Posts tagged "occupy*"
  1. Notes: 628 / 2 weeks ago  from anonmedics
    anonmedics: An extremely disturbing report on the emerging police tactic of employing brutal sexual assault against Occupation protesters as an intimidation and provocation tactic.  Police have engaged in rape and sexual assault against civilians since time immemorial, but the use of such tactics against Occupy may finally serve to bring some light to the intrinsic evil, exploitation, and misogyny of the United States law enforcement industrial complex. Read the full article here. Arbitrary violence is nothing new. The apparently systematic use of sexual assault against women protestors is new. I’m not aware of any reports of police intentionally grabbing women’s breasts before March 17, but on March 17 there were numerous reported cases, and in later nightly evictions from Union Square, the practice became so systematic that at least one woman told me her breasts were grabbed by five different police officers on a single night (in one case, while another one was blowing kisses.) The tactic appeared so abruptly, is so obviously a violation of any sort of police protocol or standard of legality, that it is hard to imagine it is anything but an intentional policy. For obvious reasons, most of the women who have been victims of such assaults have been hesitant to come forward. Suing the city is a miserable and time-consuming task and if a woman brings any charge involving sexual misconduct, they can expect to have their own history and reputations—no matter how obviously irrelevant—raked over the coals, usually causing immense damage to their personal and professional life. The threat of doing so operates as a very effective form of intimidation. One exception is Cecily McMillan, who was not only groped but suffered a broken rib and seizures during her arrest on March 17, and held incommunicado, denied constant requests to see her lawyer, for over 24 hours thereafter. Shortly after release from the hospital she appeared on Democracy Now! And showed part of a handprint, replete with scratch-marks, that police had left directly over her right breast. (She is currently pursuing civil charges against the police department)

    anonmedics:

    An extremely disturbing report on the emerging police tactic of employing brutal sexual assault against Occupation protesters as an intimidation and provocation tactic.  Police have engaged in rape and sexual assault against civilians since time immemorial, but the use of such tactics against Occupy may finally serve to bring some light to the intrinsic evil, exploitation, and misogyny of the United States law enforcement industrial complex.

    Read the full article here.

    Arbitrary violence is nothing new. The apparently systematic use of sexual assault against women protestors is new. I’m not aware of any reports of police intentionally grabbing women’s breasts before March 17, but on March 17 there were numerous reported cases, and in later nightly evictions from Union Square, the practice became so systematic that at least one woman told me her breasts were grabbed by five different police officers on a single night (in one case, while another one was blowing kisses.) The tactic appeared so abruptly, is so obviously a violation of any sort of police protocol or standard of legality, that it is hard to imagine it is anything but an intentional policy.

    For obvious reasons, most of the women who have been victims of such assaults have been hesitant to come forward. Suing the city is a miserable and time-consuming task and if a woman brings any charge involving sexual misconduct, they can expect to have their own history and reputations—no matter how obviously irrelevant—raked over the coals, usually causing immense damage to their personal and professional life. The threat of doing so operates as a very effective form of intimidation. One exception is Cecily McMillan, who was not only groped but suffered a broken rib and seizures during her arrest on March 17, and held incommunicado, denied constant requests to see her lawyer, for over 24 hours thereafter. Shortly after release from the hospital she appeared on Democracy Now! And showed part of a handprint, replete with scratch-marks, that police had left directly over her right breast. (She is currently pursuing civil charges against the police department)

     
  2. Notes: 11 / 2 weeks ago  from collaterlysisters

    i saw a dude break a mcdonalds window yesterday

    collaterlysisters:

    all these mcgriddles… like tears in rain

  3. Notes: 29 / 2 weeks ago  from collaterlysisters

    collaterlysisters:

    Ready for May Day?

    Gaze upon my protest buddy, ye mighty, and despair.

    Even if you aren’t going to a march tomorrow, cut class or call in sick.  General strikes own.  Catch up on your video game and feel righteous doing it.

