from Instagram
We heard about another totally outrageous eviction looming, so we showed up with a number of other people from like minded groups and stopped the city from booting out two individuals currently residing the grounds of the old Philadelphia Housing Authority headquarters in center city. In case you haven’t been following their scheme, the PHA was in theory created to keep lower economic status Philadelphians in decent houses and in their own neighborhoods. Instead, the PHA uses eminent domain to seize poor people homes, demolish them and either build luxury condos or sell them to developers who do the same thing. Casting poor people out of their homes and destroying communities to let affluent outsiders live tax free in these devastated areas that were once vibrant blocks. The PHA is some other level of vile. So l, some folks that needed a roof over their heads started squatting the old PHA headquarters in rather ironic fashion. There is a big habitable building that is not in use when so many are on the streets, and people desperately need housing. In our version of a “Service Day”, we showed to actually support the people that need it by standing up to the cops, gentrifying cop callers, and city workers who were about to forcibly evict our neighbors. They backed down for now but we will keep calling them out and challenging them-until they open up the thousands and thousands of empty properties that are not even in private hands; the houses owned by the PHA that could be housing our neighbors this very minute. #endtheabatement #stoptheevictions https://whyy.org/articles/housing-activists-stop-rittenhouse-encampment-cleanup-likening-it-to-eviction/
Eviction Defense of Center City Squatters
Local Groups #givingtuesday
from Instagram
Hey y’all we heard it was giving Tuesday! Here are a few of the projects we’ve been working on. If you would like to donate our venmo is @ramphilly & the security code is 4970 just write in the description what fund you would like to donate to!
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????The Indigenous Solidarity fund has been used to give money to Indigenous liberation projects across Turtle Island as well as send sacred medicine. ????The Commissary Fund for people on the Inside is to help comrades on the inside buy materials to keep them healthy when they are trapped in prisons where social distancing is not a possibility ????Locks for Eviction Defense is to help people facing illegal eviction put new locks on their doors to protect themselves from landlords trying to force them out during this pandemic ????Mutual Aid Fund we are working on a few projects such as doing a care package serve in North Philly (other places doing amazing stp work in North Philly are Prevention Point and @northphillypeacepark). We are also working on establishing a community garden .
from Instagram
[Video Here]
Apparently it’s #givingtuesdaynow so if you got the funds throw some our way (on Cashapp) or to other mutual aid projects that are doing the work that the state never provides. So many awesome projects out there, give if you can! #givingtuesday
[North Philly Food Not Bomb’s Cashapp handle is $NPFNB]
MayDayFun
Submission
In a time where COVID-19 is sweeping it’s way through workplaces, shelters, and prisons.. wholefoods, amazon, and other large corporations are silencing their workers and trying to think of ways they can capitalize off of this pandemic. Houseless folks are being evicted from encampments regardless of the logical recommendations of the CDC. Prisons are death camps and our friends in cages are making masks in crowded conditions without the privilege to even wear one.
As a gesture of solidarity and an expression of our rage, we drop this banner for those on the inside fighting to get out, for the workers under the boot of the corporate masters at amazon and elsewhere, and the importance of practicing mutual aid. Not just now, but always.
Open squats!
Loot the Wholefoods!
Free the prisoners!
#Mutualaid
Philadelphia: Anarchist Group ‘Bristling Badger Brigade’ Burns Cell Tower (U$A)
from 325
Another May Day, another cell tower set alight. A small act in the earliest hours, but an escalation beyond the norm. And we never want to return to ‘normalcy.’ We don’t know the difference between 4G and 5G. All we know is we want none of it.
The tower’s proximity to a train yard, a major pharmaceutical company’s office, and other military/mercenary enterprises in the Philadelphia Navy Yard was intended to interfere with their operations, however small the impact. It should also be a reminder that no one is untouchable if you have the appropriate determination. And this particular act was quite easy.
The first flame was a warm hug for the comrade Badger, allegedly on the run after a series of similar incidents in Bristol. Stay free!
The ensuing smoke a signal to the comrades undergoing the Scripta Manent persecution in Italy… we stand with you!
For freedom,
for anarchy!
Bristling Badger Brigade
may day
Submission
Just before our May holiday began someone cut comcast cables beneath an access panel in the sidewalk outside of the “Real Time Crime Center.” Located in the Quartermaster Plaza in South Philly, these chumps sit around watching us, monitoring police cameras all over the region. Get a life! Stop trying to suppress ours!
