Small Town Organizing for Anarchists

59 Pages·2013·12.02 MB·English

Rolling Thunder
issue number seven / spring two-thousand nine / a news FLash From the CrimethinC. ex-workers’ CoLLeCtive
an anarchist journal of dangerous living
We are not delicate, not
China that belongs in the cabinet
But experimental material
To be shot into space
Perish in flames
And discover new passages
Out
of
this
world.
“Defiance and resistance are illegal. Therein lies the salvation of man.
Everything illegal necessitates integrity, self-reliance, and courage.”
–Emma Goldman
ARREST US.
DRAG US BEFORE
Table of No Time for Introductions
2 Errata
Contents
3 Glossary of Terms
GRAND JURIES.
Breaking News
8 Going It Alone: Anarchist Action at the DNC and RNC
32 We Are All Legal Workers: Legal Support at the RNC and After
RAID OUR HOUS-
35 How to Dance on the Grave of Capitalism:
Perspectives on the Economic Crisis
40 We Got This Shit Tonight: Oakland, January 7, 2009
ES. SHOWER US 44 The Riots in Greece and the Insurrections to Come
we fight because there are things in this world
51 How to Organize an Insurrection
inside of us
worth not giving up
Arts & Entertainment
WITH PEPPER because faced with such horror
we have to be our own hope 69 Music as a Weapon:
The Contentious Symbiosis of Punk Rock and Anarchism
we fight because we are fucking losing,
75 Beyond the White Punk Ghetto:
we are dying
Straddling the Divide between Music and Resistance
and there is so much more than this
SPRAY. IMPRIS-
-one of the reckless ones Recipes for Disaster
facing felony charges from the RNC
84 Small Town Organizing for Anarchists
ON US. SHOOT
Scene Reports
90 Winona: Making of a Scene Report
Postscript
US. THERE IS
106 Stories from the RNC Resistance
NOTHING YOU
CAN TAKE FROM
US THAT WE DO
NOT FIRST OB-
TAIN ONLY BY
RESISTING.
Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 T.O.C. 1
to us—as if we or anyone could be qualified to utilize them on Acephalous › Glossary of Terms
NO PLEAS FOR FUNDING
behalf of our whole readership—we urge you to launch your Having no head; e.g., a horizontal federation of
own magazines and projects. Often, would-be radicals set out autonomous collectives, or an anarchist after
Rolling Thunder is written, illustrated, edited, designed, and to build monolithic structures intended to represent everyone’s an uprising lucky number seven
distributed entirely by volunteers. It is not funded by grants, interests; such projects inevitably fail to be equally accountable
sponsors, donations, advertisements, or subscriptions; in an to all. As anarchists, we believe it is better to decentralize power Anarchia ›
era when even corporate print media is losing ground to the by fostering networks of equals. We don’t want to build up this A disorder resulting from too much freedom,
internet, we pay for this magazine by selling copies at no more particular project as an institution—we want to change the world. first identified by physician and professor Benja- Balaclava ›
than the costs of production and transportation. We invite read- min Rush. A devout Christian, Rush was one of On October 24, 1854, English, French, and
ers to contribute writing and artwork and to distribute copies, Of course, we can’t do it alone. The rest is up to you. the Founding Fathers of the United States and Ottoman forces fought Russian troops north
but rather than appeal for everyone to entrust their resources is still regarded as one of the most important of the port of Balaclava in one of the major
pioneers in the field of psychiatry. In a review conflicts of the Crimean war. The British man-
of the e≠ects, as he saw them, of the events aged to halt the Russian advance,* but when
of the American Revolution upon those who the British commander ordered the cavalry to
participated in it, he observed: prevent the Russians from carrying o≠ the guns
they had captured, the commander of the Light
The termination of the war by the peace in
ROLLING THUNDER: A JOURNAL OF DANGEROUS LIVING 1783, did not terminate the American Revolu- Brigade misunderstood him. Believing him to
tion. The minds of the citizens of the United intend for the Brigade to prevent the Russians
States were wholly unprepared for their new from moving their own guns, the commander
ISSUE SEVEN, SPRING 2009
situation. The excess of the passion for liberty, launched a suicidal frontal attack through a
Rolling Thunder
inflamed by the successful issue of the war, valley surrounded by Russian artillery.
Bcoomdyb itneexdt sweitt hin i mWahgietms bayn ,t htietl ePsa ualn Fd. cMaaputilo Anrst issetts iGn rFoluapm.a, PC.hOa. pBeolx H 4il9l,4 NC 27514 [email protected] produced, in many people, opinions and con- The Light Brigade was utterly decimated,
duct which could not be removed by reason
and the commander cantered back alone to
nor restrained by government. For a while,
enjoy a champagne dinner on his yacht in the
they threatened to render abortive the good-
Balaclava harbor. The Heavy Brigade, which
ness of heaven to the United States, in deliv-
ering them from the evils of slavery and war. was commanded by his estranged brother-in-
The extensive influence which these opinions law, had been ordered to follow—but it had
had upon the understandings, passions and halted at the edge of the valley, its commander
Errata morals of many of the citizens of the United not seeing any point in squandering his troops
#4 States, constituted a species of insanity, which as well. The commander of the Light Brigade
I shall take the liberty of distinguishing by the
was hailed as a hero, while his brother-in-law
#2 An editor who subsequently worked with the authors of the story beginning on name of Anarchia.
never recovered his reputation.
p. 43 brought it to our attention that they are prone to inaccuracies. Su∞ce it
to say, if you are doing research for an academic report on the city of Bu≠alo, * This initial British success gave rise to the expression
An hour after our second issue went to press, we discovered a structural flaw in this is not the first source to cite. Antidepressants › “the thin red line,” from which is derived the more recent figure i.
the crossword puzzle on p. 101. The clue to #1 across reads “The contraction
of the ischiocavernosus muscles will make a penis ___ and can create an More importantly, it came to light during the first week of September 2008 Nowadays, it’s too much to ask to be happy. But cseupsatoramti nofg rceifveirlrizinatgi oton tfhroem po clihcaeo ass— “othr et hthei nru blilnuge lcilnaes”s Tlahtee rv,a sltlielly s otfr edweant wh iath y ear
orgasm”; the answer, obviously, is “ERECT,” but there is an extra space at the that the primary contributor to the Urban Exploration recipe beginning for the right price, you can be anti-depressed! from justice, depending on your vantage point. cannonballs
beginning. Worse, we could not simply go through and black out the extra on p. 69 was not only an urban explorer but also a federal informant. This
space from every issue, because #2 down begins from the second space: we individual, who first appeared at the 2006 CrimethInc. convergence under
would have had to renumber every single word in the puzzle. In despair, we the name “Andy” and operated inside the RNC Welcoming Committee later
racked our brains as to whether there might be another correct answer that as “Panda,” is responsible for framing Matthew DePalma, whom he met at
could fill the six spaces and accommodate the necessary “E” in the second the 2008 CrimethInc. convergence, on charges of “felony possession of a
one; sadly, the best we could come up with was “GETBIG.” destructive device,” and for collecting intelligence against numerous other
targets of federal repression. Now that we know he has a more powerful
agency looking out for him than our own, we no longer feel obliged to
#3 protect his privacy; if you run into Andrew Darst (see figure i.), feel free to
congratulate him on his work.
