In Contempt: June 11th Roundup; Analysis of Biden’s New Domestic Terrorism Document

  • June 29, 2021 1:46 am

from It’s Going Down

It’s been a busy month and there’s a lot to catch up on.

In this month’s column, we roundup what all went down on June 11th, offer an analysis of the Biden administration’s recent report on countering domestic terrorism, a roundup by state across the so-called US of repression news, info on current George Floyd rebellion prisoners, prison rebel birthdays, and more news.

Let’s dive in!

Repression Roundup by State

Pennsylvania

We Love Lore have provided a few updates on Lore Elisabeth Blumenthal, who’s now been incarcerated for a year awaiting trial on charges connected to last summer’s uprising. You can see some of her recent art here, and her family were able to visit her for the first time in eight months.

David Elmakayes, another Philadelphia defendant, is trying to raise money for a new lawyer, as the public defender allocated to him is trying to get him to inform. You should be able to donate to his funds via his mother’s CashApp, $NaughtNelly. Contact addresses for both Lore and David are listed below.

Vaughn 17

The Vaughn 17, the collective of prisoners who came together in the wake of the 2017 Vaughn uprising in Delaware, have issued a statement on abuse, neglect and solitary confinement at Pennsylvania’s SCI-Phoenix prison, and have also put out a new zine of their writings and analysis. A hunger strike aiming to address the issues highlighted has now begun at SCI-Phoenix, with some of the Vaughn 17 being among the participants.

Upcoming Events

Occupy ICE PDX have called for July 17th to be a nationwide day of actions against ICE and for the freedom of all immigrant prisoners. July 25th is observed internationally as a day of solidarity with antifascist prisoners.

Further ahead, Jailhouse Lawyers Speak are calling for abolitionist demonstrations under the slogan “Shut ‘Em Down 2021” on August 21st and September 9th. As mentioned above, reach out to Oakland Abolition and Solidarity if you’d like to get stickers to promote the events. Also, various international ABC groups observe August 23rd-30th as a week of solidarity with anarchist prisoners.

Uprising Defendants

Everyone should support the defendants facing charges related to their alleged participation in the George Floyd uprising – this list of our imprisoned comrades needs to be getting shorter, not longer. The status of pre-trial defendants changes frequently, but to the best of our knowledge they currently include:

David Elmakayes 77782-066
FDC Philadelphia
PO BOX 562
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal 70002-066
FDC Philadelphia
PO BOX 562
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Birthdays

Corey Smith

A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the state has now dropped its attempts to criminalize Corey Smith in relation to the uprising, the Vaughn 17 have faced continued retaliation. Years after the uprising, these prisoners are still being abused for staying in solidarity with one another against the state.

Birthday: July 14

Address:

The most recent Vaughn 17 zine just gives Corey Smith’s address as “Wilmington, DE”, suggesting that his current location is unknown – please feel free to reach out if you can confirm his address.

Kevin Berry

A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the court found Kevin Berry not guilty on all charges in relation to the uprising, the Vaughn 17 have faced continued retaliation. Years after the uprising, these prisoners are still being abused for staying in solidarity with one another against the state.

Kevin Berry is a contributor to the Vaughn 17 “Live From the Trenches” zine, as well as the newer “United We Stood” zine, and also wrote a June 11th statement for the 2019 day of solidarity with long-term anarchist prisoners.

Pennsylvania uses Connect Network/GTL, so you can contact him online by going to connectnetwork.com, selecting “Add a facility”, choosing “State: Pennsylvania, Facility: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections”, going into the “messaging” service, and then adding him as a contact by searching his name or “NT0583.”

Birthday: July 17th

Address:

Smart Communications/PADOC
Kevin Berry, NT0583
SCI Phoenix
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, FL 33733

 

Running Down The Walls

  • June 29, 2021 1:00 am

from Philly ABC

rdtw-2020

Download posters and flyers.

