From Instagram
Yesterday, South Philly racists aka The Gravy Seals/ Veal Team 6, gathered at the Christopher Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza where they got drunk, brandished weapons at all those that disagreed with them and throughout the day kettled people to jump them as cops watched. Multiple women and femmes, including a group of young teens, were sexually harassed and groped. Racial epithets were yelled at Black people in attendance. The police cleared some people from Marconi Plaza, leaving a group of racists by the statue. One sergeant said “We’re only going to get involved if fists start flying- they can yell at each other all they want” but when the racists started to punch the sergeant just pulled out his phone and ignored it. The journalist from @unicorn.riot who was jumped on Saturday was targeted multiple times. They pushed a woman down in the middle of Oregon Avenue, beat her and stole her phone. Multiple people were pepper sprayed, and someone who was sprayed was subsequently punched in the face. One man from Veil Team 6 kept screaming “I want war” all day. Make no mistake where fascists stand- they want a race war and they are backed by the police.
Racist Attacks Continue at Marconi Plaza
Statement on Marconi Plaza Attacks
from Lilac Philly
Contact: Lilac Media/Press Team
Dozens of police officers watch as racist crowd terrorizes a dozen activists, make no arrests of violent vigilantes
Philadelphia, Pa. — At approximately 9 p.m. Sunday night, a group of white vigilantes cornered over a dozen peaceful observers and activists after many hours of threats of physical and sexual violence from an angry mob, at the Christopher Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza. The vigilantes, claiming to defend the statue, hurled lit cigarettes and pushed peaceful observers into busy traffic at the intersection of Broad and Oregon. At least three people were pepper sprayed from within the crowd. Two activists were seriously injured and sent to the hospital.
Amanda M–, Michael C–, and David P– were among those who were shoved into open traffic as the largely white crowd chanted racist epithets and made countless threats of more physical and sexual violence. One activist was shoved to the ground, and the mob started to kick them repeatedly until others helped them to safety. A LILAC activist of color, Ronald J–, 24, tried to break off the assault and was maced and punched in the face, resulting in a broken nose.
At no point did the nearly 40 police officers present intervene to prevent this mob violence. Video footage shows peaceful activists asking for aid and intervention and senior Philadelphia Police Department officers ignoring them.
The Marconi Plaza attack is the latest string of racially-motivated escalations orchestrated by white vigilante mobs in the Philly area in the past 15 days. In Fishtown and in South Philadelphia, unaccountable vigilantes have participated in assaults on journalists, property destruction, and uncurbed violence toward peaceful counter-protestors and bystanders. At a time of national reckoning with racial injustice and the use of excessive force by the police, Philly white vigilantes are using violence to defend racist monuments and terrorize residents from all walks of life. The Philadelphia police have proven over the last few weeks that they not only have no interest in protecting Philadelphians from these violent mobs, but will also aid and abet them whenever possible.
Though a constant and heavy presence at Marconi Plaza, the police took almost no action to stop or prevent beatings, at times agitating the peaceful crowd and laughing about the rampage. The only arrest made by the police was against a peaceful protestor staging a sit-in. This is unacceptable behavior from law enforcement, who are directly contradicting Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Chief Danielle Outlaw’s promises that the Philadelphia Police Department would protect First Amendment rights to protest and report.
We hereby denounce this terror campaign in multiracial, ethnically-diverse immigrant communities of Black, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander Philadelphians. We deserve to feel safe in our neighborhoods. South Philly belongs to all of us, and everyone has the right to contest Christopher Columbus’s part in the genocide of Indigenous people.
John Alice, Racist Vigilante Responsible for Attacking Journalist
from Twitter
An @UR_Ninja reporter was attacked tonight in Philadelphia by a vigilante gang armed with baseball bats. The attack was initiated by John Alice, owner of JA Painting and Remodeling, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who struck the reporter’s bike with a metal bat.
He’s been spending his days boarding up local businesses, and apparently leading attacks on reporters at night.
Curiously, he doesn’t seem to be connected to any organized hate groups. This is just white reactionary violence spilling up. John does, however, have police connections. His brother, Michael, was an officer with the Philly PD.
In 2017, Michael Alice was one of several officers sued for police brutality. casetext.com/case/miller-v-a…
Like 40% of police, Michael Alice also has a history of family violence. In 2015, he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend. inquirer.com/philly/news/201…
You can see video of how the altercation begins here. “You’re so scared,” John Alice says, as the reporter is surrounded by an armed gang.
