Category Archives: repression

activism, Ed Mead, General, George Jackson Brigade, Hunger Strike, Political Prisoner, Prison Strike, Prisons, repression

CA Prisoner Hunger Strike roundup with Ed Mead

2013/10/14 The Final Straw Radio

Court Rally Flyer — Download This Episode

This week William talks with Ed Mead, editor of CA Prison Focus magazine to discuss the results of the hunger and work strikes that swept west coast prisons since July, resulting in one prisoner death and at one point including the participation of 30,000 hunger strikers. The strike, the third over two years, was meant to bring attention to and pressure against the state for it’s practices of indefinite detention in solitary confinement without recourse, the silencing of prisoner activists, lack of programs for prisoners to prepare for the outside world, the institutionalization of snitch-culture through “debriefing”, group punishments and not providing adequate and nutritive food. More info can be found at: http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/

This Thursday in Oakland, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) will be holding a press conference following a legal hearing around posing a class action lawsuit around inhumane conditions in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) at Pelican Bay. Show up if ya can! Details at: http://ccrjustice.org/pelican-bay

http://www.prisons.org/
http://www.prisonart.org/

The second half of the show features new metal and punk tracks from Primary Stress, ANCST & more.

Playlist

activism, Anarchist, Earth First!, Environment, Fracking, General, Grand Jury, North Carolina, Police, Prisons, repression

When THE MAN knocks, health in the coal fields of West Virginia and METAL/PUNK!

2013/09/15 The Final Straw Radio

FBI cartoon — freeze…
Download This Episode

This week’s show features two interviews. The first is a conversation is with Mark of Croatan Earth First! about the recent visits by JTTF/FBI to anti-fracking activists on the East Coast, climate-change activists on the West Coast and and GJ-targetted Anarchist communities in NYC.

The second conversation takes place between our friend, Wren Awry (AFM news hour) and Dustin Steele about Dustin’s work with the Beards Fork Health Survey to gather information on the health effects of surface mining in West Virginia with an eye toward mutual aid.

The last half of the show features new songs from Bellicose Minds (PDX), Anniversary (D.C.), Wiccans, and Criminal Damage. And more!

http://www.croatanearthfirst.com
http://www.jerryresists.net
http://ccrjustice.org/if-agent-knocks-%28-booklet%29
https://www.nlg.org
https://nopoliticalrepression.wordpress.com/
http://www.sals.info/

Playlist

activism, ALKQN, Anarchist, CounterInsurgency, Drug War, Greensboro, North Carolina, Police, repression

ALKQN + Richmond CopWatch: Gang-jacketing of radical doing anti-cop organizing (10/14/2012)

2013/08/29 The Final Straw Radio

All cops are, in fact.... — All cops are, in fact….
Download This Episode

This weeks show features 2 interviews. The first is with Savannah, an anarchist working on solidarity with members of the North Carolina tribe of the Almighty Latin Kings & Queens Nation. ALKQN members are facing RICO charges in Federal Court. The trial begins October 22nd, 2012. More info can be found at alkqnsolidarity.com

The second part of the show, we speak with Jeremy, an Anarchist who was invovled in copwatch in the South Barton Heights neighborhood in the north of Richmond, Virginia. Jeremy asserts that he faced increasing harassment and eventually imprisonment for being a vocal and visible proponent of holding cops accountable and spreading the practice of copwatching. For more about Richmond CopWatch, check out wingnutrva.org

The third part of the conversation will concern efforts by law enforcement at many levels to label political organizers as gang members, including those recently arrested in the San Francisco protest against Christopher Columbus Day, Jeremy and those doing support work with ALKQN.

activism, Anarchist, California, Earth & Animal Liberation, General, George Jackson Brigade, Hunger Strike, Krow, Political Prisoner, Prison Strike, Prisons, repression, Wisconsin

West Coast prisoner strikes of July 8 and eco-resistance in northern Wisconsin (July 7, 2013)

2013/07/15 The Final Straw Radio

Pelican Bay Hunger Strike Solidarity
Download This Episode

This weeks episode features 2 conversations. The first is an interview with Ed Mead, editor of CA Prison Focus newsletter, an ex-con and a media outreach person as re the CA prisoner hunger and work strikes beginning tomorrow, July 8, 2013. If you’ll recall, there were hunger strikes that spread throughout dozens of prisons around the western portions of the United States. The main demands of many of the prisoners included more an end to collective punishment, ending the debriefing/snitching system, ending long-term solitary confinement, provide adequate and nutritive food and other things. William of the Final Straw discusses the demands and plans of the current campaign and solidarity actions that are planned to coincide with Mr. Mead.
https://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/

The second half of the episode is a conversation with Krow of Penokee Defense. Krow talks about the area she lives in in Northern Wisconsin, the Penokee Hills, and the danger being posed by a potential iron-ore/taconite pit mine as well as the spectrum of resistance that project has faced and how folks across the country can contribute to pressuring the company to give up the project and save this beautiful and important place.
https://penokeedefenders.wordpress.com/
http://www.alecwc.org/

activism, Anarchist, Antifa, Feminism, gender, General, Nazis, Police, Prisons, Queer, repression, Russia

The Struggle Against Fascism in Russia, pt 2

2013/06/04 The Final Straw Radio

Free Alexey Gaskarov — Download The Episode

This week’s show features the second half of the conversation with Ukrop. Ukrop is a longtime anarchist, antifascist activist and documentarian from Moscow. This show features conversations about the rise of the new “Cossacks” movement in Russia, a rural militia with anti-Semitic and xenophobic perspectives receiving support from the government. We also talk about who participates in Antifa in Russia, specifically relationships between the Antifa movement and Feminist movements, LGBTQ movements and Immigrant populations.