On p. 14, it was alleged that the agent provocateur “Anna” was sleeping with one
of the three young activists, including Eric McDavid, whom she managed to
set up on conspiracy charges. This was based on faulty intelligence. Techni-
cally, the four were sleeping together in the wiretapped cabin she rented to
entrap them, but there seems to have been no sexual activity beyond Anna
leading McDavid on. An insinuation to this same e≠ect appeared in the
“Letter to Infiltrators” on p. 5 in issue 4; we’ve since learned better than to
trust anarchist gossip, even regarding the machinations of the government.
That issue also included an o≠hand jab at Clamor magazine, which had un-
critically run a screed from an avowed authoritarian communist excoriating
the publishers of Recipes for Disaster—and this magazine—for not being
authoritarian communists. Unfortunately, the publishers of Clamor showed
no better business acumen than they showed editorial judgment, and the figure i.
#5
magazine collapsed immediately thereafter. Though we stand by our conviction
that those who quote Mao approvingly do not deserve space in publications
aimed at liberation, it was not our intention to bring Clamor to a sticky end On p. 3, it was stated that the expression “Quincy punks” derives from a Brit-
by printing the witticism on p. 99. ish television show. In fact, the show was produced in the United States.
2 ¬ No Time For Introductions ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 No Time For Introductions 3
decrease. Nowadays, this is often associated with Rudy Giu- this by focusing their fundraising e≠orts on their own kind.
liani’s brutal tenure as mayor of New York City, during which Anarchists, on the other hand, may gather resources wherever
the New York Police Department grew to be one of the largest there is a great concentration of them serving no good purpose.
standing armies in the world in order to crack down on gra∞ti It’s said that capitalists will sell you the very rope with which
and subway fare evasion; but the theory originally appeared in to hang them, but only—the adage fails to note—at a price you
an article by James Wilson and George Kelling: cannot a≠ord. That’s where expropriation comes in.
Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the win-
dows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a Guile ›
few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the A more determinant factor in conflict than brute force.
building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or A samurai of great importance once had to cross a broad river
light fires inside. in a ferry with a bunch of commoners. Surrounded by such
insignificant people, he became magnanimous, and began to
Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more
entertain the unfortunates around him with tales of his military
litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags
prowess and courage.
of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.
The pauper next to him did not appear to be particularly
There you have it—it’s not poverty or homelessness that impressed, however. After regaling him for several minutes,
causes people to become squatters, arsonists, or larcenists, but the exasperated warrior finally burst out, “And you? What do
unrepaired windows. Similarly, Western thinkers as prestigious you do?”
as Aristotle once believed in spontaneous generation—that “Oh, I’m a samurai too,” the little man answered.
aphids arise from the dew that falls on plants, fleas from putrid “You, a samurai? Ho ho!” sco≠ed the samurai, splitting his
matter, mice from dirty hay, and so on. sides laughing. “Who is your master, then?”
In an interesting twist, ever since the WTO protests of “Me? I have no master,” replied the old man, unconcernedly.
figure ii. The balaclava, a form of knitted headgear doubt the landlord would have been thrilled 1999, anarchists appear to be operating on the same premise: “He has no master! Ha ha! Well then what kind of samurai
Modern applications that obscures one’s identity, is said to take its if he could have packed his tenants as tight as if only a few windows can be broken, revolutionary struggle are you?”
of the balaclava
name from this battle. It has since featured in his countrymen had once packed the British, so is bound to escalate. “I’m a swordless samurai.”
similarly courageous and ill-conceived confron- as to extract a greater value from his property. This gave the warrior pause, for as a child he had been told of
tations, involving an outmatched challenger, as There are still black holes in Kolkata and Contempt of Court › the Swordless Samurai, a legendary order reputed to be virtually
Tennyson mused in his poem “Charge of the elsewhere around the world, into which dis- A healthy sentiment invincible. “You’re hardly a bundle of sticks in a burlap sack!”
Light Brigade,” “Charging an army, while all the appear the millions who live and die in abject “Since you insist on insulting me, I fear I must challenge
world wonder’d.” (see figures i. and ii.) poverty; but their deaths, unlike those of British Editor › you to a duel.”
colonists, go unrecorded. A sort of King Midas who shoulders the thankless task of turn- “You? You—ho ho—challenge me? Ha ha!”
Black Hole of Calcutta › ing literary lead into gold; a paragon of humility no less than “Fine then, if you will not fight, you may apologize.”
The British East India Tea Company, one of Bottomlining › genius, qualified to be the supreme arbiter of taste, economy, The nobleman was enraged. “Oh, I’ll fight! You think I’m
the most famous international drug tra∞cking The problem with collective projects is you and style; an august personage who blesses ungrateful hacks afraid of you? I could snap you in two with my fingers! Name
cartels of all time and the de facto corporate have to do them yourself with priceless insight and expertise—whatever the original your terms!”
ruler of India for over a century, insisted on author of this definition might say. “I have only one. It would be irresponsible of us to fight here
fortifying a military base in Calcutta over the Bowdlerize › in this boat—we would endanger the civilians around us. Let
objections of the locals. In 1756, the Nawab of Prison reformer Thomas Bowdler is best re- Exploitation › us fight in the water, if you are really such a mighty warrior.”
