Solidarity Not Borders: From Athens to Philadelphia

  • March 11, 2018 12:06 pm

from Facebook

Come to the Wooden Shoe to learn about non-state, non-NGO solidarity work with global migrants, with a focus on Greece. Collective member Sharon Jacobs will share experiences from months living and organizing with migrants in an Athens squat, and we will watch an episode of the subMedia show Trouble connecting the situation in Athens with migrant struggles around the world. We’ll discuss connections between Greece and other places where migrants face state repression and human rights violations, within a context of international conflict and imperialism.

This event is being held in solidarity with Refugee Accommodation and Solidarity Space City Plaza (https://www.facebook.com/sol2refugeesen/) and the #17m18ActionDay against anti-migration policies between states.

[March 18 from 7PM to 9PMat Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Antifascist Education (a discussion)

  • March 8, 2018 12:02 pm

from Facebook

The Radical Education Department (RED) is hosting a discussion about anti-fascist education in both senses of this expression: i) educating ourselves about the deep and broad history of anti-fascism; and ii) mobilizing education as a weapon for anti-fascist struggles today.

The discussion will explore the connections between fascism, capitalism, the patriarchy, and racism, as well as the ways that liberal ideology abets fascist movements by misrepresenting issues such as violence and free speech. It will also point out the importance of linking the many sites of antifascist struggles at universities, prisons, public monuments, and beyond.

Ultimately, the discussion will map possibilities for countering a rising tide of fascism with a broad radical left politics that isn’t only on the defensive but goes on the offensive!

This event has been organized by John-Patrick Schultz and Gabriel Rockhill, who are founding members of RED, an autonomous collective dedicated to the construction of a radical internationalist Left through the training and federation of its cultural warriors. They will be joined in the conversation by two longstanding activists: Ania Loomba, who has recently been involved with the Campus Antifascist Network, and Kempster (Ghani) Songster, co-founder of The Redemption Project. For more information and/or to get involved: https://radicaleducationdepartment.wordpress.com/

[March 15 from 7PM to 9PM at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Food Drive for West Virginia Teachers

  • March 7, 2018 6:40 pm

from Philly IWW

The Philadelphia Industrial Workers of the World is collecting non-perishable food items to donate to striking teachers in West Virginia. We will be driving the collected food to fellow workers next week.

If you want to contribute to the food drive, you can leave non-perishable food items in the food drive box at Wooden Shoe Books on south street.

Are you not sure what to donate? Here are some ideas:

1. Canned beans
2. Peanut butter
3. Canned fruit in fruit juice (not syrup)
4. Canned vegetables,
5. Rice
6. Quinoa
7. Nuts
8. Shelf-stable milk
9. Whole grain pasta
10. Pasta sauce
11. Cereal
12. Dried fruits

If the strike ends before we can deliver the food, we will be donating the food to the Cedar Haven Nursing Home strikers.

Street Medic Training

  • January 13, 2018 12:22 pm

from Facebook

Philadelphia Black Rose will be holding a Street Medic Training event on the anniversary of last year’s inaugural protests. Come learn the essentials of stateless emergency medical attention!

Due to some logistical limitations this time around, this will be a shortened version of the street medic training we originally planned. Half of the event will focus on theory and current practice of street medicine. The other half will involve a discussion of what we view as the most essential care one is able to provide in an uncertain situation, assuming a minimal medical capacity.

[January 20 from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM at Wooden Shoe Books and Records 704 South St]

First meeting of the Official Philadelphia IWW GMB

  • January 1, 2018 3:35 pm

from Facebook

The first meeting of the Official Philadelphia IWW General Membership Branch.We will discuss who to adapt to being chartered and organizing leads.
[January 7 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM at Wooden Shoe Books and Records 704 South St]

A Benefit for The Wooden Shoe w/ Thulsa Doom & More at JB’s

  • December 29, 2017 12:03 pm

from Facebook

+++FRIDAY JANUARY 5TH+++

A BENEFIT FOR THE WOODEN SHOE
http://woodenshoebooks.com/home.html

With the help of staff at Johnny Brenda’s, the collective, volunteer supporters and friends of Wooden Shoe Books and Records are kicking off a fundraiser to expand the music collection. Founded in 1976, the Wooden Shoe is an all-volunteer, collectively-run, anarchist book and record store on South street in Philadelphia. Special thanks to Billy of Population Zero for setting this up. Come out of the cold and heat up.