Sunday, September 12, 2021
11 am sharp (Yoga warm-up at 10am)
FDR Park

Philadelphia Anarchist Black Cross invites you to our fourth annual Running Down The Walls (RDTW)! Join us for another revolutionary 5K run/walk/roll and day of solidarity amplifying the voices of our comrades behind bars, lifting them up in their struggles, and maintaining material support. If you would like to participate in light yoga and warm-up stretches before, please arrive by 10am and bring a mat if you can.

Running is not required! You can also walk or roll. 5K is two loops around the park and at a walking pace will take about 45-60 minutes. Light refreshments and socializing will take place in the park afterward.

This year’s event is in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Join us as we once again raise energy and funds for the freedom struggle of another Philly comrade and long-term Black liberation prisoner.

Very few people in prison have voices that go beyond the wall. It’s my job to do the work for them because they have no one.

– Mumia Abu-Jamal

Mumia has now spent 39 years behind bars as a voice for the voiceless. Due to multiple health issues from medical neglect, he needs our support now more than ever. We freed the MOVE 9 after 40 years – let’s do the same for Mumia!

Learn More

If you cannot make it to the event or would like to make an additional contribution, please sponsor a participant either outside prison, inside prison or one of each. Contact us for more information on sponsoring!

We will ship official shirts nationwide to people who register to participate remotely, pay online and leave their shipping address in the comment box!

Proceeds will be split between the Warchest Program and the campaign to Bring Mumia Home. The ABCF Warchest program sends monthly stipends to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War who have insufficient, little, or no financial support.

Register for the 5K

Thanks for your support by running/walking/rolling the 5K! Everyone must fill out the following form to register NO LATER THAN AUGUST 31ST so that you receive your official shirt the day of the event.

The registration fee of $40 confirms your place at the event and covers your t-shirt. We can accept credit/debit donations online or cash/check/money order on the day of event. Make checks and money orders out to Tim Fasnacht. Additional funds over the $40 base fee raised through sponsorships are more than welcome (see our fundraising tips below).

After submitting the following registration form, please allow 24 – 48 hours for your confirmation email. Check your Spam folder if the message does not appear in your Inbox. If you did not receive a confirmation email, please get in touch with us at phillyabc[at]riseup[dot]net.

[Register Here]

Onsite security strives to make Philadelphia RDTW a safer space event. If you experience harrassment or abuse at the event, or if someone who has engaged in such behavior is adversely affecting your participation, please come to a volunteer. Experienced advocates, medics and support people are available.

Tips to Get Sponsors for your 5K Participation:

Many runners will pay the $40 registration fee on their own but if you would like to get sponsored instead, here’s a few tips and ideas to get you started.

  • Make a list of potential donors. Friends, family, co-workers, neighbors…think creatively and include everyone you can think of (it doesn’t hurt to ask). Who might be supportive? Who cares about similar causes? Decide to ask for a specific amount that you think will be within your prospective sponsor’s budget (for instance $1-8 for each kilometer).
  • Hand-write request letters. Deliver them personally if possible. Write your letter in a genuine tone and reference your relationship. Email is faster, but many will be less likely to forget a letter (than an email in a crowded inbox) and they’ll appreciate the personal touch. Include a self-addressed envelope for people to mail checks. Use email to follow up with those who don’t respond.
  • Make it personal and face to face. Ask for support from the people you see regularly, and ask in person. People respond to eye contact, assertiveness and passion. Tell them why you’re inspired to support political prisoners and their stories. Practice the conversation beforehand if you think it might be difficult to find words in the moment.
  • Use all communication tools available- Phone calls, text, social media, websites, and email to reach broader networks. If you’re trying to appeal to an organization, make it clear that the event can be a source of positive press for them. Ask them to match the donations of other groups if possible. You could even start a crowdfunding page for your run. Add quality images and tell a story to engage people. Share it on social media and encourage your friends to do the same. Use letters and other communications to direct people to your crowdfunding page.
  • Follow up, provide updates and say ‘thank you.’ Remember to reconnect to your sponsors with photos and stories from the event and thank them for their support.