  4. Notes: 8 / 3 months ago  from collaterlysisters

    Police are murdering, hysterical children

    collaterlysisters:

    Here’s what happened in the meantime: he walked to the retaining wall at Laney College, directly across from where the fence had just come down. Looking at the front of Laney, this would be the “right” end of the fence, close to the intersection of 10th and Oak. He met two girls there, and joked with them, “The police threw tear gas. I just have these.” And in his hand he had a cluster of seedpods – the dark brown, lightweight, spherical type of seed-holders that fall from sweetgum trees.
    As the police hurled tear-gas canisters into the crowd, Govinda threw these one-inch-round seed pods at the line of shielded riot cops.
    “It would have been like throwing popcorn,” said Sweet Grass. “They hardly weigh anything, and can’t travel very far.”
    For this gesture, Govinda is facing eight felony charges. None of the seedpods had made contact with an officer, but eight officers “felt assaulted.” Each of the eight wrote up a separate felony indictment for the same act, along with a misdemeanor charge for wearing a black bandanna around his head.
    Officers refused to identify themselves on paper, choosing instead to sign each individual citation as “John Doe.” An officer has written across each indictment form the word “SERIOUS.”


  5. Notes: 81 / 3 months ago  from facingreality

    To Be Fair, He Is a Journalist: A Short Response to Chris Hedges on the Black Bloc

    Read it all.  You’ll thank yourself later when you’re the only person in the room who has any idea what a black bloc actually is or what it does.  Just think of all the sweet fact-based ownage you’re going to be doling out.  Doling out the harshness.

    facingreality:

    By Don Gato

    It was a little weird to wake up today to an article by Chris Hedges on a website called “Truth-Out” when “truth” is in such short supply in the piece. Hedges was trained as a journalist and worked for years at such luminaries of lies like the New York Times, so it shouldn’t be a secret where he’s gotten his sensationalism, his tendency to lie, his hyperbole, and, most of all, his seeming inability to do rudimentary research. Nonetheless, when activist celebrities like Hedges (and his friend here, Derrick Jensen) write even complete nonsense like this, it tends to have a certain conceptual currency with people. And though I’d much rather be visiting with friends today (who promised me peanut butter cookies, no less!), I figured I’d take a few minutes to point out some of the more egregious distortions in Hedges’ terrible piece.

    Definitions

    First, we need to clear up some definitional problems. Now, as a journalist, I really don’t expect Hedges to be able to “research,”—it does seem to go against the prime directives of the profession, but let’s be clear: There’s no such thing as “The Black Bloc movement.” The black bloc is a tactic. It’s also not just a tactic used by anarchists, so “black bloc anarchists” is a bit of a misnomer—particularly because Hedges doesn’t know the identities of the people under those sexy, black masks. In fact, it was autonomists in the 80s who came up with the (often quite brilliant) idea in Germany. Protecting themselves against the repression of what Hedges calls “the security and surveillance state,” squatters, protesters, and other rabble rousers would dress in all black, covering up tattoos, their faces, and any other identifying features so they could act against this miserable world and, with some smarts and a sharp style, not get pinched by the pigs. This was true of resisters who were protecting marches (because the state never needs an excuse to incite violence and police are wont to riot and attack people), destroying property, or sometimes just marching en masse. That is, the black bloc has all kinds of uses. And in Oakland, where Hedges seems particularly upset by people actually having the gall to defend themselves against insane violent police thugs instead of just sit there idly by getting beaten, on Move-In Day the bloc looked mostly defensive—shielding themselves and other protesters from flash grenades and police mob violence with make-shift shields (and even one armchair). So, to be clear: The black bloc is a tactic used by lots of people, not just anarchists, and it has all kinds of uses. It’s not a “movement.”

    Who Is This Straw Fankenstein?

