The Final Straw Radio

This week we had the opportunity to connect with Delee Nikal, who is a Wet'su'weten community member, about updates from the Gidimt'en Camp that was created to block the TransCanada Coastal GasLink pipeline (or CGL) that Canada is trying to push through their un-ceded territory. In this interview Bursts and Delee speak about ways folks can get involved, both in so called BC and elsewhere, how the covid pandemic is affecting their work, and many other topics. Click here to hear a past interview with Delee! Follow @gidimten_checkpoint on Instagram and Gidimt'en Yintah Access on the internet for further ways to send solidarity, including a fundraising and wishlist link. Links and projects mentioned by our guest: defund.ca defundthepolice.org BIPOC Liberation Collective Defenders Against the Wall Help Get a New Lawyer for Sean Swain! Before the segment from Sean Swain, we would like to draw attention to a fundraiser in order to get Sean proper legal representation. As we all may know by now, there is nothing restorative about the prison system, its only reason for being is punitive and capitalist. Sean Swain has been in prison for the past 25 years, for a so called "crime" of self defense and radicalized to being an anarchist behind bars. He has been targeted by numerous prison officials for his political beliefs, so much so that years were added to his sentence. If you would like to support this fundraiser, you can either visit our show notes or go to gofundme.com and search Restorative Justice for Sean Swain. - --- - – - --- - – - --- - – - --- - -- You can write to Sean Swain at his latest address: Sean Swain #2015638 Buckingham Correctional PO Box 430 Dillwyn, VA 23936 You can find his writings, past recordings of his audio segments, and updates on his case at seanswain.org, and follow him on Twitter @swainrocks. - --- - – - --- - – - --- - – - --- - -- In Solidarity with Italian Anarchists Facing Repression We send you our solidarity call with anarchist in Italy and some introductory words, asking you to spread it in the way you prefer. Thanks! "From 2019 to today the Italian State has carried out many repressive operations and inflicted a series of restrictive measures on anarchist comrades, limiting their freedom of movement and forcing them to remain within the limits of their city or to move away from the city or region where they reside. As recipients of these kind of minor measures, together we want to relaunch our solidarity with the more than 200 comrades involved in the various trials in Italy that are starting this September and that shall continue throughout the autumn. In particular, the appeal trial of the Scripta Manent Operation will resume at the beginning of September: this trial involves 5 comrades who have been in prison for 4 years (two of them for 8 years) and which has resulted in 20+ years of sentence in the first grade. During this trial the prosecutor Sparagna gibbered of an "acceptable" anarchism and of a "criminal" one, statements that contain the punitive strategy that the State wants to carry out, based on dividing the "good" from the "bad" within the anarchist movement and the ruling of exemplary sentences." --------- WHO ASPIRES TO FREEDOM CANNOT BE "MEASURED" We are anarchists subject to restrictive measures following a series of investigations that have crossed the Italian peninsula in the last year and a half. They would like to isolate us, but they cannot. They would like to prevent us from supporting our comrades in prison, but their repression can only strengthen our solidarity. With these various investigations, measures and prison detentions they want to wear us out and divide us, but we remain firm in our ideas and our relations, also thanks to the strong and sincere solidarity that has never failed us and that is increasingly under attack in the courtrooms. They want to divide us between "good" and "bad", between an anarchism they call "acceptable" and one they call "criminal". We are aware that it is our ideas that have been put on the stand in the latest inquiries, all the more so when these ideas find the way of being translated into action, because as we've always believed, thought and action find their meaning only when tied together. And it's not surprising that a hierarchical system of power such as the State is trying to knock out its enemies by playing dirty and reviewing history, precisely when social anger is growing everywhere. We don't intend to bow down to their repressive strategies and we reaffirm our full solidarity and complicity with all the anarchists who will be on trial from September: we stand side by side with the comrades under investigation for the Scripta Manent, Panico, Prometeo, Bialystok and Lince Operations, with the anarchist comrades Juan and Davide and with those who will be tried for the Brennero demonstration; we assert our solidarity with Carla, an anarchist comrade arrested in August after living more than a year as a fugitive,

This week we are pleased to present a guest interview with author Kristian Williams about his new book Resist Everything Except Temptation: The Anarchist Philosophy of Oscar Wilde which was released in June 2020 from AK Press. I found this interview extremely illuminating, perhaps like many other people who might not have strong ties to either academia or popular education models of learning, I had sort of written Oscar Wilde off as this kind of white dead rich guy who carried little to no relevance apart from a model of queerness that we could look back on. This interview very much proved that this isn't the case, and that he and the circumstances around him very much influence how we as queers and as anarchists can sense historical threads that pull on our lives very tangibly today. Thanks a million to Scott for researching and conducting this interview! You can learn more about the author, Kristian Williams, who is most known for his book Our Enemies in Blue, which is a critical history of American policing and police, at his website kristianwilliams.com. Transcription (thanks to MKE Lit Supply!) PDF (unimposed) Zine (imposed PDF) Help Charlotte Jail Support Rebuild! One announcement before we begin from our comrades at the Charlotte Uprising, Charlotte Jail Support has been getting extremely targeted harassment for some months from CMPD and the sheriff's department. In times of rebellion or revolt, it is the support infrastructures that are often the most vulnerable to repression and violence. All of their supplies have either been seized or destroyed by the police, if you would like to support them re upping their much needed materials, you can Venmoing them @Ashwilliamsclt or Cash App $houseofkanautica. . ... . .. Music for this episode: Hustler – Retro Beatz (loop by William)

Prison By Any Other Name: Vikki Law on Toxic Reforms This week we speak with author and activist, Vikki Law about the book Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, just out from The New Press and co-authored by Maya Schenwar. We speak about how reform and so-called 'more humane' 'alternatives' to incarceration such as electronic monitoring, drug courts and probation in fact extend the carceral net. We also talk about alternatives to the 'Punishment Paradigm' in responding to harm, police and prison abolitionism and resisting recuperation in our struggles to imagine and birth a new world. More of Vikki's writings can be found at https://victorialaw.net You can find all of our interviews with Vikki at our website. Sean Swain Silenced We got word that Sean Swain has had his email, phone and mail blocked, likely in response to his "An Open Letter to Annette Chambers-Smith," available via DetroitABC, as well as his soon-to-be-published book, "Ohio" (parts 1-3 of the first half available here in zine form, soon via LBC). Pass it on...

This week we are airing a conversation that Bursts had a few weeks ago with Aric McBay, who is an organizer, farmer, and author about his most recent book called Full Spectrum Resistance published by Seven Stories Press in May 2019.. This book is divided into 2 volumes, and from the books website [fullspectrumresistance.org]: "Volume 1: Building movements and fighting to win, explores how movements approach political struggle, recruit members, and structure themselves to get things done and be safe. Volume 2: Actions and strategies for change, lays out how movements develop critical capacities (from intelligence to logistics), and how they plan and carry out successful actions and campaigns." This interview covers a lot of ground, with topics that could be of use to folks newer to movement and ones who have been struggling and building for a while. McBay also talks at length about the somewhat infamous formation Deep Green Resistance, some of its history, and tendencies within that group that led him to break with them. If you are listening to the extended version and would like a radio ready edition of 57:59 in length for broadcast on your local radio station, you can head over to our collection on archive.org! Links to Indigenous and Migrant led projects for sovereignty and climate justice, and some for further research: Wet'suwet'en Strong [groundworkforchange.org/wetsuweten-strong.html], which includes extensive educational material on allyship, racism, settler colonialism, and decolonization. Interview on TFS with Smogelgem, a Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chief of the Likhts'amisyu clan, on ongoing struggles against pipelines and moves to create a Wet'suwet'en lead climate change research facility on their lands at Parrot Lake. Indigenous Environmental Network [ienearth.org] Migrant Rights Network [migrantrights.ca/about] Igniting a Revolution, Voices in Defense of the Earth [akpress.org/ignitingarevolutionak.html] eds. Steven Best & Anthony J. Nocella, II Judi Bari, Revolutionary Ecology [judibari.org/revolutionary-ecology.html] Links for more reading from Aric McBay: fullspectrumresistance.org aricmcbay.org Aric McBay on Facebook (search "Aric McBay Author") Music for this episode in order of appearance: kidsnextdoor – Carmack Stackin That Brass (Creative Commons) Fennec Beats – I just feel sometimes (Creative Commons) (eidts by William) - --- - -- You can write to Sean Swain at his latest address: Sean Swain #2015638 Buckingham Correctional PO Box 430 Dillwyn, VA 23936 You can find his writings, past recordings of his audio segments, and updates on his case at seanswain.org, and follow him on Twitter @swainrocks. - --- - --

Its not uncommon to hear pundits and regular folks making comparisons between the crises we are now facing and other historical moments, such as the 1920s in Germany or the global rebellions of the 1960s. But is this an effective approach for gauging the potential of now? For the hour, anarchist author and activist Peter Gelderloos shares some of his thoughts on those comparisons, on the revolutionary potential of this moment were living in and some lessons from past movements that we might keep in mind now to make the most out of these dire times. You can find many of Peters writings on TheAnarchistLibrary.Org, available through AK Press and independent bookstores. You can hear our past interviews with Peter by visiting our website.

We Need To Spread This Freely: JN On HK Under National Security Law This week, I speak with JN, an anarchist who works with the decolonial, leftist HongKonger platform, Lausan, talks about where the uprising against Chinese integration in Hong Kong stands, the National Security Law, tankie and rightwing narratives and international anti-authoritarian solidarity and resistance. The interview about Belarus that I mentioned before was from a recent episode of Elephant In The Room, from Dresden, Germany, which is a member of the Channel Zero Network of Anarchist Podcasts. A few of the media links mentioned by JN are: LausanHK on Twitter, FB & Instagram HongKongHermit on Twitter The Stand News (Chinese language news from HK) Announcements Charlotte RNC 2020 I'd like to remind folks that the 2020 Republican National Convention is going to partially be held in Charlotte from August 20-24. One group that is doing anti-repression work in the area is CharlotteUprising, which can be found on twitter at @CLTUprising, where you can find info about the protests at the event as well as their jail support, including how to make donations. You can learn more by following the hashtags #CharlotteUprising and #ResistRNC2020 JLS Call For Solidarity Aug 19 - Sept 9 You can read the whole release here: To all in solidarity with the Prisoners Human Rights Movement: We are reaching out to those that have been amplifying our voices in these state, federal, or immigration jails and prisons, and to allies that uplifted the national prison strike demands in 2018. We call on you again to organize the communities from August 21st – September 9th, 2020, by hosting actions, events, and demonstrations that call for prisoner human rights and the end to prison slavery... On August 21 – September 9, we call on everyone in solidarity with the prison class struggle to organize an action, a panel discussion, a rally, an art event, a film screening, or another kind of demonstration to promote prisoners' human rights. Whatever is within your ability, we ask that you shake the nation out of any fog they may be in about prisoners' human rights and the criminal legal system (legalized enslavement). During these solidarity events, we request that organizers amplify immediate issues prisoners in your state face, the demands from the National Prison Strike of 2018, and uplift Jailhouse Lawyers Speak new International Law Project... The prison strike demands were drafted as a path to alleviate the dehumanizing process and conditions people are subjected to while going through this nation's judicial system. Following up on these demands communicates to the world that prisoners are heard and that prisoners' human rights are a priority. In the spirit of Attica, will you be in the fight to dismantle the prison industrial slave complex by pushing agendas that will shut down jails and prisons like Rikers Island or Attica? Read the Attica Rebellion demands and read the National Prison Strike 2018 demands. Ask yourself what can you do to see the 2018 National Prison Strike demands through. SHARE THIS RELEASE FAR AND WIDE WITH ALL YOUR CONTACTS! We rage with George Jackson's "Blood in my eyes" and move in the spirit of the Attica Rebellion! image by StudioIncendo on Flickr . ... . .. featured track: I Can't Relate - Beatnuts - Hydrabeats Vol 5 (instrumentals)

RVA In The Uprising with L and Buzz This week, we're going to hear two specials in two separate episodes, basically exploding radio edition into it's components. In this one you've clicked on, you'll hear L, who works with the Richmond Community Bail Fund, and Buzz talk about their experiences in the streets and doing anti-repression work in Richmond, Virginia, throughout the uprising against police killings sparked by the murder of George Floyd in so-called Minneapolis. They also talk about the decades-long struggle to take down public monuments to the Confederacy, including the reclaiming of the former home of the statue of General R.E. Lee as Marcus David Peters Circle, named for a black man murdered by the Richmond police in 2018 while having a mental health crisis. Amazing projects the guests suggest you check out: Race Capitol podcast Virginia Student Power Network (VSPN) Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADR) Richmond Leaders Of The New South Richmond Tenants Union Richmond Strike on Instagram ASH, Antifa of Seven Hills River City Medic Collective Commonwealth Times Justice & Reformation Project Scuffletown Anti Repression Committee Richmond Is Burning, Instagram & Twitter Richmond Rebellion (Telegram Channel) If you want to hear the other half of this dis-enjoined pair, you can look for the episode called 'Omaha in the Uprising with Mel B', where anarchist journalist Mel B talks about the city, the marches, the killing of James Scurlock on May 30th and the mass arrest of 120 people on July 25th. image by JosephA

Omaha In The Uprising with Mel This week, we're going to hear two specials in two separate episodes, basically exploding radio edition into it's components. In this one you've clicked on, you'll hear Mel B from Omaha, Nebraska talk about the city, the protests there including the killing of James Scurlock on May 30th, the mass arrest of 120 people on July 25th and leftist and Black organizing there. Mel's projects: Mel's Twitter : https://twitter.com/coldbrewedtool Mel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/melanie_buer Protean Magazine, where Mel is Associate Editor Co-host of Protean's official podcast, Protean Pirate Radio IWW Freelance Journalists Union, The Industrial Worker publishing platform Some projects around Omaha worth mentioning: Omaha Tenants United: https://omahatenantsunited.org/ Nebraska Left Coalition: https://www.neleftcoalition.com/ ProBlac: https://problac.com/ Culxr House: https://www.noiseomaha.com/culxr-house Union for Contemporary Art: https://www.u-ca.org/ If you want to hear the other half of this dis-enjoined pair, you can look for the episode called 'RVA in the Uprising with L and Buzz,' where you'll hear those two talk about mutual aid and the Richmond Community Bail Fund, struggles to remove confederate monuments around that former capitol of the CSA and other topics. Image from Mel B's Twitter

This week we got to sit down with two members of the Portland General Defense Committee, AC (they them) and Raoul (they he), about the ongoing Uprising in Portland OR in the months since the murder of George Floyd. We get to touch on a lot of topics in this interview; the neo-liberal whitewashing of the image of the city of Portland which masks a lot of ultra racist and colonial tendencies, personal timelines of engagement in the Uprising, and a lot of tips and tricks for newer and older anarchists and radicals for dealing with and anticipating state repression and violence. Here are some notes and links to the topics that our guests spoke on: -One note on the group Riot Ribs that AC mentions, I think that the group has disbanded for now but have seemingly regrouped as Revolution Ribs, you can find them @RevRibs on Twitter and their Cashapp is $RevolutionRibs. This group does not have a verified Instagram presence as far as I know. -Walidah Imarisha on Oregon's racist, anti-Black history: Walidah Imarisha - Why Aren't There More Black People in Oregon? (YouTube link) approx 1.5 hours long -You can learn more about the Portland General Defense Committee and donate to their efforts at https://pdxgdc.com/ -Rosehip Medics in Portland : All Fundraising Platforms (rosehipmedics.org) -Indigenous Mutual Aid is a platform that started up at the start of pandemic and has a very thorough list of Indigenous led and centered projects in their directory (indigenousmutualaid.org) -Portland Freedom Fund which is a general fund that bails out BIPOC (portlandfreedomfund.org) -Twitter folks to follow for otg news on the PDX Uprising: Economy Breakfast Sergio Olmos Robert Evans -Anti-Repression Resources: Sprout Distro on Instagram National Lawyers Guild on Insta Civil Liberties Defense Center also in Insta -And finally, there are too many autonomous local bail funds around the country to all name here, but if you do a search for "mutual aid bail fund in [name of town/city]" then that should give you a pretty solid clue about how to support places that haven't made it into the news as much. You can also do searches for Black Mamas Bail Out in your area to help fund efforts to bail out Black mothers and caregivers. . ... . .. Music for this episode: Run DMC - Peter Piper (instrumental) RANGEEN - BeatByShaheed

