All the News You Didn’t Even Know Was Going Down

Originally published to It’s Going Down

Thanks to everyone that contributed to our online fundraising campaign! It’s been a long, at times difficult process, but in the end we hope we have created something that showcases the hard work of many and raises important questions, and moves beyond being simply another media project created for passive consumption. We went into printing this magazine as an experiment. We are attempting to exceed the limits of an internet site, and we look forward to seeing how this plays out.

We hope that this publication can start conversations between friends, co-workers, and neighbors about revolutionary activity in North America. We hope that these conversations among many others can help build affinity between people and break the isolation that society has enforced upon us. But moreover, we hope this is the start of something bigger; the start of forming a crew of people you can think, build, and act with.

Personally, we aren’t interested in It’s Going Down becoming the centerpiece of struggle, rather we simply want to connect people; to draw connections between seemingly disparate movements, and contribute to the development of revolutionary analysis. It is our goal for this magazine to advance these aspirations.

As promised, the PDF file is viewable here.

Now let’s get to the news.

Pipelines

Campaigns against pipelines continued across the continent. It’s Going Down received the following report:

On the morning of February 9th members of Rising Tide Vermont and supporters attended a hearing in Montpelier, VT. The hearing was on the eminent domain proceedings being conducted by Vermont Gas Systems and the so-called Public Service Board. Vermont Gas Systems is attempting a land grab for construction of a fracked gas pipeline–land which is lived on by mostly elderly residents. Together with a few of these landowners, Rising Tide members along with other activists (about 20 of us in all) organized a disruption and shut down of the hearing. We filed into the small hearing chambers as we have countless times before over the course of the campaign to stop the fracked gas pipeline since 2012 but this time were accompanied by several local police. The police informed us that only 35 people would be allowed into the chambers due to “instructions from the fire Marshall”. Obviously the group did not accept this newly imposed arbitrary limitation and everyone filed inside anyway. As the hearing officer sat down and began the meeting pairs of activists began to stand and sing the anti-pipeline song “Officer My Dear”. The pairs of singers continued rolling interruptions until the hearing officer was forced to call a recess for the meeting. During the recess a one of the local police informed us that if we continued to disrupt the hearing when it resumed in a few minutes that they would begin immediately arresting people. Naturally this warning was not heeded and when the meeting started up again the entire room came to their feet, many approaching the bench and continued the singing. The police did not make good on their threat to arrest anyone and the hearing was successfully shut down in a total of about 15 minutes.

Members of the Public Service Board have officially approved the fracked gas pipeline as of January 8th. They are complicit in Vermont Gas Systems bullying of elderly landowners, needlessly destroying forest areas for land clearing, and imposing industrial infrastructure on a community that has stated its opposition loud and clear.

Here are a few of their addresses:
Don Rendall 241 Spinnaker Ln. Shelburne, VT 05482
James Volz 301 Gonyeau Rd. Plainfield, VT
Margaret Cheney 608 Bragg Hill Rd. Norwich, VT

More information to come on how and where other anarchists can get involved in the fight against the Vermont fracked gas pipeline will be available in future updates.

In solidarity with the land defenders, union thugs, travelers, people’s militias, and uncontrollables

– Wildcats of Vermont

Meanwhile in Richmond, VA protesters demonstrated against various projects of environmental destruction engineered by Dominion. Eight people were arrested when they refused to disperse while demanding to speak with the Governor. In order for us to stand a chance of putting a stop to the devastation of the planet, we’re going to have to abandon the injunction to dialogue with those in power. We can put forward demand after demand—even demands backed by militancy—and we will be continually find ourselves at square one until we admit that there is nothing they could grant us that would suffice to undo the environmental catastrophe we are enduring.

Anti-Fascism

First of all, we want to encourage people to continue to check back on All Out ATL, the website for upcoming mobilizations in Atlanta this April. If you are in the area or close by, or want to take an exciting spring trip to shut down KKK and Neo-Nazis groups, please consider going – and don’t forget to send us a report back! 

