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Nov 14, 18

This Is America #40: We Never Even Left the Streets

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Welcome, to This Is America, November 13th, 2018.

The midterms have come and gone, and already the Democrats have signaled their desire to “work with Trump” while even the most progressive sections of the DNC have announced that they have given up their promise of fighting to Abolish ICE, while Nancy Pelosi has stated that her single goal is to protect Obamacare.

Meanwhile, despite the eyes of the mainstream media being wrapped up in the dumpster fire of the Trump administration and cooing sweetly over the lukewarm success of the “blue wave,” autonomous social movements are still in the thick of it opposing the far-Right, fighting pipelines, and organizing in their communities in the face of drastic climate change, impending economic collapse, and creeping fascism.

Just this weekend, we saw #OutLiveThem mobilizations and actions take place in New York, North Carolina, and beyond, as well as an antifascist counter-demonstrations in Little Rock, Arkansas, Fruita, Colorado, Tucson, Arizona, and in Toronto and Calgary.

In this episode we were lucky enough to catch up with antifascists involved in the #OutLiveThem mobilization in New York, where we talk about how anti-capitalists are mobilizing within Jewish and Muslim communities to combat Trumpism and the far-Right, as well as someone involved in the Indigenous Anarchist Federation (IAF), about the counter-mobilization in Tucson, Arizona, where we discuss the far-Right post-midterms, as well as the various caravans coming from Mexico. We end by talking to someone with Rose City Antifa about a mass antifascist mobilization against Patriot Prayer in Portland this Saturday.

But first, let’s get to some headlines!

Trump That Regime

Republican operative and InfoWars contributor Roger Stone has sent members of the far-Right gang the Proud Boys to Florida in an effort to harass largely members of the black community who are protesting the outcome of the recent election while demanding that all votes be counted. IGD will be releasing an interview with someone on the ground soon, but it should also be noted that local Florida based GOP officials have also been caught recently coordinating protests with members of the Proud Boys against Nancy Pelosi several weeks ago, a claim that Republican officials originally denied.

Mainstream news reports that upwards of 5,600 troops are stationed across the California, New Mexico, and Texas border, essentially sitting around and putting up razor wire, while Trump has more or less forgotten about the caravan in the wake of the midterms ending. The caravan itself is still hundreds of miles away from the border. Meanwhile, a mass of rabbis are expected to soon begin a pilgrimage to the US border in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration polices.

Meanwhile, new reports show that Trump is on track to surpass Obama in terms of the amount of people on average being held by ICE on a given day – currently almost 45,000. On top of that, the biggest companies housing the majority of these people arrested at the border, corporations like Geo Group, are not only big Trump supporters and donors, but are also raking in the cash in the form of massive contracts with DHS, as they warehouse human beings awaiting immigration trials.

The Huffington Post has released a new survey on the housing crisis, which shows its impacts are growing at an alarming rate even outside of large cities. Many respondents to the survey stated that they choose between meals and paying rent, put off fixing cars and paying bills for as long as they can, and also forgo having children simply because they can’t afford it. Meanwhile, even Bloomberg has noted that wages have stagnated while the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has gone up, which explains why we are all working more while getting less. Bloomberg writes:

Capitalism isn’t working right. The U.S. economy is growing, but workers are seeing less and less of the benefits. Since the Great Recession, real gross domestic product per capita has increased substantially, but real compensation per hour — which includes benefits like health care — hasn’t grown at all.

Accelerating this trend has been the growth of both the service and so-called “gig” economy, coupled with the push towards automation and AI powered technologies, which even White House studies and academics like Stephen Hawking have argued will have massive affects on upwards to and over half of the current workforce, especially those working in more blue collar fields.

But if the idea of not being able to drive a bus because a robot stole it isn’t scary enough, then perhaps you need to check out a recent UN report that claims we have only two years to secure biodiversity and stop the rate of species extinction on this planet before we lock ourselves into a downwards spiral of self-destruction.

At this point, thinking that electorialism will produce the gains needed save humanity and life on this planet isn’t just a baseless claim without any empirical or historical evidence, it is a belief instead based on faith in a system that has never worked in our interests, nor will ever.

In that spirit, let’s get to the news!

Living and Fighting

Wildfires are raging across California. Unicorn Riot reports from Northern California where the Camp Fire has been raging:

Community volunteers are coordinating ways to help and have organized community mutual aid meetings. Held nightly at Black Bird Cafe, a local bookstore, and info shop, a group of volunteers have been gathering to figure out ways they can work together in helping the effected. Mutual aid organizing included: efforts to distribute respirators, provide pet/livestock evacuation and care, help victims in obtaining lost documents, improvised shelter construction, ride shares out of town, clean up, ash sifting, free Airbnb’s, child care, donation drives, music benefits, creating contact lists, finding overnight parking accommodations and providing various types of medical and wellness services.

AK Press, the anarchist cooperative publishing project whose warehouse is located in Chico, wrote on Twitter:

The AK Press collective members in Chico are safe but as the smoke clears we’ll be supporting ongoing relief efforts and will share information about how you can help beyond the traditional top-down relief models. We appreciate your support, understanding, and patience.