Pipeline Updates from Yellow Finch Tree Sit 690 days. That is how long the tree sit on Yellow Finch lane has been standing to block the progress of the Mountain Valley Pipeline's proposed 301 mile corridor of pressurized, fracked liquified natural gas. This week, we speak with Dustie Pinesap and Woodchipper who are at the Yellow Finch Tree Sit in so-called Montgomery County, Virginia, who talk about the MVP, the recently-cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline, resistance during the pandemic, solidarity with the uprising against capitalism and white supremacist policing and a whole lot more. Appalachians Against Pipelines: Fundraising: https://bit.ly/SupportMVPResistance Email: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AppalachiansAgainstPipelines Twitter: https://twitter.com/StopTheMVP Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/appalachiansagainstpipelines Announcements #DefundAVLPD protest Tuesday If you're in the Asheville area this week, city council will be conducting a hotly contested vote on the police and other budgets Tuesday, July 28th. According to the instagram account, @DefundAVLPD, there will be a rally that could turn protest starting at 5pm in front of Asheville city hall at 70 Court Plaza in downtown. Phone Zap for Hunger Striking AL Prisoners Anarchist prisoner Michael Kimble and fellow prisoner Brandon Oden began a hungry strike from all food other than water to protest the following: the inept mishandling of the covid-19 crisis at Easterling Correction Facility a lack of outside exercise time a lack of access to law library a lack of access to immune building foods and fruits a lack of clean and fresh water a refusal by administration to release all vulnerable prisoners being held at Easterling a lack of proper testing and quarantining Kimble and Oden are asking that everyone call and fax the Governor and Commissioner to demand that they seriously address and correct these problems. GOV KAY IVEY (334) 242-7100 fax (334) 353-0004 Commissioner Jeff Dun (334) 353-3883 Fax 3343533967

Anarchist Prisoners and Updates from the A-Radio Network This week, we're continuing our pandemic vacation. First up is some new words on surveillance and resistance by Sean Swain.[00:02:51-00:09:25] Then you'll hear audio from the most recent episode of our cousin project, Dissident Island Radio, where they spoke with a fan of London Anarchist Black Cross about the upcoming July 23-30th Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners. Dissident Island Radio is also a member of the Channel Zero Network and the A-Radio Network, and you can find more of their work, including their shows dating back almost 13 years to the day, at DissidentIsland.Org. The show notes include a lot of notes and links for solidarity. [00:09:25-00:22:31] Comrade Malik shares his birthday greetings and informs us about the current struggles of anarchist and anti-fascist prisoner, Eric KIng. [00:22:31-00:26:38] Note that on Sunday, July 19th 2020 at 8pm EST there is a benefit trivia game for Malik's release and the SF Bay View over Zoom. More info on fedbook, and you can RSVP before the event by emailing blueridgeabc(at )riseup( dot)net! We'll also be featuring audio from this months Bad News: Angry Voices From Around The World. Bad News is a monthly, English-language podcast with updates from various participants in the A-Radio Network of anarchist and anti-authoritarian radio and audio projects. If you like what you hear, we invite you to check out other projects in the network, learn more about our work, how get your project involved and to listen to other episodes Bad News by visiting A-Radio-Network.Org and you can keep an eye on our twitter feed for regular retweets of episodes, coming out at roughly the 15th of each month. [00:26:38-forever] Contents from BADNews (produced by 1431AM): 1) Radio-zones of Subversive Expression (Athens) about: media foundation by the Greek goverment during the quarntine, the police violence in Exarchia some days after a squat eviction, the violence and eviction of Victoria square 2) Črna Luknja is contributing an antireport from Slovenian unrests, that in the middle of march, because of the virus started with drumming on balconies, went on the bicycles and ended up on foot, against the right-wing government with authoritarian, neoliberalistic and nationalistic intentions. 3) Free Social Radio 1431AM (Thessaloniki) about: the arrest of two anarchist comrades in Thessaloniki, the latest developments on the shutdown and reconnection of espiv.net's server, the violence and eviction of Victoria square 4) A-radio Berlin: Stop the eviction of the collective bar Syndikat "In the context of a possible summer of evictions of collective bars, house projects and youth centers in Berlin, the Anarchist Radio Berlin wants to help make it instead a summer of resistance." 5) Radiofragmata (Athens) with news from Greece. 6) FrequenzA with an interview with somebody from solikomitee 1007 about the street festival "resist-2" about the festival, the resistance against the deportation in the past and the trial against two persons who where part of it. 7) Dissident Island Radio: a round-up of UK-related 'B(A)D News'

Rik Scarce is the author of the 1990 exploration of earth liberation and defense and the folks involved, entitled "Eco-Warriors: Understanding The Radical Environmental Movement", which is still considered required reading in understanding radical eco-defense. At one point, he served 159 days in the Spokane jail for refusing to testify about his sources in his research on the Animal Liberation movement. Leslie James Pickering, co-owner of Burning Books in Buffalo, NY, is an author, activist and is a former spokesperson for the North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office. The following is a recording from November of 2017 at Burning Books of a conversation between Scarce and Pickering about property destruction, terrorism labels and the radical ecological movement. Rik and Leslie speak about definitions of violence, concerns around alienating the wider community and repercussions of militancy. This conversation feels important to air as we stand at a crossroads here in the U.S. between the pandemic, an uprising to challenge police killings (primarily of Black and Brown bodies) and what role if any police should fill in our society, the collapse of the economy, the continued rise of political fascism, the de-platforming of racist statues, further internalization of the border and it's logic, and global climate chaos that will likely make human life at this scale impossible. This power structure is amplifying difference and applying privileges and oppressions across that constructed spectrum as it always has, but it is in death throes and thus is made visible in all of it's ugliness. For that reason, conversations about the serious needs to challenge basic assumptions and work through hard ideas feels important to me. As usual, we invite listeners to check out the slightly longer podcast version online for free. To hear the questions and answers from the end of the presentation, you can check out the podcast. You can find more presentations from Burning Books plus an interview we did with Leslie a few years back about how they uncovered government surveillance at our website. You can learn more about their bookstore, including books by Pickering and Scarce at BurningBooks.com.

On Blackness and Anarchy This week on the Final Straw, we are taking a break from consistently bringing fresh content over the last few months (frequently twice a week, instead of just the usual Sunday episodes) and re-airing this segment form a prior episode 2 years ago. Here we re-present a speech by William C. Anderson, keynote of the 2018 Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair in so-called Asheville, NC. William is the co-author with Zoe Samudzi of the book "As Black As Resistance: Finding The Conditions For Liberation" (AK Press, 2017). From the original post: The talk he is giving here is based heavily on the first chapter of the book called Black in Anarchy, and in addition to laying the groundwork of how he and Samudzi wrote the book, he speaks about the truly conditional nature of so called "citizenship" that many people living in the US face, the continuing evolution of race and the reliance of white supremacy to Black subjugation, and he places Blackness in proximity to Anarchy, and much more. From the back cover: "As Black As Resistance makes the case for a new program of self-defense and transformative politics for Black Americans, one rooted in an anarchistic framework that the authors liken to the Black experience itself. This is not a book of compromise, nor does it negotiate with intolerance. It is a manifesto for everyone who is ready to continue progressing towards liberation for all people." We hope you will enjoy this talk, and if you are curious about the book As Black As Resistance by Zoe Samudzi and William C. Anderson, you can head over to AK Press to learn more! We'll be back with new content soon, once we've re-energized. If you are in the radio listening audience and are fiending for more voices from the streets, radical authors and more, consider checking our website for a backlog of episodes going back to 2010. You can play on our website, or subscribe to our podcast stream with your smart phone, tablet or computer, and you can also find all of our content for free on those nasty, streaming platforms like spotify, youtube, google podcasts, itunes ad nauseum. Announcements Anarchist Media Comrades at Sub.Media have had some really exciting projects hit the web in the last week or so. First up, after ending their monthly Trouble series, they have inaugurated a new series entitled "System Fail", this first episode is entitled 'Riots Across America', is hosted by a Dee Dos and features an interview with Oluchi Omeoga of Black Visions Collective and Reclaim The Block in so-called Minneapolis. While it's currently unavailable on youtube, it can be watched via Archive.org and their website, Sub.Media. Sub.Media has also announced, in collaboration with AntiMidia in Brazil, is launching 'Kolektiva', an anarchist and anti-colonial video platform based on peer-tube. This project already features videos in French, German, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Greek and Arabic and they are looking for more rad video collectives to participate and more folks to help with translation. You can check it out and learn more at Kolektiva.Media Fundraisers There are a number of ongoing fundraisers for folks arrested during the Uprising for Black Lives aka ACAB Spring, many of which can be found at ItsGoingDown.org among other places. One group that could use the funds is the Free Deyanna Davis legal defense fund in Buffalo, NY. You can learn more by visiting gofundme.com/f/free-deyanna-davis-legal-defense-fund Also, from Black Hills Bail and Legal Defense Fund: "On July 3rd, 2020, Indigenous People and our allies were arrested in the process of defending our sacred lands in the Black Hills. Acts of courage and civil disobedience resulted in arrests and criminal charges. We were protesting the desecration of sacred lands that were stolen by our people." To support the 15 arrestees from July 3rd, consider visiting BHLegalFund.org. The SF Bay View National Black Newspaper has been producing a print newspaper since 1976 featuring voices from the Bay Area in California, voices from imprisoned people, stories about struggles for ecological justice in working class communities of color and views and news online and in print up til today for Black Liberation. The paper is sent to prisoners and thus acts as a powerful conduit for ideas and action behind bars and with the outside. I had a chance to speak with the editor, Mary Ratcliff a few years back about the paper. Mary, who is in her 80's, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and her husband and the publisher, Willie Ratcliff, has his own serious health issues and she is his care giver. They are fundraising with a GoFundMe at the moment to help bring on board the soon to be released, but currently incarcerated, Comrade Malik to become editor. Malik has been acting as assistant editor of the Behind Enemy Lines column and is set to be released from Federal custody in September and is excited to take on this responsibility. If you are excited and want to le

Justice4Jerry2020, Confederate Monuments + Repression During The Movement for Black Lives photo by Ben Harper This episode has three portions following a segment by anarchist prisoner, Sean Swain, about confederate monuments. [00:02:31 - 00:09:32] This episode warrants a general content warning for the mentioning of the murder by shooting of a Black man at the hands of the police. Justice4Jerry 2020 [00:09:32 - 00:29:36] First up we got the chance to sit down with Najiyyah Avery Williams, who is a community member, organizer, and mother of Jai Lateef Solveig Williams, also known as Lil Jerry. Jerry, who was a children's book author, artist, musician, and a 35 year old father was brutally killed by the Asheville Police Department on July 2nd 2016 by Sgt Tyler Radford. This interview happened outdoors in front of the courthouse and police station in downtown Asheville, where the city was powerwashing a DEFUND THE POLICE street mural which was done autonomously the previous day to honor the life of Jerry Williams, and to call attention to the culture of violence and silence that the police hide behind when they murder Black people. Visit our social media for pictures of this mural before it was taken down! In this segment we talk about Lil Jerry's life, his work, the circumstances surrounding his passing, racist violence and harrassment his family has received in the aftermath, and projects his mother is working on and would like to see for the future. An article by Socialist Worker detailing the initial murder and how contradictions were evidenced at the get go. To help support Justice for Jerry, which is trying to get his unfinished books published and will go to supporting his family, you can venmo to the handle @J4J2020, or follow them on social media platforms by searching Justice 4 Jerry 2020. Rural Protest Against Racist Legacy [00:29:36 - 00:39:10] After Najiah, we're happy to share a voice message we received from Gabriel from Tyrrell County, North Carolina, about a protest that happened on the 26th in Columbia, the county seat. Gabriel shares his experience of the protest in this tiny town, giving an insight into some rural experience of confronting confederate monuments and their legacy. Michael Loadenthal on Repression During 2020 Uprising [00:39:11 - 02:10:16] In the third portion of this episode, you'll hear Michael Loadenthal of The Prosecution Project, which maps how politics impacts the weight of criminal charges attached in the U.S. Michael talks about the scale of repression brought by local, state and federal law enforcement and ideas of resisting it during the uprising against police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, the destruction of racist statues known variously as the rebirth of the Movement for Black Lives, or the #ACABSpring. For a great article on the subject, check out Mapping the State's Strategy of Repression Against the Rebellion on IGD. Michael talks about the construction of federal felony charges for what would normally be smaller local charges, the use of grand juries to map social networks. He also shares thoughts about safer practices with social media, shifting dialogue around the role of police in society, the role of open source intelligence as well as surveillance technologies like drones and facial recognition. Some points to follow up on from Michael's chat: Michael Loadenthal's Academia.Edu page: gmu.Academia.edu/MichaelLoadenthal Michael's twitter account is @mloadenthal TPP: https://theprosecutionproject.org Buzzfeed article on police departments ability to digitally surveil individuals in crowds: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/police-software-briefcam This World Of Ours, James Mickens, 2014 https://ssd.eff.org The Final Straw episodes touching on Grand Jury Resistance: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/category/grand-jury/ The Tuscon 12 arrested after a protest at a jail, followed from protest by drone The evidence trail cited by prosecutors to Lore-Elizabeth Blumenthal The Tilted Scales Collective: https://tiltedscalescollective.org/ National Lawyers Guild: https://www.nlg.org/our-work/ Protest Law Tracker: https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/ A great presentation by a lawyer, James Duane, on why not to talk to police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE

Pan-African Social Ecology: A conversation with Dr Modibo Kadalie This week, we're happy to air a conversation I had with the author and activist, Modibo Kadalie, author of Pan-African Social Ecology as well as Internationalism, Pan-Africanism and the Struggle of Social Classes. A version of Dr. Kadalie's conversation with Andrew Zonneveld of OOA! Publishing, entitled Pan-Africanism, Social Ecology and Intimate Direct Action appeared up in the recently released collection Deciding For Ourselves, edited by Cindy Milstein out from AK Press. Dr. Kadalie has also been involved in political organizing including resisting the draft of the Vietnam War, labor organizing in Detroit and Memphis, ecological protest, community self defense in Atlanta and currently is working on writings about ecology and living in the territories of southeastern Turtle Island, including those of the Creek and Seminole peoples, and working at the Autonomous Research Institute for Direct Democracy and Social Ecology in Midway, Georgia. In this hour, Modibo talks about autonomous community organizing, the contradictions between the survival of the species and capitalism, CLR James, his read on Pan-Africanism and Social Ecology, the pandemic, and direct democracy. We also talk about Geechee history in south so-called Georgia, the weaknesses of nationalism, hierarchy and revering individual historical figures and the strength of spontaneity and community action. This conversation was recorded before the killing of George Floyd and but after the increased awareness of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery nearby to Dr. Kadalie in Glynn County, GA, which reflects in the discussion. Modibo shares some criticisms of official Black Lives Matter, liberal cooptation and the veneration of representative leadership. . ... . .. Songs used in this episode: Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - What's Going On Quincy Jones - Everything Must Change - Body Heat Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come - Ain't That Good News

In the past few weeks since the uprising in response to police killings of Black and Brown folks around Turtle Island, amazing chances have presented themselves and folks have seized opportunities. One great and unfolding circumstance is known as the CHAZ or CHOP, an autonomous zone and occupational protest surrounding a police precinct in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The area was opened to community redesign after nights of intense battles with the police leading to the department evacuating the East Precinct to crowds of people chanting "Every Day", meaning they would continue surrounding the police building. In many ways, the ability of the community, including anarchists and other radicals, to be able to respond to the situation was possible because of the mutual aid work that had been being developed during the covid-19 pandemic and years of building relationships. In this podcast special, you'll hear a fresh conversation with D. D is a Black Anarchist who grew up in and around Capitol Hill district in Seattle. He talks for this chat about that neighborhood and adjacent Central District's rebelliousness and conflictual history with the Eastern Precinct that the Seattle Police abandoned, about his knowledge of the protests of past weeks and the retreat of cops from their pen. D talks about the foundation of what has been called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, aka CHAZ, aka Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (or CHOP), or as D calls it the Chopped City CHAZ. You'll also hear a tiny bit about the history of occupations during protests in the city, engagement with the zone and indigenous communities in the area, the idea of monolithic Black Leadership, self-defense against the far right, the reproduce-ability of the autonomous zone model and other topics. We're going to try to bring you more stories from this place soon and are super thankful to D for sharing his perspectives. Transcription PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) note: I was informed by my cohost William that in fact the retaining wall in front of the fourth precinct in Minneapolis that I was referring to was actually constructed by the Minneapolis PD, hence why it looks janky as shit. A few of the resources that D suggests folks pay attention to include Converge Media, Some of the occupations that D mentions include: Northwest African American Museum Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Centre El Centro De La Raza The website for the Duwamish nation is DuwamishTribe.org And for the Suquamish nation's website can be found at Suquamish.nsn.us Political Prisoner Oso Blanco's statement on the CHAZ can be found at FreeOsoBlanco.Blogspot.Com. . ... . .. Music from this podcast: Liquid Liquid - Cavern - Discography (1981-1984)

