Experiments Beyond the Brutality

Washing the pepper spray from my clothes and waking up regularly to startling dreams of riot cops, ex-lovers, and frenzied television production, I can't help but feel a bit depressed.

While the DNC was happening, significantly fewer cops plagued the neighborhood I live in, an impoverished community on the North East side of Denver. Now that protest has stopped, the neighborhood has filled up with cops again. Virtually no sustainable links between organizing against the police brutality against protesters and organizing against the regular violence in this neighborhood was created. While white subcultures flourished in both Denver and St. Paul, strong links were not made between anti-convention activism and the ongoing, life-or-death struggles faced by people of color. While these struggles were addressed rhetorically, and organizations such as Recreate 68 did attempt to make connections, the protests remained largely white.

I wonder if the enormous infrastructure set up by white subcultures to facilitate protest will ever have a real impact on the daily lives of poor people. I fear it will be used to simply facilitate cathartic protests that release the pressure in this steam-cooker of late capitalism; protests that create demonstrations of antagonism; protesters that fail to build sustainable alternatives; protests that falsely excuse people of privilege from their complicity in the violence of oppression.

Perhaps to scream out in the streets, to smash windows, to destroy cop cars, to fight the police, and directly, physically confront the perpetrators of violence is not enough. After 9/11, a broken window hardly garners media attention. After millions have been assaulted, falsely imprisoned, brutalized, and degraded by the police, a few blows at a line of riot cops hardly challenges the system. Perhaps the level of sophistication, military strategy, and organization needed to militantly confront global capitalism and the state in the streets exceeds our current capacity.

The old question I would like to re-pose is what forms of creation and destruction will most effectively eliminate relationships of oppression and most directly lead to global liberation, conditions for joy and possibility. If the answer to this is found in the shattering of Macy's windows, hand me a rock. If the answer to this is found in tactics of greater aggression, let's arm ourselves. If the answer to this is found in building strong community ties, networking diverse localities, and creating alternative economies, let's get to work. Sadly, we don't know which of these solutions will work outside of practice. Armed struggle may be a death trap. Window-breaking may be futile. Community organizing may never work. Unless we try, informed by history, we will never find out.

Kudos to those who struggled in Denver and St. Paul. Kudos to all who work regularly for liberation at home, while traveling, at convergences, and in isolation. Kudos to those who risk it all and dare to experiment.

So much to be done. So many experiments to be had!

Once again, Gramsci's dictum comes to mind: Pessimism of the intellect. Optimism of the will.

Anarchists Win the Day

Protestors from New York to San Francisco are hailing this afternoon’s actions at Funk the War and Reclaim the Streets an inspirational success. After marching through the streets in an un-permitted breakaway snake march, Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians have revitalized feelings of pride and possibility in protest in the streets.

The breakaway snake march lasted approximately two-and-a-half hours. Demonstrators and police had three tense stand-offs. After police demanded protesters disperse, they did. And then they reconvened and continued the occupation of public space, several times.

Approximately 20 demonstrators surrounded by police escaped into a multi-story parking lot, ran up the building, and chanted enthusiastically from the roof to the delight of the crowds below.

The classic Whose Streets Our Streets chant gained real meaning for the protesters as they reclaimed the parking lot, the streets, and a sense of possibility that hints at the transforming power of a public in rage at the war and fueled with a tremendous sense of joy and liberation.

Reports indicate that the police acted violently, shooting some sort of weaponry into the crowd and arresting a protesting youth. Police used horses to attack demonstrators.

Despite police violence, the victory in the streets was had by these non-permitted demonstrators who proved that public explosions of joy and liberation are still possible indeed.

Fire Witch Rising

For you Denverites looking for some salty, witty feminist analysis of contemporary Denver politics check out Fire Witch Rising. Fire Witch, perhaps someone I know, hopefully someone I will know, was kind enough to cross-post "The Fist of A Ghost." Her tag-line Come At Me With Crapitalist White Male Supremacy And I'll Burn You cracked me up. One of my favorite articles is entitled "Chestbeating Quaker Bigot Barks: 'Not in My Town,'" about Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's posturing to keep Denver "safe from gangs." Happy to see their are more blog bullets flying at the city of Denver than state bullets hitting citizens, I regretfully acknowledge we have a long summer ahead. With the DNC coming, helicopters flying over the city, homeless people being harassed by cops, and fascists attacking undocumented workers, I am glad to know that the radical political, cultural, and social life of Denver will be holding Hickenlooper, the Denver Police Department, and the Democratic and Republican political parties accountable for their nonsense policies, their violence against civic life, and their grotesque exploitation of resources on militarizing our city for the upcoming convention.

