Just us at Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St. #2I) at 6:30pm on Monday, March 27th to send letters of solidarity to Urooj Rahman, a human rights lawyer and activist arrested during the protests in response to the murder of George Floyd.
Urooj has spent her legal career protecting the rights of refugees around the world. She spent the last year representing low income New Yorkers facing eviction. She received both her undergraduate degree and law degree from Fordham University where she championed, and continues to champion, civil rights. During her time at Fordham Law, Urooj co-directed an LGBTQI human rights defender training in Cape Town, South Africa and contributed to a shadow report on behalf of Afro-Colombian women submitted to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD).
During the 2020 protests in response to the murder of George Floyd, Urooj was arrested and then indicted on seven counts for causing damage by fire to an abandoned and previously vandalized police vehicle. After over a year of fighting a slew of federal charges that together carried a mandatory minimum of 45 years in prison and a possible life sentence, Urooj initially took a non-cooperating plea to one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device which carries a sentence up to 10 years. Prosecutors indicated that they would seek to apply a “terrorism” sentencing enhancement against Urooj, which would make it much more likely that she would be sentenced to the full 10 years.
In June of 2022, after months of additional litigation and negotiation, Urooj entered a new non-cooperating plea deal to only one count of Conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of only 5 years, and prosecutor agreeing to recommend a sentence of 18 to 24 months. On November 18, 2022, Urooj was sentenced to 15 months in prison with two years of supervised release and over $30,000 in restitution. She was ordered to turn herself to begin her sentence on January 15, 2023.
Snacks and letter-writing supplies will be provided. If you cannot make the event, send Urooj some love at the address below. Note: Her name is Urooj but the BOP has her in the system as “Uroo,” so for the time being it is probably best to address the envelope that way.
Uroo Rahman #83822-053
FDC Philadelphia
P.O. Box 562
Philadelphia, PA 19105
We will also send a birthday card to another political prisoner born in April: Mumia Abu-Jamal (the 24th).
Join us on 3/30 for a benefit film screening and discussion of Riotsville, USA.
Advance registration is encouraged, please RSVP here.
The fight in Atlanta against “Cop City” is heating up. The Autonomous South Philly Cinema Association is hosting a benefit screening of Riotsville, USA (2022, 91 mins) to raise funds for mounting legal expenses. Riotsville, USA takes its name from the mock cities built by the U.S. government in the late 1960s to train police and military in repressive techniques to throttle uprisings, much as Cop City hopes to do — unless the struggle against it is victorious.
Thursday, March 30, 2023
6:00 PM 8:00 PM
Making Worlds Bookstore & Social Center210 South 45th StreetPhiladelphia, PA, 19104United States(map)
On March 21, 2023, mainstream news media outlets reported that a local NJ State Trooper, Jason Dare, had been missing for two days after he walked out of a Delaware County (Delco) PA drug and alcohol rehab facility. Every mainstream news media outlet that covered Dare’s disappearance all echoed the same thing: that Dare was a dedicated police officer since 2004 and a well loved staple of his community. As of March 24, 2023, Dare was found alive and unharmed in Bucks County, according to New Jersey State Police and local news media outlets. What each news media outlet conveniently left out of all of their coverage, is that Dare is a neo-nazi and has openly flaunted his fascist and racist views for over a decade, while being employed as a NJ State Trooper.
As pictures of Dare surfaced in news articles, regional community members were quick to point out some of Dare’s more noticeable neo-nazi tattoos, like his “blood and honor” (a common neo-nazi signifier) throat tattoo and several “iron cross” tattoos on his arms and chest. Dare’s family retorted that he wasn’t a nazi but instead got the throat tattoo as a memorial piece for his brother Nick Dare. Like Jason, Nick was also a police officer, who killed himself back in 2013, likely due to three separate disciplinary charges he was facing from Hamilton Township, NJ. Jason Dare’s family’s willingness to believe his flimsy excuse despite his other nazi tattoos, clothing choices, interests, and general bone-head appearance shows his family is in deep denial over who he really is.
Jason Dare pictured here with his late brother Nicholas Dare who was also a police officer into fascist imagery. Both can be seen here with iron cross tattoos.