History

Since 1999, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation, incarcerated people and support organizations across the country participate in Running Down The Walls (RDTW) . This annual 5K run/walk/roll event is to show solidarity and raise funds for numerous political prisoners in North America. Funds raised are typically split between the ABCF Warchest and a community group chosen by the host group. Each year, incarcerated comrades participate by running inside prison. This event brings us closer together each year, strengthens our bond, and lets people behind bars know they are not forgotten! Read RDTW statements from current and former PP/POWs.

The Warchest program receives donations from ABC chapters and individuals and then disperses the funds to the recipients in the program. Since initiation in November 1994, the program has dispersed more than $140,000. The current Warchest recipients are:

In past years, Running Down the Walls was held in Albuquerque (NM), Arcata (CA), Ashland (OR), Bellefonte (PA), Bloomington (IN), Boston (MA), Brooklyn (NY), Buffalo (NY), Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), Hamilton (Ontario), Elmore (AL), FCI Sandstone (MN), Inez (KY), Los Angeles (CA), Marion (IL), Middletown (CT), Minneapolis (MN), USP Navosta (TX), Oakland (CA), Pelican Bay (CA), Phoenix (AZ), Riverside (CA), Seattle (WA), Tucson (AZ), and Toronto (Ontario).

Toward Insurrection: Anarchist Strategy in an Era of Popular Revolt

  • June 28, 2021 1:26 am

Submission

[Read] [Print]

What role can anarchists in the United States play in popular uprisings like the ones of 2020? While many of us made solid contributions to the riots, the events of last year also highlighted some of our significant deficiencies. Anarchists’ attempts to show up to riots in the ways in which we’re accustomed, at least here in Philly, often felt ineffective and at best out of touch with those around us. I still believe that anarchists have the potential to contribute in crucial ways to destroying this system and making another end of the world possible. At this point, though, a willingness to reflect on and question our views is needed in order to really move in that direction.

This question of anarchist participation is fundamentally intertwined with issues around race and whiteness, and the past year’s discourse on the topic has felt typically inadequate in addressing these questions. Leaving the bad-faith nature of many of the critiques aside, many white anarchists have found it easier to dismiss criticisms by automatically conflating them with liberalism or political opportunism. While this is often accurate, it shouldn’t allow us to not take questions about our relationship to whiteness seriously. Whiteness isn’t just a skin color that non-white people happen to be skeptical of. It’s also a particular kind of colonized (and colonizing) mentality that restricts our imagination and can affect everything from how we interact in the streets to what we as individuals personally envision as our insurrectionary future (or lack thereof).

Aside from the anarchists who were radicalized over this past year, most anarchists today came into radical politics through resistance to Trump’s presidency (which centered on an “antifa”that was majority white in the public imaginary, and often in reality), an Occupy movement dominated by white progressives, or what are now called the anti-globalization struggles of the early 2000’s. Throughout these movements, anarchists of color have also appeared alongside white anarchists in the streets, though not necessarily identifying with them, and have tried to carve out space for the primacy of anti-racist struggles. But this past year has been a visceral and unavoidable reminder that Black (as well as Indigenous) radical struggles against the state have always been and continue to be far more powerful than most anarchists’ occasional vandalisms, or even our more targeted (but isolated) acts of property destruction.

This article tries to take seriously the claim that white people, including white anarchists, will not be the protagonists of liberatory struggle in the United States —not in order to marginalize anarchists’ uncompromised visions of freedom from the state, capital, and white supremacy, but instead to reveal some under explored strategies for how we might actually get there. Today we face an unprecedented crisis of capital and the state, and despite our best efforts none of us can predict how any of it will shake out. Despite the Biden administration’s best efforts to restore order and recuperate rebellion, it feels like the chaos that boiled over last year is fated to return, especially as ecological and economic collapse creep closer and the everyday executions of Black people continue with no particular changes that we can observe. In this context, we look around and take our inspiration from the resistance we see actually happening, even if it counteracts some of our inherited assumptions and desires. Right now, all possibilities are on the table.

