First up, you’ll hear Maru Mora-Villalpando talking about the immigration prison known as the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA and the organizing that her organization La Resistencia does to shut down this private prison run by Geo Group. [ 00:00:54 – 00:44:00 ]
Then, a member of Pittsburgh Fash Watch, an antifascist group, talks about their mobilization and unmasking of white supremacists in their area, such as WLM and Goyim Defense League (GDL) chud Brandon Cahall. [ 00:45:07 – 00:54:42]
This week on the final straw we’re featuring a conversation with Tom and Miriam of the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led network of activists standing in solidarity with Palestinians on the ground in the occupied territories. For the hour we talk about the organization, its history, what got these folks involved, the recent and tragic murder of Ayşenur Eygi in Beita in the West Bank which Miriam witnessed, and how conditions have changed as the war by the Israeli settler state has expanded.
This week, we’re featuring two conversations relating to the so-called Green Border in Podlaskie region of eastern Poland, on the Belarus border concerning topics of migration, repression, militarization, nationalism and solidarity among residents and people on the move into Fortress Europe.
First up, you’ll hear Alex, a member of the feminist anti-repression group, Szpila Collective, about the H5Poland case of 5 activists facing charges for aiding people in need in what could be a landmark case in Poland and Europe. More at Szpila.BlackBlogs.Org or on Mastodon: @Szpila@kolektiva.social [ 00:01:34 – 00:15:08]
Then, you’ll find a chat with an anarchist who grew up in this border region and returned in adulthood and whose affinity group does solidarity with people on the move through the Białowieża forest. [00:19:58 – 01:32:18]
This week, we’re featuring an interview with Dominika Ożyńska (Egala Association) and Aleksandra Chrzanowska (Association for Legal Intervention [polish: Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej SIP]), two human rights activists in eastern Poland near the Belarus border who speak about the situation with the migrant route through the Białowieża forest in the midst of increased militarization on both sides of the border through this ancient forest and through the region. Both are active in the umbrella Grupa Granica, or border group, movement supporting people on the move.
In coming weeks we hope to feature more conversations with activists on the ground in this region and elsewhere speaking on similar topics, including locals who’ve seen social and environmental changes as tensions build between the neighboring nation-states and international alliances and how it impacts people seeking asylum and engaging their freedom of movement.
Here’s an interview with Walter of the Antifa International social media project. In 2016, this took over the running of the annual July 25th Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners that was formerly a day to show affinity with Jock Palfreeman, an Australian antifascist who was incarcerated in Bulgaria for defending some Romani people from a right wing attack in which an attacker died.
For the hour we talk about the day of solidarity, the associated Antifascist Defense fund, international lines of solidarity around antifascism, recent cases of repression and continuing to support cultures of resistance while comrades are behind bars.
This week we’re featuring three segments. First up, you’ll hear a conversation I had with Asphalt, a supporter of a recent federal grand jury resister in Charleston, South Carolina. [00:04:53 – 00:36:28]
After that Cyprus Hartford, the grand jury resister, speaks for herself and reads her statement of resistance. [00:36:28 – 00:40:39]
Finally, you can find an interview that Ian did with Marisa Holmes and Molly of the Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Committee about their recent anarchist film festival. [00:42:32 – 01:01:29]
Then you’ll hear Sean Swain’s review of the presidential debate [01:02:06 – 01:09:16]
By way of introduction to this first segment, I’d like to remind people that none of the people speaking about grand juries here are lawyers, but we are sharing information we’ve gotten from lawyers and legal experts to the best of our abilities. I’m going to read a bit from the website NCResistsTheGrandJury.Wordpress.Com:
What is a Grand Jury?
In the federal legal system, the grand jury is used to decide whether someone should be charged (“indicted”) for a serious crime. The grand jury hears evidence presented by the prosecutor: the U.S. Attorney. The grand jury uses subpoenas to gather this evidence. It can subpoena documents, physical evidence, and witnesses to testify. The “special” federal grand jury, created in 1970, can be used to investigate “possible” organized criminal activity rather than a specific crime. The California legal system also has grand juries, but it is optional whether criminal prosecutions are initiated by grand jury indictment, or by a complaint by the District Attorney and preliminary hearing before a judge.
How is a Grand Jury Different Than a Trial Jury?