Bengal laid siege to the fort; the garrison’s com- membered for The Family Shakespeare, a ten- After seizing control of the factory, the workers march to the By this time, the ferry had reached the middle of the river,
mander slipped away, leaving former surgeon volume collection of the Bard’s plays in which owner’s neighborhood, accompanied by their husbands, wives, where the current was strongest and the black water extended
John Holwell in charge, and the base soon fell. “those words and expressions are omitted which friends, and children. They tear down the fences of his gated around them in all directions. Undaunted, the warrior stood
According to Holwell, 146 captives were then cannot with propriety be read aloud in a family.” community and pour through its quaint streets, a riotous tor- up, placed his hand upon the hilt of his katana, and leapt from
imprisoned overnight in the fortress’s twenty- Similarly, as soon as Michelangelo was dead, rent clamoring for vengeance. The security guards withdraw in the prow, crying out “Come on then! I’ll chop you to pieces!”
foot-square dungeon, subsequently known as his colleague Daniele Ricciarelli was hired to fear as the mob approaches; by the time it reaches his house, But the swordless samurai only waved to him pityingly as
the Black Hole of Calcutta, and all but 23 of paint over the genitals in his fresco of the Last the owner is long gone. the river bore him away.
them were dead by morning. Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. All this hap- On the return journey, one former employee sets down his
Legend has it that a Bengali landlord, con- pened hundreds of years ago, but today there new wide-screen television to slap a mosquito on his arm. His Insurance ›
vinced that Holwell had been exaggerating, is still no shortage of philistines who bowdler- son, lugging an armful of groceries, is surprised: “Wow, dad, Perhaps the only form of gambling in which you bet on your own
attempted to crowd 146 of his tenants into an ize anything they can get their hands on; one that mosquito had a lot of blood in him.” losses, and if nothing goes amiss squander your entire outlay.
equally tight space and found that he could not. can even find supposed anarchists who think “That’s not his blood, son,” his father responds. “That’s my The matter is further complicated by the paradox that, when it
He took this as proof of his hypothesis, pointing revolutionary struggle would be more appealing blood.” comes to choosing an insurer, your best bet is to find one who
out that a Bengali villager’s body occupies much without Molotov cocktails, lust for revenge, and underestimates the risks you face, while correctly appraising
less space than a British soldier’s—an assertion unlimited sexual freedom. Expropriation › those threatening all its other customers—lest your provider
which is incontrovertibly true, if only because If property is theft (see Robbery), expropriation is a settling pay out all its takings before your hoped-for misfortune occurs.
the latter were fattening themselves from the Broken Window Theory › of accounts. In former times, insurance is reputed to have taken less
larders of the former. The tenants’ feelings The superstition that if minor infractions are Liberals, who accept the capitalist line that a social group only sophisticated forms, such as neighbors taking up emergency
about this experiment are lost to history; no aggressively repressed, more serious crime will deserves to wield as much power as it has access to funds, show collections; but such primitive methods were deemed unreliable.
4 ¬ No Time For Introductions ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 No Time For Introductions 5
Jurisprudence › Only then did he behold the sword suspended over his neck
Word of the Issue: Presumption
The self-satisfaction of a magistrate who had the good sense to by a single horsehair.
be born on the right side of the defendant’s bench At least this is how Damocles’ story reaches our ears through
Cicero, a typically literal-minded Roman. Had Kafka been the
Welcome
Me › one to pass it on, Damocles might have descried the sword in back,
faithful
I am me when I have lost the initiative, just as we are us when the eyes of his servants and sycophants.
readers!
we have lost it (see U.S.). As for you, it makes no di≠erence Certain pundits have a lot of nerve expostulating I’m Jan “Come on, join us!” a beau-
whether you have the initiative or not. Trial › against militant action on the grounds that it does not Olsson… tiful young student urged
A formal proceeding designed to emphasize the innocence serve the needs of the working class. Those needs are him, skipping gaily across
Megalomania › of judges and lawyers by contrasting them with a defendant, generally a lot more complex and diverse than such the paving stones. Thanassis
In common usage, obsession with the exercise of power, es- often drawn from the most desperate sectors of society. If this self-appointed experts assume. shook his head and scowled:
pecially in the domination of others. In clinical psychology, a exercise is not su∞cient, the defendant is subjected to such he was an adult with responsi-
pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of an a≠liction that the worthy jurists can at least congratulate Thanassis Papandropoulos had car trouble. His bilities and mouths to feed. He
importance, wealth, or omnipotence. In politics, a combination themselves on not being in his shoes. little jalopy had died its final death couldn’t just go gallivanting o≠
of the two, with the added complication that the public shares out in front of his apart- whenever he pleased.
the delusions and thus gives them substance. Trotskyism › ment building in down- …and I’m Clark A moment later, he was looking
Stalinism would be fine if only it were more international (see town Athens, and he Olofsson! You can at the backs of the last rioters in
read about us in
Robbery › Trotskyist) couldn’t a≠ord to have Rolling Thunder #6. despair. “Come back here, you
This time around, our
Legend has it that one night Voltaire and some traveling com- it repaired. If only it word of the issue is fucking cowards! Can’t an honest
panions lodged in a wayside inn. The surroundings were evoca- Vanguard › had been hit by a bus, presumption, man get his fucking car burned
tive, and after supper they agreed to take turns telling robber In communist usage, a party that leads from the rear; lest any- or floated o≠ in a flood around here? What the fuck
as in don’t
stories. When Voltaire’s turn came, he began: “Once there was one get the wrong idea, they sometimes show their courage or something! Year after make any is wrong with you people!”
presumptions
a high-ranking employee of the Internal Revenue Service.” He by putting themselves at the forefront of a charge backwards. year, he’d diligently paid about what’s There was nothing for
alienating to people!
stopped there, and his companions encouraged him to go on. In early anarchist usage, a group that does not lead, generally the insurance—a size- Remember, it; he stormed back up the
“That,” he said, “is the story.” doing so from prison, though the word is out of favor. able portion of his mea- bank robbers like stairs. His wife was still in
us are working
ger salary at the baklava class, too! the kitchen. “What’s going
Scripture › White Collar Crime › stand—and now all that on out there, honey?”
That which the devil quotes for his purposes A redundancy money had disappeared down “Nothing. Just a bunch of kids.” He
the drain. went to the closet and rummaged around for the fuel they used
Stalinism › Y’all › One afternoon, Thanassis was startled from the football game to power the space heater.
Not a consistent ideology, but a contradictory aggregate of In the southern United States, as well as many African-American by the sound of explosions. He hit the mute button and looked Back on the street, he poured the kerosene all over the hood,
all the positions that could be inferred from Stalin’s actions communities throughout North America, a contraction indicat- out his window. The street was filled with young people, many then attempted to strike a match from a damp matchbook that
at various points in his career. One can’t help but pity the ing the second person plural. With the exception of certain blue of them in black hooded sweatshirts, running and shouting. had been sitting in the silverware drawer all year. How was this
toadies of the Comintern, who had to play along at the risk collar Pennsylvanians, who utilize “yinz,” no equivalent exists in There was a university only a few blocks away, so this was not supposed to work, anyway? Damn it—should he have put the
of losing their heads as the correct lines on fascism, inter- the northern U.S. This is supposed to be a sign of refinement, an entirely unfamiliar sight—but this time, they were dragging fuel under the hood?
