Philly Spring Skillshare Convergence

  • January 30, 2020 7:14 am

Submission

Please spread through your networks.

Philly Spring Skillshare Convergence
call for workshop proposals

We’re looking for people interested in giving skill building workshops
around the themes of revolutionary survival and growth. We’re planning
an all-day event with the intentions of strengthening our individual and
collective capacities to survive, heal, build, attack, imagine, and live
in anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian ways.

This spring we’ll be hosting a free outdoor come together. Throughout
the day there will be workshops, food, literature, and hanging out.
Expect blocs of workshops alongside informal and spontaneous learning.

If you’re interested in presenting a workshop please send us a brief
description of what you have in mind and how it connects to the themes
we mention above. We’re looking for workshops to be more or less an hour
long.

Please send your proposals to hereandnowzines@riseup.net

We’re also looking for help with setup/breakdown, food, and
accessibility, so if you want to lend a hand please reach out.

See you in the spring!
Here & Now Zines

Anarchy Afternoons: La Haine

  • January 30, 2020 7:13 am

from Facebook

Anarchy Afternoons is the name for the regular open hours at A-space. Lately, we have been watching movies in addition to the open hours/Kaffeeklatsch. This week we are watching the classic (1995) French film called La Haine (“Hate”).

Released 10 years before the famous 3-week long riots in Paris in 2005, this film depicts a group of friends in the Parisian suburbs in the aftermath of a riot. The plot revolves around the discovery of a cop’s missing gun and the possibility of revenge for the police brutality that sparked the previous day’s riot. It’s a fictional depiction of 20 hours in the life of the Parisian suburbs inspired by actual events and common experiences.

While La Haine is a very different kind of “Suburb Film” (and very different understanding of suburb) than Over the Edge, it seemed like a good follow-up film.

Open Hours 3:00pm
Film 3:45

[January 31 at A-Space 4722 Baltimore Ave]

RAM Study Group Brief Reportback

  • January 26, 2020 10:41 pm

from Twitter

(Thread on study group, full reportback coming soon) The first RAM study group was very well attended. We plan to do monthly reading groups with a variety of different texts. We discussed the Combahee River Collective statement. Many different topics came up in the conversation including the importance of showing up in organizing spaces with intentionality to center the most oppressed, the need for the abolition of gender and the necessity to build a revolutionary movement in the United States to disrupt imperialism abroad. We also found that the CRC’s collective non-hierarchical practice and emphasis on criticism and self criticism should be something we aspire to in our own collective work. We are excited about our next study session next month. We hope to encourage a culture of learning with an emphasis on strategy towards building a liberated world.

Anarchy Afternoons: Over the Edge

  • January 23, 2020 1:56 pm

from Facebook

Based on late-70s sensational journalism intended to vilify suburban youth, this movie explores what young people can do in a world designed for the interests and profits of bougie adults. The suburbs in Over the Edge are alienating, inhibiting, and completely unlike the spaces of childhood innocence found in other teen films of the era. The movie imagines a group of suburban teens that discover the means to resist, to fight their parents, the school, the police. It’s as if the filmmakers asked themselves what it would be like if the Italian/German Autonomist movement spontaneously emerged in American suburbs. Over the Edge is a fantasy of teenage rebellion that shatters the image of suburban civility and complacency. We are going to watch it this week because why not?

For more (spoiler-filled) info on the movie: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wdz5bb/over-the-edge-134-v16n9

Open Hours begins at 3:00pm
Film at 3:30
Note: Open Hours will end early this week at 5:30 instead of 6

[January 24 at A-Space 4722 Baltimore Ave]

January Letter Writing: Michael Kimble!

  • January 20, 2020 11:23 pm

from Facebook


Join us once again for monthly letter-writing to either strike up correspondence with someone new or keep up your correspondence with an existing penpal in prison.

When: Monday, January 27th, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: A-Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave.

January’s letter writing is in support of Michael Kimble who is a Black, gay anarchist serving a life sentence for the murder of a white, homophobic, racist bigot. He was recently placed in segregation at Holman Correctional, in Alabama, for coming to the defense of a fellow prisoner who was being beaten by guards. He is urgently asking for support in attaining transfer to a new facility.

Michael has been politically active behind bars for many years, in particular helping agitate for the 2016 national prison strike, which made waves across the country and largely started as the brainchild of prison rebels at Holman. He is also the author of several zines, and his writing can be found at anarchylive.noblogs.org.

