their property, it was those with property who up until
that point maintained their wealth through the police’s repression of Egypt’s lower class.
It was not random, it was very much targeted. These were not simple
outbursts. The looting, the crime, the trouble, the rioting, all came together
to form insurrections that desperately attempted to transform the entire
structure of their current society, without compromise.
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 11

T

On the Structuring of the Middle East and North Africa

Today many only see the American occupation in Iraq and
Afghanistan, but while the West may have left many of the
countries mentioned in this article formerly in the mid 20th
century, it did not give anything up without laying the grounds
for a future of hegemony, colonialism, and exploitation in the
Almost every country in the region was captured and occu- shadows of global politics. This is done by handing power over
pied by a European country in the 20th century following the to governments that rule their people in the interest of the
fall of the Ottoman Empire. Until the mid 20th century, Al- Western world. This is especially obvious in the case of Egypt
geria, Lebanon, and Tunisia were formally under French rule. or Libya, as the importance of calm oil trading or an obedient people have come to light
Yemen, Jordan, and Pales“These Goods are got out of our in higher gas prices among
tine were under British rule.
The geography of NorthHeart’s Blood; and as they burn, first-world countries these reern Africa for example, as
cent few weeks. On the other
a continent today, in many so ought the souls and bodies of hand, if a government is not
ways stems from the “Berlin
aligned with the West, sancthose Blood-suckers who own
Conference” of the late 19th
tions or threats of military
them, to fry in the Fire of Hell”
century. This conference was
intervention will sway public
-Statement of peasant insurgents in Naples, Italy, in July of 1647
called in response to growing
attacks on the West by defiant
colonial interests in Africa,
political leaders.
for resources like gold, spices, tea, and diamonds. It was quite
literally a discussion between European nations to create a tra- The contempt shown by the Arab world for the Western world stems not
jectory for colonizing the continent that would not heighten from a religious dogma, but from an everyday condition funded and supeconomic conflict between competing European nations. This ported by the wealth of the West’s colonial history.
sort of outlook has taken many forms, but helps to explain
many of the situations that currently plague Africa overall as a
continent today. The wars and diseases specifically mentioned
in dialogue regarding Africa primarily stems from Europe
forcefully making it part of their economies.
his insurrection, as spontaneous as it was, should
not be too surprising for anyone familiar with the
area in which it took place. The Arab world simply came to its boiling point.

FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 12

tion, when the police confiscated his produce,
they blatantly destroyed it in public, furthering
his humiliation.
At this point, it became clear that he lost all
hope in escaping poverty, and there was no
point to continue this constant struggle. The
police proved to him that in such an exploitative society, if they can’t simply ruin you with
poverty they will strip you of your dignity.
Following the incident he went to the governor’s office to file a complaint, but considering his social status, they refused to see or
listen to him. He then got a can of gasoline,
dosed himself in it, and set himself ablaze in
front of a local government building in Sidi
Bouzid, Tunisia. He didn’t die until a few
weeks later on January 4th, 2011, but the pain,
anguish, and rage that fueled his decision very
much continues to live on.

*Photo of Mohamed Bouazizi
Tunisia and the Jasmine Revolution

F

ood shortages, mass unemployment, police brutality, and other
symptoms of living in a colonized region are the main reasons for
these reoccurring revolts. A poor Tunisian man acted, quite literally, as a spark in North Africa and the Arab world. His name was
Mohammed Bouazizi. He was a 26 year old man who invested in a
small street cart as an attempt to try and escape poverty.

In Tunisia, street vendors are technically illegal, and only exist under the terms
that they are capable of paying off the police. But ironically in Mohammed’s
case, it was actually legal to sell goods from his cart when he was detained, because it was mobile, a loophole in Tunisian law many poor people try to survive
through. Whether or not it is legal, Mohammed could not afford the police’s
price to allow him to work without intervention, and repeatedly struggled with
debt as police continued to confiscate his produce.
On December 17th, he officially put himself in credit card debt after taking
out the equivalent of $200 American to purchase produce to sell from his cart.
With no money left from his investment, he was unable to pay off the police
when being detained shortly after. His purchase of produce was confiscated
again, further restricting him to poverty. Not only did they confiscate his produce this time, the police officer who confronted him also spit in his face, stole
his digital scale, and made slanderous remarks about his dead father. In addi-

Somehow Mohammed Bouazizi’s act of desperation in the small working class suburb
of Sidi Bouzid sparked rage for struggling
people across the country. Youth everywhere
began fighting police and destroying symbols
of power and wealth. Youth began burning
down police stations and clashing with officers in the streets. They also engaged in a
string of looting that targeted casinos, retailers, or properties that were actually owned by
Tunisian President Ali’s family, demanding
that he step down from power. After consistent resistance by Tunisian youth and striking
workers, and a complete disregard for normalcy, president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and
his cabinet were forced to leave the country.
The unrest also successfully created a crisis
that resulted in the escape of 11,000 prisoners across the country. Since Ali’s removal
from power, 2,460 more prisoners have been
released as a result of demands made by the
unrest.
Trying to appear engaged in superficial demands by the Tunisian people heard in the
first world media, an “interim or unity” government was put into effect by the military
until the “proper” transition takes place.
While Tunisia has lost much of the spot
light in Western media it once had, riots and
protest have continued even with president
Ali’s flee from power, as him leaving has not
changed much.
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 13

While the success of removing a dictator brings an obvious
joy to the struggling people of the region, many know that the
origins of their poverty go beyond a face. This is seen in the
gestures of youth who to this day continue to riot and face arrests, knowing that until the ship sinks, this miserable system
will remain afloat.
Tunisia remains in fragile political times, as a state of confusion dawns with the military and unity government transition.
While Ben Ali has been praised for years by the West for his
moderate pro-Western perspectives, Europe’s Interpol has issued a warrant for his arrest as his brutal rule was forced into
the international spotlight. The government, like others facing
the wrath of these ‘Days of Rage’, continues to give in and pull
back. Appeasing single demands and hoping that the “Rage”
is tamed, governments continue to make a mockery of the
people’s will by showing restraint in the public spotlight, then
attacking harder once one demand is met. This is to weaken
the possibilities of these revolts outcomes to the limits of the
country’s current political system. The tactic is also used to appear reasonable to liberal judgments from Democratic nations.
After rioting and violence continued just as strongly after Ali’s
removal from power, the Prime Minister was also forced to
step down. The feelings behind these ‘Days of Rage’ remain at
the foundation of Tunisia’s social terrain, and have continued
to communicate a complete loss of faith in government determined conclusions.
We can not begin to imagine the depths of resistance required
by the Tunisian people to threaten the iron reign of its government. While fighting off bullets, the Tunisian people proved

that although little to nothing has been changed, the tormenting power structure of fear through Tunisia’s streets was shattered by the courage of the country’s most abused. A country
that was conquered by the Romans, then the Arabs, then the
French, has been forced into a position of “what next?”
Tunisia’s revolt sparked international concerns from foreign
investors and other countries in the Arab region. What was
unique about the making of this revolt was the inability of political leaders to tame its eruption with small political reforms.
What was also unique about it was how quickly it spread, how
so many in the country were able to come together through
broad frustrations, and collectively continue the struggle even
after some of the most brutal repression.
A “nuclear attack on Israel or America” was less and less a part
of America’s talking points on the Arab world. Western politics was now concerning itself with Tunisia’s uprising having an
ability to influence and spark other revolts beyond its borders.
Vulnerability in the current power structures was dangerously
exposed. Empowering people to see success in displays of uncompromising rage, these concerns became, very abruptly, a
reality as the weeks followed.
Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan began showing signs of influence from the Tunisian insurrection – also referred to as the ‘Jasmine
Revolution’ by Tunisian people, in reference to the national flower. Egypt
being the largest Arab country, and the most heavily funded by the American government, began drawing the greatest concerns from European and
American states.

FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 14

*Photo of Egyptian
protestors disabling
police cruisers by
stealing their batteries.

Egypt and the ‘January 25th Revolution’

M

ubarak up until recently was an unfamiliar
name to many in the West, yet he was a man
who acted as the face of America’s intervention and control in Egyptian society, for over
three decades. In exchange for an estimated
1.6 billion dollars a year in military and government funding by the U.S., he promised to
work for Western governments. Mubarak ensured that Egypt
would remain a refuge for torture (or “enhanced interrogation”) for the CIA and other Western security forces who could
not conduct such tactics due to human rights expectations
for military or police conduct enforced inside their borders.
Mubarak provided “stability” for the Suez Canal, and assured
safer transportation of Oil out of the region under his rule.
He also was paid to safeguard Egyptian tourism and business
destinations for the foreign visitors and investors, while people
under his rule struggled on a daily basis.
After Tunisia, Egyptian youth knew it was time to fan the
flames of discontent that the “Jasmine Revolution” was exposing for the Arab world. A lack of hope and common feeling
of disempowerment were made very much public for discontented people across the Middle East and North Africa. Egypt
was not going to allow Tunisia’s revolution to become an isolated incident.

After Ben Ali fled the country, ‘Days of Rage’ were organized
in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez. Unemployed youth played a
prominent role in laying the groundwork for an Egyptian insurrection, as they did in Tunisia. Exploiting means of communication like Facebook and Twitter was an important tactic
for coordinating demonstrations, riots, and solidarity, but solidarity and a ferocious will of the people was the true power
behind this revolt. This can be seen very easily as Mubarak
frequently disrupted technological means of communication,
having little effect on weakening resistance to his rule. But with
the wide use of the internet at first, people did not need a specific call out from a political leader or media outlet.
Like Tunisia, police repression was a large motivation for the
unrest both beginning and growing. It was also a huge part
of the visual brutality that Mubarak (like Ali of Tunisia) represented to those who called for his immediate removal from
power. After showing glimpses of future tension through
Tunisia’s revolt, Egypt erupted with riots and demonstrations
across the country on January 25th. That day being its first
formal “Day of Rage,” unemployed youth fought the police,
while employed people in the country left work to show their
solidarity in the streets.

FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 15

Police fired tear gas and live rounds at the growing crowds of
people in an attempt to weaken their resistance. What became
noticeably different about Egypt from Tunisia though, was that
while the insurrection began to grow, the Egyptian state tactics
of repression did just as much. When places like Tunisia desperately looked to appease demands under the same social climate Mubarak faced, the Egyptian state did not see this uprising as an opportunity for political dialogue with those it ruled,
but as a the grounds for a civil war.
Shortly after a state of crisis was established at the end of January, the economy was halted as banks and production temporarily ceased to function. Tourists began desperately flooding
airports, as the revolt ceased to entertain, but started disrupting
the whole “tourist experience.” The biggest turn of events was
when the police were forced off the streets of Cairo on January 28th.

Even with the fall of the police, very little violence or conflict
occurred between opposition demonstrators and neighborhoods. This is an important thing to notice, considering the
rationalization of police is to “keep peace” among those it is
ruling. On the contrary, all violence conducted by the antigovernment resistance remained only directed at targets of
Egypt’s proletarian suffering, and the blood seen dripping from
the scenes of earlier police clashes became enormously less
severe compared to the situation before their retreat. Cairo’s
Tahrir Square had now become ‘Liberation square’, and acted
as a central point for maintaining the visibility of the Egyptian
people’s struggle for both the nation, as well as the rest of the
world.

Shortly after the beginning of Egypt’s insurrection, Mubarak
and his regime cut off the means of communication for most
of the country. By removing access to cellular phones and the
After being overwhelmed by street fights and attacks on police internet, he hoped this would prevent the strength and solidarinfrastructure, the police were forced to show their cowardly ity shown by the people’s uprising from growing further. This
faces, as they left their uniform and waited for the military to merely provoked more rage by the people struggling against his
return things to normal. Egypt was now most certainly in the rule, and further complicated Western support for Mubarak’s
public eye, and a military formally funded by American invest- continued domination over the exploited region. With internaments could not continue the same brutality as the police with- tional pressure, cell phone service in some parts of the country
out being connected to the United States
were restored, but remained for the most
(at least not in Cairo).
part sporadic. This was mostly due to the
It was simply a
whining of reporters and journalists who
matter of picking were having a complicated time reporting
Although the police left the streets, it
was made clear that it was not enough, as
a side, because it on the events going on, than it did with
Egyptians continued to attack the remthe complaints of struggling Egyptians.
was quite literally But overthrowing the police forces and
nants of their organization. Many youth
actually lost their lives continuing to atdemonstrating their contempt for the
tack the stations the police once operated
government no longer needed the internet
from, even after their retreat. Many of
to come together, it was ingrained in the
the deaths occurred from police who were hiding inside their minds of every Egyptian fed up with the circumstances. It was
defunct stations shooting aimlessly onto youth who attacked simply a matter of picking a side, because it was quite literally
from the outside. Despite the relentless assaults by police dur- civil war.
ing these attacks, the murders did very little to sway youth who
battled bullets solely with weapons such as: Molotov cocktails, While people continued to come together unified by common
swords, or bats. The willingness to continue to attack their in- frustrations, Mubarak attempted to mock the uprising by tryfrastructure despite concerns of death made it very clear that ing to use the internet and cellular phone networks to his own
the police were one of the revolution in Egypt’s main enemies. advantage. This was when we began sending out millions of
The willingness especially to continue to attack them after their messages via Vodafone (Egypt’s major cellular provider) and
surrender, also suggests the possibility that such revolutionary Facebook in support of his rule, hoping to have a tactical
youth did not want to see their existence whatsoever - even advantage over what he felt was a crippled opposition. He
“after the revolution”.
communicated that the riots were done by an “isolated group
of troublemakers” and there was a need for a “pro-Mubarak”
Demonstrations and riots became semi-permanent occupa- counter-revolution.
tions, and somewhat more “family-friendly” protests began,
amidst a climax in global media attention. Also due to pressure After Mubarak took his routine steps to appease the opposition
from ally nations denouncing the Mubarak regime for the bru- by appointing a vice president, and later committing to resign
tality that was now being seen across the world. At this time, within 6 months, he became more and more desperate to maininsurrectionary violence became primarily directed to wealthy tain his control. Political reforms were too little and too late,
neighborhoods and establishments in the form of looting and and repression became more and more complicated with growsabotage.
ing international scrutiny. Whether or not you are under the

civil war.

FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 16

-Statement from Escaped Egyptian Prisoner to Al Jazeera during the Unrest

"We did not flee. It is the people who
opened our doors."

illusion that Mubarak leaving will
do anything, the goal of his downfall played a huge part in unifying
people to act accordingly with a
precise aim. Manifesting a feeling that first and foremost the face
of their bane had to be destroyed
before any compromise would be
considered, and the Egyptian insurrection continued to hold its
ground.
After days of resistance and occupation, Tahrir Square was
forced into a war zone. The most
memorable day of these last few
weeks was when so called “ProMubarak” protesters fought demonstrators occupying the square.
This appeared to draw the social
lines very concretely and implied a
very weak grasp on power by the
Mubarak regime. By calling on the
interior ministry of the Mubarak
government to recruit police officers, government officials, state
employees, or whatever remained
of their middle class, Mubarak
gathered and paid supporters to
come together in support of his
government that has brought
them comfort at the expense of
so many others, for so long. With
this, he was able to organize a
temporary grassroots offensive
on the opposition inside “Liberation square.” This attempted
“Pro-Government’ mobilization
was most apparent on Wednesday,
February 2nd, and it was probably
one of the most visible, longest,
and harshest battles we were able
to witness from over here in the
States (Al-Jazeera had a 24 hour
camera on the square).
Random mobs of state employees and paid demonstrators (many
given the equivalent of $8 American to hold signs in support of
Mubarak) rushed Mubarak’s opposition in the square. It started
with spitting and mocking, then
immediately turned to violence.

What else could happen between
those in defense of the state and
those struggling for their dignity
and freedom?
Some of the most memorable images were seen when the day began
with a roving band of so-called
“Pro-Mubarak” supporters stampeding the crowd in Tahrir Square
on horses and camels, whipping
anyone who got in their way. Yet
people refused to take further
abuse from the police officers who
behaved as a police officer would
in every way, simply without the
uniform. People stopped horses
and camels in their tracks, pulled
the traitors off them and proceeded to beat them. Many of those
who were taken by demonstrators
in Tahrir Square actually were carrying police or interior ministry
identification cards in their wallets
when they were captured, and in
some cases pleaded that they were
forced to attack them by the government.
Later on that night, the same state
employees were allowed by the
military onto nearby roadways and
buildings overlooking the square.
They shot demonstrators below
and bombarded them with an
overwhelming display of Molotov
cocktails (all seen live on television) in an attempt to burn and
shoot out the demonstrators. Although it seems that some of the
Egyptian people have chosen to
recognize the military as a neutral
force, it is obvious that the military
was initially supporting Mubarak’s
hired forces due to their sheer refusal to stop these attacks. This
battle re-ignited the original clashes seen before the police’s retreat
in Cairo. That is, clashes between
the traitors (police, bureaucrats,
wealthy) and the people struggling
for their dignity and freedom. On
live television you could watch
every Molotov cocktail thrown
from the comfortable heights of

buildings and roadways the police
and state workers attacked from,
returned with a hail of rocks and
Molotov cocktails by occupiers in
Tahrir Square, holding the grounds
underneath them. By the morning of February 3rd, Tahrir Square
woke up to fire, injury, and death,
but many of the people knew they
were victorious.
Whether or not Mubarak stepped
down that next day, they were victorious in the sense that they woke
up to another day in Tahrir Square
as “liberation square.”
The insurrection encompassed
most of the country, and did not
remain limited to the streets. In
Fayoum prison, prisoners used
this unrest as an opportunity to escape en masse. Killing the head of
the prison, they collectively staged
an escape that resulted in 700 prisoners getting away. This was one
of four instances of Egyptian
prisoners across the country using
the unrest as an opportunity to escape. Among the thousands who
did, only some have been caught
and put back into prison.
Mubarak (1) has stepped down at
the point of writing this. When
millions continued to demonstrate
even after that harsh Wednesday
battle, he was forced out, most
likely, through American pressure.
However, the transitional state in
place is now repressing demonstrations, claiming they have no
validity since Mubarak has stepped
down. While the international
media has shifted its attention to
places like Libya where the brutality is visibly “worse,” the remaining power structures are actively
criminalizing the remaining demonstrations of discontent, under
the guise of “You got what you
wanted - THE END.”
Police continue to sweep Tahrir Square in an attempt to make
the January 25th revolution a
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 17

part of history, as opposed to an on-going situation. Workers across the country are continuing to
try and halt production, hoping to keep tensions
strong. Christian churches are being burnt down,
obviously stating a lack of desire for Western intervention in Egypt’s future as a predominately Muslim nation. Yet remaining Christians who are protesting what they see as a new lack of comfort in
the nation have been silenced
by security forces, hoping to
weaken Western concerns of
Muslim extremism or a lack
of tension remaining among
the post-Mubarak Egyptian
people. Ironically police are
demonstrating against the
government they claim betrayed them, yet have been
instilled back into everyday
life.
Youth continue to clash with
police, despite police claims
of a new era for Egypt,
which highlights the lack of
resolution to the people’s
anger. This especially is the

case over those who remain imprisoned, or have
been murdered throughout the January 25th revolution.
With many youth, students, workers, and mourning families refusing to forget their brothers and
sisters arrested or killed by police throughout the
revolution, the remaining government and interior
ministry is burning arrest records and reports of police
conduct en masse, before
possible UN tribunals or belated attention from Human
Rights organizations.

When the spark
of insurrection is
lit successfully, it
tears through
the society in this
way, infecting
everything
and everyone it
comes in
contact with.

While many have forgotten
Egypt, the civil war remains
in many ways. When looking
beyond the impotent analysis
of Western media, Egyptians
continue to prove that this
struggle goes well beyond
the face of Mubarak.
Again, the world looks on to
Egypt, just like Tunisia, asking:
what next?

*Photo of demonstrators attacking a police van during January 28th clashes in Suez, Egypt.

FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 18

*Photo of Libyan rebel firing on
Gaddafdi fighter jets using most
likely a stolen weapon from
Gadaffi’s arms facilities.

Libya: From Popular Insurrection to Modern War

N

ew demonstrations began in Libya shortly after the Egyptian insurrection. Mobs of youth began these protests setting a precedent for their direction as they immediately started this uprising, battling police. In the town of Bayda, East of Benghazi,
the nation’s second largest city, multiple youth were injured after
setting a police station on fire. Calls for unrest demanded that
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, a man that has ruled Libya since
1969, must step down. Considering Gaddafi has gained tolerance from many of the Libyan people through his anti-Western and anti-Israel
perspectives, it can only remain obvious that the people have felt the rage of
Egypt and Tunisia and are looking to become empowered and free from what
they see as a tyrannical regime.
Gaddafi has been known to the West as one of the Arab world’s most eccentric
political leaders. This is due to some of the Anti-Western acts he has been
accused of funding. For example, his London-based embassy was known for
conducting multiple spy campaigns on both British authorities and Libyan expatriates living in the country, throughout the 80’s. The embassy also went as
far as attempting to poison or kill expatriates seen as traitors to Libya. Though
Libya’s London-based embassy was best seen in the public eye in 1984 when a
British police officer was shot and killed by staff inside the embassy shooting
onto an anti-Gaddafi demonstration outside. The West took its most offensive
turn on Gaddafi though when members of his cabinet were considered partially responsible for coordinating the Pan AM Flight 103 bombing that resulted
in 270 fatalities. This resulted in bombings on Libya by Western forces, one of
which resulted in the death of Gaddafi’s daughter.
Although Gaddafi has held his ground as the Arab world’s longest running
political leader through his consistent anti-Western rhetoric, the foundation of
his power has been largely due to Libya being the richest supplier of primarily Western valued oil on the African continent. This has been a huge part of
the West’s historical restraint over Libya’s political conduct. However, after

the Pan Am bombing, sanctions and attacks on
Libya by Western militaries began to intimidate
Gaddafi and he was forced to rethink his AntiWestern stance.
After years of negotiation Gaddafi began to
make moves to appease Western hostility. First,
he allowed for the extradition of two political
figures considered responsible for the Pan Am
flight bombing. Then, after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, he reached out to the West
and allowed an international investigation into
new nuclear or “weapons of mass destruction”
programs being conducted by his military. In
light of recent events and new measures taken
amidst the War On Terror by the West, he was
willing to allow members of the international
community to enter his country and begin a
decommissioning process for these nuclear
programs. This lead to a visit from Britain’s
Tony Blair in 2004, which helped to re-open
a relationship between oil rich Libya and the
Western world. Following the end of Gaddafi’s
weapons programs, the U.S. declared that it was
re-opening its relationship with Libya as an ally
of the West, and officially declared Libya as an
Anti-Terrorist or moderate nation.
Much of Libya’s frustration with the West
has to do with it historically being an Italian
colony. Considering how it is directly across
the water from Italy, oil shipments have been
considerably easier for Europe than other parts
of the Arab world, increasing its value, and of
course the West’s continued patience and new
open-mind with his government. Further contradicting his anti-Western perspectives in his
behavior, Gaddafi in 2008 created a deal with
the Italian government. The deal was finalized
in 2009, but it stated that the Italian government will pay a five billion dollar compensation for their 1911-1954 military occupation, in
exchange for Libya heightening border security
to stop immigrants from entering Italy from
Libya, as well as a way for “boosting Libyan
investment in Italian corporations.” There is
also a natural gas pipeline that runs all the way
from Libya to Italy through the Mediterranean
sea, and provides about 11 billion cubic meters
of natural gas for Europe each year.
After the original ‘Days of Rage’ began, Tripoli, Libya’s capital, was amidst utter social chaos.
Around the same time, the country’s second
largest city, Benghazi, was being declared out
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 19

of Gaddafi’s control. Government buildings were sacked or With Gaddafi’s refusal to step down, and more so, his outspoburnt down across the country despite Gaddafi’s incredibly ken willingness to kill everyone threatening his power, the situharsh repression, ferociously demanding the downfall of his ation in Libya has come into the international spotlight more
regime. Most means of communication were also sabotaged than ever. Through a combination of global disapproval for
by the government in the same manner as Egypt. Yet unlike Gaddafi, private concerns over Libya’s oil supply, and a new
Mubarak, having even less tolerance for foreign reporters or approval from Arab leaders and rebel Libyans, the UN has dewestern considerations complicated reports on the situation in clared a “no-fly zone” over Libya at the point of writing this.
Libya for the outside world more so than in Egypt or Tunisia. Yet, while a no-fly zone typically means a military sanction preAlthough at this stage Libya was only starting to grab inter- venting any planes from flying into, over, or out of the counnational headlines, outsiders could still view Youtube videos try, this one appears to be the same as most modern warfare.
and occasional reports that showed Gaddafi literally bombing France, Britain, Canada, and the United States have taken reand shooting Libyan demonstrators in rebel strong holds like sponsibility for conducting this bombing mission. Gaddafi’s
Benghazi from military grade fighter jets. Although rumors government infrastructure in Tripoli, as well as military tanks
have also stated that some military personnel did refuse to fight or cruisers seen as trying to regain rebel cities have been the
against the Libyan people, they were easily replaced with paid main targets of this operation. This no-fly zone came after
security forces. Foreign security forces played a huge part in Gaddafi declared a cease-fire hoping to calm international atmaintaining Gaddafi’s power up until later intervention from tention, but continued to bomb and kill rebel forces. While we
the West. In an attempt to intimidate demonstrators in the have nothing but pure disdain for Gaddafi and his authoritarian
country’s capital of Tripoli, hired mercenaries from different regime, we are quite aware of the intentions behind Western inprivate international security services and
tervention. Despite the support of LibAfrican militias-for-hire were brought in to
yan rebels, as well as the Arab League, it
These exploitative
shoot random demonstrators from roofis interesting to see Libya as the West’s
tops across the city. Mercenaries became intentions will be made
first choice to take action. We will
notorious for using fear to their advan- obvious to the people of
most likely not see the same measures
tage, in some cases going as far as burning the region as this
taken against ally nations like Bahrain or
captured demonstrators alive, then piling military operation
Saudi Arabia, despite similar repressive
them in public areas for all to view. Similar
behavior such as shooting live rounds
continues exclusively
to Mubarak, Gaddafi declared this unrest
at protesters (Who, unlike Libya, fight
as a foreign conspiracy, and took a per- in Libya, whether or not
almost completely unarmed), setting
spective that this is not grounds for dia- similar government
tent cities on fire, attacking the injured
logue, but a situation of civil war.
in hospitals, arresting hospital staff for
repression is happening
helping injured protesters, or sabotageverywhere else.
Fighting in Libya was originally a struggle
ing medical equipment to prevent the
that stemmed from the streets by disgrunprotester’s recoveries. These offensive
tled youth and citizens inspired by nearby insurrections, but actions will continue to go without Western intervention due
over time has transformed into a civil war calculated by military to the willingness of the two nations to protect the West’s
power and armed rebels. This was forced by Gaddafi’s bomb- interests in Middle Eastern resources. At most, Bahrain and
ings onto disloyal cities and oil facilities from air force fighter Saudi Arabia will maybe receive harsh words by human rights
jets, as well as his unique tactic of hiring international merce- groups or public denunciation of the violence by Western leadnaries to shoot and attack demonstrators in the streets. This ers, but certainly not have to face military interference in their
transition has forced opposition to seize arms facilities and at- repression of discontent. These exploitative intentions will be
tempt to utilize the few military resources lost by Gaddafi to made obvious to the people of the region as this military opdefend territory claimed to be out of his control.
eration continues in Libya, whether or not similar government
repression is happening everywhere. This will strengthen antiUnfortunately, unlike Mubarak, Gaddafi has expressed that he colonial feelings among the Arab world when it comes to the
will have to either “die or drown Libya in blood” before leav- West, by further proving how little Western governments and
ing. Yet unfortunately like Mubarak, he possesses the economic business care about people in their region.
and military power to create such an amount of blood. Gaddafi has also claimed that he is not currently in power, he is the Will Libya become the new Iraq? Will rebel forces succumb to Western
chosen people’s leader, and that all resistance against his police, expectations for oil in exchange for their bombs? Whatever happens, a peomercenaries, and army has been done by counter-revolutionar- ple’s insurrection was both crushed by the government it was opposing, and
ies either funded by Al-Qaeda, the U.S., or lunatics acting on most likely now usurped by a government interested in their exploitation.
“drug induced” rage. Gaddafi’s lack of concern for judgment
by the international community and relentless ability to kill and
repress any opposition has the world concerned that even with
all the bloodshed and fighting, he may be able to retain his
power unless there is international intervention.
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 20

*Photo of murdered 32
year old Hani Abdul-Aziz
Abdullah Jumah’s body,
after being retrieved
by his family. Bahraini
security forces hid his
body in a hospital,
and explained to his
family where he can be
found. Traces of electric
shock were seen all
over his body when he
was found. His family
believes he may have
been tortured to death
by the Bahraini military.