nationalism, and everything else changed according to what but it may simply be that the concept of collectivity is lost on cars into the middle of the street and setting them on fire. Just then, a line of armored police came charging up the
was politically expedient for the Dictator of the Proletariat. Northerners and wealthy white people. It only took him a few seconds to realize what he had to do. street—and there was Thanassis, still fumbling with the match-
That a few psychopaths persist in this today, when the be- In a flash, he was down the stairs and out by the curb, fist in es, an empty kerosene can on the curb. He looked up helplessly
loved leader is long dead and there are no rewards for doing Zionism › the air, shouting “Down with fascism! Avenge Allende!” as he at the o∞cers rushing forward to apprehend him.
so, boggles the mind. Between 1881 and 1906, sardonist Ambrose Bierce published imagined his brother had in ’73. The one in front slammed him back against the hood. “You
an irregular column under the title “The Devil’s Dictionary”—a A pair of young toughs approached at a brisk pace, molotov should be ashamed of yourself—burning a poor man’s car like
Sword of Damocles › sort of antecedent to this glossary, though Bierce would doubt- cocktails in their hands. Thanassis stepped out into the street. that! And at your age, too! You people are crazy, you’re ani-
The Greek thinker Plato, better known for his doctrine that less have considered his work inferior. Bierce, who had quipped “How about this one?” he called out, gesturing at his broken mals—destroying your own neighborhoods! You’ll be burning
the ideas of philosophers are more real than the experiences that “war is God’s way of teaching Americans geography,” disap- buggy. “Nice kindling, eh?” down your own houses next!”
of the masses (see The Republic), made only one attempt to peared without a trace while traveling to observe the Mexican The one with the ka∞yeh around his face looked at him “Leave him be—he must be one of ours,” a plainclothes o∞cer
realize his vision of a philosopher king who would rule with revolution. incredulously. “Are you kidding? That’s a working person’s car!” said, nonchalantly chucking a brick through the window of the flat
perfect wisdom. As no one would hire him for the job, he had What does this have to do with Zionism? In one installment “Well, it’s a car, isn’t it? You’re burning all the other cars on next door. The policemen continued on at a trot, and Thanassis,
to settle for advising the notorious tyrant Dionysius, a venture of his column, written well over a century ago, Bierce o≠ered the block! What about the revolution?” dazed, began looking around for the matchbook he had dropped.
that ended disastrously. the following definition: “Forget it!” hissed the other student, and then, under his He had finally found it and was coaxing the tiny flames to
The story goes that when another of Dionysius’s flatterers Manna › breath, “Damn hooligans!” They continued down the street. spread when another person came walking up. It was his neigh-
exclaimed how fortunate he was to be such a powerful man, the A food miraculously given to the Israelites in the wilderness. “You . . . you pacifists!” Thanassis shouted after them, waving bor, a staunch liberal who had been in the Communist Party
sovereign o≠ered to trade places with him for a day. Damocles When it was no longer supplied to them they settled down his arms in impotent rage. some years earlier. “What are you doing?” she burst out in
eagerly accepted, and Dionysius ordered that he be seated and tilled the soil, fertilizing it, as a rule, with the bodies of “Provocateur!” the one in the ka∞yeh shouted back over dismay. “You too, Thanassi?” He stared back in mute stupefac-
on a lavish couch, surrounded by gold and jewels and waited the original occupants. his shoulder. tion. “You know it doesn’t do any good! You can’t just burn and
upon by the fairest boys in the realm. Damocles luxuriated in Alas, how history repeats itself. Line after line of rioters passed by him. No one was taking smash things and expect the world to change—that doesn’t do
the attention, shouting out instructions and gorging himself the slightest notice of the jalopy. “Hey!” he cried. “Nice car anything for working people! You have to meet people where
on delicacies until his eyes rolled back in his head in ecstasy. here! Hey! Over here . . .” The mob was almost all past. “Hey!” they’re at, with initiatives that provide for their real needs.”
6 ¬ No Time For Introductions ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 No Time For Introductions 7
Appraisal The question, then, is whether they provide
Going It Alone a model that can be expanded on. The conven-
The convention protests had limited e≠ect tions revealed the risks of initiating a mobiliza-

primarily because of low attendance, though tion so far in advance: by the time the event
anarchists made a much better showing than finally occurs, the context may have changed
practically any other demographic and were dramatically. Likewise, so much preparation can
better prepared than usual. They provide a clas- raise unrealistic expectations; it also invites se-
Anarchist Action at the Democratic
sic example of a movement learning from its rious repression and intelligence gathering from
mistakes too late: anarchists finally regained the authorities. One might ask whether the US
& Republican National Conventions the initiative in the antiwar movement just as anarchist movement can sustain such costs; on
that movement breathed its last. But if those the other hand, one might also ask whether it
who organize future mobilizations also learn can a≠ord to remain a marginal participant in
these lessons, this could set the stage for more others’ campaigns, as it was throughout much
significant victories. Ultimately, the importance of the past decade. This brings up the most fun-
FOR GOOD OR FOR ILL, the protests
of the DNC and RNC mobilizations will be de- damental question: was the explicitly anarchist
at the 2008 Democratic and Republican termined in the future, according to how they character of the mobilization a fatally limiting
National Conventions constituted the most inform the next phase of radical organizing. factor, or a starting point towards building a
significant nationwide effort anarchists have In terms of specifically anarchist participa- bigger and more independent anarchist move-
undertaken to organize militant action in the tion, many aspects of the mobilizations were ment in the US?
US in several years. Two weeks later, the unprecedented. Nationwide preparations be- Can we go it alone? Are we better o≠ in the
gan well over a year in advance, and the ma- shadows? Or is there another way?
global economy collapsed, followed shortly by
jority of participants showed up in organized
anarchist-initiated rioting in Greece dwarfing
a∞nity groups. Anarchists took the initiative
anything in Denver or St. Paul. It’s easy to Prehistory: The Rise and Fall
to determine and coordinate their own strate-
feel that the DNC and RNC mobilizations of the Anti-War Movement
gies and tactics, and made breakthroughs in
were inconsequential by comparison. But if
establishing solidarity with other groups—as
US anarchists are ever going to be capable of exemplified by the historic St. Paul Principles. The so-called “anti-globalization movement,”
contributing to insurrections like the ones in They also debuted communications structures named by corporate media with a vested in-
Oaxaca and Greece, we either have to figure that had not previously been applied at mass terest in obscuring the possibility of modern-
out how to improve on the models applied mobilizations, which have since been cited by day anticapitalist struggle, emerged as if from
at the conventions, or else identify their the US military and utilized during the riots in nowhere in the late 1990s. In fact, it was the
Greece. Just as the global indymedia network convergence of a wide variety of smaller social
shortcomings conclusively so as to adopt
came out of the Seattle WTO demonstrations,* currents ranging from indigenous liberation
more effective approaches.
the DNC/RNC mobilizations produced the Bash struggles to the do-it-yourself punk scene, all
Back! network† and plenty of other projects of which had been quietly developing over the
and momentum that continue to the time of preceding years. Perhaps the most surprising
this writing. Proportionate to the number of accomplishment of the movement was to re-
participants, the mobilizations were surpris- vitalize street-level conflict, which many had
ingly successful. deemed irrelevant in the postmodern era.
