Sep 25, 2016
This week we'll be rebroadcasting a recent update from A-Radio Berlin on the repression called Operation
Fenix in Czech Republic against anarchists there. Following
that, we'll hear some music from Wildspeaker, Cara Neir and
Allochiria.
First, text from the intro to the A-Radio Portion:
"In the context of the International Week of
Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners (23.-30th of August 2016), we
had the opportunity of talking to a comrade from Anarchist Black
Cross (ABC) in Czech Republic. The interview gives a short summary
of the repression that started in 2015 and explains the singular
cases and their current development, but deals also with the
problems the movement had in the beginning to show solidarity. Last
but not least, you get very good advice on the topic of solidarity
and what to do yourselves.
Since the interview, another comrade is in prison. Lukáš Borl, who
had been living underground, has been arrested by the police on
September 4."
More info on the case at https://antifenix.noblogs.org/
Announcements
Strike Updates
This was a statement originally posted to itsgoingdown.org, which
we have shortened for broadcasting. It pertains to updates on the
September 9th prison strike, with some thoughts about how to move
forward from here. For more such thoughts, you can check out the
most recent IGD cast which includes interviews with IWOC organizers
and resisting prisoners in Merced, CA.
One thing is not in question: September 9th is now officially the
largest prison work strike ever to take place within the United
States.
This strike against prison slavery that began on September 9th, the
45th anniversary of the Attica prison uprising has now entered it’s
third week. According to organizers with Support Prisoner
Resistance:
"As of 9/21 we have tracked 46 prisons and jails
that experienced some kind of disruption between September 8 and
21st. This total includes both lockdowns reported by officials
(some of whom deny that the lockdown was protest related) and
reports of protests from prisoners and supporters (some of which
did not lead to lockdowns or full strikes).
Of these, 31 facilities experienced a lock-down,
suspension or full strike for at least 24 hours. Those 31
facilities house approximately 57,000 people. That is a guess at
the minimum number of prisoners affected by the nationally
coordinated strike.
There is likely much more going on behind the
prison gates that we do not yet know about. We receive new
information on a daily basis. In some places the strike lasted a
day or a weekend, but in some, it seems to be going strong 12 days
in."
The strike has also grown out of the original expectations of many
organizers. For instance, the strike has spread into both men and
women’s prisons, into county jails, and has lead to not only work
strikes, but hunger strikes, organized marches and protests inside
facilities, expanded communication of prisoners to the outside, and
full fledged uprisings. Despite a media blackout that is fueled by
the advertising of corporations that make billions from prison
slavery while the mainstream press drones on about politicians
which vow to only expand it – the strike is only continuing and
bringing more people into our networks.
On the outside, thousands of people took to the streets. In Durham,
NC and Brooklyn, NY, freeways were blocked. In Oakland,
corporations profiting from prison labor were attacked. In
Portland, streets and stores profiting from prison labor were
occupied and shut down. In Austin, people shut down a facility
showcasing products made by prisoners, and demonstrations, marches,
and rallies were organized throughout the South. Across the US,
noise demonstrations outside of prisons were organized, marches
were held, and graffiti, banners, and posters were placed around
the walls, freeways, and towns and cities of the US. Across the
world, people also took action in solidarity with the prison
strike. From Serbia to Sweden, Greece to Australia, Mexico to
Spain, people released statements of solidarity, held
demonstrations outside of prisons, and took action against
corporations that profit from prison slavery.
Moving Forward:
In order to proceed, people need to develop a strategy around
supporting the strike. This means figuring out if and how you can
support a facility near you taking action, how you can link up and
build connections with prisoners, how you could build up your
organization or crew to carry out this activity, and also how you
could carry out actions which push forward the strike.
1.) Support the Strikers:
Holding a demonstration outside of the
facility.
Holding a demonstration outside of a corporation
connected to prison labor in solidarity with the strike (especially
if that is what the prisoners are working to create).
Hold a call-in campaign to the prison to demand
that the prison meet the prisoners demands and end repressive
measures against them.
Hold a letter writing night to make contact with
the prisoners. Contact IWOC for more information if you have no
established contacts.