On the Situation in Bahrain

O

n February 14th, Bahrain took the world by
storm with protests inspired by other nations
experiencing unrest. This small country of just
over a million people has been recognized as
the Arab world’s most liberal nation, and believed to have one of the wealthiest populations
per capita in the Gulf. But out of the 1.3 million recognized on the island, half are foreign workers, leaving
many unemployed. This stems from a political system under
Sunni family rule, that is designed to perpetuate a disempowered position for the country’s Shia majority. Bahrain has been
run by the same family since 1783, only experiencing political
intervention as a result of the British empire. Bahrain is also
known for originally discovering oil in the Gulf. But while Bahrain is 70 percent Shia Muslim, it is under Sunni Muslim rule.
Bahrain does not suffer from the same depths of common
poverty as Egypt or Algeria, but people are realizing that they
do not have to accept the wealth and rule of the Sunni family
that protects what they see as Sunni interests. This social division has been reported on to be quite noticeable in everyday
social interactions between specifically Sunni-loyal police and
Shia youth. And while the Khalifa ruling family has almost
copied Saudi Arabia in a surreal tradition of literally paying off
the nation’s discontent with oil-funded stipends annually, the
offers made to appease specifically enraged and inspired Bahraini youth or families continue to be turned down in the form
of drastic unrest.

With a Sunni-royal family, most government services are designed to serve only Sunni families. Also with a Sunni-loyal
police force, Shia youth encounters with police have been described in similar ways to the relationship Blacks and Latinos
have with American police.
With the first ‘Days of Rage’ declared by frustrated people
across the small Gulf island, protests became immediately
prominent. Many demonstrators in Bahrain’s capital Manama
started holding ground by occupying a major round-about,
declaring it to be Bahrain’s “liberation square”. One of the
first major clashes made public to the world happened around
3am on February 17th when Bahraini security forces and police
swarmed the square, and proceeded to gas people of all ages,
and open fire onto defiant crowds. This resulted in dozens
of injuries and two reported deaths. The situation stimulated
further rage from demonstrators across the island, and forced
the ruling family into the spotlight of growing concerns in the
Middle East.
But while the King’s rhetoric began changing – publicly apologizing for the two deaths at the first attempted evacuation – his
behavior did not. This could easily be seen when police opened
fire on the funeral procession for the two people he was apologizing for killing in the square, only hours after his statement.
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 21

For years, Bahrain has held hands with the ruling
elite of the West and similar ruling families of
places like nearby Saudi Arabia. We know quite
well that at this exact moment, clashes are happening in the streets of Bahrain. Dozens have
been murdered, but thousands continue to prevent these ‘Days of Rage’ from turning to fear.
Like other governments in the region, Bahrain
has also tried to cut communication between the
opposition by destabilizing phone and internet
services for the public.
Shortly before going to print, Bahrain began
captivating the attention of nearby Saudi Arabia. This resulted from a few small attempts to
defy the national ban on protesting by discontent
Saudis influenced by Bahrain’s recent “Days of
Rage.” With the new attention from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain is now working together with Saudi
security forces to stamp out anti-government
demonstrations before they possibly inspire
more in Saudi Arabia, or have a bigger effect on
Bahrain as a Sunni ruled society. Together the
countries declared martial law in Bahrain at the
beginning of March, and created a plan to liquidate all remnants of public discontent, through a
“3 month state of emergency.”

New video footage seen since martial law was
declared shows heightening repression by the
police. With Libya at the forefront of international scrutiny, Bahraini police, with the help of
Saudi security forces are conducting an offensive
on every facet of the opposition. Random snatch
and grabs of Shia youth found in isolated parts
of Bahraini cities are taking place, often resulting in murder. Tear gas is fired at point blank
range towards protesters. The capital’s “Liberation Square” was set ablaze as part of a continued process of forceful evacuation. Police can
be seen walking through hospital parking lots
smashing out car windows of stuff suspected of
helping injured protesters. Although, even with
such unrelenting repression, Bahrain’s youth
continue to demonstrate in the streets. One
video shows protesters attacking and killing two
police by running over them in cars, a very smart
tactic for an unarmed response to dozens of police opening fire on your comrades.
The dominated and exploited Shia majority of Bahrain
are realizing the power they collectively hold as they continue their insurrection through the most severe obstacles.
Again, we are just waiting to see, and asking: what next?

FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 22

*Inmates riot at Yemen prison in
solidarity with unrest.

Algeria: Been Saying This for Years

A

lgerian youth
are also fighting
in the shadows
of Egypt and
Tunisia’s headlines. Algeria
has been a notorious country when it comes
to anti-colonial resistance. As
seen in the West through the
lens of Gillo Pontecorvo’s
film The Battle of Algiers,
this tradition was best shown
to the world in the country’s
mid-20th century uprising
against French rule. Yet while
declaring independence in
1962, as we mentioned earlier,
like all other Western colonial
nations, countries once ruled
were never forfeited without
setting the grounds for future
cooperation or servitude.
In 2010 alone, 110,000 incidents deemed “riots” requir-

ing police intervention took
place. In a country of 35
million people, that would be
almost the same as 1,000,000
instances of rioting requiring
police intervention happening
in the U.S. With unemployment and rising commodity
prices forcing the country into
one of its most fragile periods
of the last 50 years, it is quite
clear even with government
attempts to slash food prices
and pressure Muslim leaders
to quiet screaming youth, the
will of those fighting in the
streets will not give in to petty
appeasements by the state.
Algeria has remained historically
committed to defending their livelihood using any means necessary.
Whatever happens in the Arab
world though, Algeria will remain
in a state of constant crisis until the
country’s impoverished feel free.

Desperation Explodes in Yemen

Y

emen is a country that has served as a large
recruiting ground for religious guerrilla groups
like Al-Qaeda, but the rhetoric of those in
struggle is taking a very different stance.
Clearly influenced by nearby insurrections,
the people are exhausted with the primarily
foreign-funded security forces that are placed
there for Western interests.

At one time, foreign investments into security forces in Yemen were intended to keep the peace that was needed to
properly extract the oil resources there. Now, oil in Yemen
has almost completely been used up. Economic reports
have said the entirety of Yemen’s oil supply will be used
up by 2017. This contributes to the mass unemployment
and poverty in the country. Security forces there are now
funded by nearby nations to prevent revolutionary, Islamic
fundamentalist, or anti-colonial groups from having an effect on nearby oil rich countries, and to help further extract
the little oil left there, without troubling intervention from
Yemen’s poor and discontent
In a country most recently known by the West for its religious fundamentalism, it’s understood that this phenomenon results from exploited emotions of an incredibly
desperate population. Yet, it’s interesting that with a now
stronger and more unified movement of discontent, demonstrators against the government and everyday conditions
in Yemen say very little among the opposition about Allah
or Israel, and much more about the poverty enforced by
the ruling party. Multiple government and police buildings
have been burnt down, but not without the police murdering dozens in the process. In March, 45 people were
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 23

killed in broad daylight by
security forces. At the moment, Yemen’s president is
being asked to leave by other
members of his government,
hoping to quell continued
violence.
Yet when he does leave, the country
will remain raped for its resources,
and stricken by poverty. Yemen,
like the rest of the Arab world
remains in a state of asking: what
next?

Elsewhere

S

*Demonstrators in Oman celebrating outside burning government building.

maller, but in some cases equally significant demonstrations have happened in less mentioned countries like Syria
or Oman. Syria’s notoriously repressive and brutal Baath
party regime began taking steps to prevent ‘Days of Rage’
in their borders at the first sign of them in Tunisia. Like Jordan also did, the government adjusted some social services
to calm discontent, but unlike Jordan, Syria has utilized
considerably more Anti-Western rhetoric by denouncing
other Middle Eastern and North African revolts as Western conspiracies, as soon as domestic concerns of unrest captured global attention.
Yet after weeks of concern by the Syrian state, and failed organizing attempts by Syrian youth through flyering or the internet (Which usually
resulted in their imprisonment for subversive activity before taking off),
unimaginable displays of rage and frustration flooded the streets of Syria’s southern city of Daraa. Despite the rampant fear that is ingrained
in Syria’s society that has been under 48 years of emergency martial law,
rebel youth and discontent families chose to take the streets after police
arrested fifteen school children for vandalizing school property with subversive slogans supporting resistance against the Baath party, such as: ‘the
people will overthrow the regime.’ Police opened fire on demonstrators,
killing at least two, according to international reports, on the third day of
these demonstrations in Mid-March. This was after demonstrators burnt
down the Baath party’s government headquarters in the city. While the
unrest there has not nearly blown up on the same scale as some of the
situations mentioned earlier, with any knowledge of Syria over the last 50
years, common fear of the government is even more intense inside Syria’s
borders. Spokespeople for the Baath party are trying to keep things calm
after shooting and killing protesters in Daraa, hoping to prevent demonstrations from spreading across the country. They have also said that the
15 school children will be released immediately, yet at this point we are
not positive as to whether or not this have been done.

Demonstrations in Oman’s city of Sohaar also resulted in a few deaths by police, but brought proletarian
frustrations over unemployment into the pubic spotlight through a 1,000 person strong march, creating
burning barricades throughout the city’s streets at the
end of February.
Revolt is now reoccurring more than ever in this
modern era; becoming less and less borderless, and as
broad as the Arab rulers’ terrains. It is nearly impossible to capture all the events here, or even begin to
predict what is next, but the common linking points
and motivations of all these revolts are indispensable
for the dialogue of all Anarchists or revolutionaries.
As you can tell very easily, the main key linking points
are a common frustration with everyday encounters
with institutions like the police, and the poverty restrictions enforced onto the lower classes of each
Arab country by global capitalism. Whether organizers have found it easiest to aim their rage against
specific rulers or regimes, the targets of these ‘Days
of Rage,’ and the way they are made visible in Arab
streets, remain very strongly anti-authoritarian in
their nature.
While these nations are responsible for much of the wealth
in the first world, the base of these countries’ operations are
deteriorating amongst the disillusioned youth and exploited, as
they no longer want a piece of the pie, but hunger for an entirely
different everyday context.
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 24

“Why concern, why not joy that
freedom is given a chance?”-Zizek

This will also hit the rest of the world;
whether or not we like it.

I

nsurrection is empowering poor and dominated people across the Middle East and North
Africa, and with this, inevitably threatening the
comforts of the ruling first world nations. Oil
has been the largest resource responsible for
the exploitation and social structures of the
current Middle East. It is responsible for quite
more than just our gasoline prices. It is our food and
shelter prices too. Oil is the grease for the gears that
continue this industrial global era. The comforts of
our everyday lives depend on the suffering of people
struggling across the Arab world for this resource
to continue fueling our global age. With the global
economy and era we live in today, the loss or limiting of access to a resource like oil in one part of
the world has ripple effects through the rest. And
the austerity measures that many of the world’s more
comfortable nations will be forced to begin as a result of this resource disruption, will definitely start
forming a response from people all over the world,
drawing lines and strengthening tense social divisions
many of us didn’t realize were there.
These events will threaten the current state of the
first world’s wealth, and severely damage the global
economy that manages this world. It is not Sharia
law that these insurrections are calling for from their
start; it is unbridled freedom, and the end of their
exploitation, despite what the media and global authorities say. This is what’s concerning to the Western world, because part of its liberal tradition is an
understanding that the first world’s quite sad idea of
freedom stems from an assumption that it is only reserved for a few.

Many Americans and Europeans speak about the
Middle East or designated “third world”/“non-modernized” regions, as an almost geographic area that is
supposed to contain all the public corruption, brutality, and social violations in the world, leading us to
feel disconnected with and desensitized by the suffering there. But the same experiences happen across
the ghettos of American and European soil as well.
Arguing in defense of any freedom inside the Western borders that should differentiate the struggles
in the Middle East from possible struggle here, specifically in the United States, immediately wreaks of
stupidity. Any conversation that does not start off
recognizing the extermination of people and cultures
who once lived in what is now the United States already fails to recognize an essential foundation for
the structure that has become the United States. Additionally, prison sentences in the United States are
quite noticeably higher than anywhere in the world.
While the American justice system gets ignored by
human rights groups due to the sheer power of its
modern bureaucracy and organization, common statistics show that U.S. prisons certainly lead the way
in lengthy sentences and the amount of people currently incarcerated. The spectacle of “worse or better” nations or “possible or impossible” revolutions
require a bit more than American “common sense.”
Our solidarity with others struggling in the world
must not stem from a colonial or charitable perspective.
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 25

We extend our utmost solidarity with the
insurrection spreading across the Middle
East, because we share the same frustrations that stem from the everyday violence and disempowerment that is inherent to the state and capitalism.
It is incredibly complicated to write
about these situations. Most media usually seeks conclusion and assumption
through the barriers of religion and
nationality, looking for some resolution
designated by politics to us. The Middle East’s power vacuum is still booming, but what is of critical importance is
the implication of what has actually occurred, and what is continuing to occur.
The reality of the situation is that no isolated god or ideology influenced these
events. A very popular feeling of contempt for the system that makes us poor
or relies on brutal domination sparked an
uprising that originally without any formal organization, naturally chose common targets of frustration we all face.
Appointed political leaders or religious
organizations will not be able to prevent
this from continuing to escalate, because
they are part of the reasons these feelings of disempowerment stem from
such a deep feeling of resentment with
the stagnant silence that has plagued the
Arab world for too long now.
Official reports have stated that thousands (872 in Egypt alone, as of writ-

ing this) have been killed across the
Arab region as a result of police and
military repression of the insurrections.
Thousands more have been reported
imprisoned across the region as well, facing crimes of riot, looting, or blogging.
Revolutionary Arab communities are
remaining strong though, also demanding the liberation of their prisoners held
captive by the state during this incredibly
generalized revolt.
For any anarchist or revolutionary excited by a popular revolt against the state,
the potentiality of these events requires
a certain patience to see. The outcomes
of this power vacuum, or its effects on
a global scale, are certainly something to
pay attention to. But while the goal of
anti-authoritarian revolutionaries is to
act as an influential tendency in society,
as opposed to a political vanguard, the
origin of whatever happens next is both
a manifestation of partially political control, but primarily an outcome of a popular insurrection. An insurrection that
has mocked the posturing and arrogance
of modern militaries and repressive state
technology.
We can very easily see here that no matter what technology or resources the
state has (In the case of some of these
countries, the same as the United States),
the loss of public hope or faith can be
quickly influenced by a situation hundreds of miles away, and generalize into
popular revolt due to shared conditions.

This situation proves that not only is
insurrection indispensable to affect our
everyday contexts, it is proven now to be
possible in the post-modern world.
So where will this hit next?

Note:
1) Mubarak officially stepped down, but
left the country with an estimated 70
billion dollars. The same way Interpol
issued an absurd warrant for the Tunisian president Ben Ali, in an obvious attempt to appease anti-colonial/Western
sentiment in the region, international
investigators are claiming that they are
attempting to re-capture the money
Mubarak left with. As of now, the Swiss
government claims to have frozen all
Mubarak bank accounts in the country,
but have not revealed what that number has accounted to. Mubarak is also
known to have other international bank
accounts, specifically in the UK. He also
owns properties in Los Angeles, New
York City, London, and Paris. He also
has billions in investments and bullion.
Most of this money came from foreign
military funding, primarily by the United
States. At this moment, the whereabouts
of Hosni Mubarak and his family are unknown. But he is most likely unscathed,
and most likely has at least a few billion
dollar severance package for his job of
ruling the Egyptian people. While the
West may publicize some of their attempts to consequence him for exposed
“misconduct”, it is very unlikely that anything even comparable to the everyday
individual experience under his regime
will happen to him or his family. Politics
continues to be a sad game, as it shows
its cold lack of effect.

So where will
this hit next?
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 26

Post-Script

R

evolutionaries and anarchists
throughout history have seen
the awakening of discontent
people result in multiple situations, some more appealing
than others, but unfortunately
most unappealing. The process of which the current situation in the
Middle East has come about does stem from
the revolutionary situations that Anarchists
see as indispensable to gaining steps forward
in our permanent struggle against domination. That is, through common and generalized revolt against institutions that repress
and control us. The situation is not black
and white, and requires your attention and
support.
As time sensitive as this is, it could not be
ignored. What is important is that you continue to research and see what happens in
the Middle East yourselves, and try and learn
from the courage that has been shown by
struggling youth, workers, and poor people
of the region as a guideline for some of
the requirements we will need to endure as
struggles become intensified. Also, it is important to be prepared for the effects it will
have on the comforts and resources in the
rest of the world. As is mentioned above,
the pump doesn’t just feed the car. American
austerity will continue to increase with conflict in the Arab world. Inevitably, anarchists
and revolutionaries should be prepared as a
force that greets the social discontent that
comes with austerity measures by the state.
It is important to note that international
journalists have dealt with harassment, assault, and even death while reporting on the
situation in the Middle East. We will never
approach the media with trust, but maybe
due to complications in reporting, mainstream information on Arab unrest has been
considerably easier to come by. We do hope
that when furthering your research, this article has helped to provide somewhat of an
understanding as to the history and implications of this situation. As well as helped to
inspire a sense of solidarity for revolutionaries in struggle across the world with Arab
people currently in active revolt.

O

On the Prison Revolts

ne of the most inspiring things to happen
in the course of these
insurrections has been
the prison breaks. In
Tunisia, 11,000 prisoners escaped (A third of
the country’s prison population) and
in Egypt thousands escaped (Some reports estimate up to 5,000). The electrifying power of insurrection surges
through a society like both an energy
shot to the passive citizens and a virus
to the structures of control. The technicians of imprisonment and exploitation have evolved their techniques over
many generations to move away from
the stick and focus on the mind of the
prisoner/citizen. Through constantly
re-enforced mental conditioning, the
citizen/prisoner learns to obey, even
gets pleasure from obeying and acts
as de-facto police agents against those
who do not. When the spark of insurrection is lit successfully, it tears
through the society in this way, infecting everything and everyone it comes
in contact with. One of the goals of
prison designers is to effectively administrate punishment by cutting off
the prisoner from the outside world.
The more serious the punishment, the
further the prisoner will be cut off.
There is no wall high enough to keep
out the virus of insurrection. It has
shown time and time again to light a
fire in the hearts of millions and give
them seemingly superhuman strengths.
Just as adrenaline gives one the power
to lift a car by themselves to save a
comrade, insurrection abolishes the
impossible and opens new paths never
seen before.
An old story tells of a man who agrees
to become part of a scientific experiment in which he will be locked in a
cell and have to attempt to escape
within a set time period. Right away he
starts plotting, but the cell seems impossible to get out of. He hatches all
sorts of insane plans that don’t work
and injures his hands by handling the
blades of a ceiling fan he breaks off

and uses to try and dig his way out. As
he is down on his hands and knees,
dirty and bloody, the door opens and
the scientists tell him the experiment is
over and he failed. The door was never
locked to begin with and he could have
walked right out at any time.
This is the kind of path that we speak
of, the most obvious one, to get up
and assert one’s will toward the most
obvious path to freedom. While complicated escape plans of a few prisoners are very inspiring and have been
dramatized in television shows like
Prison Break and more recently Breakout, nothing compares to the near outof-body experience 11,000 Tunisian
prisoners must have felt when they
collectively decided that prison was no
place for human beings to live and they
had better places to be, namely, in the
streets fighting for freedom. We can
get a glimpse into the minds of these
former prisoners simply by their actions alone. Surely, handfuls of prisoners escape all the time around the
world, but they can expect to be hunted like prey by the authorities, often for
the rest of their lives and never live a
truly free existence. What would make
so many thousands of prisoners all at
once decide to escape? They were not
simply escaping from prison, they were
escaping into insurrection and the endless possibilities it unfolds. These people were not too stupid to think of the
negative consequences of their actions
or that they would be hunted down
like prey. They believed so passionately in the practicability of destroying
their society and the ability to live truly
free that these consequences no longer
seemed important or even likely.
The specter of insurrection spoke with a voice
that everyone could hear in their heads:

Wake up!
It’s time
to be free!
FTTP #11 - Days of Rage - Pg. 27

SCHOOL
Often compared to a prison.

This article was written and anonymously contributed
by a current high school student regarding everyday
conditions in a modern American public school.
The author is currently a junior, and hopes to
one day travel and be a self-sufficient farmer; two
goals they feel school is actively preventing them
from achieving. The author writes from a very
personal and first-hand point of view. His release
from school is expected to be in 2012.

S

chool has always been an institution that I
(among many others) find oppressing. Often
compared to a prison, a school building is a place
where permission is granted. By this I mean that
you must ask to do most things and are not allowed to do many things. I now live in a small
town, but at the last school I attended in the city
police roamed the halls. My last day there, some new rules were
implied that I didn’t like the sound of what so ever. These new
rules showed me that schools are really becoming more of that
nightmarish, horrible, dreaded place we don’t want to be at. It
made me think, “no wonder kids act out, start fights, and even
bring weapons to school! There is no excitement, there is no
wonder, there is nothing here for them but to memorize, work,
and test.” A school is a training ground to prepare more and
more of us for the corporate machine our country is.
The new rules they were implying were ridiculous. At that
school, you may not use the bathroom unless you ask a teacher
and they agree to go with you! Every teacher now has a key to
open the locked bathroom doors; they must stand outside of
the bathroom and walk you to and from class when you wish
to go. Also, if a group of kids are together wearing very similar
outfits, they are dispersed. This is the suspicion that you are
in a gang. You are not allowed to wear or carry bandannas,
scarves, headbands or any other type of head or neck covering. They took away the vending machines, and to get into the

lunchroom you must have an ID with a specific colored dot on
it. If you don’t have the ID, you don’t get to eat lunch. They will
do random locker checks and random metal detection tests of
everyone and anyone they find to be “suspicious”. Recently the
school was taken over by the state and more than half of the
children’s parents were sent a letter that they’re very close to being tried for truancy. That is a school with no room at all. Why
would anyone want to go somewhere to feel like a prisoner all
day, to feel like, at any minute you yourself might be in trouble?
I don’t know if I will ever understand such an institution.
My new school is loose compared to that school but still there
is something there keeping me from feeling like there is a future
for someone like me. Every day at my school I am questioned
about my future and what I plan to do about college. The ACT
is a test that will determine what types of colleges we can go
to. These first few days of March I will be taking that and two
other huge tests they are really stressing at my school. They are
required for graduation! Filling in all my information preparing
for this test I came across a question asking me what my after
school plan is. There were two options: “part time college student” or “full time college student.” I didn’t fill that part out.
Another multiple-choice question was “what will you be majoring in”. So I had about 13 options to choose from for my major? No. I have different interests and plans! I don’t wish to ever
be a cop, a lawyer, or a doctor. Leave it for someone else. I have
FTTP #11 - School- Pg. 28

“There is no excitement, there is no wonder, there is
nothing here for them but to memorize, work, and test.”
another purpose in life.  The teachers and kids at my school
are confused by the fact that I don’t want to utilize my out
of school time toward a college. They don’t understand why
I dress the way I do and do my hair the way I do or why I say
certain things. I wore a “Circle A” shirt to school and some kids
really called me out for it. “Oh so you want anarchy?” they said.
“Well, I don’t agree with the way this country is run and the fact
that business and consumerism controls our lives so closely” I
replied. What follow my explanations are a plethora of questions shortly followed by an ignorance of walking away. “What
is bourgeoisie, what is big business, what is consumerism?” My
question is “is this really a school?” These people I am surrounded by know nothing of the place they are living.  Education reform? Yes, bring on a reform. It should include a real
history lesson and a lesson of the times we live in. We have the
bombs in this country. The production of the foods we grow
is a corporation, the things you buy fund the corporation, and
the school you go to is basically a corporation itself. The corporations fund it and you will grow up to work at those same
corporations because you are living in a vicious circle!
Sometimes this ruins my day. I come home and sit in my dark
bedroom listening to sad music and looking at the light coming
through my basement window wondering what the outdoors
is trying to tell me by shining through my window like that. I
realized it’s telling me there is so much outside of a cage. I will
continue to go to high school. If I stop going I will be arrested
and tried for truancy. Not to mention that my family will never
stop harassing me for my choice. I am almost done, but when I
look back at 12 years of institution based rule I am somewhat
ashamed being who I am now. I have friends who want to be
cops for goodness sakes. School has done this. People wonder

why they are doing what they do at this age and they just stop.
We stop experimenting and using our hands and our minds
together. We stop creating and only make what we are told and
we are told this is our future. At a young age we are told to be
ourselves, and by the time we are teenagers they tell us if we
don’t conform we basically fail at life and will have nothing
waiting for us as adults. My doors are wide open though. College opens for me a gray corporate door. Keep it locked. I am
opening a colorful door with a job I want that I will control.
When I want to I will take my own time to travel. At school I
give people educations myself. I tell them why I think the way I
do and I tell them what I plan to do and then I tell them to live.
The best gift I think I have given is the gift of telling them what
they CAN be and how. We need to all do this. Diverge people
from what we have come to know as the norm and give them
back their voice. Use stickers and flyers and write magazine
articles like this one.
We are not alone, we are everywhere. We are beautiful and we are free.
You can be as big as a tree or small as dirt no matter where you are because
you are not a tool! You are a person with a mind and you choose what to
put into that brain and what to fill your heart with. Wonder. Each of us
has a flame inside of us. We can choose how big to make this light and
how bright it will be. A roaring, warm fire is much more wonderful than
a small, dim candle flame. Some choose to drown it and some choose to
suffocate this flame. Some people stop tending the fire and it slowly dies
down until they forgot they ever had one. Fuel the life inside you and keep
it around. Live.