This essay begins with some brief reflections on anarchist activity in the context of uprisings in several cities in the U.S. over this past year. In cities like Portland and Seattle, anarchist activity has shown both the potential and the limits of some tried-and-true tactics of the insurrectionary anarchist approach that’s been established in the U.S. over the past couple decades. The rest of the essay explores other traditions that might expand our sense of how insurrections occur and how we might personally participate in moving things in that direction. We also include [not in the online version]a Philly-specific map that we hope will provide a useful resource for readers in Philly. Maybe it’ll also inspire others elsewhere in how they approach future moments of potential insurrection and State collapse.

Pennsylvania prisoners start hunger strike against isolation practices

  • June 27, 2021 1:37 am

from Perilous Chronicle

Pennsylvania prisoners start hunger strike against isolation practices

By Lena Mercer, Perilous Chronicle

On June 23, 20-30 prisoners at SCI Phoenix, a 3,800 bed state prison facility near Philadelphia, began a hunger strike. The strikers are protesting against the use of an Intensive Management Unit (IMU), or segregation unit, inside the facility. They hope to bring attention to the use of these segregation units that they say most people do not fully understand. Inside these restricted release units, prisoners are held in isolation without programming and with no redress to remove themselves from the enhanced detention.

Several of the strikers participated in the uprising at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware in 2017 and were later transferred to Pennsylvania through interstate compact. These prisoners, known collectively as the Vaughn 17, were charged with crimes following the uprising and have since organized jointly in their own defense.

In a June 1 statement written in coordination with Philly Anti-Repression, a Philadelphia-based organization that helps people organize against state repression, the Vaughn 17 group decried the conditions inside the facility. “Here, we are housed in our cells with only 5 hours of recreation per week, no programs, no schooling, no jobs, or anything else involving rehabilitation. We have been housed in this way (some completely misconduct-free) with no way out” they said in the statement.

Philly Anti Repression posted a call-in campaign on Twitter to be held on June 24 and 25. The intention of the call-in campaign, according to a participant, is to bring attention to the fact that while people are being sent into the Intensive Management Unit, no official protocols about the IMU exist. This leaves no possibility for people to administratively challenge their detention inside the restrictive housing.

“There is nothing productive or humane about locking up a human being in a box and letting them out for 5 hours a week,” the strikers said in the statement. “If PA DOC chooses to go into rehabilitating people and help them to become better human beings, then long term solitary confinement has to go.”

As of the evening of June 24, the strike was ongoing.

Lena Mercer is a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest and a member of the Perilous Editorial Collective.

Hunger Strike at SCI Phoenix

  • June 25, 2021 1:30 am
from twitter
CALL IN: as of yesterday 20-30 prisoners at SCI Phoenix are on hunger strike bc Phoenix is getting funding for a new program (the IMU) that doesn’t actually exist. The IMU (Intensive Management Unit) is for prisoners on the Restricted Release List, an instrument of torture…

pecific to the state of Pennsylvania that allows the state to throw politicized/rebellious prisoners, and anyone else they don’t know what to do with, in the hole indefinitely. SCI Phoenix’s IMU is supposed to be a program to get prisoners off RRL and out of solitary.

But there’s no programming (education, rec, etc) or path off RRL, despite the facility having govt funding for it. The strikers are demanding the programs they were promised + a way out of solitary confinement, which is considered torture by even the UN’s questionable standards.

Some of those on strike are revolutionaries who are on Restricted Release as retaliation for having physically fought the prison system. Supporting the strike is a way to get them better treatment & show we haven’t forgotten them and the sacrifices they made for liberation.

