View in Tahrir now as Egyptian govt announces resignation (via @sultanalqassemi)
I’m in a place I don’t often find myself. I’m equally horrified and proud. I’m disgusted with the police for beating non violent protestors and I’m so amazed at the resilience of the protesters who have been maced, beaten, arrested, denied due process, and generally fucked over by the police…
The organized right justifies its draconian policies toward the poor with moral arguments. Right-wing think tanks and blogs, for instance, ponder the damaging effect on disabled poor children of becoming “dependent” on government assistance, or they scrutinize government nutritional assistance for poor pregnant women and children in an effort to explain away positive outcomes for infants.
The willful ignorance and cruelty of it all can leave you gasping—and gasp was all we did for decades. This is why we so desperately needed a movement for a new kind of moral economy. Occupy Wall Street, which has already changed the national conversation, may well be its beginning.
The willful ignorance and cruelty of it all can leave you gasping—and gasp was all we did for decades. This is why we so desperately needed a movement for a new kind of moral economy. Occupy Wall Street, which has already changed the national conversation, may well be its beginning.
A moral economy for our own time would certainly take on the unbridled accumulation of wealth at the expense of the majority (and the planet). It would also single out for special condemnation the creation of an ever-larger stratum of people we call “the poor” who struggle to survive in the shadow of the over-consumption and waste of that top 1 percent.
This is Lt. John Pike. 530-752-3989. japikeiii@ucdavis.edu (via: motherjones)
“I am writing to tell you in no uncertain terms that there must be space for protest on our campus. There must be space for political dissent on our campus. There must be space for civil disobedience on our campus. There must be space for students to assert their right to decide on the form of their protest, their dissent, and their civil disobedience—including the simple act of setting up tents in solidarity with other students who have done so. There must be space for protest and dissent, especially, when the object of protest and dissent is police brutality itself…”
This is what a police state looks like
This is what a police state looks like.
This is what a police state looks like.
This is what a police state looks like.
I’m sorry, but in what context is this possibly right? I’ve been watching the protests in New York, Oakland, Berkley, etc. and I just do not understand why the police feel like this is the image they want to be projecting. THE POLICE WORK FOR THE PEOPLE. OUR TAXES PAY THEIR SALARIES. AS THEIR BOSS WE HAVE A SAY IN WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN NOT DO. I implore the residents of the places where protests have been violently stomped on to call their local government officials and tell them they will not be re-elected if they sit idly by and let this happen. The government is for, of and by the people and by God we should be able to put our foot down when enough is enough.
As for Lt. John Pike, I demand his job. I don’t think this man should be a mall security officer by the time the public is done with him. He and the people who told him this was the way to deal with non-violent protesters should be shuffled loose of their badges and ‘authority’. The worst part being - the people he’s pepper spraying are standing up for his rights too.
At Occupy Camps, Veterans Bring the Wars Home
We’re in a coffee shop near McPherson Square, the location of Occupy DC, and Michael Patterson, 21, and I are having hot cocoa on a cold November night. He’s wearing an Iraq Veterans Against the War sweatshirt and baggy shorts. It’s freezing outside. “I’m from Alaska,” he offers as an explanation. He’s been sleeping in a tent in D.C. for over a month now. I’ve traveled to five Occupations in two countries. In every demonstration (including the one in Canada) I’ve found a vet to talk to:
In Zuccotti Park, Army Specialist Jerry Bordeleau, 24, was sitting next to a table of IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) literature. On his sweater were two buttons: an Iraq Campaign metal and one from the IWW. He served two tours in Iraq and now says he’s unemployed and can’t find work for over $10 an hour. And he can’t live on $10 an hour. When I asked him why he’s at Occupy Wall Street he says, “I went and fought for capitalism and that’s why I’m now a Marxist.” Read more.
My name is Mustafa Afrika. I am a prisoner at Tamms Supermax prison. I write to you on behalf of the men at Tamms to not only express a gesture of thankfulness…but also to inform your organization of a simultaneous event that will be occurring at the Tamms prison on April 28, the day hearings are scheduled with the Illinois House Prison Reform committee concerning Tamms.
As a symbol of unity and protracted support from us on the inside, it has been agreed that on the date of April 28 the prisoners of Tamms will embark on a course of non-activity–meaning none of us will take showers, yard or any other forms of non-essential activity. We also will observe a day of total silence as well as personal atonement in addition to many of us fasting. This is not so much an act of outward focus as it is one of inward introspection. We feel that with so many freedom fighters and progressive individuals making a significant effort on our behalf, the least we can do is raise a clenched fist salute of solidarity from within the belly of the beast so you all know that we are still alive and fighting, more invigorated than ever!…
For a long time it seemed as if the monotony of oppression and psychological warfare by the administration of the Tamms Supermax had begun to dull and enervate the spirits of many. Through the collective efforts of the people we are witnessing a revivication of encouragement and hope amongst ourselves…
Let the entire collective know that “we” are standing fully behind the people struggling for us. May the creator continue to sustain you in your efforts and may justice and righteousness light up the darkened abyss of oppression and denigration. All power to the people. Uhuru sasa! (”Freedom now” in Swahili.) Comrade, Mustafa Afrika
—Mustafa Afrika (in Tamms since 2005)
At Tamms supermax prison, every man is held in permanent solitary confinement. Prisoners never leave their cells except to shower or to exercise alone in a concrete pen. Food is pushed through a slot in the door. There are no communal activities, phone calls or contact visits. The expected consequences of long-term isolation are observed at Tamms: men scream uncontrollably, compulsively attempt suicide, mutilate themselves and do other unspeakable acts. One-third of the prisoners have been there over a decade. Many are mentally ill.in
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Tamms Supermax is torture in Illinois. |
I’m looking for ways to give away my white privilege-y time and money in Chicago! The next few days will be mostly information about the awesome organizations I find, and I hope that if you’re in the area you’ll find ways to support them too.
You can also feel free to submit an organization or issue, and I’ll post it. Ask me to talk about your favorite, and I’ll do that too.