FTTP #11 - School- Pg. 29

on the ongoing struggle in

D

Southern
Appalachia

uring the mine wars of the early 20th century,
Baldwin-Felts detective agents hired by the coal
companies would drive a heavily armored train
called the “Bull Moose” through striking miner
camps, shooting into the woods and tents. Organizer Ma Blizzard was quoted as saying “That
old Bull Moose would parade up and down
and shoot up the woods where the miners were. So me and
three other women decided one night to put an end to that.
We slipped out after dark, took crowbars, and pried up the rails
and rolled them down the hillside. The next morning, when the
Bull Moose came along it didn’t go on to Leewood like it was
supposed to. The men inside the train cussed and fumed and
we stood on the side laughing at them.” Ma Blizzard was also
the mother of Bill Blizzard, a union leader during the Battle
of Blair Mountain*, the largest armed insurrection in the U.S.
since the Civil War.
In Central Appalachia where the coal seams run, the coal industry has been dictating people’s lives for generations. In the
late 1800s, farmers were tricked into selling the mineral rights
of their land. Farmers who didn’t sign the “broad form” deeds
offered by the coal companies were often presented with forged
contracts; either way they lost the land their families lived on.
By the end of the nineteenth century, thousands of acres had
been bought up from farming families and re-sold or leased
to coal companies. Because people needed a new way to make

money, many became coal miners for the very companies that
had swindled them out of their land in the first place. The companies offered miners houses for their families to live in and
company stores to shop in. The miners were paid in company
“scrip” instead of real money, that could only be redeemed at
company owned stores. A practice that continued as late as the
1950s when it was finally outlawed. Under this system miners
became wage slaves to the coal companies in the most extreme
and literal sense. Workers who didn’t do whatever the coal operators demanded, risked losing their jobs, homes, and quite
possibly even their lives.
In the face of this oppression over the years there has been
much resistance in coal extraction areas. Throughout the early
20th century, West Virginia coal miners attempted to overthrow this brutal system, the largest example being the Battle
of Blair Mountain. After a generation of violent suppression
and exploitation, of getting evicted and killed for attempts to
organize for decent wages, hours, and safety, the people in the
southern coalfields of WV had begun to rise up. In 1921 in Logan County, ten thousand coal miners charged up the slopes of
Blair Mountain under the heavy machine gun fire of a private
anti-union army backed by coal operators. More than one million rounds were estimated to have been fired over the course
of the five-day battle. Eventually the federal troops were called
in to quell the conflict, dropping a combination of gas and
explosives left over from World War One on the miners. It was
FTTP #11 - Southern Appalachia- Pg. 30

also one of the few times in history that
the U.S. deployed air power against its
citizens. Though the battle did not win
all that the miners were fighting for, it
showed the strength of the people to everyone and put a fear in the hearts of the
coal operators and the companies’ ruling
class backers.
The Battle of Blair Mountain was organized both locally and state-wide in a
leaderless movement by miners and their
families. Its goals were to push for unionization of the mines and to gain basic
human rights. It remains an example of
the common man being pushed too far
and rising up and defending themselves
against all odds.
History is written by the oppressors,
and episodes like Blair Mountain that
show people taking control of their own
lives against those in power, are often
left untold. Even today Blair Mountain and many other labor uprisings are
not taught in schools. West Virginians,
let alone other Americans, don’t know

about these uprisings. But if we want to
gain inspiration and learn from our mistakes, we need to learn the history of our
own resistance.
Today, the companies are still buying land
out from under families in Appalachia
and forcing communities that have lived
there for generations to move using the
same tactics they did in the 1920s. These
tactics include intimidation, threats, eviction, or simply poisoning families out
by placing preparation plants or active
mines near their homes and ruining their
air and water. One family sells off their
land, followed by another and then a
chain reaction begins as the community
is slowly then rapidly ripped apart. This
depopulation seems to be a premeditated
goal of coal companies, once everyone
leaves the coal companies and their backers have nothing left in their way to extract coal from the depopulated valleys.
Judy Bonds, a coal field resident and activist, saw clearly what this mentality was
doing to her community. "We're a colony here, and the coal companies rule.

We can complain all we want, but those
complaints are just swept aside in the
name of progress and jobs. It's like we're
selling our children's feet to buy shoes. If
coal is so good for us hillbillies, then why
are we so poor?"
The current population of south central Appalachia is divided between those
who are concerned for their communities’ health and survival and those who
work in the coal industry and can’t afford to be concerned out of fear of being fired from their jobs. Coal companies
often hire workers that live far enough
away from the mine site, specifically
surface mines, so that there is not a personal conflict of interest. Because coal
is one of the only options for a decent
paycheck, a person with a mining job is
considered lucky. But the word “luck”
would not seem to apply to being given
the choice between starving or being
homeless, and providing for your family
by blowing up your own mountains and
poisoning your own communities.

FTTP #11 - Southern Appalachia- Pg. 31

Despite the divides that the coal corporations have managed to
create within the people who live in these hollers and mountain
ranges. For those who do stay, and in the memory of those that
have left, there is still a rich and embedded culture and identity. Because of the oppression in coal extraction areas, people
have had to continue the generational traditions of tight-knit
communities and taking care of each other. Everyone knows
everyone in their valley. Families are close and extended. Cousins, aunts, and grandparents are always nearby. Neighbors help
each other chop wood, grow food, fix vehicles, watch the kids,
and look out for each other. Children learn to fix things around
the house, to work on vehicles, find wild edible plants and medicines, cook, build and many other skills that are all but forgotten in most of the United States.

In Memory of Judy Bonds
It takes a strong person to stand up against corporations. Judy
Bonds was one of those people, a mountaineer, who stood up
against the coal companies for her heritage, her community,
and her family. She passed away January 3rd, 2011 from terminal cancer no doubt resulting from breathing toxic coal dust,
synthetic fuel dust, blasting dust, drinking “black” water and
living her whole life in the Coal River Valley close to a Massey
Energy coal strip mine. Bonds was one of the most visible and
outspoken activists against "mountaintop removal," the most
extreme mining practice in which peaks are sheared off with
explosives and pushed into the valleys to expose the coal seams
below.

The
Appalachian
mountains are an
ancient
mountain
range, rich in natural diversity, history
and culture. Though
it has been plagued
by deep-seated social
oppression for generations, resistance
and perseverance is
rich within. If we
are to take down the
corporations
that
control our lives, our
memory of previous tactics and our
knowledge of survival and connection
to the land will indeed come in handy.
People here have the
skills it takes to overthrow an oppressive
industrial dictatorship and it is the divides between people
we must overcome.
Appalachians today
are still resisting the industries that still dominate
the region, whether through the pen, the crowbar,
or simple outspoken defiance of the companies. Just
like Ma Blizzard in the mine wars, Appalachian resistance today persists, prying at the proverbial train
tracks upon which the train called industrial civilization continues to run and take pot shots at the
people it preys upon. Although it's a slow process,
sooner or later that train will run out of tracks, and
when that happens...

Judy would begin
her history lesson of
the Coal River Valley with the origin
of its’ name, when
coal was first discovered there in 1749
by a man named
John Peter Saley. “If
he had known what
agony it would have
caused, he’d have
covered it up and
kept his mouth shut.
Every law ever written about coal mining was written in our
blood.”
*The site of the Battle
of Blair Mountain is
currently under threat
of mountaintop removal
mining.

"We're a colony here, and the coal
companies rule. We can complain
all we want, but those complaints
are just swept aside in the name
of progress and jobs. It's like
we're selling our children's feet
to buy shoes. If coal is so good
for us hillbillies, then why are we
so poor?" -Judy Bonds

FTTP #11 - Southern Appalachia- Pg. 32

Against Justice
Against Peace
A follow up on: “Justice: A Dead Word”

I

n our last issue, we included an article called “Justice: A
Dead Word”.  The article was intended to expose some
of the more heinous acts of police repression in recent
times, and also to expose some responses and feelings
of common people affected or involved, as well as the
response by the state in its courts.  The main intention
of the article was to discredit public faith in the idea or
logic of “justice”, especially when those who are enforcing it
are responsible for what is being examined.  
We covered specific cases that happened across the country.  We covered a case in NYC where a juvenile detention
counselor was sentenced to ten years probation for raping multiple girls in his custody.  We covered a 6 year old girl killed by
police in Detroit while filming a reality television series.  We
covered a partially deaf homeless man who was shot by police
in Seattle.  He was shot within nine seconds of confronting
him for possessing a legal size knife he used for his profession
as a wood carver.  Other instances of police conduct in Seattle
similar to the murder were also mentioned.   We covered an
immigrant gunned down in the middle of the day by police in
LA’s Pico-Union district.  We also covered a man beaten nearly
to death in Philadelphia for simply refusing to leave the corner
from which he was waiting for his Chinese food.  Other cases
were mentioned throughout the text, and of course, many
cases were not mentioned.  We concluded the article hoping
to point out the victories that come with everyday people affected by police repression taking the desire for revenge into
their own hands, versus waiting for justice to satisfy such desires.  We wanted to follow up on that article by pointing out
what has happened in and around some of those cases since.  

Detroit

I

n the case of 6 year old Aiyana Jones, who was killed by
a police officer during the filming of a reality television
show in Detroit, very little has changed since our last issue
discussed it.  The main officer responsible for shooting
Aiyana, officer Joseph Weakley, remains on paid suspension, and continues to make no comment.  No trial procedures
have begun, other than an alleged warrant issued for one man
related to the murder of Aiyana; but investigators refuse to
even make the name of this man public.  Aiyana remains dead,
her murderer remains on paid vacation, and justice continues
to take its course, while the family continues to hope for something to quench their thirst for “resolution”.
Unrelated to Aiyana’s death, a man in Detroit randomly walked
into a police station in the heart of Detroit’s financial district
and shot 4 police this last January.  None of the officers died,
but the man who was staging the attack, Lamar Moore, was
killed in the gunfight.  The shooting happened in January, and
at first entered the headlines with much confusion.  It wasn’t
until a few weeks later that the story re-entered the headlines
after Lamar’s house burnt down, and a YouTube video of the
shooting was growing in views, that police claimed there was
a recent warrant issued for Lamar right before the shooting,
that acted as his motivation for the assault.  The warrant was
issued for his alleged kidnapping of a 13 year old girl.  The
girl’s name has not been revealed, nor has Lamar been convicted of this.  Lamar was seen as a family man by friends and
relatives, and a generally nice community minded person by his
FTTP #11 - Against Justice//Against Peace - Pg. 33

neighbors.  While kidnapping and rape are
both disgusting behaviors, they have not
been proven in this case. Posthumous allegations of rape or sexual assault of minors has remained a frequent accusation
about dead cop killers by the police, especially when they have been killed (Lovelle
Mixon or Maurice Clemmons being two
examples).  Like Lovelle Mixon, and Maurice Clemmons, there will not be any conclusive explanation of his motivations. In
all three cases, each man lived in notoriously repressive environments, each three
men had accusations of rape or sexual assault of minors by police after they were
accused of killing police, and all three
men were killed by police before having a
chance to communicate their reasons for
their actions, or defend themselves before
the public.

*Anti-Cop demonstrator
writing ‘Fuck Cops’ in
Seattle on March 15th

An Exaggerated
Practice of Freedom

Seattle

J

ohn T. Williams, who was a homeless wood carver killed in cold
blood by Seattle police, has sparked
a wave of discontent and unrest in
Seattle.  Tension in Washington
between everyday people and police has
escalated quite noticeably in the last 15
years.  Anarchists have seen this consistent
tension as an opportunity to provide a new
perspective on the incidents.  They have
acted as a force that is pushing demonstrations of discontent in more uncontrollable directions.  An article is included here,
outlining some of the responses made by
both Anarchist groups as well as others in
Washington letting police across the state
know that they are not welcome.  

In the aftermath of a traumatic event in which the police suddenly and brutally reveal their true
face, the mayor and the chief of police and other politicians--as well as their lackey media--offer
such promises as “justice” to distract us from the reality of how fast power decomposes. We have
glimpsed the fragility of this system in the fear in the eyes of the cops, in the quivering of Ian
Birk’s testimony. In every gesture of condemnation of the cops there is a germ of revolt against
the entirety of this world that crushes us. The act of vengeance is infinitely sweeter than anything
this world could offer up.’ -From a text distributed in Seattle; January 2011

T

he account that follows covers a single month of activity
against the police in Seattle.
The larger wave of activity
first emerged in the spring of
2010, inspired by anarchist actions in
Portland in response to killings by the
police. The demonstrations that took
place in April of that year were the first
time anarchists had a street presence in
Seattle since the WTO in 1999. 
January 20th  was the final day of an
inquest into the death of the late John
T. Williams, a Nu-chah-nulth woodcarver who was murdered by an SPD
officer named Ian Birk. The inquest results came from a jury, most of whom
found that Williams posed no immanent threat. The results of the inquest
would be taken into consideration by
the prosecuting attorney as to whether
or not Birk should be tried for mur-

der. The four or five rounds that the
pig fired in a matter of seconds were
an indication not only of the fact that
Birk was out for blood, but also that
he--and cops in general-- are afraid of
us all.
On that night, a march was called by
the October 22nd coalition, a front
group for the Maoist cult the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) who
unfortunately had been allowed to
dominate the dissident discourse in the
wake of the death of the late John T.
with calls for justice and recruitment
into their group.
In an effort to subvert the RCP’s
stronghold, a small group of anarchists
attended in an interventionary fashion,
distributing leaflets entitled “There is
no Justice—Just Vengeance.” As the
march moved through the sidewalks
FTTP #11 - Against Justice//Against Peace - Pg. 34

of downtown Seattle, people licked the
backs of fliers and posted them on the
windows of restaurants and shops. Many
fliers were thrown into the air and traveled down the streets of the city. 
When the march came to Westlake Plaza
the anarchists started to scream, “Fuck
the RCP!” People began to block the
intersection in all directions. The five or
ten people blocking traffic kept screaming at the pacified, boring crowd, calling
them cowards, imploring them to get on
the street. When the cops arrived, people
stood their ground. It was clear on this
night that there was much anger for the
police in Seattle.
Over the next two weeks, tensions were
escalating and so was the effort by the
police to counteract the deepening of a
divide by presenting opportunities for
collaboration. On January 27th the Seattle Police Department hosted a police
accountability forum at the University of
Seattle. In response to this, anarchists issued a call to “burn the bridges they are
building” and disrupt the smooth functioning of the SPD’s counter-insurgency
operations. Anarchists arrived with wellarticulated leaflets explaining “police accountability” as a contradiction of terms
and why the police should be treated as
enemies, not negotiated with or asked
to improve. The police chief was there
along with a small collection of bourgeois pigs concerned with crime prevention.

lets were distributed and conversations
were struck up about the activities of
the police. These conversations were
surprisingly similar to the dynamic conversations that took place on the streets
of Seattle last summer when anarchists
were out spreading counter-information
about the escalation of violence by the
police. Something was similar, the tone
was the same; the hatred for the police
that was clear in those weeks was again
apparent after the relative lull in anarchist street presence. 
Just a few days later, on February 1st,
about sixty anarchists from Seattle and
Tacoma gathered for a second anarchist
assembly “to address the problem of the
police” (the first was in September 2010).
One initiative that was announced at the
assembly was the disruption of the next
SPD counter-insurgency operation—a
police accountability forum, hosted and
promoted by a city paper and entitled
“Where do we go from here?” The idea
of intervening in the forum was to once
again sabotage any effort by the police
to improve their image, promote citizencop collaboration, and channel animosity
into dialogue.

These goals were not only met but exceeded as the forum at City Hall on February 3rd quickly devolved into conflict
and became highly polarized. Instead of
a normal situation in which the police
and “citizens” are seen as two poles, a
split became apparent between the police and their allies on the one hand (inPeople arrived with black flags and hun- cluding activists sitting on the panel who
dreds of fliers with the header “Police criticized certain police policies and adare the Absolute Enemy.” When the Se- vocated their improvement) and on the
attle chief of police John Diaz arrived, other, those who refused to work with
he was handed one of the fliers and told, the police even for their reform. It wasn’t
“This one’s for you!” Some people went only anarchists leafleting and chanting
inside to pass out fliers. Once the meet- outside and storming in to disrupt the
ing commenced and no one else was al- forum; people inside also stood up to
lowed to enter the building, some people yell and curse at the panelists, encouragwent around the neighborhood while ing the audience to walk out, and warnchanting against the police and placing ing against dialogue with one’s enemies.
leaflets under windshield wipers before In the end, Rick Williams, the brother
returning to the campus. They went in- of the late John T. Williams had shook
side the student center, with campus the chief ’s hand and asked disrupters to
security in pursuit, and found it packed stop, while the attempt by the SPD to
with hundreds of students eating dinner.  save face was widely regarded as a total
On all three floors of the building, leaf- failure.

On February 5th, two days after the embarrassment at City Hall, some comrades
who have done anti-police organizing
had their house invaded by cops during
a party. Cops beat several people, threatened one with murder, and arrested three
on bogus charges that were all quickly
dismissed or stayed.
While two of them were still in jail, a
noise demonstration at the jail was called
for mere hours later. Incredibly, around
fifty people came out, all in black and
clearly pist off. A security camera was
destroyed, and at one point a metal trash
can was thrown at an approaching cop.
Hearing the uproar, prisoners pounded
on the windows and began to chant “All
cops are bastards!” across the cell blocks.
The comrades were soon released.
February 12th: another rally called by the
RCP gathered in downtown Seattle on a
stormy afternoon. For the first time at
one of the many RCP anti-police demos,
an anarchist bloc formed--about forty
individuals masked up and many carrying heavy flags. Whereas a year prior the
SPD immediately attacked a march that
took the street and were met with paint
bombs and dumpsters, now the cops
kept their distance. The march snaked
through downtown streets, hurling thousands of fliers into the air. After some
time the crowd headed toward a precinct
up the hill from downtown. Some objects were pulled into the streets to slow
down the police cruisers; bicycle cops
soon arrived to try to contain the crowd.
At the precinct, a parked cop car was
brazenly attacked with a hammer until
a window broke. As the cops rushed in,
the bloc defended itself and then deftly
disappeared. In the melee, two individuals were isolated and arrested on interference charges.
Three days later the County Prosecutor
announced that he would not be filing
charges against Ian Birk for the murder
of John T. Williams. On the same evening a Facebook event appeared calling
for a rally and march the next evening.
Also that evening, an anarchist call was
made for actions to take place along the
west coast on February 26th to 27th in
FTTP #11 - Against Justice//Against Peace - Pg. 35

solidarity with the comrades who’d been
attacked by the police and “against the
police and the prison world they maintain.”
There’s no way to account for what happened the night of February 16th; the
experience was that of a sea of people
roving the streets for hours and hours.
Again on this night, the heavy sky did
not deter the crowds. Huge marches split
into smaller ones; marches converged
into larger ones; people went home and
more joined in. Thousands of leaflets
littered the streets for days afterwards.
Maoists and anarchists alike were lost
in the sea of people, which was out of
the control of anything except a general
tendency towards lawfulness. No arrests
were made.
Another Facebook event called for a
return to the streets on the 18th. Once
again, no leader had organized this event;
many people showed up, though fewer
than two nights before. On this clear
night under the light of a full moon, lawfulness was quickly abandoned. As the
rally was beginning, several blocks away
someone was opening the gas line at a
downtown police precinct and filling the
building with flammable fumes. The police were forced to evacuate while the fire
department was called in. Meanwhile, the
march began, and the air was filled with
tension along with more thousands of
leaflets and the smoke from flares. For a
short while, efforts were taken to eject a
news camera and undercover cops from
the black bloc in order to enable further
activity.
Then the crowd turned onto a street on
which all the streetlights were mysteriously off and a cop car and paddy wagon were both stuck in traffic. The rear
windshield of the cruiser was smashed
out by a rock, causing the driver to jump
out in a fit. In the confusion, the cop forgot to put his car in park, and it slammed
into the paddy wagon. The cops tried to
counteract their humiliation with some
random attacks, and a short fight ensued.
Someone was pepper sprayed, things
(including flares) were thrown at the police, an undercover cop was ejected from

the bloc and then clocked in the base of
the skull with a flag pole, horse police
charged, and a smoke bomb was thrown
in an attempt to cause more chaos. Some
people mistook the smoke combined
with the smell of pepper spray for tear
gas and many left the area to regroup.
Again the city was taken by a roving
march that lasted for hours—perhaps as
long as six hours this time. In the night,
a spontaneous noise demonstration was
made outside the jail while prisoners inside pounded their windows; the march
made its way through downtown and
then to the precinct on the hill again;
more people were pepper sprayed; like
the other night, there is no way to account for even a fraction of what took
place. One person was arrested by a
snatch squad while dispersing from
the march and accused of breaking the
cruiser window (though it had happened
many blocks before); the charge has been
stayed.
In the late hours of that same night, the
facade of a Seattle police drop-in station
was attacked with an incendiary device.
In July of last summer, the same target
had been painted with anti-cop slogans
twice in the midst of anarchist demos in
solidarity with the anti-police activity in
Oakland, California. Also in July, on the
night after a Seattle cop got off without
charges for beating a 15-year-old girl in a
holding cell (the incident which inspired
Christopher Monfort’s attacks), it was attacked with hammers (a crime for which
two individuals were captured, charged
and ultimately sentenced to community
service).
On February 26th, during the days of
west coast solidarity against the police,
a flash mob of about twenty-five anarchists met in the frigid night on the
corner of Boren and Howell, the intersection where John T. Williams was murdered. They roped off the intersection
with caution tape and a couple sections
of fencing, someone painted “FUCK
THE PIGS” on the street and on the
side of a building. A cop car approached
and began broadcasting warnings over
the car’s loudspeaker, only to be met

with ‘Fuck you’s and a fire extinguisher
unloaded through the open driver’s
window. It drove away. Other cops arrived and the crowd moved on up the
hill, painting slogans, throwing leaflets
on the way, and covering its tracks with
caltrops. At the top of the hill another
cruiser tried to follow the march, only to
get stuck in the blocked traffic and the
various materials blocking the street. A
luxury car and a security camera were attacked, storefronts were paint-bombed,
and flares and fireworks were thrown at
the pursuing cruisers while more graffiti
was painted against the cops. A fire extinguisher was used to obscure the cops’
vision as the mob dispersed. Three individuals were pursued and captured by the
police on multiple misdemeanor charges.
They were released later that night with
their charges stayed.
The next night a couple hundred miles
south in Portland, a police substation
was attacked with rocks “in solidarity
with our comrades in Seattle and the recent uprisings against the police on the
west coast.” Also that night but further
north, a Tacoma Police Department
building was hit with paint and had all
its windows smashed out as part of the
west coast days of action. Also in Portland, two banners against the police were
hung from highway overpasses.
And, as of this writing, our mouths are
dry from spitting at the police, but nothing that has happened yet has come close
to satiating our thirst for vengeance. In
fact, now that we are thinking about it,
our mouths are watering at the thought
of what is to come.
Post-Script
Since this article, Anarchists have continued to be persistent in their resistance
to the police.  Police have started sweeping and attacking demonstrations more
harshly as the campaign becomes more
consistent and contentious.  Fourteen
arrests were made in the last few weeks
alone, and police are appearing to be less
and less concerned about public judgment, possibly due to a more and more
noticeable deterioration in public faith in
FTTP #11 - Against Justice//Against Peace - Pg. 36

police conduct.  At the same time actions by both Anarchists,
as well as random assaults on police by anonymous civilians
has continued.  Solidarity with those arrested was displayed
in attacks on police cruisers in Olympia. Or in an attack on
a Chase bank branch in Seattle that left windows covered in
black paint and locks glued, where a communiqué claiming the
action stated that: “This act of revenge was done not simply
against the bank but against the police who protect the tortuous coils of capital. This is but a blow to this world of death
with which we are at War.” The same action was reproduced
in Tacoma shortly after at a Wells Fargo bank stating solidarity
with those arrested in Montreal also struggling against police
repression.  In the town of Lakewood, the same place Maurice
Clemmons killed four sitting-duck police in a local coffeehouse
last year, authorities are currently looking for a man that pulled
out a shot gun on an officer during a speeding chase.  This lead
to the police officer turning scared into a ditch. Since Maurice’s
death an almost one million dollar law suit has been granted
to his family for damages to their property as well as unlawful
arrests.  While Anarchists across the country struggle to figure out ways to intervene in the increasingly common discontent felt among Americans with the police, what has happened
around police conduct in Washington, and what will most likely
happen in the future, is important to look at for those interested in pushing these feelings among all of society.
Post-Post-Script
After this article was completed, a few more things happened
in the North West anti-police and anarchist movement that are
worth noting. An anonymous arsonist attempted to set a police substation in Olympia on fire in the early morning hours
of March 16th. This was the same police substation that had
its windows smashed out on March 5th. Two weeks after the
arson attempt, a local anarchist reported that he was followed
and harassed by a white SUV that attempted to interrogate
him. The two men in the SUV told him after he stated that
he didn’t knew who they were, and he wanted to be left alone,
“Bullshit, you know who we are, we know who you are, you
and all your little buddies better cut this shit out”. The individual being harassed by the obvious police remained jogging
throughout the conversation, and although they demanded that
he get in their car, he simply remained silent and continued his
run after they did not answer him when he asked if he was
being detained. Police have been seen taking pictures and spying on different “anarchist” oriented houses in Olympia since
the attacks as well. In Tacoma, on March 14th, three police
cruiser windows were destroyed with paint mixed with etching fluid. The action communicated that solidarity knows no
borders, and was conducted with Anarchists under-going harsh
police repression in Chile. Solidarity actions with the on-going
conflict against the police in Washington have been claimed
in other cities like Santa Cruz, CA, Portland, OR, Vancouver,
Canada, and Philadelphia, PA. Police have reportedly killed
two more unarmed men in the second week of March 2011,
shortly before we prepare for print.

We recommend viewing the following site for information on
the continuing struggle in the NW: pugetsoundanarchists.org

“As anarchists we know we can not find
justice under the state and capitalism.
Instead we seek to find vengeance.”
-From Anarchist flyer left at demonstrations in recent weeks against the
police. This was a quote that also appeared on the Glenn Beck show,
before he describes a “common bond, to destroy the western world.”

