Bloc Party: Here Come the Fascists!

Originally posted to It’s Going Down

Oh, hey friends. Your friendly career bad kids are back with another roundup of repression news and analysis as well as prisoner updates!

This week we have been taking a look at what happens when the State begins to reach its limits of social control. Cops certainly haven’t stopped killing people and getting away with it, and people certainly haven’t stopped resisting them. It seems fair to say, that in the US the State is currently at an impasse in regards to new ways of dealing with the increasingly aggravated populous that is sick and tired of their Police and their Prisons. When we start seeing Republican presidential candidates mentioning mass incarceration as a negative thing, you can bet that the power-structure is scrambling to maintain its legitimacy in the eyes of “civil society.” Despite its attempts, it seems that most people are not so easily fooled.

So what happens if this impasse lasts too long? If the space left by the State isn’t filled by sustained upheaval, what tends to fill the void? Maybe some of you have guessed it… Here come the fascists! Every bonehead in the country seems to be energized after one of their own took the lives of 9 black people in Charleston, SC. White Supremacy, and the ruling class it serves, needs the willing and active support of those who are designated as white. So, capitalizing on the fear and racism of poor and working class whites, there is new wind in the sails of fascism in the US. Donald Trump sustaining himself as a frontrunner in the presidential race is evidence of the resonance of fascist inspired ideas and rhetoric amongst a loud part of the US population.

Over the last few months we have seen attempts by many on the racist Right to mobilize publicly. Their numbers have remained small in the streets, but the frequency at which they are attempting to mobilize is alarming, not having tried on this scale since the early 90’s. Luckily their enemies seem to have them out played in the streets so far, with recent actions in Columbia, Olympia, Minneapolis, and Washington DC shining as clear wins for the anti-fascist side. Not only are their numbers weak, their organizing abilities and street fighting seem to be weak as well.

Generally speaking, these contemporary fascists and nationalists are worse at social media than most of those who oppose them, and their attempts to organize online can be thwarted fairly easily. Rumor has it one reason for the weak showing in DC was because Virginia, DC, and Maryland hardcore and punk kids trolled the event pages on Facebook so hard they had to cancel and reboot the event multiple times. This resulted in confusion and a breakdown in communication amongst disparate right-wing groups attempting to organize together, which led to a weaker showing than expected the day of the action. They promptly got chased down, flags confiscated and burned. Go us!

If the anti-fascist side of things can sustain this type of action and militancy, and continue to advance our strategies and tactics, we can probably keep them isolated. That being said, we must be weary, dear readers, of focusing too hard on small fascist targets that can provide easier victories than the police. We must not forget that fascism is only the cavalry of white supremacy. If radicals and anarchists become too distracted, we run the risk of becoming isolated ourselves, and losing sight of the larger fight. If we can manage to find friends amongst the same communities that are targeted by fascist recruitment, we have the ability to get even further ahead of them before ever meeting them in the streets.

Speaking of antifa! The Dark Skies Above Us Collective has released three benefit albums of “anti-NSBM” (National Socialist Black Metal) bands. Sick. Be sure to throw down for these albums because the proceeds are going to anti-fascist medical bills, Eric McDavid’s post release support and the families of the 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa.

Even more antifa good news. We got word from friends that:

Eddien Patterson is no longer in jail. We received a call from his lawyer yesterday, Tuesday 9/15 that he is out of jail. He plead guilty to 3rd degree misdemeanor Assault & Battery as well as misdemeanor Breach of Peace and was sentenced to 30 days for each, but was able to get time served for both charges after paying court costs and a fine. Though we believed he could have beaten all charges Eddien and his lawyer decided to move on with his life and plead guilty.

We ask that people no longer send in money for Eddien; all the money that has already been donated will go to him to pay his fines and to help him resettle in Columbia because his 2 months in jail caused him to loose his job.

Comrades up in Vancouver also got some amazing news that the investigation of indigenous warriors and anarchists involved in anti-pipeline organizing has been CLOSED! Back in June 2014 organizers up there were subject to a raid under the pretext of anti-pipeline graffiti. While the repression seems to be simmering down, we know that the state never really ditches a grudge. Solidarity to Vancouver folks and keep your heads up while you fight ever harder!

Here is what has been going down on the inside over the last few weeks:

CCA Leavenworth has been fucking with anarchist prisoner, Eric King, by blocking some of his mail. The prison impeded a book on the Black Panthers from making it to Eric’s hands because they apparently consider them a “hate group.” The prison is certainly targeting Eric for his political and social beliefs. The Eric King Support Committee has asked for folks to, “Flood the prison mail/letters/cards/love. This can serve the dual purpose of overwhelming the prison mailroom and helping Eric remember that he’s not alone. Keep track of what you sent to Eric and when you sent it so you can check with him later or call the prison to inquire about why your mail was blocked.” Please send Eric a line at:

Eric King

27090045

CCA Leavenworth

100 Highway Terrace

Leavenworth, KS 66048

Sean Swain is experiencing severe limitations on his communications as well. Do we see a trend here? Sean’s supporters have received a letter clearly dated August 28th, but the USPS postmark was on September 14th. The prison is holding his outgoing mail for weeks, restricted his access to the JPay email system and while they claim to not have restrictions on his phone calls, his supporters have no received any calls from him. The contents of his most recently received letter were unclear to his supporters what asks Sean has of folks on the outside, but they had this to say:

“We’re not sure what to make of all of this information, and encourage anyone who seeks to interpret Sean’s wishes and act in solidarity to exercise caution and proceed of their own volition.”