The US wing of this movement was not
* Some critics pose a false dichotomy between building radi-
cal infrastructures and focusing on mass mobilizations; prepared for the sudden changes wrought by
in fact, the latter often produce the former. September 11, 2001; although the militant anti-
† Bash Back! came out of a Midwest anarchist consulta in IMF protest organized for that month became
November 2007, initiated by queer anarchists who felt
the first antiwar protest, anarchists swiftly lost
that there hadn’t been su∞cient space for radical queer
and trans participants at earlier demonstrations. Months the initiative to liberals and communists more
after the conventions, Bash Back! groups were making familiar with reactive single-issue organizing.
headlines with provocative actions, and the network
To the glee of authoritarians of every stripe,
continued to spread across the US.
In short, the convention protests were not a stunning victory,
but they set valuable precedents in coordination, strategy,
and infrastructure. Perhaps the greatest danger is that,
because they were not an unqualified success, they will have
been forgotten by the time of the next mass mobilization.
8 ¬ Breaking News ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 Breaking News 9
between 2001 and 2003 the antiwar move- to or capable of accomplishing its professed “Overall, the RNC-WC’s early formation, comprehensive
ment replaced the anticapitalist movement in objectives, and this is doubly true of people with
membership drives, strategic partnerships, and flexibility
the public eye. limited resources who are all too familiar with
The antiwar movement of the following being exploited for others’ gain. There were
will likely result in a more robust and balanced effort than
years failed to stop the war, but succeeded in e≠orts to recruit laborers and people of color,
taming protest itself. Considered as a whole, but these rarely created mutually beneficial in recent conventions. Consequently, security will likely be
the worldwide demonstrations on February collaboration and dialogue. It could be charged
more difficult to maintain than in previous years.”
15, 2003 comprised the most widely attended that organizers sought to involve a wide range of
protest in human history—and yet they did demographics in order to present the movement
–Department of Homeland Security Report, March 27, 2008
nothing to hinder the Bush administration. One as diverse, while still endeavoring to control its
might say it was a triumph of co-optation that so content and direction. Approaching the antiwar
much outrage and motivation was diverted into movement as an opportunity to create a mass
ine≠ectual rituals so soon after anticapitalists under liberal leadership, rather than a means of of protesters, including thousands of anarchists, preparing for the conventions, it was easier
had demonstrated the power of direct action. fighting the war machine, actually undermined had participated in the 2004 RNC in New York, for others to do the same.
To be fair, the e≠ectiveness of the e≠orts of the possibility of it ever adding up to a durable, though there had been little coordination or Taking a cue from the Dissent network that
1999-2001 did not become clear until years later empowered mass. common strategy for anti-authoritarians. With had organized against the G8 summits in Eng-
By the middle of Bush’s second term, public this missed opportunity still fresh in people’s land and Germany, the WC organized a “pRe-
sentiment was acknowledged to be overwhelm- minds, it was not unreasonable to expect the NC” planning conference exactly a year before
ingly against the war, and yet the antiwar move- upcoming DNC and RNC might o≠er another the RNC. For many younger anarchists not yet
ment had e≠ectively collapsed. The tactic of chance in a similar context. entirely clear on the distinction between strat-
mass mobilization, which liberals had hijacked To this end, starting in a couple communi- egy and tactics, this was itself an educational
from radicals, had accordingly been abandoned; ties and spreading slowly across the country, experience; despite the resultant challenges, a
protests still occurred, but none drew numbers small knots of anarchists began to discuss the blockading strategy emerged for the first day of
worthy of the word “mass.” conventions. In the host cities, these coalesced the convention, relying on a diversity of tactics.
By 2008, liberal politics beyond the voting into the RNC Welcoming Committee and Un- Once this element was in place, the RNC mobi-
booth had been completely deflated by the fail- conventional Denver; nationwide, a network of lization gathered momentum steadily. Groups
ure of the antiwar movement. Liberal hopes ad hoc collectives emerged under the moniker around the country signed on to the call to shut
were once again pinned on electoral politics, Unconventional Action. From early on, most down the convention, and an Unconventional
and the streets were as quiet as they had been in agreed that there should be a generalized strat- Action paper circulated advertising the strate-
the mid-1990s when neoconservatives crowed egy for direct action and an anarchist-organized gies for both St. Paul and Denver. All this helped
that capitalism had triumphed as “the end of infrastructure. Some also argued, drawing on build confidence in the protests.
history.” This was the context in which anar- examples from earlier mobilizations, that it The DNC mobilization got o≠ to a shakier
chists prepared to go to Denver and St. Paul. was important for direct action to start on start. Many Denver radicals were less enthusias-
the first day of the conventions and coincide tic about taking on the police state. Recreate 68,
Genesis with other protests, rather than occurring at a leftist umbrella group,* took the initiative to
a separate time. begin organizing, but it took longer for explicitly
The DNC/RNC mobilizations got started in anarchist coordination to pick up steam. Early
a relative vacuum. In 2007, when organizers Buildup gatherings in Denver drew fewer participants
first decided to focus on them, few nationwide than those in St. Paul, and the goals of the mo-
A banner at Civic Center when many were no longer paying attention. events were bringing people together for mili- For many, their first exposure to the organiz- bilization seemed less clear. As the DNC drew
Park in downtown Denver, There were scattered e≠orts to apply direct tant struggle or putting anarchism in the public ing was a humorous video short from the RNC nearer, a split occurred in R68; meanwhile,
indicative of the politics
action in antiwar e≠orts, such as the targeting eye. After the rise and fall of anti-globalization Welcoming Committee, depicting masked anar- Unconventional Denver gained momentum
of Recreate 68.
of recruitment centers and ports engaged in “summit-hopping” and the resulting backlash, chists engaging in everyday activities through- and local participants, and pulled together a
military shipping, but these were too little too reverting to the mass mobilization model was out the Twin Cities and ending with the words week-long schedule of themed events. The
late. Imagine the e≠ect if a mere tenth of the something of a failure of imagination. This “We’re getting ready.” Later, humorless state and people who organized in Denver took on dis-
participants in the February 15 demonstrations goes double for those who had been saying for federal investigators referenced this video dur- proportionately more work, with less support
had blockaded ports or smashed recruitment years that it was time to find something more ing interrogations and presented it at felony tri- than those in the Twin Cities; but in fighting
center windows! e≠ective, without ever presenting a concrete als. When it appeared in August 2007, it showed this uphill battle, they enabled anarchists to
Some have charged that the antiwar move- alternative that could fill the same role. radicals around the country that organizers in frame the mobilizations as a rejection of rep-
ment failed because it was not empowering It’s important to remember that when the the Twin Cities were already focusing on the resentational politics itself, rather than just the
for the working class or people of color. This conventions were first chosen as a target, it was RNC and were resourceful and clever to boot. Republican Party.
