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Sep 12, 18

This Is America #29: Open Revolt Just Under the Surface

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Welcome, to This Is America, September 11th, 2018.

A lot happened over the weekend, from antifascist clashes, noises demonstrations in solidarity with the prison strike, the disclosure of a network of “non-profit” kid prisons in Chicago holding children separated from their parents at the border, clashes with police in Dallas after an off duty police officer killed a man in his own apartment, to “open revolt” by students in Sacramento who launched a strike, a series of walkouts, and chanted, “you can’t stop the revolution,” in response to their school firing staff, shutting down their campus during lunch, and forcing students in over 100 degree weather to wear pants.

We also are going to play an audio clip on the situation in Stillwater prison in Minnesota, as well as talk to someone who was out on the streets of Chapel Hill in North Carolina, when police attacked yet another antiracist demonstration.

All this and more, but first, let’s get to the news.

Living and Fighting

  • If you are on the east coast, especially in North or South Carolina, check out Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, as they have updates on the Hurricane as well as autonomous disaster relief responses.
  • There is a new central donation hub for people arrested in the wake of the Silent Sam statue being toppled. Check it out here and share on social media.
  • Today, anarchists, antifascists, and community rallied in support of an indymedia journalist that was facing a grand jury subpoena to turn over footage from the August 12th, 2018 ‘Unite the Right’ protests. In the morning, people rallied, read statements, and the person who had gotten the subpoena burned their copies of the document. After burning the subpoena, they got a call from their lawyer that the subpoena was dropped! To see photos and video footage of the rally, check out Alex Rubenstein’s coverage.

  • Also today in Chicago, there was a press conference that brought to light the existence of a series of non-profits that are housing children taken from their families at the border. Check out the flyer below for more info as well as this ProPublica piece, and follow Little Village Solidarity Network for more info.

  • Lastly today, people fighting the Line 3 pipeline in the midwest disrupted a permitting process meeting.

由 Dale Jr Americanhorse 发布于 2018年9月11日周二

  • In Dallas, Texas last night, people took to the streets after the police murder of Botham Jean, an African-American man. Disgustingly, according to even the police account of the killing, Jean was shot and killed when a police officer entered his apartment, mistaking it for her own, and then shot and killed him, he was 26 years old. But according to witnesses, they heard:

A woman’s voice saying, “Let me in! Let me in!” Then they heard gunshots, after which one witness said she heard a man’s voice say, “Oh my God! Why did you do that?”

  • People in Chicago fighting to abolish money bail have made this awesome new video. Check it out here.
  • In so-called Victoria, 6 protesters were arrested after they took over a fishing boat at a shipyard and dropped a banner. Indigenous warriors have been fighting fish farms in so-called BC in order to protect their territory and stop the spread of GMO fish.
  • Rally in support of hunger strikers taking part in the prison strike took place in Halifax.

  • Banner drops took place in New Orleans and Maryland in solidarity with the prison strike, and in Colorado against ICE.

  • Strike in Tacoma, WA kicks off on September 6th.

  • There was a protest against Geo Group outside of their HQ in Boca Raton in Florida.

  • Rose City Antifa wrote on the recent Torch Conference: “Big shoutout to Antifa Seven Hills for organizing and hosting the 5th annual Torch Conference in RVA last weekend! It was great to share challenges and successes Torch members had in 2018. It was also awesome to plan what’s coming in 2019, too. See you next year in Portland!”
  • Over the last month, four law enforcement officers in Atlanta have been fired from their jobs, thanks for the work of antifascist researchers that have discovered their links to white nationalist circles. The latest, a sheriff that was found to be connected to the KKK.
  • The Autonomous Tenants Union in Chicago had another recent win. They wrote: “Yesterday, Idalia Orozco received the last check from her landlord who had refused to return her security deposit. Through direct action & a small claims lawsuit with , the landlord returned the deposit plus a little extra!”