    And, importantly, people in black blocs don’t have “unity” with one another about politics. This is another bizarre part of Hedges’ hatchet job. He goes on this long diatribe about what “The Black Bloc Movement” (this weird straw Frankenstein he’s created) believes. We learn in his piece that this Frankenstein is “against organization” when members of the black bloc, anarchists included, have all kinds of ideas about organization (none of which are “against organization”). If Chris did a little research, he’d find that “The Black Bloc Papers,” for example, were edited and compiled by two members of a formal political organization. And while many anarchists do reject formal political organizations, no anarchists oppose “organization” as such. Rather, we have disagreements over organizational form, duration, formality, purpose, and so on. Not to state the obvious, but considering our collective failure to smash capitalism, the state, and all other manifestations of coercive power over others, uh, shouldn’t we be building those kinds of critiques? If Hedges were interested in honesty, he might know that’s also why many anarchists are critical of the Left (I imagine dishonest and divisive hatchet jobs by Leftist celebrities like this one is another reason why more and more anarchists reject the Left—among its many other shortcomings and failures).

    He goes on to state that this Frankenstein he’s created is universally under the influence of John Zerzan, then attacks Zerzan. Again, this just shows how out of touch Hedges is and how he’s fooled himself into believing he knows what he’s talking about when he doesn’t (a very common trait for celebrity journalists). Apparently it needs repeating, the black bloc is not a unified “movement”—it’s a bunch of folks dressed similarly so they can’t be identified by the popo. There are all kinds of thoughts on Zerzan in such a grouping, some supportive, some not, some who, no doubt, have no idea who he is. But Zerzan doesn’t speak for the bloc—no one does. And so there’s this weird “guilt-by-association” in this piece which ends in blaming criticisms of the Zapatistas on this “Black Bloc Movement” that he’s created.

    Gender Essentialism! It’s Not Just For the 70s Anymore!

    Hedges also critiques the black bloc for its supposed “hypermasculinity,” engaging in a gender essentialism that belies his inability to keep up with contemporary radicalism. In Oakland, part of the militant march on Move-In Day was the “Feminist and Queer Bloc.” I’m sure they would be quite surprised to learn that self-defense against violent police thugs and petty vandalism is actually a man’s activity! Why, those poor, beleaguered women and queers are probably alienated from such militancy, along with the befuddled masses that Hedges seems to be writing for! Rather than a lengthy critique of this already-disposed-of pseudo objection, I’ll let Harsha Walia enlighten Hedges on the problems of wealthy white, men like himself attempting to speak for the alienated and frightened “victims” of such “masculine” activities as building a confrontational and militant movement against capitalism and the state. Check it out:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oesjegD1-Vg

    The Personal Is Antipolitical

    Some of this is personal to me, in the interest of full disclosure. I have friends in Oakland. They’re brave and awesome. Seeing them stand up to police repression and attempt to take an empty building while people sleep in the streets was exciting and invigorating for me. It was a welcome sight in today’s age of non-violent fundamentalism, where so many are beset with the crippling belief that if we just get beat up badly enough we’ll attract “the masses” with our moral superiority and somehow the wealthy and powerful will recognize the error of their ways and give us the world back that they’ve so successfully turned into their nightmarish, authoritarian, and wasted playground. My friends were gassed, beaten, given broken faces, broken dreams, and locked in cages for their bravery. And now they’re being denounced by a comfortable journalist who wasn’t there who refers to them as a “cancer”.

    I don’t want to suggest that they shouldn’t be critiqued. Self-critique is important for any improvement of practice—if it’s honest.

    But here I feel betrayed. When Hedges wrote about the Greeks, notorious for their black blocs, he praised them for “getting it.” Indeed, according to Hedges, they knew what to do. In Hedges own words:

    They know what to do when they are told their pensions, benefits and jobs have to be cut to pay corporate banks, which screwed them in the first place. Call a general strike. Riot. Shut down the city centers. Toss the bastards out. Do not be afraid of the language of class warfare—the rich versus the poor, the oligarchs versus the citizens, the capitalists versus the proletariat. The Greeks, unlike most of us, get it. 