Some of Dare’s racist tattoos can be seen here, including blood and honor, iron crosses, and fascist 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.
While Jason Dare somehow concealed his neo-nazi affiliation to his family, he was not concerned what his co-workers and fellow police officers at the NJ State Police would think. While actively employed as a NJ State Trooper, Dare slowly built his neo-nazi tattoo collection at work and in his free time when hanging out with his co-workers. It’s not so surprising, given the history behind policing in the so-called united states. It is however surprising that Dare was able to operate publicly as both a neo-nazi and NJ State Trooper and not draw any public attention or outcry.
Dare pictured here in a selfie he took in a NJ State Police bathroom, openly showing his neo-nazi tattoos.
Perhaps more concerning, however, is Dare’s possible affiliation the violent neo-nazi street gang Keystone United, formerly known as Keystone State Skinheads (KSS). While a PA based group, Keystone United has a presence in the region, notably in South Jersey, where members and supporters, like Jason Cunningham, have been recruited from. Dare has a pit bull head tattoo on the right side of his chest, which is identical to the Keystone United symbol. Keystone United members also sport this tattoo and symbol regularly. Dare’s Keystone United styled pit bull is also embossed with the number “165” on the dog’s forehead. It is unclear at this time what connection this number may have with Keystone United or other neo-nazi groups, but it should be noted with caution.
Dare with the Keystone United stylized pit bull tattoo. The numbers “165” can be made out on the dog’s skull.
Another disconcerting fact, is that Dare traveled from his residence in Vineland NJ (home to another neo-nazi Richard Rygaard) and traveled to Delco Pennsylvania to get treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Delco, is a known stronghold for Keystone United, and several members and supporters live there. Dare’s abrupt disappearance from Delco coupled with his possible connection to Keystone United leave many questions as to his whereabouts and who he was with.
Unsurprisingly, the NJ State Police went into damage control as the story of Dare’s disappearance developed, even after he was found. NJ State Police attempted to cover up the public controversy over Dare’s visible neo-nazi tattoos and altered pictures of him. In some instances they totally replaced his head shot photo with a completely different photo. The NJ State Police are trying to cover themselves and prevent further public outcry.
The left side shows the original unedited emergency alert photo that NJ State Police disseminated to the media and public. The right side shows what NJ State Police sent out after the public called attention to Dare’s neo-nazi tattoos.
At this time while it is too early to draw any concrete conclusions as to what Dare was up to and who his exact fascist affiliations are with, two things are clear: Jason Dare is a neo-nazi and a NJ State Trooper with the power of the state behind him. He has access to firearms and has connections to other police officers across the region.
The following information is being released due to the risk he poses to marginalized communities, particularly People of Color:
Jason Dare is 46 years old, born on May 9, 1976. He is currently engaged to a Vineland Police Officer Isaura De La Rosa and he lives in Vineland NJ with his family. He has been employed as a NJ State Trooper since 2004 and earns over $100k a year. He is bald and has a goatee. He is covered in tattoos, many of which are white supremacist or neo-nazi in nature. He enjoys metal and punk music and has been known to frequent the NJ hardcore scene. He is active in his local Police Benevolent Association and is involved in a number of police social scenes in New Jersey.
Dare has been known to frequent hardcore shows in the NJ region.
However, attention is focused on just two of them, Roark Capital and Silver Lake management, even though the report names a bunch of other companies that invest in selling shit to APD and other cops. Boo!
The team here at [REDACTED] takes Diversity, (Private) Equity, and Inclusion very seriously. In order to demonstrate our commitment we would like to address underrepresentation within the attention economy by introducing you to some companies named in the report and sharing their contact information so you can get in touch. Next steps? That’s where you get to show off your creativity. Enjoy!
(This is mostly all copied from their websites, but don’t forget to do your own research and double check things. Also remember that if webpages change suddenly Internet Archive is your friend.)
Join us for the first Philly-wide Solidarity Economy Assembly, a hybrid event, hosted by and in collaboration with Making Worlds Bookstore Cooperative Bookstore & Social Center.
