Join us on August 14th at 6 PM for a compelling conversation between Philip V. McHarris and Hiram Rivera, Executive Director of Community Resource Hub for Safety and Accountability. They will discuss McHarris’s new book “Beyond Policing,” which reimagines a world without police and explores innovative community-based safety models. This event offers a transformative vision of safety, moving beyond policing towards a society where people have the resources to thrive.
Philip V. McHarris is an assistant professor in the Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester. McHarris was a presidential postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University in the Department of African American Studies and the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab. He earned his PhD in sociology and African American studies at Yale University. He was named one of the Root 100s Most Influential African Americans in 2020. McHarris has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, and PBS and in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and more.
Hiram Rivera is a longtime organizer and organizing trainer with 20 years experience professional experience. His work has been rooted in social justice movements, the struggle for Puerto Rican and New African independence, and campaigns to free political prisoners. He’s the former director of the Philadelphia Student Union and is the founding director of the Community Resource Hub, a national organization providing training, research and technical assistance to abolitionist organizations across the country. He is a co-founder of the organization Black Men Build and the Hub’s George Jackson School.
Join us on Monday July 29th, 6:30pm at Wooden Shoe Books as we send letters to comrades incarcerated for their support of the movement to Stop Cop City. In 2017, the Atlanta Police Foundation proposed the destruction hundreds of acres of Weelaunee forest to build a massive compound that would train cops from around the world in militarized tactics, urban warfare, and putting down social movements. The full Cop City proposal came in 2020 after national uprisings around the police murder of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.
In 2021, forest defenders and community members established a long-term encampment in the Weelaunee forest. Shortly thereafter, a multi-agency task force began arresting and charging them with domestic terrorism. January 18th, 2023 brought more raids, arrests, and the murder of Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán. This was the first police killing of an environmental activist during a protest in modern U.S. history. Autopsy results indicated that the police shot Tortuguita 57 times while their hands were up. On April 19th, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Tortuguita’s death a homicide. On October 6th, a Georgia prosecutor announced that there would be no charges for any of the troopers involved in the murder.
Even before its completion, Atlanta Cop City’s militarized approach to social movements has already become a model for how to train police across the U.S.; between the George Floyd Uprisings and today, planning or construction has begun on 66 new Cop Cities around the United States. Similarly, the unprecedently fierce legal and extralegal measures taken against those resisting Cop City in Atlanta—domestic terrorism charges for civil disobedience, RICO charges for bail fund organizers, generalized harassment, and murder—can be understood as a localized experiment for broader application. These tactics of repression are being auditioned in Atlanta; if successful, you can bet they’ll be generalized across the U.S. For these reasons, it’s incumbent on all of us support those on the front lines of stopping Cop City, and especially those who’ve already paid the price of their freedom for this struggle.
We’ll also be sending birthday cards to U.S.-held political prisoners with birthdays in August: Bill Dunne (August 2nd), Hanif Shabazz Bey (August 15th), Ronald Reed (August 31st).
As our movement gains strength, it will inevitably encounter state repression. How do we respond collectively to this repression? This workshop will discuss some of the tactics most commonly used by police and federal agents to target our movements, and offer suggestions on how to respond. Topics covered will include: what to expect when being arrested in Philadelphia; the role of the FBI in movement repression and how to deal with federal agents; social media “best practices”; and how to support arrestees and political prisoners.
In the past year, the movement for Palestinian liberation has attained unprecedented levels of mobilization. But strategic reflection and study is necessary to keep the movement moving. Writers Against the War on Gaza offers a series of workshops this summer to deepen the knowledge of five elements of the struggle for Palestine: “PACBI,” “Anti-repression,” “Black and Palestinian Solidarity” and “History of Palestinian Resistance.” All are free to attend.
Laura Martin is a labor historian and a member of the Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee, a bail fund and political education collective.
Tori is a legal worker at Up Against the Law Legal Collective, a Philadelphia-based group that supports local activists.
Takhistov, aka Cossack, upon his arrest. Takhistov is pictured here without glasses, although he typically wears them.
Just a few days ago Andrew Takhistov, an 18 year old from East Brunswick, was arrested in a federal sting operation where he allegedly solicited an undercover federal agent to blow up two different electrical substations in Central NJ (CNJ). Takhistov is now facing one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct, which could result in a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $125,000 fine if convicted. Idavox covered Takhistov’s arrest and charges in depth, more about the specifics can be read here.
Since the release of the federal complaint, Takhistov has been positively identified as a very active neo-nazi that has been a part of the Tristate (NYC, PA, NJ) nazi scene for at least the last two years. Takhistov who goes by the Telegram handles “Cossack” and “Taraz”, is highly dedicated, holding membership in WLM NJ/PA, S14, NJEHA, Atlantic Nationalist Club, and Embrace Struggle, among running his own projects dubbed “White Legion” and “Defend Europe” respectively.