[Video Here]
The reporter asks about Columbus’ genocide of indigenous people. “They were fucking savages back then,” answers one of the posse.
One member of the group then hits the reporter and takes the reporter’s bike, as another slashes the bike’s tires.
This is white reactionary violence. This is a posse, a mob, and the hate group they’re connected to is the Philadelphia Police. Rather than contain the mob, the then cops threatened @UR_Ninja‘s reporter with arrest if he didn’t leave.
Philadelphia PD were also filmed by @UR_Ninja shaking hands with some of the white vigilante mob.
The cops in Philadelphia are using paramilitary gangs of white vigilantes, shaking their hands, and threatening to arrest the reporters they attack in violation of the 1st Amendment. Don’t give me bullshit about reforming the police. Defund and abolish the police. ❤️????✊
If you would like to donate to @UR_Ninja–possibly to fund new bike tires– please consider making a monthly donation here. I’m a monthly donor, and very proud to support independent journalism. unicornriot.ninja/donate/
Philadelphia Police Threaten Unicorn Riot Reporter After Vigilante Assault
from Unicorn Riot
Philadelphia, PA – On Saturday evening dozens of armed vigilantes gathered in Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia near a Christopher Columbus statue, ostensibly to “protect it” from vandalism. Several of the men assaulted our reporter on the scene and slashed his bike tires. Philadelphia police then threatened our reporter with arrest for “inciting a riot.”
This video is the raw compilation of all of our available footage from the event.
Last Wednesday Unicorn Riot covered the toppling of a Columbus statue outside the Minnesota State Capitol, which came down during a wave of protests that have taken aim at symbols of reactionary politics and white supremacist iconography. A mural of controversial former Mayor and Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo was painted over a week ago not far from the site of tonight’s attack.
In recent weeks armed mobs of white men have gathered in Philly, a city with a long history of reactionary politics and racial tension. A similar armed group in Fishtown attracted international media attention.
At the Saturday evening gathering, the attendees appeared to be eager for a confrontation, waiting to attack anyone who might criticize or damage the statue. Some members of the group were openly carrying firearms and bats with others commenting that they had concealed carry firearms. At least one of the men holding a gun appeared to have a military-style patch which read “Semper Tyranus,” potentially in reference to John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Captain Louis Campione of the Philadelphia Police Department barred our reporter, Chris Schiano, from continuing to report on scene, claiming that Chris was “inciting a riot“.
In 2016 the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Capt. Louis Campione signed a memo instructing officers to perform unconstitutional searches. Minutes before Unicorn Riot was forced from the scene by Campione, the crowd cheered as a man unveiled a Trump 2020 flag.
After our reporter was forced from the scene, the crowd continued to grow as night fell in the poorly illuminated city park on Broad Street. Earlier in the day Unicorn Riot covered the massive protest march in the city calling to “Defund the Police” attended by thousands of people – view our thread of pics and video from that march below.
Racist Vigilantes Gather to Defend Columbus Statue
From Twitter
Flatten The Curves
Submission
Did you know that school is mandatory in the United States of America? wtf right? School here has a really nasty history if you think colonialism totally sucks. That’s why two school police cars got their tires slashed and their windows scratched. Also an under construction condo had its windows scratched up and a doorbell camera was scratched up too. If you don’t have super sharp claws you can use a drill bit, compass, piece of flint, tungsten pen, or sandpaper to scratch glass and plastic. It’s more quiet than rocks and hammers.
Bingo Bandits
Anarchic Black Radicalism w/ RAM Philly & Afrofuturists Abolitionists of the Americas
from Solecast
In today’s episode of the Solecast we have an in-depth discussion of anarchic black radicalism with comrades from Ram Philly & Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas. Anarchic Black Radicalism draws on the history of Black Panthers, early abolitionists, Black Nationalism/Liberation Movements and more to synthesize a distinct form of black anarchism. We talk about how recent social movements have radicalized a new generation of black youth and how anarchist ideas have gained traction in their wake. We talk about the importance of centering trans and disabled people and what steps people of color can take to build their own spaces for organizing that aren’t centered around white activists. We go over about some of the theoretical bases that form their analysis and some of the writers and texts that have informed this direction.
For more information follow Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas or Ram Philly .
Some texts discussed:
Anarchy of Colored Girls Assembled a Riotous Manner
Between Infoshops and Insurrection
Rail Sabotage in Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en and Land Defenders
Submission
This week we used copper wire to disrupt rail traffic on two different tracks here in occupied Lenapehoking. Solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en nation, and all those blockading and sabotaging the economy and the state.
