Feb 19, 2017
This Episode
Sabal Trail
Resistance
This week we’re sharing a conversation we had with Karrie and Niko,
two folks involved in the initiative called Sabal Trail
Resistance. The immediate goal of Sabal Trail Resistance is
to block the Sabal Trail Pipeline, actually a series of 3 pipelines
meant to run through Georgia, Alabama and Florida, carrying
pressurized natural gas. We spend about a half an hour of
this episode chatting about the route, who’ll be effected, the
companies behind the pipeline, environmental racism, decolonization
and other related topics.
Coming up, they plan a weekend of action February 23-27, including an action against prisons and in solidarity with longterm Indigenous political prisoner, Leonard Peltier.
More on their project can be found at https://sabaltrailresistance.wordpress.com and
http://stopsabaltrail.com
AntiPolitika
After that, we’re spreading a 10 minute interview between comrades
at FrequenzA out of Hamburg, Germany, published in English at the
end of January. From https://frequenza.noblogs.org:
“The interview is about the first issue of ‘antipolitika’, released
in summer 2016 with the topic antimilitarism. The anarchist
newspaper consists of statements and articles from ex-yugoslavia
and greece and is dedicated towards a broader public.”
Updates on Sean
Swain
Before these words from anarchist prisoner Sean Swain, we have a
quick update on his dietary situation. We’ve just gotten word
that Sean resumed eating on his 50th day of hunger strike. He
is still not being given a halal diet in line with his practice of
Islam, and neither are other Muslim prisoners in Ohio, but he’s
said that the administration is considering the move. He’s
achieved the other demands that he was hungerstriking for. If
you’d like to see Sean and other adherents to Islam in Ohio prisons
during this age of increasing Islamophobia be able to at least eat
according to their faith’s dietary practices, give a call to Ohio
Governor, John “JWow” Kasich.
You can call JWow at 614 466 3555, that’s The Honorable Governor
of Ohio, John Kasich at 614 466 3555. You can also write to him
via
Governor Kasich
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6117
And request that Sean Swain, prisoner #243-205 who’s being held at
Warren Correctional, be allowed to eat according to his faith.
And, now, a word from Anarchist Prisoner Sean Swain
Announcements
Reporting ICE Raids on
Social Media
As many of yall are aware, there has been a lot of concern and fear
regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (or ICE) checkpoints
recently. Given the rising tide of overt xenophobia and racism in
this country, these concerns are valid, and there has been a lot in
the way of confirmed raids and detentions by ICE. However, the use
of social media in these situations is something that can both help
and hurt the situation, both being an effective way to broadly
communicate an issue and a platform for a whole lot of
unsubstantiated claims and rumors.
In an effort to battle this aspect of social media use, I'd like to
plug a resource that DRUM put out some time ago. DRUM stands for
Desis Rising Up and Moving, and they are a NYC based group which
"is a multigenerational, membership led organization of low-wage
South Asian immigrant workers and youth in New York City.
Founded in 2000, DRUM has mobilized and built the leadership of
thousands of low-income, South Asian immigrants to lead social and
policy change that impacts their own lives- from immigrant rights
to education reform, civil rights, and worker’s justice. Our
membership of over 2,400 adults, youth, and families is
multigenerational and represents the diaspora of the South Asian
community – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Guyana, India, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad."
They have put out a very useful resource entitiled "A Brief Guide
for Reporting Raids on Social Media", which we will link to
directly in our blog. Basically it cautions against the spreading
of unsubstantiated information and provides a step by step guide
for what to do if you witness something:
http://www.drumnyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ABriefGuideforReportingRaidsonSocialMedia.docx.pdf
To see more about DRUM you can visit http://www.drumnyc.org/
Support
Krow
From our comrades at http://supportkrow.org:
On February 4, while supporting the No DAPL struggle, Krow (Katie
Kloth) was assaulted and arrested by a Bureau of Indian Affairs
officer (there is video of the incident below). She was walking on
a public road, away from the Sacred Stone camp, when she was chased
down by the officer. It is believed that she was specifically
targeted because of her ongoing involvement and visibility within
the No DAPL resistance, which had resulted in two arrests on
misdemeanor charges previous to this incident. Krow was also known
at Standing Rock for being an advocate for creating a unified front
in fighting the pipeline.
Krow has been charged with violation of felony probation and is
being held at Morton County Correctional Center. The probation is
from previous charges in Wisconsin stemming from an environmental
protest against mining in the Penokee Hills in 2013, for which she
served nine months in jail. After a recent bail reduction hearing,
Krow was assigned a cash-only bail of $100,000. The stipulations of
the judge require that the bail be paid in full. Even if the full
bail is paid, it is likely that Morton County would refuse to
release Krow. We are currently working with lawyers and legal teams
in North Dakota and Wisconsin to figure this out. Donations to
support Krow will go towards paying lawyers, commissary, postage,
travel for supporters visiting Krow, and/or bail. Krow has stated
that she wants the bail paid.
We fear for Krow’s safety and well-being, especially in light of
her assault and the severe mistreatment other water protectors have
received in this particular facility.
Krow is an activist, artist, forager, sustainable farmer,
biologist, and amazing person loved by many within the
environmental movement. We need to show her as much solidarity and
support as we can at this vital time. In Krow’s own words, “We must
negate state repression by protecting ourselves and land-bases
therein; we must not give our people up, and recognize that to be
in solidarity with one another is more akin to the idea of
‘harmony’ than ‘unity.’ Harmony implies that we can all do
different things within the same song, and still find conclusion
together.”
Whether you are a direct action environmental activist or simply
support the No DAPL struggle and protection of the land and all of
its people, join us in supporting Krow, in solidarity with all
things wild and free.
Contact Krow’s support team at supportkrow (at)riseup.net
You can also donate to Krow's legal fund at http://supportkrow.org/
Resisting Snitching in
Berkeley
From the Anti Repression Committee in Oakland:
ARC is aware that UC Berkeley PD is circulating images of
individuals who they claim are associated with the Berkeley
anti-Milo protest on February 1. They are actively seeking
information about these individuals, and are asking anyone with
information to contact them.
We want to remind everyone NOT to assist UC Berkeley PD in their
investigation, EVEN IF it seems like the information you give is
harmless. Remember that even minor information, like identifying a
“witness,” can be used to increase surveillance of activist
communities. Police use this kind of information to map activist
networks and harass them. In the current political climate, the
state is looking for ways to clamp down on dissent and resistance.
Let’s not help them do that.
Remember that you have NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to talk to police or FBI
if contacted about the protest. They may try to make you feel
intimidated, but you ALWAYS have the right to remain silent. If you
are contacted by phone, email, letter, or in person, either ignore
the correspondence, or tell the officer that you decline to speak
with them.
If you are contacted, immediately call the National Lawyers Guild
at 415-285-1041 so that they can give you legal advice, and also so
that they can be aware of police/FBI activities.
Finally: DO NOT post or circulate the UC Berkeley PD webpage with
pictures of individuals. We do not want to signal boost anything
that will increase surveillance and targeting of our
communities.
NC J20
Defense
As always, you can help support our comrades who got kettled in DC
by donating to http://ncj20defense.com/
Playlist: http://www.ashevillefm.org/node/19229