Please CALL IN TODAY AND TOMORROW at 717-728-4109 and ask to speak to PA DOC Sec. John Wetzel. Ask if they are aware of the strike and make sure their demands are being addressed. The strike will only work if they know people on the outside are watching. #FTTP #FTP

You can also call the Deputy Secretary of the PA DOC, Christopher Oppman, at 717-728-4122, or Executive Secretary Tabb Bickell’s office at 717-728-4025. @freevaughn17 @phillyabc @IWW_IWOC @UR_Ninja @OaklandAboSol @IGD_News

United We Stood: Writings and Analysis from the Vaughn 17

  • June 24, 2021 1:21 am

from It’s Going Down

Announcing a collection of new writings and analysis from the Vaughn 17, a group of prisoners who faced charges following an uprising at the James T. Correctional Center in Delaware. Most of the Vaughn 17 are still being held indefinitely in solitary confinement in Pennsylvania. The following text is from the preface of the new publication.

PDF For Reading
PDF For Printing

On February 1, 2017, prisoners in C–building at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Delaware took control of the building and held guards hostage in an uprising that lasted over 18 hours. That morning, several prisoners had put on masks and rushed the guards who were letting them back into the building from yard, while another prisoner ensured that the counselor on duty was kept safe and held off a CERT team that sought to retake the building.

The prisoners leading the uprising called the media and released a list of demands; the prison eventually retook the building by breaching one of its walls with a backhoe. One prison guard, Steven Floyd, was killed by prisoners during the uprising.

The Vaughn 17 are seventeen of the eighteen prisoners who were subsequently indicted on charges including multiple counts of murder, kidnapping, assaulting an officer, and conspiracy, by the state of Delaware. The eighteenth person charged, Royal “Diamond” Downs, a notorious Black Guerrilla Family leader, turned state’s witness and provided much of the State’s case against the prisoners.

Despite that, the indicted prisoners, most of whom did not know or deal with each other prior to the uprising, organized their own defense and almost completely beat the State’s case at trial. Dwayne Staats and Jarreau “Ruk” Ayers represented themselves at court and took responsibility for their part in planning the uprising and with assisting with keeping everyone safe during the takeover itself, respectively. Both were already serving life sentences.

The other prisoners in the first two trials —Deric Forney, Kevin Berry, Abednego Baynes, John Bramble, and Obadiah Miller —were acquitted in court of all charges (the last two had a hung jury on charges of assaulting an officer, which were later dropped). Roman Shankaras, who had helped organize nonviolent protests prior to the uprising and whom the State hoped to frame as the “mastermind” behind the prison takeover, was tried separately and acquitted on all charges. The State was forced to drop the remaining charges against the rest of the defendants.

The shared mission of the Vaughn 17 is to disrupt, dismantle and destroy the prison industrial complex. Many of the V17 are revolutionaries or insurrectionaries taking up the incendiary and blood–soaked tradition of figures like Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and George Jackson. The rest stuck together when indicted and made enormous sacrifices in the process.

Prisoners were physically tortured following the uprising and experienced extreme pressure from the state to cooperate. After Delaware failed to beat the collective in court, most of the Vaughn 17 were shipped to Pennsylvania, where the state could continue to keep them in solitary indefinitely with no way out. They have now all been in solitary for at least four consecutive years (most for much longer).

We support the Vaughn 17 because as aspiring insurrectionaries, we are inspired by their physical struggle against prison and systemic oppression and by their unflinching refusal to cooperate with the State. The writings in this zine come from captive revolutionaries whose analysis, experience, and abilities extend far beyond what most radicals on the outside have dared to explore. Struggles out here against authority have a lot to learn from prisoners’ experiences on the inside. Bringing these two very different insurrectionary currents together has the potential to enrich us all in unimaginable ways, open up our vision, threaten the State, and bring us closer to collective liberation.