Anti-Fascist News has a new report on the continued presence of white nationalist groups on social media and Rocky Mountain Antifa also has an eye opening investigation into fascist and white nationalist groups growing their numbers within the local punk scene while avoiding the trappings of traditional Neo-Nazi aesthetics. NYC Antifa published a report on a neofolk tour sponsored by white separatist webzine Heathen Harvest. We as anti-fascists must be attentive to the growth of white supremacist tendencies within various subcultures, mostly music, often masked by the thin veil of the “apolitical.”

Class War

As put so simply by Rififi:

Over the three years until the plant shutdown is completed, the workers at Carrier will see that they have only two choices: wait for salvation from above (the company, a union, politicians) that will never arrive or go beyond the point of angry words to direct, self-organized struggle…

In Madison, WI a huge demonstration took place called “A Day Without Latinos” against proposed legislation that would “make Wisconsin a hostile environment for immigrants” (as if a world of borders was not already hostile enough).

AB 450 would allow police and public employees to investigate the immigration status of and detain undocumented people for deportation, and fine cities that prevent police from questioning people about their status.

SB 533 seeks to end a program created last year to provide local identification cards to Milwaukee residents who cannot obtain Wisconsin state ID because of immigration status or lack of documents or money.

Capitol rotunda is packed. WI will not stand for anti-immigrant legislation!#diasinlatinos #WisconsinIsNotArizona pic.twitter.com/xKPnqIGAJQ

— MTEA (@MTEAunion) February 18, 2016

While it remains to be seen whether this will break out of the legal-centric demand-based framework, as we saw in 2006 there is certainly a lot of potential for expanding the conflict.

In Portland, the PDX Solidarity Network continued to struggle against a boss who fired a worker for their organizing. According to one report:

Andrew and PDXSol began the campaign with a demand delivery, then put posters in the surrounding area to connect with workers in similar situations.  Community supporters from around Portland, and around the country, called in to ask what had happened with Andrew and to demand that they do what is right.

On Monday, February 15th, Andrew led the first picket at his former employer, bringing together fifty supporters, union members, and community advocates.  Together they rang in chants targeting worker exploitation, and promising that this crowd will not allow injustices to stand!

Black Mesa Indigenous Support

Some updates on the continued resistance against neo-colonial land removal in Black Mesa:

There is a fierce new Diné youth organizing project that is working on Black Mesa! They are called Indigenous Youth for Cultural Survival (IY4CS)–check out their statements:

Action Statement: Indigenous youth for cultural survival is currently a volunteer based collective led by young Diné and supporters. Our purpose is to empower indigenous youth through education, to reconnect to our traditional ways of life, and inspire action that addresses environmental and human rights issues, indigenous sovereignty, and the protection of sacred sites.

Black Mesa February Updates https://t.co/G7Xk8JGoxg pic.twitter.com/V0zPY5lVEz

— Earth First! Journal (@efjournal) February 18, 2016

Vision statement: From inspiration within our own communities and resisting families of Black Mesa, we seek to protect Nímá Nahasdzáán (mother earth)  and regain Hózhó (harmony) within ké (kinship) relations.  With each passing generation, our traditional knowledge is being lost due to colonialism,genocide, and desecration of sacred sites. We remain resilient in the teachings passed down from our elders to maintain our cultural survival for the generations to come.

IY4CS is planning a cultural survival gathering this spring on Black Mesa. This will be a time focused on Diné youth connecting with Big Mountain elders and sharing cultural practices. Please help make this gathering happen by donating. You can donate to BMIS and designate IY4CS in the memo.

Valentine’s Day Gift

One year ago, an anti-police demonstration took place in Denver, during which a memorial for killed police officers was vandalized. This year, anonymous vandals splashed the memorial with red paint again. While we certainly relish the outrage of those who support the police, it ought to be made clear that this action is purely symbolic. We desire to hone our actions to actually disrupt the logistics of policing, rather than simply making a statement.