Bloomington, IN: Free Michael Kimble, Raze the Walls

Report back from outreach action at recent march in Bloomington, Indiana for anarchist prisoner, Michael Kimble.

“Never should we lay down and accept the state’s logic of submission by depending on the state to free us. Freedom is in our hands.”

– Michael Kimble

On June 5, 2020, in anticipation of the June 11^th International Day of Solidarity with Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners, we participated in a march in Bloomington, Indiana against the police murder of Black people by spreading word about our beloved friend Michael Kimble, Black anarchist and intransigent prison rebel.

In 1987, Michael was sentenced to life in prison for the self-defense killing of a racist homophobe who attacked him and a friend. By the ‘90s, Michael was a politicized prison rebel, moving toward an explicitly anarchist position that rejected any form of state power. His anarchy has found expression in individual acts of rebellion against the prison authorities, defense of other prisoners under attack, queer self-defense initiatives, and active involvement in prison uprisings. Michael was present in the C-dorm of Holman prison during the audacious riots of 2016, in which prisoners took over the dorm, setting fires and refusing any conciliation with the prison regime.

As the narrative of “white anarchists” and “outside agitators” is spread by both the right and left wings of the state to divide rebels and justify repressive measures, we carry Michael’s example with us in the streets, a reminder to everyone of the Black anarchic spirit. We know that the best way to honor Michael is to reject the logic of submission which represses revolt with gray respectability, kowtows to self-appointed leaders, and weaponizes identity to foster obedience.

Michael Kimble was here with us today in the streets. He will be here with us as we share a meal and reflect on the day, as we weed our gardens and gather herbs, as we clean floors and tend to each other’s wounds, as we sing through the daily work of gutting this rotten Leviathan and creating new forms of life in its darkened spaces.

FREE MICHAEL KIMBLE & ALL PRISONERS
RAZE THE WALLS