Takhistov’s main Telegram handles. Prior to his arrest a few days ago he was primarily using the “Taraz” account, while his “Cossack” account was on the back burner.
Takhistov first became involved with the tristate nazi scene when he was 16 years old, starting off virtually and connecting with group leaders like S14’s Mark Kauffman and NJEHA’s Dan D’ambly. He quickly became immersed and began to get involved in-person during 2023. Throughout 2023 and 2024 Takhistov was a regular presence at actions and became closer with older more senior members and leadership.
Takhistov, circled in red, during a late December 2023 nazi rally. Mark Kauffman is to his right.
Takhistov at the December 2023 nazi rally. He is standing and is the second individual from the left. Nazis Mark Kauffman and Dan D’ambly are also pictured on the right hand side.
With Takhistov’s further entrenchment he began to reveal more information about himself in public Telegram chats. Specifically, Takhistov discussed his Ukrainian heritage and nationalism at length, often going on long diatribes.
Takhistov’s rant about Ukrainian nationalism. He also reveals personal details about his family history and status as a Ukrainian.
During this time Takhistov attempted to move his project, White Legion, offline into the real world but had limited success. Largely White Legion functioned as a showy propaganda group claiming to do physical conditioning and supporting nationalists in Ukraine. This is also verified by the press release from the federal government about his arrest.
Takhistov’s now dormant White Legion project.
Other than a few propaganda based photo ops across CNJ White Legion was not involved in or planned any independent actions, nor did it become its own individual group focused on recruiting or centralized goal like S14 or NJEHA.
Takhistov boosting his White Legion project. The pictures depict one of the few in-person activities the group did.
Takhistov further bragging about his White Legion project in an S14 chat.
A photo from one of the few activities White Legion did in CNJ at a baseball field in the middle of the night. Takhistov is pictured on the left with another taller (unidentified) nazi on the right.
Commentary from the federal government about Takhistov’s project White Legion.
In early 2024, Takhistov began to get more involved in nazi accelerationist ideology, reposting pictures from Injekt Division, a nazi accelerationist crew similar to Atomwaffen Division, and other Terrorgram channels. Takhistov also expressed his desire to go and fight in Ukraine and assist fellow nazis in propelling the country towards national socialism. It was at this juncture he created his other project/Telegram channel “Defend Europe”.
Takhistov’s new “Defend Europe” project he started in 2024.
Takhistov used this new Telegram channel to produce Ukrainian nationalist/fascist content. He centered Defend Europe around his supposed journey to Ukraine and claimed he was shipping out soon to help fight against the Russian invasion and push for a national socialist Ukraine. Takhistov’s Defend Europe content read more as a LARP fantasy than something that he was actually doing, given the way he went about posting and bragging.
Takhistov pictured holding a Ukrainian nazi flag “prior to shipping out”.
Throughout 2023 and 2024 as Takhistov was engaging in nazi accelerationist activities, he began to connect more with those on Terrorgram, and ended up connecting with an undercover federal agent. Takhistov was essentially catfished by the federal government in early 2024 when he was trying to organically connect with other NJ-based neo-nazis. Takhistov met up with the federal agent several times, with other currently unidentified NJ neo-nazis.
This massive security blunder led to Takhistov being entrapped by the feds in a plot to blow up two different electrical substations in CNJ. The federal agent that Takhistov was in contact with from Terrorgram pushed for a way to get further involved, joining Takhistov and other nazis for a March 2, 2024 action in New Brunswick, NJ. Takhistov and the federal agent met up a few times after this and discussed different tactics used by national socialists, including electrical substation attacks. Takhistov told the agent that he had a trip booked for July 2024 to visit Ukraine and intended to join up with a pro-Ukraine Russian fascist volunteer group fighting against Russia. The agent asked for more details locally and Takhistov passed them off, noting that the agent could plan on doing an attack when Takhistov was over in Ukraine. For several months after that Takhistov sent the agent guides on industrial sabotage, further information on local electrical substations, and details on how to make homemade weapons. Takhistov, the agent, and another unidentified NJ nazi, then went around and scouted out different electrical substations, with the agent providing in-depth insight on how to access the buildings.
An excerpt from the criminal complaint filed by the federal government against Takhistov.
While the federal briefing detailed that Takhistov was arrested at Newark International Airport on his way to Ukraine, it is unclear if Takhistov was accepted into any kind of formal fascist volunteer force. Despite Takhistov’s bravado that he was set to join a group of pro-Ukrainian Russian fascist separatists fighting against Russia it has not been confirmed that Takhistov had solidified plans prior to his arrest. It is more likely that Takhistov intended to forge concrete connections on the ground once he got to Ukraine and try to meet up in-person with the group in an effort to join.