    Apparently for Hedges, that’s good enough for the Greeks. But, by God, don’t you dare bring this filthy resistance to his home! You might accidentally (horror of horrors!) break a window! Perhaps it might belong to Hedges! Well, I passed around his piece on Greece thinking that perhaps there was, in fact, a journalist that “gets it.” I was wrong and I feel betrayed.

    So I am angry at Hedges. I know it shows and it will look ugly to some people, but at one point, I trusted his work. And now, I have broken and brave friends that he is denouncing in a movement that he is dividing and presuming to speak for.

    After the Move-In Day, the Mayor of Oakland, Jean Quan, asked the Occupy movement to “disown” Oakland because they were militant, uncompromising, and because they were willing to engage in the kinds of “class warfare” that Hedges once praised in Greece. Occupy groups quickly dismissed this as a divisive tactic, but Hedges and Derrick Jensen seem all too eager to help Mayor Quan out. We live in interesting times, but we need to see these kinds of attacks for what they are—forms of recuperating needed and justified rage. When rigid ideologues who think they have some kind of special access to “Truth” come in swinging like this, particularly right after being politely asked to by liberal Mayors like Quan to do so, it’s time to do some quick disowning. We should reject the attempts to divide us by the likes of Quan, Jensen, and Hedges and, more importantly, reject the lies and distortions embedded in these facile “critiques.” Shame on you, Chris. If you want to denounce “violence,” you might use your time to target the police and Mayor Quan instead of doing the work they’ve asked Occupy “leaders” to do for them.

  6. Notes: 69 / 3 months ago  from collaterlysisters
    collaterlysisters: “Protect the Person Behind You” Masked shield corps protester at Occupy Oakland on January 28th with homemade shield and sign.  A group of these people protected unarmed and legally-assembled civilian marchers during the Oakland Police Department attack on the action, including catching rubber bullets, baton blows, flashbang and teargas grenades, pepper balls, and beanbag weapons on their shields. Her Ya Basta sign signals her membership in a long-running leftist group of the same name, who often take it upon themselves to protect vulnerable protesters at actions in this way. Edit: on a personal note, it’s fascinating to see this kind of brilliant “character design” manifesting in real life.  She’s the Space Marine of her time—customized armor, personal touches everywhere, absolutely hardassed and reliable in the face of an overwhelming, alien, indefatigable foe. 

    collaterlysisters:

    “Protect the Person Behind You”

    Masked shield corps protester at Occupy Oakland on January 28th with homemade shield and sign.  A group of these people protected unarmed and legally-assembled civilian marchers during the Oakland Police Department attack on the action, including catching rubber bullets, baton blows, flashbang and teargas grenades, pepper balls, and beanbag weapons on their shields.

    Her Ya Basta sign signals her membership in a long-running leftist group of the same name, who often take it upon themselves to protect vulnerable protesters at actions in this way.

    Edit: on a personal note, it’s fascinating to see this kind of brilliant “character design” manifesting in real life.  She’s the Space Marine of her time—customized armor, personal touches everywhere, absolutely hardassed and reliable in the face of an overwhelming, alien, indefatigable foe. 

     
  7. Notes: 15 / 3 months ago 

    Aerial video of Saturday evening when the Occupy Oakland march was kettled in a public park by the Oakland Police, ordered to disperse, and then not allowed to do so.  Anarchists knocked down a cyclone fence to allow the trapped civilians to escape.

    1. A march was stopped at Telegraph Ave and William St.
    2. All park exists were blocked off
    3. The crowed was ordered to leave without being allowed any exit
    4. Gas / Chemicals, projectiles, batons, and explosives were used on the public

    I was not sure during the filming, but gas was definitely used on this residential area. I definitely felt sick later as the gas reached my apartment.
    Protesters did not destroy any personal property. Building windows and cars remained untouched (in this area at least).