This week we are pleased to present an interview William conducted with Gabriel Kuhn and Maxida Märak on the 2019 PM Press release Liberating Sápmi: Indigenous Resistance in Europe's Far North. This book, of which Kuhn is the author and editor and Märak is an contributor, details a political history of the Sámi people whose traditional lands extend along the north most regions of so called Sweden, Norway, Finland, and parts of Russia, as well as interviews conducted with over a dozen Sámi artists and activists. Maxida Märak is a Sámi activist, actor, and hip hop artist who has done extensive work for Indigenous people's justice. All of the music in this episode is by Märak and used with her permission, one of which comes off of her 2019 full length release Utopi. In this episode we speak about the particular struggles of Sámi folks, ties between Indigenous people all around the world, and many more topics! Transcript PDF (Unimposed) – pending ZIne (Imposed PDF) – pending Links for further solidarity and support from our guests: Pile o´Sápmi: http://www.pileosapmi.com/ WeWhoSupportJovssetAnte: https://wewhosupportjovssetante.org/ Gállok Iron Mine: http://www.whatlocalpeople.se/about/ Ellos Deatnu!: https://ellosdeatnu.wordpress.com/ Moratorium Office: https://moratoriadoaimmahat.org Arctic Railway: https://www.ejatlas.org/conflict/the-arctic-railway-project-through-sami-territory-from-finland-to-norway . ... . .. Music for this episode in order of appearance: Maxida Märak - Järnrör Maxida Märak - Kommer aldrig lämna dig - Utopi - 2019 Maxida Märak cov. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Soldier Blue

June 11th 2020: Marius Mason support and words from Jeremy Hammond In this June 11th podcast special, we're happy to feature two interviews. The first is with Letha, a supporter of anarchist prisoner Marius Mason who is 7 years from release for animal and earth liberation front actions in the late 1990's. Marius, who tested positive for covid-19 recently at FCI Danbury, continues his activism including on behalf of other trans folks behind bars as well as to write and create. More on his case and how to support him is up at SupportMariusMason.org. Then I spoke with Jeremy Hammond who is an anarchist prisoner supported by June11th for hactivist activities in the early 2010's as a member of Anonymous and other crews that released information to WikiLeaks to expose corporate and police spying and abuse and war crimes, as well as supporting whistleblowers in the Global War on Terror like Chelsea Manning. Jeremy also recently resisted a Federal Grand Jury around WikiLeaks with Chelsea Manning, he contracted covid-19 recently, and currently produces a podcast with his brother, Jason, called Twin Trouble which is in the Channel Zero Network. More on Jeremy's case at FreeJeremy.Net By way of introduction, June 11th is an important day for Anarchists. It began as a day of solidarity with Jeff "Free" Luers, an eco-anarchist who received a sentence of 22 years and 8 months in 2004 for burning 3 SUIVs on a car lot in Eugene, Oregon. Leurs was eventually released in 2009. In 2010, after the waves of the Green Scare subsided, the day was shifted to support Marius Mason and Eric McDavid. There is a history of June 11th written up at june11.org by Crimethinc from a few years back that is very thorough if you want more details. Suffice to say, Eric was released, Marius continues to sit behind bars. Since then, the list of long term anarchist prisoners has expanded as our numbers keep growing on the outside. The efforts to support those inside and to expand the struggles of those comrades behind bars also builds. As we recognize and are inspired by those who have stood up to inhuman power structures and suffered huge consequences, remember that not everyone has been caught, that being caught isn't always the end, and that we still have fight in us. I'd like to invite people to check out June11.org to check out the call for this year's June11th by the committee, listen the 2020 mixtape of songs curated by current anarchist prisoners J11 supports, find out more about the prisoners and check out where you can donate to them and read or hear statements by the prisoners as to what they want to see around this year's celebration and rememberance. If you visit the resources page, you can see posters, reportbacks, zines, hear voices of formerly incarcerated anarchists and their supporters from an interview series, read past years prisoner statements and a whole lot more. We also hear that our comrades at the Crimethinc Ex-Worker podcast will be releasing an episode on J11 in coming days which is bound to be worth a listen. Finally, if you'd like to hear past interviews about June 11 and with anarchist prisoners that we've done since 2013, including with anarchist prisoners like Michael Kimble, Sean Swain and Eric King, their supporters, folks from the J11 crew, authors like Will Potter and formerly incarcerated anarchist, Eric McDavid, check out our June11 shows. Just an FYI, it is possible that Marius is dead-named and mis-gendered in some of the past shows as he came out as a man in 2015. . ... . .. Track featured on this episode: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - This Gentle Hearts Like Shot Bird's Fallen - Born Into Trouble As The Sparks Fly Upward

Hotel Sanctuary in MPLS This week we got to connect with Rosemary, who is an organizer in Minneapolis, about the liberation of a former Sheraton Hotel in that city and its slow but steady transformation into something that is becoming so much more than a housing cooperative. They speak about how this resocialization came to happen, some of the circumstances involved, about how this is a very deep collaboration between un-housed folks in Minneapolis and people involved in doing care work, the power of George Floyd who was profoundly involved in doing that same kind of care work with un-housed people, and many many more topics. Check out their new website up at SanctuaryHotel.org and their fundraiser at GoFundMe.com/f/SanctuaryHotel . ... . .. In this episode, you'll also hear a statement by anarchist prisoners, Comrade Malik and Sean Swain. We invite you to stay tuned for mid-week as we release a podcast special for the June 11th day of solidarity with Marius Mason and longterm anarchist prisoners. We hope to feature the voice of a longtime supporter of Marius with updates on his case, and that of anarchist prisoner, anon hacker and Federal Grand Jury resistor, Jeremy Hammond. More about June 11th on June11.org. Transcription: Comrade Malik Transcription: Rosemary PDF (unimposed) Zine (imposed PDF) . ... . .. Further resources from Rosemary: Sharing from the Minneapolis Sanctuary Hotel FedBook page, hoping a website and crowdfunding link will be up soon so stay tuned! Greetings community. We hope this long post finds you as safe and well as is possible during a righteous uprising. We wanted to provide you some updates and opportunities to plug in. The Minneapolis Sanctuary Hotel is a community-led sanctuary space for over 200 displaced and homeless people who needed safety from the military occupation that occurred following the murder of George Floyd. We center values of autonomy, harm reduction, community care, mutual aid, and abolition. 1. First! This page, started as a space to boost all kinds of different work related to COVID, homelessness, and community care, is transitioning to become the Minneapolis Sanctuary Hotel Facebook page. Look for changing name and photos shortly! 2. We are overwhelmed with support. This is a good problem to have but we've had to rapidly scale up our infrastructure to meet the needs. Here are some ways to plug in: > If you are media with interview or press release requests, please email: [email protected] > If you are a restaurant, catering company, or are interested in providing hot meals, please contact Kimberly at 612-203-2779 > If you are a new volunteer looking to get connected or are a previous volunteer with a special skill set we don't know about, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScy9VNQ1Xnamf6pUC-kphgXrnI3OwakUucW4YAfYNVz7o5cBg/viewform 3. A few boundaries to set for resident safety, capacity, and COVID reasons: > Please DO NOT show up at the sanctuary hotel if you are not signed up to work a shift. > Please NO MORE *non-perishable food* donations. > Please DO wear a mask when on-site Please continue to watch this space for more updates as we continue to learn and grow in the work of building a sanctuary. . ... . .. Call for vigils on 6/7/2020 for fallen comrades From anarchist BIPOC & accomplices: Since the George Floyd rebellions began on May 26 2020, following his horrific murder by police, at least a dozen more lives have been taken by state and vigilante violence in the struggle for Black freedom. We wish to honor them by making space to say their names, commemorate their lives, and celebrate our own resistance. By acknowledging the risk we all take when we move into the streets, we remember the martyred and continue to fight for the living. Calling for vigils everywhere, Sunday 6/7 at sundown. . ... . .. Music for this episode by: Ratatat - Loud Pipes

Two Voices From MPLS: Medic and Abolitionist On this episode, we're featuring two voices from Minneapolis, the epicenter of mass demonstrations and uprising following the police murder of #GeorgeFloyd. First up, you'll hear from Jacquie, a professional medic living in Minneapolis. Jacquie talks about the impacts of corona virus on Black and Brown communities around the city, some of what she saw in the early days of the protests and the feelings expressed to her about the killing of George Floyd and the problem of police in our racist society. You can find a project of theirs on instagram by seeking @femmeempowermentproject. Then, Tonja Honsey, executive director of the Minnsesota Freedom Fund, talks about bail and prison abolition, infrastructure to get folks out of jail and supporting the people in the streets. They're online at MinneapolisFreedomFund.Org Both interviewees shout out Black Visions Collective and Reclaim The Block, two police abolition projects in Minneapolis, and the Northstar Health Collective. Check our show notes for links to those projects, as well as bail funds for cities where solidarity protests have been met with police repression. Announcements Jalil Muntaqim There is an effort right now to get compassionate release for Jalil Muntaqim, former Black Panther and member of the Black Liberation Army. Jalil has been held by New York state since 1971 and he recently has tested positive for the Corona Virus. His attempts at parole over the years have been stymied by police and racists pressuring and stacking the parole board for Jalil's involvement in the death of two cops 5 decades ago. This has happened 12 times since 2002 when he became eligible. More info about his case at his support site, freejalil.com and check out this SFBayView article for how you can help push for his release. Breaking the 4th Wall Hey, y'all. First off, I just want to say how impressed I am at the power that people are drawing up from within in order to battle the police all over the country. Seeing videos and hearing stories from Minneapolis, Atlanta, Oakland, New York City, Omaha, Denver, St. Louis, Tucson, Los Angeles and elsewhere, plus the solidarity rallies and support coming out here and abroad is so heartwarming. This week, you'll know, police in Minneapolis murdered George Floyd, an African American man and people were there to video tape it. Since then, people took the streets, were met with tear gas and rubber bullets, some held vigils while others held the streets and set fire to a corner of that world that holds them hostage, including a police precinct. The cops present at Floyd's murder were fired, and finally the officer who murdered has been arrested. Mr. Last week, police murdered a Black Trans Man named Tony McDade in Tallahassee. Over the prior month and a half, that same force murdered two other African American men, Wilbon Woodard and Zackri Jones. On March 13th, Louisville police murdered Breonna Taylor, a medical First Responder, during a home raid. At a protest on May 28th for Breonna's legacy, 7 people were shot by unknown parties. Video of the murder by a white, retired cop and his son in Glynn County, Georgia, of yet another African American man, Ahmaud Arbery, was released a few weeks back sparking protests and the eventual arrest of the killers. The police sat on that video since Mr. Arbery's killing in February, allowing the killers to walk free. Please stay safe out there, y'all. Already, some folks have died at these protests, riots and uprisings against the status quo. Wear masks to protect from covid but also to obscure your identity. Drink lots of water, get good sleep if you can, take care of each other and support each other in these hard times. You can keep up on ongoing struggle via ItsGoingDown.org's site and social media presence, and you can watch amazing videos from Minneapolis via Unicorn Riot. Housing Liberation in Minneapolis "At 8:00pm on Friday, blocks from the epicenter of the uprising, we watched from a tent as armored vehicles and hundreds of national guard advanced on Hiawatha. The curfew was in effect and the state offered no options for a couple camped outside. The hotels promised to the large encampment across the highway left them and many other behind. The shelters were full. This couple finally found refuge in a largely vacant hotel a mile away. The next morning, they awoke to the burned remains of Chicago and Lake and learned that the hotel owners planned to evacuate. With nowhere else to go but with a community showing up to support, the couple declined to evacuate. Together we invited displaced and unsheltered neighbors to join us. Overnight people came in with harrowing stories of terror from police and other white supremacists. National guard shot rubber bullets at us while we stood guard against that violence. At the time of this writing nearly 200 people have created sanctuary in the memory of former shelter worker George Floyd. We avenge Floyd'

This is a presentation of some of the Q and A session which took place after the IDOC Watch panel in Chicago last year. If you are hearing this and don't know what I'm talking about, head on over to the previous episode to catch up! In this segment, we'll hear Kwame Shakur, Lorenzo Stone-Bey, Sheila, and Zolo Azania speak on supporting incarcerated people, the tactic of the prison strike, and ways that attitudes in society about and toward prison and incarceration have changed over time. Before we get into it tho I would like to say a big hearty FUCK THE POLICE to the murdering cowards we call cops everywhere and especially Minneapolis. I would also like to say big ups and strength to those who are fighting this white supremacist enemy in the streets this week. I hope y'all are staying safe from tear gas, having each other's backs in whatever ways make sense, and enjoying all that liberated shit. We're thinking of y'all and sending love! Relatedly, our friends at the United Panther Movement are seeking funds to send some delegates up there to help in the fight. From their fundraising ask: "They want us divided, fighting each other, so they can continue terrorizing our communities ! The United Panther Movement and the New Afrikan Black Panther Party will be there boots on the ground for the people whenever and wherever we can ! And now the people our crying out for justice in the wake of George Floyd's public lynching. We want to get out there yesterday ! We are asking the people to support our travels and lodging. If you can, please donate to cashapp:$unitedpanthers or paypal.me/upm2019." . … . .. Here is an announcement from Oso Blanco's support website: "Indigenous prisoners at USP Victorville are being denied access to essential supplies for their sweat ceremonies. This has been a routine occurrence even before COVID-19 response protocols were in place. Most recently, after further attempts to raise their legitimate grievances, newly arrived chaplain Sadiq ordered corrections officers to take the sacred pipe from its elected pipe carrier, Oso Blanco/Yona Unega (also known as Byron Shane Chubbuck). Oso Blanco is urgently requesting letters and emails to bring attention to these grievances and demand action. NOTE: Oso wants the tone to stay polite and non-confrontational for the time being. Send both letters and emails to the addresses below: Assistant Warden Martinez USP Victorville P.O. Box 5400 Adelanto, CA 92301 [email protected] VIM/[email protected] Chaplain Michael Northway USP Victorville P.O. Box 5400 Adelanto, CA 92301 [email protected] VIM/[email protected]" If you do send anything, please do not mention Oso Blanco by name as he is already receiving a lot of shit from the administration. Further reading recommended by Kwame Shakur: Freidrich Engels – The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State PDF version New Jim Crow; Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness . … . .. Music for this episode: Fuck the Police (instrumental) - IduBeats

This week we are presenting audio from a panel conducted last year in Indiana with members of IDOC Watch, which is the Indiana Department of Correction watch. From their website: "The Indiana Department of Correction Watch (IDOC Watch) exists to be in solidarity with prisoners. This means we correspond with and and foster camaraderie with people who are incarcerated in Indiana, expose abusive conditions and treatment, and fight policies and initiatives that further isolate, marginalize, and harm prisoners. We seek to uplift prisoners' voices and struggles (check out our blog!), and educate the masses about prisons, generally, as well as specific issues we are fighting." This panel features (in order of appearance): Kwame Shakur of the Stolen Lives Movement, Sheila, who is a mother, grandmother, and advocate of incarcerated people, Lorenzo Stone-Bey of IDOC Watch, and Zolo Agona Azania who is formerly of the Black Liberation Army, and is a three time survivor of death row. He is currently a prolific writer, artist, and advocate for incarcerated people. To hear our past interview with Zolo about his life, check this out! While editing this panel, which took place well before the current pandemic, I was very struck by the panelists words and how applicable they are to today's situation. Many thanks to all the buddies who got this audio out, with a special shout out to Casey! *** As a general content warning for this episode, since folks are talking from their direct experiences of the violences of racism and incarceration, this show makes mention of police and prison guard brutality, extreme isolation, and suicide. Stay tuned mid week to our podcast feed for the extended Q&A session which occurred after this panel! It will also be up at our website https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org We are excited to announce that The Final Straw will be airing at 4pm every Sunday on KMSW, the Martinez Street Women's Center at 101.5FM in San Antonio, TX! You can check them out online at http://mswomenscenter.org/ If you have a local radio station that you wanna hear us playing on, get in touch with us or follow the radio broadcasting link on our website for ideas on how to propose us :) Music for this episode: De La Soul ft. Redman – Oooh. (instrumental) off of the 2000 self titled release Oooh.

