Comments on: Seattle, Seven Years Later http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/ This website will function as a clearinghouse for bulletins from participating cells, enabling readers to keep abreast of their activities and, more importantly, coordinate activities with them. Sat, 17 May 2008 11:32:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: CrimethInc. Far East Blog » Daniel McGowan Prison Blog Now Online http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-8479 CrimethInc. Far East Blog » Daniel McGowan Prison Blog Now Online Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:45:35 +0000 http://crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-8479 [...] counter-recruiting efforts, among many other activities. He was in Seattle in 1999 at the historic shutting down of the World Trade Organization meeting; he was central to the organizing against the Republican National Convention in 2004. Throughout [...] [...] counter-recruiting efforts, among many other activities. He was in Seattle in 1999 at the historic shutting down of the World Trade Organization meeting; he was central to the organizing against the Republican National Convention in 2004. Throughout [...]

]]> By: eriick http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-8204 eriick Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:48:12 +0000 http://crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-8204 Hey guys, if you have Facebook, please join this group, and honor our democracy by commemorating N30 (11/30/99): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6450353524 Thanks! Hey guys, if you have Facebook, please join this group, and honor our democracy by commemorating N30 (11/30/99):

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6450353524

Thanks!

]]> By: someguy http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-80 someguy Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:20:20 +0000 http://crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-80 good retrospective. but, got to pick at it. "Even if you don’t want to overthrow the government, forget about voting and petitioning—the only hope for change is in the streets." the author is contrasting voting to direct street action. but i feel that the issue is put in terms that are too absolute. i feel the most important work we can be doing is long-term neighborhood organizing. i'm not making a universal claim, but rather a claim reflecting where our emphasis currently is and what i see as current needs. we have to start really focusing on community work, espeially if we want to expand beyond a narrow segment of disillusioned traveller kids(myself included). where do we think street warriors will come from if we don't estblish constructive programs in working class neighborhoods? the author talks about demoralization and the drop off of participation. me and a lot of friends go to a lot less street actions not because of demoralization but because of a change in tactics and priorities. the state has diminished our returns on mass protests, and while there are valuable skills to be learned in those confrontations, most of the skills we need are probably better learned in a radical community kid's program\library\collective. this isn't to say that i'm against street actions, or mass actions. i just don't get making it the center of my activity anymore like i used to. the author stresses the demoralization. my friends and i involved in our community program are the very opposite. we're more excited and inspired than ever before, as are most the activists i know involved in successful community programs. if people feel so demoralized maybe they should consider trying some different activities. seattle was perfect, for it's moment. but mass street action could probably never have been hoped to expand indefinately. it had internal limits; like costs of travel, participants being in a stage in their life that left them free to not work, free to get arrested, etc. if we want a popular, mass revolution, instead of a vanguard of specialized young professional activist, then the mass street demos probably aren't our ticket. street actions are inclusive in the sense that most young people can come and participate to varying levels. but it is exclusionary in that most working people with families can't participate, and that's most of the population. we need to create possibilities for useful activity that more normal people can participate in without traveling across the entire fucking country and being arrested and rammed through a legal process. the condition of the movement in the US shouldn't be assesed by how much the communists or liberals are attempting or pretending to control big protest actions. sure, we could do better, have a better presence, be on top of oppurtunities more, get more literature out, etc we could do it all better, and we should keep striving to. i saw no anarchist lit being distributed in the huge new york thing against the republican primaries (2004). the anarchists just filled the ranks without taking much iniative, nor setting the tone. the liberals organized shit, the communists were getting their lit. out. so we could definately do better. but still, we shouldn't judge the movement by how much the communist or liberals are pretending to be on top of things. maybe it's just hard for me to get too worried about such dead-end groups. but i think anarchists are doing less street activity because they're doing more local work. if that's true, the the liberals and the communists have an ass-kicking in the mail. cause that's how we're finally going to bring this motherfucker down. starting little, effective, cultural, political community groups all through the heartland. but, protests aren't even a good venue to organize, attract, or involve new people. they are bad for that. it's classic 19th century liberal and communist method. and while i've been inspired and excited at protests, i've also been bored out of my mind, learned almost nothing, made ridiculous personal risks for pretty untangible revolutionary gains. just some reflections... good retrospective.