Gangs: Please Get out of the Capitalists' Bed

Eager to find reasons to police poor people and people of color, city officials, most often in bed with or inseparable from developers, have many reasons to love gang violence. Its neither their run of the mill perverse love of structural oppression nor their glee that poor people are focusing their rage on each other rather than the ruling class that wets their whistle.

No, developers LOVE cops.

They love reasons to escalate police presence and justify it in the name of "crime," a codeword for poverty and color. Now, whether cops or developers intentionally escalate gang violence is debatable. Certainly, if cops and feds are snooping around and trying on the panties of Quakers and other non-violent anti-war activists, chances are they've also infiltrated and influence the habits of street gangs. As such, it would not be unthinkable that agent provocateurs actually spur rivalries between street gangs in order to justify an escalation of militarized policing.

In Denver, as we've seen the beginnings of Guiliani style "broken-windows policing" we have also seen the media focus on the rise of gang activity. As millions of dollars are being funneled into the city to bolster police presence in time for the Democratic National Convention, reports of high incidence of crime pave the way for the bullies in blue to enter our neighborhoods. Police arresting poor people is great for developers--they win contracts for building prisons in rural communities and condos in urban communities. As people of color and poor people suffer, the rich get richer.

This scam, of course, is called capitalism. It is what we want to destroy.

In destroying capitalism, we have to determine what our relationship with gangs will be. I choose to avoid relationships with the gangs in power: the police, the corporations, and most politicians; however, street gangs may be a different matter. Building power from below requires working with all of those who are being oppressed by the contemporary society. The anti-police attitude of many gang members and gang associates should be a natural bonding point as we engage in self-defense against the perpetual environmental, military, and economic attacks on our communities from the capitalist elite and their armed brutes.

Gangs destroying each other will only aid capitalist development and justifications of militaristic presence in our neighborhoods. Gangs attacking developers, police, and agents of gentrification might be an early sign of class resistance akin to militant attacks on coal companies, developers, and gentrifying tourists that occurred in the Appalachian mountains during the seventies.

Attacking developers, state terrorists (police), and agents of gentrification will only be useful if communities take as seriously, rather more seriously, the importance of creating local economies, vibrant cultural and educational institutions, and spaces for joy and liberation that are local and connected globally to other localisms.

To sum up: gangs should stop fighting each other and pick more ethical targets. Rather than picking on gangs, we should find some targets too. In the meantime, working with all members of our community, both within and out of prison, gangs, or even more dangerously the 9-5 workday, we should create an autonomous, effective, and uncompromising culture of liberation hellbent on replacing capitalism with an autonomous, egalitarian, just, and pleasurable form of existence.

Confessions and the Denver Zine Fest

Sometimes I miss the mark. For years I was skeptical about Do-It-Yourself print projects called zines. The idea that a person would avoid editorial review, print something about their own lives, and then expect other people to read it seemed ridiculous.

I had a thousand conversations with friends about the limitations of the form and even when my friend was teaching a Zine class at a Chicago Highschool, I maintained my skepticism. It wasn't until I moved to Denver and met Kelly Shortandqueer, Anna Inazu, Nia King, and other local zinesters who patiently exposed me to their work that I began to get it.

I am always grateful for forgiving friends who allow me my skepticism, sometimes for years, before reaching an appreciation that a more intelligent person would achieve much quicker.

Now, having mostly recovered from that particular doltish skepticism I am really excited about the Denver Zine Fest put on my the good folks of the Denver Zine Library on Saturday, May 31st. The event will be filled with workshops, talks, and zine sales. Everybody should try to come down for a bit!

A Delicious Conversation

Last night, Hillary and I went to City O City for a late night drink and pizza (La Chagall, a delicious pizza with apricot sauce, bree cheese, green olives, garlic, and a thin crust). Pablo, the manager of the restraunt, explained his thinking behind the location and spoke with passion about politics, vegetarianism, his love of pungent foods, and delicious wines. Those who know Hillary or me know that finding us lurking around City O City is hardly remarkable--we are both drawn to the amazing food, drinks, and proximity to Hillary's house. What was remarkable was Pablo's passion for creating an atmosphere based on European Bistros here in Denver where conversation and quality food and drink are the name of the game. The fact that City-O-City is vegetarian is second to Pablo--most important, and I would agree, is the quality of ingredients, company, and atmosphere. Pablo is a Denver character well worth celebrating--a man of great passion, taste, and love for what he does. For these reasons, City O City will be a lasting space in Denver for years to come.