The federal government is famous for trying to entrap the far right, the far left, religious groups, and everyone in between often trying to convince individuals to engage in illegal activities. In this case, Takhistov was duped by the feds to help plan an attack on CNJ infrastructure to be theoretically executed by the federal agent. By no means is this a defense of Takhistov, he is nazi scum who was dumb enough to contact random accounts on a highly surveilled platform (Terrorgram) and got wrapped up in a would be terrorism plot. It is important however to acknowledge that it was the state who pushed the alleged crime and Takhistov.
S14 members: With addition of Andrew Takhistov, 9 of your people have been identified and doxxed including Alex Chubbuck, Benjamin Ryder, Jackson Bradley, Paul Minton, Daisy McGowan, Mathew Bair, Mark Kauffman, and Sara Sheaffer. If you continue to operate, more of your members will be exposed and the pressure will increase. You will be held responsible for the nazi filth that you are.
Sunday, September 15, 2024 11 am sharp (Yoga warm-up at 10am) FDR Park
RDTW 2024
Philadelphia Anarchist Black Cross invites you to our seventh annual Running Down The Walls (RDTW)! This year marks the 25th anniversary of this non-competitive 5K and political education event in support of political prisoners and prisoners of war. Every year we split the proceeds between the ABCF Warchest —which has provided over $240,000 in stipends and other material support to prisoners with little or no other financial means—and a specific political prisoner, organization, or movement we want to uplift. This year we’ll be supporting and amplifying the voices of people struggling for freedom in Gaza, the world’s largest open-air prison.
Resistance is a continuous endeavor.
– Bassel Al-Araj, Palestinian scholar and former political prisoner, martyred
How will proceeds go to support Palestine? If you’ve participated in previous years, you know that we announce the recipient from day one. We have to take a slightly different approach this year due to how rapidly the situation is changing in Palestine. Given the unpredictability, the exact recipient(s) are subject to change. For example, in our initial planning meeting we were in touch with people in Cairo gathering funds for evacuations. With Rafah crossing since closed, other potential beneficiaries include vetted mutual aid groups in the Gaza Strip, and we will coordinate with trusted folks on the ground to distribute resources appropriately after the event. More information will be made available in the reportback.
Running is not required! You can also walk, roll, or cheer. We’ll begin with warm-up stretches at 10am (bring a mat if you can). At 11am, those who want to participate in the 5k will take two loops around the park; at a walking pace, this takes about 45-60 minutes. Afterwards, stay for socializing with speakers, tabling, and light refreshments.
Remote participation is encouraged! Every year we are joined by incarcerated comrades who take part in this by running, walking, or otherwise exercising at the same time as us–from behind bars. If you can’t attend the event at FDR Park for any reason, leave your shipping address in the comment box at registration, and we’ll mail you a t-shirt. If you would like to make an additional contribution beyond your own registration, please sponsor a participant either outside prison, inside prison, or one of each. Contact us for more information on sponsoring.
Due to the abominable conditions that political prisoners and freedom fighters are subjected to, let’s drum up support now more than ever. Join us as we celebrate our successes this last year, including the releases of Veronza Bowers and Eric King, and build momentum for the struggles ahead!
Andrew Takhistov and Steve V. Koshlyak (mugshot from Nov. 2021)
The Atlantic Nationalist Club (we are SO not calling them the ANC!) doesn’t have a lot of members and it seems like they won’t have a lot of members on the outside before long! Also, we have written about one of these guys before!
An 18-year-old member of a New Jersey White Supremacist group was arrested on charges that he solicited others to destroy energy facilities. A few days later, another member of the same group who has had run-ins with law enforcement in the past was also arrested on unknown charges.
On Andrew Takhistov, 18, of East Brunswick, New Jersey was picked up at Newark Airport as he was about to board a flight enroute to fight in Ukraine for the Russian Volunteer Corps, an organization he said was “openly National Socialist,” according to a Department of Justice press release. The release further stated that Takhistov was communicating on a social messaging platform with an individual who he did not know was an undercover law enforcement employee. In those discussions, Takhistov expressed a desire to advance his neo-Nazi ideology through violent means and said another reason why he wanted to join the Russian Volunteer Corps was not just gain paramilitary training but particularly because they specialized in assassinations, attacks on power grids and other infrastructure sabotage.
Takhistov’s arrest came after two visits in June and July to two different electrical substations in North Brunswick and New Brunswick, New Jersey where he instructed the undercover employee on numerous aspects of how to conduct an attack on an electrical substation. It was on July 5, during one of these visits that Takhistov reportedly instructed the undercover employee to take several photographs of the electrical substations so that Takhistov could send them to his Russian friend for additional advice on how to best sabotage the stations.