Monday June 28th: Letter-writing for Fidencio Aldama Perez

  • June 24, 2021 1:17 am

from Philly ABC

fidencio-aldama-perez.jpgFidencio Aldama Perez is an indigenous Yaqui land defender and political prisoner from the northern Mexican state of Sonora. He was arrested on October 27, 2016, and later sentenced to fifteen years and six months in prison on trumped-up charges related to a death in the community of Loma de Bácum, Sonora. It is believed that he was targeted due to his support for the indigenous community’s opposition to a gas pipeline that was to pass through Yaqui territory.

Before his imprisonment, Fidencio loved playing soccer with his children and the community. His favorite team is C.F. Pachuca. He is a talented singer and musician, playing the guitar, bass, accordion, and flute. He has long been involved in practicing, teaching, and strengthening the culture and traditions of the Yaqui people, including playing guitar in traditional Yaqui ceremonies and participating in communal dances. For Fidencio, his identity as indigenous and Yaqui is extremely important, something he has passed on to his children. His vision is for a Yaqui territory that fully belongs to the Yaqui people and from which no one can be displaced.

Please join us this coming Monday in Clark Park (stone platform near 45th and Chester) for letter-writing and art-making in participation of the international week of letter-writing and artwork in solidarity with Fidencio Aldama Perez!

We will also send birthday cards to a political prisoner with a birthday in July: Gage Halupowski (the 1st).

Building Maintenance Committee Wish List

  • June 22, 2021 1:37 am

from Instagram

Photo by LAVA Space on June 20, 2021. May be an image of text that says 'Building Wish List: Maintenance Commi Committee ttee Quarter ound molding/trim Baseboa ds Finishing nails Spray foam Drywall Kilz Paint Floor boards -Dolly Roofing/Tar paper Always looking for any of these structural items to continue L.A.V.A. improvements. at Thank you! Iर'.

The LAVA maintenance committee has identified some items that we need as we continue to make improvements on our building. If anyone has materials lying around or knows of people looking to get rid of the above items, please get in touch. We figured we’d ask before we go out and buy new! 🔧🔨⚒⚒🔩🪚

Rest In Power Consuewella Africa

  • June 18, 2021 1:40 am

from Philly ABC

consuewella-africa.jpg

The news hit hard yesterday when we were informed of the passing of Consuewella Africa, nearly one year to the day when we lost Delbert Africa. Consuewella’s passing is heartbreaking, especially after the devastation the Move family has already been going through the past couple months.

We send our sincere condolences, love and solidarity to all of the Move family and supporters. #RestInPower Consuewella. You will never be forgotten.

Posted by MOVE:

Our beloved sister Consuewella Africa passed away June 16, 2021

The MOVE ORGANIZATION just wants to take the time to inform people that our beloved sister Consuewella Africa passed away today. Consuewella had been hospitalized these past couple of weeks due to health complications behind the stress of this situation with The University Of Pennsylvania and the remains of her Daughter Tree Africa.

Consuewella was a minister of confrontation for The MOVE ORGANIZATION, and a survivor of the August 8, 1978 Confrontation who spent 16 years in prison for refusing to renounce MOVE. Her Daughters Tree and Netta Africa were murdered by this Government on May 13, 1985.

We were advised by the University of Pennsylvania’s Anthropology Dept. that Tree Africa’s Remains were sent to Terry’s Funeral Home and are ready to be picked up. We hope that we can put Tree and Consuewella together. We will keep people posted on a memorial service.

Rest Easy Consuewella
Our Dear Sister, We Love you And Will Hold You In Our Hearts Forever
YOUR, MOVE Family

One year

  • June 16, 2021 1:26 am

from We Love Lore

It’s been a year since Lore Elisabeth was taken from us. She was apprehended violently in her home, tortured for weeks, infected with COVID, denied medical care throughout, and fights to this day for access to her case files. Federal authorities have shown no interest in proving their case against her, nor have they allowed her to defend herself.