We will also send birthday cards to political prisoners with birthdays in January.
We will have snacks and stamps and all the supplies. Bring yourself, bring a friend!

Phone Zap for Akil January 17

  • January 17, 2020 2:27 pm

from Dreaming Freedom | Practicing Abolition

Important: Please do not mention anyone’s name on the inside when asked how you know about the attack. You do not have to give your name either.

Yesterday, two guards at SCI-Fayette in PA had a calm, compliant man in handcuffs. They punched him in the pack of the head, body slammed him, and threw him in the hole. All of it went down in front of cameras and an entire block of witnesses.

Akil Johnson needs medical care and immediate release from the hole. The two officers who did this–CO Williamson and CO Lacey--deserve to be fired immediately. At the very least, they must be suspended, investigated, and disciplined. At the absolute least, they must never be permitted to be on Akil’s block again.

Today we are calling to voice these demands, and to remind PA-DOC and its racist, violent guards that we see them.

Please call SCI-Fayette and ask for Superintendent Mark Capozza: 724-364-2200

And PA-DOC Deputy Secretary for the Western Region Trevor Wingard: 717.728.4122 ext 4123

Here is a sample script you can use:

“Hello, my name is _______. I am calling to express my concern for the well-being of Akil Johnson, who was attacked yesterday by two COs. Akil needs real medical care, and he should be immediately release back into general population. I am also calling to ask what, if anything, will be done to COs Williamson and Lacey, who attacked Akil while he was handcuffed on camera? [They’ll deflect and say they do not know, etc]. Both COs should be suspended or terminated, or at least disciplined and separated from Akil.”

Thank you to everyone who can call in. When we stood up for our comrade Andre at Smithfield last summer, we got him released and transferred. We can do this again for Akil.

In Struggle,

Outside comrade IJ

Redecorating Jackson B Bradley’s house

  • January 17, 2020 2:26 pm

Submission

Took a nice little stroll thru old city and updated a historical landmark to reflect the changing times

Claimed with love,

The antifascist contingent of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program

Anathema Volume 6 Issue 1

  • January 15, 2020 11:55 pm

from Anathema

Volume 6 Issue 1 (PDF for reading 8.5×11)

Volume 6 Issue 1 (PDF for printing 11×17)

In this issue:

  • Philadelphia Energy Sale
  • 2019 Year In Review
  • Attorney General Denies Parole
  • What Went Down
  • Response To Response To “Property Destruction Is Not Enough”
  • 2020 Summits
  • Bern It Down!
  • BlackRock
  • World News

Simple Sabotage

  • January 15, 2020 1:30 am

Submission

I glued the locks to the gates of a construction site in my neighborhood.
Simple sabotage is fun and easy. Even small attacks, especially if consistent and continual, are great ways to cause hiccups in the flow of progress.
Resist gentrification at whatever the stage!

1/19 – LAVA Space Potluck & Fundraiser!

  • January 14, 2020 3:20 pm

from Facebook

You are hereby cordially invited to a LAVA potluck this Sunday January 19th!

As you may or may not know, it’s been a long and difficult year at LAVA with a hostile takeover of the building and attempted sale.

Well, we’ve got the building back and in many ways are starting from scratch. In the last year the building has accumulated lots of debts and is now in need of serious repairs. So we’re doing what we can to kick off the new year with a community potluck to reinfuse the building with a spirit of love, community solidarity and rebellion, and raise some funds!

So please:

come to the potluck (dish or no dish)
bring a dish
bring a donation to help us get back on our feet!
(If you’re unable to attend and would still like to donate, we have an active GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-lava-from-attempted-building-takeover)

Please check in if you’ll be bringing food so we can overlap as little as possible 🙂

There will be a kids activity table. So bring the kids!

A general 1st floor and beyond deep clean will happen in the earlier part of the day. Volunteers more than welcome! Please reach out for more info if you’d like to help out with the deep clean!

[6PM at LAVA 4134 Lancaster Ave]

Philly Neo-Nazi Member of New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA) Exposed

  • January 14, 2020 2:55 pm

from It’s Going Down & Twitter

[This post only contains information relevant to Philadelphia and the surrounding area, to read the entire articles follow the above links.]

Antifascists exposed the deeply racist and Philadelphia neo-Nazi, Jackson B. Bradley, as part of the New Jersey European Heritage Association. The group is known for a series of small, pathetic stunts around the Northeastern area. More info here.