We're happy to share the second half of this conversation with Graham Clumpner, anarchist, U.S. military veteran and eco-defender. If you missed the first half of this chat, check out our May 17th episode up at our website. For this hour Graham talks about the responsibility of U.S. society as a whole for the devastation of the Global War On Terror and to the victims in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. He also talks about the need for a movement against militarism and war, the need for active inclusion of veterans into our movements and intersection of militarism and ecological devastation and climate catastrophe. You can find Graham on twitter by the handle @turncoatveteran The anti-militarist organizations he mentions include: Courage To Resist About Face GI Rights Hotline Graham's involved in on-water direct action against extractive industry with Mosquito Fleet. . ... . .. featured tracks: A Tribe Called Quest - Clock The Rhime - The Low End Theory DJ Shadow - March of Death (featuring Zack de la Rocha) - Rise Against - Hero of War - Appeal To Reason Sole & DJ Pain 1 - National Bird - Nihilismo

This week we're sharing a chat with Graham Clumpner, an anarchist veteran of the U.S. military from the early days of the so-called Global War on Terror. During his time in Afghanistan and elsewhere, Graham worked his way up to being an Army Ranger and left the military in 2007. After struggling with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Graham resisted being recalled into the military, for a short time going underground before finding a path with the help of Common Courage and the G.I. Rights Hotline. Graham became involved in anti-war organizing with Iraq Veterans Against The War (IVAW), which later developed into the group, About Face. Currently Graham organizes on-water direct action against fossil fueled climate change in the Salish Sea with the Mosquito Fleet as a part of the Environmental movement against climate change and is also on the advisory board of the CLDC. For the hour Graham will share about his time before, during and immediately after, his resistance to redeployment, ideas on de-enlistment and his politicization as an anarchist a little on the inspiration of the revolution in Rojava. You can find Graham on Twitter by the handle @turncoatveteran Stay tuned for the second half of this conversation, out May 20th at our website, in our podcast stream, blah blah blah. You'll hear Graham talking about the responsibility of veterans and members of imperialist societies for the harms done in their name and with their money abroad, what it might mean to build a movement with teeth, pushing back on environmental devastation by militarism and capitalism and some tips on integrating veterans into our movements. Announcements Indigenous Mutual Aid So far, the coronavirus pandemic is making more apparent all the violences that the so called US is predicated upon: capitalism, xenophobia, racism, prison/slavery, genocide, and disposability, all of which - when they collide – create situations that are escalating degrees of deadly for the people and communities who are most affected by systemic violence. We here have seen staggering statistics in so called US, which already account for almost a third of all covid deaths worldwide. The widest spread rates of infection and death are coming out of communities which are the hardest impacted by racism, poverty, and genocide. To that end we would like to uplift the platform Indigenous Mutual Aid! From their website: "Indigenous Mutual Aid is an information and support network with an anti-colonial and anti-capitalist framework. We exist to inspire and empower autonomous Indigenous relief organizing in response to COVID-19. We seek to grow the organizing of this effort into a collective hub of organizers from throughout what we recognize as Turtle Island. As our communities have a deep history with organizing to support each other in times of crisis, we already have many existing Mutual Aid models to draw from. This looks like a small crew coordinating their relatives or friends to chop wood and distribute to elders. It looks like traditional medicine herbal clinics or sexual health supply distribution. It looks like community water hauling efforts or large scale supply runs to ensure elders have enough to make it through harsh winters. Basically any time individuals and groups in our communities have taken direct action (not through politicians or indirect means) and supported others, not for their own self-interests but out of love for their people, this is what we call 'mutual aid.'" To see their website, along with further reading and ways to donate, you can go to https://www.indigenousmutualaid.org/ Other Indigenous mutual aid funds (from IMA website): Seeding Sovereignty Rapid Response FundNDN "Collective" COVID-19 Response Fund Indigenous Environmental Network COVID-19 Mutual Aid Fund7th Generation Fund – Flicker Fun for COVID-19 ResponseFirst Nations Development Institute COVID-19 Response FundNative Voices Rising COVID-19 Fund If you have suggestions for further mutual aid networks we can help uplift and amplify, or if you yourself would like to be interviewed or know someone who might, you can always email us at [email protected] with the subject line "Mutual Aid Info"! Prison-Related Prisoners across the country and around the world are resisting their captivity and the dangers of the pandemic in a constellation of ways, from sharing rations to caring for the sick, from filing grievances and getting word out about conditions to daring escapes, uprisings and hunger strikes. A few great places to find news are the Perilous Chronicle site and the Breakout columns on itsgoingdown.org and to hear prisoners struggles in their own voices, check out our fellow CZN podcast, KiteLine. Leonard Peltier Leonard Peltier is an elder indigenous rights activist, member of the American Indian Movement (or AIM) and prisoner held since the 70's for the killing of a federal agent during the Wounded Knee stand

Wayne Price on Anarchism and Marxist Economics Wayne Price is longtime anarchist, author and currently a member of Bronx Climate Justice North and the Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council, or MACC, in New York City. After reading his book, The Value Of Radical Theory: An Anarchist Introduction to Marx's Critique of Political Economy (AK Press, 2013), I got excited to speak to him about his views on anarchists engaging Marxist economic concepts and some of the historical conflicts and engagements between Marxism and Anarchism. We talk about his political trajectory from a pacifist Anarchist in high school, through Trotskyism and back to anarchy. Wayne talks about common visions of what an anarchist economy might look like, how we might get there, class and intersection of other oppressions, critique of State Capitalism. Wayne sees the oppressed of the world having a chance during this economic freeze to fight against re-imposition of wide-scale capitalist ecocide by building libertarian, anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist and heterogenous future societies in the shell of the old. You can find his books Anarchism & Socialism: Reformism or Revolution? available from at AKPress.Org and The Abolition Of The State: Anarchist & Marxist Perspectives (AuthorHouse, 2007) or through a fine, independent radical bookstore in your area that could use support. A reminder that AKPress published books, such as "The Value..." can be purchased in e-book format for free from AKPress.org. You can find some of Wayne's writing at this mirror of AnarchistLibrary, as well as at the site for the Platformist Anarkismo Network, Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, and The Utopian Journal (seemingly out of print). . ... . .. featured tracks: Rudy Ray Moore - Put Your Weight On It - The Turning Point Todrick Hall - Rent - Quarantine Queen Little Richard - Mississippi (instrumental) - King Of Rock And Roll (The Complete Reprise Recordings)

Digital Security Tools for Organizing We're happy to share the rest of our conversation with Michele Gretes, director of the Digital Security project at the Civil Liberties Defense Center, and Cora Borradaile, who is on the board of the CLDC. For this podcast special, you'll hear the two discuss different tools for more secure, encrypted communication that is available on various platforms to folks organizing. They publish guides on CLDC.org/Security. We discuss the encrypted and open-source alternative to Slack (Keybase), pgp email encryption (particularly the enigmail tool), Signal Messenger, problems with Whatsapp, Cryptpad, Jitsi, Wire, VPNs and The Onion Router,the TorBrowser, OnionShare, Zoom, Protonmail and some of the challenges of running longstanding movement infrastructure such as the RiseUp collective does (plus their file sharing and pad services). Check our show notes for links to some of these projects. (image lifted from the amazing Beehive Collective) . ... . .. featured tracks: Bojkez - Snap Your Fingers - Instrumental EP vol. 1 Glutton For Insurrection - V!RU$ 5TR!K3

This week, we feature two conversations. Cora Borradaile and Michele Gretes, folks involved in the Digital Security Project of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, speak about contact tracing apps and surveillance. Then, Se speaks about Tucson Food Share's grocery distribution program. Contact Tracing Apps First up, we hear Michele Gretes and Cora Borradaile. Michele is the Digital Security Coordinator of the Civil Liberties Defense Center and also does digital security for an environmental non-profit. Cora is a co-founder of the CLDC Digital Security Program and is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University with a focus on the security state and the adoption of more-secure apps. They talk about surveillance and the use of apps for tracing folks contact with people infected with covid-19 to slow the pandemic spread. This is a segment of a larger conversation we'll be releasing in the middle of this week as a podcast in which Cora and Michele talk about and compare tools for online organizing that engage encryption and offer alternatives to the google and other "free" products that often surveil their users. We speak about Jitsi, Wire, Zoom, RiseUp, Signal, vpns, The Onion Router, TAILS, KeyBase, Riot.IM, pgp and other mentionables. More at CLDC.org/Digital-Security/ Apple & Google announced this approach toward contact tracing we didn't really cover in detail / by name in this conversation. Here's an article from Wired about it. The White Paper referenced by Cora references from the EU with cryptographers is here. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) laws, European restrictions on the collection and longtime storage of data on private individuals has been in place since 2016. An article from VOX speaking about ICE using private phone data to seek out and arrest undocumented people in the US. Another talking about current tracking by phone companies of our movements. Tucson Food Share After that, we'll hear from Se of Tucson Food Share, based in Arizona. We talk about their project, how it scaled up from Tucson Food Not Bombs to deliver groceries and hand out burritos publicly, multi-lingual engagement, resisting burnout and finding joy in feeding people. More at TucsonFoodShare.Org . You should get in touch if you're thinking of setting up a food distribution project and have any questions. Announcements New Station: KODX Seattle We'd like to mention that we're now airing on Monday mornings at 2am on KODX in Seattle. You can check out that station's schedule up at kodxseattle.org or hear them in north eastern Seattle on 96.9 on the FM dial. Recent Release: Bomani Shakur and Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin Just a headsup, if you're looking for more content for your ears, we released a small segment of Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin talking about prisoner organizing in the 1970's and today. This was paired with a longer chat with Lucasville Uprising survivor and death row prisoner Bomani Shakur aka Keith Lamar. For a little over an hour, Bomani talks about his youth, the uprising in 1993, his case and being railroaded. He has an execution date set by the state of Ohio for November 16, 2023. . ... . .. Naughty By Nature - Hip Hop Hooray (instrumental) - Hip Hop Hooray Leslie Fish - Bella Ciao - Smoked Fish and Friends

Lorenzo Komb'oa Ervin and Bomani Shakur / Keith Lamar This midweek, we're sharing two segments. First up, Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin talks about attempts in the 1960's and 70's at building a prisoners union in the United States and parallels with inside / outside organizing in the USA today. Then we hear from Ohio death row prisoner from the Lucasville Uprising case, Bomani Shakur (aka Keith Lamar) about his struggle to stay alive and call out the injustice in his and so many cases. Lorenzo Transcript Bomani Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin is an author, black anarchist, organizer, former Black Panther and former political prisoner based in Kansas City, Missouri. In this segment, Lorenzo talks about prisoners organizing unions and other associations in the past, the thoughts of George Jackson and Martin Sostre and more. JoNina Ervin, an autonomous organizer and also a former Black Panther, who is married to Lorenzo has put out a specific request for solidarity to help these elders weather the pandemic and lighten the load of mutual aid in their community which we'll share in our show notes. Suffice to say, donations to help them get safer access to laundry can be made by sending a donation via Paypal account at: [email protected] / cash app: $CaseyGoon / venmo: @casey-R-goonan. I'll read JoNina's appeal after Lorenzo's interview. Free Keith Lamar / Bomani Shakur Bomani Shakur speaks to us from death row at OSP Youngstown in Ohio. Bomani is accused of crimes related to the 1993 Lucasville Uprising he claims innocence of and has an execution date set for November 16, 2023. For a little over an hour we speak about his upbringing, his case, injustice in white supremacist and capitalist America, Bomani's politicization and struggle to find himself, defend his dignity and his life. This interview was recorded on April 29th, a little over a day before the end of the month of solidarity with and direct action for Bomani Shakur. Thanks to Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement - NYC for hooking us up with the chat and helping coordinate the Month Of Solidarity. More on his case can be found at KeithLamar.Org, on the facebook page "Justice For Keith Lamar" and at the twitter account, FREEKeithLamar. On his website you can find a link to his book, Condemned, ways to donate to his phone fund, and a link to the excellent, 30 minute documentary on youtube about his case also named Condemned. If you're on twitter, there is a twitter storm planned for April 30, 2020. Find our twitter or @FreeKeithLamar to join in. You can email them for more info as well. Announcements Phone Zap about Covid-19 and North Carolina Prisons Over the past month, covid19 has blazed through NC prisons like wildfire. Across DPS facilities, over 600 people have tested positive -- roughly the same number of cases in all of Wayne County, which has a population that is 3x larger. One person (at Pender C.I) has already died of complications, and a single facility (Neuse C.I.) has a mind-boggling 466 positive cases. The reason Neuse has so many confirmed cases is that DPS decided to test everyone there--and they should do the same at all facilities with significant numbers of positive cases, such as NCCI Women, where 81 people have tested positive so far. This is the only way to know the full scale of the outbreak and to be able to take appropriate measures to mitigate further spread. Please call Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee on Thursday, April 30 to demand universal testing at four hard-hit prisons! Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons: Phone: 919-838-4000 House Phone: (330)544-4425 Email: [email protected] You can find a call in script at the Blue Ridge ABC website. Pendleton CI in Indiana Word is now coming out that today, April 30th 2020 there is a demonstration growing at Pendleton CI in Indiana by folks incarcerated there. A number of prisoners will refuse meals today due to neglect, poor treatment and prison officials' complete lack of care and concern in regard to crisis management or emergency response during this global pandemic. Prisoners have reported receiving sparse and poorly put-together sack lunch and one small bag of cereal a day. They are demanding proper nutrition during this time that will serve to sustain and to fortify themselves against sickness as well as proper Personal Protective Equipment and cleaning supplies in order to clean and sanitize their cells and such. Word comes out from inside Pendleton despite the apparent manipulation of prisoners jpay tablets that are used for communication. It's presumed that the disconnections are done in order to slow/stop communications with the outside world. The tablets were disconnected completely for several days about a week ago leaving prisoners with absolutely no way to contact anyone on the outside after a physical altercation occurred between pigs and prisoners when the pigs attempted to house prisoners confirmed to

Barry Pateman on Anarchist History and Challenges I'm really happy to share a chat with anarchist and historian, Barry Pateman. Barry, born in the early 1950's, grew up in a working class coal mining town of Doncaster in the UK and became an anarchist in the 1960's in London. He is a longstanding member of the Kate Sharpley Library which covers histories of little-known anarchists and events in history. Barry has also contributed to and edited numerous books including "Chomsky on Anarchism", a two book document collection with Candace Falk and many more titles, many on AK Press. We talk about anarchist history, community, repression, defeat, insularity, popular front with authoritarian Marxists, class analysis and how to beat back capitalism. Find Kate Sharpley Library at KateSharpleyLibrary.Net Announcements General Strike Call I'd like to recommend listeners check out a recent call to General Strike by People's Strike, which includes Cooperation Jackson. The beginning of their call, which can be found linked to in our show notes, is: The CODVID-19 pandemic has starkly revealed the inequalities and injustices that daily plague the world. The triple crisis of viral plague, systemic economic breakdown, and the failure and/or unwillingness of Governments to provide necessary protections, especially for the poor and people subjected to white supremacy, ethnocentrism, xenophobia, and misogyny has thrown us into a fight for our lives. The "Free Markets" that right-wing political figures like Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro and others are seeking to protect and rely upon to address the COVID-10 pandemic will continue to produce chaos and needless suffering for millions of people. The economic nationalism and imperial rivalry we see on full display in the midst of this pandemic magnify the threat of war. In the U.S. we are fed a steady stream of lies and authoritarian posturing. From Palestine to South Africa to Brazil to the U.S. and beyond, oppressive regimes are actively sacrificing vulnerable peoples and communities and treating frontline workers as uttlerly disposable. We say ENOUGH! It is time to stand up! It's Time To Strike Back - For Our Lives and Our Futures! Anarchist Views on Pandemic You'll notice that in this chat we're mostly taking a slight break from the 24-7 covid-show for our broadcast, though the topic is touched on briefly. If you're looking to hear anarchist-relevant perspectives concerning the pandemic and organizing, we do suggest people check out Episode #33 of A-Radio Networks "Bad News: Angry Voices From Around The World" which is up at our website and also available at A-Radio-Network.Org. I would also suggest checking out some of the awesome shows in the Channel Zero Network, of which we are a member. For instance, Kite Line Radio produces a weekly show featuring the voices of prisoners and the formerly incarcerated on all sorts of topics. . ... . .. Featured tracks this episode: Apollo Brown - The Pursuit - Trophies Instrumentals - Mello Music Group Chumbawamba - I Never Gave Up - Showbusiness! - One Little Indian