No way to confirm or deny the impact, but we hope it poked them in the eyes and blinded them to the life-affirming actions that anarchists may or may not have taken that night.
bingo
Submission
Figured we should mention some contributions we made toward our bingo card:
Money and letters were sent to some friends that are locked up, ran off with a couple of american flags, a couple more ring cameras were disposed of, helped a friend begin living inside a newly established squat, and a cart full of groceries was expropriated from the amazon overlords. I know that last one isn’t necessarily looting, but I’ve heard that another crew counted something to that effect. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
GOOD MORNING PHILADELPHIA
From Twitter
image description: banner over 95 reads
“No More Death By Incarceration
Free Bomani
FREE THEM ALL”
#bomanishakur #freethemall #freeourpeople #philadelphia #philly #abolitionist #deathbyincarceration #deathrow #freedomfighter #lucasvilleuprising #fttp
Lucky 13
Submission
Who knew this anarchist would be so excited to stumble upon a luxury car?! The other night I took a walk to a rich part of town. There I went hunting for luxury vehicles, and punctured 1-4 tires on 13 cars. Tons of Mercedes, BMWS and a brand new Range Rover (heart eyes). Cover up, use an awl for quiet flattening, and make sure to scan the surrounding cars, as people like to hang out in their cars these days.
Until next time,
Bingo Baller
A humble nod to all prison rebels…
Submission
…fighting for their lives. Not just the ‘innocent’ or ‘vulnerable’. Until all prisons are empty and destroyed!
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
Letter-writing to Joy Powell (4/27)
from Philly ABC
Support for political prisoners doesn’t stop during a pandemic; in fact it only intensifies as prisoners are in extremely dangerous conditions without the ability to socially distance or access to protective supplies. On top of that, staff members have been deliberately defying CDC guidelines endangering prisoners by coughing without covering their mouth, etc. Please join us this Monday April 27th for our monthly letter-writing event at 6:30pm. Due to COVID-19, this event will be held online using the secure open source video conferencing platform, Jitsi. Privacy is encouraged – no one is expected to share their camera. We’ll update this post with the meet link, and announce it on social media the day of the event.
This month we are writing to Joy Powell. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Joy has contracted COVID-19 inside Bedford Hills Prison. She is in quarantine, fighting the virus, but we are concerned because she has the underlying conditions of both asthma and diabetes. Prior to testing positive for the virus, she wrote a letter to Governor Cuomo asking him for clemency due to her age and preexisting conditions making her more vulnerable to complications.
Background:
As a pastor and a consistent activist against police brutality, violence and oppression in her community, Rev. Joy Powell was warned by the Rochester Police department that she was a target because of her speaking out against corruption. On many occasions Rev. Joy had held rallies and spoke out against the police brutality and “police justifications” in Rochester NY through her organization ‘Equality and Justice for All.’ Later, Rev. Joy was accused and convicted of 1st Degree Burglary and Assault and subjected to an unfair trial.
An all white jury tried her; the state provided no evidence and no eyewitnesses. Rev. Joy was not allowed to discuss her activism or say that she was a pastor. The person that testified for her was not allowed to tell the court that he knew Rev. Joy through their activist work and through the church. Furthermore, judge Francis Affronti promised he was going to give her a harsh sentence because he did not like her. She was sentenced to 16 years and seven years concurrent. After this conviction, herself and others were charged with a cold murder case. After her codefendent was acquitted, Joy was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. She maintains her innocence and has appealed the conviction because evidence has been withheld from her defense team to this day.
If you are unable to join us on Jitsi, please send Joy a letter anyways:
Rev. Joy Powell #07-g-0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 1000
Bedford Hills, NY 10507-2499
Philly Tenants Union Calls for a City Wide Rent Strike on May 1st
from It’s Going Down
Call from the Philly Tenants Union for a city-wide rent strike starting on May 1st.
On Friday 5/1, thousands of Philadelphians will participate in a rent strike, either in solidarity with other tenants or because they cannot afford to pay rent. Over 1.3 million Pennsylvanians have filed for unemployment, meaning 1 in 5 workers in the state are jobless. A recent study found that Pennsylvania’s unemployment trust fund will run out of money in 11 weeks, a timeline far shorter than most other states.
The Philadelphia Tenants Union has published an official call for a citywide rent strike to take place on May 1st. The guidelines for the strike are laid out in an official statement on their website. The guidelines include filling out a form so that the organization can connect tenants with each other who share the same landlord to draft collective demands for reduced or cancelled rents. If landlords refuse to provide relief for tenants who cannot pay, then that is when the tenants officially join the rent strike. It is imperative that the largest Real Estate Firms in Philadelphia – with the most political influence – feel the organized power of their tenants, and Philadelphia Tenants Union is working hard to build those unions.