Takhistov, who was known online as “Cossack,” is a member of the Atlantic Nationalist Club (AnaC, not to be confused with the African National Congress of South Africa), a group with a small handful of members that started in May 2023 as a breakaway from the New Jersey chapter of White Lives Matter (WLM) The group is led by Claudino G. Petruccelli, who in November 2021 was caught by antifa, including members of One People’s Project, attempting to post WLM stickers around Princeton, New Jersey and the following week by police as he tried to do the same thing in Somerville, New Jersey with two others, Zackerji I. Ivanovic, who is reportedly currently with the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, and Steve V. Koshlyak, who is currently a AnaC member. The three were arrested.
On Saturday, an online notification indicated that Koshlyak, who celebrated his 37th birthday two days prior, had been arrested that day and online jail records note that he is currently being held at the Burlington County (NJ) Detention Center in Mount Holly, New Jersey with a jail ID of 117724. There is no further information about his arrest including the department that arrested him or when his first appearance will take place. In addition to his November 2021 arrest, Koshlyak also has a DUI arrest going back to 2014.
While AnaC have been attempting to be known for their flash mob rallies and stickering, often associating with Dan D’Ambly’s New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA), they have been particularly displayed a violent over the past two years both as a WLM chapter and its current incarnation. A group of them including Petruccelli and another member Nicholas G. Mucci participated in the fights at Penn State University in October 2022 when Proud Boy founder Gavin McInnes and internet troll Alex Stein attempted to have an event there. It was shut down after those fights, where Mucci and Petruccelli allegedly pepper sprayed those protesting the event, got out of hand. Last month, Mucci pled guilty to attempting to smoke bomb and pepper spray a benefit show for One People’s Project at a church in Asbury Park, New Jersey three months after Penn State, the smoke bombs purchased in Pennsylvania the day of the event there, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 16. These latest two arrests will make three members of the small hate group currently imprisoned.
According to the Department of Justice press release, Takhistov is charged with one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct that involved destroying a public service enterprise group circuit breaker and substation. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $125,000 fine. Charges are still pending for Koshlyak at the time of this posting.
It’s been a little over a month since the upsetting news that #KhalifMiller was given a 1-10 year state sentence on top of the 61 month (5 year) Federal sentence that he has been serving since October of 2020.
Khalif is one of the five people indicted along with #AntSmith for his participation in the racial justice uprisings in 2020. He is facing a total of 15 years for attending a protest on May 30th, 2020. This is the new COINTELPRO!
We’re rehashing this 6/1 post from the @FreeAntPHL IG account to bring Khalif back to the top of your feed.
Send him some at:
Khalif Miller #70042-066
USP Big Sandy
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 2068
Inez, KY 41224
Jason Dare, pictured in both plain clothes and in his NJ State Trooper uniform.
Since 2021, local law enforcement agencies and the NJ State police have been compelled to put together yearly reports, that are accessible to the public, which detail all “major disciplinary” actions against police officers that have resulted in suspension or termination.
The 2024 NJ State Police major disciplinary report. A key is outlined displaying what action was taken against the officer in addition to the investigation’s findings.
After a year long “investigation”, the neo-nazi cop was quietly fired in May 2024, with NJ State Police citing multiple illegal actions and violation of division policies in their major disciplinary report which detailed Dare’s firing. Dare was originally placed on unpaid leave in March 2023.
A breakdown of Dare’s actions and what laws and division policies he violated.
As outlined in the report, prior to his admission into rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, Dare entered into some kind of plea agreement with NJ State Police, presumably for some illegal action he took while on or off-duty. The exact nature of what led Dare into this plea agreement is unknown, however, it should be noted that as the larger major disciplinary report details, as well as what national reports reflect, both on and off-duty cops have a habit of public intoxication and operating motor vehicles while inebriated.
After Dare entered into a plea deal with the NJ State Police he was sent to rehab in Delco (Delaware County PA), the same one he would eventually flee from. After fleeing the Delco rehab facility Dare reportedly broke into an unoccupied home in the area and was presumably on a bender for the next several days. At some point after he was found and returned to NJ, he used a shotgun he owned to shoot out a front window in his Vineland home. It should also be noted, that while not referenced in the description, the NJ State Police categorized one of Dare’s violations as a “uniform and grooming standards” violation. This can be surmised as a back-handed reference to his many visible neo-nazi tattoos.
Some of Dare’s neo-nazi tattoos, including his “blood honor” throat tattoo, iron crosses, and fascist inspired runes. In the picture on the right he is wearing a nazi death head shirt, or “totenkopf”, as he hangs out with friends from the NJ State Police in his free time.
Additional neo-nazi inspired tattoos including a pitbull that is identical to the PA neo-nazi gang Keystone United.