Harm Reduction in Pandemic and Jason Renard Walker This week we feature two segments, first up we got to chat with Hill Brown about Asheville's response to the pandemic in terms of public health, drug use and the houseless communities. Then, Jason Renard Walker talks about his journalism, activism and troubles in the Texas prison system. Harm Reduction in Asheville during Pandemic First we got to sit down with Hill Brown who works with Asheville's Steady Collective doing harm reduction outreach to people experiencing homelessness and addiction. We talk about a lot of topics, including how the current health crisis has affected Steady's operation, how the city of Asheville is mishandling its resources right now, and how folks can plug in and have solidarity with this work. If you are concerned about hotel access for oppressed populations, you can call: The Tourism Development Authority (TDA) at 828-258-6111, The County Commissioners at 828-250-4066 and leave a message, and the City of Asheville, who funds the TDA, at 828-251-1122 You can also find ways to support the Steady Collective by visiting their website TheSteadyCollective.org. Visit our blog or show notes to see an interview Bursts did with Hill back in 2018 which was done at a time when the city was threatening to close Steady's operations. Incarcerated Journalist and Organizer, Jason Renard Walker Transcription PDF (Unimposed) ZIne (Imposed PDF) Then we'll be hearing from Jason Renard Walker, an incarcerated journalist and activist at the Clemens Unit near Amarillo, Texas. Jason is the Minister of Labor for the New Afrikan Black Panther Party (Prison Chapter) and his writing is frequently featured in the SF Bay View National Black Newspaper. Mr. Walker's answers will be read by his girlfriend, Noelle. You can find more of Jasons writings at his blog, JasonsPrisonJournal.com, including a link to his recently published e-book "Reports from Within The Belly Of The Beast: Torture and Injustice Inside Texas Department of Criminal Justice" available from Amazon.com and hopefully soon in paperback. He also just published this piece on his blog about the coverup around covid-19. This interview is transcribed below. Jason Renard Walker #1532092 Clements Unit 9601 Spur 591 Amarillo, TX 79107 You can hear our chat from 2018 with Kevin Rashid Johnson (co-founder of the NABPP and Minister of Defense for the Prison Chapter) which is also transcribed in that post, or printable as a zine here. Jason Renard Walker also mentions Julio Alex Zunigo, aka Comrade Z, who is rustling up resistance in Darington Unit. Comrade Z was interviewed by ItsGoingDown and we will be airing a recording of an interview with him coming up this week. Comrade Malik's Covid-19 Update Update The elder, politicized prisoner that Comrade Malik references in Texas as Alvaro Luna Hernandez also goes by the name Xinachtli, which you can use in personal communication. You can hear a recording of Xinachtli telling his story in his own words here. For the envelope or dealing with administration you can write to him at: Alvaro Luna Hernández #255735 James V Allred Unit 2101 FM 369 NorthIowa Park, TX 76367 USA . … . .. Tracks heard in this episode: AwareNess (from calm.) – No Regrets Wu-Tang Clan – It's Yourz (instrumental)

Kazi Toure (Burning Books Lecture Series) Here's our second lecture we're excited to share in the Burning Books Lecture Series. We're slowly continuing to release audios recorded at Burning Books in Buffalo, NY, to share inspiring ideas and experiences this bookstore has hosted over the last 7 or so years. This pandemic period should be one where we take account of the situation we find ourselves, hone our skills, learn from our elders and consider how to engage as the disease ravages our communities and the forces of capital and repression make their moves. Kazi Toure spoke on March 25, 2015 on his political development, activity, engagement as a Marxist guerrilla in the USA, his time as a political prisoner, his ideas and organizing. From his bio: Former political prisoner and United Freedom Front member Kazi Toure was imprisoned for his role in twenty bombings combating Apartheid in South Africa & US Imperialism in Central America. The United Freedom Front has been considered "undoubtedly the most successful of the leftist [guerrilla groups] of the 1970s & 80s," & struck powerful blows to South African Airways, Mobile, IBM, Union Carbide, & various courthouses & US military targets. If you enjoyed this lecture, keep an ear out for more. And check out our first release of this series, Dr Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz speaking on "An Indigenous Peoples History Of The United States". And remember, community spaces are so important, places we can engage new ideas, speakers with this wisdom, future and current comrades and co-conspirators. One way to do this, if you have the dough, is to buy books from spaces like Burning Books or Firestorm Books Coop. If you are looking to read statements by Kazi and his comrades, Leslie from Burning Books suggests checking out Hauling Up The Morning: Writings and Art by Political Prisoners of War in the U.S. which you can find at burningbooks.com . Another title mentioned, available via Burning Books or Firestorm at firestorm.coop is Let Freedom Ring: A Collection of Documents from the Movements to Free U.S. Political Prisoners. A couple of notes about some of the prisoners and projects that Kazi mentions in this 2015 presentation. Oscar López Rivera was googlereleased in 2017 by Obama. The surviving members of the MOVE 9 were released in the last 2 years. On A Move! Herman Bell was released in 2018 and lives in New York state. 4StruggleMag is no longer producing print editions. The latest post on it's site announces the death from incarceration of Tom Manning, one of Kazi's comrades from the UFF. Posted messages come from the Certain Days Collective, political prisoners Kojo Bomani Sababu, Bill Dunne, Oso Blanco, incarcerated comrade from the UFF Jaan Laaman and former political prisoner from the UFF Ray Luc Levasseur. Jaan Laaman continues to be incarcerated as does BLA prisoner Jalil Muntaqim. More info on these political prisoners at The National Jericho Movement and NYCABC's websites. Stay healthy, y'all! . ... . .. Featured track on this is Kimochi by Fred Houn and the Afro-Asian Music Ensemble

Release Ramsey Orta! / Housing Struggle in Asheville Sean Swain's segment on Bernie Sanders withdrawal the Democrat candidacy. [00:03:20-00:12:27] Release Ramsey Orta! [00:12:27-00:38:00] This week, we hear from Deja, the fiance of incarcerated cop watcher Ramsey Orta. Ramsey has been in prison since 2016 and during his short time inside has he's been transferred around a lot and spent over a year in isolation. Ramsey's name may be familiar as the police accountability activist who recorded the killing by police of the unarmed community member and grandfather, Eric Garner, in New York in 2014. Ramsey Orta's video went viral and drew NYPD harassment and attention to him and his family and since his incarceration led to many threats by cop-sympathizing CO's. Orta is currently about 90 days from his release date for his non-violent conviction and falls within the categories of prisoners that NY is considering releasing before the pandemic is in full swing. If you can help lean on the powerful in NY to get Ramsey Orta released, you can email [email protected] or [email protected]. You can learn more about Ramsey's case at RamseyOrta.com, or the SupportRamseyOrta fedbook page, as well as WeCopWatch.org or that groups fedbook page. News just came out that Midstate Correctional, where Ramsey is currently being held, has shown its first infections of covid-19, so this issue of securing Ramsey Orta's release is dire. He is being denied showers, soap, tissue, enough food. Ramsey is also not being giving cleaning supplies for his cell. A source of his mistreatment is Sgt Mayo at Midstate. Supporters suggest phones contact the following officials and share freedom for Ramsey. Ramsey's prison number is 16A4200. Office of Special Investigations (OSI) - DOCCS [email protected] 844 674 4697 William Burns / Deputy Superintendent for Security 315-768-8581 ext 5000 [email protected] William D. Fennessy / Superintendent 315 768 8581 ext 2000 [email protected] Housing Struggle in Asheville [00:40:14-01:28:52] Then we hear from two activists from Unemployed Humans Organzing Help, or UHOH Asheville, talking about tenant organizing for a rent freeze and pushing the government and hoteliers to open up those empty rooms to houseless folks in Asheville. More at their fedbook page, or by emailing [email protected]. Apologies for the sound in this second portion. . ... . .. Featured tracks: Pete Rock - Return Of The Mecca (instrumental) Lee Reed - The Sixth Massive

Being Better To One Another: Comrade Malik from USP Pollock / Peter Gelderloos from Spain On this podcast special, we're sharing two segments. First, Comrade Malik (s/n Keith Washington) of the IWW and Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee speaks about his experience at the Federal prison USP Pollock in Grant Parish, Louisiana, changes in policies in relation to the pandemic and the dangers posed by guards going in and out of the facility. Comrade Malik was paroled from the Texas prison system some months ago and is now serving the remains of a nine month Federal sentence before release to CA where he plans to work on the SF Bay View National Black Newspaper. More of Malik's wriitngs can be found at ComradeMalik.Com. [00:05:40-00:10:23] He also requests listeners to press the Bureau of Prisons release Malik to the address in San Francisco that he has now on file with the BOP. Comrade Malik is in his 51 years old and has a history of medical issues, thanks to maltreatment in the Texas prison system. You can contact the USP Pollock via email at POL/[email protected] or by phone at +13185615300. You can also call the head office of the BOP at +12023073198 to register a similar request Then, we hear from author and anarchist, Peter Gelderloos about responses by the Spanish government and in civil society to the pandemic, challenges to internationalize rent refusal and to treat people better in our communities. More of his writings can be found at TheAnarchistLibrary.Org. [00:14:30-01:08:34] Stay tuned for Sunday's release with housing organizers in Asheville from UHOH about the work they're doing here and suggestions about organizing as well as a chat with a volunteer doing harm reduction on the actions of local police and politicians against houseless folks and drug users and the shut down of life saving programs during the pandemic. . ... . .. Just a quick announcement of some phone zaps beginning today about prisoners and the covid-19 virus, Find the numbers and demands compiled from prisoners in our show notes.: Prison Phone Zaps Two deaths of prisoners at Lee State Prison in Georgia There is a phone zap starting April 9th for Lee State Prison in GA where two deaths have occurred from covid-19. Atlanta IWOC suggests dialing *67 to block your number before making calls and a few other ways to keep yourself safer while dialing into prisons. North Carolina Prison Outbreaks of Corona Federal Correctional Complex at Butner, operated by the BOP, was reported to have 59 cases of covid-19 a few days ago. Outbreaks have been reported at Caledonia CI, Greene CI and Johnston CI, operated by North Carolina Department of Public Safety. There is an ongoing phone zap up at BRABC.Blackblogs.Org North Lake Immigrant Detention Hunger Strike About ten inmates at the North Lake Correctional Facility, a federal immigrant prison in Baldwin, MI, are moving into day five of a hunger strike, demanding adequate nutrition and basic healthcare services currently being denied, as well as religious freedom for followers of the Hebrew Israelite faith. A call script and the numbers are up at itsgoingdown.org Frederick, MD Activists Demand Release of ICE Detainees and Prisoners Spire City Medics is blasting a zap to press Sheriff Chuck Jenkins in Frederick County, MD to release prisoners and ICE detainees in light of the pandemic and lack of preparation for the safety of those housed in the jail there. More info at SpireCityMedics.Org . ... . .. image by Robert Ramos Featured tracks: Jeru The Damaja - "Me Or The Papes (instrumental)" - s/t single Time - "I Wrote This To Start A Fire" - These Songs Kill Fascists

Seeing the World Elsewhere: Rural Mutual Aid in Appalachia and David Forbes on Journalism, Asheville and Anarchism (image by Nicole Marie Burton, used with permission) This week you'll hear two conversations after we hear from Sean Swain on making it through isolation. The text can be found below. [00:02:42-00:11:05] First, Matt from Rural Organizing And Resilience, or ROAR, in Madison County talks about efforts in the country to shift mutual aid efforts to address difficulties associated with the covid-19 pandemic. More on their project at ruralorganizing.wordpress.com. [00:11:05-00:35:47] And we also got to sit down with David Forbes, who is an independent journalist here in Asheville, about her work, some updates from here in the mountains, ways to think about journalism, and the online platform The Asheville Blade which she founded and helps maintain. To see more you can visit ashevilleblade.com, follow her on twitter @davidforbes, and donate to the Blade at patreon.com/avlblade! [00:35:59-01:20:41] Announcements Sean Swain is Ill Sean is currently suffering from a bacterial lung infection and not being offered adequate healthcare (nothing new for prison). If you are concerned for his health as the novel corona virus swells, consider visiting his support site to read more. Anyone reading this should feel free to contact Buckingham at (434) 983-4400 . Either Warden John Woodson or Assistant Warden Jeffrey Snoddy are there each day during normal business hours. Ask for one, and he's not there, ask for the other. Feel free to fax this update to them, (434) 983-4017. Final Straw 10th Anniversary Still coming up, plague bedamned. We've been running the show for coming on 10 years and would love to hear your thoughts, memories, suggestions. This is an opportunity to share with us and share your ideas directly with other audience members. You can leave us or a signal voice-memo or a voicemail at +18285710161, or email a link to mp3 audio via wetransfer.com or another service, or you can share it with the googledrive for [email protected] or [email protected]! . ... . .. playlist . ... . .. also available at SeanSwain.org Sean On Strategies in Isolation The latest concern that folks are expressing during this zombie apocalypse is their inability to cope with isolation and quarantine. We're just a few weeks into this thing and already folks are going a little bonkers. This is strange to me, given that I've spent years at a time in total and complete isolation. It's almost hard for me to fathom that someone wouldn't know how to cope in such an environment. So, this week is going to be something of an instructional video – only, without the video, and maybe not very instructive. OK, first things first. You gotta stay mentally organized, and staying mentally organized means living in a way that's organized. You need a routine. Routine is key to longterm segregation. You want to get up in the morning at the same time. Set an alarm. Get up, get out of bed, make the bed. It doesn't matter that you have nowhere to go. It doesn't matter that you're not leaving that living space. You get up at the same time and you make the bed, because the sleeping period is over. Create for yourself set times for eating your meals, or a small range of times for those meals to happen in. Set a time for showering or bathing and personal grooming. It doesn't matter that you're not going anywhere. Laying in bed all day in the same sweater and underwear from last Tuesday is not mental organization. It's surrender. Yes, I'm talking to you. No, you, there. Yes, the one in the sweater and the underwear. Right. Break up your day into chunks. Fill those chunks with activity. Maybe you like to read. Designate a period of your day for reading. Designate another part of your day for writing, another part for skyping and twitter and social interaction. Doing this gives you routine, but it also gives you benchmarks as you travel through your day. You can say to yourself "I've gotten this done, at such-and-such a time, it's time to do X." You are now doing your time, your time is not doing you. Your time will move faster, you'll get more accomplished. Which brings me to my next point: accomplishing. Each day will bring you multiple opportunities to fulfill goals. Get something written. Get something read. Go a certain time on your stationary bike. Dispose of the body of that annoying next-door neighbor… former neighbor. Just kidding. Don't kill your neighbor. There are security cameras everywhere. I digress. The thing is: each day you meet some small goal, then another, then another. You take in calories, you move from activity to activity. Most importantly: you survive. Each day you end still breathing is a mission accomplished. You're not just writing emails or riding your stationary bike, you're fighting for your very survival, albeit in a mundane kind of way. Physical exercise. The human body is a machine made for motio