RAM-NYC Motorcade for the Prison Strike

Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement – NYC motorcade Saturday, September 8th in #Brooklyn for the #PrisonStrike. Letting people know rebels inside are turning up! From #Attica til today! #BedStuy #Bushwick #CrownHeights #ClintonHill #FortGreene #EastNewYork #BKStandUp#BurnThePrisons #AtticaAnniversary #PrisonStrike2018 #September9

由 Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement 发布于 2018年9月9日周日

  • Across the US, solidarity actions have been taking place with Laquan McDonald, who’s killer, police officer Jason Van Dyke, is currently facing trial.

  • In Sacramento last week, students launched a series of strikes, pickets and demonstrations against the firing of teachers and staff, the locking of the school during lunch, as well as being forced to wear uniform pants in over 100 degree weather.

Students at Sacramento High School in Oak Park are in open revolt; refusing to return to class until their demands are met by the school’s administration.

At issue is the dismissal of several faculty and staff over the summer and new rules for student’s uniforms and dismissal after class.

“Whose school? Our school,” students chanted in exclamation.

Between a hundred to two hundred Sacramento High students refused to go to class today. Costing the school state money for every period they miss.

“We have been fighting for years for them to listen and support us as black and Latino kids that is the majority of our population,” stated senior Kiarah Young.

Young says students are furious they came back from summer break to find many teachers and support staff had been let go.

“We barely have any teachers of color this year, over the summer they had fired or let go a majority of them,” Young said.

Juanda Starks says after 16 years working at Sac High as a staff member, her job was cut a week after school let out for summer.

“They told us to reapply, for the positions that they had supposedly consolidated, and when we did, we were off boarded,” said Starks.

But Young says there were also other changes.

Students are now not allowed to stay on campus once school lets out.

“They lock all the doors even before we’re out of school, so nobody can even go back inside. So, we don’t get help from our teachers. And you’re pushed outside of these gates into the streets so many people can’t get picked up till a lot later,” expressed Young.

And Young says the school’s uniform dress code is unacceptable.

“We have to wear pants and it’s a hundred-degree weather,” bemoaned Young.

Students continued to chant, “you can’t stop the revolution,” outside of the school and Stark said she’s proud these students are standing up for what they believe in.

“This is what we taught them, this is what we wanted them to have, self-worth,” said Stark.

Students say they also staged a walkout Monday and Wednesday.

They plan to continue full-day walk-outs until school administrators negotiate with them.

  • In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, police brutally attacked and gassed protesters who were rallying to collect canned food and have a picnic, in the face of another neo-Confederate rally at the site where Silent Sam was toppled. Listen to our interview in this episode for more info.
  • In so-called Canada, Toronto police protected and allowed a collection of Proud Boys, anti-immigrant groups, and militia members to march, despite fierce opposition from antifascists.

  • In Connecticut, a noise demonstration took place in solidarity with the prison strike.
  • In Seattle, members of the John Brown Gun Club provided clinic defense along with other organizations.

  • Neo-Nazi and former TWP member Jamie Troutman has been outed by antifascists in West Virginia. More info here.
  • No Borders Media has a new weekly show you can check out here.
  • Twin Cities IWOC released a new recording from Stillwater prison, which has been on lockdown for almost 60 days.

  • Noise demonstration in the Inland Empire took place in solidarity with the prison strike.

https://twitter.com/RevAbolitionIE/status/1039252936314871808

  • “Fuck Your Flips” actions continue to take place across Southern California and the country. FYF refers to the tactic of tearing down signs asking people to trade in foreclosures and cheap houses so they can be “flipped,” a key part of gentrification in many neighborhoods.
  • Noise demonstration was held outside of Attica prison.

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In search of new forms of life. It's Going Down is a digital community center and media platform featuring news, opinion, podcasts, and reporting on autonomous social movements and revolt across so-called North America from an anarchist perspective.

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