  • In the Twin Cities, North Star Antifa now has a tip line you can call to report fascist activity. More info here.
  • In Olympia, various groups including the Olympia Solidarity Network and Olympia IWW have started “Mutual Aid Mondays”  at 7pm at the Billy Frank Lot. The event features free cold weather items and free hot food.

  • Red Emma’s in Baltimore turns 14 years old on the 15th of November, stop by and support them if you can and check out their celebratory event!
  • The Tiny House Warrior Camp in so-called British Columbia continues to grow, as the camp continues to fight a pipeline project. Follow their struggle here.

Tiny House Warrior Camp is growing!

  • Starting on November 9th, actions began in coordination with the #OutLiveThem campaign, a coordinate effort to center resistance to anti-Semitism in the fight against white supremacy and the far-Right. To see a list of actions that were announced ahead of time, go here.

  • In Portland, OR there was a banner drop to kick things off.
  • A march and rally took place in New York. See our interview later in this episode for more of a report back.

https://twitter.com/mollycrabapple/status/1061325942130438144

  • The Village land occupation in East Oakland continues, as volunteers have stated that they need more supplies and help.
  • In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a pro-Trump troll screamed abuse at the #OutLiveThem gathering, leading the police to arrest one antifascist.

  • In the Denver, Colorado area, antifascists doxxed James Mason, a disciple of Charles Manson and George Lincoln Rockwell and author of the book SIEGE, which has been promoted by groups like Atomwaffen as a Bible for lone wolf attacks.
  • In Kansas, a riot kicked off at a mental health prison where extensive damage was done to a housing unit.
  • On November 10th, over 100 people turned out in Little Rock, Arkansas to shout down the National Socialist Movement who only could muster 12-20 people. The rally paid lip service to the conspiracy theory that white farmers in South Africa were being “genocided” in the post-Apartheid era. The rally marked the return of Matthew Heimbach, who exited the movement only several months ago after beating his wife in front of his child after she confronted him for having an affair with his mother-in-law. According to the rules of the group that Heimbach formerly led, the Traditionalist Worker Party, Heimbach would have been put to death for assaulting his wife in such a way.

  • In San Francisco, court proceedings started in the case of the Eugene, Oregon “Weed Nazi,” who is attempting to sue antifascists for exposing her to the wider community. Unicorn Riot reports on the opening of the case here.
  • In Tucson, Arizona, antiracists and antifascists outnumbered white nationalists, Proud Boys, militia and “Patriot” members in a counter demonstration. Hear more about it later in the show.

  • On the same night as the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the day in which Adolf Hitler encouraged his troops and Nazi supporters to attack Jews and their businesses across Germany, Monkeywrench Books in Austin, Texas had their windows broken out, and the office of housing justice non-profit ACCE, which had campaigned heavily for rent control in California, was burned down in an arson attack. A benefit for Monkeywrench can be found here. In positive news they recently posted:

Thank you so much to everyone who came out, cleaned up, brought supplies, and donated! We are overwhelmed with the support, and we appreciate folks in the neighborhood checking in!

  • Meanwhile in so-called Canada, successful antifascist rallies took place in Calgary against The Rebel Media, and in Toronto against anti-Muslim groups. Toronto Against Fascism reports:

Despite the freezing rain and snow, a small but active crowd stuck with us as we held the southeast corner of the square and blocked any view of PEGIDA from the passing traffic. So weak was PEGIDA’s rally, they could not even attempt to march out from the “safe space” pen Toronto Police set up for their comfort and protection. This proved to be PEGIDA’s shortest and weakest rally yet. 



  • On November 11th, Conflict Minnesota reports that vandalism against local colonial statues continues. See photos here.
  • In Fruita, Colorado, people marched against a neighbor that flew Nazi and Confederate flags. The event was organized by Black Lives Matter Grand Junction.

Live feed from the march

由 Black Lives Matter Grand Junction 发布于 2018年11月11日周日

  • Veterans Against the War disrupted an event honoring George W Bush in Philadelphia, PA.

  • On November 12th, rowdy anti-gentrification protests took place in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.

  • A group of about 80 queer and trans people arrived in Tijuana as part of one of the recent caravan and people are currently mobilizing supplies in support.
  • In Los Angeles, people covered the names of celebrities on the “walk of fame” with those killed by the police.

  • Lastly, on November 13th, people held banners to remember the murder of Mulugeta Seraw at the hands of neo-Nazis in Portland, Oregon.

That’s gonna do it for us this time, we’ll see you soon!

Upcoming Events

  • November 16-18th: SOA Watch Border Encuentro. Called by School of the Americas Watch, this will be a mobilization against border imperialism. More information here.
  • Saturday, November 17th, 11 AM, Washington Square Park. Philadelphia, PA. Come out to oppose the Proud Boys and other far-Right groups. More info here.
  • Saturday, November 17th, 1 PM. Stand with Survivor’s and Against Patriot Prayer. Portland, OR. More info here.
  • Saturday, February 2nd: Antifascist Mobilization at Stone Mountain, Georgia. More info here.

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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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