Kijana Tashiri Askari In this podcast special, a comrade spoke with Kijana Tashiri Askari, an imprisoned community organizer, prison abolitionist, and New Afrikan Black Revolutionary who helped to found the W.L. Nolen Mentorship Program. At one point in time the mentorship program had about 50 prisoners nationwide on its mailing list. The W.L. Nolen Mentorship Program, named after a central leader in the formation of the California Prisoner Liberation Movement, alongside George Jackson, during the 1960s and 70s. Kijana Tashiri spent over two decades in the Pelican Bay SHU and was instrumental in the development of the networks that sprung forth the first waves of California Prisoner Hunger Strikes. You can reach WLNMP at [email protected] or by mail through True Leap Press at True Leap Press PO Box 408197 Chicago IL, 60640 You can also write to Kijana at: Kijana Tashiri Askari s/n Marcus Harrison #H-54077CMF Vacaville – Wing #342P.O. Box 2000, Vacaville, CA 95696 You can read writings by Kijana at his blog, KijanaTashiriAskari.Wordpress.Com Currently Kijana is facing dire conditions at Vacaville Medical Facility, a smaller prison across the road from CSP-Solano. Two weeks ago he was diagnosed with a heart blockage that requires immediate surgery, however because of the COVID-19 crisis, he was turned away from the hospital and sent back to the prison, where he remains. At the facility where he is imprisoned, there is relatively zero movement of prisoners happening, as everyone is being held in isolation. However, prisoners are not being allowed access to cleaning supplies, and it is a mixed bag in terms of guards taking the crisis serious, and those who are not. He, along with countless people locked up at this facility, are at severe risk if the virus spreads through the prison. Freeworld and incarcerated supporters of Kijana's have organized a phone zap, demanding the following things: That the surgery be performed and necessary medical protocols are followed. Kijana needs a splint in his heart. This is a serious condition. That the proper precautions for his physical safety are made during Kijana's procedure. We demand that surgery is done in a sanitized and controlled area, to prevent contamination of this coronavirus. That Kijana be given adequate medication in light of this blockage revelation, he is currently only taking Tylenol. We demand his immediate release as his time locked up has been served 3-fold! (This is key to his survival and a realistic demand, given that he is up for parole this year) If you choose to call, email (1, 2), or write the governor's office, we urge you to connect this to the broader struggle of releasing elders, immune-compromised, and those most vulnerable to the virus inside; thus: That the governor of California grant mass clemency and systematic release of all elders, immune-compromised, and those most vulnerable to COVID-19. Keep an eye out for posts with scripts and images for a phone zap for Kijana on our Twitter and Instagram, but even more so on the Twitter and Facebook for True Leap Press. . ... . .. Tracks in this podcast: J Dilla - Fuck The Police (instrumental) Looptrack - Crate Diggin

This week I am very excited to present an interview done with Aishah Shahidah Simmons, who is a writer, community organizer, prison abolitionist, and cultural worker who has done just an immense amount of work over the years to help disrupt and end the patterns of sexual abuse and assault within marginalized communities. In this interview we talk about a lot of things, her background and how she came to be doing the work she's doing right now, how better to think about concepts like 'accountability', what doing this work has been like for her as an out lesbian woman, and about her book "Love WITH Accountability, Digging Up the Roots of Childhood Sexual Abuse" which was published in 2019 from AK Press. This interview feels very important for me right now, because we are in a time of overturn, tumult, stress, and uncertainty, and I think that in order for us to really be able to knuckle down and go in this for the long haul it'll be imperative for our radical communities to take solid care of ourselves and of each other. I hope you get as much out of hearing Aishah's words as I did conducting and editing this interview. Before we get started, as a content notice: we will be talking about some difficult topics in this interview. I will do my best to repeat this notice at regular intervals, but please do take care and treat yourself kindly, however that looks for you. If you are interested in seeing more work from Aishah, visit our blogpost or scroll down to the show notes! We will post all the links in those places. If you are interested in reading her book, Love WITH Accountability, AK Press is doing a limited time sale on all their books on their website. Visit akpress.org for more info. To help support community bookstores at this time of greater economic precarity for such places, consider visiting our affiliates Firestorm Books, who are currently doing online sales from their brick and mortar location. More about how to order at firestorm.coop! To keep up with Aishah, for updates on future projects and more: @lovewithaccountability Instagram @afrolez on Twitter Love WITH Accountability FaceBook page Aishah Shahidah Simmons Cultural Worker FaceBook page To support our guest, in a time where much if not all of her income is in peril: PayPal: Afro Lez Productions Venmo: @afrolez Some more ways you can see our guest's past work: NO! The Rape Documentary, streaming for $1 on her website Queering Sexual Violence: Radical Voices from within the Anti-Violence Movement book that she is in. No Name Book Club where Love WITH Accountability was picked as one of the books for March. https://lovewithaccountability.com And so many more links on her website! . … . .. Music for this show by: Philip Glass – Metamorphosis 1 (mixing by William) Clutchy Hopkins – LAUGHING JOCKEY – Story Teller 2012

Being Out Here For The Prisoners in NC / Mesh Networks This week we feature two portions to this podcast bonus, two abolitionists in North Carolina talk about detention issues during and after Covid-19. Then Grant Gallo of Sudo Mesh talks about community mesh data networks and alternative infrastructure for autonomy. For a radio edition of this for broadcast, reach out to us at our email. Our main broadcasting segment for this week is an interview William did with Aishah Shahidah Simmons, the editor of love WITH accountability: Digging up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse (AK Press, 2019) which will be available soon for download by participating stations and in our podcast stream. Incarceration in NC First we'll hear from two prison activists based in the Durham and Asheville, North Carolina about critical situations around incarceration in this state including but not limited to the Covid-19 outbreak. Jules is a member of Blue Ridge Anarchist Black Cross, a local abolitionist group that works around popular education around incarceration and anti-repression for movement work. Katie is an anarchist legal and anti-prison activist. NLG Guide To Your Rights During Covid-19 Pandemic. Covid-19 Prison zine by BRABC Regional groups working on this to keep an eye on include: Empty Cages Collective NC Resists NC Women's Prison Books Project Siembra NC Southerners On New Ground Project South Blue Ridge ABC Instagram / Facebook WNC Anarchist Twitter Peer-To-Peer Digital Infrastructure After that, you'll hear Grant Gallow from Sudo Mesh talk about Peoples Open Network and Disaster Radio. We'll hear about collaborative, community mesh network projects as peer-to-peer internet in general and about the idea behind Disaster Radio, a minimalist digital messaging system in case the cellphone, landline or power grid goes down in a dire circumstances. You can find out more at the website, disaster.radio NC Prison Phone Zaps Statewide: https://brabc.blackblogs.org/2020/03/22/phone-zap-for-north-carolina-prisoners/ Durham County Jail: https://twitter.com/NCResists/status/1242938703871442947?s=20 Various Other Prison Phone Zaps By Region of Turtle Island The following is an incomplete list. Stay tuned to ItsGoingDown.org for a more up-to-date and comprehensive listing of ongoing phone zaps and campaigns Pacific Northwest WA https://twitter.com/COVID_MutualAid/status/1242521808940777475 https://twitter.com/PugetSupport/status/1242492820868358144 Portland, OR https://twitter.com/carenotcops/status/1242558135480365058 Central Colorado https://brabc.blackblogs.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/338/2020/03/Colorado-Prison-Report-03_26_2020.pdf Midwest Chicago, IL https://twitter.com/AssataDaughters/status/1242474665358110720 Wisconsin https://twitter.com/notcolloquial/status/1242871504871854082 Michigan https://twitter.com/MI_Abolition/status/1242471208270036992 https://huronvalleycovid19.wixsite.com/demands/action https://fight-toxic-prisons.org/2020/03/12/macomb-ci-coronavirus-phone-zap/ (Macombe CI) Northeast New York https://twitter.com/FreeThemAll2020/status/1242827148588613638 (NYC) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l5n3CxSjPUuINOsPi51rks8g-Os-WUVmLOfa8s5AaHg/ (NYC) https://twitter.com/FreeThemAll2020/status/1243576540056768516?s=20 (NYC) https://twitter.com/SurlyNotAWalrus/status/1242492126950313984 (NYC) New Jersey https://twitter.com/NiMaitresses/status/1242716926964649984 PA https://twitter.com/ariteer/status/1242849157167173634 (you gotta look at the link in the twitter for this one) South GA, NC, SC ICE call-in https://twitter.com/ashahshahani/status/1243215788191997960?s=20 Alabama https://fight-toxic-prisons.org/2020/03/26/alabama-department-of-corrections-covid19-phone-zap/ protest/suicide threat: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/ice-detainees-threaten-suicide-stage-protests-over-coronavirus-fears/2020/03/25/8232738e-0b1e-4fdb-8538-456e269a8eb7_video.html Georgia https://www.democracynow.org/2020/3/27/headlines (headline about hunger strikes, not a call-in link) Virginia https://home.baltimoreiww.org/news/tell-governor-northam-and-the-virginia-department-of-health-that-release-is-the-only-way-forward https://www.facebook.com/events/1910024005789095/ Louisiana https://www.latinorebels.com/2020/03/26/icedetaineeshungerstrike/ Florida https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-ice-detainees-on-hunger-strike-amid-coronavirus-11607507 (article about hunger strikes in ICE custody, not a call-in link) https://twitter.com/iwoc_gnv/status/1242875691315671049 NC https://brabc.blackblogs.org/2020/03/22/phone-zap-for-north-carolina-prisoners/ https://twitter.com/NCResists/status/1242938703871442947?s=20 (Durham County Jail) so-called Canada Quebec https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/939v7v/laval-quebec-immigration-detainees-are-on-a-hunger-strike-over-coronavirus-fears (article only) Announcements BRABC Remote Film Night From the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/503825183570471/ Join us for a film screening a

Doing For Selves: Open Source Supplies and Tenant Organizing Welcome to a podcast special from The Final Straw. While William is was busy producing an episode featuring voices of medical professionals and activists inside and out of prison to talk about the impacts of covid-19 on incarcerated people for broadcast, I had a couple of conversations about work folks are doing on the outside that I'd like to share. Hacking To Fight Covid-19 First, I spoke with Bill Slavin of Indie Lab, space in Virginia that is in the process of shifting it's purpose since the epidemic became apparent from an broader scientific and educational maker space to work on the manufacturing and distribution of covid-19 related items in need such as testing kits, medical grade oxygen, ventilators and 3d printed n95 quality masks for medical professionals to fill public health needs. Bill talks generally about the ways that community and scientists can come together through mutual aid to deal with this crisis left by the inaction of the government on so many levels. They are also crowd-sourcing fundraising for scaling up their production and facilities and there's a link in our show notes on that. The platform that Bill talks about in the chat is known as Just One Giant Lab, or JOGL. Consider this an invitation for makers to get involved. Organizing With Your Neighbors For Homes and Dignity Then, I talked to Julian of Tenants United of Hyde Park and Woodlawn in Chicago. What with all of the talk about rent strikes in the face of such huge leaps in unemployment during the spread of covid-19 and accompanying economic collapse, I thought it'd be helpful to have this chat to help spur on these conversations of how we seize power back into our hands while we're being strangled by quarantine and hopefully afterwards. You can learn more about the group Julian works with at TenantsUnitedHPWL.Org. Philadelphia Tenants Union and Los Angeles Tenants Union were both mentioned and will be linked in the show notes, alongside a reminder that the national Autonomous Tenants Union Network (ATUN) is being organized and folks can reach out to Philly TU or LA TU via email to get onto their organizing zoom calls. Finally, if you're in the Chicago area and need a lawyer for housing, check out Lawyers Committee For Better Housing online at lcbh.org. Julian also mentioned squatting of homes in southern CA owned by the state, here's a link to an article. Announcements WNC Mutual Aid Projects Linked in our show notes is also a googledoc that Cindy Milstein and others are helping to keep updated that lists many mutual aid projects that have sprung up all over concerning the exacerbation of capitalism by the covid-19 crisis, as well as a similar page up from ItsGoingDown.Org . If you're in so-called Western NC and want to get involved, the project Asheville Survival Project has a presence on fedbook and is soliciting donations of food and sanitary goods for distribution to indigent, bipoc, elder and immune compromised folks in the community. We'll link some social media posts on the subject that list our donation sites around Asheville in the show notes and you can venmo donations to @AVLsurvival. If you care to contribute to efforts in Boone, NC, you can follow the instagram presence for @boonecommunityrelief or join the fedbook group by the same name, reach them via email at [email protected] find donation sites and venmo donations can happen up at via venmo at @Bkeeves. NC Prisons Covid-19 Phone Zap And check our show notes for an invitation to call the NC Department of Public Safety and Governor's offices to demand the release of NC prisoners susceptible to infection and possible death of Corona Virus in the NC system due to improper care. Wherever you are listening, consider getting together with others and calling jails, prison agencies and the executive branches to demand similarly the release of AT THE VERY LEAST the aged, infirm, folks in pre-trial detention, upcoming release or who are held because they can't pay bail. North Carolina Corrections Department-Prison Division (919) 838-4000 North Carolina Governors Office 919-814-2000 https://governor.nc.gov/contact/contact-governor-cooper sample script: My name is ________, and I am a North Carolina resident deeply concerned about the safety of the states's incarcerated people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Incarcerated people have a unique vulnerability to disease due to their crowded, unsanitary living conditions and lack of access to adequate medical care. For humanitarian reasons as well as reasons of public health, we call for the immediate release of all people in the North Carolina prison system. We also urge that you stop the intake of new prisoners during the pandemic. The cost of failing to take these steps will be paid for in human lives, and we refuse to abandon our neighbors and loved ones to die in lockup. CALL AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN stay tuned to the twitter accounts for @NC

Today we have a show about COVID-19, specifically how the pandemic is being handled in prisons and detention. This show includes a lot of voices, and we structured it that way in order to both include as many perspectives as we could and also to take some of the expectation that interviewees speak to us for an extended period; everyone who is working on this is very busy and we wanted to respect that. In this show you'll hear from: – Rebekah Entralgo who works with the non profit Freedom for Immigrants, – Finn, a healthcare worker and member of Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADR) working in an outbreak epicenter here in North Carolina, – Elijah Prioleau who is incarcerated at Waupun Correctional in Wisconsin, where there is a COVID-19 outbreak and they are currently on lockdown, – and JM and Nikkita of (among other groups) COVID-19 Mutual Aid in Seattle, which is at the outbreak epicenter in the Pacific Northwest. Because I couldn't include everything that each person said in full, and frankly that was the hardest part about editing, I'm making a page on our collection at archive.org which will include each interview in full. Just give me until tomorrow to get that up, cause my eyes are starting to cross from all the radio related screen time! Many thanks go out to everyone who was interviewed, and a special thanks to Ben Turk and the folks at Forum for Understanding Prisons who passed along his phone call with Elijah. More about them, their updates, and lists of demands can be seen at prisonforum.org . … . .. To write to Elijah at Waupun Correctional, address letters to: Leon Elijah Prioleau 420053 Waupun Correctional Institution PO Box 531 Waupun, WI 53963-0351 To get plugged into mutual aid efforts in Asheville, you can follow the Asheville Survival Project on Facebook, and if you are interested in donating to these efforts in our town the venmo is @AVLsurvival. List of people and projects that I'm aware of who are boosting prisoner's voices right now: Kite Line Radio, which has a Coronavirus call in line for people who are both impacted by incarceration and by Coronavirus, that is 765-343-6236 Rustbelt Abolition Radio, which is amplifying the voices of incarcerated people always. Forum for Understanding Prisons where you can go to prisonforum.org for up to date information and their list of demands. Fight Toxic Prisons (FTP) IWOC (Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee), literally all chapters FTP and IWOC are making a Prison Support Hotline for COVID-19, to donate go here!! List of people and projects that I'm aware of calling for immediate end to ICE detention: Freedom For Immigrants The TransLatin@ Coalition Plus many others! Links from our guests: Freedom For Immigrants: https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/ For accurate health related news: Center for Disease Control and Prevention World Health Organization To support Elijah in Waupum Correctional: look for updates on http://www.prisonforum.org/ Seattle: @covid19mutualaid ON INSTAGRAM COVID-19 Mutual Aid on Facebook Fundraiser for people who cannot access state resources in Seattle PARISOL . … . .. Music for this episode in order of appearance: Y'all Ain't Ready – J Dilla – 2005 Welcome 2 Detroit Instrumental Lataa – Kid Jha – Kalevala Welcome 2 Detroit – J Dilla – 2005 Welcome 2 Detroit Instrumental

As corona virus spreads, the failures of capitalist states becomes even clearer and many people are forced to take some breaks from participating in the economy in the way they did before, we'd like to offer some audio we've been sitting on. The good folks at the radical bookstore and community space, Burning Books in Buffalo, New York, has given us a small trove of audios from presentations by authors, activists, visionaries and revolutionaries they've hosted over the last 7 years or so. We hope that you'll take away some good perspectives from these luminaries, on struggle, on change, on shifting terrain and on the revolutionary solidarity impulse that they communicate. These are scary times we are living in, but we want to remind you that sometimes in scary times people bring out their best to the fore because we are stronger together. Get involved in local efforts to organize in your area by visiting this IGD post and searching down the page for the regional mutual aid groups you can plug into. In this podcast special, we're sharing a presentation by the author, historian and activist, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz on September 17th, 2015, speaking about her book 'An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States'. From the website, reddirtsite.com: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmers. She has been active in the international indigenous movement for more than four decades, and she is known for her lifelong commitment to national and international social justice issues. After receiving her Ph.D. in history at the University of California at Los Angeles, she taught in the newly established Native American Studies Program at California State University, Hayward, and helped found the Departments of Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies. The audio cuts off after just about an hour due to recording device, sadly, so we lose Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz part way through a sentence. But we highly recommend you check out her books. If you are thinking of purchasing any of her titles, we suggest that you check out getting them from a local bookstore rather than Amazon. And while quarantine is ongoing, if you prefer to order online from Burning Books, they are offering free shipping in the US on orders more than $25 (as of this recording on March 18th, 2020) from their website, BurningBooks.com. Feel free, also, to support our local venue and regular supporter of our site, as well, Firestorm.Coop, which sells titles online as well and is also offering a deal on shipping.