THULSA DOOM
https://thulsadoomnyc.bandcamp.com/

NIGHTFALL
https://nightfall.bandcamp.com/

TRASH KNIFE
https://trashknife.bandcamp.com/

THE CHARLEY FEW
https://thecharleyfew.bandcamp.com/

8PM Doors / $10 / 21+

[Johnny Brenda’s 1201 N. Frankford Ave]

100 Year Anniversary: Origins & Legacy of the Russian Revolution

  • October 28, 2017 5:02 pm

from Facebook

A Libertarian Socialist Perspective

Activist historian John Kalwaic will discuss the Russian Revolution on its 100th anniversary. The discussion will begin with some historical context of the origins of Tsarism and serfdom. This talk will cover origins of Russian revolutionary ferment in the empire, the pogroms, industrialization, labor strife and peasant revolts.

The main focus will be on anti-war sentiments, and how they fueled the 1917 February Revolution and the October Bolshevik Coup. This part of the talk will talk about how horizontal movements emerged and later dissipated or repressed. It will go through the Russian Civil War discussing Red, White and Anarchist Partisans and how Russian was both a victim and perpetrator of imperialism. This part will also present the echo of the revolution around the world.

Then we will turn to the legacy of the Revolution such as Stalin Modernization, World War II, Cold War, anti-colonial movements and the break up of the CCCP and eventually the rise of modern Russia.

[November 4 from 7pm to 9pm at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

CrimethInc.: From Democracy to Freedom

  • October 20, 2017 1:31 am

from Facebook

Democracy is the most universal political ideal of our day. George Bush invoked it to justify invading Iraq; Obama congratulated the rebels of Tahrir Square for bringing it to Egypt; Occupy Wall Street claimed to have distilled its pure form. From the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the autonomous region of Rojava, practically every government and popular movement calls itself democratic.

And yet it was democracy that brought Donald Trump to power, not to mention Adolf Hitler.

What is democracy, precisely? How can we defend ourselves against democratically-elected tyrants? Is there a difference between government and self-determination, and are there other ways to describe what we are doing together when we make decisions? Drawing on the latest book from the CrimethInc. collective, the presenters will explore these questions and more. Join us for a lively discussion!

crimethinc.com/democracy

[October 27 7PM to 9PM at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

IWW Proto Branch Meeting

  • September 26, 2017 10:44 am

from Facebook

Monthly IWW branch meeting will be in the Basemnt of the Wooden Shoe.
[October 1st from 6-9PM at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Antifa: the Anti-Fascist Handbook

  • September 9, 2017 8:02 pm

from Facebook

Discussion with author Mark Bray

As long as there has been fascism, there has been anti-fascism — also known as “antifa.” Born out of resistance to Mussolini and Hitler in Europe during the 1920s and ’30s, the antifa movement has suddenly burst into the headlines amidst opposition to the Trump administration and the alt-right. They could be seen in news reports, clad all in black with balaclavas covering their faces, fighting police at the presidential inauguration, and on California college campuses protesting right-wing speakers …

Simply, antifa aims to deny fascists the opportunity to promote their oppressive politics — by any means necessary. Critics say shutting down political adversaries is anti-democratic; antifa adherents argue that the horrors of fascism must never be allowed the slightest chance to triumph again.

In a smart and gripping investigation, historian and former Occupy Wall Street organizer Mark Bray provides a one-of-a-kind look inside the movement, including a detailed survey of its history from its origins to the present day — the first transnational history of postwar anti-fascism in English. Based on interviews with anti-fascists from around the world, Antifa details the tactics of the movement and the philosophy behind it, offering insight into the growing but little understood resistance fighting back against the alt-right.
[September 16th from 7PM to 9PM at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Assembly: A discussion with Micheal Hardt

  • August 31, 2017 7:18 pm

from Facebook

Drawing on ideas developed through their well-known Empire trilogy, Hardt and Negri have produced, in ASSEMBLY, a timely proposal for how current large-scale horizontal movements can develop the capacities for political strategy and decision-making to effect lasting and democratic change.

In recent years “leaderless” social movements have proliferated around the globe, from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe, the Americas, and East Asia. Some of these movements have led to impressive gains: the toppling of authoritarian leaders, the furthering of progressive policy, and checks on repressive state forces. They have also been, at times, disorganized and ineffectual, or suppressed by disoriented and perplexed police forces and governments who fail to effectively engage them.