At the time in March 2023, the mainstream local media reported on Dare’s disappearance and return as copaganda, not referencing his neo-nazi tattoos or investigating the nature of his disappearance. Dare’s discovery and return to NJ was broadly covered by many local news outlets as a positive event. Since Dare’s firing however, there has been virtually zero local news coverage.
Despite Dare’s documented actions of violating a plea agreement, breaking and entering, trespassing, discharging a firearm in a residential area, putting residents at risk for serious bodily harm, and being a neo-nazi, he was only fired from NJ State Police and is not facing any criminal charges or barred from future employment as a state employee or police officer.
As antifascists we understand why this is, the state protects its agents even if they are compelled to sacrifice them in some manner. Even with this knowledge though it is still baffling to see the stark difference between how average NJ residents are treated in comparison to agents of the state. We all understand that if this was anyone else other than a cop that they would facing decades in prison and character assassination in the media.
At the time of publishing, Dare’s current employment details are unknown, but it has been confirmed that he has relocated from his prior residence in Vineland, NJ to Galloway Twp, NJ.
Philadelphia, PA — Students at Drexel University established an encampment in support of divesting from Israel on May 18, following a rainy Nakba Day commemoration march from Center City that started around 4 p.m. Philadelphia and Drexel police officers quickly surrounded the encampment with a ring of metal barricades and largely barred additional people from entering; this was apparently at the orders of Drexel’s campus police chief.
There was a brief struggle over the metal barricade components, and at one point an officer brandished a Taser at the crowd but was pulled back by another, shortly after our reporters got onsite. As of late Monday the encampment was still in place.
In a tense confrontation at the beginning of the stream, Philly officers in riot gear wearing “Counter-Terrorism Operations” badges briefly assembled inside the perimeter but withdrew.
A protest sign on Saturday night.
In interviews on-site students said that they were pushing to get Drexel to pull its investments from BlackRock, which does business with Israel, as well as other divestments. They also said that Drexel administrators have claimed it is illegal to disclose specific investments, but this is apparently not illegal at all. The Drexel Palestine Coalition has a list of demands posted online.
Tents late Saturday night.
Drexel announced that it would switch to online learning for Monday.
During late Saturday night, police were largely a static presence while dozens of students milled just outside the perimeter discussing politics and playing music. A lengthy know-your-rights training with Up Against the Law and National Lawyers Guild members also took place with most of the camp participants.
Camp supporters regularly handed supplies including stacks of pizza, large tent structures and medic supplies over the barricades without much interest from the police. A Unicorn Riot reporter stuck around until the morning as a police sweep seemed possible (UPenn’s encampment was cleared in an early morning maneuver).
While the encampments might seem like a typical exercise in campus politics it should be noted that these activities are regarded as a strategic threat to Israel because they could shift the intellectual climate in the United States, which is Israel’s main international patron. A series of articles by James Bamford in The Nation has shown that groups like the Israeli-American Council and Canary Mission are closely coordinating with Israeli government agencies to crush student protests in the United States by harassing protesters.
Plethora of Police Forces in West Philly since 1970s
Police from multiple units including Drexel and Philadelphia PD on milled around Saturday night southwest of the encampment.
After the shocking events at Kent State and Jackson State, in September 1970 President Nixon’s Commission on Campus Unrest, chaired by Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton, dropped its report (418 page PDF). One result was the rise of campus police departments.
As the Penn Disorientation Guide outlines, police forces multiplied during the campus crackdowns of the 1970s, until today:
“If you walk west down Market St. from 30th St. Station, in 1.5 miles you pass through the jurisdictions of six police departments: Philadelphia, Amtrak, SEPTA, Penn, Drexel, and Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA).”
At approximately 7pm on Saturday May 18, and one day before the birthday of Malcolm X, a Nakba Day rally and march ended in protestors and students spontaneously setting up an encampment at Drexel University, at Academic Quadrangle. Immediately, more than a hundred protestors locked arms to defend the students. This was the second pro-Palestine protest in two days, Friday’s action having ended in several violent arrests by the Philly Pig Department (PPD) in a similar attempt to occupy a space.
Shortly after, the resilient encampment defenders began jotting down phone numbers (on their arms) for attorneys, civil rights groups, etc.
Of course, PPD wasted no time calling in reinforcements by the barn-load, a few of them already decked out in riot gear, reminiscent of the genocidal IDF. It should then come as no surprise to learn that Amerikkkan cops receive training from their Zionist buddies in Isntreal.
As the sun went down, the pigs moved in. Several encampment defenders and even legal observers were threatened with a taser by an angry member of Philly’s “finest”; one of his partners yanked him backward before he pulled the trigger. There were several other minor altercations as well.