No Evil Foods Union and PLAN Line 3 This week on The Final Straw, we're presenting two conversation, plus announcements [02:02-05:47] and Sean Swain's segment [05:47-11:49]. Union Busting at No Evil Foods [11:49-29:44] The first was a chat with workers from the local, plant-based protein company 'No Evil Foods'. The company has been getting flack for using social justice imagery while working to undermine unionization efforts at it's factory here in Asheville, NC. The workers talk about strategies they took in organizing attempts and experiences they had with disinformation about collective bargaining from the management and the union-busting consultants in their employ. In order to protect the anonymity of the workers, we've replaced their voices with our own. See our show notes for a script of the chat. Although not affiliated with the unionizing effort, the fedbook page for Asheville Solidarity Network hosts some of the flyers in support of workers unionizing No Evil Foods and Mission Hospital. It's also acting as a hub for posts about mutual aid responses to the Covid-19 and the Corona virus crises in the Asheville Area. For more resources in different places around solidarity and mutual aid in this intense time, visit ItsGoingDown.org. To see a few pictures of the propaganda distributed to No Evil Foods workers, check our show notes. Here are also a couple of links to flyers against the union busting found on social media (1, 2) as well as a post about a Zapatista school complaining of misrepresentation by No Evil Foods in their marketing and a collection of links including audio recorded from one of the forced anti-union meetings. PLANning for Anti-Pipeline Action [34:30-58:52] After that, you'll hear a conversation with Garrett, an anarchist involved in Pipeline Legal Action Network, based in so-called Minnesota. PLAN has recently published a legal workbook for people planning around resisting pipeline infrastructure expansion, in particular with the Line 3 pipeline. The guide also brings together a lot of other useful resources for any crew or affinity group and is available for free at PlanLine3.com alongside a lot of other material. Announcements Share Your Words For Our 10 Year Anniversary Show Basically, we're opening up the lines to hear what you have to say to us. Send us a message about the show, any memories you have, what you'd like to see or how it has affected you. Instructions for signal voice messages, voicemails or sending us mp3's can be found here. New Free Community Meals in Asheville On Sundays at 4pm near 644 Haywood, just around the corner from Firestorm Books, a project calling itself Hot Potatoes is offering free, hot meals from reclaimed and donated ingredients to the community as well as free produce when available. Grand Jury Resistance Grand Jury resistors Chelsea Manning and Jeremy Hammond have been ordered released from the Arlington, VA jail where they've been held while refusing to participate in Federal Grand Juries concerning Wikileaks and the attempted extradition of Julian Assange. This came days after Chelsea attempted self-harm or suicide in her cell under the stress of nearly a year in prison and after only about a year after being released from an military prison. Amazingly, although the government was imposing a fine of a thousand dollars for each day of her incarceration for refusal, within a few days of her release the fines a crowd source fundraiser paid off the remaining $267,000 in fees she was facing upon release. Jeremy Hammond, meanwhile, is being transferred back to Federal prison where he will resume the last few months of his incarceration. His time was put on hold during his resistance of the grand jury. More on his Jeremy's case and how to write him a letter of support can be found at FreeJeremy.net and more about Chelsea is up at ReleaseChelsea.com. Prisoner Corona Virus Hotline Starting Monday, IWOC and Fight Toxic Prisons chapters will be opening a hotline that prisoners in the so-called US can call into to report outbreaks, denial of adequate medical care and other circumstances related to Corona Virus. To allow for the calls to be free for prisoners, fundraising is happening now. You can learn more at bit.ly/covid19prison Update on Eric King Anarchist and antifascist prisoner Eric King is fighting a possible 20 year charge added to his remaining time. In recent disclosures he talks about his targeting by prison staff at FCI Englewood, who threatened him and his family during visiting time, including consciously sitting his partner and their two kids near to the sex offenders during visitation, rather than in the separate family section. In his statement to the court, Eric says that when he attempted to use the prisons own complaint mechanisms he was further targeted for assault and harassment by staff, including continued harassment about his family, threats that fall under the protections afforded by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of

20 Years of South Chicago ABC Zine Distro with Tony & Mike This week on The Final Straw, we'll hear a conversation from a few month back with Anthony Rayson and Mike Plosky, who have run the South Chicago Anarchist Black Cross Zine Distro since 1998. They send zines to prisoners, publish the writings and art of politicized prisoners as a project of public education, and help advocate and support prisoners organizing for their own education and liberation. You can find a full catalogue of zines at DePaul University library's zine special collection. Donations can be made to their GoFundMe, and you can request catalogues and titles or just contact them at: South Chicago ABC Zine Distro PO Box 721 Homewood, IL 60430 We'll also hear Sean Swain, who in many ways was brought to anarchism and had his books, cartoons and zines published by South Chicago ABC Zine Distro chat with Tony and Mike. More of Sean's work, as always, at https://seanswain.org. We're also joined in the conversation by Casey Goonan, an editor of True Leap Press which also does similar work to SC ABC Zine Distro. More of True Leap's work, including their catalogue at https://trueleappress.com. If you're listening to the podcast and want a more concise edition of an hour, check out our archive.org post linked in the show notes. Some of the prisoners and activists mentioned in the interview include: Sean Swain Coyote Acabo Talib Rashid Leigh Savage Anastasia Smith Kevin Rashid Johnson Todd Hyung Rae Tarselli Russell Maroon Shoatz Tony Hunnicutt . ... . .. Playlist Pending

This week William got to sit down with Sarah Lyons, who is an author, activist, and a practicing witch about her new book Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide to Magical Activism which came out in 2019 from Running Press. This was a great interview to have for TFS, because this is a topic we haven't yet presented on this show and we cover a wide range of topics; our guest's personal history with witchcraft, what is meant by magic, witchcraft, and animism, how anti-racists and anti-imperialists could approach having a magical practice that doesn't fall into appropriation, and many many more topics! We also discuss her new book at length, what led her to write this book, and what she hopes readers might get from it. . … . .. You can go to sarahlyons.org to see more information by and about our guest, plus upcoming projects. You can also follow her on Instagram @citymystic and on Twitter @_sarah_lyons_. You can read further articles by our guest at her website or at her Medium page! Support the Maroon Movement and the Baltimore Free Store! @MaroonMovement and a coalition of anticapitalist organizers are looking for individuals and organizations that want to assist with a regular Baltimore Free Store that will offer no cost food, gently used clothing, toiletries, books, housing items, & services such as sewing, haircuts, classes, etc. The are actively fundraising to purchase food, toiletries, rental space, transportation, serving items, storage and other fees needed to launch and make Baltimore Free Store happen. They would appreciate the solidarity. Any amount - $1, $5, $10 etc. - helps to alleviate the real life effects of anti working class budget cuts and poverty that impacts our community! Together the village will win. All Power To The People! PayPal: https://paypal.me/simarbg (or [email protected]) Cashapp: https://cash.app/$Simaleerbg Venmo: @Simaleerbg simalee.bandcamp.com To donate items, volunteer, or for more info email [email protected] To hear our interview with Sima Lee, one of the founders of the Maroon Movement, you can follow this link! . … . .. Music for this episode by: Feminazgul – The Rot in the Field is Holy off of their as yet unreleased album No Dawn for Men, scheduled for release in June 2020. More from Feminazgul, and related projects, at their bandcamp! TIMESTAMPS (for podcast version): 00:00:17 Introduction to the show's main content, Sarah Lyons on Magic, activism, and her new book Revolutionary Witchcraft 00:01:11 Announcement to support the Maroon Movement's Baltimore Free Store! 00:02:31 Words from anarchist prisoner Sean Swain, Sean speaks about his experiences with the Parole Board 00:10:05 "speak about your book and what led you to write it?" 00:15:38 "what would you say to skeptical listeners to hold their attention?" 00:19:59 "describe what you mean by magic and witchcraft" 00:23:21 "could you go into animism a little more?" 00:31:22 "we are taught that the witch trials = six crazy days in Salem that one time. Could you go into the actual scope and some of the context?" 00:40:06 – 00:45:31 Musical Break with Feminazgul's The Rot in the Field is Holy off of their as yet unreleased album "No Dawn for Men" 00:45:31 "talk about the tension between inspiration and appropriation in a magical practice?" 00:58:40 "how is capitalism trying to incorporate witchcraft and how can people push back against it?" 01:03:50 "is there a spell or practice that you would suggest to listeners, especially those who are interested in incorporating magic into their activism?" 01:07:34 "how can people learn more about you and get in touch?" 01:09:23 closing sentiments.

Social justice and Struggle in Lebanon and Syria: Elia J. Ayoub and Leila Al-Shami Photo taken from Al Jumhuriya This week on The Final Straw we're featuring a chat with Elia J Ayoub and Leila Al-Shami. In this conversation, Elia tells us of some of the history of Lebanon, since the civil war that ended in 1990 and up to the current demonstrations against the clientelist warlords in power in that country. Intertwined with this, Leila speaks about the sparking of the resistance to Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, the tumult of the civil war, and the state of anti-authoritarian and social justice organizing and media work in that country. Then the two talk about the experience of countering disinformation, conspiracy thinking and poor solidarity in the so-called Left in the West and ways to combat ignorance. This is another long conversation, covering a lot of the last 30 years in these two neighboring nations. The guests proposed speaking about the interrelations across that border because of the similarities, differences, and shared experiences between the two places. Lebanon has Syrian refugees, it was occupied by Syria until 2005. Both spaces share Palestinian refugees, experienced war with Israel, are politically influenced from Hezbollah, mostly speak Arabic and even the flames of the recent wildfires that ignited anti-regime sentiment in Lebanon last fall crossed the border between Lebanon and Syria. We hope to have future chats that play with borders in this way to explore ways we can bridge these borders in our understanding in hopes of increased solidarity. aNtiDoTeZine formatted article (thanks to them for trancription and synthesis!) Transcription PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Elia J Ayoub is a Lebanese-Palestinian writer, editor and researcher. He publishes frequently on https://joeyayoub.com/ as well as on the blog https://hummusforthought.com/ and the related podcast by the same title. Leila Al-Shami is a British-Syrian activist and co-author of 'Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War', a founder of the international solidarity site, TahrirICN and writes on http://leilashami.wordpress.com/ . Below are links to some resources that Joey and Leila suggest interested listeners check out to for perspectives by folks on the ground in the region: Lebanon links: An updated list of twitter accounts reporting well on Lebanon: https://twitter.com/joeyayoub/lists/lebanon-2019 a great critique from crimethInc: https://crimethinc.com/2019/11/13/lebanon-a-revolution-against-sectarianism-chronicling-the-first-month-of-the-uprising The Lebanese Politics Podcast https://soundcloud.com/lebpoliticspodcast The Public Source https://thepublicsource.org/ Megaphone News https://megaphone.news/ Beirut Today https://beirut-today.com/ Syria Links: Syrian org working on the ground in Idlib that mentioned: https://molhamteam.com/en/campaigns/177 and another in Idlib: https://violetsyria.org/en/ The women-led campaign for prisoners: https://syrianfamilies.org/en/ The Enab Baladi book free PDF: https://hummusforthought.com/2019/05/06/enab-baladi-citizen-chronicles-of-the-syrian-uprising-free-pdf/ Enab Baladi news: https://english.enabbaladi.net/ Al Jumhuriya: https://www.aljumhuriya.net/en Timestamps: Sean Swain [00:02:32 - 00:09:34] Intro to Lebanon & Syria [00:09:34 - 00:21:35] Lebanese Protests of 2015 & 2019 [00:21:35 - 00:31:40] Syrian Revolution to Civil War [00:31:40 - 00:41:34] Current Social Justice Struggle in Syria [00:41:46 - 00:45:56] Daesh / ISIS and Syrian Civil War [00:45:56 - 00:49:56] Solidarity with Syrians in Lebanese Protests [00:49:56 - 01:05:38] Leila on Tahrir-ICN [01:05:50 - 01:09:18] Educating Ourselves on Syria and Lebanon [01:09:18 - 01:23:07] White Helmets and other Conspiracy Theories [01:23:07 - 01:32:59] Syrian Diaspora and Western Left [01:32:59 - 01:37:19] Rojava and the Syrian Revolution [01:37:19 - 01:41:56] Better Practice in Solidarity with people in Syria and Lebanon [01:41:56 - 01:53:38] Announcements Michael Kimble Benefit Last week we announced a fundraiser for Michael Kimble. Because of issues with the platforms, the fundraiser for Michael Kimble's legal benefit to help raise money for his fight to get him released from prison has been moved. Now you can find it at ActionNetwork.org/Fundraising/Support-Michael-Kimble . Because the fundraiser had to be moved a couple of times, some of the initial push to get word out and initial donations may be irreplaceable. So, folks are asking for an extra push to help rasie this money to get our comrade out and organizing on the outside after 33 years behind bars. BADNews February 2020 (#31) This month, the A-Radio Network released it's monthly, international English-language podcast featuring voices from anarchist and anti-authoritarian radio shows, pirate stations and podcasts from around the world. The episode is up at A-Radio-Network.org by clicking the B(A)DNews. If you're interested in joining the network or learning more, info's up

This week we got the chance to sit down and catch up with Ben Turk, who is an anarchist and prison abolitionist living in Milwaukee WI, about some recent efforts that he has been involved in and some ways that listeners can plug in and do solidarity work from afar. We speak about the lockdowns that have been occuring in Columbia CI, continued efforts to raise awareness about solitary confinement and bringing mental healthcare services to people undergoing incarceration, efforts to change legislation regarding old law prisoners, efforts to free Chrystul Kizer, and how the face of anarchist abolitionist organizing is shifting. If you're interested in getting networked with Ben and the work of Forum for Understanding Prisons, to help with compiling information from the WI DOC shift logs, to help support people being tortured via solitary confinement, to donate to efforts to free Chrystul Kizer, and many more you can email him at [email protected] or follow the websites prisonforum.org, freechrystul.wordpress.com, and fireinside.noblogs.org if you'd like to read more about prison abolition. Link to the Washington Post article about the case of Chrystul Kizer Detailed notes from our guest concerning the topics we covered in the show: Resisting lockdowns at Columbia CI and elsewhere. We leaped to action against the prolonged and excruciating lock-down at Columbia Correctional Institution, which started on November 8, and wasn't completely lifted until December 22. Midway through the lockdown Muhammad (Larry) Bracey was killed by guards through medical neglect. We posted 13 reports, letters or updates about the lockdown on our website. We also staged a New Year's Eeve noise demo outside Columbia and two rallies at the Wisconsin DOC building. We mirrored the demands of incarcerated people, including hunger strikers, who called for Warden Susan Novak to be fired. Our efforts got us a meeting with Secretary Carr and other top DOC officials, who haven't yet met our demands, but have fired some racist and sadistic guards, including multiple involved in Muhammad Bracey's death. Unfortunately, conditions remain unsafe at CCI following the lockdown, two more mendied preventable deaths on the week of January 13. We are still getting responses to our open records requests, and will put out more reports shining a continuous light on the horrors that creep in the corners of this institution. We will continue to fight for our demands until they are satisfied, including the firing of Susan Novak. How you can help this campaign: Show up. We plan to be wherever Secretary Carr is and to repeat our demands there. He will be appearing at a Supporters of Incarcerated People (SIP) meeting at Grace Episcopal Church on February 12. Join us there. Shine a light. Much of this work involves research, going through released records and correspondence with incarcerated people to generate reports and expose the hardships. Contact [email protected] if you would like to help with that work. Remain vigilant. Shortly after the CCI lockdown, there was a 10 day lockdown at WaupunCorrectional. People held there say it was the worst they'dexperienced. We need to be ready to mobilize and maintain pressure to keep the DOC from dragging out more of these unlawful lockdowns and humanitarian violations. Abolishing solitary confinement and advocating for mental health treatment. Ending the torture of long term solitary confinement has been the driving goal of FFUP's work for more than 15 years. We are continuously dismayed to see this practice and attending tortures expanding in Wisconsin, despite inspiring reform efforts happening elsewhere. In February, we will release a comprehensive report by FFUP founder Peg Swan, describing the history of solitary in Wisconsin and its many impacts, large and small. Joining testimonies from survivors, historical events and legal analysis, the report advocates for strong and decisive action toward restricting and eliminating Wisconsin's use solitary confinement and replacing it with mental health treatment. Governor Evers and Secretary Carr have talked about reforming solitary confinement, but cautioned us that the changes will be gradual. David Crowley and other law-makers have introduced a bill calling for psychological reviews of people in solitary confinement. The trouble is, DOC doctors are already routinely altering mental health diagnoses to enable the use of restraint chairs and other forms of torture that aren't officially sanctioned for use on people diagnosed with serious mental illnesses. We expect that if the proposed law or similar restrictions come to pass, DOC staff will dodge their effect by continuing their practice of altering diagnoses to put whoever they want into solitary. Instead, Wisconsin needs the follow the success story in Colorado. When Rick Raemisch took over the DOC there, he made a dramatic commitment to replace solitary confinement with mindfulness practice and treatment. Wi