Why have the movements, which address the needs and desires of so many, not been able to achieve lasting change and create a new, more democratic and just society? If these new social movements are to achieve meaningful revolution, they must invent effective modes of assembly and decision-making structures that rely on the broadest democratic base. We have not yet seen what is possible when the multitude assembles.
[September 7 from 7PM to 9PM at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Guerillas of Desire Book Launch, with Kevin Van Meter

  • August 24, 2017 11:45 am

from Facebook

Behind the smiling faces of cashiers, wait staff, and workers of all sorts, a war is going on, usually without the knowledge of official political and labor organizations. Guerrillas of Desire maps these undercurrents, documenting the history of everyday resistance under slavery, in peasant life, and throughout modern capitalism, while showing that it remains an important factor in revolution and something radicals of all stripes must understand. Join the author for a reading and discussion.
[August 31 from 7pm to 10pm at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Against the Fascist Creep

  • May 28, 2017 2:44 pm

from Facebook

Fascists are creeps. Time to drag them from the shadows.

As the election of Donald Trump shows, fascism in all its white nationalist and “alt-right” permutations is alive and well in the United States. A terrifying tour of the history and influence of the forces that helped bring the 45th president to power, Against the Fascist Creep maps the connections and names the names. It traces today’s often-disguised forms of rightwing extremism through the decades and across the globe to show how infiltration is a conscious and clandestine program for neofascist groups that seek to co-opt and undermine both the mainstream and the new social movements of the left.

This book is a line in the sand that both identifies the creep of fascist messages, ideas, and organization throughout our society and outlines how to stop it in its tracks.

[June 4th 7pm at Wooden Shoe Books 704 South St]

Statement: Philly Police Harass Philly Antifa and Wooden Shoe Books

  • February 1, 2017 9:50 pm

from Up Against The Law

Bundle Up With Solidarity and Resist The Chill

A Statement From Up Against The Law Legal Collective

On Saturday January 28th Philly Antifa held an event at Wooden Shoe Books featuring anti-fascist researcher Matt Lyons of the blog threewayfight. Some people arriving at the event noticed an unusually large police presence outside and across the street, others noticed a car parked out front that contained plain clothes officers from Civil Affairs, Philly’s protest police. Text messages bounced around to different people expressing concern. Were the cops going to try and come in and mess with people? Were they targeting Philly Antifa? What exactly was happening? Why were the Philadelphia Police staked out in front of public speaking event at a bookstore?

Screen Shot 2017-02-01 at 1.03.01 PMAfter the event some disturbing details were relayed by Wooden Shoe staffers to Philly Antifa organizers. Plain clothes officers from Civil Affairs had visited the Wooden Shoe the day before to voice concern about the Philly Antifa event. They alleged that Philly Anitfa may have been involved in a protest at which vandalism occurred, misidentified Philly Antifa as a fascist group themselves and speculated that right wing violence might occur at the event. They asked the staffers at the Wooden Shoe if they would consider canceling the event.

That the PPD thinks its acceptable to try to get anti-fascist public speaking event cancelled should be of concern to everybody in this city.

That the PPD thinks its acceptable to try to get anti-fascist public speaking event cancelled should be of concern to everybody in this city. For their officers to think they can enter a bookstore and suggest, imply or request that a speaking event should be cancelled is reprehensible.

What should be equally concerning is the ‘divide and conquer’ technique at play. We saw this tactic at play at Occupy Philadelphia in 2011 when the Civil Affairs warned Occupiers new to political movements to ‘watch out of the anarchists and black hate groups like Uhuru’. We saw it at play back in 2000 when civil affairs warned anti-stadium organizers in Chinatown that they had to watch out for the anarchists without knowing that the organizers trusted those same West Philly anarchists and that they were involved in providing security and marshaling for their march the next day. We’ve seen Civil Affairs deploy this tactic time and time again. The PPD has a history of trying to wedge movements and to cultivate suspicion among organizers and groups who may not know each other well or who they suspect may have some initial distrust toward each other.

We can resist by dragging this tactic into the light and letting other people know about it especially those new to organizing. When we let people know in advance that the PPD might spread misinformation about other groups it prepares them psychologically to resist this tactic and to dialogue with each other when the PPD attempts to play the divide and conquer game. It should go without saying that you should exercise your right to remain silent and refuse to answer the cops questions about others in the movements. However, If the cops approach you to speak about an organizer or organization you should absolutely contact that organizer or organization right away to talk about what happened and let them know the cops were asking about them and/or making claims about them. Exercise your right to dialogue with others in the movements and build with them.

That this is a seemingly clumsy use of this tactic should be no less concerning. It’s probable that the Civil Affairs knew their intervention would be rebuffed but knew that through speaking to Wooden Shoe staffers their primary message would be relayed to rebellious movements: we are watching you. This was especially clear the next day with the large police presence outside and around South Street. Cultivating paranoia is an important weapon in the cops arsenal.