Lore-sparkle.gif

Thanks to you, she can still fight. In this past year, you have kept our beloved Lore going with your precious messages of love and solidarity; you kept the pressure on the Bureau of Prisons until she and her women’s unit got access to the vaccine; you showed your joy online and onsite where she could see and feel it; and you raised an absolutely essential fund for her legal defense.

Let’s show Lore that we still love and haven’t forgotten her. Please never stop supporting our friends and allies leading the fights against police violence and mass incarceration. Keep sending letters and photos! And you can always donate to Lore’s commissary fund via PayPal or Venmo @WeLoveLore for food, clothes, and essentials. We couldn’t do it without you 🌈🙏✨

Defend And Support Kensington Encampment

  • June 16, 2021 1:14 am

from InstagramPhoto by Philadelphia Eviction Defense on June 12, 2021. May be an image of text that says 'The city has threatened to evict several encampment sites in Kensington. Bring donations! (Safe use supplies, tents, blankets etc.) Food will be served. DEFEND AND SUPPORT KENSINGTON ENCAMPMENTS June 16th, 2021 Meet at 7am @1800 E Allegheny Avenue Support needed throughout morning/ afternoon No more sweeps! No more evictions! Housing for all!'.

Eviction Defense Requested: Kensington Encampments

When: Wednesday June 16th, 2021
Meet at 7am
Support needed throughout day

Where: Meet @ 1800 E Allegheny Ave

Why: The city threatened to evict several encampment sites in Kensington, posting up signs listing the “1800 block of Hilton Street, the 1800 block of Allegheny Avenue, and the (illegible) of East Allegheny or any other place in the neighborhood known as Kensington”. Rallying point is near the intersection of Allegheny & Kensington Ave, where we can see most sites listed.

The city publicly said they won’t evict once a lawsuit was pending, HOWEVER they told all businesses/service providers they’ll be evicting that day. This is a deliberate confusion tactic to keep eyes off of Kensington! We will not let them act unseen on our neighbors.

Residents have requested support early that morning even if the city doesn’t try to evict, as police harassment occurs DAILY here regardless of formal notice. Residents report belongings being trashed by cops each morning. This is just eviction without the notice!

Do you have information that could help with the lawsuit against the city to stop the sweeps? Email stephanie.sena@law.villanova.edu

[image description: a graphic with orange lettering overlaid on a street map that uses turquoise lines on a black background. There is an orange border. The text reads, “Defend and Support Kensington encampments. June 16, 2021 Meet at 7am @ 1800 Allegheny Avenue Support needed throughout the morning / afternoon No more sweeps! No more evictions! Housing for all!” In the center left is an orange square with black writing. The text reads, “the city has threatened to evict several encampment sites in Kensington. Bring donations! ( safe use supplies, tents, blankets, etc ) Food will be served. End image description.]

Photo by Philadelphia Eviction Defense on June 12, 2021.

Neo-Nazi Meetup Attendees Identified

  • June 10, 2021 1:36 am

from Twitter

So far, we’ve identified two of the individuals who attended a 2020 neo-Nazi meetup at Ringing Rocks Park in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Photo’d below are neo-Nazis Matthew Robert Guse & Gregory Anthony Cristiano (who is also a pedophile & sex offender). A ????… /1

Scranton resident Matthew Guse was exposed by @discord__panic in 2019 as a member of white nationalist organization Identity Evropa (then rebranded as “The American Identity Movement”). Below is a summary of Panic’s article from @IGD_News column TWIF. /2 panicinthediscord.noblogs.or…

Despite his Nazi affiliations, Guse was allowed to graduate from Lackawanna College in May 2020. Unfortunately, the photos here prove that (despite scrubbing the internet of accounts using his real name or Identity Evropa username) Guse is still involved in Nazi organizing. /3

Next is Upper Black Eddy, PA resident Gregory Anthony Cristiano. Cristiano is not only a neo-Nazi. He is also a pedophile and sex offender, according to public records which you can access here: /4 offenderradar.com/offender-d…