Stop Gang Violence: Fight the Capitalist State

Since the fatal shooting of Denver Crips co-founder Michael Asberry, Denver's corporate media has been thrilled to sell news announcing that a new wave of gang violence is sweeping our city. What the media fails to report is the consistent harassment people on Denver's East and West Side face from the most violent gang in town--the Denver Police Department. The media fails to discuss the city's failing education system, the pressures of racist employment practices, and the predatory recruitment of youth of color into the even larger gang--the U.S. military. While Asberry's death and any escalation of gang violence is tragic, these issues must not dwarf the enormous problems of structural racism, the gang violence inflicted by state and corporate power that protects white privilege and capitalist rule. My condolences to Asberry's family and friends. My encouragement to all who wish to organize against the most brutal gangs in global history--the United States Government, capitalists, and imperialists--perpetrators of genocide, mass imprisonment, torture, and slavery. Peace to the streets of Denver, to the gangs, and the community. The fight against the state and capitalism needs our attention, our organization, and perhaps our lives.

Art In Motion's Weekend Event

Yesterday, my friend Jerrilyn and I stopped by an incredible event put on by Art in Motion. The event took place at Aztlan Plaza near 8th and Federal. Families were out at the event getting hair-cuts, painting murals, eating corn, nachos and fruit. Community activists working on health issues, safer-sex, ending violence in LGBTQ community, and others were out in droves. The event did a great job bringing together art, activism, intergenerational families and community, and food! Mystic performed at the event. Sadly, I had to go to a meeting and missed her. I wish I could find the Art In Motion website to show you a link! If you have a website for them, let me know!

Community Cultural Centers

In looking at Denver, one thing we are desperately missing is a community-based cultural center--especially a place that actively brings together multiple cultures, races, disciplines, and media in a spirit of solidarity, learning, and action. In conversation with my roomie Jessi, we often talk of the East Side Cafe in Los Angeles as an example of an incredible cultural space. My own personal favorite is Mess Hall in Chicago. Hopefully, as Denver grows, we can create a space to fill this need.

Chipotle: Stop Screwing Labor!

If you don't like exploited labor to grow tomatoes for your burritos, you should check out the following action put on by the Denver Fair Food Committee:


Protest at Chipotle Shareholders Meeting
for Farmworker Justice

Join us, bright and early, outside Chipotle Mexican Grill's annual
shareholders Meeting to demand that it ensure fair wages and human
rights for the workers who pick tomatoes that fill its tacos and
burritos!

WHEN: Wednesday, May 21
7:30 AM to 8:15 AM

WHERE: Oxford Hotel
1600 17th St
Wazee St. and 17th
Downtown Denver

Coffee and food will be provided for participants.

BACKGROUND: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers--a Florida-based
organization of Latino, Haitian, and Mayan farmworkers--has called on
Chipotle Mexican Grill to ensure fair wages and human rights for the
workers who pick tomatoes that fill its tacos and burritos.

Tomato pickers in Florida earn sub-poverty wages, have no right to
form unions or to benefits of any kind, and have not received a
significant raise in nearly 30 years. In the most extreme cases,
workers are held in modern-day slavery and forced to work against
their will. Chipotle's demand for the cheapest tomatoes, without
regard for the human cost to workers, has contributed to the sweatshop
conditions in the fields.
Chipotle, however, has refused to even meet with the CIW and has even
claimed to have switched tomato suppliers in an effort to avoid
improving conditions for farmworkers.

Chipotle claims to serve ?food with integrity,? using
sustainably-raised ingredients and free-range meat. Yet, it refuses
to take simple steps to ensure that its tomatoes are not picked by
exploited workers.

Tell Chipotle that it cannot continue sidestepping the human rights -
that ?food with integrity? must in ?work with dignity? for the those
who harvest its tomatoes.

Denver Fair Food Committee
For more information: robert @ sfalliance.org, 505-980-4220

Police Assault and Arrest Denver Activist

According to a press release distributed on Colorado Indymedia, Denver Activist Larry Hales was assaulted and arrested by police as they forcibly searched his home. Check out Colorado.indymedia.org for the full story. There is going to be a Press Conference set for Monday, Dec. 3rd 7pm @ Denver Police Headquarters 1331 Cherokee St. Denver, CO 80204 720-913-2000. I have personally seen Larry deliver inspirational critiques of imperialism, colonialism, and capitalism. He deserves support.

SWAT Teams Count Votes in Denver

According to the Denver Post, SWAT Teams were brought in at the last minute to count ballots in our local elections because our Elections Commission botched the job again. The city justified this exercise in police supervision of elections by saying that the police had underground background checks. I, for one, am a bit suspicious that the same overgrown thugs who beat and pepper-spray people in the streets practicing their first amendment rights have any business counting votes. Police are a direct threat to Democracy. Having them involved in the electoral process is a further example of America's confusion between Democracy and Police State--particularly in our "Democrat" led city.

Couch Potato Revolution