Anyone with questions about what they need to bring or what items could be useful to our organizing can consult the list here, and those who want to share ideas beforehand or are looking for rides can coordinate on the Convergence forums. Any queries, concerns about the accessibility of the space, or offers of help can be sent to info@crimethincconvergence.com. Our website will be updated frequently in the next three weeks.

What follows is a initial list of some of the workshops that will be offered this year. Don’t think this gets you off the hook. We ask that everyone who plans to attend, in fact we demand, that each and every beautiful and unique individual coming to Pittsburgh doesn’t sit passively listening to others talk or perform; we couldn’t bear not being graced with your exceptional talents or insights as well.The convergence is like a giant potluck of epic proportions, and it requires that every single person bring something to share. If you are used to talking a lot in front of crowds and being in charge, challenge yourself further by supporting the efforts of others, or even presenting or performing something that goes beyond the limits of what you’ve done in the past. If you have a workshop to present please post on the forums or e-mail cwc.booking@gmail.com.

Pittsburgh Organizing Group’s Tactical Trainings
A locally based anarchist group will offer a series of workshops from their “tactical training initiative,” including Participating in a Mass Action 101, Lockboxes and Lockdown Devices, Beyond the Boardroom: A Workshop on Strategic Corporate Research, Working With The Media (for Anarchists), and An Introduction to the Global Political and Economic Frameworks. More info here.

The Organization and Benefits of Freeschools to Small Communities
An open discussion on Free Schools compared to other methods of organizing with a focus on small communities.

The GnuRadicals will offer a series of workshops on computer security, including: An “Introduction To Free Software,” which details the theory and history of Free Software and what that means for anarchists; a “Digital Security” workshop that outlines the state of the art in digital security, evading electronic surveillance, and communicating anonymously; an “Install-Fest” that walks participants through installing the necessary software on their computers; and a “Wireless Games” workshop that instructs participants on how to crack encrypted wireless networks, followed by a city-wide effort to crack and map as many as possible.  All convergence attendees should bring their laptops if they have one and would like to participate.

Squat 2 Own
A workshop about political squatting, experiences organizing around housing issues in the South and how these topics relate to homeless solidarity, foreclosures, big banks, human rights, etc. A documentary may be shown if facilities are available, and more info can be found here.

Urban Permaculture/Guerrilla Gardening
Examining the concepts and principles of permaculture and its application to an urban setting. Hands on projects will be part of the workshop, as well as an exploration of the theme of blending anarchist direct action with permaculture. Depending on supplies and proximity to appropriate spaces, guerrilla planting, mushroom log placing and rainwater barrels can happen after the workshop takes place.

Story-Games: Collaborative Creativity, Entertaining Each Other & Abandoning the Media Machine.
What are Story-Games? They look like a handful of people sitting around talking. Some have you inventing the next part of the story, some have you speaking for one of the characters in the fiction. First we’ll have a guided discussion about story in our lives, then a very accessable lecture on Story-Jamming, learning to say Yes, and How To Make It Up As You Go Along. Then we’ll play a few story-games. It will be easy and fun.

Carnival of Solidarity: Tapping into the Radical Potential of New Orleans Mardi Gras
Next Year’s Olympic protests in Vancouver (Feb 10-15) will be happening at the same time as the culmination of Carnival in New Orleans. We are considering the possibilities of organizing solidarity actions in New Orleans during that timeframe. Also, there is discussion of staging radical actions/ outreach amidst the backdrop of Carnival/Mardi Gras every year from now on. This idea is still in the beginning stages; so, the workshop will be partially a brainstorm/thinktank session.

Intro to Botany and Plant Morphology
We will examine evolutionary development of vascular plants, plant nutrient uptake/nutrient deficiencies, some plant propagation, and maybe if time allows looking into flowers/seeds and a quick tutorial on plant breeding and germination. A plant walk in a nearby forested area will follow, if time allows, or be a separate additional workshop.

Trans 101
A workshop on gender as a social construction, transgender issues with healthcare, trans involvement in the LGBT community as a whole, and looking at ways to generally promote the visibility of the trans community.

Urban Hunting and Gathering
How to acquire and encourage wild and feral foods in an urban setting. We will cover animal processing (field dressing, using all parts of an animal, hide tanning, meat preservation), basic hunting and trapping strategies, medicinal and edible plants commonly found in urban areas, and whatever else folks want to discuss.

Herbalist Q & A
Come ask questions and I’ll do my best to answer them! Anything from abortions to headaches to medicine making.

Basic Medical Training
A workshop on basic emergency medicine, covering chemical burns, infection prevention, reduction of dislocations, blunt trauma and broken bones. Perspectives from alternative/holistic approaches will be given as well as from an experienced EMT.

Anti-Semitism in the Anarchist Millieu
Exploring and exposing the unfortunate propensity for anti-semitism in the anarchist milieu – presenting a few tenuous proposals for attacking this with more than just good intentions.

Convergence Reading Group
A contemporary yet classic anarchist text will be distributed to anyone interested at the beginning of the Convergence and near the end we will facilitate a discussion based on our reading. Feeling limited by the workshop format, this will be an attempt to give participants a common thread that extends beyond the alloted time. A discussion about people’s successes and failures in starting and continuing anarchist reading groups in their local communities will follow, or be a separate workshop altogether.

Community Autonomy: Building Networks and Infrastructure
A collective brainstorm on how we can build a network of communities that identify with the movement toward radical sustainability, and how we can build new infrastructure, both physical and social, that can move us toward greater autonomy from oppressive institutions. More info about the presenters here.

Musical Instrument Skillshare and Construction
A positive and encouraging space will be facilitated for folks to learn how to play instruments the want to learn about and teach about ones they know about. This workshop will also aim to create a marching band out of interested attendees to perform later on during the week.

Radical History Bike Tour
Local Pittsburghers will lead a bike tour through the city, visiting the many points of intense radical history that touched these streets. From the site of the Homestead strikes, to the tunnel that Emma Goldman and her comrades tried digging into the prison, to the armory that William Weisiss tried to raid, to the place where the knife that Alexander Berkman tried to stab Frick with is kept. We will have some bikes on hand, but please bring a bike with you if possible.

We’ve also got folks planning discussions on disability issues bringing their personals experiences, a Graffiti Walk, morning yoga, rewilding skills like sling-making, a workshop on basic vehicle mechanics, and a facilitated discussion on writing and editing.

In addition to the workshops there will be evening fun playing urban capture the flag, a radio powered treasure hunt adventure, an epic dance party, a puppet show, spontaneous games of all stripes and an inventive Hat Band that can hopefully expand upon this longstanding international tradition. Since we’ve chosen an urban location this year we’re planning a short swimming retreat out of town, and on Saturday July 25th the Convergence will help boost Pittsburgh’s new monthly Really Really Free Market (bring anything you can to give away!). Ambitious plotting is in the works for other activities, but remember that these can only succeed with the self-motivation and self-direction of the attendees. And so that is what we ask you to bring to Pittsburgh in three weeks time; we can hardly wait to see what you have in store.

Remember, meet at the Northside Commons (W. North Ave. and Brighton) by the pond, on Monday, July 20, anytime between 12 pm and sundown.

Next time, we’ll be able to announce more workshops!

Appendix: Another Tour to the Convergence

Froseph is going on yet another tour revolving around this summer’s convergence. The Wild Nettle Bookmobile, Winona, Minnesota’s anarchist literature distributer will also be along for the ride. Check out their new website! Along with the usual goods, The Wild Nettle Bookmobile hopes to raise some much needed legal funds for the RNC 8, the MKE 3 and Bash Back!. The dates are listed below. The ones marked “(help!)” are not confirmed. If you live in or around those places and would like to host this tour, please email froseph@crimethinc.com.

June:
23-Madison, WI at the Lothlorien Coop w/Thistle
25-Kalamazoo, MI
26-Detroit, MI at the Trumbellplex w/Ghost Mice and Heathers
27-Ann Arbor, MI (help!)
28-Toledo, OH
29-Cleveland, OH
30-Columbus, OH

July:
1-Dayton, OH (help!)
2-Athens, OH at Brown Town
3-Frederick, MD
4-Baltimore (help!)
5-9-Philadelphia July 5-9 (help!)
9-13-Punxsutawney, PA July 9-13
13-27-Pittsburgh, PA CrimethInc. Convergence
29-Lexington, KY benefit for Hugh
30-Louisville, KY (help!)
31-Bloomington, IN (help!)

August:
1-Evansville, IN
2-St. Louis, MO (help!)
3-Kansas City, MO (help!)
4-Lawrence, KS (help!)
5-Omaha, NE (help!)
6-Des Moines, IA

This is required reading for anyone going to the impending Earth First! Rendezvous in Oregon, the CrimethInc. convergence in Pittsburgh July 20-26, or, for that matter, any other radical gathering or protest. We’ve also added a guide to security culture to our online library, which we hope everyone will read as well.

Cold-Blooded Bounty Hunters

Perhaps, gentle reader, you’ve never been part of a community targeted by the US government. Picture undercover agents attending your events with the intention of setting people up to be framed for illegal activity. Most of your friends and family would have the sense to keep themselves out of trouble, of course—but can you be absolutely sure everyone would?

What if someone fell in love with the agent and was desperate to impress him or her, and the agent took advantage of this? Every community has people in it who may sometimes be gullible or vulnerable, who may not display the best judgment at all times. And what if the agent provocateur is a person everyone trusts and looks up to? Government agents aren’t always outsiders—often, the FBI recruits or blackmails long-time participants, such as Brandon Darby and Frank Ambrose. Don’t underestimate these people; they’re cold-blooded bounty hunters ready to do whatever it takes to earn their paychecks, guided by experts with millions and millions of dollars of funding.

Perhaps you’re still saying to yourself “It would never happen—all of us are law-abiding citizens.” Sure you are, every last one of you. The US has 2.3 million people in prison, and over 5 million more on probation and parole—if there isn’t a single person in your whole community who has ever broken the law, you’re exceptional, and probably exceptionally privileged. Anyway, it doesn’t matter—your unfortunate friend or neighbor doesn’t even have to do anything illegal to get framed by the government. They just have to end up in a situation in which it’s possible to make it appear that they could have been considering doing something illegal.

Often the evidence is so tenuous that it takes the government multiple attempts to obtain a conviction. In an entrapment case resulting from the mobilization against the 2008 Republican National Convention, defendant David McKay received a hung jury at trial, only to be coerced into pleading guilty afterwards behind closed doors. In another recent entrapment case, it took two hung juries before a third jury finally convicted some of the defendants—prompting a law professor quoted by the New York Times to say, “It goes to show that if you try it enough times, you’ll eventually find a jury that will convict on very little evidence.”

Muslims and people who care about the environment are at the top of the list for operations like this; opponents of unaccountable authority are close behind. And here we arrive at the one significant difference between “law-abiding” white middle America and at least some of the communities currently targeted by the FBI: the latter are critical of the government. Who can blame them, considering?

How This Affects Us

There have been two instances in which people who attended a CrimethInc. convergence have been entrapped. Eric McDavid, Zachary Jenson, and Lauren Weiner met each other and an informant by the name of “Anna” at the 2004 and 2005 convergences, among other events. Anna drove them across the country, rented them a wiretapped cabin, bought bomb-making materials, and took advantage of McDavid’s attraction to her to pressure the group into discussions that resulted in McDavid’s conviction on conspiracy charges. Afterwards, Elle Magazine quoted regretful jurors as saying “the FBI was an embarrassment” and “I hope he gets a new trial.” In 2008, Matthew DePalma attended a CrimethInc. convergence in Wisconsin, at which he was approached by Andrew Darst, a federal infiltrator posing as a member of the RNC Welcoming Committee. Darst persuaded DePalma to assist him in manufacturing explosives, recorded conversations with him in a wired apartment, and drove him around to do research and purchase supplies. DePalma was indicted on felony charges [PDF, 3.4 MB] for possession of “unregistered firearms,” and eventually pleaded guilty.

Besides these two cases, not one of the hundreds upon hundreds of people who have attended CrimethInc. convergences has been convicted of anything having to do with bombs or Molotov cocktails. These infiltrators sure are precise! Apparently, they can show up in a chaotic space filled with hundreds of people who don’t know each other, immediately identify the most dangerous extremists, and insinuate themselves into their closest confidence—all in a very short time. Next thing you know, the snitches are saving the day, narrowly rescuing ordinary citizens from terrorist attacks—which the criminals would have been about to carry out anyway, even if the agents provocateurs hadn’t befriended them, talked them into crazy schemes, and supplied them with all sorts of incriminating materials.

If you’re gullible enough to believe that version of the story, you’re a perfect target for government entrapment yourself. It seems much more likely that these agents provocateurs pick on the most vulnerable people they can find: the lonely, the naïve, the impressionable, the mentally or emotionally unstable, people who lack close friendships or life experience. This is easier than messing with shrewd, well-connected organizers. The point is not so much to catch the people organizing resistance to the government—charges of Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Jaywalking are just not that impressive—so much as to discredit resistance movements by framing somebody, anybody, as a Dangerous Terrorist. If that means destroying the life of a person who never would have actually harmed anyone, who cares—honest, compassionate people don’t become snitches in the first place.

None of this is intended to blame or insult those who are entrapped. We all have moments of weakness. The guilt lies on those who take advantage of others’ weakness for their own gain.

-

How We Defend Ourselves

Why go on meeting publicly, if the government sees this as an opportunity to entrap us? Wouldn’t it be safer to shift to informal networks or small underground cells?

The government would like nothing better than for us to retreat to private scenes and cliques, so there are fewer opportunities for unconnected individuals to get involved. It is to our oppressors’ advantage for small numbers of radicals to escalate to more militant tactics while losing connection to a social base; this makes direct action less likely to spread, while rendering it easier to justify repression. It might be harder for the government to track down clandestine groups at first, but you can bet they’ll set their minds to doing so with a vengeance; Operation Backfire is proof that closed, high-security structures are also not impenetrable.

The most important thing for us to be doing is not secretively carrying out military strikes against the State, but generalizing whatever ideas, skills, and momentum we can. To that end, we desperately need public, participatory activities offering points of entry for new people and opportunities for existing groups to connect.

Right now, there’s no reason to believe that everyone with “RADICAL” stamped on their FBI file is about to be rounded up and sent to camps. It seems that the current government policy is to collect as much intelligence as possible on radicals, target high-visibility organizers with conspiracy charges when there is a good chance of convicting them, and entrap whichever random victims are easiest to frame. That means rank-and-file participation in radical movements and communities is still relatively low-risk, so long as you use your head.

Let’s review what that entails:

Never undertake or discuss illegal activity with people you haven’t known and trusted for a long time. Don’t trust people just because other people trust them or because they are in influential positions. Don’t let others talk you into tactics you’re not comfortable with or ready for. Be aware that anything you say may come back to haunt you, even if you don’t mean it. Always listen to your instincts; if someone seems pushy or too eager to help you with something, take some time to think about the situation. Reflect on the motivations of those around you—do they make sense? Get to know your comrades’ families and friends.

It’s also useful to study the behavior of informants. An interesting analysis of the communications of the agent provocateur in the Eric McDavid case is available here.

All this is fairly common sense among seasoned radicals, but perhaps we can go a step further. Thus far, activists and anarchists have thought of security largely in personal terms—as a way for individuals to avoid incriminating themselves and their friends. The forms of “security culture” common in our communities have reflected this individualism. Yet even if 99 out of 100 anarchists are able to avoid getting framed, when agents provocateurs manage to entrap the 100th one we still end up all paying the price—losing friends, spending years working on prisoner support, and ceding the government yet another opportunity to demonize us in the media.

We need to evolve a new security culture that can protect others as well, including vulnerable and marginal participants in radical spaces who may be particularly appetizing targets to federal bounty hunters. In addition to looking out for yourself, keep an eye on others who may put themselves at risk.

For example, imagine that you attend a presentation about a direct action mobilization, and one person in the audience keeps asking crazy questions and demanding that people escalate their tactics. It’s possible that this person is a cop; it’s also possible that he’s not a cop, but a hothead that might make a very attractive target for cops. Such individuals are typically shunned, which only makes them more vulnerable to agents provocateurs: “Screw these squares—stick with me and we’ll really make something happen!” Someone who has nothing to lose should approach this person in a low-stress environment and emphasize the importance of proper security culture, describing the risks that one exposes himself and others to by speaking so carelessly and urging him to be cautious about trusting anyone who solicits his participation in illegal activity. A ten-minute conversation like this might save years of heartache and prisoner support later on.

A great deal of thinking remains to be done on this subject. How do we look out for each other without prying into each other’s business or stepping on each other’s toes? Are there other ways we can protect against the machinations of infiltrators and informants? We don’t know the answers to these questions yet; we’re asking you to think them through with us. The sooner we can develop a collective security culture that prevents federal agents from framing naïve young people, the sooner we’ll be able to build a durable, visible struggle against oppression.

Further Reading

What is Security Culture

The Electronic Frontier Foundation on Surveillance Self-Defense

General Security Culture Guide: online version and zine version [PDF]

Resisting Grand Juries

Additional Links

Security Culture Puppet Show

We hadn’t planned on this—perhaps we’d forgotten that we are in a war that is constantly unfolding, that doesn’t permit truce or respite. It’s hard to bear in mind at all times how much depends on us, to remember that we are responsible for making the kind of resistance we want to participate in come about in our lifetime. At the same time, we can’t only react to our enemies, even when they are constantly provoking us—we must also take the time to develop long-term relationships and projects, or else we’ll never be able to take the initiative.

So what will the convergence in Pittsburgh look like?

From Barnstorming to Barn-Raising . . .

Originally, our plans for this summer’s convergence were simple enough. Having perfected our previous format, the wilderness retreat, we were going to experiment with a new model. Staging our eighth convergence in an urban setting, we hoped to pioneer a way for a transitory nationwide event to contribute permanent infrastructure to ongoing local organizing.

Accordingly, we looked around for a building to purchase in Pittsburgh, with the intention of converting it into a working social center in the course of the gathering. As capitalism continues to decimate entire regions, it is up to us to collectivize the abandoned resources and demonstrate that our alternative can succeed where the so-called free market has failed. We’ve spent enough time talking about how things could be different—we have to find ways to make them different.

. . . and Back into the Teeth of the Storm

But the context looks a little different now that the G20 is slated for Pittsburgh. We can expect more pressure from our enemies, so some of our original plans may be more difficult to carry out. At the same time, we are still committed to organizing a convergence dedicated as much to building and questioning as to conflict with the state. This convergence will provide a wide range of points of departure—from a free health care clinic that will function for the course of the event to direct action trainings that will remain useful long after the G20 meetings, and everything else you can imagine as well.

The G20 does not make Pittsburgh any more or less an epicenter of capitalism than it already was. Even before Obama picked it as a shining model of economic recovery, Pittsburgh suffered from gentrification, structurally imposed white supremacy, and all the other scourges of a hierarchical society. These forces must be fought constantly and on a wide range of levels, not simply at global trade summits—though summits, too, offer a chance to fight, and this might be a historic opportunity.

All who are interested in the G20 protests should think critically about what they want out of them and begin talking about how to make those dreams come true. Pittsburgh is about to host a local meeting to discuss the infrastructure and format for the protests; we urge other interested communities to hold their own consultas, so by the time we see each other in July we will be able to compare notes.

Anarchists—whether or not you are invested in the G20 mobilization, we beseech you to bring your talents and projects to Pittsburgh this July. It has never been more important for us to find one another, to make something happen, to demonstrate all the different ways we can resist this world and create another. Help us write the next chapter in the struggle for our lives.

Call for Workshops, Skillshares, and Presentations!

If you would like to present a workshop, organize a discussion, show a film, or otherwise usefully engage the attention of other participants, please send us a description of your plans, and stipulate any limitations or requests.

email cwc.booking@gmail.com

Call for Workshop and Discussion REQUESTS!

This year, we will set aside time for people to present workshops on things they know about, and set aside a separate time for people who have questions they wish answered to share those. Formulate a question you’ve always wanted help with, and bring it to share with others.

For example: Were there women involved in the anarchist resistance in the Ukraine? (The answer is yes.) Are prisoners better off under Obama? (Unfortunately, the answer is no.) How do I get the alarm tags off the shoes at Exploitation Incorporated? (Come to Pittsburgh and find out!)

Alternately, it could be a question that has no easy answer, but that you are excited to discuss with others: Is polyamory inescapably wedded to drama? What agency, if any, can we have in bringing about a worldwide revolutionary struggle?

For best results, email your question to us now, so people can be thinking about it in advance: cwc.booking@gmail.com

Call for Nighttime Entertainment!

Calling all performers: all musicians, all poets, drag troupes and puppeteers, all storytellers, all choreographed dance teams, comedians and surrealists, to participate in the Convergence Cabaret—a nightlong variety show, a spectacular spectacle showcasing all of your weird and wild talent.

AND . . . with no nighttime fire to gather around, we’re looking to put together some participatory, performative, exciting social spaces EVERY evening. Do you have a play to perform or one to cast during the convergence? Are you coming with your genderfucking square dance band? Contact us with your entertainment ideas, small and large.

Email cwc.booking@gmail.com to sign-up.

Call for Help! We Need the Following Resources . . .

If you can share any of these resources in advance, or any others that might be useful, please email info@crimethincconvergence.com:

Store credit for Home Depot and Lowes
Bike repair tools and bike parts
A generator

Food stamps
Condiments
Shipments or deliveries of specialized goods (e.g., boxes of Odwalla bars, cliff bars, etc.)
Spices
Tremendous quantities of food

Kitchen equipment
Rocket stoves
Propane blasters
Water coolers
Carafes

A massage table
Herbal tinctures
First aid supplies
Rubbing alcohol
Large bandages
Tape
Cotton balls
Emergen-C packets

Costume materials
Art supplies
Fabric

Bookshelves
Racks (as in ’zine racks!)
Milk crates
Cinder blocks
Wooden boards

Gardening equipment
Seeds and starts, fruit trees, etc.

Children’s toys

Free literature

What Should I Bring?

Urban camping gear (sleeping bag, sleeping pad), musical instruments, a laptop if you have one and wish to use it in the computer-based workshops, a bicycle (really useful!), mix tapes and seeds to swap, picture frames, gifts for other convergence attendees, ideas, games, workshops, much more . . .

Tours to the Convergence

We’ve been notified of a couple tours heading to the convergence. If you wish us to announce yours, email us about it. Here is a description of one such tour:

The cutthroat revolutionary puppeteers of The Mysterious Rabbit puppet Army are going on a one month tour to help do their part to overthrow the ruling social order. They will be performing several shows, including:

Donny Don’t—A puppet show about security culture
Jack and the Beanstalk—A dramatic anti-capitalist retelling of the old fairy tale
Little Red Riding Hood—An animal-centric look at a familiar story
The Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army’s Guide To Landing Your Dream Job—Practical tips for weathering the storm

They’ll be distributing an absurd quantity of ’zines, posters, stickers, and books. If you live in a small town anywhere along the tour route and would like them to perform there, that can be arranged. To reach them for further information about any of these shows, or to invite them to your town, email rabbitarmy@live.com.

MYSTERIOUS RABBIT PUPPET ARMY TOUR

Tuesday July 14th Richmond, VA
Wednesday July 15th Washington, D.C.
Thursday July 16th Baltimore, MD
Friday July 17th Philadelphia, PA
Saturday July 18th New Haven, CT
Sunday July 19th Allentown, PA
July 20th through 26th CrimethInc. Convergence
Monday July 27th Athens, OH
Tuesday July 28th Off
Wednesday July 29th Columbus, OH
Thursday July 30th Off
Friday July 31st Bloomington, IN
Saturday August 1st Off
Sunday August 2nd Louisville, KY
Monday August 3rd Off
Tuesday August 4th Nashville, TN
Wednesday August 5th Off
Thursday August 6th Asheville, NC
Friday August 7th Charlotte, NC
Saturday August 8th Greensboro, NC
Sunday August 9th Chapel Hill, NC

Next Time . . .

. . . We’ll announce some of the events scheduled for the convergence, offer a rudimentary schedule, and drop some hints as to our other plans. To contribute or make suggestions, please email cwc.booking@gmail.com and info@crimethincconvergence.com.

Remember, meet at the Northside Commons (W. North Ave. and Brighton) by the pond, on Monday, July 20. The convergence runs July 20-26.

As a humble gesture of solidarity, the next issue of our biannual journal Rolling Thunder will include a report on Chilean resistance movements over the past decade; we hope this will provide more context for and awareness of the Chilean situation for readers around the world. As we did for our coverage of the Ungdomshuset and G8 protests, we are soliciting anonymous accounts from participants in the past decade of social struggles in Chile to fill out our coverage.

If you have experiences you are willing to share or can direct us to publicly available narratives, please contact us at rollingthunder@crimethinc.com. Those who have privacy concerns should consider starting a new email account on a public-access computer.

Please circulate this statement anywhere it may be relevant. Thank you.

Rolling Thunder Busca Relatos De Chile

Después de la muerte de un anarquista alegado por los medios capitalistas transportar un artefacto explosivo, una oleada de represión estatal está llegando a Chile. Mandamos nuestras condolencias a lxs que han perdido un amigo, y nuestro apoyo a lxs que todavía sufren bajo un aparato represivo que no ha cambiado a fondo desde el mando de Pinochet. Nos preocupa el peor todavía viene, como el estado chileno probablemente utilizará el hecho como un pretexto para más allanamientos, detenciones, y hostigamiento.

Como un gesto humilde de solidaridad, la próxima edición de nuestra revista bianual Rolling Thunder incluirá un reportaje sobre los movimientos de resistencia en Chile durante la ultima década; esperamos que dé más contexto y conocimiento a la actualidad en Chile para los lectores por todo el mundo. Como hicimos para nuestro reportaje sobre las protestas de Ungdomshuset y G8 buscamos los relatos anónimos de participantes durante la ultima década de las luchas sociales en Chile para llenar nuestro reportaje.

Si tienes algunas experiencias que estás dispuestx compartir o sino puedes indicar unos relatos ya publicados y disponibles, por favor contáctanos a rollingthunder@crimethinc.com. Para la gente con preocupaciones de seguridad debe abrir una cuenta nueva de correo electrónico en un computador publico (como un cibercafé).

Por favor que difundan esta declaración donde puede ser relevante. Salud.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the first CrimethInc. convergence in August 2002. We’ve witnessed a protracted war and occupation, an economic crisis, and most recently a change—however superficial—of rulers. We have come full circle from being isolated dissidents in a time of patriotic consensus to seeing our radical critique co-opted by politicians at the very moment our neighbors are becoming aware of the injustices of capitalism and empire.

Seven convergences later, we have reduced the limitless possibilities of the format we first tested to a precise science. We’re in a different social context now, and it’s time to debut a new experiment.

As the economic downturn affects the geography of urban centers, tremendous spaces are opening up that could become new sites of autonomy and struggle. This year, rather than gathering in a wilderness setting to nurture our subversive desires in seclusion, we will stage our convergence in the decaying metropolis of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We hope that this event can contribute to building long-term infrastructure for our culture of resistance.

This will be nothing like the urban anarchist conferences of the past decade–no antiseptic university setting, no dispersing to isolation in individual meals and housing at the end of the scheduled programming. We will actively contest the city environment in an effort leave a permanent mark upon it, just as we hope to contest the rituals and informal hierarchies of the anarchist milieu.

All spring, rumors have circulated about the secret plans of the contingent in Pittsburgh organizing this event. What’s this about squatting a castle? Is it true that they’re buying a giant warehouse in the city center? Will we be building a hammock village spread across empty lots? There aren’t actually catacombs in Pittsburgh, are there?

We’ll have more news here shortly. In the meantime, here are fliers announcing the event {2-up Handbill [2.6MB] & Full-page Flyer [2.4MB]}–please disseminate them everywhere you can. There also a rudimentary website at www.crimethincconvergence.com, which will be expanded soon.

Finally, here are the policies for this summer’s convergence, which have been thoughtfully revised by the locals bottomlining the event. If you are frustrated about any of them, please organize your own event!

Policies

Respect: We ask for your respect for the building and the local area. We aim for the convergence to be a positive, constructive force in Pittsburgh. Exercise discretion, friendliness, and respect while interacting with the local community. Please, no aimless graffiti, public urination, late night loudness, or similar activity likely to attract negative attention. Whatever you’re doing, please keep in mind that the convergence needs to fly somewhat under the radar to come off successfully. Do not put the convergence or its attendees at risk through careless or insensitive behavior, and do not give the cops reasons to interact with the convergence. There are plenty of times to sow mayhem; this convergence is a time to create a safe community space that will hopefully exist long into the future.

Consent: Any interaction you have with others here, whether sexual or otherwise, should be consensual. Silence and passivity do not count as consent. If someone says no to something or is unsure and you badger them until they say yes, that’s not consent; if someone is intoxicated they may not be in a position to give you consent. If someone says you violated their wishes, that counts as breach of consent, whatever a court of law would say. By the same token, don’t define others’ experiences for them: the person who has an experience gets to decide whether or not their wishes were respected in it, and also what, if anything, the community should do about it.

Security: Security is a consent issue just as much as sex is. Don’t say or do anything that puts others at risk unless you have their express permission; don’t speak about their involvement in illegal activity or endanger them by your own actions. Be aware that you may be under observation by your enemies at all times. Don’t alienate others by speculating about whether they are informants or ostracizing them based on suspicion; at the same time, don’t put yourself at risk by trusting people just because they’re here. Also, please don’t needlessly break the law, as that will cause trouble for all of us; there will plenty of time after this week to hone your criminal skills. Food, shelter, and everything else you might want are already provided here.

Pronouns: Part of respecting each other means respecting our varied and infinite gender identities. In the pursuit of making this convergence a safer space for people of all genders, its vitally important to respect one another’s pronouns. The world of gender is a huge and complicated terrain, but it can be more easily navigable with some simple guidelines: Don’t assume someone’s gender simply based on your perception. Ask! People will be glad you did. Make sure to refer to people by their chosen gender (or non-gendered) pronouns. If you mess up, apologize and work on that in the future. If in doubt, “they” works wonders.

Drinking and Drugs: There is a strict policy of no alcohol or drug use during the convergence. This is for several reasons, but the most important are to comply with the express wishes of our hosts and to avoid giving the authorities a pretext for harassing us. An urban convergence is particularly challenging in this regard. With the possibility that convergence attendees will scatter throughout the city at various points during the week, the ’site’ of the convergence is not as clearly defined as in past years. It is for this reason that we ask that convergence attendees remain sober for as long as they intend on taking part in convergence activities. There is no judgment or morality attached to this policy; the last thing we want is an obvious division between people who drink and people who don’t. If you smoke cigarettes, please do not do so inside the building and do not congregate in front it; our concern is with the safety of the building, not personal habits. Also, please do not scatter cigarette butts on the street.

Building Safety: Please be hyper-vigilante about fire hazards: no flames, incense, candles, lanterns, flammable liquids, fire dancing tools, stoves, or anything similar may be brought inside the building. Be aware that the building’s unfinished condition can create safety hazards for attendees as well.

Photographs: Don’t photograph anyone or anything without permission—this is also an issue of consent and respect. Bear in mind that the density of an urban convergence makes this challenging.

Money: Nothing is bought or sold at the Convergence. Occasionally people have asked for donations for items as benefits for political prisoners or projects. This is fine in small doses, but generally the Convergence shouldn’t be a place where a lot of money changes hands.

Non-humans: Attendees may not bring dogs or other pets to the convergence space or to convergence events. Given the space constraints and safety considerations of an urban convergence, no exceptions can be made.

Exclusion: Because this convergence should be a safe space for everyone, people who violate these policies may be asked to leave. In cases of breach of consent, both sexual and security, we will 1) trust the survivor and 2) abide by the survivor’s wishes. For example, if you gave information to the police about someone without their permission and they don’t want you in this space, we will ask you to leave; likewise, if you have sexually assaulted someone and they are comfortable with you being here as long as you participate in a mediated discussion about their boundaries during this event, we will ask you to do so, or else to leave. This is not a matter of permanently excluding “undesirables” from the anarchist movement, but simply of making things work in a limited space for a limited time. People can be asked to leave the convergence without being exiled from our communities. If anything, this simply provides an incentive for individuals and communities to work out their conflicts in advance of events like this, so we won’t all have to deal with unresolved conflicts here.

Unlike virtually every other analysis yet published from the radical community, this one utilizes subsequent internal government reports, comparing them against a wide variety of other sources. We hope our investigation and the accompanying archive of personal testimonies will prove useful both to participants still trying to understand the events of this past summer and to organizers looking to derive lessons from them for the future.

In a nutshell, we hypothesize that the chief significance of the 2008 anti-convention mobilizations was in the precedents they might set for future organizing. Anarchists took the initiative to determine their own goals and strategies for the protests, establishing decentralized networks throughout the US far in advance. This enabled them to build relationships with other organizing groups and to coordinate their actions, effectively setting the tone for the protests at both conventions. At the same time, the protests were less attended than expected, perhaps as a result of the Obama campaign detracting from street-level participation in the antiwar movement. In this regard, they were the final act of an era that has now passed.

The RNC protests met with an almost unprecedented degree of state repression, which is still playing out today even as the political climate has changed. The federal government continued its strategy of gathering intelligence and entrapping stragglers, already familiar from attacks on environmentalists and animal rights activists. Local authorities focused on infiltration, profiling, and raids, ultimately arresting over 800 people and bringing conspiracy charges against organizers. Despite all this, they seem to have been remarkably unprepared to maintain order in the streets on the first day of the RNC, and their subsequent overreaction helped discredit them in the public eye. Most arrestees have gotten off scot-free; it remains to be seen how the ongoing felony cases will conclude. The outcome of the RNC 8 conspiracy trial in particular will indicate how sustainable we can expect the organizing model debuted at the 2008 conventions to be.

Going It Alone: Anarchist Action at the Democratic 
and Republican National Conventions

We Are All Legal Workers: Legal Support at the RNC and After

Accounts from the Democratic 
and Republican National Conventions

One of the acts on the roadshow, a puppet show teaching basic security culture skills, is especially timely in view of recent government efforts to entrap and frame environmental activists. We’ve obtained the script and an audio file, and are sharing them here to equip you to put on the puppet show yourself if you so desire. If your community could use a refresher in protecting your privacy and safety against snooping, evil-intentioned G-men, just build some puppets and adjust the show to your local needs! You can even use the audio recording if you prefer not to memorize the script yourself.

The Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army Presents:
Donny, Don’t!

Featuring:

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Audio Recording [3.7MB MP3]

Olivia the Owl: Hello, eco-warriors! We’re here today to talk about the for-profit extermination of all life on this planet, and your heroic and sheroic efforts to stop it. We’ve been noticing that as you good folks become stronger and more effective, those ecocide profiteers and their lackeys in the FBI have been coming down really hard on y’all. They’ve been exploiting your good nature and trusting community and turning those things into a weakness. So we’re taking the day off from eating mice—

Brian the Bear: …and stealing picnic baskets!

O: —to give you a quick lesson on keeping your community safe. And here to help us are all of our woodland friends. I’m Olivia the Owl and this is Rita the Raccoon, Brian the Bear, Peter the Pig, and Ben the Snapping Turtle.

Ben the Snapping Turtle: What!?

O: And the star of our show: Donny Don’t. Peter will be playing a cop.

Peter the Pig: Hey, why do I always have to play the cop?

O: I dunno it just… seems to fit.

O: So! Today’s lesson is about security culture.

Ben: AKA common sense 101.

O: So, kids, remember—the name of the game is don’t do what Donny Don’t does. The first thing we’re going to talk about is GOSSIP.

Donny: Hey, did you see on Indymedia that somebody pulled up all the survey stakes at that development on Winding River Road? Y’know, where the winding river used to be?

Rita the Raccoon: Yeah, that’s so cool. I’m really glad that happened.

D: Yeah, I bet we know who did that. Last night Ben…

Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!

B: Now, Donny, when you speculate and gossip, you not only put other people at risk, but also put yourself at risk. If the police think you know who did it, they could target you as well.

D: You mean I could go to jail just for knowing something?

O: Yes, the pigs call it “obstructing justice.”

P: The cops, you mean.

O: Right. Whatever. The next thing we want to talk about is BRAGGING… Take it away, Donny!

D: Hey, have y’all seen all that graffiti downtown protesting Bank of America’s investment in coal?

R: Yeah, I really hate Bank Of America! I’m glad that happened.

D: Yeah, it took me like 5 hours last night to…

Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!

B: While we’re all happy that you took action against those heartless corporate monsters, sharing your secrets with other people puts yourself at great risk. Even people who you trust might share your information, or crack under pressure during interrogation. Aside from that, you’re also putting your friends at risk, because you’re giving them a piece of information that the cops want.

Ben: INDIRECT BRAGGING.

R: Hey Donny, we’re having a demonstration against the new Cliffside coal power plant. You wanna come?

D: No, I try to stay away from above-ground demonstrations these days. I’m trying to keep a low profile. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for me to be seen around there. Ya know what I’m sayin’?

Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!

O: Now, Donny, what you just did is called indirect bragging. It’s the practice of implying or eluding to things. It’s just as bad as bragging. In these situations you should make a clever excuse, like a lunch date or a meeting. Also, you could just not show up, and invent an excuse later. It’s not easy having your friends think you’re uninvolved in important political actions, but it’s also not easy going to jail for yourself or the people who would be supporting you from the outside.

Ben: NEED-TO-KNOW BASIS.

R: Ok, I’m going out to see a movie. See ya later, Donny.

D: What movie? Can I come?

R: Eh, Hoot. Naahh, I think we’re just going to go on our own.

D: What theater is that playing in? And why are you wearing all black?

R: Ummm, I’m going to the one downtown. I wear black all the time.

D: Who you going with? Why’s your backpack so big? Are you smuggling in popcorn?!

R: Just some folks… Why are you giving me the third degree?

D: Oooooooh. I get it. I see what’s going on. You’re going to see a “mooooovieeee…”

B: Alright, stop right there, folks. Social norms within a resistance movement need to be a little different than other people’s. If your friends are acting evasive or don’t seem to be forthcoming with information, it’s important to trust them and just let whatever it is rest.

O: Being in a community of resistance means having a higher level of trust than many people are used to in a lot of circles.

R: Don’t ask, don’t tell. It’s not just a good idea for vegans eating at restaurants, it’s also a great way to keep everybody you care about as safe as can be.

Ben: ENTRAPMENT.

R: Hey, there’s that guy Peter who comes to our anti-biotech meetings.

D: I like him, he’s really enthusiastic and helpful.

R: I think he’s cute.

P: Hey kids!

R&D: Hi, Peter.

P: So, all this protesting we’ve been doing is great and all…

R: It sure is…

P: I was just thinking the other day that maybe it’s time to step it up a bit…

D: Like lock downs and banner drops?

P: Like maybe we should just get rid of that lab once and for all…

R: I dunno…

P: I’ve got a recipe for plastic explosives and I can pay for the stuff.

D: Sounds like a good idea to me!

Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!

B: Trying to get activists to build explosives and then charging them with possession of unregistered fire arms or conspiracy has become a popular tactic of federal agents in recent years.

O: If somebody you don’t know that well asks you to build a bomb, just say no. If you’re going to build bombs, build them because you want to, not because somebody else thinks it’s cool.

R: Thinking for yourself, now THAT’S cool.

Ben: WHEN THE PIGS COME A-KNOCKIN’…

P: Eh, guys, that’s not cool! [Whole cast snickers]

(Knock knock knock)

P: Hello, I’m agent Peter Pecker with the FBI. I’m looking for Donny Don’t.

D: That’s me, what do you want?

P: Your friend Rita may be in big trouble but we thought maybe you could help clear some things up.

D: What are you talking about?

P: Does she talk about Animal Liberation a lot?

D: She talks about it but she’d never—

Everybody: DONNY DON’T!

B: Donny, this is very important. Never ever talk to the FBI or police. If they already knew enough to get you or your friends in trouble, they wouldn’t be asking you questions. Does that make sense?

D: But I was just trying to find out what they wanted, or I could have lied to them to throw them off track…

O: These people are specially trained to get you trapped in a conversation, making it harder and harder to stop answering questions. They can observe when you stop answering or which questions make you squirm. They are trained to make you trip up and contradict yourself. Really, avoiding talking to them is the only safe option. They won’t be able to scare you, trick you, confuse you, or convince you of anything.

Ben: Just say no, dare to resist Gestapo swine.

P: Oh, cut it out, would ya!? It’s not funny!

Ben: New fangled contraptions, technological alienation, social mapping, and you…

D: Hey, did you see the new pics on my Myspace page?

R: No, lemme see what you’ve got…

D: Check this out!

R: OMG, Donny, what are these? Is that you holding a molotov cocktail?

D: Yeah, and this is all that graffiti from the Bank Of America.

R: Oh, and you’ve got a whole blog on here about shoplifting and scamming when you travel!

D: Yeah, read the entry about South Florida.

R: Donny, what if the FBI or police read this?

D: I mean, they can’t prove anything…

R: Donny, Myspace assists law enforcement with about 150 investigations A MONTH, and in the past, people’s Myspace pages and blogs have been used to attack their character in court so that they are denied bail!

D: But it’s set to private!

R: Right, because Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Myspace and Fox News, is all about privacy. Y’know, the FBI used to spend a large portion of their budget for tracking activists and social mapping, which means figuring out who knew who and who was into what. Now here’s all of your friends across the country. Oh, and a list of your interests; you’ve done the work for them. In a worst-case scenario, if somebody we know had to go on the run, would it be safe for them to stay with anybody they were publicly networked with?

D: Wow, I hadn’t thought of that…

Ben: Electronic Surveillance.

P: Hey, y’all!

R/D: Hi, Peter.

P: Hey, so I wanted to talk to y’all about this idea I had for a great action.

D: Let’s take our batteries out of our phones so the feds can’t listen in!

P: So, like I was saying, there’s this I-69 contractor who has an office downtown…

R: Um, maybe this classroom isn’t the best place for us to discuss this, it’s pretty well known that we hang out here a lot.

P: Rita, it’s not bugged. I’d know if it was bugged, and it’s not.

D: Sounds like impeccable logic to me! So, what do you wanna do at the office? Let’s fu-

Everybody: Donny, Don’t!

O: With the rise of techno-industrial civilization, our enemies are able to carry out surveillance in ways that were unthinkable 50 years ago. There are safe places and unsafe places to talk about sensitive subjects. Safe places are walks in the woods, beaches, and restaurants that aren’t well-known hang-outs. Unsafe places are cars, houses, well known hang-outs, or cabins in remote areas, even if your friends say they’re safe. It has also been shown in court cases against mafia members that your cell phone can act as a microphone or GPS tracking device, even when it’s off, as long as the battery is still in. Even corporate CEOs take their batteries out before high-level meetings sometimes.

B: If something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. Stopping a friend from a dangerous security faux pas doesn’t mean you think they’re stupid, or a cop. Or a stupid cop. It just means they could make a mistake that could be dangerous for them or for you. Does that make sense?

R: Safety first!

B: Also, folks, it’s important to recognize that there is a possibility that even with solid security culture, something could go wrong and you could wind up in interrogation for something you did or didn’t do. If this does happen, it’s important to remember 2 things:

R: I’m going to remain silent. I’d like to speak to my lawyer!

O: Every question they ask you is an admission that they don’t have enough evidence to convict you or your friends. Otherwise, you’d be rotting in a cell, and they wouldn’t need to ask you anything. This is where remaining silent during their questioning becomes important. If you start a conversation and then the talk turns in a direction you don’t like, it could be more difficult to end the conversation than to have stayed silent in the first place. They’ll try to trick you by telling you that your friends have already snitched or they’ll be all like it looks bad now, but this is the chance to clear your name. Let’s try a role play in the interrogation room.

P: So, your name is Rita Raccoon. And your address and social security number?

R: I’m exercising my right to remain silent and want my lawyer.

P: I’m just trying to clarify a few things, we’re not talking about the case here.

R: Right, silent.

P: I mean, I get what you guys are doin’. My daughter works for Greenpeace, and used to lock herself to every damn thing. You guys been into environmental stuff for a while now?

R: Well this one time I was SILENT!

P: You got any tattoos or scars?

R: Siiilent night…

P: We’re gonna find out eventually, anyway.

R: Is my lawyer here yet?

B: They will do everything they can to shake your faith in your friends, your movement and yourself, but it is so important that we all sit tight and believe in each other and ourselves so that the cops can’t break us down.

O: No matter what they promise you, you should know that most people who snitched during the green scare have gotten comparable time in prison to those who maintained their integrity.

B: One last important thing is that while y’all must keep yourselves safe, y’all must also stay visible and get your message out to others. You must learn to publicize your successes through magazines, web pages, press offices and new creative ideas that keep everyone safe while ensuring that the movement doesn’t fade into obscurity.

O: It’s also very important to deal respectfully with people who know less about security culture or who make an honest mistake. If it’s avoidable, don’t call them out publicly or make them feel stupid. Security culture makes it very easy to become paranoid and stifle all conversation, which is exactly what the government and corporations want. You must learn to communicate clearly but without endangering yourselves any more than necessary.

R: So remember: No compromise in defense of the earth, stay safe, and be yourself. Good night everyone!

From the Depths just completed their West Coast tour, which went smashingly, and extend their deep appreciation to everyone who helped them along the way. They expect to return to the road in autumn.

In the wake of this campaign, there has been talk of applying the SHAC model in other contexts, such as environmental defense and anti-war organizing. But what is the SHAC model, precisely? What are its strengths and limitations? Is it, in fact, an effective model? If so, for what?

This analysis explores these questions in depth, charting the history of anti-HLS organizing and reviewing subsequent attempts to utilize the same tactics.

Read full piece here.

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Rolling Thunder #7 examines the events of those busy months in careful detail. Anarchists coordinated mass mobilizations against the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, provoking major clashes at the latter; the global economy collapsed, and radicals are still scrambling to find appropriate responses; Greece experienced an anarchist-organized insurrection in response to a police murder; and at the beginning of 2009, Oakland, California was shaken by similar unrest in response to a similar killing. Our coverage pushes beyond the surface of events to offer insight into the organizing structures and historical background, fleshing out timelines and analyses with personal narratives and cutting-edge cartography, and drawing on this material to pose questions about long-term strategy. In addition to all this, the issue includes an exploration of the relationship between the punk subculture and the anarchist movement, complemented by interviews with bands and collectives from beyond the white punk ghetto, and ends with a primer on small-town organizing using Winona, Minnesota as a case study. No advertisements or pleas for funding; an unprecedented 24 pages in full color; 114 pages, altogether.

Hearkening back to the days when anarcho-punk was characterized by bands as diverse as Crass, Chumbawumba, and Contropotere, the songs on this album combine d-beat power, slower and faster hardcore, harsh noise, and even a passage from a traditional Italian anarchist folk ballad. This is intense, defiant, dark music, but it is based in compelling melodies; you can scream these songs at the top of your lungs in a riot, but you could also sing them quietly to yourself in jail to maintain your spirits.

From the Depths was formed at the beginning of 2008 by members of Catharsis, Requiem, Network of Terror, Auryn, and Balaclava. Traveling in a van donated by Winona’s Really Really Free Market after their vegetable-oil-powered truck died mid-tour, they performed for fellow demonstrators outside the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions; they’ve also played benefit shows for RNC arrestees, Green Scare defendants, and other prisoners in the anticapitalist struggle.

We’re trying a new experiment with this release, making it available via online downloading. We’re hardly convinced that the internet is a positive thing for humanity, but we recognize that it is one of the primary ways people get music these days. In order to offset the tendency of internet downloading to separate music from the context that gives it meaning, the download includes all the lyrics, artwork, and liner notes.

The band paid $3100 to record the album, and mastering cost another several hundred dollars. Presuming that at least 1000 people are interested in the record, we’re requesting that people donate $4 in return for downloading it. If you have particular access to resources, consider donating more to cover those who have less; to do so, simply increase the number in the “Quantity” column of your order. As soon as the recording and mastering expenses are covered, we’ll make downloading free; thus any donation goes towards making this available to everyone. If you can help the band break even on the costs of recording, that will also help them to play more benefit shows so as to contribute more than music to the public.

We recognize that not everyone has the means to donate money or download music via the internet. From the Depths is also selling a CD version on a sliding scale, and hope to be able to make downloading free shortly. Ideally, everything would be free; unfortunately, until there is a revolution, recording will cost money, and the band is asking you to help pay for this so they can put their personal money into community projects and prisoner support. If there’s absolutely no way you can make a donation over the internet or order the CD from us, email booking@fromthedepths.info to figure something out.

From the Depths is on tour on the West Coast right now. Here are the dates; email booking@fromthedepths.info for more information about specific shows.

February
> t 17 Tucson, AZ
> w 18 San Diego, CA
> th 19 Tijuana, Mexico
> f 20 Mexicali, Mexico
> s 21 Santa Barbara, CA
> sn 22 Santa Cruz, CA
> m 23 Arcata, CA
> w 25 Medford, OR
> th 26 Eugene, OR
> f 27 Portland, OR
> s 28 Olympia, WA

March
> w 4 Port Townsend, WA
> th 5 Bremerton, WA
> f 6 Seattle, WA
> s 7 Tacoma, WA
> sn 8 Salem, OR
> t 10 Redding, CA
> w 11 Reno, NV
> th 12 Modesto, CA
> f 13 Oakland, CA
> sn 15 Berkeley, CA
> m 16 Riverside, CA
> t 17 Flagstaff, AZ
> w 18 El Paso, TX
> th 19 Austin, TX
> f 20 Baton Rouge, LA
> s 21 somewhere in GA
> sn 22 Carrboro, NC

Some of us, however, felt limited by this flight. We dreamed of building an anarchist castle out of the derelict abandonment right under our enemies’ noses. Hundreds would arrive to help us paint a masterpiece upon our canvas of rubble: workshops, meeting halls, libraries, performance spaces, gardens, and orchards would be constructed out of ruins and wreckage. We’d supply food, shelter, and so much more; like before, we would exchange stories, ideas, laughter, and dance moves with the maniac nomads, eloquent criminals, and dedicated rebels who descended upon our city for a week of chaos and feverish activity. The beauty of this dream was that at the end of it all, some of us could stay; for another week, a season, a year, or maybe even the rest of our lives. It never had to end.

We held onto this plan in secret, believing it to be impossible. Our dream was fraught with complications and seemed doomed to fail. It remained a fantastical plot we lacked the daring to attempt. Until now.

Save the date, July 20-26, Pittsburgh, PA, and stay tuned for more details.

Download Rolling Thunder #3 PDF [9 MB]

International reports from last Mayday’s pro-immigrant rallies! Analysis of the Bush regime’s strategy to promote terrorism worldwide! Discussion of the latest wave of federal repression! Testimony from a convicted anti-war arsonist! Anarchist perspectives on and reports from the struggle against domestic violence! A tell-all interview with notorious graffiti artist(s) BORF! A shocking exposé on German pro-Zionist lunatics! A how-to guide to funneling resources out of universities! A spy’s-eye-view of immigrant labor in factory farming! A narrow escape from the flaming Pentagon on September 11, 2001! A history of direct action and rioting in queer liberation struggles! A cartoon recounting the riots at the canceled World Bank conference in Barcelona! A mad-lib for radicals with poor social skills! A satirical guide to writing reviews! Visionary storytelling, technical advice on computer security, eulogies and poster designs and more!