Unlike the “petit” jury, which is used to determine guilt in a trial, a grand jury consists of 16 to 23 jurors who are not screened for bias. The purpose of the grand jury is not to determine guilt or innocence, but to decide whether there is probable cause to prosecute someone for a felony crime. The grand jury operates in secrecy and the normal rules of evidence do not apply. The prosecutor runs the proceedings and no judge is present. Defense lawyers are not allowed to be present in the grand jury room and cannot present evidence, but may be available outside the room to consult with witnesses. The prosecutor and the grand jury members may not reveal what occurred in the grand jury room and witnesses cannot obtain a transcript of their testimony.
How Has the Grand Jury Been Used by the State?
Because of their broad subpoena powers and secretive nature, grand juries have been used by the government to gather information on political movements and to disrupt those movements by causing fear and mistrust. The grand jury lends itself to being used for improper political investigation due in part to the prosecutor’s ability to question witnesses without regard for rules that prohibit irrelevant, unreliable or unlawfully obtained evidence. Those called before the grand jury may be compelled to answer any question, even those relating to lawful personal and political activities. That information has been used by the government as a basis to conduct further surveillance and disruption of political dissent. When used against political movements, the grand jury causes fear and mistrust because persons who refuse to answer questions about their First Amendment political activities, friends and associates may be jailed for the life of the grand jury: up to 18 months. If a witness asserts their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, they may be forced to accept immunity or go to jail for contempt. Even a witness who attempts to cooperate can be jailed if minor inconsistencies are found in their testimony. Such a perjury charge may stand even when the grand jury fails to hand down any indictment for what it was ostensibly investigating.
The grand jury is a complicated and opaque process, by design. Our movements have decades of experience resisting grand juries, and there are resources available to learn more and support those who resist.
If you have been contacted by federal law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild has a national federal defense hotline at 212-679-2811.
. … . ..
Featured Track:
Setting Sun (instrumental) by The Chemical Brothers from Setting Sun
First up, we spoke with Tala Nasser of the Palestinian prisoner human rights group, Al-Addameer which has offices in Jerusalem or Al-Quds, as well as in Ramallah. We speak about the report they released on Palestinian Prisoners day, April 17th, on the conditions of Palestinian prisoners, particularly since October 7th, 2023 including in Gaza since the invasion. More info on the group and their findings can be found at addameer.org
Then, we’ll hear a segment by our comrades at A-Radio Berlin speaking with Johan Eriksson, an anarchist game designer has recently published such an RPG called “Oceania 2084“, based on George Orwell’s novel “1984”. You can find more of about the game including a free austere pdf of the gameplay at jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io , and you can hear more audios from A-Radio Berlin at aradio-berlin.org .
Sean Swain’s 2024 Presidential Run
For the sake of anyone in the office of Attorney General of Ohio if they’re listening: this segment is political satire. We feel it’s necessary to make this disclaimer as they referenced a spoof press conference for Sean as governor in exile of Ohio on the January 18th, 2015 radio segment in court filings to prove how dangerous Sean is, while actually just showing how stupid hierarchs are.
Midweek Release: Yaffa As
In case you missed mid-week release of our interview with Yaffa As, a queer and trans Palestinian poet, author, publisher and activist living in the diaspora about two recent collections they published as well as mutual aid and fundraising to get queer Palestinians out of range of Israeli genocide.
A recent chat with Jeremy White, film-maker, activist, and street medic who’s facing prison time in what has been dubbed the “San Diego Antifa” case. You’ll hear Jeremy talk about what happened on January 9th, 2021 at the Stop The Steal rally, how the police interacted with members of American Guard and Proud Boys as they assaulted passers by, the conspiracy-theory driven DA Sommers Stephan and where the case was before it resumed on March 18th, after we recorded this chat. Jeremy also worked on a horror-comedy film called “Bitch Ass“.
Benefit concert Saturday, May 18th 2024 @Birdcage Comics 165 W Hospitality Lane, Suite 17 San Bernadino, CA 92408
Doors @ 6pm / ALLAGES
$8 Suggested donation / (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
The proceeds from this show will go to legal funds and family support.
FEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCES BY:
SEXETTE / GLORBO / THE HAIL MARIAS / DOVE / LOW SWEEP
Venmo: @PUSHINGDOWNTHEWALLS
Cashapp: $PUSHINGDOWNTHEWALLS
Please put “TC” in the notes.