DOB: 2/21/1998
(215) 687-7400

127 Elfreths Aly, Philadelphia, PA

Anti-Gentrification Action

  • January 10, 2020 2:46 am

Submission

I went to the site of a development project that intends to turn a half a block of vacant land into condos. Still in their early stages, I noticed they had recently begun the process of sectioning off the site for what I assumed to be marking the layout/foundation for building . They had installed a series of rebarb posts in the ground connected by strings, so I cut all the strings and removed all of the posts from the ground (minus 2 stubborn ones). The beams were pretty heavy so I threw them in a nearby dumpster burried under trash.
Hope they’re mad when they realize all the work they did was for nothing.

Touch the Sky: Stories, Subversions, & Complexities of Ferguson

  • January 4, 2020 1:13 am

from Facebook

A new video collage reflecting on the raw moments of the 2014 Ferguson riots. A film for the wild ones, the anarchists, and the dreamers…

More info: https://touchthesky.noblogs.org/

110 minutes followed by a short discussion

[January 11th 7-9PM at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Philly Noise Demo Reportback

  • January 4, 2020 12:19 am

Submission

Happy New Year Fuck the System!

On NYE in Philly about 20 anarchist gathered for a march and noise demo at the Federal Detention Center Downtown. At the meet up, after an overview of what to expect, what was planned, and flyers of potential chants were handed out, we set off toward the prison. Marching with a banner, we kept it tight and let people in the streets know what we were doing. We walked on the sidewalk until we realized we didn’t need to. A federal building and indigo bike rental kiosk were tagged by the time we arrived at the prison. Once there, someone tagged ‘Burn Prisons’ on the FDC lolol! We lit off fireworks, smoke bombs, banged flags and pots and sang and shouted solidarity to the prisoners inside, and insults to the cops gathered around us. It was really cool this year to interact with those inside, to see them flashing lights and hear them banging on windows. After 30-45 minutes we took our leave, throwing fliers in our wake. The cops, who had started gathering at the prison, followed us. We had planned for a group fare evasion at the subway as our exit, but with the police breathing down our necks we dispersed in the street instead. Eventually we lost the trails of the cops and made our ways home safely. Some of us even had a funny serendipitous group fare evasion with some strangers, who in seeing us not pay decided they wouldn’t pay either! Yay for the spread of anarchy!
Compared to last year we feel a lot has improved. Whereas last year we were rushed out of our meetup by the appearance of a park cop, this time we had a chance to discuss the action together and share supplies. Security felt tighter also, people’s outfits were secretive and no one was taking photos. Also this year we could really feel a shift in group morale. There was a lot more laughter and joy. We though our chants were funnier and more on point (rather than empty flexes). Maybe most importantly we were able to see and be seen by the people locked up, we saw lights and silhouttes in the windows and could hear them clearing lulls in the noise.
The things we wish went different were: our speaker wasn’t loud enough to play music, our dispersal was sloppy (we feel like it is always hard to predict dispersals/exits but could be worthwhile have multiple plans/multiple backup plans and discuss them in advance), and we could have took the streets a little harder. Overall though, we thought it went well.
We hope this report back is helpful in forming even better strategies in the future. It’s cool to reflect on our strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments over the years.

Shout out to the anarchists who were busy wrecking the nazi supporting bar mill creek tavern on nye!

RIP Kitty

Happy 2020 lets fuck shit uP!!




New Year’s Eve reportback

  • January 2, 2020 12:54 am

Submission

We don’t know if there was a noise demo this year, if there was we didn’t roll up. But we took our fireworks and had a great little new year’s party to pregame our own action. Nearly every window at Millcreek Tavern has been gloriously smashed out, costing that scumbag ex cop owner ballpark 7 to 10 grand in replacements, if the figure he dropped in a radio show after the last time one was broken, of $1,500 a window is accurate. There’s something beautiful to be said about crewing up with yr friends and lovers, and just goddamn going harder than you already have. Also 2 nights ago, we found where the Drexel buses sleep at night, and swiftly disabled one entirely, slashing tires with an awl, finding out it was goddamn left open, and spraypainting all the windows and windshields from the inside. Rapid gentrification by universities can be combatted; all it takes is creativity, small crews, and some easily fucking procured tools. Double paned quarter inch reinforced windows take about 2 to 3 solid smacks with a hammer to bring down entirely, in a beautiful cascade of glass. Happy new year y’all, here’s to a lawless 2020.

Signed-
A weary, happy, gay anarchist crew