While the Matt Lyons event was standing room only the police harassment and presence outside had a chilling effect. Some people received texts from friends warning people to stay away from the Wooden Shoe. In the future we would recommend the opposite. If you hear that a group is being harassed by police go down to stand by them and support them if it as at all possible for you to do so.

In 2014 we wrote this in response about police surveillance and harassment of Black Lives Matter activists at their homes and on their campuses:

“We would argue that surveillance’s primary function is for its targets to know they are being watched. It is used to instill fear; to get people feeling as if they are always being watched, monitored and scrutinized and that, implicitly, the police, like any other predator, might pounce on those they are watching. It is a powerful psychological weapon and one reason is that it’s viral. Once one person gets visited or gets a phone call or is followed home, other organizers are looking over their shoulder. Its goal is to make people feel isolated and targeted….

…Our response should be to resist this psychological war with our solidarity. The movement in Philadelphia will never let individuals be targeted and face the authorities alone. To borrow a phrase: our solidarity is our weapon. We should talk openly more about how we will support each other than how the cops may or may not be watching us or ways to evade their gaze.

They will be watching. But so will we. We, as a movement, will be watching to see if they try to start any shit with anybody and we will have each others’ backs. We, in the big picture are a powerful network that can mobilize people on the streets, support people in the courts and move ‘unlikely allies’ to our side. We, as a movement, will never let people face the authorities alone.

Our best defense is to build meaningful relationships with each other across organizations and sectors of the movement. Trust, clear lines of communication and relationship building are the inoculation to the viral fear and intimidation that surveillance tries to instill.”

This statement is more important than ever. Now is the time to have each others backs, build meaningful relationships across the movements and resist paranoia with public solidarity. Now is the time to draw a hard line and let the authorities know exactly what we will not tolerate and what we will not allow them to do to others in the movements. As the old anti-fascist slogan goes ‘No Pasaran’. They shall not pass. We will not let them harass or menace anybody in the movement unchallenged. We will be there for each other.

See Also:

Philly Antifa’s Statement: https://phillyantifa.org/repression-on-south/

Repression on South

  • January 31, 2017 9:38 pm

From Philly Antifa

Something was not quite right Saturday afternoon when Philly Antifa arrived at local anarchist bookstore, The Wooden Shoe, to set up for a free community event. Cops had been waiting outside the store as early as 9:00 a.m. But later on, it looked like they were everywhere; blocks deep in either direction, out in large numbers, standing on corners, hanging around in all shapes and sizes of police vehicles, walking up and down the block, circling in packs of bicycle units. Counter terrorism trucks were parked at 7th and Bainbridge and were positioned with more police cars on the same corner.


An attendee left the bookstore and was followed by two police officers into a coffee shop, who monitored their activity and tailed them for blocks. More and more cops showed up, lining the street while filming and photographing everyone who entered or left the shop.

Concerned at the large and hostile police presence, some people who wished to come to the talk, thought it better to leave. The police seemed to be about to do something. In fact, they already had. The day before, two police officers entered the Shoe and asked that they cancel the event. The police made nonsense claims that they feared the presence of antifascists would result in street conflict, and made accusations about Antifa’s involvement with recent protest actions.


We want to reiterate: Philadelphia Police tried to stop this event.

They were trying to shut down a free, open-to-the-public speaking engagement about antifascism with author and political scholar Matthew Lyons. Lyons went on anyway and spoke to a standing room only crowd regarding his most recent work, “Ctrl-Alt-Delete: Antifascist Report on the Alternative Right.” So many people turned up for the talk we ran out of room, and those who could fit inside got to learn about the rising tide of alt-right ideology and fascist activity. We hope that the cops watching and filming us through the windows enjoyed the talk as well; they obviously have an intense interest in fascism.

This behavior should sound the alarm. The state is poised to crack down on communities simply based on political ideology. Radical spaces, groups and associations are being targeted. Philly Antifa and antifascists everywhere are being threatened. We will not accept a world in which it is possible to silence a public talk at a bookstore. We must work together now to resist this blatant repression. We are hosting a fundraiser this coming Saturday at LAVA to support the PHL Autonomous Anti-Repression Fund. This Fund and show are the exact things we need to bring us together and sustain our spirits and resistance. Coming out to shows and fundraisers is not only really fun, but essential if you value radical spaces and groups fighting on the frontlines. We hope to see old friends and make new ones on Saturday.

As Philly Antifa, we exist to combat fascism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all forms of oppression. We must reject the repression and intimidation tactics the police are trying to use to impose on us. We will not stop fighting, we will not be subdued and we will not be silenced.