Philly

O

n September 4th 2010, a man named Askia Sabur was
beaten by multiple officers outside a Chinese food restaurant in Philadelphia.  After refusing to leave before
his food was done, police began to beat Askia with
their batons.  A crowd emerged around the incident,
scolding police for the beating.  As they refused to stop beating
him, Askia was forced to raise his hands against the blows, desperately trying to deter more direct blows to his skull.  When
the crowd began to become more hostile as the beating continued, one of the officers pulled a gun out on the crowd. The incident became national headlines after the beating surfaced on
YouTube.  Up until that point, the police continued to defend
the beating as proper police procedure, stating that “police
work is not always pretty”.  Since the incident, an ACLU lawsuit has been filed, and charges of resisting arrest and assault
on an officer against Askia have been dropped.  These charges
were not dropped though until 3 months later after consistent
public pressure on the department.  
Throughout the case, relatives of Askia, specifically his sister, have been subject to harassment and intimidation by police.  She has been followed, visited at her home, and pointed
out at demonstrations in support of her brother.  Supporters
of Askia and members of the neighborhood he was attacked
in have demonstrated a complete lack of faith in the police
investigation, despite federal intervention. Approaching police
with demands, supporters have stated that they will continue
to struggle against police whether or not the law permits it
until said demands are met. Supporters of Askia have stated
that they are fed up and have started local police watch campaigns in their neighborhoods.  Networking around community frustration with the police, these police watch campaigns
have helped to bring the community together more efficiently
to help with police repression on their blocks.  And while they
have remained peaceful despite tensions, they have suggested
that they will have “justice” served, by any means necessary,
and with a “people’s court” if need be.  Neighborhoods in
Philadelphia continue to struggle to be heard as they chant
“Who runs these streets? Not the police!”
FTTP #11 - Against Justice//Against Peace - Pg. 37

New York

Conclusion

A

We wanted to do somewhat of a follow up on
our “Justice” article from
the last issue.  This was
to point out some of the
ways Anarchists or revolutionary
people are responding to the tensions.  This was also to bluntly point
out the disappointments inherent to a
faith in justice.

Another case we mentioned at the end
of this article in issue 10 was the killing of DJ Henry by Mt. Pleasant police.  DJ was a football player at Pace
university, a black male, and the son
of a Massachusetts police officer.  DJ
was killed after an officer jumped on
the hood of his car and shot into the
front window, killing DJ in the driver’s seat and one of his team mates
sitting in the passenger seat.  The
police officer claims that they were
trying to flee them, but those who
survived claim that DJ was moving
his car, after being asked by the police
to move out of the fire lane he was
parked in. After being shot DJ was
left to die while his team mates were
forced to watch from behind police
lines.  Police waited fifteen minutes
before calling an ambulance, and arrested his team mates struggling to
help him.  It wasn’t until March 10th
that charges were dropped against his
team mates for allegedly “obstructing
justice”.  Despite federal investigations, grand juries, and the obvious
extra attention paid to the murder
of a police officer’s son, the  white
Pleasantville, NY police officer,
Aaron Hess, has yet to face any legal
scrutiny for murdering DJ, wounding
his team mate, and arresting those attempting to save DJ’s life.

W

And justice prevails?

lmost no news has come up
since we reported on the
convicted child molester and
rapist Tony “Tyson” Simmons.  In our last issue we
mentioned Tony after a judge sentenced him to ten years probation for
raping and threatening three teenage
girls who were in his custody.  He was
suspected of multiple other rapes as
well throughout his time as a juvenile
counselor, which extended over a decade.  It appears that if NYC’s major
local paper “The Daily News” did not
report on the incident, we would never have seen anything about it.  Other
then that paper, and some blogs scrutinizing the judge for his sentence, all
we have seen is a petition against justice’s conclusion in the case.

Aiyana
Jones

DJ
Henry

Askia
Sabur

John T.
Williams

FTTP #11 - Against Justice//Against Peace - Pg. 38

On the Obstacles before Revolt

Repression

*Face of accused cop killer Esteban Carpio on his first day in court in 2005.
After being held in police custody.

Solidarity

REPRESSION

‘no one will ever have to endure it alone’

Supporting each other.
Learning from each other.
Standing strong together.

T

his section is reserved for updates and news clips regarding state repression of individuals or communities in active revolt against society as we know it. We also hope to draw attention to new strategies
of state repression. Although, due to space issues, we have chosen
to prioritize mostly cases that have happened or are on-going in
North America. We have a few international articles, but we apologize for missing others that we would have liked to include here.

Struggle is a constant occurrence. It’s indispensable that we stay informed of what others are
going through as a result of their opposition to our common conditions. This is what allows
our communities in revolt to set a precedent for one another: that when times are tough, and the
state is on the offensive, no one will ever have to endure it alone

Kevin Olliff Released from Prison

Bonanno Released

O

ince our last issue Alfredo Bonanno has
been released from Greek prison. He was
facing 4 years for an alleged bank robbery that his codefendant claims he had
no part in. Alfredo, now 73 years old, has
been a committed and influential insurrectionary
anarchist in the world for decades. The conditions
of his release were that he was to be released into
Greek police custody, and immediately transferred
to Italy from Larissa, Greece (Where he was being held). Reports note that Interpol was informed
of Bonanno's transfer back to Italy, and Bonanno's
supporters in Greece were greeted and escorted by
riot police, motorcycle police, and Greece's antiterror unit. Alfredo's codefendant, Christos Stratigopoulos, remains in prison, serving an 8 year and
3 month sentence. Alfredo is not currently asking
for support, but being the well-respected person he
is, we felt the need to note his current well-being.
Details regarding his current state in Italy have
been hard to find.

n November 11th, 2011, Kevin Olliff
was released from prison after more
than a year and a half behind bars.
Kevin has been a victim of reoccurring repression in southern California
of animal liberation activists. A statement on his
release from his support group came out stating:

Kevin was charged with “stalking” for his role in the
POM Wonderful and UCLA campaigns in Los Angeles, both targeting enterprises responsible for experimenting on animals. That Tuesday a judge sentenced him
to three years in prison. In California’s prison system,
prisoners serve about half their sentence. The three-year
sentence translated to his immediate release.
Very little news on Kevin’s case was publicized during
his incarceration. With the lack of updates made public,
the case of Kevin Olliff was sadly under-publicized and
under-noticed by the animal rights movement, despite its
serious implications (Kevin was convicted merely of participating in home demonstrations). Most of the news on
Kevin Olliff was dominated by exaggerated and inaccurate news reports, claiming Kevin was a “member of the
Animal Liberation Front.”
Kevin was never accused of any direct A.L.F. activity.
The state did allege he was part of a criminal street gang,
and that the Animal Liberation Front met this standard. This assertion was based on a misunderstanding
of what the ALF is — in other words, the state said
that by participating in home demos where some of the
chants conveyed messages of support for the ALF, that
Kevin was therefore a part of the ALF. At no point
were there any allegations by the prosecution that Kevin
did anything beyond the demonstrations; no allegations of
liberations, break ins, or property destruction.
Kevin has five years of probation ahead of him, but he
is out of prison. Welcome home.

S

Jonathan Paul Released
onathan Paul, sentenced to roughly 5 years
for several eco-sabotage related charges,
was recently released to a halfway house.
He was one of the non-cooperating defendants who received jailtime as a result of
the FBI's "operation backfire" case, where multiple
individuals were arrested and charged for multiple
attacks on anti-earth and anti-animal infrastructure
and businesses, happening over the last 15 years.

J

You can write letters congratulating him at:
Friends of Jonathan Paul
PMB 267, 2305 Ashland Street, Suite C
Ashland, Oregon 97520
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 40

Final Update from the
‘Love Park 4’

S

tatement from the ‘Love Park 4’
below:

Love Park 4 No More!
“Cops wanna knock me, D.A. wanna box
me in. But somehow, I beat them charges like
Rocky” -Jay-Z
Its been a long time since we sent out any news
on our case; almost a year by our calculations,
because until now, there was nothing new to report. After last February’s frustratingly comedic
court date, we heard nothing about our case or
the plea deal we had been offered. Calls to our
lawyers yielded the same - they hadn’t heard a
peep about our case from the District Attorney’s
office. Checking our court dockets and calling
the courts, it seemed the case had been forgotten about. Then in late November the District
Attorney’s office awoke from their slumber and
scheduled a court date so we could accept the plea
offer; and end this case once and for all.
On December 9th, we returned to court yet
again. We appeared in front of the judge and
verbally agreed to the plea; all 8 misdemeanor
charges were reduced to a single summary offense of disorderly conduct (the equivalent of a
traffic summons). Making the deal even better,
there would be no further punishment, meaning
no fine or probation. The judge made sure we
understood what we were agreeing to, and told
us all to have a nice day. Truth be told, we were
expecting a much more formal process, but that
was it. Three and a half years of court proceedings, having charges, and being on bail resolved
in under 90 seconds. Anti-climatic? Yes, but a
huge relief for us, our friends, and our families.
A good deal for us in the end, and no better time
of year for it to happen.
The last thing left was for us to get our bail
money back. We should have known better, but
that’s a task that’s going to be a lot easier said
than done. At the bail refund window, we were
told to return in 20 days with our bail receipts
and ID. Once we do that, then it’ll be another
2-3 weeks until they cut checks and mail them to
us. As $500 of this bail money was community
raised, we wanted to let people know that we
will be using a portion of that money to pay
our court fees. The remainder will be donated to

comrades in Phoenix who were arrested trying
to stop the National Socialist Movement from
marching in their city. For more information on
that legal case, see Phoenix Class War Council’s
reportback: Riot, Si Se Puede!
Thank You(s)
Last but definitely not least, we wanted to thank
everyone that has stood by us and supported us
during this court case. We wouldn’t have been
able to do this without all the moral, emotional
and financial support people showed us. We
are all very thankful for the wonderful family,
friends and comrades we have.
First and foremost, our fantastic lawyers Larry
Krasner and Paul Hetznecker. You saw this
case all the way through to the end and did a
great job defending us. Thank you for all your
time, effort, and brilliant strategy.
We also want to specifically thank a few others who went above and beyond in their support
(this is not by any means an exhaustive list, so
please don’t be offended if you are not named
specifically - we still appreciate everything you
did for us!):
Shoelacetown Anarchist Black Cross
Hit the Bricks Distro
Fire to the Prisons
The Anti-Racist Action Network
The Defenestrator
EM, CP, JCR, CK, SM
And finally to the cops, the courts, the KKK,
and all our enemies in between:
Thanks for strengthening our resolve and making us pledge to fight even harder in the future!
We will never give up! We will never surrender!
Much love and solidarity,
Tom, Jared, Jason
Release Expected
for Helen Woodson

F

or the first time in 27 years, antinuclear resister Helen Woodson
is expected to be released on
September, 9th, 2011. In 1984
she was arrested for going to
a Missouri nuclear missile silo with a
sledgehammer and attacking the silo

until apprehended. Being released only
once from prison since the arrest, she is
currently imprisoned for attending another anti-nuclear demonstration upon
her first release from jail as part of a parole violation.
Please write Helen letters of congratulation before her release at:
Helen Woodson #03231-045
FMC Carswell - Max Unit
Post Office Box 27137
Ft. Worth, Texas 76127
David Japenga

D

avid Japenga was arrested during an anti-G20 march in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in September 2009. He spent one year on
house arrest awaiting trial. At
his trial, in August 2010, he was convicted by a jury of five criminal counts; three
counts of property destruction, one
count of possessing an instrument of a
crime, and one count of providing false
identification. In November 2010, he
was sentenced to 6–18 months in prison. He was released on December 13th,
2010 on early parole after serving just
four months of his sentence. It is exceptional when a prisoner is released upon
completion of their minimum sentence;
it is extraordinary when they are released
prior to their minimum. The following is
an examination of the actions taken in
solidarity with Japenga that preceded his
early parole:
Early on, solidarity was expressed by
having a large number of people present
at the court during all proceedings. When
Japenga was remanded in the court room
and incarcerated in Allegheny County
Jail, a noise demonstration was held on
the same night at the jail. Similar demonstrations happened on three separate
occasions during the duration of Japenga’s incarceration. While these demonstrations did not cause a disruption
to the functioning of the courts or jail,
they were mentally and emotionally supportive. Also, they illustrated that there
was a contingency of people prepared to
respond to the attack against Japenga.
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 41

“Regardless, when those
with whom we have affinity are
attacked by a shared enemy,
it is to our immediate advantage
to counterattack.”
On November 23rd, 2010, after three months of post-conviction incarceration, Japenga was brought to the court from
jail for his sentencing hearing. The judge handed down a prison sentence of 6–18 months. The next day local corporate
news outlet WTAE reported, “police said that 10 to 15 people
dressed in black and carrying signs smashed 13 windows at the
PNC Bank.” This equated to about $100,000 worth of damage
and occurred at the exact same intersection where the property
destruction of which Japenga was convicted occurred; an attack that caused over six times the amount of damage of which
Japenga was convicted. While no claim for responsibility was
issued by any group or individual, the media and police assert
that this attack was in direct retaliation for the results of the
sentencing hearing.
One week later, a Pittsburgh activist group, Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG), called for a march and rally on November 30th. POG called for the rally to be against neo-liberalism
and globalization, and in solidarity with Japenga. The police
presence in the area on the night of the rally was enormous.
Those listening to police scanners heard reports of police being stationed in other parts of the city in case the rally was a
diversionary tactic for action elsewhere. The overwhelming police presence led to a completely unremarkable and very short
lived rally. While the rally was suppressed, one would estimate
that this cost a considerable amount of the city’s money and
labor for an event in which no crimes were committed and no
arrests were made.
Two weeks later, on December 13th, Japenga was unexpectedly
released for early parole. Correlation does not prove causation.
That is to say, while Japenga’s early parole followed the above
events, that does not prove that the said events caused his early
parole. Nevertheless, this author believes these events concretely affected the judge’s decision to release him early. One
should draw their own conclusions.
Regardless, when those with whom we have affinity are attacked by a shared enemy, it is to our immediate advantage to
counterattack. If we can make our counterattack cost more
than our enemy is likely to gain from their attack, it is possible
that our enemy will capitulate.
Japenga has a minimum of seven years of parole and reporting probation to complete. He owes $16,000 restitution before
his probation will be closed; $13,000 of which is owed to the
University of Pittsburgh.

On the 3 Arrested for Last Year’s
Ottawa RBC Branch Bombing
he case against 3 individuals in Canada for the firebombing of a RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) branch
in Ottawa, Canada, has come to an end. The bombing
resulted in 1.6 million dollars in damage, and more or
less the obliteration of the branch. The bombing was
claimed by an autonomous underground group calling itself
“Fighting for Freedom Coalition - Ottawa”. Thirty-two-year
old Matthew Morgan-Brown, fifty-year old Claude Haridge,
and fifty-eight-year old Joseph Roger Clement were the three
men originally arrested for the attack. The group claimed the attack was a result of the bank’s specific funding of the Vancouver Olympics and drilling in western Canada’s tar sands. Due
to lack of evidence, the charges were dropped against Brown
and Haridge, although Haridge still may face charges for stockpiling firearms. Joseph Roger Clement on the other hand was
convicted of both the firebombing as well as another attack on
an RBC branch where the windows and ATM machines were
sabotaged. On December 6th, Roger was sentenced to 3 1/2
years in Canadian prison. It is important to note that Roger
was defiant in the face of the court when it came to giving any
information against the two other men arrested in relation to
the bombing.

T

Please write letters of support and solidarity to Clement at:
Joseph Roger Clement (FPS-420268X)
Pittsburgh Institution
Highway 15, No. 3766
Post Office Box 4510
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 5E5
Canada

Update On Christopher Monfort

C

hristopher Monfort has been mentioned multiple
times in this publication. At the moment Christopher
faces the death penalty for the alleged murder of a
retired Seattle police detective and a bombing that left
three Seattle police cars completely destroyed. At each
incident, Christopher allegedly left a pamphlet regarding the
beating of a 15-year-old Black girl by two officers in a holding cell that was caught on camera. Christopher has virtually
no criminal history, and has received little support due to his
disconnection from any political community.
Last year, after receiving a tip, police raided his house, paralyzed him from the waist down after shooting him three times,
and then arrested him. Christopher’s arrest followed close on
the heels of another attack in Washington at a coffee shop by
a man named Maurice Clemmons. That attack ended with four
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 42

dead cops. Maurice was later caught and
killed by officers, following raids on his
house, and multiple arrests of his family
members.
Christopher and Maurice are seen by
some as an extreme response to the police repression that is rampant in Washington state. Christopher’s and Maurice’s
alleged attacks are helping to justify more
coordinated police responses to direct
attacks on their personnel and infrastructure in Washington state. This is taking
form in “Blue Alert,” resembling the already in place Amber Alert for children,
but dedicated to police. We are assuming
this will enable a quicker and swifter kill
or revenge by police on fleeing suspected
attackers and can only see this resulting
in officially justified police killings of innocent people.
Although Christopher is currently paralyzed and “behind enemy lines,” he has
continued to express his frustration. At
each of his court appearances last year
he disrupted procedures by banging on
the defendant’s table about some of the
cases that drove his animosity toward the
police. One instance Monfort brought
up at his last court appearance is that of
two cops who had charges dropped after
beating and using racial slurs against a
Mexican-American immigrant. The incident made international news after it was
seen on YouYube, but would not have
been noticed otherwise. His most recent
court appearance in December included
him reading the names of some of the
people killed by Washington police in recent years-- most of which have resulted
with dropped charges or petty consequences. Christopher may not spout the
same rhetoric as many anarchists, but he
most certainly shares much of the frustration and contempt for the police that
anarchists are driven by.
Little information is available about
Chris’s well being or current legal situation, as he faces death row. And yet his
is an important case to monitor, for his
feelings are certainly becoming more and
more common among those who deal
with everyday police repression.

As Christopher has put it to the public:

“Awaken
from your slumber...
We’ll fight and
we’re everywhere.
You can’t
see us coming.”
-Christopher Monfort

Five Somali Pirates
Sentenced to Life in Prison
by Virginia Military Court

S

omalia’s pirates in recent years
have made international headlines as an almost comedic or
ironic phenomenon due to the
sheer irony of their behavior
taking place in the modern world. At the
same time, although some liberal sympathy to the conditions motivating their
acts has been sparked by the attention,
the pirates have caused millions of dollars in damage to the international shipping industry, and inevitably created a
larger disruption to the normalcy and
comfort of international trade around
the African continent. Despite some gestures of understanding from the liberal
first world, it is not nearly enough to help
continue the needed attention to protect
pirates who have been captured by international security forces and charged with
crimes designed to protect the flow of
global trade.
Years after an alleged attempt by so called
“Somali pirates” to capture a United
States Navy Ship, five Somali men were
arrested for the crime, then convicted of
piracy. On Tuesday, March 2011, the five
men were sentenced to life in prison by
a military court in Virginia. The sentence
was made possible through the use of
Civil War era ‘maritime laws’ that were
designed to strengthen the battle against
growing concerns of piracy at the time.
The defense attorneys for the five men
claim that they were desperate fishermen
forced to take arms by pirate groups
profiting off of kidnapping, ransoms,

and stolen cargo. They were also told
that the ship was a typical trade ship, not
a United States Naval Ship. It quickly
became clear that the ship was in fact a
Navy vessel when shots taken from the
fishermen’s small boat were met with
military grade machine gun fire.
This sentence is a statement by international trade, setting a precedent for
impoverished groups that any disruption to the flow of goods overseas will
be punished to the fullest extent. The
irony here is that Somalia’s history of
being colonized by Western nations has
played a huge role in setting the conditions of poverty that have motivated
these continuing acts of piracy. Like
most of Africa, the conditions mourned
and exploited by Western charities stem
from historical impositions of economies profiting from abundant resources
on the continent, or in the cases of the
trans-Atlantic slave trade or the modern
diamond industry, the literal labor and
bodies of Africans themselves.
Somalia’s pirates are an example of Africans taking things into their own hands,
at the expense of those seen responsible
for everyday poverty. These five men’s
lives have been taken from them, while
they are still breathing, for what the
prosecution says was maybe a 10,000 to
40,000 dollar ransom attempt, that resulted in no one being killed.
Steve Murphy

I

n April 2010 eco-prisoner Steve
Murphy was sentenced to 5 years in
prison, plus 3 years of supervised release. He was convicted of conducting an “Earth Liberation Front” action where he allegedly decommissioned
a tractor and placed an incendiary device
in an unoccupied condo-development at
a construction site. Recently Steve’s prison was put into lock down, resulting in
significant complications with his vegan
diet. As a result of only being given a few
pieces of bread and fruit a day during the
start of the lockdown, he went on a hunger strike to demand proper vegan food.
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 43

He remained on hunger strike for a month, and only started
receiving somewhat nourishing food once the prison was officially no longer on lock down.

Utah. Walter has pled guilty to the arson in Colorado and firmly
stands in defense of his actions. In his statement before the
court, Walter said:

You can write Steve at:
Steve Murphy #39013-177
FCI Beaumont Medium
Post Office Box 26040
Beaumont. Texas 77720

“I’m here today because I burnt down the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale,
CO, a business that sells pelts, furs and other dead animal skins. I know
many people think I should feel remorse… for what I’ve done. I guess this
is the customary time where I’m suppose to grovel and beg for mercy. I
assure you, if that’s how I felt, I would. But I am not sorry for anything
I have done. Nor am I frightened by this court’s authority because any
system of law that values the rights of the oppressor over the down trodden
is an unjust system. And though this court has real and actual power, I
question its morality. I doubt the court is interested in the precautions that
I took to not harm any person or bystander and even less concerned with
the miserable lives that sheep, cows and mink had to endure, unto death,
so that a Colorado business could profit from their confinement, enslavement, and murder.
Obviously, the owners and employees of the sheepskin factory do not
care either or they would not be involved in such a sinister and macabre
blood trade. So I will not waste my breath where it will only fall on deaf
ears. That’s why I turned to illegal direct action to begin with, because you
do not care. No matter how much we animal rights activists talk or reason
with you, you do not care. Well, Mr. Livaditis (owner of the Sheepskin
Factory), I don’t care about you. There is no common ground between
people like you and me. I want you to know that no matter what this court
sentences me to today, you have won nothing! Prison is no great hardship
to me. In a society that values money over life, I consider it an honor to be
a prisoner of war, the war against inter-species slavery and objectification!
I also want you to know that I will never willingly pay you one dollar, not
one! I hope your business fails and you choke to death on every penny you
profit from animal murder! I hope you choke on it and burn in hell!
To my supporters, I wish to say thank you for standing behind me and
showing this court and these animal exploiters that we support our own
and that we as a movement are not going to apologize for having a sense
of urgency. We are not going to put the interests of commerce over sentience! And we will never stop educating, agitating and confronting those
responsible for the death of our Mother Earth and her Animal Nations.
My vegan sisters and brothers, our lives are not our own. Selfishness is the
way of gluttons, perverts and purveyors of injustice. It has been said all it
takes for evil to conquer is for good people to do nothing. Conversely, all it
takes to stop the enslavement, use, abuse and murder of other than human
animals is the resolve to fight on their behalf!
Do what you can, do what you must, be vegan warriors and true animal defenders and never compromise with their murderers and profiteers.
The Animal Liberation Front is the answer. Seldom has there been such
a personally powerful and internationally effective movement in human
history. You cannot join the A.L.F. but you can become the A.L.F. And
it was the proudest and most powerful thing I have ever done. When you
leave this courtroom today don’t be dismayed by my incarceration. All the
ferocity and love in my heart still lives on. Every time someone liberates an
animal and smashes their cage, it lives on! Every time an activist refuses
to bow down to laws that protect murder, it lives on! And it lives on every
time the night sky lights up ablaze with the ruins of another animal
exploiters’ business!

To find out more about Steve, or to donate to his commissary
or legal support, visit:
supportsteve.org
Recent Incident in Quebec

D

uring a demonstration organized by unions in Montreal against proposed austerity measures, twelve anarchists were arrested. The arrests occurred on March
12th, shortly after a small group of anarchists showed
up to the demonstration with flyers. Once they were
recognized by union leaders as a possible disruption to their
political intentions, they were pointed out and forced to the
back of the estimated 3,000 person strong march. Roughly
fifty riot police then attacked the anarchists, arresting twelve.
The group is charged with “conspiracy,” but what that “conspiracy” is exactly has not been communicated. Shortly after
their release from jail, the ‘conspiracy’ charges were dropped
against all twelve.
Although “conspiracy” charges against the twelve have been
dropped, a “weapons” possession charge is still pending
against a few of those arrested. Additionally, while the “conspiracy” charges have been dropped, it exposes a reoccurring
police strategy for pre-meditated arrest.
The arrest comes shortly before an annual anti-police brutality
march that happens every year in Montreal. This march usually
results in numerous instances of street fighting or rioting, that
police claim are initiated by anarchists. Despite the March 12th
arrests, the anti-police brutality march did happen this year,
and resulted in property destruction and conflict, ending with
roughly 258 arrests.

Update On Walter Bond

W

alter Bond was recently sentenced to 5 years in
prison and 3 years probation upon release. He was
convicted of an arson against a sheepskin factory
in Colorado. Following a sting operation by the FBI
and ATF, where his own brother wore a wire to gain
information on the “ALF Lone Wolf ” and his alleged direct actions. Since his arrest and conviction, he has also been indicted
for arsons against a leather factory and foie gras restaurant in

That’s all Your Honor, I am ready to go to prison.”
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 44

As we go to press, Walter is in the middle
of a transfer and is being held in a federal
transfer center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. You can write letters of support
to Walter at:
Walter Bond #37096-013
FTC Oklahoma City
Post Office Box 898801
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73189
To find out more information on Walter
you can visit his support group’s web site
at: supportwalter.org
To find Walter’s latest address, go to:
www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp and enter
“37096-013” in the register number form.
Eco-Prisoner
Daniel McGowan
Transferred to
Another Communication
Management Unit
From Family and Friends of
Daniel McGowan:

O

n February 25th, Daniel was
moved back into a CMU, this
time at FCI Terre Haute. We
aren’t really sure why at this
time, but we are sure we will
fight the move. Daniel’s holding up as
well as can be expected. He’s stressed
out, of course, and he would appreciate
your letters, especially at this time.
Please write him at:
Daniel McGowan #63794-053
FCI Terre Haute - CMU
Post Office Box 33
Terre Haute, Indiana 47408
We know people will have a lot of questions about this. We do, too. At this moment, we don’t have any answers. We will
update you again as soon as we do.
For more information on Daniel’s case,
visit: supportdaniel.org

Oscar Grant Struggle
Winds Down Arrested Rebels
Still Battle the State

O

n January 1, 2009 in Oakland,
California a Black 22-year-old
father, Oscar Grant, was shot to
death by a transit cop as he lay
face down on a train platform.
This murder was caught on numerous
camera phones and watched millions of
times on YouTube.
Since that night, dynamic street protests
and riots became a fixture in downtown
Oakland. These rebellions are spoken of
fondly as moments of great multi-racial
solidarity and unmitigated rage against
the police. These political outbursts have
resulted in not only inspiration worldwide, but also a long list of criminal
charges.

Committee has supported some of these
people through mobilizing crowds to the
front of the courthouse or in the court
rooms and through raising funds, but we
may never know exactly how many people were charged in the aftermath of the
verdict protests. A handful of people, all
Black men, served 45 or more days in jail.
Three people are being sued by the city
of Oakland for vandalism. Many have
taken plea bargains. One defendant was
recently found not guilty of assault on an
officer, but the jury did convict him of
failure to disperse. Two more defendants
are still awaiting trial for arson and other
misdemeanor charges.