is a half-truth: the antiwar movement failed not yet clear that the antiwar movement was on Similarly, the first groups that appeared un- Both Unconventional Denver and the Wel-
because it was not empowering to anybody. The its last legs. The previous two election years had der the Unconventional Action banner didn’t coming Committee met regularly, establishing
groups that dominated it did all they could to both included fierce protests at the Democratic just put out a general call for organizing against committees for logistical work and maintain-
limit the tactics and strategies of participants to and Republican National Conventions, with the DNC and RNC, but went ahead and held ing informative websites. Members of the WC
the lowest common denominator. Few will stick plenty of anarchist involvement but little seri- consultas in their own communities. Once
* As one cynic quipped, “A lot of di≠erent things happened
around in a movement that is not committed ous advance organizing. Hundreds of thousands it was clear that some people were already
in 1968—not all of them good!”
10 ¬ Breaking News ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 Breaking News 11
Radical and rebellious undertook nationwide speaking tours encourag- The St. Paul Principles RNC, organizers of many stripes respected the else tied down by new responsibilities, while . . . and the police respond
youth pour into the ing groups to coordinate their own participa- St. Paul principles, refusing to denounce or many younger anarchists who never participated with typical finesse,
streets of Denver on the taking the opportunity to
tion, and maintained interest with a series of For years leading up to the conventions, mass inform on militant activists. in a mass mobilization had been turned against
evening of August 25 . . . express their affection for
witty pranks and press statements along the mobilizations had been plagued by conflicts them by the lingering backlash. In the buildup
independent media.
lines of their initial video. Like many public between advocates of direct action and other Attendance to the conventions, impressive new networks
organizing bodies, the WC was beset by pain- protesters; in some cases, pacifists and authori- were established, but the failure to rebuild the
ful internal and external ideological conflicts; tarians had attacked militants or actively col- After all the promotion, where was everyone? old networks proved costly, as did the general
despite this, they managed to lay the founda- laborated with the police against them. The The permitted march at the RNC was scarcely lack of training and experience.
tions for coordination among anarchists and RNC Welcoming Committee took steps to a tenth the size of the one in New York four Meanwhile, the NGOs that had been so im-
coalition organizing with progressives. ensure that this would not happen in St. Paul. years earlier; there may have been about as portant in the anti-globalization movement
In May, the WC hosted a second pRe-NC, In February 2008, the Welcoming Committee many hard-core militants as there had been at were nowhere to be seen, and the liberal coali-
at which organizers from around the country and Unconventional Action Chicago joined a prior conventions, but nothing like the numbers tions that had provided the bulk of the anti-war
attempted to flesh out the blockading strategy. range of other groups, including the Coalition imagined by those familiar with the high point movement were drastically eroded. As mass
The participants opted against dividing the city to March on the RNC and Stop the War and the of the anti-globalization era. mobilizations and traditional civil disobedience
into zones according to level of risk, as had been Anti-War Committee, in drafting an agreement Several factors probably contributed to this. had produced diminishing returns, many NGOs
done in Quebec City and Genoa, agreeing that across ideological and tactical lines: The conventions occurred away from the coasts, had shifted away from them; now, without the
organizers could not determine how the police where the majority of radical communities were older generation of anarchists involved, many
would behave. Instead, it was agreed that the -Our solidarity will be based on respect for a located. Some had hoped that the resurrected connections with these groups had been lost.
permitted rally and march would be kept free diversity of tactics and the plans of other groups. Students for a Democratic Society would orga- It wasn’t clear until months later just how dra-
of direct action, as per the St. Paul Principles; -The actions and tactics used will be orga- nize a great deal of youth participation, but this matically the Obama campaign had a≠ected the
meanwhile, the regions surrounding the con- nized to maintain a separation of time or space. did not occur on a national level. As anarchists context, drawing people away from grassroots
vention center were divided into seven sectors, -Any debates or criticisms will stay internal had established their own social circles over the organizing and into voter registration and simi-
so that di≠erent organizing groups could choose to the movement, avoiding any public or media preceding years, their presence had decreased lar activities. Certain self-described anarchists
in advance where and with whom they would denunciations of fellow activists and events. in subcultural milieus such as the punk scene, who said they envied Obama’s campaign for its
act. In the final months before the conventions, -We oppose any state repression of dissent, which may have resulted in lower attendance success in mobilizing the masses failed to point
direct action trainings took place throughout including surveillance, infiltration, disruption from those demographics. The high price of out that it flourished to the same extent that our
the Midwest, while a∞nity groups from one and violence. We agree not to assist law enforce- gasoline may have discouraged others. fair-weather allies disappeared. Reformist co-
coast to the other finalized their plans and or- ment actions against activists and others. Though some diehards showed up to play optation is a weapon against popular autonomy
ganizers in the host cities rented convergence logistical roles, the generation of anarchists that and self-determination no less than the tear gas
centers and scrambled to coordinate logistics. This agreement helped to legitimize the anar- had been instrumental in the mobilizations from of riot police. On the other hand, this made it all
Nothing ever goes as planned, but if you plan chists in the eyes of other organizers—which in Seattle to Quebec City largely stayed home. the more important that anarchists emphasize
and work hard enough, something will happen. turn saved anarchists needless internal bicker- One might hypothesize that in this regard, the possibilities beyond the voting booth, and in
The stated goal of blockading the conventions ing over whether or not they were “respecting anarchist movement was still paying o≠ bills this regard we could have done worse.
was probably unrealistic, but anarchists had the local community,” a frequent stumbling from the anti-globalization days: many veterans All this underscores the generosity of the
set the stage for a confrontation. block at mass mobilizations. Even after the of that era were still nursing their bitterness, or longtime activists from outside our immediate
12 ¬ Breaking News ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 Breaking News 13
milieu, such as those from the Pagan Cluster, who chose to Machine headlined a show that ended with anarchists support-
bring their substantial skills to the mobilizations even as their ing Iraq Veterans Against the War in an unpermitted march to
compatriots stayed home. the convention center. Further confrontations with the police
did not occur, though perhaps this was for the best with the
August 24-28: RNC around the corner.