but, got to pick at it. “Even if you don’t want to overthrow the government, forget about voting and petitioning—the only hope for change is in the streets.”
the author is contrasting voting to direct street action. but i feel that the issue is put in terms that are too absolute. i feel the most important work we can be doing is long-term neighborhood organizing. i’m not making a universal claim, but rather a claim reflecting where our emphasis currently is and what i see as current needs. we have to start really focusing on community work, espeially if we want to expand beyond a narrow segment of disillusioned traveller kids(myself included). where do we think street warriors will come from if we don’t estblish constructive programs in working class neighborhoods?
the author talks about demoralization and the drop off of participation. me and a lot of friends go to a lot less street actions not because of demoralization but because of a change in tactics and priorities. the state has diminished our returns on mass protests, and while there are valuable skills to be learned in those confrontations, most of the skills we need are probably better learned in a radical community kid’s program\library\collective.
this isn’t to say that i’m against street actions, or mass actions. i just don’t get making it the center of my activity anymore like i used to.
the author stresses the demoralization. my friends and i involved in our community program are the very opposite. we’re more excited and inspired than ever before, as are most the activists i know involved in successful community programs. if people feel so demoralized maybe they should consider trying some different activities.
seattle was perfect, for it’s moment. but mass street action could probably never have been hoped to expand indefinately. it had internal limits; like costs of travel, participants being in a stage in their life that left them free to not work, free to get arrested, etc. if we want a popular, mass revolution, instead of a vanguard of specialized young professional activist, then the mass street demos probably aren’t our ticket. street actions are inclusive in the sense that most young people can come and participate to varying levels. but it is exclusionary in that most working people with families can’t participate, and that’s most of the population. we need to create possibilities for useful activity that more normal people can participate in without traveling across the entire fucking country and being arrested and rammed through a legal process.
the condition of the movement in the US shouldn’t be assesed by how much the communists or liberals are attempting or pretending to control big protest actions. sure, we could do better, have a better presence, be on top of oppurtunities more, get more literature out, etc we could do it all better, and we should keep striving to. i saw no anarchist lit being distributed in the huge new york thing against the republican primaries (2004). the anarchists just filled the ranks without taking much iniative, nor setting the tone. the liberals organized shit, the communists were getting their lit. out. so we could definately do better.
but still, we shouldn’t judge the movement by how much the communist or liberals are pretending to be on top of things. maybe it’s just hard for me to get too worried about such dead-end groups. but i think anarchists are doing less street activity because they’re doing more local work. if that’s true, the the liberals and the communists have an ass-kicking in the mail. cause that’s how we’re finally going to bring this motherfucker down. starting little, effective, cultural, political community groups all through the heartland.
but, protests aren’t even a good venue to organize, attract, or involve new people. they are bad for that. it’s classic 19th century liberal and communist method. and while i’ve been inspired and excited at protests, i’ve also been bored out of my mind, learned almost nothing, made ridiculous personal risks for pretty untangible revolutionary gains.
just some reflections…

]]> By: red maroot http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-63 red maroot Mon, 04 Dec 2006 03:58:03 +0000 http://crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-63 Hey everyone-- Those of you who have internet access but no printing access and want hard copies of this to distribute should email crimethincbooking@yahoo.com, or else just send a donation to cover postage to CrimethInc. (attn: Rolling Thunder) P.O. Box 2133 Greensboro, NC 27402 Hey everyone–

Those of you who have internet access but no printing access and want hard copies of this to distribute should email crimethincbooking@yahoo.com, or else just send a donation to cover postage to

CrimethInc.
(attn: Rolling Thunder)
P.O. Box 2133
Greensboro, NC 27402

]]> By: Coyote06 http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-61 Coyote06 Fri, 01 Dec 2006 04:58:12 +0000 http://crimethinc.com/blog/2006/11/30/seattle-seven-years-later/#comment-61 This document is amazing! It answers so many of my questions... Thank you! This document is amazing! It answers so many of my questions… Thank you!

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