The strike’s demands are directed towards Pa.’s Governor Tom Wolf, State Senators and State Representatives to:
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Cancel rent and mortgage payments for 6 months, with no debt accrued.
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Enforce rent and mortgage forgiveness for any missed payments dating back to March, 2020.
Demands are also directed towards Philadelphia’s Mayor Kenney and City Council members to:
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Make all evictions, eviction filing, and foreclosures illegal for at least 6 months
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Freeze rent rates at the current level for a year beyond the end of the crisis
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Enforce comprehensive rent control
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Take immediate action to provide housing for the houseless
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Build city-funded public housing that will meet the city’s need
The Philadelphia Tenants Union will also be offering support in three forms. The first is with an “Emergency Anti-Eviction Task Force” that will use legislative methods and direct action to disrupt and prevent evictions. The second is a “Rent Strike Fund” which will provide monetary funds for legal support for collectives of tenants on strike. Thirdly, is “Organizing Support”, providing resources and guidance to tenants as they prepare for May 1st.
The Rent Strike is a preventative measure for combating displacement and potential homelessness in the city and state, and is a direct action to pressure state legislators to provide immediate assistance to the impending economic recession. The official statement and rent strike guide can be found on Philadelphia Tenants Union’s website.
Late-night fun
Submission
Recently I gifted one OCF Realty van: four punctured tires…PLUS a bonus of two tires on a Comcast van.
Those spearheading gentrification make our lives increasingly unliveable, and will always be an enemy. Comcast has a contract with ICE; and they contribute to technological infrastructure and its web of surveillance, policing, ecological destruction and alienation. All things that continue to shape our daily lives into a suffocating prison of a world.
NOT being masked is suspicious these days, and I maintained 6ft of distance from another human the whole time! As what is ‘normal’ is changing rapidly, it’s important to think about how power will use our fear to keep us subdued. Shelter-in-place or not, are our lives really that free?
This Week in Fascism #55: Astroturfed Rallies Attract Far-Right
From It’s Going Down
[This post only contains information relevant to Philadelphia and the surrounding area, to read the entire articles follow the above links.]
Twitter researcher Thirteen Roses documented the presence of Philadelphia Proud Boys and Three Percenters in several Pennsylvania Facebook groups associated with the [anti-quarantine] protests, including a Philadelphia Police Department Officer related to Zach Rehl, a leader in the Philadelphia Proud Boys.
The Facebook pages for the Pennsylvanians Against Excessive Quarantine, Minnesotans Against Excessive Quarantine, and Ohioans Against Excessive Quarantine also appear to be run by the Dorr brothers, who have a history of direct mail fundraising for conservative causes – gun rights, the pro-life movement, etc. – and then funneling the money back to direct mail services owned by the brothers. The brothers also appear to own a series of domain names for “ReOpen” protests in seven different states.
Call to Action
Deplatform Quarantine Protest Groups
In the past week, the far-Right has taken to a new tactic – public demonstrations against public health guidelines. As detailed above, the protests have often taken the form of blocking hospitals, which the far-Right believes is either responsible for new restrictions on gatherings, or else engaged in a massive conspiracy to restrict Constitutional freedoms.
While the classic Points of Unity long held by antifascist groups such as Anti-Racist Action demand that we confront the far-Right wherever they organize, we can’t ethically demand that our comrades gather to confront these rallies in-person. Any mass antifascist gathering would mean infection.
In the United States, the death rate of known cases hovers around 4.3%, but those numbers may be higher or lower, depending on access to medical care. Statistically, any mass gathering in sufficient numbers would mean that someone would die. Fascism has always been a death cult, and the public gatherings make that evident. The organizers of these protests – some true believers, some grifters – are more than happy to throw their followers on the corpse-fire of their quest for power.
But we can still disrupt their organizing. The protests center around social media pages, usually on Facebook. This week, we can disrupt far-Right organizing by mass reporting the Facebook pages spreading COVID-19 misinformation and putting our communities at risk by organizing live events.
Below is a list of the most active COVID-19 protest groups on Facebook, listed in alphabetical order by name of state. Find your state and report the groups active there, then share this list with friends and ask them to do the same. Though Facebook has yet to offer an official tool to report COVID-19 misinformation, the company’s VP of Integrity issued a blog post on Thursday, claiming that the company is tracking the potentially dangerous posts.
