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Feb 9, 19

TIA #58: An Anarchist Response to the State of the Union

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Welcome, to This Is America, February 9th, 2019.

In this episode, we discuss and pull apart the State of the Union speech, looking at Trump’s claims regarding how good “our” economy is doing, his continuing cries for race war and a border wall, his demand for complete impunity, and the meaning of his denouncing of “socialism.”

But first, a few stories you may have missed:

  • Thanks to anarchists and antifascists in Antifa Seven Hills, a police officer Robert Stamm who was recently seen policing protests calling for the resignation of leading Democrats in Virginia in the wake of racist photos coming to light, has been outed as a white nationalist and is currently on leave from the department. As research from Antifa Seven Hills showed, Stamm’s social media was filled with references to white nationalist and far-Right movements, ideas, and groups, and he also stamped his photos with the logo of the Asatru-Folk Assembly, a white nationalist religious grouping. Thanks to initial reporting from Antifa Seven Hills, the story soon went viral, being picked up across local TV stations, the Huffington Post and Heavy.com. 
  • In Central California, prisoners say following a hunger strike and the start of negotiations with the warden, talks have broken down at Corcoran prison. As the Intercept wrote:

Following the hunger strike, the warden allegedly agreed to restore access to the canteen and prisoners from 3C Unit would once again receive packages. A new recreation schedule was said to be under negotiation.

But prisoners claimed the canteen continued to provide only hygiene products. They were supposed to meet with Warden Ken Clark on February 5 to continue negotiations, but the warden allegedly delayed the meetings before telling them they would still be forced to share the yard with their rivals.

Prisoners on the 3C unit are supposed to get 10 hours of yard time each week, but advocates say they have only been allowed approximately one-to-three hours per week on the yard. “This is if the yard isn’t effectively shut down all the time due to the setup fights and jumpings,” added Brooke Terpstra, an IWOC representative.

IWOC states that members of one gang are being used against hunger strikers in order to break prison solidarity. This brutal practice has gone on for years, as prison officials have often staged bloody “gladiator” fights.

  • In Oakland, California teachers once again held a wildcat strike and were joined in the streets by students, the vast majority of which didn’t report for school.

  • Anarchist and autonomous groups are mobilizing to provide winter weather relief in so-called Tacoma, Washington and Flagstaff, Arizona.

https://twitter.com/_K_r_a_k_e_n_/status/1093673176435908609

  • Amazon officials in New York stated in The Washington Post, (also owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos), that due to continued resistance to a proposal to bring the Amazon campus to Queens, New York, they may in fact be pulling out of the city.
  • In Lexington, according to Lexington ARA:

Protestors shut down Main Street during game day traffic yesterday in front of the Lexington Police Department headquarters over the assault of a 16 year old black autistic boy by police chaplain Donovan Stewart at Fayette Mall. The street was held for three minutes, one for each time Stewart punched the kid.

由 Lidya Azad 发布于 2019年2月5日周二

In 2018, there were 20 major work stoppages involving 485,000 workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The number of major work stoppages beginning in 2018 was the highest since 2007 (21 major work stoppages). The number of workers involved was the highest since 1986 (533,000 workers).

That’s gonna do it for us today, enjoy the conversation, but first, here are some upcoming events.

Upcoming Events:

  • Wednesday, February 13th: Denver Anarchist Black Cross and a variety of other anarchist, radical, and abolitionist groups are coming together to a letter-writing party. Info here.
  • August 3rd-11th: Join the Institute for Advanced Trouble Making in Worchester, MA, for a week long gathering. More info here.
  • August 16th – 18th: Indigenous Anarchist Conference in Occupied Flagstaff, Arizona. 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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