    I have no doubt that the number of marchers will increase next time. This group started with camping - The city’s responses seem to be slowly turning them into some kind of militia.

    See related video from earlier the same day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46UeXGhvaTI

  8. Notes: 37 / 3 months ago 
    Jean Quan, mayor of Oakland (subject to an ongoing recall campaign), mourns the fall of one of City Hall’s fine vending machines, after anarchist violence on Saturday.

    Jean Quan, mayor of Oakland (subject to an ongoing recall campaign), mourns the fall of one of City Hall’s fine vending machines, after anarchist violence on Saturday.

     
  9. Notes: 15 / 3 months ago  from collaterlysisters
    Oakland Police firing flashbang grenades at protesters during the J28 march yesterday.

    Oakland Police firing flashbang grenades at protesters during the J28 march yesterday.

    (Source: collaterlysisters)

     
  10. Notes: 26 / 3 months ago  from collaterlysisters
    collaterlysisters: Reports of LRAD, beatings, unprovoked taser use on subdued protesters, and a fucking tank.  Apparently a 19 year old woman with leukemia was beaten. This is a screenshot of an infrared live video feed by broadcaster OakFoSho.  It shows hundreds of arrested protesters handcuffed and sitting on the sidewalk in rows, waiting to be taken away to jail.  The police surrounded the protesters in a “kettle”, read a dispersal order, then refused to allow them to disperse, which is required by law.  Arrests and beatings began shortly thereafter. A woman with leukemia was likely brutalized.  The police also knocked out a medic’s teeth before arresting them.  Arrest count is estimated at between 300 and 700.  Many of the arrested protesters are ‘missing’—they do not appear in the police department booking system; the police claim not to have them, and they were witnessed being arrested.

    collaterlysisters:

    Reports of LRAD, beatings, unprovoked taser use on subdued protesters, and a fucking tank.  Apparently a 19 year old woman with leukemia was beaten.

    This is a screenshot of an infrared live video feed by broadcaster OakFoSho.  It shows hundreds of arrested protesters handcuffed and sitting on the sidewalk in rows, waiting to be taken away to jail.  The police surrounded the protesters in a “kettle”, read a dispersal order, then refused to allow them to disperse, which is required by law.  Arrests and beatings began shortly thereafter.

    A woman with leukemia was likely brutalized.  The police also knocked out a medic’s teeth before arresting them.  Arrest count is estimated at between 300 and 700.  Many of the arrested protesters are ‘missing’—they do not appear in the police department booking system; the police claim not to have them, and they were witnessed being arrested.

     
avatar_128
 
 
Prime cuts, previously frozen.
 
 