Afterwards, one UD organizer regretted that the mobilization
The Democratic National Convention
did not produce common cause with other locals against the
inequities of capitalism and white supremacy; in this regard,
People began to trickle into the convergence center in Denver it may have been a missed opportunity to test new strategies
in mid-August. Saturday night, August 23, was the first thickly for resistance in the Obama era. Despite fears, however, media
attended spokescouncil; Unconventional Denver spokespeople coverage did not misrepresent anarchists as racists, and locals
appraised a full room of predominantly young anarchists of the on the streets seemed to be sympathetic—an important point
various permitted and unpermitted events scheduled for the of reference for future e≠orts. Whatever its shortcomings, the
week, noting to applause that all UD events were unpermitted. mobilization in Denver succeeded in achieving some visibility
The liberal antiwar march the following day was unexpectedly and built up momentum for the RNC without inflicting unsus-
small. An energetic anarchist-organized Reclaim the Streets tainable costs. As the week wound to a close, vehicles packed
march took o≠ on its heels, however, crisscrossing downtown with anarchists set o≠ for St. Paul.
for hours and attracting a wide range of participants. Even
after the march reached its destination, at which a stando≠ Pre-Emptive Repression in the Twin Cities
with police ensued, it spontaneously departed again; police
eventually attempted to corral it between intersections, but the Like Denver, the Twin Cities had never seen a mobilization of
participants escaped through a parking deck. In retrospect, this this scale; it was a new challenge for anarchists and city o∞cials
was perhaps the only action of the entire DNC/RNC mobiliza- alike. Although government repression increased to new levels
tion that was an uncomplicated success. The organizers had in the months leading up to the RNC, there were precedents
correctly predicted that police would be hesitant to attack a within recent memory hinting at what to expect. A decade
mixed crowd the day before the convention, when Code Pink earlier, the Minnehaha Free State—a 16-month anti-road oc-
and Iraq Veterans Against the War were also in the streets; cupation in Minneapolis—had been infiltrated, harassed, and
this helped to get the whole mobilization o≠ on the right foot. raided multiple times by hundreds of o∞cers.* In July 2000, undercover police o∞cers and federal infor- case, a federal informant had entrapped an More scenes from
Back at the convergence center that evening, people re- during protests against the International Society for Animal mants to infiltrate the WC. The long buildup unfortunate protester into making Molotov Denver, August 25.
grouped to plan an action targeting party fundraisers the fol- Genetics (ISAG),† over one hundred people were brutally mass- to the convention and the transparency of the cocktails; the other raid was conducted on a
lowing night. In a typical example of how large meetings can arrested, and organizers experienced violent house raids and WC enabled the state to gather tremendous space occupied by videographers.
get stymied in irrelevant deliberations, it didn’t come out until snatch arrests. It should not have been a surprise when these quantities of intelligence. In the weeks before Throughout the following days, undercover
well into the discussion that practically everyone involved also tactics reoccurred eight years later. the RNC, police blatantly tailed and photo- snatch squads roamed in unmarked cars, kid-
planned to participate in the black bloc called for 6 pm Monday. After public outcry following the ISAG arrests, the Minneapo- graphed organizers, staked out their houses, napping organizers wherever they could be
There had been no planning to speak of for the black bloc, and lis City Council enacted new laws governing police treatment and attempted to question them. They also found. One legal worker stepped into a court-
at that point it was too late. of protesters, but these were repealed in advance of the RNC. detained and harassed perceived anarchists, house to support an arrested friend, only to
R68 had reserved Civic Center Park downtown, which hosted The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul also passed a host of new photographing them and searching and seizing be detained and interrogated by Bob Fletcher
ongoing musical performances and Food Not Bombs servings laws regarding permits and protest, and broke out one that had their belongings and vehicles. Some of these himself. Andrew Darst, the federal informant
and generally served as a convergence area. This was also the never been used—the now-infamous “crimes committed in photographs were later used to identify arrest- who had spent months inside the WC as “Panda”
starting point for the aforementioned black bloc, the fate of furtherance of terrorism” provision of the Minnesota PATRIOT ees who would not give their names. (see p. 2 of this magazine), invited an organizer to
which is described in the introduction of Rolling Thunder #6. Act, which defines terrorism broadly enough to encompass On Friday, August 29, the Ramsey County meet him in a public place and identified him to
Su∞ce it to say the bloc didn’t get far before being surrounded civil disobedience. Sheri≠’s Department raided the WC conver- a snatch squad by embracing him—unwittingly
by police, resulting in approximately 100 arrests; more thor- In August 2007, the night before the pRe-NC began, police gence space. They detained several dozen mimicking Judas, who identified Jesus to the
ough preparation and strategizing might have produced better from several departments attacked the monthly Critical Mass people, including a five-year-old child,‡ face Roman soldiers by kissing him.§
results, but at least the attempt produced a situation of social bicycle ride in downtown Minneapolis, beating and arresting down at gunpoint while they searched the build- Taken as a whole, this was a higher level of
conflict—albeit at the expense of the other scheduled action, 19 people and exclaiming “See you next year!” The arrestees ing, taking everything from computers to chil- repression than had occurred at a mass mobili-
which never occurred. That evening, rebellious young people were bailed out and the conference proceeded as scheduled, dren’s artwork. The following morning, police zation in the US in several years. Convergence
seemed much more desirous of conflict with the authorities but this was a foreshadowing glimpse of the repression to come. raided three houses, arresting four organizers, center raids are not uncommon, the total num-
than organized anarchists seemed prepared to facilitate it. The majority of the arrestees’ charges were later dropped, and handcu∞ng and questioning dozens more, and ber of arrests had been higher at the 2004 RNC
Tuesday saw anarchists scrambling to do jail support; arrest- as this goes to press the city government is negotiating to pay seizing a great deal more material. The seized in New York, and the bail of targeted arrestees
ees’ court dates were all scheduled for September 2, an obvious one a $170,000 settlement. items were used as props in a press conference was initially set higher at the 2000 RNC in
attempt to paralyze those committed to both mobilizations. Over the following year, the government sent multiple at which Sheri≠ Bob Fletcher implied that they Philadelphia; the house raids and snatch squads
Wednesday, hundreds participated in an anticapitalist envi- were dangerous weapons. Two other houses were more unusual, though precedented by
* The Free State produced an entire generation of Twin Cities activists, some
ronmental march; meanwhile, at the convergence center, at of whom later helped found the WC. were raided in the course of the RNC: in one ISAG. But the felony charges brought against
which a police raid had been feared all week, warrantless police the organizers who became known as the RNC
† Comically, these were coordinated by the ISAG Welcoming Committee, a ‡ One detainee who attempted to sing to the child to keep
arrested people outside and used a bulldozer to destroy signs group promoting “decentralized actions” which foreshadowed the RNC WC him calm was gru≠ly instructed to “Shut the fuck up” by a
and banners in the parking lot. Later that day, Rage Against the by failing to engage with corporate media while police mobilized a massive gun-waving o∞cer. As far as the editors of this magazine § Imagine the conscience of a person whose chosen career
campaign of repression. are concerned, that o∞cer’s life can’t end soon enough. echoes that of the most hated traitor in Christian history.