On November 15, 2010 the final protest occurred in response to Mehserle
prison sentence-- a mere two years. Onehundred-fifty people were mass arrested
in East Oakland as they attempted to
make their way to the Fruitvale BART
Station, the site of Oscar Grant’s murder. Again most
Between January 7,
2009 and November
The past two years of of these people
were spared any
15, 2010 about 400
anti-police rebellions
real charges, but
arrests were made at
in the Bay Area have
one man, who was
Oscar Grant protests.
proved to be the most brutally beaten in
Because no real figexciting of times and
jail by the police,
ures are available, this
faces a list of misis a partial and incomthe most frustrating.
demeanors. Those
plete assessment of
arrested on Nothese arrests.
vember 15 are currently considering a
On January 7, 2009 about 160 people class action lawsuit against the Oakland
were arrested. Most of those people were Police Department.
not charged. Three faced felonies, but in
the end charges were either dismissed or As of writing this, all of the rebels are
pleas were taken for misdemeanors. No out of state custody. But many still have
a hard road ahead as they face new chargone served jail time.
es under and pending court proceedings.
On July 8, 2010, upon hearing that the
killer cop, Johannes Mehserle, was given The past two years of anti-police rebelthe verdict of involuntary manslaughter, lions in the Bay Area have proved to be
protests and riots again erupted. Another the most exciting of times and the most
mass arrest was made, but again charges frustrating. The struggle continues, now
were mostly dropped. Many people, not just in the name of Oscar Grant, but
however, were arrested the day after the against moves by the city to pass gang
protest based on photographs that the injunctions in North and East Oakland.
Oakland Police Department released to
the public. As more and more people For more legal updates:
were snitched out to the police, it be- supporttheoakland100.wordpress.com
came increasingly difficult to keep track
of who was who and with what they
were charged. The Oakland 100 Support
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 45

They Can’t Kill Our Spirits: Post-G20 State
Repression in Southern Ontario -By Millefolium
Repression Is Inevitable

T

he recent wave of repression against anarchists in
Southern Ontario comes as no surprise considering recent anarchist organizing in the region. Anarchists have
been strengthening bonds with each other and with indigenous communities in struggle; blocking roads, rails
and construction projects; expanding anti-prison solidarity; attacking collaborators of capitalism; solidifying a relationship of
conflict with the police; and mobilizing large numbers quickly
for diverse actions and events.
Repression is the State’s defense and anarchists are in open
conflict with the State. We exist in a system that has seemingly
endless resources to maintain domination. With the growing
strength of anarchists, state repression will intensify no matter how “safe” the practices are of those involved. That being
said, it’s important to be taking intelligent steps towards keeping ourselves safe while understanding that repression is inevitable. Tactics of state repression, support and solidarity, police
infiltration and the consequences: these are some discussions
it is important to share with anarchists worldwide to inspire
and learn from each other. In the years to come, more of our
friends and loved ones will be imprisoned. Rather than submit
to the State’s attempts at isolating and disempowering us, this
can increase our willingness to fight.
Recent Blows
The G20 (Group of 20 world leaders) met in Toronto in June
2010. The Canadian State spent over $1 billion on security,
transforming the terrain downtown to a militarized zone of
police control. Protests throughout the week reached a climax
on Saturday, June 26, at the biggest demonstration. There was
a break-away confrontational bloc that successfully thwarted
police control efforts, attacking banks, burning and smashing
police vehicles and destroying property of rich corporations.
Over 1,000 people were arrested through mass-arrests, house
raids and snatch squads. Perhaps most notable are those facing
conspiracy charges for allegedly organizing protests, and those
facing serious criminal charges for alleged actions in the black
bloc and other confrontations.
There are currently 18 people, mostly anarchists, facing
conspiracy charges including: conspiracy to commit mischief
over $5,000, conspiracy to assault police, and conspiracy to
obstruct police. They are alleged to have organized protests,
most are accused of being members of “Southern Ontario
Anarchist Resistance.” The entire case is based on allegations
from two undercover police (see a later section of this article). None of the defendants are currently in jail, although a
few spent months behind bars awaiting bail. Their conditions
include house arrest, however this is in the process of being
loosened for most of them. The Crown Attorney (prosecution) is looking for prison sentences of up to 6 years for each

defendant. The trial will probably be sometime in 2012, until
then the defendants remain under strict bail conditions. Others
with serious criminal charges for alleged actions in the protests
have also spent significant periods of time in jail and are mostly
out on house arrest.
These criminal charges are part of a State strategy to criminalize anarchist ideas and weaken us. With conspiracy charges,
it never has to be proven that anything actually happened –
convictions would result if the court decides that there was a
common agreement among these individuals. Similar charges
have been used throughout the United States, such as with the
RNC8. The problem is not with these particular charges being
used, nor the hundreds of unlawful arrests, nor with the especially harsh bail conditions; these are all awful actions by the
State and make our lives more difficult, but the problem is with
the entire system and how it rules over our lives. If the fight
against repression is contained in the courts - then the State
would have this victory. We definitely need to support people
who are forced through this court process, and we are, but we
also need to remember that the court is their game, not ours.
Support and Solidarity
Examining again the idea that repression is inevitable, we come
to a discussion about how to overcome it - how to actually
gain strength and momentum from it’s brutal blows. How does
repression determine where we put our energy? How do we
avoid being recuperated by courts? How do we denounce repression in its totality, not to come off as victims of isolated
power abuses? How do we balance support for our friends,
taking care of ourselves, and our desire for revolutionary solidarity? How do we keep our hearts from going numb and our
minds from giving up? How do we embrace and overcome the
fear that keeps us from acting? How do we sustain a continuous anarchist struggle throughout decades and generations?
Each of these questions have infinite answers to perpetually
discuss, across borders and ideologies, to continuously gain
clarity through our learning experiences.
Supporting people who are targeted by State repression is
crucial. We support people because we love them and respect
their struggle. We support people because it could be us tomorrow. Revolutionary solidarity is the continuation and intensification of a struggle; it is both for oneself and for inspiring
others; it is a strategy to overcome repression. If repression
can act as a catalyst for effective action against capitalism, then
the State has failed its attempts at killing our struggle and our
fighting spirits.
Sustaining struggle is not possible without both support and
solidarity. Without support, our friends are left isolated and uninspired. Without solidarity, the struggle has been successfully
recuperated by the State. Support and solidarity together have
the capacity to create an uncontrollable situation in which the
State’s tactics of repression are ineffective. Our love and rage at
this world are strengthened and clarified. People who ‘go down’
know that they will not be isolated or forgotten. Our loving relationships are strengthened and more able to overcome hardFTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 46

ship, and people are much more likely to continue fighting. If
we create cross-generational communities where struggle is as
crucial to well-being as land and water, then repression would
be much less paralyzing because struggle and community is
what one lives for.

revolt. For as long as the State has punished those who resist,
people have continued to struggle. Police infiltration is a very
common tactic of State around the world. For a year and a half
before the G20 there were two undercover police officers who
infiltrated anarchist networks in Southern Ontario (Guelph,
Kitchener, Toronto, etcetera), including those organizing protests against the G20.
Anarchist Responses and Opportunities
The Ontario Provincial Police are currently investigating
the
outing
of these two pigs, hoping to press criminal charges
The struggles in Ontario are continuing. Many people have
of
‘obstructing
justice.’ This article will not go into more detail
been spending time reflecting on and healing from the experiabout
them
specifically
and instead will briefly outline lessons
ence of being infiltrated for a year and a half and the ensuing
learned
the
hard
way
in
Ontario, lessons that are relevant for
State punishment. Many people had not experienced represanyone
in
conflict
with
the
State. This only expresses a small
sion felt on such a personal and collective level before. Within
fraction
of
the
discussions
about
undercover police and is in
this healing process, solidarity amongst anarchists across the
no
way
a
complete
analysis.
continent has taken the face of attack, wherein several banks
If a group or meeting is public or widely known, or if people
have been happily served rocks through their windows and
in
a
group aren’t very close, an important practice is to assume
paint on their walls. Continuing with the practice of making
that
someone is a cop. This doesn’t mean just looking around
our presence as anarchists physically known to prisoners within
the
room
and trying to figure out who they are. Holding your
our region, a noise demo was held
tongue and not talking about anyoutside of the Maplehurst/Vanier
Revolutionary
solidarity
is
thing you wouldn’t want read back
Complex in July while our known
to you in court is a place to start.
comrades were inside. Noise demos the continuation and
Look out for your friends and warn
also were held across Canada on intensification of struggle;
them if they’re talking sketchy. BeAugust 10th (Prisoner Justice Day)
it
is
both
for
oneself
and
fore a meeting, one could announce
and on New Year’s Eve - although
that there could be a cop or the
not directly linked with the G20, for inspiring others; it is
room could be bugged to remind
they are a continuation of a growing
a
strategy
to
overcome
less experienced folks or those who
anti-prison struggle that is inherenttend to run their mouths that we are
ly linked with the ongoing struggle repression. If repression
a target of surveillance and infiltraagainst state repression.
can act as a catalyst for
tion.
The above actions, along with
effective
action
against
Be clear about whether a group is
many other social anarchist actions,
“above
ground” or “underground”
have prevented us from being com- capitalism, then the State
and
use
practices based on longpletely isolated and paralyzed. A
has
failed
its
attempts
at
term
trust
and affinity if it’s decided
shortfall of anarchists post-G20 is
to
keep
your
organizing secret. It
the lack of a visible denunciation killing our struggle and our
is
very
risky
for
a relatively open
of police and the entire system, the fighting spirits.
group
to
switch
to
organizing more
prison-world, in its entirety. The
sketchy/illegal
activities.
Be clear
G20 repression was widely felt –
with
everyone
about
intentions
and
agree
on
appropriate
sefrom the dozens of new cameras in downtown to the mass arcurity
practices.
If
a
group
of
people
can’t
agree,
then
they
rests, random beatings and huge police presence. It pissed a lot
of people off. More visible propaganda-- posters, pamphlets, probably shouldn’t organize together.
If someone is acting particularly sketchy – talk about it with
graffiti, etcetera, anarchist blocs at demos, and other visible acpeople
you trust and maybe decide to get them the fuck out of
tion could potentially mobilize more people. Not surprisingly,
there.
Many
anarchists will argue that it’s damaging to exclude
liberals have so far been able to dominate the post-G20 dispeople
if
it
isn’t
100% confirmed that they’re a pig. This idea
sent, spouting police accountability rhetoric and denouncing
can
be
equally
damaging
because it alienates and disempowers
the anarchists. We need to find ways to empower ourselves by
people
with
suspicions
or
gut feelings. Take your friends seriexpressing our ideas and clarifying where we stand.
ously if they have suspicions of infiltration. Instead of outing
or banning someone, it could be explained to them that people
Organizing and Undercover Police
need to get to know them better before organizing with them.
Anarchists in Ontario certainly aren’t facing a new phenom- Have discussions with trusted friends about people you don’t
enon. For as long as there has been resistance, the State has know and do your research to see how their story lines up.
gathered intelligence, using its power to put out the flames of Discuss tactics of police infiltration with your friends and ways
that you could respond to it.
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 47

G20 Support
There are many ways to support G20 defendants. Take these
discussions back to your friends and community if you find
them relevant, and continue to resist capitalism and the State.
If you are inclined to donate funds, it is important to distinguish between the two different G20 fundraising efforts.
One is organized by activists in Toronto, the “G20 Legal
Defense Fund”. It has the most money and defendants apply
for access to it through a lengthy application. Defendants have
not seen the money so far because the decision-making process
for the group took months to figure out. The process is rolling now and defendants should see money sometime in spring
2011. Anybody who has criminal charges from the G20 protests can apply to get money from this fund.
The Guelph ABC has more recently established an “ABC
G20 Support Fund” which has recognized the need defendants
have for immediate financial support. It is organized less formally with a less bureaucratic process. Legal costs, transportation costs, forwarding mail, reading materials, and everyday
costs are some of the things this fund is covering. Defendants
have much faster access to the money. This fund is prioritized
for people facing the most serious charges. The Guelph ABC
also has a post office box through which mail is being forwarded to defendants.
For a pamphlet and info on ABC G20 Support, visit:
guelphprisonersolidarity.wordpress.com
For ongoing updates about repression in Ontario:
torontoabc.wordpress.com
For information on the Toronto G20 Legal Defense Fund:
g20.torontomobilize.org
Marco Camenisch Transferred

M

arco Camenisch, who is currently serving an 8 year
sentence for allegedly killing a border guard while
being on the run after escaping prison, was recently
transferred. This is the second time in less than a
year that Marco has been moved to a new prison,
and it has been reported as a troublesome experience for him.

Marco was originally sentenced in 1980 to 10 years in prison
for sabotaging electrical pylons. In 1981, along with 5 other
prisoners, he escaped from the Regensdorf prison, near Zurich, Switzerland. During the escape a prison guard was shot,
but Marco was not accused of having anything to do with the
assault. After 8 years on the run, Marco was accused of killing
a Swiss border guard, but the allegations were considered very
unlikely by even the Swiss public, and he continued in hiding
for 2 more years. After living in the mountains of Italy for over
10 years, he was detained by an Italian border guard in 1990.
During the incident Marco pulled a hand gun on the armed

soldiers, was engaged in a shoot out, and wounded one of the
soldiers. He was shot as well, and later arrested. After spending
6 months in the hospital he was charged with assault and ecosabotage of electrical pylons in Italy, convicted, and sentenced
to 12 years in Italian prison. Marco spent nine of those years in
solitary confinement. After being released from Italian prison,
he was extradited to Switzerland, eventually convicted of the
Swiss border guard’s murder, and sentenced to 17 years.
In 2004, the Swiss court ruled that Marco’s sentence exceeded
the maximum amount of time a person can be imprisoned in
Switzerland. As a result his 17 year sentence was reduced to 8
years. His release is expected sometime in 2012.
Please write to him at his new address at:
Marco Camenisch
Justizvollzugsanstalt Lenzburg
Postfach 75
5600 Lenzburg
Switzerland

An Update On Jock Palfreeman

A

n Australian man visiting Sofia, Bulgaria was recently
sentenced to 20 years for murder and attempted murder of two neo-nazis in the city. Eastern Europe is a
notorious place for neo-nazis, fascism is on the rise,
and they are more organized and prevalent in everyday
life in that part of the world.

Jock Palfreeman was visiting friends over Christmas break and
saw a group of nazis attacking two Roma boys (commonly referred to as “gypsies”; a sect of people often reviled in Eastern
Europe and who frequently struggle with fascist attacks). Jock
rushed to help the two boys and ended up being surrounded by
an estimated 16 neo-nazis. After prior experiences of harassment in Bulgarian streets, Jock felt the need to carry a knife
with him for self-defense. After attention waned from the two
Roma youth, the neo-nazis began to attack Jock. In a desperate
attempt to defend himself, Jock was forced to stab two neonazis, killing one of them, and wounding the other.
Jock’s sentence is not surprising to most who are aware of the
rampant neo-nazi problem across Eastern Europe, and continue on into Russia, where there are well organized fascist groups
with popular support, and many police members. If you can,
please write Jock to let him know he is not alone.
If you are short of ideas why not try one of the following:
Organize solidarity actions outside Bulgarian Embassies and
Consulates. For a list of the Bulgarian Embassies and Consulates please see: buldir.com/bulgarian_embassies_abroad.html

FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 48

Phone the Bulgarian Embassies and
Consulates with your protests. Help us to
bombard the Bulgarian Authorities with
letters of protest and requests for Jock’s
appeal to be accepted. (please see below
for a list of addresses).
If you want us to help promote your
events send us the details at:
anarchosolidarity@yahoo.co.uk
We need to get the pressure up and keep
it up. Addresses to post, fax and email
your letters of protest to:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Bulgaria
2 Aleksander Zhendov Str
Sofia 1040
Bulgaria
Tel: +359.2.948.2999
mfa.bg/en/contact/
(Ready form for sending messages from their
website, very helpful)
Bulgarian Consulate General
121 East 62nd Street
New York, New York 10021
Tel. 212.935.4646
Fax. 212.319.5955
E-mail: consul@consulbulgaria-ny.org
Consulate General of
Bulgaria in Chicago
737 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2105
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Tel. 312.867.1904
Fax. 312.867.1905
E-mail: genconsbul@sbcglobal.net
Consulate General of
Bulgaria in Los Angeles
11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 440
Los Angeles, California 90025
Tel. 310.478.6700
E-mail: bgLAconsulate@adelphia.net
The Bulgarian Embassy
Consulate at the Embassy of Bulgaria
1621 22nd Street, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20008
Tel. 202.387.7969; 202.387.0174
Fax. 202.234.7973
E-mail: consulate@bulgaria-embassy.org
Finally, please write to Jock, even if it’s
only a ‘good luck’ postcard. Any letters

and postcards help to keep Jock feeling positive and high spirited and all are
gratefully received.
You can write to Jock at the following
address:
Jock Palfreeman,
Sofia Central Prison
21 General Stoletov Boulevard
Sofia 1309
Bulgaria
Kyle Shaw
ineteen year old Kyle Shaw, accused of planting an explosive
device in an Upper East Side
Manhattan Starbucks when he
was seventeen, was recently
sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. Police said Kyle acted independently, after
being inspired by “Project Mayhem” in
the movie “Fight Club.” He was arrested
after being snitched out by friends to
whom he bragged about the attack. If he
went to trial Kyle, could have faced fifteen years in prison. Kyle was sentenced
and remanded on November 16th, 2010.

N

Write to Kyle at:
Kyle Shaw 10R3898
Coxsackie Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 999
Coxsackie, New York 12051-0999
Marie Mason

S

ince our last issue, there are
a few updates regarding ecoprisoner Marie Mason. On December 16th, a federal appeals
court denied Marie’s motion for
appeal.

An official statement from her support
group states:
We found out this morning (December 16,
2010) Marie Mason’s appeal for a re-sentencing has been denied by a federal appeals court.
Coming immediately after fellow Green Scare
prisoner Eric McDavid’s appeals have been exhausted, it is just another sign that the Obama
administration will be not be changing Bush-era

policies regarding the witch hunts against environmental and animal rights activists. Mason’s
family will be deciding on the next course of action. In the meantime, we ask all supporters to
drop her a line in prison to boost her spirits.
Marie also turned 49 on January 26th. It
has also come to the attention of Marie’s support
group that she has not been receiving a large portion of her mail. A lot of mail sent has not been
returned to the sender nor formally denied by the
prison. They have claimed that it is a mistake
on the part of the postal company or sender. The
group has asked those sending her letters to contact them directly if you are concerned about a
piece of mail being received by Marie. You can
write them at: supportmariemason@gmail.com.
The same prison has also denied every request
to visit Marie in jail, with the exception of immediate family.
For those unfamiliar with her case, Marie
Mason is serving almost 22 years for two acts
of environmentally-motivated property destruction in which no one was harmed. This is the
longest current sentence of any of the Green
Scare prisoners. The Green Scare is the name
given to the recent prosecution of eco-saboteurs
and animal liberation activists, in which the
government has labeled them as “terrorists”
and sought huge sentences. As times continue to
remain tough years into her imprisonment, we
suggest that you write urgent letters of support
to her, being aware of the fact that they will be
read by prison officials.
Marie’s mailing address is:
Marie Mason #04672-061
FMC Carswell, Federal Medical Center
Post Office Box 27137
Fort Worth, Texas 76127
To learn more about Marie or stay up to
date with her case visit:
supportmariemason.org
Eric Mcdavid Update

E

ric McDavid is a political prisoner, currently serving a 20 year
sentence in federal prison for
“thought crime.” He was arrested in January, 2006 (as part
of the government’s ongoing “Green
Scare” campaign against environmental
and animal rights activists) after being
targeted by an undercover informant
who formulated a crime and entrapped
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 49

Eric in it. Eric was targeted by the state for his political beliefs,
and his case is important for everyone who dares to stand up.
Most Recent Update on Eric’s case:
Update January 14, 2011
Dear friends,
Yesterday marked the 5th year of Eric’s arrest and imprisonment. Every
year, at this time, we are forced to reflect on all that has happened. It is
never an easy process, but this year feels different. This year we know that
Eric will be in prison for the duration of his sentence. All of his appeals
have been exhausted. 5 years is a long time – but we aren’t even halfway
there...
Perhaps one other thing is striking about this 5 year milestone. Both of
Eric’s former codefendants plead guilty to a lesser included offense. In doing
so, the maximum amount of time they could possibly have gotten in prison
was 5 years. Had the jury in Eric’s trial been allowed to find Eric guilty
of the same charge that Zach and Lauren plead guilty to (and more than
one juror indicated that they would have...), Eric would now be free. But
the judge in Eric’s trial, Judge Morrison England, refused to allow this as
an option for the jury.
Since Eric’s arrest, the FBI has continued its war against activists and
any other groups that they perceive as a threat. Indeed, it seems as if hardly
a week goes by without some new story of FBI shenanigans.
Entrapment – rather than being perceived as a legal no-no – seems to
be their favorite tactic. This is not surprising. We knew all along (with
that horrible, sick, sinking feeling in our guts) that Eric’s case would be
used as a test. This was the FBI at their most outrageous (well, almost...).
The FBI spent a year and half creating a crime, entrapping three people in
it, charging them with thought crime, and then sent the only one who stood
up for himself to prison for nearly 20 years. They certainly are busy bees...
And their scheme worked. Now it seems they are using Eric’s case as
a model of how things should be done. If you need proof, don’t take our
word for it, check out:
www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/june/ecoterror_063008
(Just keep in mind, we have no idea what kind of “cookies” or other such
creepy crawlies might be triggered by visiting this site...)
We have watched in horror these last few years as more and more of
these kinds of cases have appeared across the country. The state has been
emboldened by their “success.” But their success is nothing more than the
attempted destruction of countless lives and futures.
It is hard not to think of this as a time of mourning. So much has
been stolen from us – from all of us - these past 5 years. But we have also
learned a lot. We have learned (and continue to learn) more about how
the state works. About how we can better protect ourselves and the people,
places and creatures we love. We have learned how to make miles seem
irrelevant. We have learned how to walk through walls and bend the bars.
Perhaps most importantly, we have learned just how much strength and
courage we can find in each other.
So maybe instead of a day of mourning, today can be a day of defiance. Of remembering all that we have lost – and figuring out how to get
it back. Or how to keep it from happening again...
Today can be a celebration of thought crime.
Won’t you celebrate with us?

Being extremely cautious of protecting Eric’s personal security
and one’s identity, you can write Eric letters of support at:
Eric McDavid #16209-097
FCI Victorville, Medium II
Post Office Box 5300
Adelanto, California 92301
To remain up to date or to learn more about Eric’s case you can
visit: supporteric.org

Conclusions in Santa Cruz MayDay Arrests
ast Mayday (2010) in Santa Cruz, California, the town
was hit hard. The notorious shopping district in one
of the country’s wealthiest and most expensive towns
was attacked by a roving mob, causing an estimated
$100,000 in damage. The majority of the damage happened on Pacific Avenue, which acts as both a colorful, very
California-style shopping district, and the spanging (Asking for
money in the street.) grounds for much of Santa Cruz’s homeless youth. Stores like Rolex and Urban Outfitters suffered
extensive property destruction to their huge window displays.
Police claim that the mob formed as a result of an advertised
roving “dance party,” but the police also claim that the riot was
calculated by anarchists, using the “dance party” concept as a
front to mobilize a mob in the shopping district. As a result
of these accusations, outside state and federal police agencies
were called in to investigate the events. The only two people arrested who faced significant charges both appear not to be anarchists, but rather onlookers who saw excitement in the roving
mob, or were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although it
has been almost a year, conclusions to both of their cases just
recently happened.

L

Jimmy Haynes, 24, received 2 years after pleading guilty to felony vandalism and inciting a riot. Jimmy has prior petty-theft
charges and could have faced upwards of 7 years if he went to
trial. Jimmy is cooperating with the police, but was not a selfproclaimed anarchist before the Mayday events, nor is he today.
Jimmy’s main defense was that he does stupid things when he is
drunk. We do think it is important to report on Jimmy though
because he was one of many homeless youth that have left
school or their parents to try and live off the excess change of
Santa Cruz’s wealthy liberal guilt. He is one of many homeless
people that come to Santa Cruz for the weather, but are being criminalized with new city laws that ban sleeping outside
and have harsher penalties for loitering. On a street that flaunts
such vile wealth, yet has such a large homeless population (like
Pacific Avenue), where one usually gets ignored when asking
for help, where one isn’t allowed in stores, or where loitering
or sleeping can lead to jail time; we can imagine that a roving
angry mob disrupting the flow of things could have a natural
appeal to someone like Jimmy. Mayday is a day for proletarian
revenge, and unfortunately Jimmy got hit hard for it.
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 50

The other man, a 41-year old “transient” who from the way it
appears was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time
was recently sentenced to 3 months in jail, 50 hours of community service, and mandatory AA meetings. His charges were
resisting arrest, public drunkenness, and possessing under an
ounce of marijuana.