The Solidarity Economy Principles Project defines SE as, “an organizing framework for those who wish to create a systemic commitment to and practice of interdependence and collective liberation in the economic activities that meet our material needs. Solidarity economy rests on our shared values: cooperation, democracy, social and racial justice, environmental sustainability, and mutualism… Solidarity economies emerge from movements and integrate the three common strategies for social change: personal transformation, building alternative institutions, and challenging dominant institutions. Building solidarity economy movements requires building networks, federations, and coalitions that align with SE principles and practices. This is where we become truly powerful.”
This assembly aims to intentionally begin forging these “networks, federation, and coalitions” across all those in the Philly region working to build a just world. Invitation extended to groups doing work spanning mutual aid, land and food justice, housing, cooperative/democratic/and alternative economies, climate justice struggle, and how we “tell the story of our freedom”: artists, media, and technology workers. You’re all already doing incredible organizing. Our hope is to strengthen our networks so we can move forward together with intention and… solidarity.
Event is hybrid. It will be facilitated by Esteban Kelly, Executive Director of USFWC. Jamila Medley, former Executive Director of PACA and one of the original writers of the SE Principles, will ground us in discussing the frameworks and hopes for the Solidarity Economy. We hope to see you there.
Thursday, March 23, 2023
5:00 PM 7:30 PM
Making Worlds Bookstore & Social Center210 South 45th StreetPhiladelphia, PA, 19104United States(map)
On a warm late winter night we went on a walk to one of our favorite post industrial wildernesses and discovered that it was being assaulted by monsters of steel and rubber. Disgusted, we returned with bleach, poured it into the tanks of a machine, stole a box of tools, and vanished into the night.
We send solidarity and complicity to the forest defenders in Atlanta behind bars and among the trees
RIP to Tortuguita
Fuck a Cellicon Valley
In 2008, queer anarchists gathered in Chicago to plot a disruption of the electoral spectacle and cohere a network out of emergent youth crews in multiple cities. Fifteen years later, the proposals put forward then — criminality, autonomous self-defense, riots, and orgies — are needed more than ever.The intervening years have been marked by intensification — of crisis, alienation, loss, and struggle. The right wing no longer hides behind euphemisms: they want to exterminate trans and queer people. The left offers only false solutions: vote, donate, assimilate. A decade of representation, symbolic legal victories, social media activism, and mass-market saturation has left us worse off by all metrics. Our fairweather friends won’t save us from the consequences of their strategy of empty visibility. The inescapable conclusion is that we must come together to protect ourselves.
History confirms the queer legacy of building connection in a world that hates us, the legacy of riotous joy—the legacy of bashing back. The attacks will continue on our nightclubs, forests, story hours, and siblings. To hold on, we need spaces—underground if necessary—to re-encounter each other, spaces to remember, build, share, and conspire.
In this spirit, we are ecstatic to announce the return of the Bash Back convergence!
Fifteen years from the original gathering, Chicago will host the 2023 convergence September 8–11. Comrades, old and new, are invited to discuss what’s still vital in the past and what’s needed in the present. In keeping with tradition, the convergence will include presentations, workshops, distros, parties, and other opportunities to make trouble.
If you are interested in attending, especially if you’d like to propose programming or tabling, please send us an introduction to bashback2023@riseup.net.
Proposals due by June 20.
Please share on social media.
Join us for an editor-led discussion of the recently published book, The George Floyd Uprising.
Written during the riots, The George Floyd Uprising is a compendium of the most radical writing to come out of that long, hot summer. These incendiary dispatches—from those on the front lines of the struggle—examine the new horizons opened by the revolt, as well as the social, tactical, and strategic obstacles it confronted. This practical, inspiring collection offers a toolbox for all those actively seeking to expand and intensify revolts in the future, and it is essential reading for everyone interested in toppling the state, racism, and capitalism.
In the summer of 2020, America experienced one of the biggest uprisings in half a century. After George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, angry crowds took to the street night after night, fighting the police, looting, and eventually burning down the Third Precinct. The revolt soon spread to cities large and small across the country, where rioters set police cars on fire, sacked luxury shopping districts, and forced the president into hiding in a bunker beneath the White House. Throughout the summer and into the fall, localized rebellions continued to erupt in Atlanta, Chicago, Kenosha, Louisville, Philadelphia, and elsewhere.