First up, you’ll hear a chat with organizers of the 2024 Heart of the Valley Anticapitalist Bookfair which ran its first iteration in Corvallis, Oregon from January 19-21st. A zine of their experiences will appear on that blog soon. [ -> 00:24:18 ]
Then, you’ll hear a brief segment updating listeners on the conspiracy case against six anarchists and antifascists in Russia known as the Tyumen case (for where it initiated). The six anarchists, some of whom barely knew each other, were tortured into confessions of conspiracy to further anarchist ideology and damage the Russian war machine. [ 00:24:34 – 00:32:53 ]
Following this, we spoke with Aster, a European anarchist involved in the counter-surveillance and anti-repression project known as the No Trace Project which works to share information about known methods and cases of state surveillance. The project does this in order to improve and expand our collective knowledge, tools and abilities at evading state crackdowns as we organize and act. This interview was conducted via encrypted messages and Aster’s portion is being read by an unrelated volunteer. [ 00:35:47 – 01:05:18 ]
If you plan to visit their site, we suggest at least running a VPN (riseup.net has a free one) and using an anonymized browser. One method is to download the tor browser (find your device/operating system at ssd.eff.org for some tips) and visit the NoTrace Project tor address. Their website can also be found at https://NoTrace.How
Finally, you’ll hear Sean Swain’s reading of names of people killed by cops in the USA during October of 2023. [ 01:09:50 ]
This week, we’re sharing audio from anarchist prisoner in the UK, Toby Shone. Toby was arrested in November of 2020 after a car chase and during 5 simultaneous raids on residences in the Forest of Dean outside of Bristol.
Toby was accused of being responsible for the insurrectionary counter-info anarchist site 325.NoState.Net as well as participation in the Informal Anarchist Federation – International Revolutionary Front, authoring communiques on behalf of IAF-IRF & the Earth Liberation Front, funding terrorism and being involved in the sabotage of a cellphone tower and having information on explosives. This raid and the case were brought in conjunction with the attempted linking of a diverse array of UK anarchist projects with terrorist charges via Operation Adream, which Toby understands to be conducted in conjunction with intelligence services from the Netherlands and German. The court failed to convict Toby Shone on these charges and only succeeded in convicting him of having and distributing hallucinogens and got 3 years, 9 months. Toby was then re-arrested while out on probation for having a cellphone and attending a prisoner support event.
You’ll hear two audios from Toby, first him explaining his conviction and situation during his first incarceration, and then you’ll hear Toby recently answer a few of our questions and updating listeners about his recent re-imprisonment in HMP Garth, far away from his supporters in the Bristol area. Much thanks to Brighton Anarchist Black Cross for supporting Toby and this conversation. More information at https://brightonabc.org.uk. Brighton ABC and Tobys supporters have noted that he’s been receiving pretty spotty treatment for his cancer and not getting a healthy vegan diet and so has lost some weight of recent. Tobys mail, including letters and books haven’t been making their way to him at HMP Garth. It’s requested that supporters consider writing Toby a postcard, letter or email to help him through these next 8 months or so before his scheduled release and to inform his crew at forestcase (at) riseup.net of the mailing so they have a record in case it doesn’t get to Toby.
Notably at that website you’ll see information about an upcoming International Anti-Repression Gathering happening in Brighton from March 30-31st. There’s information about signing up for the event at Brighton ABC’s website.
Argentinian Antifascist on Resisting Milei and Red Gym, La Cultura Del Barrio
Then, we were able to get an interview with Nicholas of Buenos Aires, Argentina to catch up on what’s been happening since the presidential election of libertarian capitalist Javier Milei. Milei’s presidential campaign was highlighted by his claims to subvert the status quo of Peronism – a socially liberal form of democracy with decades of complicated contexts in the 20th century. He’s claimed to be an “anarcho-capitalist,” although his policies since election have been nothing short of classic neoliberalism: cuts to social welfare, hamstringing of labor union’s rights to strike and picket, and doing away with common regulations of capital.
While folks in the USA have sought to understand Milei by comparing him to former U.S. President Trump, Nicholas outlines how this comparison falls short. We also talk about the role of organized anti-fascists in expecting continued clashes with the police, the social space & boxing gym La Cultura Del Barrio, and how the call for a general strike by mainstream labor unions in Argentina largely fell flat.