Casey Brezik

C

asey Brezik, also known as an “anarchist assassin”
was mentioned in last issue’s article, “Insanity is only
Appropriate.” He has since been charged with the attempted murder of a community college dean. The
governor of Missouri was expected to speak at the
community college and Casey intended to attack the governor,
but mistook the dean for him. He has faced charges before
for verbally assaulting police, and has been in and out of mental institutions, continuing to identify as an anarchist. Casey’s
crime was unique in many ways, but he certainly deserves the
consideration of anarchists.
Write Casey with questions or statements of solidarity at:
Casey Brezik, Jackson County Detention Center
1300 South Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106
Casey can only receive standard size postcards at the moment.
Support Group Statement
Regarding Scott and Carrie

O

n February 14, family, friends and supporters gathered
to show support for Scott DeMuth as he was sentenced in federal court in Davenport, Iowa. Scott was
sentenced to six months imprisonment and taken immediately into custody. He pleaded guilty in September 2010 to
conspiracy to commit animal enterprise terrorism in violation
of the Animal Enterprise Protection Act (AEPA) for a ferret
release that took place in Minnesota in 2006.
As we wrote in our previous updates in these pages, Scott
was indicted (and re-indicted...and then re-indicted again)
for felony conspiracy charges under the AEPA. The original
charge was related to an Animal Liberation Front (ALF) raid at
a lab at the University of Iowa in 2004, in which more than 300
animals were rescued and hundreds of thousands of dollars of
damage was inflicted on computers and research records. Scott
was indicted under this charge the day after being held in civil
contempt of court for refusing to testify before the grand jury
in Davenport, Iowa in November 2009. Carrie Feldman was
also held in civil contempt that day and was imprisoned for
four months before being unexpectedly released.
Scott was held in jail for about two weeks after being indicted, at which point he was released and put on electronic
home monitoring pending trial. Over the next few months,
his trial date was continually pushed back as the prosecutor,

Cliff Cronk, pulled all kinds of shenanigans in court, including
amending the seriously flawed indictment twice rather than addressing the legal challenges brought up against them by Scott’s
lawyers. In the third and final indictment, Cronk expanded the
conspiracy charge to include the ferret release at a farm in Minnesota in 2006.
A few weeks before Scott’s trial was finally set to begin in
September 2010, Carrie Feldman was subpoenaed by the prosecutor to testify against Scott during trial. Carrie was subpoenaed right before a presentation by The Conspiracy Tour, a
road show put on by the Scott and Carrie Support Committee
(SCSC), the RNC8 Defense Committee, and friends; to raise
awareness and legal defense funds over the summer. Another
person, Sonja Silvernail, was also subpoenaed to testify against
Scott. Showing their courage and tenacity, both Carrie and Sonja resolved not to testify against Scott, even though refusing
to do so ran the risk of them being held in criminal contempt
of court. There are no sentencing guidelines for criminal contempt, so the sentences are up to the judge. In the past, people
have been sentenced to several months to over a decade for
being held in criminal contempt.
On the day before Scott’s trial was scheduled to begin,
he decided to take a non-cooperating plea agreement to a federal misdemeanor for the conspiracy charge for the ferret release. Since the damage inflicted during that raid was less than
$10,000, the raid qualified as a misdemeanor. The prosecutor
jumped at the chance to get a plea, even though it meant that
he had to officially abandon his quest to get a guilty verdict
on the University of Iowa raid. This raid was a tremendously
successful ALF action and a big embarrassment for the FBI,
which had put years into the investigation without nabbing
anyone. The prosecutor levied the spurious charges against
Scott right as the statute of limitations was expiring in a desperate attempt to keep the investigation open. With the plea
agreement, though, the felony conspiracy charge against Scott
was dropped and the raid officially became an unsolved case.
Scott’s plea agreement stipulated that he would spend six
months in prison, the maximum for a federal misdemeanor,
but would not have to pay a fine or restitution. The length of
time he would have to spend on supervised release and probation after serving his time was left up to the judge. Even with
this agreement on record with the court, the probation officers
conducting his pre-sentencing investigation tried to complicate
matters by recommending that Scott pay more than $20,000 in
restitution to the ferret farmer, who claimed that he had gone
out of business as a result of the raid—despite the fact that in
his initial police report, he claimed that the damages were only
about $500 dollars.
Continuing the court’s trend of proving that the third time’s
the charm in the Southern District of Iowa, the judge pushed
Scott’s sentencing back twice. These and other scheduling conflicts led to Scott having to go into the sentencing without important issues such as restitution and the penitentiary in which
he would be serving his time figured out in advance. The uncertainty of his situation led to a lot of stress for him and his
family, loved ones and supporters.
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 51

In court, Cronk threw out more of his characteristic impassioned pleas and inflammatory rhetoric to argue that Scott
should have to pay restitution. Scott’s lawyer, Michael Deutsch
of the People’s Law Office in Chicago, deftly countered
Cronk’s hyperbole by pointing out the laws which forbade the
judge from requiring restitution since Scott hadn’t been advised
of this possibility when he accepted the plea agreement. In the
end, the judge conceded that restitution could not be imposed
because it had not been mentioned during the plea agreement
proceedings. He seemed displeased with this outcome, and
suggested that if Scott were truly remorseful, he would willingly offer to pay restitution to the farm owner.
But the judge was not on Scott’s side, just bound by his own
rules on the matter of restitution. As if to make up for this
hindrance, he ordered Scott be taken into custody immediately
at the sentencing even though he could have given Scott a selfsurrender date. This move is virtually unheard of for a misdemeanor charge in which the defendant clearly poses no flight
risk or danger to the community. The judge’s decision was
clearly motivated by his desire to further punish Scott based on
the political nature of the crime, not by any legal precedent or
concern for community safety.
At the time of this writing, Scott is being held in a county
jail near Des Moines, Iowa to await his placement in a federal
prison. He is in need of support from people across the nation
and throughout the world, both in the form of moral support
through letters and financial support for his commissary fund.
Information on how to write him is available at:
davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com
Money for his commissary can be sent to:
EWOK! c/o Coldsnap Legal Collective
Post Office Box 50514, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405
Donations can also be made online via the PayPal button on
our website. Checks and money orders should be made out to
Coldsnap and have “EWOK!” in the memo line.
UPDATE: As we were preparing to go to press, Scott DeMuth
was transferred. Scott has been moved to a transitional facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. This is apparently a private facility
and not connected to the Prisons at Leavenworth; those facilities have no record of him at this time. He is likely to be moved
at least one more time before the end of his term; please update your mailing addresses accordingly, resend any mail that
was recently sent and returned, and keep an eye out for further
updates from us. At his new prison, he’s in complete lockdown
for 22 hours a day. Every other day he gets let out of the cell
for meals. He does have a cellmate, who he describes as a good
guy, but his wheelchair takes up most of the space so there’s
not really any room to stretch or work out. There is, however, a
window in his cell, which he’s extremely happy about.
And unlike the last place he was in, he can get books and pictures! Read the mailing regulations for details:

“Envelopes with mail must include the inmate’s name and federal register number. Those without a number will be returned to sender. Inmates
may receive photographs, but they must not show any nudity, penetration,
crime, gang signs, drugs or drug usage. Stamps, blank paper, envelopes,
blank cards, self-addressed stamped envelopes, calling cards, credit cards,
stickers of any kind, cards with sound and fake cash are not accepted
and should not be mailed in. All publications must be sent directly from
a nationally recognized publisher or book store. Receipts must accompany
all books/magazines mailed into the facility. No used books/magazines
will be allowed. No more than three books and/or magazines may be
received in any one shipment. These rules are meant to be representative,
not all-encompassing. For more specific information, you may call (913)
680-6860, (913) 727-3246 or (913) 680-6804.”
To find Scott’s latest address, go to:
www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp
and enter “11246-030” in the register number form.
On the 14 Imprisoned Anarchists in Chile

F

ollowing hundreds of attacks by Chilean anarchists on
state and economic infrastructure across the country,
14 anarchists were arrested and imprisoned on August
14th 2010 on charges of illicit association and placing
bombs. These arrests are among a larger frequency of
government repression of anarchists in Chile. Anarchists have
taken a huge part in the resistance conducted in solidarity with
the indigenous people (This specifically meaning the Mapuche
people who have been covered multiple times in this magazine)
struggling across Chile, as the nation continues to try and uphold its ground as one of South America’s more “developed”
nations.
At the moment, these fourteen comrades have been engaged
in an almost 60 day hunger strike demanding their release and
for their charges to be dropped. On the 58th day, these comrades actually declared that they will be radicalizing their hunger strike, additionally refusing any sources of nourishment,
including water or any other type of liquids. Their arrest and
consistent resistance posed behind bars has influenced solidarity actions around the world; especially on the 14th of every
month, which was determined by a Chilean call-out for solidarity with the 14 comrades as an international day for revolutionary solidarity with them.
Due to language barriers, and most likely harsh attempts by
the government to isolate the 14 comrades; information has
remained somewhat hard to gather on their case. We recommend checking out our prior issue of FTTP, which actually has
an article in the repression section, that helps to outline the
conditions that lead up to their arrest, and paint a better picture
of the climate of repression that exists in Chile today.
We also suggest checking out this website to find out more up
to date information on their case: thisisourjob..wordpress.com
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 52

Solidarity and the Asheville 11

O

n May 1, 2010 eleven people
were indiscriminately arrested
in downtown Asheville, North
Carolina after multiple corporate and government buildings
were attacked, allegedly in celebration of
'May Day'. They were held on $65,000
bail each and some for nearly five days.
All eleven have been charged with 10
misdemeanors and 3 felonies. They have
been mentioned in this publication since
the beginning of their trial. We whole
heartily stand in complete solidarity with
those individuals of the 11 that are remaining strong within an incredible
harsh and repressive local climate. Prior
issues have mentioned in more depth the
origins of their arrests, as well as more
information on their case. Please cite prior issues of FTTP or visit their website
listed at the end of the Asheville 11 support crew update.
We included below the most recent legal
update that was written and posted to a
web-site that supports the 11. It is important that we note that the statement,
as well as the supporting group's website is in no way directly affiliated with
any members of the Asheville 11.
Asheville11 Support Crew Update
as of April 10th, 2011:
There have been some major developments in the
case of those arrested last May in downtown
Asheville. Five of the defendants were slated for
trial this coming Monday April 11th. As of
right now, their trials as well as all other jury
trials in Asheville have been suspended. They
will not resume until a complete audit of the
Asheville Police Department’s (APD) evidence
room and its evidence handling procedures has
been concluded.
The State Bureau of Investigation has
sealed, and is investigating, the APD property
room due to 397 missing tablets of Oxycodone.
On Friday, April 1, an Assistant District Attorney and the defense attorney for Terry Landrum, who was facing drug trafficking and firearms charges from 2009, went to examine the
evidence. They found two empty pill containers
that the APD claims once held $20,000 worth
of Oxycodone. Once this came to light most of

the charges against Landrum, who was facing
a mandatory minimum sentence of almost 19
years in prison if convicted, were dropped. He
was sentenced to probation. Records obtained by
local news sources reveal that the APD’s longtime evidence manager, Lee Smith, was placed
under investigative suspension before his resignation earlier this year. Smith had been placed
under investigative suspension on January 25th
and resigned on February 18th, after 21 years
with the department. District Attorney Ron
Moore has claimed that due to Smith’s resignation he asked for a full audit of drugs, guns and
money in late February.
What the APD actually conducted was a
“random 10% audit” that returned results with
“some areas of concern”. The DA continues to
claim that he was not made aware of the nature
of this audit, or it’s results. The APD Police
Chief Bill Hogan claims that a random 10%
audit is standard and within the guidelines for a
proper investigation.
There are roughly 2,200 cases on hold,
and about 13,000 pieces of evidence inside the
sealed evidence room. An unknown amount
of past cases have been jeopardized due to the
APD tampering or falsifying evidence. This
investigation comes on the coat tales of a statewide investigation into the SBI crime lab, where
it was found that technicians were withholding
important blood evidence from defense attorney’s
in numerous cases.
Recently, several defense attorneys have
requested audits of their clients’ evidence. Including some of the attorneys representing members of the 5 defendants scheduled for trial on
Monday. Their lawyers have filed a “motion to
exclude physical evidence” based on the APD
being unable to produce pieces of evidence it allegedly has against the defendants. The investigation into this matter could delay their trial by
months.
All of this comes after another major development with two people in this case. On Sunday
the 13th of March the APD arrested 6 individuals who were on a hike for misdemeanor
trespass. 2 of these individuals were defendants
from the May arrests. Normally this level of
misdemeanor is treated as a ticket and people are
cited, released and required to appear in court.
In this situation all 6 were arrested, charged,
booked and released within the day.
When the District Attorney’s office became
aware of the arrest, they called a bail hearing to
ask that the MayDay defendant’s bail be doubled. One defendant was arrested at this hear-

ing and the other who was out of town at the
time returned to Asheville and turned himself
in soon after. Both of their bails were doubled
to $130,000, and since $65,000 had already
been posted by a bondsmen only the remaining
$65,000 was needed.
After conversations with lawyers, friends,
other defendants and those in jail their support
decided they were going to bail them out. At the
time trial was looming only a few weeks away
and those closest to the defendants knew that
enduring such with only a jail cell to return to
at night would be devastating. It took over a
week and about $10,000 to get both of them
out again.
Thank you to everyone across the country
that has helped support the Asheville arrestees
since the beginning, and thank you to those who
have recently heard about the case and wanted
to lend a dollar or a hand. The waiting that is
to come over the next few months will be emotionally brutal for friends, family and defendants
alike. The arrestees will need your continued
support, care and donations. The defense fund
has been drained and the support crew is hoping to put some back over the next little while.
If you would like to contribute please visit the
donations page of the support site.
This May 1st will mark a full year since
the disruption of these peoples lives. It has been
an up and down battle to stay afloat amidst so
many challenges. These newest upset comes with
a variety of their own hurdles, but the wait will
be eased with the knowledge that there are those
around the country and in Asheville willing to
show such care for the arrestees.
Thank you again for your continued support.
-AVL11 Support Crew
Asheville 11 Support Crew's Website:
asheville11defense.com
Or you can donate to their legal fund via
snail mail with* personal checks, money
orders, or cashier’s checks at:
Blue Ridge Black Cross
P.O. BOX 2412, Asheville, NC 28801
*Checks should be addressed to no one,
as there are a few different people responsible for the coordination of legal
funds; if you are not comfortable with
this, please e-mail us at: howdotheywork@
gmail.com and we can give you a name.

FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 53

In October 2010 an anonymous call-out
was published all over the internet to encourage acts of revolutionary solidarity
with the Asheville 11 every month for
the remainder of their trial. We thought
we could conclude this update with a
communique claiming one act of revolutionary solidarity in San Francisco with
the 11 this last October:
A call was made for the first of every month
through January to be a day of solidarity with
the Asheville 11. A crew of witches and monsters in San Francisco answered this call by
sabotaging eleven banks, businesses and construction sites on the night of October 31st,
Halloween night. Amidst the chaos of the night,
these eleven little points of hate had their locks
glued. Fuck them. These actions were taken in
solidarity with the eleven people being charged
with three felonies each in relation to the anticapitalist destruction frenzy that happened
in Asheville, NC on May 1st, 2010. These
eleven comrades go to trial in January, and it
is our expressed intent to maintain uncompromising solidarity with them through the
coming months.
Some notes on solidarity:
1. It is crucial to always differentiate between
ethical criticisms and tactical criticisms. In
the case of the Asheville 11, this distinction
is more vital than ever. Comrades may always take issue with the pure fact that eleven
people were arrested, that certain plans seem to
be flawed, that things happened the wrong way;
this is always different than whether an act
should have happened at all. For those whose
criticism of the events of May 1st are tactical,
the situation of the defendants warrants total
and unconditional solidarity without regard to
such criticism. Those who make an ethical criticism of the events reveal the poverty of their ethics, and their cowardly alignment with the State.
2. In regards to ethics, looking toward the
charges leveled against the eleven gives us some
clues as to where we fall along the polarization
that was May Day. As with countless other anarchist prisoners of late, the state has charged
these eleven comrades with the nebulous offense
of “Conspiracy”. This charge is a prosecutor’s
wet dream: to be convicted, one must only be
found to have made a plan with another, and
to have taken action in the furtherance of said

plan. Following the law, a conspiracy is any moment when individuals go beyond themselves,
make connections with others, and employ those
connections as weapons. Conspiracy law doesn’t
simply criminalise communication and plotting,
it criminalizes all forms of non-state organization and complicity. This law articulates the fundamental elements of the current political situation: all struggle is now the struggle between the
State and the non-state; between the State and
the conspiracy. To be crude, one is either part of
the conspiracy or part of the State. By now, any
ethical uncertainty can be quickly resolved.
3. Destroying capitalism is probably the most
ethical act of all. To be clear though, capital is
amorphous. In order to truly be the totality of all
social relationships and all movement, capital is
required to adapt and evolve to fit each and every
particular context. Capital doesn’t always look
like skyscrapers and luxury shopping; it doesn’t

Any May Day rebels also
perform the wild tiger’s
leap through history, to
sink their claws into all
such destructive moments
on any particular May 1st,
and to make all such
lineage citable in our
current context.
always look like coal mines and walmarts. In
an eco-yuppie hell like Asheville, NC capital
looks like green local business and sustainable
condo developments and gay-owned stores. None
of this changes the fundamental relationship of
capitalism: the valorization of capital and the
total misery of all life. In Asheville, an attack
on capital might look like broken windows of
eco-businesses, or anything that makes a tourist
afraid or uncomfortable. It’s important here to
always remember that capital is a totality, and
no destruction is meaningless.
4. The role of solidarity is always to trace constellations of revolt across space and time. The
events of May 1st 2010 drew a particularly
lovely constellation across the continent, from
Asheville to New York City to Santa Cruz to
San Francisco and across the ocean and all over
the planet; it revealed every place where human
beings struggle against capital to be enmeshed in

a shimmering alignment of the stars in the black
night of the hell that is modernity. Any may day
rebels also perform the wild tiger’s leap through
history, to sink their claws into all such destructive moments on any particular May 1st, and
to make all such lineage citable in our current
context. To act in solidarity, is to understand
history as the unending progression of misery
upon the human race, and to proceed in amplifying, extending and connecting all breaks and
ruptures from such a continuity. Our action in
San Francisco is a quiet articulation of our own
position on this dynamic map of revolt. Our intention is to draw lines and to show complicity.
Insofar as our actions show solidarity with all
who hate capitalism, so too do the actions of
striking comrades in Spain and France, and so
too is that solidarity extended to everyone imprisoned in Greece and still in Canada and everywhere else. This is the only context that gives
meaning to any struggle against capital; the context of its intercourse with all other struggle.
5. It is important for us to emphasize how
easy and reproducible our actions were. Anyone with a tube of super glue and a mask can
bring a tiny bit of sabotage to the architecture of their daily nightmare. While small in
nature, these actions opened eleven tiny little
windows into the cohesion of capitalist time;
eleven windows through which uncertain futures might enter.
6. Above all else, the gesture of revolutionary
solidarity is the same as sending a love letter.
It is our way to communicate when communication itself is criminalized; to act when paralysis
feels more rigid than ever; to express our love
when things feel lonely and terrifying. Consider
it the “we love you” at the end of the letter when
we express in no uncertain terms:
Total Solidarity with the Asheville 11 Drop all the charges!
Another action happened in solidarity
with the Asheville 11 shortly before this
issue went to print:
April 10th, 2011 in Olympia, WA
A local bank had almost all of its windows smashed out. According to mainstream media, graffiti was left at the
scene saying “4theAVL-11”. The damage
was estimated by local media sources at
roughly $12,000 dollars.
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 54

Unique Developments in
New State Repression

I

n previous issues of FTTP we
have reported on new technologies and systems applied by the
state for the “war on terrorism.”
Whatever your definition of terrorism is, anyone interested in
change or feeling hostility toward
the current state of society faces possible repression as a result of this so
called “war.” Actually, anyone who may
come into contact with police,directly
or indirectly, faces these new measures
of repression. We want to state that we
are not reporting on these new instances
of state conduct as an attempt to try
and use them as evidence of how awful
the state is. We hope you already realize this. We included these excerpts of
information under the assumption that
the reader is quite aware of the fact that
whatever face is seen by the public, the
state is inherently repressive over those it
dominates. This information is intended
to be another contribution to a larger
understanding of the modern American
state and how it continues to escalate its
repressive measures.
With that said, since September 11th,
2001, roughly 934 new local, state, or
federal “counter-terrorism” organizations have come into being. This brings
the current number of specifically
“counter-terrorism” police departments
to 3,984 (both numbers are according to
The Washington Post). The Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) is the
most noted federal organization recognized as the foundation for all “counterterrorism” efforts in the United States.
The DHS was created in 2003 and was
developed to design a new state conduct
in a post-9/11 America. Additionally, the
DHS has been primarily responsible for
funding the “counter-terrorism” efforts
of most local and state police departments; accounting for 31 billion dollars
since 2003.
One of the most expensive and topsecret systems built by the DHS is a
computer database that is supposed to
capture all unusual or suspicious situations reported as a result of the “see
something, say something” campaign.

This database extends well beyond actual crimes. For example, one suspicious
case entered into the database was that
of a man seen taking pictures with his
cell phone of a police boat parked near
the Balboa ferry waiting grounds in California’s Orange County. The police who
logged this into the database state that
a man was seen taking pictures of their
boat, then walked to make a phone call,
then came back with another person and
took more pictures. Then children, suspected to be the family of the would-be
photographer arrived, and they eventually boarded the boat. The police ran the
license plate of the car they suspected
to belong to the man taking pictures.
Whether or not this was just a tourist or
someone who simply appreciates boats,
this man and his identity are now part
of an international database for “counter-terrorism.” This information will sit
for years and if, for example, this man
was to purchase a large supply of fertilizer for his garden at Wal-Mart, he could
potentially become a terror suspect, and
face state harassment.
With the help of the DHS, this database also includes simple purchases at cooperating stores like Wal-Mart, as well as
public disturbances conducted by someone on a passenger train or at a sports
game. This database allows millions of
state employees to have immediate access to anyone reported to have committed a suspicious act at any point, or have
ever committed any crime deemed worthy of concern to “counter-terrorism”
efforts. Whether or not the person entered into this database has been charged
or convicted of a crime, once they are,
local, state, and federal police agencies
are given key access to the individual’s financial records, employment history, and
other personal information.
Beyond this database, other technological innovations have become accessible to everyday police departments, that
were not available prior to the creation
of the DHS. Handheld wireless fingerprint scanners once carried by American
troops in Iraq are now being introduced
into many local police departments for
identifying detained motorists. In Arizona, the Maricopa County Sheriff ’s
Department is one of the first police

departments to actively start using biometric police technology. Through DHS
funding, a new department known as
the Maricopa County Facial Recognition Unit stores 9,000 digital mug shots
a month into their facial recognition database. This technology allows for identification of individuals done without
police detention or the individual’s identification card. It also helps to identity
criminals in surveillance footage. In the
case of Arizona, this clearly helps with
their war on immigrants conducted by
police and aiding conservative militias
monitoring borders and harassing people
who look like "immigrants" on the street.
Also through DHS funding, U.S. customs and border protection has started
flying what is called “General Atomics’
Predator Drones” along the Mexican
and Canadian borders. These robots fly
independent of pilots and are equipped
with real-time, full-motion video cameras. Before domestic use, these drones
were used to track enemy combatants
in war zones like Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Although the stated purpose
of these drones is to defend American
borders against possible terrorists entering the country, we are assuming they
have played a much larger role in busting drug traffickers or illegally traveling
immigrants.
Arizona and Tennessee are two states
with large, active anti-Islamic movements
and a grossly racist status quo. Not coincidentally, these are two examples of
police departments that have received
funding from the DHS due to reaching
out and expressing concerns over terrorism in their own regions-- whether
or not those states would even be prioritized targets for Islamic fundamentalists or other perceived terrorist threats.
As the "Washington Post" reports, these
two states receive DHS "anti-terrorism"
funding, but have yet to foil or solve a
single case of "terrorism." Instead, both
states have sued their newly-outfitted
police departments to wage war on poor
neighborhoods and motorists.
For example, in Memphis, Tennessee, DHS helped local police purchase
90 surveillance cameras, 13 of which
monitor bridges and a causeway. Also according to the “Washington Post,” DHS,
FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 55

“helped buy the fancy screens on the walls of the Real Time
Crime Center, as well as radios, robotic surveillance equipment,
a mobile command center and three bomb-sniffing dogs. This
came about in the name of port security and protection to critical infrastructure.”
Looking to NYC for another example in this increased
and broadened social repression, new everyday police measures
have come as a result of a post-9/11 state. Random search and
detention by police is now permitted and actually encouraged
by police officials. The intent behind this is to create an uncomfortable scenario of fear, where at any moment, whether
or not anything has happened, or anyone has done anything,
police are entitled to stop, detain, search, question, or ID anyone. Under this measure, NYC’s police commissioner Ray Kelly estimated that approximately 600,000 people are randomly
stopped a year in NYC; and only 10% are typically arrested.
Although the same measures are also taken in smaller cities. In
the case of both Arizona and Tennessee, there have been no
reports of these random stop and search measures preventing
or disrupting any cases of terrorism. And not surprising, but
certainly of note-- on average 51% of those stopped, at least in
NYC, are either Black or Latino.
Broadly, the “War on Terrorism” and specifically the Department of Homeland Security have not only helped spark a
culture of reactionary fear, but has also furthered the development of a nation of police departments prepared to wage a
new war on those it deems criminal under the guise of “counter-terrorism.”
Previously these types of police procedures and systems had
mostly been seen in Britain and Israel. According to the United
States government, a suspicious activity is an "observed behavior reasonably indicative of pre-operational planning related to
terrorism or other criminal activity" related to terrorism. However, the government also clearly sees this new dawn of fear,
still strong almost 10 years after 9/11, as an opportunity for
new measures of domestic policing and regulation over our
lives.
Last Minute Report on
Arrested Anti-Fascists in New Jersey

S

hortly before going to print, a group of Anti-Fascists
disrupted the meeting and protest plans of the National Socialist Movement planed in New Jersey. On
April 15th, when a roving black bloc of roughly 30
people approached their 60 person conference, a
group of Nazis (some dressed in full WWII Nazi Uniforms)
came out and attacked the bloc with chairs. The bloc responded fearlessly in defense, leaving multiple Nazis in the hospital.
The following day in Trenton, New Jersey, the NSM marched
through the streets escorted by hundreds of police. Although
the police presence made confrontation nearly impossible,
rocks were thrown at the Nazi buses escorting the NSM to
the protest, and a Bank of America had its windows smashed,
possibly intending to expose the connection of grass roots and

institutional fascism. While it is exciting that the NSM was humiliated, the confrontation on the 15th resulted in the arrests
of two anti-racists. Bail for the two arrested was set to $50,000
dollars each, and they are currently being charged with felony
riot. After raising 10,000 dollars from comrades and supporters for a bail bond, the two have been released. No trial date is
set, and video footage does prove that any confrontation by the
anti-racists was actually done in self-defense, financial support
is very much needed.
You can donate to their legal fund via PayPal at:
donate@antiracistaction.org
You can find out more information about this by e-mailing:
HubCityARA@gmail.com

stay up to date:
Break the Chains
www.breakthechains.info
Denver Anarchist
Black Cross
denverabc.wordpress.com
anti-Prison groups:

Unchained Books +
PO Box 784, Fort Collins, CO
80522
unchainedbooks@riseup.net
unchainedbooks.wordpress.com
Boston ABC +
PO Box 230182, Boston, MA
02123
BostonABC@riseup.net

These projects provide free literature
and support for people currently incarcerated or facing jail time. The
postal information is provided so
that prisoners without access to the
internet will be able to get in contact
and request support. We apologize
for only including projects based in
the United States; we only have so
much space. Projects that have a
‘+’ sign near the title, distribute
this magazine for free to prisoners.

Legal information +
security Tips

Pittsburgh ABC +
PO Box 9272, Pittsburgh, PA
15224
Central Georgia ABC +
P.O Box 610, Roberta, GA
31078
New York City ABC +
P.O Box 110034, Brooklyn,
NY, 11211
Houston ABC
P.O Box 667614, Houston, TX
77266-7614
Modesto Anarcho +
PO Box 3027, Modesto, CA,
95353

Prisoner address Lists

Security, Privacy, and
Anonymity
www.security.resist.ca
Civil Liberties
Defense Center
www.cldc.org
Midnight Special
Law Collective
www.midnightspecial.net

Denver ABC
Prisoner Database
www.denverabc.wordpress.com
political-prisoners-database
Spirit of Freedom
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk/
addresses.html

FTTP #11 - Repression - Pg. 56

Notable Failures in
Justice
Floyd Brown

Scott Sisters Released

A

fter 16 years in prison for an eleven dollar
"armed robbery," Jamie and Gladys Scott
were released in January. On Christmas
Eve 1993, the two Black sisters encouraged two men to drive them to a nightclub in Forest, Mississippi. The two young mothers ordered
the men to pull over, at which time three armed
young teenagers robbed the two men of eleven
dollars. The girls then fled the scene and escaped
with the three armed men.
After arresting one of the three boys who engaged in the robbery, he chose to "rat out" Jamie and Gladys for a shorter sentence of just a
few months. Jamie and Gladys were sentenced
to life in prison for armed robbery. It was obvious that the conviction was racially driven,
considering the Scott sisters were not armed, no
one was hurt, and only 11 dollars was taken; a
conviction like life could only reflect the state's
perspective on appropriate justice for the Black
community. This year, the governor "pardoned"
both of them after years of pressure from organizations like the NAACP, even after two earlier
appeals were denied. One of the conditions of
the Scott sisters release is that Gladys will donate
one of her kidneys to Jamie, direly in need of one
to survive. However, as Gladys and Jamie have
been deemed too overweight to undergo the procedure, there is concern that failing to meet this
condition could result in their re-imprisonment.