Ringing Rocks Park is located in the town of neo-Nazi Gregory Cristano’s residence — Upper Black Eddy — so it is likely that he was the one to suggest this meetup with his fellow neo-Nazis. FYI Cristiano also has connections to the NY town of Massapequa. /5

All attendees proudly display roman salutes in 2 separate photos. Photo’d also, a medallion featuring a Nazi Eagle, with the swastica replaced by an Edelweiss flower. See ???? below for more info about the fascist imagery displayed by these neo-Nazis. /6
[Thread Link]
We’re still looking into the identities of these three neo-Nazis. Their meetup was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania so it is likely that they live somewhere in eastern PA or western/central NJ. Feel free to send tips via DM or ProtonMail. /7
We don’t tolerate Nazi organizing in our region. If you get together with your Nazi friends in public, we will let the world know who you are. Cut ties with all supremacist contacts and begin your journey toward deradicalization, or we WILL expose you. #WeKeepUsSafe /8

Patriot Front Deface George Floyd Murals in Olney, BK and NJ

  • June 6, 2021 1:05 am

from Philly Antifa

UPDATE: Patriot Front have also defaced George Floyd statues in Brooklyn and Newark, NJ which were unveiled just a few days ago for Juneteenth.

[Tweet Here]

 

Stills from footage of the nazis who vandalized the George Floyd memorial in Brooklyn.

Original story below:

A memorial mural to George Floyd in Olney was defaced by Patriot Front Neo-Nazis overnight.

Sometime last night, Fascists associated with the Neo-Nazi group Patriot Front painted and stenciled over the George Floyd memorial at N. 5th st and Olney Ave.

Patriot Front is a splinter faction of Vanguard America, one of the major organizers of the Unite the Right rally in 2017. Vanguard America brought James Fields to Charlottesville, where he plowed his car into a crowd of Anti-Fascist protestors, murdering Heather Heyer and injuring many others.

More recently locally, the group has engaged in late night provocations like these, putting up flyers and stickers in Center city and S. Philly.

Patriot Front has a large amount of crossover in membership with the New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA), which as also run propaganda ops in Philly from time to time.

NJEHA is led by Dan D’Ambly and Ron Sheehy, both of New Jersey, who we have listen in our local fascists section.

This thread on twitter also has lots of info on NJEHA/Patriot Front associates in the area.

[Tweet Here]

We will be updating this story as we get more info. Anyone with any information about who defaced the George Floyd memorial should contact us.

Rest in Power to George Floyd, Death to White Supremacy and Fascism.

2nd Annual Philly Skillshare Convergence

  • June 5, 2021 1:41 am

from Mastodon

2nd Annual Philly Skillshare Convergence

Friday June 11 8pm
BBQ & Movie Fundraiser for Anarchist Prisoners @ Grays Ferry Skatepark

Saturday & Sunday June 12 & 13 Noon-8pm
Workshops, Discussions, and Tablers @ Bartram’s North (51st & Botanic)

Free Food! Bring your own bug spray, water, seating, & a mask. These locations are outside, there are no facilities in the immediate area. Check for updates & email any questions or accessibility needs. email: hereandnowzines@riseup.net mastodon: @hereandnowzines@ni.hil.istig: @hereandnowzines
Schedule will be released week of, raindates are the following weekend.

Anathema Volume 7 Issue 4

  • June 5, 2021 1:38 am

from Anathema

Volume 7 Issue 4 (PDF for reading 8.5×11)

Volume 7 Issue 4 (PDF for printing 11×17)

In this issue:

  • Rebellion & Repression In Columbia & Palestine
  • What Went Down
  • Response to “Some Questions To Consider In The Housing Struggles”
  • Expanding Possibility Through Attack
  • Anarchist Horoscopes
  • Internet Censorship
  • Excerpt: Acrid Black Smoke
  • Chilean Communique
  • June 11, 2021
  • Everybody Dies