For folks who hear this in time, you’re invited to mourn the death of Aaron Bushnell, anarchist and US soldier who self-immolated on February 25th in front of the Israeli Embassy in DC in protest of the US complicity in and arming of the Israeli genocidal war on Palestinians. This gathering will happen at 6:30pm on Sunday, February 3rd by the Craven Street Bridge over the French Broad River in Asheville.
Kevin “Rashid” Johnson in dire health situation
Rashid, minister of Defense of the Intercommunal Black Panther Party has surpassed the 70th day of his hunger strike demanding transfer to a lower security medical facility near where he can receive comprehensive treatment for his prostate cancer and is suffering dire medical consequences as his organs begin to shut down. You can hear an interview we did with Shupavu wa Kirima of the IRBPP on the earlier stages of this hunger strike in our January 21st, 2024 episode at our website, which is also transcribed there. There is a sample script and some numbers to call in our show notes for folks who can call the Virginia government to advocate for Rashid’s life.
They are asking folks to keep calling, urgently. Here’s a sample script and numbers to use and to share/post etc:
“I am calling with grave concern about the status of Kevin ‘Rashid’ Johnson who is participating in the Red Onion State Prison hunger strike. He must be allowed to remain close to the medical facility where he accesses treatment for his prostate cancer and congestive heart failure. Please move him back to Sussex I or Buckingham. Additionally, the use of solitary confinement in the state of Virginia is cruel and illegal. I am demanding an end to the use of this practice inside your prisons. We are watching the strike and we will not stop calling until the striker’s demands are met. Thank you.”
The contact info is as follows:
VADOC Director, Chadwick S Dotson
*NEW NUMBER*Phone: (804) 674-3000 (then hit “0” for staff)
Email: Chadwick.Dotson@vadoc.virginia.gov
VADOC Interstate Compact Liaison, Kyle Rosch
Phone: (804) 887-8404
Email: kyle.rosch@vadoc.virginia.gov
VADOC, Chief of Corrections Operations, David Robinson
Mumia underwent a double bypass heart surgery on April 19, 2021. His doctor prescribed a cardiac diet and regular exercise for recovery. To date, almost 3 years later, the prison has failed to provide Mumia the required cardiac diet and opportunities for exercise. More on this, including places you can donate to his legal and medical defense fund and who to express your concern for Mumia’s life and safety can be found at PrisonRadio.Org
Sample Script (can also use for letters and emails):
I am calling because Mumia Abu-Jamal #AM 8335 and other incarcerated elders diagnosed with heart disease are being prevented by the prison from getting what they medically require for their health.
Mumia Abu-Jamal #AM 8335 had double bypass heart surgery. He needs:
1) A CARDIAC DIET three times a day that includes fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, legumes, and limited sugar, salt, and highly processed foods;
2) He must have access to do sufficient cardiac rehab every day. Thank You.
Elder political prisoner of Lakota, Dakota and Anishinaabe descent, Leonard Peltier, has been in prison for roughly 47 years and at nearly 80 years old after this long behind bars, his physical health is ailing. His supporters are asking people of conscience to contact US senators and representatives to appeal for medical care for his eyesight and other medical needs, including access to a wheelchair. There are lots of backgrounds on his case, but you also can hear a February 17th, 2019 interview we conducted with Paulette D’Auteuil on his case.
SAMPLE SCRIPT
“Hello, I’m calling about immediate medical care needed for Leonard Peltier, a 79 year-old federal prisoner. His prisoner number is 89637- 132, and he’s in USP Coleman 1.
We need Sen/Rep _____’s assistance.
1) First, Leonard must see an eye specialist without further delay, as his loss of vision poses serious risk of him falling, and he depends on other prisoners to perform basic life activities.
2) Second, Leonard is in constant pain and has multiple severe health conditions requiring immediate and ongoing medical care.
I am asking (Sen/Rep) to request an immediate transfer for Leonard Peltier to the Federal Medical Prison Facility in Rochester
Minnesota (FCI Rochester) where he can get treatment for all of his medical conditions.
I also urge the Sen/Rep to advocate for elder Leonard Peltier’s release so he can receive healthcare outside of prison and be with loved ones and community. Aside from Leonard Peltier being innocent of any crime, immediate release is proper and humane given his advanced age and medical conditions. Thank You.”