One can’t help but notice how the violence at protests and encampments begin and end solely with the brownshirt jackboots of the State. From capitalist cops to so-called “proletarian cops,” the role of all law enforcement has been the protection of private property and defense of genocide and colonialist supremacy since the days of Amerikkkan runaway slave patrols.
At the time of writing this, the encampment is ongoing and needs support. Philly Palestine Coalition on Instagram (@phillypalestinecoalition) will be providing updates for mutual aid, jail support, etc.
To fellow anarchists, we urge you more than anyone to show up. Bring food, water, clothes, zines, but more importantly, bring YOURSELVES. Support our comrades in the streets and the encampments. In order to live in a better world, we need to create a better world. No party will save us or bring the revolution. As one protestor continuously remarked, “We protect us.”
Anarchy is forever.
Death to the zionist state.
From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.
Last night, students, anarchists, communists, and other community members took up occupation at Drexel University. What was at first perceived as another boring rally/march with WAYYY too many fucking speeches and shit turned into an encampment being sprung up. This particular encampment set up had it ups and down. The down side was that the pigs were surrounding it and at times were pushing, shoving, and threatening people with various weapons and cowardly tactics. Also, in comparison to the encampment at Upenn, this start up was really slow, and there were so many big tents that took time and effort to set up unlike at Penn where most tents were pop up tents and we were all able to set them up in pretty quick succession. Also, at the beginning, food and water were very scarce and to this point, police have barricaded protesters into the encampment and have not been letting people return when they leave, making it hard for people to use the various facilities leaving people unsure of where to use the bathroom. Also to note, a comrade had told me that because the march took so fucking long to get to Drexel that shit got discombobulated and items for tents were scattered due to the lack of sufficient numbers. On the positive side, camp did eventually get established, food and supplies were allowed to be brought in, students for the most part did stand their ground, made small pockets of barricades and harassed the cops. All in all, pretty successful I’d say.
Throughout the long day, there were small escalations here and there from both protesters and cops. At one point the police entered the camp grounds. But eventually were bullied off. Some of the escalating tactics by cops were threats of violence, carrying shields and long wooden batons. At one point, we even saw one fucker threaten a woman with a taser by pointing it at point blank to her upper torso. Ultimately, it was their so called commander piggy that told him to put his weapon away. Another point of tension saw riot cops swarm in like ridiculous and drunken bees. They were quickly dispersed though. Seems these fuckers will always be so fucking horny to fuck up some college kids just taking up space. Probably spend more time jerking off to that then fucking they girls. Though, they probably wouldn’t have much to do that with anyhow.
Over all, we shall see over the weekend if this encampment will last as long, if not longer than the Penn one. Let’s hope the kids keep escalating and don’t let the peace police get in their ears. Solidarity to all encampments domestic and overseas and fuck 12 in any city.
Philadelphia, PA – Nearly twenty University of Pennsylvania students and supporters were arrested after briefly occupying Fisher-Bennett Hall along 34th Street Friday night. Officers including UPenn’s Emergency Response Teams worked to shove hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators away from what they renamed Refaat Alareer Hall. (Alareer was a prominent Gaza professor killed by Israel late last year.) UPenn has also been a site of rallies against Ghost Robotics, an incubator spinoff company that has fast become a key world supplier of military robots including for Israel. We heard that the action was an extension of the UPenn protest encampment organizing that was swept by police action a week earlier, and was aimed at forcing UPenn to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
Philadelphia, UPenn, Drexel and SEPTA Transit Police were all activated during the evening’s events, and the Philly PD “Counter-Terrorism” team which often shows up at demonstrations was also spotted.
Unicorn Riot was live for much of the street demo on 34th Street and after. Full live video stream (YouTube):
Legal observers and other members of the media were shoved away from the scene; approximately 18 people were arrested; at least two people were reportedly tasered, however this is not confirmed.
Team of police lifts a cuffed arrestee into the police van on 34th Street.
Amid a large number of Philadelphia Police Department officers present, a group of them looked at their cell phones while away from the line.
Law enforcement largely controlled 34th Street most of the time.
The arrival of another set of demonstrators on the west sidewalk after it had already been cleared, brought cheers from the crowd:
An additional group of protesters arrived from the north onto the west side of 34th Street.
The police moved their lines south in a couple steps away from the hall and tried to isolate the crowd onto the east sidewalk. However, the crowd took 34th Street then, moving quickly, turned east onto South Street and down to the Penn Museum alumni weekend event.
Drums crafted from water jugs have been a common element since they were used to bonk police officers at Cal Poly Humboldt in April.
More demonstrators and observers on the west side of 34th Street were eventually dislodged south and off these stairs by police.