Responding to CNN’s
‘Rogue Justice’

D

NA or recently revealed
evidence has lead to the release of dozens of people
sentenced to death or life
in prison. Still many who
have not actually committed any
crimes have been killed or died in
prison, or are currently being held
in prison. CNN recently aired a new
show called "Rogue Justice," that
examined two recent cases of this
phenomenon, bringing it into the
mainstream spotlight.
Greg Taylor, held for over 17 years
on a false murder conviction, was
one of the featured men. He settled
on the lost 17 years with a 750,000
dollar law suit. He calculated the lawsuit deemed justice by the state of

North Carolina as equal to roughly
five dollars an hour pay for his entire prison experience. DNA evidence was the reason for his release;
DNA that was in the possession of
the crime lab that investigated his
alleged murder since the beginning
of the case, but was refused to the
courts during his trial.
The other man spotlighted in the
show was Floyd Brown, a mentally
disabled man who was held for 14
years in a state-run mental institution
for a murder confession he allegedly
wrote. Fourteen years later, Floyd
was released after a jury was convinced by a psychologist that Floyd
suffered from such intense cognitive
disability that it would not have been
possible for him to have written the
confession.

Please check out:
freethescottsisters.blogspot.com

Greg Taylor

Gladys

Jamie
FTTP #11 - Notable Failures in Justice - Pg. 57

We see no validity in the prison system,
or the logic of guilty or innocent that it
thrives on. Of course, as a result of this
perspective we would see the most potential included in the complete destruction of all prisons, and the societies that
depend on them to function. For the
time being, we think it is important to
include a few organizations that are dedicated to taking "legal" action towards
proving prisoner's innocence.
Those with internet access you can
review the complete list at:
www.innocenceproject.org/about/
Other-Projects.php

Northern California Innocence Project at Santa
Clara University, 500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053-0422
Colorado
Colorado Innocence Project
404 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0404
Illinois
Center on Wrongful Convictions
Northwestern University School of Law
357 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611

The following organizations were chosen
based on states where there is in-prison
distribution of this magazine:

Missouri (For Overall Midwestern U.S.)
Midwestern Innocence Project
6320 Brookside Plaza #1500
Kansas City, Missouri 64113

California:

New York

California and Hawaii Innocence Project
California Western School of Law
225 Cedar Street
San Diego, California 92101

Innocence Project at
Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School Yeshiva University
100 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, New York 10011

Reinvestigation Project
Office of the Appellate Defender
11 Park Place, Suite 1601
New York, New York 10007
North Carolina
North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence
Duke/University of North Carolina Law
Schools
Post Office Box 52446
Shannon Plaza Station
Durham, North Carolina 27717
Washington
Innocence Project Northwest
University of Washington
William H. Gates Hall, Suite 265
Post Office Box 85110
Seattle, Washington 98145-1110

There is our
humanity.

There is
no justice.
There is
just us.

Regulation

And there is
justice.

FTTP #11 - Notable Failures in Justice - Pg. 58

a chronology of
North American
Prisoner Resistance

N

aturally, the proliferation of the
prison has been met with significant resistance from those
most affected by it.

This may be best understood as a simple conflict of interests: the interests of prisoners
against the interests of the prison itself, which
does everything necessary to maintain their
confinement.

Riots, escapes, inmate fights, staff assaults, refusal of orders, and disturbances of all kinds
are some ways in which the tension of this
conflict is manifested. Each time the prison
cannot proceed with routine operations it loses control of itself; each time the prison loses
control, its inhabitants are able to act outside
of its constraints, in accordance with their
own interests.

With only media reports as our sources, it
is impossible to document every single case.
While reading this list it is important to keep
in mind that the inmate is always living in resistance to prison, regardless of whether or
not a newspaper article is published about it.
The actions reported here are only to serve
as examples of those who - even up against
the grandeur of the prison and its near-insurmountable walls – manage to act out despite
the dismal reality of the situation.

All actions which
impede prison’s
aim of social
control can
be considered
tangible
resistance.
FTTP #11 - Chronology of N.A. Prisoner Resistance - Pg. 59

NOTE:

Every issue of “FTTP” reports on prisoner resistance and struggle.
The reports always date back to the last issue.
In this case, our last issue came out in October 2010.
Sadly due to space, we have to prioritize reports of resistance in the Western Hemisphere.

Chronology of Prisoner Resistance
10/01/10 - Santa Barbara, CA, USA A Santa Barbara County Jail deputy suffered a broken nose and bruises to their
head and torso after they were punched
and kicked by an inmate.

10/19/10 – Calipatria, CA, USA A riot involving up to 120 inmates at
the Calipatria State Prison ended when
correctional officers opened fire and
wounded two.

10/02/10 – Rome, GA, USA A Floyd County Jail inmate was charged
with felony interference with government property after they knocked the
head off a fire sprinkler. The same incident occurs again on December 28th.

10/21/10 – Lumberton, NC, USA An inmate escaped from the Robeson
Correctional Center's work-release program after they stole a van at a job site
and bolted.

10/06/10 – Florence, CO, USA A United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility guard was stabbed
three times with a homemade weapon.
10/08/10 – Wilmington, DE, USA Five inmates escaped the Plummer Community Corrections Center.
10/10/10 – Bastrop, TX, USA
An inmate was discovered missing from
the Federal Correctional Institution.
10/13/10 – Saegertown, PA, USA
A Crawford County Correctional Facility
officer was hospitalized following an assault by an inmate.
10/16/10 – McMinnville, TN, USA
Two inmates used a metal part of a toilet
to dig through a wall and escape the Warren County Jail.
10/17/10 – Port-au-Prince, Haiti –
A riot erupted at the National Penitentiary as nearly 100 UN police officers
were being given a tour inside, seven of
which were briefly taken hostage. A trio
of prisoners overpowered several guards
and stripped them of their weapons three shotguns and an M-14 rifle – and
were later killed as they tried to escape.

10/24/10 – Pattonsburg, MO, USA Three inmates crawled under the fence
at the Daviess/DeKalb County Jail and
escaped.
10/25/10 – Bayport, MN, USA –
Following a fight between two inmates at
the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, about 90 other inmates refused to
return to their cells as cellblock B-West
was put on lock down.
10/26/10 – Martinez, CA, USA –
An inmate at the Contra Costa County
Jail faked a seizure and hit a nurse over
the head with a lamp. The nurse later
died from her injuries.
10/28/10 – Victoria, TX, USA –
Two inmates escaped the Victoria Regional Juvenile Justice Center after assaulting a detention officer, taking his
radio, and breaking open the recreation
yard’s gate.
10/30/10 – Brownfield, TX, USA –
An inmate, who escaped once prior, assaulted a Terry County Jail correctional
officer in a second escape attempt.

11/01/10 – Reno, NV, USA –
Staff members attempted to break up a
violent altercation at the Willow Springs
adolescent treatment facility when 40
inmates assaulted staff members while
encouraging others to join in.
11/05/10 – Louisville, KY, USA –
An inmate disappeared from their halfway house.
11/07/10 – Taos, NM, USA –
Two Taos County Jail inmates gained
access to the control center where they
were able to unlock the front door and
walk out.
11/08/10 – Pine Knot, KY, USA Two guards were stabbed at USP-McCreary while conducting a routine cell
search.
11/11/10 – DeBary, FL, USA A state prisoner doing roadside work
rode away on a lawnmower.
11/13/10 – Monticello, NY, USA –
A Sullivan County Corrections Officer
was punched in the mouth while trying
to restrain an inmate who refused to enter their cell.
11/15/10 – Troy, MO, USA –
Two inmates escaped the Lincoln
County Jail.
11/16/10– Chapel Hill, NC, USA –
A Pasquotank Correctional Institution
inmate receiving medical treatment at a
UNC hospital slipped away from their
guards, stole a patrol car, and led authorities on a high-speed chase spanning two
counties.

FTTP #11 - Chronology of N.A. Prisoner Resistance - Pg. 60

11/18/10 – Plattsburgh, NY, USA –
An inmate at the Clinton County Jail was
involved in an “incident with a correction officer that resulted in a charge of
assault in the second-degree” according
to the county sheriff.
11/12/10 – Manchester, NH, USA –
An inmate escaped from the Calumet
Transitional Housing Unit.
11/22/10 – Salem, OR, USA An Oregon State Hospital security employee sustained facial fractures and a
broken ankle when they were attacked by
a jail inmate undergoing a mental evaluation.
11/23/10 – Elmhurst, NY, USA More than a dozen corrections officers
were injured at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center after a violent night on
Rikers Island.
11/25/10 – Sheridan, OR, USA Four inmates walked away from the FCI
Sheridan work camp.
11/26/10 – Brownsville, TN, USA –
An inmate escaped the Haywood County
Jail by squeezing through a 4.5” wide gap
of cell bars.
12/07/10 – Macon, GA, USA –
A corrections officer was hit first with a
milk carton and then in the back of the
head with a chair at the Bibb County
Youth Development Campus.
12/08/11 – Malacatán,
San Marcos, Guatemala –
15 people armed with assault rifles and
a grenade launcher helped an inmate escape.
12/09/11 – Georgia, USA –
In the largest prison strike in American
history, tens of thousands of inmates in
ten state prisons refused to leave their
cells and report to work or other activities. The seven day strike was coordinated for months with contraband cell
phones in response to wages, health care
and nutrition, among other things. The
featured article in this issue called The
Strike, goes into more depth about this.

12/11/10 – Somers, NY, USA –
Some 30 “students” at the Lincoln Hall
School for Boys rioted for about an hour
until it was quelled by state police.
12/12/10 – Napa, CA, USA –
A “rehabilitation therapist” was assaulted
while escorting an inmate on the Napa
State Hospital grounds.
12/14/10– Iowa City, IA, USA –
A Jefferson County inmate braved the 10
degree weather in nothing but a hospital
gown and slippers as they escaped their
warders while receiving medical treatment.
12/16/10 – Nuevo Laredo,
Tamaulipas, Mexico –
One-hundred-forty-eight escaped from a
state prison.
12/17/10 - Mineral Wells, TX, USA –
Approximately 30 inmates refused to go
to their assigned housing locations on
the north side of the Corrections Corporation of America’s Pre-Parole Transfer Facility.
12/18/10 – Toronto, Ontario, CAN –
An inmate being booked into the Toronto West Detention Center attacked
two guards with a roofing hammer and
“uttered death threats” as he smashed
computers and furniture in the prison
admissions area.
12/21/10 – Florence, CO, USA –
A USP-Florence inmate went into a staff
members office located in the housing
unit of the prison and hit two corrections officers n the face.
12/25/10 – Wartburg, TN, USA –
An inmate from Morgan County Correctional Complex escaped by climbing the
perimeter fence.
12/27/10 – Odessa, Texas, USA –
An inmate escaped from the Ector
County Annex.
12/29/10 – Cincinnati, Ohio, USA –
An inmate smashed out a second story
window and jumped to his escape at the
Hamilton County jail.

12/31/10 – Cumberland, MD, USA –
Eight correctional officers from the
North Branch Correctional Institution
were attacked by inmates. Two suffered
facial injuries, one sustained an injury to
their knee, the others were hospitalized
for exposure to pepper spray.
01/03/11 - Lucasville, OH - USAAfter a hunger strike by 3 well respected
prisoners, as well as riots by fellow inmates, Ohio state prisons are now allowing “semi-contact” visits for prisoners.
01/05/11 – Ludlow, MA, USA –
An officer at the Hampden County Correctional Center suffered fractures to his
ribs and face after an assault from an inmate.
01/11/11 – Eureka, CA, USA –
Three correctional officers at Pelican Bay
prison were attacked by two inmates with
handmade weapons and were hospitalized for lacerations and stab wounds.
01/19/11 – Ionia, MI, USA –
Four Michigan Reformatory correctional
officers were assaulted and seriously injured by a pair of inmates.
01/22/11 - Yuba City, CA, USA –
An inmate scaled a chain-link fence
topped with razor wire and escaped from
Sutter County Jail.
01/24/11 San Luis Obispo, CA, USA For three days a thousand inmates demonstrated against worsening conditions
at California Men's Colony by refusing
state issued meals.
01/24/11 – Graceville, FL, USA –
A riot at DOVE facility for girls left several staff members injured.
01/25/11 – Cincinnati, OH, USA –
A Hamilton County Jail inmate injured
three correctional officers - pulling one
down a flight of stairs, punching another, and lashing out at a third all while being restrained.

FTTP #11 - Chronology of N.A. Prisoner Resistance - Pg. 61

01/29/11 – Seattle, WA, USA –
A state corrections officer was found
strangled with a microphone cord in the
prison chapel at the Washington State
Prison.

“At Attica,
it just got
to a point,
we said,
the hell
with this.

01/30/11 – Eastman, GA, USA –
More than 60 inmates rioted at the
Youth Development Facility, setting
small fires with bed linens, and assaulting a correctional officer with a broomstick.
02/02/11 – Monterey,
Neuvo Leon, Mexico –
Three guards from the Topo Chico prison were shot and later the prison security chief was found mutilated in a plastic
container with a note from an organized
crime group claiming the actions.
02/11/11 – Marion, IL, USA –
Three inmates escaped from a U.S. Penitentiary.
02/11/11- Las Cruces, NM, USA An inmate escaped from John Paul Taylor Juvenile Detention Facility.

02/20/11 – Forsyth, GA, USA –
Inmates rioted after being denied
a hot meal at Monroe County Jail.
02/24/11 – Centre Hall, PA,
USA During a riot by juveniles at Meadows Psychiatric Center several employees were injured and a trooper
sustained several broken bones.
02/24/11 – Jackson, MS, USA –
An inmate walked away from
Hinds County Restitution Center.

We might just
have to get out
there and tear
this damn place
apart no matter
what the
consequences
are.”

02/16/11 – Monroe, WA, USA –
A counselor at the Monroe Correctional
Center was attacked and injured by an
inmate.

ONE

02/26/11 – Rome, GA, USA –
A Floyd County Jail inmate
screamed and spat at jail officers,
punching one in the mouth and
sending another to the hospital
with a leg injury.
03/02/11 –Walla Walla, WA,
USA A Washington State Penitentiary
correctional officer suffered a dislocated shoulder and several puncture wounds to the face after being
attacked by an inmate with a pen.

-An Attica Rebel

DAY
FTTP #11 - Chronology of N.A. Prisoner Resistance - Pg. 62

“Prisoners in Georgia
remain connected with
each other and have
threatened future, more
extreme action if their
demands are not met.

The Strike!
“The prison protest has
entered the wireless age.”

Effectively prisoners
managed to demonstrate
their power without
showing their full hand.”

I

government building maintenance without compensation for
their labor. This, compounded with a stranglehold on money
transfers from their families by a corporation call J-pay, as well
as another private company called Global Tel-Link charging
$55 a month for once a week 15-minute phone conversations,
were part of the impetus for many of the Georgia prisoners'
demands.

Through a series of gang truces and uncommon allegiances,
prisoners from Augusta, Baldwin, Hancock, Hays, Macon,
Smith and Telfair State Prisons among others, initiated this
strike to press the Georgia Department of Corrections (DOC)
to adhere to their demands.

People being forced into labor situations without compensation, required to buy time to speak to loved ones, and having
an overpriced and poorly maintained commissary have been
the reality for decades. But the thing that pushed many over
the edge was a statewide smoking ban in all prisons that was to
be set in place on January 1st of this year. A truly 'bread and
roses' moment.

t took a few months of planning and more than one
contraband cell phone, but this past December prisoners of the Georgia Department of Corrections pulled
off the largest prison strike in US history. Thousands of
people in well over half a dozen facilities across the state
participated in the unprecedented strike. Isolation is one
of the largest tools used against prisoners. Kept from
each other and out of view of the public, the idea of coordinating an effort on this scale had seemed impossible.

Georgia currently incarcerates 60,000 prisoners and has 150,000
people on probation, with the highest prisoner to resident ratio
in the country. Almost every state has a policy forcing prisoners to work. Prisons cloak these programs in the language of
'rehabilitation' and 'vocational training programs' in an effort to
keep them from being seen for what they are. At best they are
a form of indentured servitude; at worst they are the last legal
form of slavery in this country. Prisoners on average are paid
between .12 cents and 40 cents for their labor in a variety of
fields. While OSHA regulations apply to the work prisoners are
forced to do, there are currently many lawsuits against various
States' Departments of Corrections and the Federal Bureau of
Prisons in regards to unsafe labor practices, and in particular
around electronics and computer recycling.
Georgia is one of two states that does not pay it's incarcerated population, the other being Texas. Prisoners are still required to do prison chores, cook and serve meals, and perform

Organizers spent months building a web of divergent factions
and gangs — groups not known to cooperate — into a mostly
unified coalition using text messaging and word of mouth.
The strike was scheduled for December 9th, and was only to
last the one day. It ended up lasting 6 days with thousands of
participants. Prisoners refused to work, participate in activities,
or leave their cells, forcing the prison administration to 'lock
down' many facilities. A man at Hays State Prison in Trion, GA
was quoted as saying “We’re hearing in the news they’re putting
it down as we’re starting a riot, so they locked all the prisons
down,” But, he said, “We locked ourselves down.”
The Demands
The demands are simple. The things being asked for are not
new. They have been voiced by generations of prisoners long
before those in Georgia went on strike: Educational opportunities beyond GED classes, decent health care and living condiFTTP #11 - The Strike! - Pg. 63

tions, an end to cruel and unusual punishment, nutritional meals, a living wage
for the hours they are working, affordable and non-restrictive access to their
families, and more just parole decisions.
Prison is considered one of the fastest
growing industries in this country. Underdeveloped or 3rd world nations with
little to no labor standards once had a
stranglehold on the worlds cheap labor
market. The US has reestablished itself
as a contender in the worlds cheap labor
market by utilizing prison labor. Mexican
maquiladoras are closing up shop and
moving their manufacturing to US prisons as elected officials are trying to lure
industry to their states by guaranteeing
low prison labor costs on the production
of their goods.
Prisons do not lack adequate medical care or nutritional food and learning opportunities because those who
run them are sadists. Prisoners are not
forced to work in hazardous conditions
while being subjected to torturous living conditions because Harley Lappin
is a heartless despot. The conditions are
deplorable, and the incarceration rates
disparate based on gender, class and race
because the functioning of the prison
system requires them to be so. Costs
must be kept down, especially in private
prisons to maximize the money generated from them. While the demands of
those locked inside may seem reasonably
within the means of the prison administration for them to be granted would
drastically change the face of the prison
industrial complex.
The wants and desires of those involved
with this strike must be treated as serious
grievances. They are an avenue to widening a fissure, to exploring the capacity of
organizing on the inside. To make such
demands, even in the realization that
they will never be actualized, is a step
forward in the possibility of prison revolt generalizing past the walls it wishes
to destroy.

The Response
The largest prison strike in United States
history occurred in December of last
year, and almost no one noticed. Pockets
of anarchists around the country held
solidarity demos. Administrations shuddered slightly and then everything went
back to normal.
In many prisons the administrations and
the CO's responses to the strike were
swift and brutal. In Augusta State Prison,
six or seven prisoners were “extracted”
from their cells and beaten by CERT
Team guards, resulting in broken ribs for
several men. One man was beaten beyond recognition. In Telfair State Prison,
prisoners' cells were trashed and their belongings destroyed. Those participating
in the strike were harassed and intimidated. At Macon State, the Tactical Squad
menaced men for two days, sending
some to the “hole,” and turning off the
heat and hot water. Supposed “leaders”
of the strike were transferred to new facilities. According to some sources there
are 37 such people who are still missing,
swallowed inside a bureaucracy trying to
keep them hidden.
While the prison administrators responded with force, there was mixed
reaction and support from the general
public. Petitions circulated and articles
were written, many with the same message- 'we support the strikers as long as
they remain non-violent”. In doing so,
they helped cement the old divide of
“good” protester and “bad” protester;
the good prisoner interested in reform
and the violent thug.
Given the opportunity, non-profits and
NGOs will claim credit for any action
deemed acceptable by the general public.
They will harness the rage and indignation of any group of people, so long as
they can stamp their organization's name
on the rebellion and as long as that rebellion fits into specific parameters. Once
it steps outside of those guidelines all
support and solidarity must be withdrawn in order to save face and maintain
the social capital necessary to further a
political agenda.

A petition was circulated and signed by
such notable names as Noam Chomsky, Rosa Clemente, and a multitude of
NGOs, coalitions and lawyers. The petition called for solidarity with the strikers and for the creation of “a historic
mass movement against mass incarceration and for universal human rights and
dignity.” This was a small but important
co-opting of the demands being made
by those in Georgia. Even more clearly
revealed when the petition states that
“Georgia prison authorities have reportedly reacted to the peaceful strike with
violence.” Again the dichotomy of peace
and violence was created. If instead of
a “peaceful” strike, if prisoners with the
same demands had initiated attacks on
CO's and the destruction of the prisons they were being held in, would the
same names have graced such a petition?
Would such a petition have ever been
written?
The Next
The tools available to those incarcerated
in this country are few. Their bodies and
the capability of disrupting imposed
order are some of the only options afforded to them. Whether against corrections officers, cops, and snitches or upon
prisoners from the administration; violence is a well worn tool in these battles.
Often when prisoners decide to stand in
defiance of their captivity there are dire
physical and emotional repercussions.
The 43 dead at Attica in 1971; the 5 dead
at Alcatraz in 1946, those dead at Lucasville in 1993 and thousands of others are
testament to the immense danger prisoners face when they rise up.
Sacrifice and fortitude in the face of
massive repression is not a skill the US
anarchist movement has managed to
master. It often falls short of the simplest goal of merely ‘supporting’ those
incarcerated or faced with incarceration.
The Anarchist Black Cross communities that once dotted the US have fallen
to the same internal power battles that
has plagued the discourse for years. Of
the few prisoner support organizations
that still remain, most have dedicated
FTTP #11 - The Strike! - Pg. 64

themselves to a charity orientated role. Mailing pamphlets and
books to prisoners has taken the place of creating friendships
and building affinity with those on the inside. Anarchists in the
US would rather “educate” prisoners on their own oppression
then build the material and theoretical frameworks necessary to
grow multiple entry points for a diversity of “movements” all
capable of attacking prisons from multiple angles.
Prison revolt does not fit well into a utilitarian or “campaignbased” approach. If one understands the purpose of a prison
riot to be the winning of demands, it is clear that prisoners
almost always “lose,” at least in the short term. Revolt on the
inside generally ends with more punishment and violence, not
less. Perhaps this explains why the gradual, movement-building approach of the prison “abolitionist” Left tends to avoid
engaging with actual prisoners, and instead focuses on policy
campaigns and community building efforts.
Never was this more apparent
then in the lack of response from
anarchists around the Georgia
prison strike. The lead up to this
particular action was fairly insular.
There was little opportunity for
outside influence to find it's way
into the prisons before the strike
happened. As the strike entered
into it's 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th days
the information was finally becoming available to all.

cess. While these exact conditions may not present themselves
again in any near future; a fissure in the states ability to cause
disunity and isolation amongst its prison population has begun
to grow.
Obviously, this makes it all the more important for anarchists
to seize their own initiative when these challenges are overcome in a moment. The reality though, is that prison rebellions
in general, escape the recent North American imagination, they
do not fit our understandings of struggles that are “important,” “winnable,” or “strategic.” The violence of prison riots,
with their hostage-taking, gang involvement, and shoot outs,
cause discomfort for a political milieu more accustomed to the
dragging around of newspaper boxes and “nonviolent” property destruction. This does not go to say that such activities are
bad or pointless, but merely that our habits might constrain our
perception of what is possible or necessary.

“Sacrifice and
fortitude in the face of
massive repression is
not a skill the US
anarchist movement
has managed
to master.
It often falls short of
the simplest goal of
merely ‘supporting’
those incarcerated
or faced with
incarceration.”

Though prisoners did not take
over their facilities or seize hostages, the geographic expanse and
number of participants vastly outnumbered more celebrated uprisings of the past. Most importantly, this strike had the unique
ability to spread itself from facility to facility. The major element
of prison - the isolation one is
forced to feel - crumbled for a moment under the weight of
contraband cell phones and word of mouth organizing. Prisoners in Georgia remain connected with each other and have
threatened future, more extreme action if their demands are
not met. Effectively prisoners managed to demonstrate their
power without showing their full hand.

The means in which prisoners were able to communicate are
hardly reproducible or sustainable. A combination of outside
organizers with vast experience, former Black Panther Party
Chairwoman Elaine Brown being the most notable, and the
ability to smuggle in and buy massively over priced cell phones
from COs were major contributing factors to this strikes suc-

Of course this anarchist distance
from prison struggle has not always been the case, nor is it always
the case overseas today, where
anarchists on both sides of the
wall have played important roles
in helping prison and detention
center rebellions to generalize in
several Mediterranean countries.
Those activities might point a way
forward, to the important role
there is to play in spreading word
of revolt from one facility to another; not just encouraging rebellion to happen, but of helping it
to become contagious and expand
geographically.

There has been a unique task
set before the anarchists of this
country. One of deciphering and
deciding how and when to strike
against capital and it's protectors. The “movement” is diffuse
and the geography of the terrain
is massive. Choices set before those willing to demonstrate
what such generalization of revolt could look like are muddled
at best. Knowing how to answer them is often as difficult as
knowing when to answer them.
When a situation such as the one in Georgia arises; when such an obvious
moment of unparalleled solidarity exists amongst prisoners, anarchists in
the US can not sit by. If anarchists do not wish to live in obscurity, destined to impotency, then they can not pay lip service to a revolt happening
right before them. These moments must be seen for what they are, and we
must act swiftly against those who would attempt to recuperate or squash
such actions as the prison strike in Georgia.