Following

cosmictuesdaysoldpaintingslumscapebarrymanilowswinternightmaregothsuptreesohbabyitslucasartslintufriikkiannethecatdetectivegreycloudssdonc-desoleguccigothwritingcyanmalesoulmakeupiska-ithilchurchofindustryfussybabybitchkatarzynaheartkakimarisweethomestyleandrophiliaarmywidowrikereverydayhowtobeafuckingladyd2fangmaskedwomentheminttuangrywhistlerdumbdeviantartturnofthecenturyisolationaryneil-gaimancasemanxpthreewordphrasegothhipsterimnotwritingvintageluxeetherforthcardiogramsfuckyeahspringfieldcaucasusbelliinternethistoryvadrilthecaffeinatorcollaterlysisterscatbountrydrkshdwsilsolswozprotowilsoncashcrabjems-junkgunshowcomicbreeatlastdailyfossilclientsfromhellthinspirecotonblancsuddenviolentendingsmitchcorvussimsgonewrongquickienewyorkpussy-struthoneyedyourfaithlostcavesoflilithkazdrawsgothiccharmschoolcitadelbloodbeardmyownprivatememoriesabsolutefuckerpornographystaringusart-helpartutorialsreferencesforartistscolormegothjustanotherflapperkhymeirapiercingthestarsyoisthisracistyoushouldntwearthatfedorathe-art-postbeautynursedondarknesshnaoto-sffyodorpavlovfyandrogynyveitstanzcontactballerkimjongunlookingatthingswannabeanimatorjscottgrandwarrenellismomentofellisbaruyontvpaintanimationliselottesketchamagowzanoctopianrossoalchermesbluebedoldbookillustrationsfuckyeahculturalappropriationshadesoflolitaaluxuryproblemplannedparenthoodscifipicspb-resourcesou0099liselotte-edarkifiedfwugradiationgothifiedginsengandhoneyatcdbluv33nprawn-zvgpersonkaidrawspusheenweremerebearmugenmcfugenpetite-maldelectablesvolhydrogenanatomicalartblackblobyellowconelilbtwittert-d-xemmycbrotographsstationlostegonschieleworwolfrikkisimonsspookykdirtyturpsoutsidewolvesba-interiordesignnoisybenignsimonistmidnitesurprisecolormelolitaidealkomsomoletjohnathanmartelrikgarrettlooktotheproleswusitwhoimaginaryimageblogohnoproblemsshitthatsirisaystherealkatiewestuglyrenaissancebabiesartanecdotallyzivityboohoobootf2memesmakanidotdotpeterberkmansixsixsikworstcatfuckyeahblackworkfuckyeahcatgifsfirsthomemodernprimitivecollegedogbow-houseps-imadethisthegoodearthfound-litmediapathiclazarus-inspirationdethjunkiefyeahartstudentowlstrangeeyesplunderpussfuckyeahtentaspykimjongillookingatthingsthefleastyleiamsogothiwasbornblackartrousedcboyardeebobrossgifsfirelandlackadaisycatsfuckyeah1920sfuckyeahconceptartdadsonvacationblackandwtfslushpilehellsex64whywouldyoudothatspidermanlepidopterfuckyeahgabenewellmikeatronheld4ransomfishnessfemdomstylegaribovdickhealthnowthisisgothicggeckophotoshopofhorrorscultyourethroatazoanavigate-etagivananadaptakittyvontrubblemspandrewskepticleartlyfeverticalartstoparkhanonmedicsdealbreakeriwdrmmydaguerreotypeboyfriendunw0mancunchjhonenvtheprophetandtheliarfuckyeahgothstheunquietskulllamepunraccoonleeseandchettuce0viewsfuckyeaheugenehutzmodern-fartbettyadaantisepticfashionslovakcastlesportalcapsart-references-for-youlearninganatomyfuranoussweatshopcamectoplasmosisstylecvntkempremillardboobsdontworkthatwayelizagaugerculturalrevolutioncaaskallofthespiesdrawingforsuckaswurzeltodblackworktattoosspaceshipgamejumpingspidersmcleankendreestreamsofwikileaksnoctopialecadavrexquisskinnybitchdreamsjakobwestmanemptyslotfuckyeahjhonenvasquezfuckyeahspacedotcomr-o-o-m-sartreferencesmassiveblackincthetomfaceformerlyribssortilegatensexyladiesthescummmanifestoclass-my-ass96-lbscrapitalasktheredspyharkavagrantfeedfacebookstuntslittleronpaulthingsconcretecreaturesblakkkrabbitphilosophyofsweetbroandhellajeffquizficsgaythovenvtmxfuckyeahbeachgothdiscultureworldofchililbquotesaskspyhotchickswithdogswithbonersaccessmaincomputerfileatelier-bottegagnhsurfguccigothberlinthisisnotokcupidhommebitedrunkonfanfichangoutwithfriendsatcollegetessabeebecave-johnson-ceofloriavintageaprilbrimerjayemmsfmossiere
 

Tumblr