Hold a fundraiser for established groups such as
the Free Ohio Movement or the Free Alabama Movement. Remember
prisoners are the front lines of this struggle. We must support
them and their activity as well!
2.) Build your Squad:
Raising money so you can continue or begin to
engage in prison support work.
Host a letter writing night to better connect
with prisoners already engaged in action.
Host a call-in event with a prisoner who can
discuss the conditions that exist where they are striking and how
people on the outside can support them. Contact IWOC for more
details.
Host a speaker, Skype presenter, or open
discussion on the strike to move people from passive support to
active participation. Plug people into the organizing and get them
involved.
Organize a BBQ or social event where people
discuss the strike, update people on what is happening, and read
off actions and communiques.
3) Keep it Lit:
Organize a noise demonstration outside a
facility taking action or one closest to you.
Organize and take action at a corporation
profiting from prison slavery. Get creative!
Drop a banner in solidarity with the prison
strike.
Organize a night of wheat-pasting flyers. Get
people together and go out on the town and put up posters and
flyers supporting the strike. Write graffiti and drop banners.
Already, our comrades across the world are standing with us in
solidarity. In a statement released by the ABC Solidarity Cell in
Greece, they have called for international supporters to also take
action in support of the ongoing strike on October 1st.
The September 9th strike has been inspiring, but to stop now and
simply step back and wait for the next eruption would be to loose
out on bringing new people into our movement. To also stop taking
action now when prisoners across the US are still on strike, still
on hunger strike, and still risking their lives would be to betray
everything that they have worked for.
Now is the time to build. Now is the time to grow. But it is
definitely not the time to stop.
Repression at WCW Women's prison in Gig Harbor,
WA
To support prisoner resistance, from an anonymous prison staff in
the state of Washington:
“I would like you and supporters to know that there
was a symbolic protest at Washington Correctional Center for Women
in Gig Harbor on September 9. Three women refused to go to work in
the prison library. The emergency response team was dispatched and
the women were taken to Segregation. At their hearing last week,
they were given 20 days in seg, and are facing reclassification and
probably the loss of their jobs. In my opinion, this was a
peaceful, non-violent expression of their opinions meant to draw
attention to the issue of prison labor, and the response was much
more disruptive than the event itself. The library has been closed
since September 9. According to DOC, this was the only action in
the entire state of Washington.”
Support for Amir Davis, Kinetic's Son
In March of this year, the son of Kinetik was accused of stabbing
Warden Davenport at Holman prison in Alabama. He was then shipped
to Donaldson. He has since been assaulted, harassed, and tortured
in Solitary Confinement. If you support FAM and the work we do then
let Kinetik’s Sun know his sacrifices for change were not in vain.
Those willing, drop him a postcard and those able, put a small
donation on his books via the ADOC website.
Amir “Jaja” Davis #268646
G-4 WE Donaldson CF
1000 Warrior Lane
Bessemer, AL 35023
In Revolutionary Solidarity,
Kinetik Justice
To see a list of more people who have been explicitely targeted by
officials in response to the Prison Strike, you can visit
https://itsgoingdown.org
Seeking #CharlotteUprising interviews
As most of you are probably aware, following the police murder of
Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte NC (who was killed while sitting in
his car reading and waiting for his kid to get dropped off from
school), there have been riots in that town which have lasted days.
The mainstream media coverage of these events has been predictably
terrible, following all the racist tropes we have come to expect
from the likes of CNN and FOX. With an aim to combat these
narratives, we at The Final Straw would like to put out a call for
submissions or interviews that people would like to see broadcast
on this show. Any interviews would be done from an explicitely
anarchist perspective. For listeners looking for a good writeup,
check out:
https://itsgoingdown.org/reportback-charlotte-uprising/
https://itsgoingdown.org/revolt-queen-city-personal-accounts-day-2-charlotteuprising/
https://itsgoingdown.org/charlotte-solidarity-actions-across-us/
If this is at all interesting to you or anyone you know, give us a
holler at thefinalstrawradio@riseup.net
Playlist: http://www.ashevillefm.org/node/17633