14 ¬ Breaking News ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 Breaking News 15
L
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Patrol Officers, who found themselves outnumbered and facing hundreds of
adnida nrcohti sretss.p Boencda ours ere osfp roanddioe cdo tmoom luanteic taot iaosns pisrot bthleem Psa,t Mroolb Oilfefi Fceierlsd. Force either cacatrisv pisrtosw wloend daenrde dsi wrehnest wheari ltehde,y w whoiluel dp aervaenno bide FORT RD WALNUT ST 5 SHEPARD RD BPAURILkDING CBATMSHR NBCASCTkW! MARCH
Between approximately 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., the anarchists moved
able to get downtown the following morning. PERIMETER FENCE BLACk BLOC
reoerf lsca, otrinevvefuelysn eifer cneoecnleyt fatoihnrr eoarunsga, hrnc edhwoiswstpsna,t powewhrno b Saoalxsienost uaPsnaedud lt .tr Lhaoeffiomcs est oiigt ebnmlso, scb,k ei ncscatrlmeuedeti nsw.g eD pauplaroinnntgs- September 1: The Big Day 3 GRAND AVE EXCHANGE ST IRPAVRINKE 15 1 DBREELEAGkAATWEA ByU MSA ERNCTHRy FCUANMkP UTSH EA CWTAIORN NETWORk
their rampage, the anarchists broke windows on buildings and police cars,
sianlldassoivh iadetudtea tmlisre,p sitn eocdnl u tpodo ipnlirgcee pv ceoanlirtcs eR a NonfCdfi mcdeeerldse,ig aRa vtNeeChs iacdlneedlse ,dg bealltoeecgska,e taden sbdtu rbseyeesstts af ranondmde r aestn.t*ta eTcrkhineedgy Aant d1 1S ato.mp .t,h teh We Caro araliltliyo kni ctok eMd aor≠c hat o tnh eth cea pRiNtoCl, P1 FoOR1lT 0iRc:D3e7 ACMo nMafFsrOsoReBdnE pSto aAlVitcEeio tenm /po Prarriloy tperesveRtYnAetN ArsVtE uMdeontvse frmome mnatrc h/i nBglockade / Pr op17e r1t2y:5 9D PeMs tRreuclacimti othne Streets!
the Xcel Energy Center. Throughout the day, the anarchist groups engaged while three miles away police prevented Ma- 2 11:00 AM Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War rally begins. 18 1:00 PM Two sandbags and a traffic sign thrown off the overpass to the highway
police in a game of ‘whack-a-mole,’ in which police were always chasing, but calester students from leaving to march to the 3 11:00 AM PMrCoBtOeAsLto ArVsE push a trash bin into a squad car, narrowly missing a pig. onramp.
never controlling, the anarchists. Five arrested. 19 1:02 PM Bash Back! Blockade. Benches and dumpsters are broken in the street.
rally site. Meanwhile, anarchists all over the city
Shortly before 3:00 p.m., MFF units gathered south and east of the Landmark 4 11:30 AM Intersection blocked with caution tape and twine. BB! successfully holds their line against bus and horse charges.
Center and began moving the anarchists out of downtown. This led to a large were getting into position and some of the first 5 11:48 AM 150 people massed near Triangle Park. The Westboro Baptist Church (God Hates Fags) are attacked.
confrontation between anarchists and law enforcement along Kellogg. During blockades were going up. By 12:30, the Funk the 6 12:21 PM Funk the War march begins. 20 1:10 PM New hard blockade at I-94 offramp.
7 12:28 PM Police try to stop the Funk the War march. 21 1:19 PM Many from Bash Back! join the black bloc as it passes by. Windows of
these confrontations, MFF Officers used less-than-lethal weapons. Facing MFF War march had left the rally area, encountering
8 12:30 PM Six people lockdown in an intersection using lockboxes and a car. delegate bus smashed.
pressure, the anarchist groups split at Kellogg and Robert, one group fleeing to
a confused police attempt to stop it, and the 9 12:35 PM Wacouta Commons permitted meetup underway. 22 1:20 PM Large trash bin used to block road.
the area of 9th and Temperance, where they were arrested or escaped. The other
first hard blockade was in place on the I-94 o≠- 10 12:38 PM Three people break the security perimeter. 23 1:25 PM Legal observers surrounded by police blockade.
group fled to Shepard Road. The anarchists on Shepard Road were driven west
11 12:38 PM Campus Antiwar Network successfully blockades intersection— 24 1:25 PM Police cut activists out of lockboxes. Blockade is cleared with six arrests.
to a park near Chestnut Road. At that location, the anarchists merged with a ramp on the east side of St. Paul. At 1 p.m., the
including police buses. 25 1:27 PM Windows broken. Squad car tires slashed.
crowd of bystanders. The MFF units surrounded and detained the entire crowd.” permitted march departed from the capitol; at 12 12:39 PM A line of bike cops formed along Minnesota, directing Funk the War to 26 1:27 PM Pagan cluster blockades delegate buses.
the same time, there were major confrontations turn right on 7th. 20-30 people rush the line with reinforced banners, but 27 1:30 PM Attack on an empty delegate bus. One cop tries to make an arrest, is hit
–Report of the RNC Public Safety Planning and Implementation Review Commission are peppersprayed and pushed back. against the back of his head, and knocked to the ground. He uses pepper
between police and the Funk the War march,
13 12:40 PM Protestors blockading the intersection. Fight with cops, one officer down. spray and retreats.
* This is presumably disinformation, though there are reports of a conflict between anarchists and the black bloc moving through northwest down- Dispersed by 12:50 PM with one arrest. 28 1:35 PM First national bank windows smashed.
pro-war demonstrators. Compared to police officers, anarchists are extremely principled about not town, and the Bash Back! blockade. Protestors 14 12:49 PM Black bloc nears the capitol, surrounded by police. Heading back on John 29 1:44 PM Window smashed.
attacking civilians. Ireland Blvd toward downtown. 30 1:45 PM Unpermitted march, swarming from all directions—joined by a black bloc.
moved in and out of intersections evading the
15 12:54 PM Lockdown on Shepard Rd. 31 1:47 PM Breakaway march making total destroy.
16 12:55PM Blockade broken; 20 demonstrators detained.
16 ¬ Breaking News ¬ Issue Seven, Spring 2009 ¬ Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder Issue Seven, Spring 2009 Breaking News 17