Written during the riots, The George Floyd Uprising is a compendium of the most radical writing to come out of that long, hot summer. These incendiary dispatches—from those on the front lines of the struggle—examine the new horizons opened by the revolt, as well as the social, tactical, and strategic obstacles it confronted. This practical, inspiring collection offers a toolbox for all those actively seeking to expand and intensify revolts in the future, and it is essential reading for everyone interested in toppling the state, racism, and capitalism.
About the Editors:
Vortex Group is an anonymous collective of writers who desire an end to this world and the beginning of a new one.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
4:00 PM 5:30 PM
Making Worlds Bookstore & Social Center210 South 45th StreetPhiladelphia, PA, 19104United States(map)
It is being reported on Idavox as well as in local media that New Jersey neo-nazi Nicholas G. Mucci was arrested on the night of March 4th for an attack against a benefit show for One Peoples Project, a longtime New Jersey Anti-Racist and Anti-Fascist organization.
Just after he participated in a white supremacist rally in town on Saturday, a 28-year-old man was arrested on charges stemming from reportedly throwing smoke bombs and attempting to pepper spray the crowd leaving a show in Asbury Park, NJ on Jan. 27 benefitting One People’s Project.
Nicholas G. Mucci, who lives in Toms River, was part of the rally that along with the New Jersey chapter of White Lives Matter also included members of the NJ European Heritage Association, Garden State Nationalist Club, Embrace Struggle Active Club, and National Socialist Youth Detachment. It was held alongside the Toms River Irish Festival whose participants heckled and jeered them while they stood on adjacent sidewalks.
That About Sums it Up
Mucci has been charged with aggravated assault, arson and weapons charges, among others and is still being held in Monmouth county jail.
Just us at Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St. #2I) at 6:30pm on Monday, March 13th to send letters of solidarity to American Indian Movement elder and boarding school survivor Leonard Peltier . February 27th to March 8th of this year marks 50 years since the Lakota standoff with oppressive colonial forces at Wounded Knee. Wounded Knee is also where, on December 29, 1890, the 7th Calvary massacred approximately 200 unarmed Lakota of Chief Bigfoot’s band. The gathering in 1973 was in response to the oppressive conditions forced on indigenous communities by the Bureau of Indian Affairs– the escalation into a standoff typifies the aggressive stance of government agents towards native people advocating for themselves.
Leonard was a member of the American Indian Movement active in the 1970s. It is his involvement in supporting rights for indigenous people that set the stage for the accusation that he participated in the killing of FBI agents. It’s unconscionable that he’s been left to rot in a federal penitentiary for nearly half a century after being convicted on false evidence . In 2009, Leonard had his first and only parole hearing. He was given a 25-year hit, an exorbitant length that is rarely, if ever, given. His legal team and many supporters worldwide are now seeking executive clemency for him. Let’s send him some love to fortify his strength and resilience, and lend support for his fight for freedom.
Snacks and letter-writing supplies will be provided. If you cannot make the event, drop Leonard a line at:
Leonard Peltier #89637-132 USP Coleman I P.O. Box 1033 Coleman, FL 33521
We will also send a birthday card to another elder political prisoner born in March: Ruchell Magee (the 17th).
The fight is synonymous with life itself! Therefore, throwing in the towel is never an option. Every day I go toe-to-toe with a system built on discrimination. I face people who want to kill my spirit and strip me of my dignity. On top of all that, I’m wrestling with my own demons. There’s nowhere for me to hide. Running would be a disgrace to rebellious hearts who dedicated their lives to confronting, challenging & revolutionizing.
Yeah, sometimes I find my back against the wall. I don’t fall to my knees, because I continue swinging. I’m gon’ stand my ground! Not only does my life depend on it, but that’s my debt to everybody engaged in the struggle, and those who’ll pick up the torch behind us. Ultimately, this fight is our right of passage. Where each hardship we overcome brings us closer to truth, purpose and righteousness.
Take a second to imagine what equality looks like in its purest form. Have you ever visualized a world more beautiful than that? Well, that’s what victory looks like. Judging from where we’ve started to where we’ve come. I believe that world is well within our grasp! Keep fighting!