The vast majority of officers didn’t seem to tail the demonstrators to the museum — showing the utility of cat-and-mouse moves that are difficult for burdened police units to match. (This is one reason the cavalry-like mobile field force program continues to be America’s leading, standardized anti-protest planning template — it is designed to get ahead of, and split up, quick protest formations.)
Besides the UPenn Emergency Response Teams, SEPTA Transit Police, and Drexel campus police also activated. A Drexel officer was spotted assembling zipties.
Officer Adkins from Drexel University Police assembling zipties.
Unicorn Riot heard from one demonstrator that an international student was barred from their dorm room earlier without reasonable options to retrieve their possessions — similar to other tactics seen recently in other campuses.
An alumni event attendee clasped hands with a demonstrator through the fence and compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to apartheid-era South Africa.
A Palestine supporter on another’s shoulders holds the Palestinian flag outside the Franklin Fest alumni event.
According to a series of updates by the Daily Pennsylvanian student paper, the alumni event was closed down around 11 p.m. after the protest encounter at the gate. Demonstrators dispersed and dozens headed to jail support to Philly police headquarters at 400 N. Broad Street.
Social media clips and live video camera operation for the second half of the event by Chris Schiano.
Philadelphia, PA — Philadelphia police officers under orders from the mayor’s office are conducting anti-homeless encampment sweeps early on a rainy Wednesday morning. New hardline mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration banned the media and legal observers from monitoring their sweeps of unhoused people along a stretch of Kensington Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia.
Unicorn Riot monitored the first stages of the sweeps but was forced to leave the cordoned area by police. Unicorn Riot was told by aid workers that police reportedly used force with bicycle teams to clear out legal observers and community outreach workers from Kensington & Allegheny around 6:30 a.m. The area is under both a “state of emergency“ and a “blended, enhanced outreach“ program.
The sweep was announced for 8 a.m. but actually began earlier, around 6:30. Philly police expanded their sweep perimeter to block the Kensington & Clearfield intersection, and some surrounding streets. Camp residents were told they couldn’t return. Members of a missionary group wearing The Rock Ministries vests were heard off-camera praising the sweep: “It’s the cleanest I’ve ever seen it.” One of them was seen wearing a “Stand with Israel” hat.
Police positioned metal barricades around the Kensington & Allegheny SEPTA stop before 9 a.m. (However access is currently open to that Market-Frankford Line station.)
The retreat of First Amendment newsgathering press freedoms was presaged in a press release from the city:
“NOTE TO MEDIA: We are not encouraging the media to cover the encampment since the outreach workers are trying to protect the privacy of individuals with whom they are engaging. We would also like to minimize distractions and interference as outreach workers support the resolution. If individuals from the media do attend, there is a staging area for the press at 2900 Kensington Avenue by McPherson Square Park. The media will not be permitted to go beyond the posted perimeters.”
As of 9:35 a.m. barricades were placed along Kensington Avenue, not just at the ends of the control area; they appear to have been placed to obstruct people from continuing to sleep where they have been sleeping. All business on this stretch of Kensington looks shuttered, with all access closed for likely 6 hours or more. Some residents were let in after officers inspected their ID (lack of access to ID and mailing address is a well-known issue for those experiencing homelessness).
As of 1 p.m. the situation has not changed. It appeared the city was angling to keep and hold the space around the Kensington & Allegheny intersection. The city told corporate media that it would continue to force people from the area for the next 72 hours, and that 36 people accepted treatment during this phase of the project.
Outside of the blocked-off police control zone on Kensington Ave. between Allegheny Ave. and F Street for the anti-encampment sweep, a variety of Philly Police, city employees and contractors are working on nearby streets. A modular city streetsweeper called the “Multihog“ was also spotted in the area.
2:20 p.m. update: Kensington Ave. is open to traffic again, with service vehicles, a squad of bike police and a group of police on foot in the area. At Kensington & Allegheny traffic has been reopened while PPD continues patrols and metal barricades remain along the buildings, physically blocking the site of the tent residences destroyed this morning.
Barricades are now removed from the plaza around the SEPTA stop — they are only placed along Kensington Ave. People were seen checking their bags and are now dispersed south along Kensington Ave. and side streets, while the two blocks remain largely cleared of people. The afternoon weather has shifted to clear sun.
This is a developing story.
Videos by Chris Schiano for Unicorn Riot, and an additional contributor. Afternoon video footage by Dan Feidt.
A schedule obtained by Unicorn Riot shows an imminent government plan to “cleanup” specific locations in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood — but who benefits from altering a “billion dollar” drug shadow economy?
The Parker administration declared aState of Emergency just after swearing in (PDF of Executive Order 1-24 here). The previous mayor, Jim Kenney, refused to declare a State of Emergency. Now, a “Kensington Community Revival” “five-phase initiative” has been launched as well, but we hear that information on important plan features like specific treatment centers for people facing addiction in the area is hard to come by. (The police department also released a 100-day report (53 page PDF) last week as directed by the emergency order.)