Josh Harper of SHAC7 and Voices from Gidimt'en Access Point This week, we feature two portions of the show. Josh Harper on 'Animal People' film [00:06:27] First up, we'll hear Josh Harper, a co-defendant from the SHAC7 case and former political prisoner talking the struggle to shut down the company, Huntington Life Sciences, a contract animal testing laboratory, in the early 2000's in the so-called US. Josh talks about the case, his post-release experience, archiving the history of earth and animal liberation with The Talon Conspiracy (currently on hiatus) and some views of moving forward. Josh and the other co-defendants are the focus of a recent documentary film called 'The Animal People', which is available on all of the paid streaming sources, which speaks with participants in the case and their prosecutors, plus journalists like Will Potter who documented the Green Scare. Gut wrenching is a great descriptor for the film. Check out our early interview with Will Potter on 'Green Is The New Red' and consider listening to the recent episode of the IGD podcast with Josh Harper and Andy Stepanian for a larger assessment of the Animal Liberation movement and more. Voices from the Gidimt'en Access Point [0:31:51] Then, you'll hear the voices of three warriors who were on the barricade on the road to Unist'ot'en Camp at the Gidimt'en Access Point. Eve Saint (Wet'suwet'en land defender), Anne Spice (Tlinket land defender) and Shilo Hill (from Onandaga nation, Haudenosaunee, Six Nations) were there to defend unceded Wet'suwet'en land from the Canadian state's violent imposition of the Coastal Gas Link pipeline. They talk about what brought them to the Gidimt'en Access near so-called Houston, BC, the buildup to the impending raid by RCMP troops, indigenous sovereignty, land and water defense, the long road to decolonization and the importance of outside support and solidarity from indigenous and First Nations peoples and their allies and accomplices. On Thursday morning, the day after this recording, at about 5am Pacific, the RCMP began their raids and arrests in an attempt to impose the injunction and clear the land and water defenders from the Wet'suwet'en lands. Media have been detained and released and at the time of this publication, 6 land defenders have been arrested and refuse to sign and conditions imposed by the Canadian state and so are still in state detention. Members of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation are asking for people to take solidarity action in support of their autonomy. Solidarity actions have looked a lot of different ways in the last few months across Turtle Island, so-called USA and Canada. You can keep up with news at the Unis'tot'en Camp website (Unistoten.Camp) or on fedbook, YouTube and twitter, Wetsuweten Access Point at Gidimt'en fedbook and instagram or at the sites Yintahaccess.com and Likhtsamisyu.com, all of which will be present in our show notes. You can also keep up on solidarity actions posted on the Montreal Counter-Info site (MTLCounterInfo.org), North Shore Counter-Info site (North-Shore.Info) and ItsGoingDown.org To hear a few audios we've released, including with Delee Nikal and Mel Bazil of the Wet'suwet'en community, Chief Smogelgem and two other members of the Likhts'amisyu clan you can visit our site. Sean Swain segment [01:07:11] . ... . .. playlist: https://spinitron.com/m/playlist/view/10306697

Voices from the Gitdimt'en Access Point This is a podcast special featuring the voices of three warriors who were on the barricade on the road to Unist'ot'en Camp at the Gitdimt'en Access Point. Eve Saint (Wet'suwet'en land defender), Anne Spice (Tlinket land defender) & Shilo Hill (from Onandaga nation, Haudenosaunee, Six Nations) were there to defend unceded Wet'suwet'en land from the Canadian state's violent imposition of the Coastal Gas Link pipeline. They talk about what brought them to the Gidimt'en Access near so-called Houston, BC, the buildup to the impending raid by RCMP troops, indigenous sovereignty, land and water defense, the long road to decolonization and the importance of outside support and solidarity from indigenous and First Nations peoples and their allies and accomplices. This morning (Feb 6, 2020) at about 5am Pacific, the RCMP began their raids and arrests in an attempt to impose the injunction and clear the land and water defenders from the Wet'suwet'en lands. Media have been detained and released and at the time of this publication, 6 land defenders have been arrested and refuse to sign and conditions imposed by the Canadian state and so are still in state detention. Members of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation are asking for people to take solidarity action in support of their autonomy. Solidarity actions have looked a lot of different ways in the last few months across Turtle Island, so-called USA & Canada. Take a moment and listen to your heart, find your friends and do what you think needs to be done to get the ball rolling. You can keep up with news at the Unis'tot'en Camp website (Unistoten.Camp) or on fedbook, YouTube and twitter, Wet'suwet'en Access Point at Gitdimten fedbook and Instagram or at the sites Yintahaccess.com and Likhtsamisyu.com, all of which will be present in our show notes. You can also keep up on solidarity actions posted on the Montreal Counter-Info site (MTLCounterInfo.org), North Shore Counter-Info site (North-Shore.Info) and ItsGoingDown.org To hear a few audios we've released, including with Delee Nikal and Chief Smogelgem of the Likhts'amisyu clan in the last year or so, or other words on land defense in so-called Canada, visit our website, TheFinalStrawRadio.noblogs.org.

This week on The Final Straw, an anarchist living in Mexico talks about the reign of the MORENA party of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (aka AMLO), the new face of capitalism it presents, it's relation to social movements and indigenous sovereignty and the anarchist and indigenous resistance to the regime. We cover mega-projects being pushed through around the country, the repression of activists and more in this whopper of an episode. Here's a great English-language blog based mostly out of Oaxaca that covers struggle in Mexico and across the northern border: https://elenemigocomun.net/ To learn more about the Anarchist Days that our guest spoke on, you can email [email protected]! Channel Zero Fundraiser The gofundme can be found at https://gofundme.com/Channel-zero-network-2020-fundraiser/ .To check out the video to match the audio you just heard so you can enjoy and spread it around, check out our show notes or at https://sub.media ! Final Straw Notes from the guest: AMLO & Mexican social movements Partido Revolucionaro Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party) 71 years in power 1929-2000 PRI lost in 2000 to Vicente Fox (PAN) 2006 Felipe Calderon PAN 2012 Enrique Peña Nieto 2018 AMLO (MORENA) AMLO's History (Career Politician) 1977 Director of National Indigenous Institute of Tabasco Late 1980's joined the PRD Party AMLO is elected mayor of Mexico City in 2000 with the PRD Party 2006 ran for president with the PRD Party 2012 ran for president with the PRD Party, afterwards leaving the PRD to form MORENA in 2014 2018 won the presidency with 53% of the vote AMLO's politics, modernization & neoliberal efforts. Fourth transformation? Discourse of "Anti-corruption, address poverty, security, businessmen as mafia of power" Capitalism with a new face "Post-neoliberalism?" Populism- Appeals to national sovereignty, nationalism, domestic self-sufficiency "Popular consultations" to justify and impose megaprojects "mandar obedeciendo" Abrazos no balazos (hugs not bullets) "we don't repress anyone" "Pacifist Government" Modernization, development, overcoming of marginalization, bringing Indigenous communities into the national economy Problematic support of AMLO from leftists in the global north If you want to understand the politics of Mexico, listen to the voices of Indigenous peoples and communities, women in struggle, campesinos Indigenous populations and megaprojects Airport Lake Texcoco New International Airport of Mexico City proposed in 2001 by Vicente Fox, but cancelled shortly after due to organized resistance AMLO cancelled project after carrying out a "popular consultation" Cancel one mega-project to impose three more Expansion of Santa Lucia and Toluca airports Naucalpan- Toluca highway Interurban train - Tren Maya (Mayan Train) 950-mile train connecting principal tourist destinations in the states of Chiapas, Campeche, Tabasco, Yucatan and Quintana Roo 17 stations including Playa del carmen, Tulum, Palenque, Merida, Cancun Infrastructure projects to be built around train stations For tourists and cargo - "Corredor Transistmico" Interoceanic corridor Industrial corridor connecting the ports of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, on the pacific coast, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, in the gulf of Mexico. The project is meant to compete with the Panama Canal, as a route of land transportation connecting the Pacific with the gulf of Mexico. United States has been trying to get this project going since the 19th century Train routes and a super highway, modernization of ports, and various older train routes - Proyeto integral de morelos (PIM) (Integral Project of Morelos) Project that began in 2012 and has faced stiff resistance from the Frente de pueblos en defensa de tierra y agua Morelos-puebla-tlaxcala (People's Front in Defense of Land and Water Morelos-Puebla-Tlaxcala) The PIM roject includes: Thermoelectric plant in Huexca, Morelos A natural gas pipeline to supply gas to the plant which passes through 60 Indigenous and campesino communities in Tlaxcala, Puebla and Morelos An aqueduct that seeks to move 50 million liters of water daily to the thermoelectric plant from the Rio Cuautla Italian and Spanish transnationals Zapatismo: Armed Indigenous rebellion in Chiapas in 1994. After failed talks with the government, they took the path of autonomy 2003-formation of five caracoles (zones of autonomous self-government) The caracoles are regional administrative units where autonomous authorities come together and from which clinics, cooperatives, schools, transportation and other services are administered. The Zapatista communities are managed by the Juntos de buen gobierno (Good Government Councils), which are made up of representatives of the autonomous councils of the rebel municipalities. Expansion of autonomous territory: In august of 2019 the Zapatistas announced 7 new New Centers of Autonomous Zapatista Rebellion and Resistance (CRAREZ) and 4 new rebel Zapatista autonomous municipalities. Added to

This week, we have two portions to the show. First, we catch up with Mitch from Red Strings and Maroons podcast about some of what they saw at the A2 rally in Richmond on January 20th, about antifascist intervention and the effectiveness of intervening to call out white nationalists in gun advocacy spaces. More of their work available at RedStringsAndMaroons.com. If you are interested in hearing from Mitch, and also in hearing this week's Sean Swain segment, head on over to our podcast at https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org! Then, we spend the remainder of the show speaking with Alexander Reid Ross. Alexander is a PhD candidate in Portland State University's Earth, Environment, Society Program, a Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, and the author of "Against The Fascist Creep", which you can get from AK Press or our affiliate Firestorm Books! For the remainder of the episode we speak about conspiracy theories, how they wind their way into some leftist approaches to critique, bleed-over between left and right anti-establishment critiques and media that hold a pro-Kremlin position, the ideas of Alexander Dugin, ways of combating disinformation and some of it's sources. More of his writings and interviews can be found at AlexanderReidRoss.net and this article that we reference a bit is called "Fooling The Nation: Extremism and the Pro-Russia Disinformation Ecosystem". . ... . .. playlist pending

This week we have two segments, an interview with an Anarcha-Feminist organizer in San Salvador, El Salvador on the situation there, followed by Mitch of Red Strings And Maroons podcast on the upcoming Militia demonstration on MLK Jr. Day, January 20th, 2020 in Richmond, VA. Elisa on GANA Govt in El Salvador [starts at 00:04:54] First, you'll hear my conversation with Elisa, an anarchafeminist in San Salvador, El Salvador, talking about the new neo-liberal government of Nayib Bukele's GANA party, repression, immigration, relation to the US and anarchist organizing there. More on her work at ConcienciaAnarquista.NoBlogs.Org and a Spanish version of this audio and transcription are available at our website. English Transcription English PDF (Unimposed) English Zine (imposed for printing) A2 Gun Demo in Richmond [starts at 00:27:19] Then, I spoke with Mitch, host of Red Strings And Maroons podcast on the Channel Zero Network about the upcoming far right militia and gun rights rally on Monday, January 20th 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. More on Mitch's work at RedStringsAndMaroons.com and organizing info by AntifaSevenHills from Richmond can be followed on twitter at @ash_antifa, their response to the Vice article can be found here (https://antifa7hills.blackblogs.org/2020/01/18/in-response-to-vice-news-why-this-antifa-group-is-siding-with-thousands-of-pro-gun-conservatives-in-virginia/) and above that post is a local rogues gallery of known fash in RVA to be aware of. Announcements [Starts at 00:01:20] Jason Renard Walker First up, some prison rebel Jason Renard Walker. Jason had his contacts book stolen by prison staff and has been moved. He's asking folks who have been in contact with him (or any other comrade) to reach back out to him with a letter as he's getting situated in his new spot. You can read Jason's writings up at SFBayView.com by searching his name. You can write him at: Jason Renard Walker #1532092 McConnell Unit 3001 S. Emily Dr. Beeville, TX 78102 Delbert Africa Just got the news that MOVE 9 prisoner Delbert Africa has been released! Now it's time to get the remaining co-defendant, Chuck Africa and their supporter Mumia Abu-Jamal out as well. #FreeThemAll! Marius Mason Marius Mason, an anarchist, labor organizer and trans prisoner who was sentenced to 22 years for ELF activities that led to no harm of humans or other animals has an upcoming birthday on January 26th. You can learn about how to write him or see his book wish list up at SupportMariusMason.org Phone Zap for Hunger Striking Prisoners at Central Prison, NC From Atlanta IWOC: Description: Sixteen folks incarcerated at Central Prison in Raleigh, NC are going on a hunger strike starting Monday January 20, 2020 as an act of comradery to the 200 prisoners being tortured in Unit One (a mental health unit). They need your help to make the calls on Monday, January 20th. And if you have the time thereafter, call any other day you can until their demands are met and those sixteen hunger strikers can eat again. Background: In Unit One at Central Prison, guards are daily using chemical mace against both (level 2) mental health prisoners who receive psychiatric help and (level 3) mental health prisoners who take psychotropic medications. Guards are trigger happy and deploy an excessive amount into the prisoner's small cell at the slightest disagreement. Pursuant to Chapter F Section 1504 Procedure (d): "An officer is prohibited from using force solely as a result of verbal provocation. An officer shall not use force against an offender who has abandoned his/her resistance or who is effectively restrained. The use of force as punishment is strictly prohibited." Furthermore, these prisoners attend a group therapy session every Monday but while these prisoners are in group, Unit One's guards destroy the cells of these prisoners by searching their cells and throwing their personal belonging all around the cell. This is done to deter the prisoners from attending group, discouraging them from receiving treatment. Medical staff continue to show deliberate indifference to the needs of the prisoners housed on Unit One. Several prisoners are not receiving their self-meds (medications given out monthly that prisoners keep in their cells, these meds are but are not limited to blood pressure meds and high cholesterol meds, etc.). To receive these meds, the prisoner submits a medication refill request. The medical staff has neglected to submit the requests therefore leaving several prisoners without their meds. It takes months to be even seen by medical staff when a sick call is submitted. Prisoners are not receiving adequate healthcare. Prisoners are compelled to endure illnesses for months before being seen by medical staff. This medical neglect and excessive use of force towards the most vulnerable population in Central Prison is cruel and unusual torture and a human rights violation. These sixteen brave and selfless activists imprisoned in Central Prison ar