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Jan 15, 19

This Is America #52: Sleep Now In the Fire

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Welcome, to This Is America, January 14th, 2018.

In this episode, we are lucky enough to speak to a variety of people across the country. First up, we talk with a member of the Elm City chapter of the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement (RAM) about their ongoing campaign to bail out two young people who are being targeted by police after witnessing the police killing of their friend.

Next, we talk to someone from F.L.O.W.E.R. United, a broad coalition that is coming together to oppose KKK, neo-Confederate, and neo-Nazi groups who are attempting to hold a rally on February 2nd at Rock Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Lastly, we talk with some folks from No More Deaths, a group that for years has worked to provide direct aid to migrants at the border in Arizona. This week, volunteers with No More Deaths will appear in court, as they face charges of providing aid to migrants in the desert. With another trial set later this year against a backdrop of anti-immigrant hysteria, the need to support and show active solidarity with No More Deaths volunteers is more crucial than ever.

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

Anti-Racist Action

  • Former Proud Boy Jovi Val led a fantastic fail-fest 5 person rally in DC that was confronted by a much larger antifascist and anti-racist counter protest. Sadly, several people were arrested for throwing paint filled balloons. Before the rally, Val recorded a video attacking the Proud Boys, claiming that they had started off as being a voice for “the white man” who was collectively silenced under Obama, but now had become “cucks” by “virtue signaling” with their tokenized members of color. Val, who is not white, argued that white nationalism is the same as Western Chauvinism. His rally on the 6th was also in support of neo-Nazis in the Rise Above Movement, James Alex Fields, and others that had been arrested in Charlottesville.

Neo-Nazi apologist professional Jovi Val falls flat on his ass during a rally in support of neo-Nazis arrested at the 2017 Unite the Right rally. Val was joined by about 5 other supporters, including Gabriel Brown, who also attended the neo-Nazi gathering that ended in the death of Heather Heyer and multiple injuries.

  • On the same day, armed neo-Nazi Antonio Foreman attempted to “bust through the door” of a church in Phoenix, Arizona that was offering shelter to asylum seekers, while screaming “America First.” Reporters from the Southern Poverty Law Center on scene documented members of the Patriot Movement AZ alongside Foreman. A solidarity demonstration also took place in support of those inside the church. Police arrived after Foreman’s attempted invasion, but of course made no arrests.

  • On Saturday in Princeton, New Jersey, a small group of neo-Nazis that publicly stated they would march around town were no shows in the face of hundreds of counter-demonstrators.

  • At the same time in Madison, Wisconsin, hundreds gathered to oppose the Three Percenter militia who only managed to turn out about 20 people.

  • Lastly in Windsor, Colorado on Saturday, members of W.I.L.D. joined with community members to protest and oppose a smaller group of far-Right protesters angry that at a local library, drag queens were reading stories to children.

  • The next day in Winston-Salem, people rallied against a Confederate monument, and faced off against a much smaller number of neo-Confederates. Then, on Monday it was announced that in Chapel Hill, the center of the fight over the fate of the “Silent Sam” Confederate state that was toppled last year, UNC Chancellor Carol Folt announced her resignation and also it was revealed that the campus was going to remove the remaining Silent Sam “stump.”

  • Finally, giant wheat-pasted banners are going up in Atlanta, Georgia in preparation for the February 2nd mobilization against the KKK and various neo-Nazi groups. Check out our interview with an organizer later in the show.

Class War

  • Farm workers near Bakersfield, California have now been on strike for 4 straight days, and have already struck down an attempt by the Wonderful Citrus company to impose a pay cut. But workers aren’t done yet, and are still out on strike to win higher wages, paid gas mileage, and also to demand better working conditions.

  • In so-called Oshawa, Canada, auto workers are back to work after launching a sit-down strike against attempts by GM to move their auto-manufacturing plant. It remains to be seen what will happen next.
  • Across the US, TSA employees continued a massive sick-out strikes, as lines back up at airports around the country and federal workers stage demonstrations.
  • In LA, a massive teacher strike kicked off, involving over 30,000 teachers and staff members. Upwards of 50,000 people hit the streets in solidarity in Los Angeles.

Killing the Black Snake

  • Meanwhile, across so-called Canada, large scale actions, disruptions, and blockades continue in solidarity with Wetsuwet’en resistance.
  • On January 9th in so-called Vancouver, Stop Displacement reports that a large scale march and roving blockade held streets for over 6 hours, while a tent city also went up in solidarity with the Unist’ot’en Camp.

  • On January 11th in Montreal, a blockade was put up on a major highway in solidarity.

  • A large “slow down” blockade took place on the 401 highway.

  • Streets were blockaded in Seattle.

https://twitter.com/SeattleGDC/status/1083826619267993600

  • Meanwhile in Chicago, a street march also blocked streets.

  • Lastly on January 14th, dozens of people breached the TransCanada pumping station in Hamilton in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en peoples and Unistoten and Gidimt’en checkpoints.

ACAB

  • Heated protests that ended in police macing Black Lives Matter demonstrators in Patterson, New Jersey erupted this weekend, after a 27 year old man, Jameek Lowery, died in the hospital, three days after he entered a police station asking for help and water. Community members are demanding to know why police didn’t offer better aid to Lowery, and what happened in the time between when he entered the police station and when he died several hours later.

Fire to the Prisons

Upcoming Events

  • January 15th: Press conference and rally in support of No More Deaths volunteers facing repression. More info here.
  • January 18: Call to pack the court in support of North Carolina activists facing charges for opposing Silent Sam.

  • January 19th: Anti-Capitalist Bloc at LA Women’s March. More info here.
  • January 20 (& Beyond): Week of Solidarity and Survival on #J20. Info here.
  • January 22nd: Stand with Anna Chambers in Court in Brooklyn. More info here.

Until next time, we will see you soon!

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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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