They are trying to extinguish our spirits. Keep a strong heart. Keep your heart burning bright. Reconciliation is dead, insurgency is alive!
Anarchy Afternoons: Unistʼotʼen Camp
from Facebook
During this week’s open hours, we are going to be watching short films about the Unistʼotʼen Camp.
To our north, this month has witnessed an explosion of actions intended to “shut down Canada” with blockades of rail lines cancelling passenger service trains across the country and paralyzing freight shipment. In the cities, protests have blocked streets, highways, and bridges. The present wave of resistance can be traced to the Unistʼotʼen camp’s decade-long battle against proposed pipelines in unceded Wetʼsuwetʼen territory. We will watch films and discuss this history to get a clearer picture of what has been happening.
For more information on recent events: https://itsgoingdown.org/from-sea-to-sea-train-blockades-colonialism-and-canadian-rail-history/
3:00 open hours
4:00 films
[February 21 3-6pm at A-Space 4722 Baltimore Ave]
Second RAM-Philly Reading Group
from Twitter
Tagging spree
Submission
Prison abolitionist queers who will never stop disrupting. Stay sexy, Stay violent, Stay unpredictable
A Discussion on the Growth of Black & Anti-Colonial Anarchist Formations
from It’s Going Down
In this episode we were lucky enough to speak with two people on the growth of Black, New Afrikan, and anti-colonial anarchist formations. One of the people joining us in the discussion is a part of the Philadelphia chapter of the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement and the other person is from the Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas.
Our discussion covers a lot of ground, but we speak heavily on a workshop that the comrades are presenting across the so-called US on black anarchism, the recent theoretical Anarkata statement, as well as everything from anti-police and prison abolition organizing, to the impact of the Ferguson rebellion, survival programs, and much more.
One of the themes that came up several times, is finding “little a” anarchism or simply anarchy, in the day to day self-organization and revolt of everyday people in the face of the American plantation and finding ways to build solidarity and action with these organic forms. Our guests also stress the need for the anarchist movement to stop looking just to European groups, history, and movements for inspiration, and instead draw from the rich history of resistance to settler colonialism, slavery, and industrial capitalism in the so-called Americans, in order to better inform our organizing.
Music: Sima Lee and Black Star
For Info: Set up a workshop by getting in touch with Philly RAM here or via email (ramphilly@protonmail.com), read Anarkata statement, Black Rose reader on Black Anarchism here, and Burning Down the American Plantation from the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement here.
Reading Recommendations:
As Black As Resistance by William C. Anderson and Zoé Samudzi
The Progressive Plantation by Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin
Anarchism and the Black Revolution by Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin
A Soldier’s Story: Revolutionary Writings by a New Afrikan Anarchist by Kuwasi Balagoon
Burn Down the American Plantation by the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement
Black Fighting Formations by Russell Maroon Shoatz
The Dragon and the Hydra by Russell Maroon Shoatz
Columbus Day Graffiti
Submission
On some random Mural Arts mural in South Philly, after so-called ‘Columbus Day’
anti-columbus graffiti
Submission
spotted near dickinson square in south philly
Trouble screening: Land and Freedom
from Facebook
Trouble 21 looks at anti-colonial struggles in Turtle Island and Palestine
From the genocidal aftermath of Columbus’ accidental “discovery” of the New World, to the ever-deeper encroachments of Israeli settlements into the West Bank — five hundred years of European colonialism has cast a long shadow over this world. Colonization, in its supreme arrogance, carved up the globe according to the imperial logic of accumulation, imposing artificial borders on foreign lands and seeking to subjugate restive native populations through religious indoctrination and force of arms. But despite their military superiority, ideological warfare and constant recourse to savage brutality, colonial regimes have consistently failed to crush the will of colonized people to fight back. And the reason for this is simple. Occupation breeds resistance.
Anarchists, especially those of us who have never experienced the sharp edge of colonization, have much to learn from those waging this resistance. We also have a principled imperative to align ourselves with those facing acute forms of state violence and dispossession. To this end, this episode of Trouble draws on two examples of contemporary anti-colonial struggle – those waged by the Palestinians and the Mohawks of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy against their respective oppressors, the Israeli and Canadian settler-colonial states, in hopes of drawing out lessons and increasing our capacity for producing meaningful solidarity.
[August 28 from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM at Wooden Shoe Books and Records 704 South St]