FTTP #11 - The Strike! - Pg. 65

Japan
“The End of a World”

J

apan has been hit with one
of the most intense earthquakes in recorded history.
An earthquake of 9.0 magnitude has rocked the country, literally, in addition to
delivering a tragic tsunami
that has cleared entire cities. The Japanese military, NGOs, and autonomous
communities are expending a great deal
of energy and resources on rescuing
survivors and recovering bodies, yet the
media has been most concerned with the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
In today’s globalized world, we can
easily observe the suffering and instability that has resulted from this horrifying
natural disaster from the comfort of our
own homes thousands of miles away.
You can see acres and acres of crops, or
rows and rows of homes turn to nothing
in a matter of seconds. You can watch in
awe as ships and boats float through city
streets like a toddler’s bath toys. Remnants of a civilization turned to nothing
are available for viewing in the click of a
button, and no matter where or how you
live, it is hard to not be struck by the fragility exposed by these human endeavors.
Again and again, the foreign media
reiterates the composure of the Japanese
population. That is, comparing it to the
behavior of a place like the United States

in that situation, where something drastically smaller, for example Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, lead to widespread
looting and amplified police violence.
This is also to stress the tragedy of the
situation, pointing out that not only are
the effects reported to be happening to
one of the world’s most technologically
advanced nations, but one of the world’s
most prepared societies for a nuclear disaster.
Composure, however, can only last
for so long. Cracks in the facade become
more and more apparent in just the demeanor of Japanese news anchors and
government spokespeople. Composure
is also expected to weaken as patience
thins in the face of government bureaucracy and ineptitude. This tension
was specifically made noticeable when
foreign governments and NGOs shared
conflicting information with the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric
Power Company’s official positions on
things like the nuclear radiation’s effects
on nearby populations. This conflicting
information is leading Japanese people
to see government and business conduct
around the facility more concerned with
liability than human lives or the environment.
Foreign attention, at least in the US
for example, has primarily been on the

Nuclear Power plant at Fukushima DaiIchi. Potassium-Iodine pills - seen as a
possible cure for radiation poisoning have been flying off the shelves on the
American west coast. But the state and
businesses that built them also assured
the world of their proper regulation.
And whether or not this will reach the
states, Tokyo, other populated regions
in Japan, and nearby countries could be
effected by nuclear radiation, depending
on which way the winds blow.
The situation has nuclear lobbyists working around the clock. Nuclear
power, both as a weapon and energy, can
affect all of us. This technology stems
from an arrogant assumption of human
domination, as we progress more as a
society that depends on our exploitative
dominance over the earth; with a noncompromised goal of economic efficiency. It is interesting that many people living in towns or cities around the world,
where there are nuclear plants, are tolerant of them despite multiple cases of
cancer or nearby resource contamination
directly related to their existence. This
tolerance stems from public relations
campaigns and glorified employment opportunities that surround their development. But, similarly to Japan, the reality
is that the constructing and operating of
these plants relies on the decisions of a
FTTP #11 - Japan - Pg. 66

few, but can affect the lives of millions.
Like the laws and wars that are fabricated
without our say, nuclear power is very
much a project of a society that operates
in a hierarchical fashion.
The situation has proven to us the
fragility of our civilizations today, despite the claims and arrogant projects of
science. In a country renown for its technological ingenuity, this has been made
much more apparent. Just a little over a
year ago a 7.5 magnitude earthquake/
hurricane hit Haiti. The hurricane was
not only thousands of times less severe
according to hurricane measurements by
modern science, but also lacked the catastrophic tsunami that was responsible
for the more severe impacts of Japan’s
earthquake. Thousands of more people
died though on impact. To put it bluntly,
this was due to Haiti’s position in both
the economic and technological world.
While Haitian authorities exist to maintain social “peace” in Haiti, compared
to Japan they have almost no ability to
even begin an evacuation or rescue campaign. If the same magnitude earthquake
and catastrophic tsunami hit Haiti, the
impoverished island could quite possibly have ceased to exist. Japan, on the
other hand, possesses one of the world’s
most advanced and equipped governments. The Japanese people are also
taught from birth to be prepared for
earthquakes. But despite it’s economic
position in the world, disciplined culture,
and technological advancements; it is
currently attempting to remain calm as it
quite possibly faces even more disaster.
In terms of Japan’s economy, the
damage has been recorded as of this
writing to be roughly two-hundred billion dollars, which accounts for almost
3% of Japan’s entire GDP, and will likely
grow as each day comes. The country’s
economy has already been struggling
these last few years for multiple reasons,
such as the lack of a demand in exported
products, like cars or electronics, as a result of recession in North American and
European countries. This was indeed the
worst event imaginable for the country’s
economy during this time. At the moment the world’s wealthiest and most
powerful nations are desperately trying
to retain the Yen’s value by intervening

in the global economy for the first time
since the dawn of the Euro, and are encouraging investment in the country’s
economy by glorifying development opportunities projected for Japan’s future
recovery. Yet as each day continues, and
the government remains slow and seemingly more and more helpless; global
capitalism could begin recognizing Japan
as a third-world country in the not too
distant future.
In human terms, tens of thousands
have died, and hundreds of thousands
more remain missing, and hundred of
thousands have lost their homes, or
been forced out by radiation concerns
from the demolished nuclear facilities.
Although, as we said, people are remaining unusually calm for the circumstances, food shortages are becoming more
and more apparent across the region as
production, transportation, and an operational civilization has been completely
brought to its knees. Out of Japan’s 127
million people, 23% of them are over
the age of 65. Separate of radiation concerns, the earthquake and tsunami has
left millions without electricity and heat,
forcing thousands of elderly people into
a hostile environment. This will likely
lead to a heightened death-toll of many
elderly or sick people, who are having
an incredibly hard time finding access
to stabile shelter or medical facilities.
It’s said that multiple people died during transportation alone from hospitals
to emergency shelters while being evacuated. Many of those who survived but
suffer from injuries may die over time
simply due to the depletion of functioning treatment institutions and resources.
And of course, to come back to radiation for a moment, it has been said that
those closest to the nuclear facilities are
enduring the amount of radiation an urban dweller undergoes in a year in a matter of six hours. The Japanese people are
undergoing one of the harshest blows to
a modern civilization we have ever seen,
and inevitably more sickness and suffering will be seen in years to come.
In ecological terms, radiation is entering the atmosphere at alarming rates.
Oil refineries have gone up in flames,
and a tsunami has mixed and moved
billions of dollars in human infrastruc-

ture, turning it to trash, and littering it
across the coastal inlands of Japan. The
environmental consequences that could
come from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant meltdowns make the environment not only uninhabitable to humans
and non-human species, but additionally
unusable for production purposes; ruining water supplies, soil, and several other
natural resources. The extent of the negative effects this situation will have on
the earth is still unknown.
Globally, nations around the world
will both be strengthened and weakened
by the slowly collapsing Japanese economy. Countries in debt to Japan, like the
United States for example, will be forced
to forgo earlier returns on loans from
Japan. Other nations may gain strength
simply in the loss of economic competition. Investors in Japanese companies
will most likely lose billions. Nuclear
power around the world will be called
into question, causing massive complications in the Nuclear industry. Japanese
production plants around the world will
remain closed, and eventually be forced
to lay off thousands. Retail companies
or manufacturing facilities reliant on
Japanese production will be forced to go
through rapid transitions as their businesses will be deeply disrupted by the
loss of Japanese commodities, which
will also lead to massive layoffs. And the
world now knows, that despite a nation’s
economic or political power, at any moment the facade can crumble.
The Japanese have undergone a nuclear disaster before, when the United
States bombed Nagasaki and Hiroshima
in 1945 with two nuclear bombs codenamed “Fat Baby” and “Little Boy”.
The bombing killed between 150,000246,000 people between the two cities.
An estimated 20% of the deaths were a
result of radiation sickness, and another
50% were related to illnesses contracted
as a result of the blast. It’s important to
remember that what is happening now is
not only a possible nuclear disaster, it is
an already existing and escalating ecological and social catastrophe; both naturally
and unnaturally caused.
This situation also shines light on the
limitations of even recognized superpower governments, as the Japanese
FTTP #11 -Japan - Pg. 67

state is forced to mince words, hoping
to retain faith in its ability to “serve and
protect”. Imagine the same situation
happening in New York City or Los Angeles, or another high-populated area
with large areas that are at tension with
authorities. Parts of this country would
already be resembling civil war. It’s important for us to take notice of the Japanese situation, so we are more prepared
if the same situation was to hit other
parts of the world, also factoring in the
significant cultural differences in Japan
from most other parts of the world to
help predict the social response to a situation similar in nature.
It’s important for Anarchists and revolutionaries to pay attention to dialogue
around Japan, pushing concerns about
nuclear energy further, battling religious
recuperation of the event, and preventing an apocalypse culture type fear that
could lead to the rise of separatist or
fascist survival militias (specifically in
the United States), or more profit for the
2012 industry.
Unfortunately, Japan has already become the new business opportunity of
organizations like the Red Cross, which

only uses a small percentage of its contributions for rescue campaigns directly
helping Japanese people, while a larger
percentage goes to logistics (worker salaries, office expenses, promotional campaigns) like most NGOs or charities. In
situations like these it is quite hard to
feel helpful, especially when you see little
satisfaction from just giving money to
so and so charity, or even less in prayer.
Apart from sharing money, shelter, or resources directly with a Japanese person
or family effected by the earthquake, tsunami, or nuclear evacuations, we remain
skeptical of charitable donations having
a direct impact at all. While we would
suggest attempting to go and help directly, rescue or recovery efforts have been
recognized as the primary responsibility
of Japan’s domestic military, recognized
NGOs, and some international allies.
Additionally, travel to and from Japan
remains incredibly limited, especially for
those who are not rich.
We should also reach out to growing ecological concerns and anti-nuclear
sentiment, and push it into a direction
that will have a more total aim at the entire foundation of a society that deems

a small group or singular institution responsible for a project that can kill millions. Revolutionaries or Anarchists can
also begin researching, learning, and
teaching self-sufficient survival methods
for disasters similar to what has happened in Japan, encouraging communities that would be least protected during
a natural disaster to focus on the importance of working together through catastrophe, without reliance on government
institutions.
We express our utmost empathy with those who
have been effected by the earthquake and tsunami, as well as those who may be effected by future outcomes of exposed nuclear waste or other
bio-devastation caused by the tragedy. This is not
something to ignore, not simply because its horribly disheartening, but because the conclusion
of this situation, if there can be one, will affect
the world’s entire future. We apologize if drastic
things have changed in Japan by the time you
have read this, but it was an essential rupture in
the world’s current stability that was essential to
report here. This modern global society is clearly
not immortal, it is essential that we take this
realization from this tragic event.

This is not
something to
ignore, not
just because
it’s horribly
disheartening,
but because the
conclusion of this
situation, if there
can be one, will
effect the world's
entire future.

FTTP #11 -Japan - Pg. 68

Levantate!

New Wave of Anti-Migrant
Laws May Ignite Mass Unrest

*Captured migrants await processing inside a U.S. Border Protection Detention Facility

A

cross the United States, neoconservatives, and
candidates flung into office by Tea Party activists, are taking cues from Arizona’s SB-1070 bill,
by attempting to pass similar anti-migrant legislation in other parts of the country. Many of
these bills are backed by powerful front groups
for the prison industry, which stand to make millions off mass incarceration (see more on those connections at:
sb1070resistance.blogspot.com). This attack on the millions of
migrant workers and their families comes at a time in the United States, and around the world, when the working class is being attacked by all sections of the bourgeoisie, both on the Left
as well as the Right. Just as in the past, these attacks will not,
and have not, gone without a response. As we have seen, while
there exists a high level of recuperative and reformist elements
within these ‘immigrant’ struggles, there also exists a genuine
organic element that favors the use of self-organized walkouts,
strikes, and mass collective action. In the United States, the
Latino working class has in many ways become ‘the essential
proletariat,’ as US capitalists exploit its racialized labor-power,
generating massive profits.
In order to keep people in line, the elites use ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to scare people from
organizing and speaking out while on the job. A bureaucratic
and corrupt system over America's work place conditions, does
little to stop the deaths of hundreds of workers from dying of
heat stroke working America's few agricultural fields, or from
getting sick from pesticides that prioritize crop efficiency and
profit over quality. Labor-unions like the UFW have less of a
presence today than decades ago and some contend that they
are too corrupt and bureaucratic to even help raise living standards. Furthermore, a xenophobic and racist reactionary per-

spective that has become rampant among much of America's
white working class, helps destroy potential solidarity between
workers that have common class enemies. At a time when the
world's global lower classes are under heightening attack by
capitalist desperation or growing austerity measures, one task
of revolutionaries will be to attack these racist elements and
promote a united class assault on capitalism as a whole. We
have to connect different proletarian struggles to others that
resist austerity measures, attack education, or struggle for a
sense of integrity in America's modern workplace – at the same
time pushing them into a common direction of self-organization, that refuses to seek salvation in state intervention and the
disempowering game of politics that is inherent to it.
In 2006, California Republicans, who under the Pete Wilson administration attempted to pass Prop 187 (A law that would cut
funding for undocumented people living in the United States),
trying to set in motion a new set of laws aimed at targeting
migrant workers. The bill was called HR-4437, and it sought to
further criminalise undocumented people, and make it easier
for the state to deport them. Furthermore, it made it a crime
to ‘knowingly’ help someone who was in the country illegally.
The law was extremely unpopular and helped set in motion a
series of events which lead to some of the most exciting and
liberating political experiences I had ever been in. Starting in
the spring, youth at middle and high schools began organizing
walkouts. Where I live, in the Central Valley of California, kids
would bust out of school, march on another school, and then
keep walking to other schools in order to get more and more
kids. These walkouts and unpermitted marches culminated
throughout May Day actions in 2006, which brought millions
of people into the streets across the US. Many people spoke
of a “sleeping giant” awakening in the country, as the Latino
FTTP #11 - Levantate! - Pg. 69

working class showed itself to be a major force through walkouts and wildcat
strikes, which was seen as a huge reason
for the bill being shot down.
George Caffentzis wrote in his article,
The Si Se Puede Insurrection, “There
were more demonstrations in more
places with greater participation between
March 24 and May Day 2006 than any
other six-week period in US history.
Along with the public outpouring of
bodies, there were dozens of student
walk outs in high schools around the
country as well as a nation-wide immigrant ‘general strike’ called for May Day
that was heeded by hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of workers, including truck drivers who shut down the
Port of Los Angeles (one of the main
supply links in the commodity trade with
China, South Korea, and Japan). The
demonstrators’ demands were amnesty
for all undocumented immigrants and
the defeat of pending draconian antiimmigrant legislation.”
In the years following, further May Day
demonstrations died down greatly, in
part due largely to the defeat of much of
HR-4437 in California. In several years
time however, another assault on migrant workers was again brewing in the
US, first in Arizona, but then across the
country. The proposed laws in Arizona
(as mentioned in FTTP issue #9), propose that police can stop people at anytime that they suspect is an “illegal,” and
ask them for paper proving that they are
American citizens. Over a hundred-thousand people have already fled the state in
fear of the new law passing, and under
the direction of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the
local pigs for years have been arresting,
imprisoning, and helping to deport thousands of working class people from the
state. The bill was first conceived and
pushed by powerful forces from within
the prison industry, who noted that the
round-ups would pump millions of people into detention facilities and jails. It is
this desire to use repression to generate
large amounts of cash, coupled with a
strong racist element notorious among
Arizona's police and politicians, and the
current economic crisis that made immi-

grants an easy scapegoat, that has helped
propel many of these laws forward. For
more information on the connections
between capital and those in government’s desire to grow rich off of mass
imprisonment and deportation, check
out: chaparralrespectsnoborders.blogspot.com
Speaking to the situation in California,
the Spanish newspaper Vida en el Valle
reported: “State legislators throughout
the country are introducing measures
that would deny citizenship to the U.S.born children of non-citizens. In California last year, supporters collected signatures for a similar measure that would
have refused standard birth certificates
to babies born to immigrant mothers
and fathers. It did not make it to the ballot.” California is also home to the “Safe
Communities” act, in which local police
departments work hand in hand with
ICE agents. Working together to screen
people arrested and then move them into
dentition facilities where they await deportation. Thus, it’s important to keep in
mind that while much of the new legislation may seem extreme, much of what is
being suggested is already in place.
But while these efforts have not made it
into law yet, or are tied up in litigation,
anti-immigrant activists are still pushing for sweeping reforms. Many are attempting to model laws after SB-1070, in
some cases taking verbatim the language
from the Arizona laws. A quick look at
this map at: latina.com/immigration-by-state,
shows the degree in which so many states
are taking a lead from Arizona. Attracted
to the ‘Tea Party’ votes of the ‘tough on
immigrants crowd’, as well as the promise of big bucks from prison-industry
lobbyists in an age of economic recession, right-wing politicians are clamoring
for attacks on migrant workers. In order
to package this, they sell the lie to largely
white (and often sadly working class)
people that migrant workers are the
cause of crime, gangs, sexual violence,
and lack of jobs. Many Democrats claim
to not back in-full Arizona styled laws,
but are also attempting to uphold the image of a more moderate 'tough on immigrant stance', that quells scrutiny from
conservatives, and does not alienate lib-

erals. For example, in the recent California election, Governor Jerry Brown dismissed Republican challenger Whitman’s
support of Arizona's new immigration
legislation, but still promoted the idea of
a huge electronic database that would enable California police to more easily conduct an offensive on illegal immigrants.
In many ways, what’s happening in Arizona represents a situation in which the
elites do not have consensus. In March
of 2011, as SB-1070 was still being
fought over in the courts, various business leaders called for its defeat and even
some Republicans came out against it.
All the while, State Senators like antimigrant bigot Russell Pierce, who helped
sponsor the bill and helped in its construction, were obviously outraged by
the concerns. One section of the bourgeoisie sees the opportunities for profit
and power in a large scale security policestate, where profits can be pumped out
through massive immigrant detention
facilities funded by the federal government. Being disgusted by a “multiculturalism” which they believe has polluted
the American nation, this perspective
very much stems from a racist and nationalistic perspective, that hides behind
patriotic rhetoric .
Another section though, prefers to keep
the system as it is, in which profits are
pumped out of the workers themselves
and into the hands of the bosses. While
in most cases this legislation will probably be defeated at least in part, in the
long run, this push will shift immigration policy very much to the hard right,
increasing repression against migrant
workers and their communities.
More and more, the anti-immigrant bigots continue to win the war of words
with many working class whites, further
dividing the working class. Of course
politically correct rhetoric, and modern
American expectations act to distinguish
these attacks on Latino immigrants from
historically racist class divisions that
were also encouraged by the state. But
both the statements of conservative or
liberal politicians regarding the illegal
immigrant situation, as well as the reFTTP #11 - Levantate! - Pg. 70

sponse done by America's "legal working class", look quite similar to tensions
between black slaves and white proletarians throughout the 18th and 19th century in the U.S. Dialogue between state
politicians during the American civil war
also resembles the dialogue surrounding
this current immigrant bill. The reality is
though that whatever direction is taken,
or whatever bill is past, distinguishing illegal and legal workers will help maintain
social acceptance of America's ruling
class. Placing blame on unemployment
or high crime rates for example, onto
both legal and illegal Latino workers,
further distracts the working class from
those actually responsible for their demise. This can also be seen historically
against Italians and Irish throughout the
late 18th and early 19th century United
States.
We must also not forget about the threat
that racist and ‘fascist’ groups play in
these situations. Groups such as FAIR
for instance (Federation for American
Immigration Reform) are ideologically
determined to back without compromise, any steps taken towards a larger
anti-immigration movement and nation.
Yet despite their broad use of immigration, their targets are certainly not Europeans working illegally in coffeeshops or
bars across America's major cities. When
any additional research is done, their issue is with Mexicans specifically. Yet like
many other groups of their kind, their
use of broad wording, and 'PC' considerations, have enabled them to become
an accepted and heard voice in American
politics.
As revolutionaries we must show (to use
a vulgar term) the ‘political economy’ of
how these laws are simply attempts to
squeeze more money out of very poor
and hard-working people. At the same
time, we must push for united class action against our real enemies within society – the elites and their dogs. We must
seriously begin to promote and maintain
working class unity between urban workers and rural workers, or legal and illegal
workers. We must resist any attempts at
dividing those who work for a wage and
whose lives are organized around the

selling of their labor power. Exposing
state, media, or business strategies that
encourage these divisions, can help to
wake up working class people to the real
origins of their bane; the ruling class and
capitalist system.
Resistance to border policies, as well as
anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio has
been ongoing for years in Arizona; although much of it has been managed by
large, mainstream immigrant non-profits. Although there exists a high degree
of control over these movements, mainly
organized by the group Puente, there has
been one ongoing mass collective action which has been self-organized: the
student walkouts. These walkouts have
involved thousands of students from
many different schools and have continued to this day, as SB-1070 remains
tied up in court. Just recently, Senator
Pierce has introduced another bill, “SB
1611, [that] would require schools to report students who cannot produce documents verifying their U.S. citizenship or
legal residence, which legal scholars say
would violate the right of children in the
United States to attend public school.”
Many of these walkouts have been confrontational in nature, (although some of
them have also been well managed by reformist groups), involving the short occupation of buildings and the disruption
of various political events. And while
the mass marches organized by mainstream immigrant groups have involved
thousands of more people, the walkouts
can be seen as the largest display of selforganization and direct action coming
out of the immigrant movement, and
also offers the clearest vehicle of possible disruption to economic and political
forces. Also, as in Madison, Wisconsin,
and other places, it is interesting that students and young adults who have utilized
walkouts as a tool for struggling without
the permission of the 'democratic' state,
claim that they want their voices heard by
the same ‘democratic’ system that wants
to lock them up and deport their parents.
Revolutionaries must speak to this reality; we do not use direct action to make
democracy work better, we take direct
action to assert our desired conditions.

As a radical minority in Arizona, local
anarchists and indigenous revolutionaries have engaged in a variety of actions,
such as lock downs, mass marches, and
educational events. The most publicized
of these include a lock down occupation
of Tucson’s Border Patrol Headquarters,
which brought together indigenous people and anarchists as one bloc during a
massive mobilization against Sheriff Joe
Arpaio. The block was attacked towards
the end of the march by police (with the
help of march organizers) and several
people were arrested. Although by now
all charges have been dropped or plead
out.
Last fall, Phoenix was also the scene of
a large scale riot between members of
the Neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM) who rallied in support of
SB-1070, and militant anarchists. While
anarchists where involved in much of
the marches and protests on the day
that SB-1070 was scheduled to go into
law, much of the anger was diffused by
‘volunteer’ peace police, who attended
to calm crowds, remove people from
streets, help police direct protesters, or
make arrests. In the following days, anarchists were involved in several blockades
and large disruptions, which included the
targeting of light-rails and the blocking
of roads.
In the Midwest, Indiana is trying to pass
two laws aimed at attacking immigrants
as well. The first is SB-590, which is a
direct copy of SB-1070 in Arizona, the
other is a law that blocks tuition grants
to “illegal aliens.” Revolutionaries have
launched a series of actions aimed at
building resistance to the law and generalizing revolt around the tension the
bill will most likely provoke. This includes running a website at: stopsb590.
wordpress.com and the creation of literature (in English and in Spanish) that
helps dispel myths that immigrants will
‘steal jobs,’ etc. Revolutionaries have also
pushed for the creation of general assemblies and mass meetings of people
to talk about the situation and what is
to be done. Out of these meetings, large
marches and the strategic occupation of
space for the purpose of distributing inFTTP #11 - Levantate! - Pg. 71

formation around the proposed bill have been organized. One
such occupation took place for several days in a college cafeteria, and created a space for people to talk about the new
purposed law and how to fight it. Hopefully as resistance heats
up against this law, more people that have already made connections with each other will have a more radical starting point
than the political groveling that we assume will take place on
the Left.

ration. We must draw the connections between new class antagonisms and deception methods done by the ruling class, and
the obstacles before the migrant struggle. This can be done by
connecting or intervening with battles such as tuition increases
targeting poor students or cutting off reproductive services,
and preventing them from becoming isolated struggles, or exposing them for the repressive measures directed at American's
proletariat that they are.

Anarchists in the North West, or Tacoma, Washington in particular, have also done much in recent years to bring attention
to the existence of a detention facility in their area and its corporate owners, the GEO Group. Towards this end, anarchists
and other revolutionaries have used a variety of tactics which
include educational events and the distribution of information,
public and mass demonstrations, and also acts of anonymous
sabotage, against institutions that support and have connections with the facility. This campaign against the GEO Group
has also moved outside of just Tacoma, with many other militants taking action against various banks and institutions which
economically
support
detention facilities. Anarchists in the North West,
have also helped to popularize 'noise demos' (See
the Building Dangerous Bonds
article in this issue) in the
United States, both outside
of local jails and detention
facilities. These actions
bring together not only
revolutionaries, but also
people with family members and friends locked inside; creating a space where
people can come together
and support those inside,
and establish a public face
of resistance to the horrors
of prison.

Lastly, we must also struggle against elements attempting to police and
manage these struggles for the sake of securing their own power over the
direction they take (Authoritarian Leftist groups or NGOs being two
examples for immigrants and their alleged allies, or Fascist and Nationalist front groups for the anti-immigration movement being another ). These
groups will continue to divide and weaken the strengths that can arise
from working class unity. Further encouraging demands that are designed
to appeal to the democratic state. Whatever strategy we utilize in pushing
these social tensions forward in a desirable direction for Anarchists or
anti-authoritarians, it must move forward as a proletarian struggle, not
a democratic one.

Immigration and border
politics are going to remain
a hot-button issue – especially as the economic crisis
gets worse. As revolutionaries, we will have several
tasks. First and foremost, as I said, we must confront and attack the idea being put forth by the anti-immigrant movement
that migrant workers hurt working class people in the US. We
must physically disrupt and hinder groups such as the Minutemen and the National Socialist Movement, while they take new
steps to enter American politics, and exploit these heightening
social divisions. We also have to find ways of drawing the line
in the sand for working class white people; on one side being
working class solidarity, on the other being cross-class collabo-

Blood is boiling.
It’s time to break the ICE.
*Picture above of migrant detainees awaiting processing in one of
Arizona’s ICE “tent prisons”.

FTTP #11 - Levantate! - Pg. 72

Wake Up
Find Each other

Links
Angry News From
Around the World
sysiphusangrynewsfromaroundtheworld.
blogspot.com
Intercontinental cry:
indigenous struggle
intercontinentalcry.org
LibCom
libcom.org

In Book Form
325
325.nostate.net
Til It Breaks
itbreaks.wordpress.com

This is Our Job
thisisourjob.wordpress.com
Act for Freedom Now!
actforfreedomnow.blogspot.com
Burnt Book Mobile
burntbookmobile.wordpress.com

Survival:
The Movement for
Tribal Peoples
survivalinternational.org

Fires Never Extinguished
firesneverextinguished.blogspot.com

Continual War
continualwar.wordpress.com

Modesto Anarcho
modestoanarcho.org

War on Society
waronsociety.noblogs.org

Social Rupture
socialrupture.tumblr.com

Feral Revolution
By Feral Faun
(Read online for free at theanarchistlibrary.org)
At Daggers Drawn
Available from Eberhardt Press
Anything Can Happen
By Fredy Perlman
Grassroots Political Militants
From “Mute” Magazine
The Coming Insurrection
By the Invisible Committee
The Many Headed Hydra
By Peter Linebaugh and Marcus Rediker
Society of the Spectacle
By Guy Debord

FTTP #11 - Wake Up//Find Eachother - Pg. 73

"I do not dream of a
gentle revolution.
My passion runs to
the violence of
supersession, the
ferocity of a life that
renounces nothing."
-Raoul Vaneigem

BOOM

What is your breaking point?
FTTP: A North American Insurrectionary Quarterly
firetotheprisons.com