What is clear is sending a letter is always a good plan! Write Sean at:

Sean Swain

243-205

Warren CI

P.O. Box 120

5787 State Route 63

Lebanon, Ohio 45036

There have been some beautiful and powerful eulogies written for our fallen comrade, Hugo “Yogi Bear,” Pinell. Alvaro Luna Hernandez shared one here. You can also find a powerful eulogy written by Yogi Bear’s daughter here. Rest in power, Yogi.

Mumia Abu-Jamal has been battling serious health conditions this year ranging from Hepatitis C to Type II Diabetes, both diseases growing and grave concerns for all incarcerated people. There is a concerted effort to get Mumia access to better medical treatments and you can find out more about his fight here. Part of this effort involves a need for financial contributions. Please consider throwing in what you can towards this! You can also get regular updates on his health over here.

Eddie Africa of the MOVE 9 is up for parole once again this October. The deadline, September 30th, for letters of support of his parole is rapidly approaching. Folks from MOVE had this to say about writing such a letter:

In October 2015 our Brother Eddie Africa is set to make another appearance before the Pennsylvania State Parole Board. Your letters of support is urgently needed. All of the information is below as follows: We are asking for your support at this critical stage to secure the freedom Eddie deserves. Feel free to use parts of the sample letter at onamove.com. You can write in your own words and with your own experiences of/with Eddie.

NOTE: Please send all letters of support to Orie Ross, P.O. Box 575, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108-0575 so they can be reviewed and sent to the Board. The deadline for letters will be Wednesday September 30, 2015.

While you’re at it, send Eddie Africa a letter letting him know he is far from forgotten! Send it over to:

Edward Goodman Africa #AM4974

301 Morea Rd.

Frackville, PA 17932

The U.S. Military is continuing to fuck with Chelsea Manning pretty hard. While she is already on a 21 day restriction because she dared to have a magazine with Caitlin Jenner on the cover and some expired toothpaste in her possession, they are now requiring her to continue meeting male grooming standards. This is straight bullshit. They know it, we know it and Chelsea sure as fuck knows it. Chelsea’s lawyers will be back in court on October 2nd to address this.

Bomani Shakur released a longer statement in regards to the loss of his appeal. His lawyers are working on some final legal strategies to continue fighting his execution. Bomani’s statement is just hard truth after hard truth. Read it and send Bomani a letter of love and support. Facing death at the hands of the state is something we can’t even fucking imagine. When folks say “fire to the prisons,” we hope they remember Bomani and mean it more than ever. When you do write Bomani, think about asking him to arrange speaking to folks in your community. Helping him get his voice out right now is a huge benefit. You can write Bomani here:

Keith Lamar 317-117

OSP

878 Coitsville Hubbard RD

Youngstown, OH 44505

The Transform Now Plowshares 3 had a victory in their sentencing. They received unsupervised probation, though they will be required to pay $52,000 in restitution. Over the course of their two years of probation, they will not be allowed to enter any U.S. nuclear facilities, commit any state or federal crimes and report any arrests to their probation officer. Can we just say how badass these Catholic Workers are? Sabotage the war machine? Get lesser probation conditions than kids who broke a Starbucks window! Sister Megan Rice said her “Christian calling,” led her to sabotage and then prison. If only the rest of the people calling themselves Christian were half as dope as you Megan.

Our friend, Sharod Kindell, is facing some serious state Fuckery out in Denver, Colorado. Sharod is another victim of Denver’s war on poor, Brown and Black folks. He came pretty damn close to being another Mike Brown as opposed to a survivor, which means now the state has to bury him some other way. Anarchists in Denver have been closely organizing with his family and helped put up a website to sell fundraiser shirts for Sharod. Go check them out. That Assata shirt is even more dope in person! All funds raised go to Sharod’s legal fees and to help support his family during this process.

Abdul Haaq (Walter Bond) has been transferred from USP Marion to FCI Greenville. This sounds like a better situation for Abdul where he will have access to better programming and vegan food during his incarceration. You can drop Walter a line at his new location:

Walter Bond

37096-013

FCI Greenville

PO Box 5000

Greenville IL 62246

Some folks from across North America have been working on a project called Prisoner Solidarity that is now up and running in beta. At this time the database of political prisoners is limited to those who fall under a specific definition of “political prisoner,” though there is talk of expanding it to those radicalized while on the inside. We’re excited to see where this new resource goes from here. Be sure to check it out and send them any feedback about the database you can think of!

It is worth noting that while we spend endless hours trudging through the internets so you don’t have to, there are some things we may miss. If you know of any repression, movement defense, political prisoner or prison abolition related news you want us to share, please send it our way (submit here).

In the meantime, keep your eyes on the prize. Cops on fire, prisons on fire, cages empty and all our friends free as fuck!

— Your friendly career bad kids