The first show can be found linked here

http://avtonom.org/en
http://en.gaskarov.info/

activism, Anarchist, Antifa, Environment, Feminism, gender, General, Immigration, May Day, Nazis, Prisons, Queer, Racism, repression, Russia

The Struggle Against Fascism in Russia, pt 1

2013/05/27 The Final Straw Radio

This week we speak with Ukrop, an anarchist, antifascist activist, and maker of the documentaries “Antifascist Attitude” & “Actions vs. Repressions”. This is part 1 of a two part interview, in which they talk about the history and context of Nazi influence in formerly-Soviet Russia and the rise of radical anti-fascism. Ukrop also discusses how the internet effected punk and anarchist subculture in Russia in the 1990’s and the first decade of the 21st century. In the conversation we cover overlaps between police and prisons and nazi’s as well as how the education system in that country feeds into nationalism and capitalism.

To keep updated about ongoing things in Russia, check out the following websites:

http://avtonom.org/en
http://khimkibattle.org/?lang=en

Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

The playlist for this episode can be found here

activism, Anarchist, Anti-Civ, conspiracy, Earth & Animal Liberation, Earth First!, Environment, Eric McDavid, General, June 11, repression

Eric McDavid’s Thoughtcrime

2013/05/20 The Final Straw Radio

This week’s show features a conversation with Jenny, who works with Sacramento Prisoner Support. Jenny and Bursts discuss the case of Eric McDavid, a Green Anarchist prisoner in the U.S., in terms of the green scare and the upcoming June 11 Day of Solidarity with Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners.

Briefly, Eric and two other activists were entrapped by a government informant who went by the name, Anna. Anna, over a series of months, attempted to pressure the 3 to plan and execute radical actions to save the earth, paid for all of the means, even plied Eric with romance. Despite the fact that the 3 kept walking away from actions proposed by Anna, the FBI raided them and convicted Eric of conspiracy (the younger Lauren Weiner and Zach Jensen took a plea and turned on Eric).

We discuss Eric’s health, how to support Eric and other prisoners, increased use of conspiracy and terrorism charges by the State, how to support each other when repression happens and how to resist bullies pushing bad ideas!

http://www.supporteric.org
http://june11.org

The Never Alone Tour prior to June 11 last year
http://vimeo.com/43202213

The playlist can be found here.

activism, Anarchist, Anti-Civ, Cleveland 4, conspiracy, Earth & Animal Liberation, Earth First!, Environment, General, Grand Jury, June 11, Marius Mason, NATO 5, NATO5, Prisons, repression, Security Culture

Grand Jury in NYC; also, Marius Mason and June11

2013/05/13 The Final Straw Radio

This week, William speaks to Dave about Jerry Koch. Jerry is a New York Anarchist resisting (for the 2nd time) a GJ in NYC.

JerryResists.net

Also, Bursts speaks to Bella about Marius Mason, long term ecological, animal rights, labor and anarchist activist. Marius is also serving a 22 year sentence. Bella also talks about the upcoming day of Solidarity with Marius Mason, Eric McDavid and Other Longterm Anarchist Prisoners on June 11th. We also talk about the despicable snitch, Frank Ambrose (more info on the below sites).

supportmariusmason.org
june11.org

Playlist can be found here.

(Also, the song after the Jerry Koch portion is Arianna Staiger’s song for her parent, Marius Mason)

activism, Asheville, Feminism, gender, North Carolina, Police, Queer, repression

Survivors of Bashings Speak Out in Exclusive Interview (May 09, 2010)

2013/04/24 The Final Straw Radio

A resurfaced archive of our first show on May 09, 2010. From the blog post:
We were lucky enough to be allowed to interview two folks from the LGBTQI communities this week directly effected by the spate of bashings in Asheville. We’ll talk about their and others’ attempts to organize for more safety in the streets of our city, the March taking place on Wednesday (5/12) in the Montford neighborhood, and their experiences of being female assigned and LGBTQI/LGBTQI-perceived. We’ll also talk about concerns about going to the police and the mainstream media with reports.

For more info on the march, check out the facebook and myspace pages for Safe Streets Asheville. Also, see the newly published article in the Mountain Xpress

Anarchist, gender, History, Kristian Williams, Prisons, Queer, repression

Oscar Wilde an Anarchist?: An interview with Kristian Williams

2013/04/20 The Final Straw Radio

(This Episode Aired on January 29, 2012)

This week’s show features an interview with Kristian Williams, author of the books, “Our Enemies in Blue,” “American Methods” and numerous articles on policing, torture, anarchism, cartoons and much more. Kristian speaks about his in-progress book on the Anarchism of Oscar Wilde, Wilde’s experiences in prisons and his sexual politics.

Find articles by Williams on this and many other topics at www.kristianwilliams.com

The Final Straw Radio Podcast