We have learned imminent clearings are scheduled at the following locations under “Scheduled Kensington Cleanup Days” on Wednesday April 17th, 2024, and Friday April 19th, 2024, “at or after 8 AM.”
1800 East Somerset Street (both sides)
2700 Emerald
2000 Silver
1800 Cambria
100 W. Gurney
2900 Ruth Street
3100 Kensington Avenue (both sides)
3108-3114 Kensington Ave
3142 Kensington Avenue (Rainbow storefront)
Ruth & Hart Lane
2800 Kensington Avenue
Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street, underneath the Somerset Market-Frankford Line SEPTA stop, faces an imminent “Kensington Cleanup Day” on April 17 and 19, according to documents seen by Unicorn Riot.
“Kensington Community Revival” (KCR) plan area, via City of Philadelphia / Kensington Voice.
“All efforts have run through the city’s Managing Director’s Office or the often centralized efforts of the Philadelphia Police Department, which lack the expertise and resources to implement strategies to address poverty, addiction, violence, and helping the unsheltered.
No authentic, participatory, community engagement processes that lead to sharing of power and co-creation of solutions with the community.
Each effort has treated Kensington and its residents as the problem, thereby ignoring the actual causes of the core issues, vilifying residents, and encouraging additional exploitation of the community.
After 20 years of interventions, racial disparities in areas ranging from housing to health outcomes have increased, and while every effort has claimed success at some point, none have had any form of measurable sustainable accomplishment for residents, only for those leading the efforts.”
“History is repeating in Kensington. It doesn’t have to be this way.” Bill McKinney, WHYY, May 2021
McKinney acknowledged the giant scale of the area’s shadow economy, which was a result of decades of disinvestment: “We’re trying to turn off a billion-dollar industry […] There was intentional disinvestment in this community — and so that economy was replaced with another economy. That other economy needs to be addressed. It’s not addressed just by picking up a few people and locking them up.”
Apart from the Kensington Caucus at Philadelphia City Council, which has been openly hostile to well-known harm reduction programs like needle exchanges, there are other players to consider. (Council member Quetcy Lozada “asked the real estate developer who owns the building where Savage Sisters is located to terminate the organization’s lease,” CBS Philadelphia reported in February. Harm reduction nonprofit Savage Sisters provides services like wound care, caused by ‘tranq’ (xylazine) – a tranquilizer commonly found in the area drug supply.)
With Mayor Parker’s new pressure to remove people, any plan to force people into “treatment or jail” decisions hinges on District Attorney Larry Krasner’s discretion. The de facto policy right now doesn’t push jail time for simple drug possession. Therefore, the DA office would need a policy shift to impose this choice on detained people. (Paraphernalia or public intoxication charges could also be leveled.)
A source with close knowledge told Unicorn Riot that they heard the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is also taking an interest in the situation. Federal agents have been photographed in the area in recent months. The source relayed that the DEA was concerned about violence around the clearing operations so they may want to reshape the marketplace by coercing dealers into leaving, hoping that would disperse open-air drug consumers to other areas of Philadelphia. (The DEA Philadelphia Field Division office conducts “Operation Engage Philadelphia” in the city.)
Unicorn Riot was also told that the Philadelphia Police Department has intentionally been dropping off intoxicated people at dispersed locations around the city.
This police operations pattern reminded us of multiple instances during the 2011-2012 Occupy Movement where police would drop off intoxicated people at the protest camps, as well as the 2012 Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE) scandal in Minneapolis, where the Minnesota State Patrol was running a program to give unhoused people drugs at a shed by the MSP International Airport before dropping them off at the protest encampment at Peavey Plaza.
Locations identified for “Scheduled Kensington Cleanup Days” based on documents seen by Unicorn Riot.
“Are people within prisons/jail/detention the only ones who are expected to engage in material disruption? To take risks? Are we just vessels of emotional solidarity?”
“Where are the vulnerabilities to prison management’s morale and how does one remove the will of guards to endure?”
Security guards protect property. They help the police put people in prisons, they are part of the prison industrial complex. As people attack property private security acts as the auxiliary of the prison and police state. With this in mind as well as reading about the conditions at SCI Rockview we slashed the tires of a Securitas van. This was a small, easy, and replicate-able action that you can do with a friend. We agree with the comrade at SCI Rockview that “an assault on both fronts” is necessary, targets are everywhere. In the amerikkkan hellscape our lives are deeply embedded in the infrastructure of confinement. This is why we chose to attack the security van. Small actions like these can build capacity to be able to break down the prison walls.
Destroy PA-DOC
Fuck security guards
Fire to the prisons
at:
