NYC: 2nd Annual PUNKY REGGAE FEST Friday 3/2 & Saturday 3/3 at The Lake!

The Campaign to “Decolonize” Oakland: Native Americans Say “Occupy” Terminology Is Offensive

Via: truth-out.org
by: Queena Kim, Truthout | Report

A group of protesters at the Occupy Oakland action to shut down the Port of Oakland on December 12, 2011. (Photo: Queena Kim)

The Occupy movement is known internationally for protesting the inequalities of the global financial system, so much so that in four short months, “Occupy” has essentially become a brand known the world over.

But now there’s an effort by Native American activists in Oakland to get rid of “Occupy” and replace it with “Decolonize” – as in “Decolonize Oakland.” They say the term “occupy” is offensive in light of the brutal history of occupation by early colonizers and the United States government. Native Americans in  Seattle,  Albuquerque,  Portland and Sedona have launched similar campaigns.

The name change is proving contentious at Occupy Oakland, with some protesters accusing Native Americans of  guilt tripping in the name of supporting the oppressed. But cut through the chatter, and the basic point seems to be this: Occupy doesn’t want to give up the brand.

“That name change could … alienate Oakland from the wider movement,” wrote John C. Osbourn, who has been reporting on the Occupy movement on his blog the Classist. “The brand recognition if you will.”

The irony of Occupy Oakland being captivated by “branding” isn’t lost on Morning Star Gali, a Native American activist from Oakland who’s helping lead the name change effort. The Occupy movement, in general, shuns the corporatization of society. 

Bi-Anual EastRev Punk Fest II 2011

EastRev Fest 11′ is near!!!
@THE LAKE
L to montrose
ask a punk!
10bux for each day! it is a benefit!
All Ages!

How Zuccotti Park Became Zuccotti Prison: Creeping American Police State

Photo Credit: Nick Turse

America may not be a traditional police state (yet), but it is an increasingly militarized policed state in which rights are regularly tossed out the window.

Police brutality charges sweep across the US

From Naomi Wolf’s arrest in New York to shootings in Tucson and Florida, forces face allegations of abuse of power

A warning: Rise to the defense of the revolutionary

by Mike Ely

Here is the deal: The smell of sulfur is upon the land. Satan himself is  coming now…

Of course we don’t believe in Satan. It is a metaphor.

What I mean is this: The real and difficult struggle within this movement and for this movement is now starting.

The media is turning on the machinery. The unions officials will now come as “supporters” but broker for the liberal establishment. “Advisers” will show up. People (who are pliant and acceptable) will now be declared leaders and spokespeople in the media. Demands will be announced or promoted or demanded that correspond to the program of the Democratic Party…. and much more.

Shadia Mansour: “Al Kufiyyeh 3arabeyyeh” (The Kufiyeh is Arab) Featuring M1 of Dead Prez

July 5, NYC Vigil: Our sister Monica Shay fighting for her life

Tuesday, July 5 · 6:30pm – 9:30pm

in front of their home
263 East 10th Street (between First Avenue & Avenue A), New York, New York

Comrade Monica Shay is fighting for her life in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley Hospital after a mass shooting at the Shay home in which two people were killed and three were seriously injured.(Details and motives of the execution style attack are still unclear.)

US: The Geography of Hate

Via theatlantic.com

America’s racist groups concentrate in certain regions — and their presence correlates with religion, McCain votes, and poverty

Reuters/Jeff Green

With the death of Osama bin Laden, many believe that Al Quaeda was dealt a mortal blow. Time will tell, but as we learned from the Oklahoma City bombing and Nidal Malik Hasan’s rampage at Fort Hood, we have much to fear from our own home grown extremists. And not just from “lone nuts” acting on their own.

Since 2000, the number of organized hate groups — from white nationalists, neo-Nazis and racist skinheads to border vigilantes and black separatist organizations — has climbed by more than 50 percent, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Their rise has been fueled by growing anxiety over jobs, immigration, racial and ethnic diversity, the election of Barack Obama as America’s first black president, and the lingering economic crisis. Most of them merely espouse violent theories; some of them are stock-piling weapons and actively planning attacks.

But not all people and places hate equally; some regions of the United States — at least within some sectors of their populations — are virtual hate hatcheries. What is the geography of hate groups and organizations? Why are some regions more susceptible to them?

THE BATTLE OF PEMBERTON: ARA VS NSM

This reportback from Anti-Racist Action clears up a lot of the initial things that we had written as things were going down regarding the throwdown they had with the National Socialist Movement on Friday as they tried to have their conference. We know now that the melee took place at a church in Pemberton, NJ, not at the hotel in Bordentown that we mentioned. Also, it looks like there were four, not six Nazis that went to the hospital. Hey, at least we are not the NSM who are trying to paint it like they won by beating up everyone. Hospital records and pictures like this show otherwise. And the NSM are not completely blameless either. A lot of them instigated the first blows, particularly the folks who grabbed chairs and left the church property, making those individuals criminally liable as well should things progress in that direction. As for those that were arrested, they are now out on bail, and are working on their cases. Anyone wishing to help them with money for their legal defense can PayPal donations to donate@antiracistaction.org.

Anti-Racist Action

The National Socialist Movement (NSM), a group that tries to dance around the fact that they are Nazis while sporting swastikas on their uniforms and sieg heiling, had been planning to host their annual conference along with a rally, redneck horse shoe and band spectacle for several months.

The dates were set for April 15th and 16th. Of course we can assume they expected some unhappy spectators at the rally but what they didn’t predict was an all out battle that left 4 of their “SS security” force in the hospital with multiple staples. The NSM went through quite a bit of trouble keeping their event and sleeping locations private. This was nothing but a waste of time for the NSM considering the turncoats within their organization leaked the information to anti-fascists weeks in advance.

The 15th came around and a phone jam was put on both the hotel, where 50 or 60 of them stayed for the weekend(the Comfort Inn off 209 in Bordentown, NJ) and their conference location (the 449 club at 6 Pemberton Ave in Pemberton). Just as the conference was about to begin 30 of us took the streets about 2 blocks away and marched in black bloc to the conference location. Within that time several people living and passing through the neighborhood began to stare from the cars and porches as we let them know Nazis were meeting in their town. One person, upon notification, parked his car and joined the bloc immediately, eager to confront the boneheads. By the time we arrived to demonstrate a few nazis from the NSM gathered outside of the conference space but within a few seconds about 30 or 40 of their fully SS uniformed security were out with chairs, thinking they were about to kick some antifa tail. After some exchanged words the NSM walked off the property to engage us. They wanted a brawl…and we defended ourselves successfully.

After a brutal rumble of evenly matched numbers the NSM quickly scurried back to the property with bashed skulls, bruised faces and damaged property, sending 4 boneheads to the hospital (2 of which may still remain there). At this point the cops had shown up and we managed to retreat with one comrade minorly injured and two arrested. It can be assumed that if the conference was not shut down completely, the talking they were doing had nothing to do with rank promotions and five year plans, as it was supposed to. This was the part of the purpose of our demonstration; we are not trying to change their minds or tell them they have been bad little nazi sub-humans. We want to disempower them, leave them in fear and most importantly crush what they are trying to build. Not only did we win the physical battle by a mile, but given the goal at hand, they were completely defeated. The conference was now minimized to a retreating space where the NSM would pout and discuss their defeat. According to some sources not only did some members of the NSM check into a different hotel, spending more money and fearing more attacks, but even the cops were laughing at how bad the nazis were beat and were quoted saying “ARA isn’t playing this weekend”, but then again, are we ever?

The next day, April 16th, it was time for the downtown rally in Trenton followed by the backyard concert on Jason Heickes’ property. Before the NSM showed for their hour long spectacle in which they gained no supporters whatsoever, not only were ARA, the new Black Panthers and other radical groups ready to confront the Nazis but the community itself filled the streets with rage looking to clean house. The NSM was protected by several hundreds of cops, as you can expect, and because of this there really was no physical stand off aside from a few rocks hurled at their busses as they exited the city. This was a second victory for us since they gained absolutely nothing and no one out of the formality while we showed our numbers and that we were more then prepared for another round. After the Nazis left, one of our other enemies in the three way struggle, the cops, moved aggressively to force us out of the city, but not before a few folks smashed some Bank of America windows. These actions show that the rage against the fascists is not based out of a will to preserve the status quo or protect capitalism but rather a will to reclaim what is ours and to smash racism, fascism and all oppression and apparati of control. Since one of the band members from Zyklon b had his head split wide open in the melee and because it was raining we assume the outdoor concert on Heickes’ property was at the very least not what they expected bringing. Yet another victory for our side.