Saturday, January 14th

7pm

27 Social Centre (2727 W 27th ave)

Build Up Books and the Denver Anarchist Black Cross will be celebrating the release of Love and Struggle, the memiors of white anti-imperialist political prisoner David Gilbert.

The event will include a screening of an interview with David Gilbert, readings of selected passages, and a brief presentation and discussion on his life. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

The event is free and child friendly.

More on Love and Struggle:

A nice Jewish boy from suburban Boston—hell, an Eagle Scout!—David Gilbert arrived at Columbia University just in time for the explosive Sixties. From the early anti-Vietnam War protests to the founding of SDS, from the Columbia Strike to the tragedy of the Townhouse, Gilbert was on the scene: as organizer, theoretician, and above all, activist. He was among the first militants who went underground to build the clandestine resistance to war and racism known as “Weatherman.” And he was among the last to emerge, in captivity, after the disaster of the 1981 Brinks robbery, an attempted expropriation that resulted in four deaths and long prison terms. In this extraordinary memoir, written from the maximum-security prison where he has lived for almost thirty years, David Gilbert tells the intensely personal story of his own Long March from liberal to radical to revolutionary.

The Occupy rally and GA of 1-7-12 by Phillip Reynes

It was cold again but even so about 150 to 200 came for the GA at this Saturdays occupy rally. The turn out was good considering the cold and I have to think this means spring will bring much larger turnouts. The crowd was the usual mix of middle class people. Some where bundled up against the cold while with gloves and coats and lots of layers. A broad spectrum was represented from vets to young middle class people.

The mood was serious but at the same time light as people stood around waiting for the GA to start. What should be next? What are Occupies messages going to be as this continues? This is what was on the minds of most of the people there as we all waited.

There where vets from several conflicts present. They all seemed to be wondering similar things and the refrain I heard most was that they felt that they had been used by big business and the 1% to further this minority groups goals over the interests of the American people.

Some vets promoted a march to be taking place soon while other people waved signs decrying one issue or another.

Corporate corruption and the activist conservatives on the supreme court who sold us all out to big business where prominent sentiments.

A 2011 Reportback from the Denver Anarchist Black Cross

We hope these words find our comrades around the world in the best of health and spirit, during this time of massive social upheavel and revolt. The world has definitely seen a spread of anarchist influenced and revolutionary praxis throughout the last half of 2012, and we've definitely been feeling the massive change in current here in Denver.

2011 saw the busiest time yet for our collective, as we worked to support social movements active in Denver, and across the world.

GENERAL/INTERNAL:
The most recent formation of the Denver Anarchist Black Cross has now been active in the Denver metro area for 2 1/2 years. During that time our collective has seen a lot of ebb and flow with our membership and our work. However, the last 6 months of 2011 saw our collective solidify to a consistent membership base. At the close of 2011, we had 11 dues paying members, with three more people expected to complete their membership process sometime in January 2012.

2011 saw the start of what will hopefully become an annual tradition of hosting a weekend retreat for ABC members. Through events such as this one, we've seen our membership not only solidify numerically, but also become a tighter and more cohesive group. We look forward to our bonds continuing to strengthen in the New Year.

Denver ABC has maintained our blog at denverabc.wordpress.com for the entirety of our collective's existence. The blog is updated nearly everyday with news about political prisoners, state repression, and other stories of interest to members and supporters of DABC.

Lucasville Uprising Letter Writing Night

Wednesday, January 4th

6:30 pm

27 Social Centre (2727 W 27th ave)

Join DABC on Wednesday, January 4th for a community dinner and forum on the Lucasville Prison Uprising of 1993. The event will include an informative presentation and critical discussion on the uprising and its aftermath. SIDDIQUE ABDULLAH HASAN, A PRISONER FROM THE LUCASVILLE UPRISING, WILL BE GIVING A SPECIAL ADDRESS VIA TELEPHONE.

The event is child friendly, free, and open to the public.

More on the Lucasville Uprising…

In April of 1993 hundreds of prisoners at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility took control of one of the facility’s wings for 11 days before it was forcibly taken back over. The rebellion was composed of a temporarily united front of prisoners across racial, religious, and gang divisions that produced 21 demands centered around basic human rights. During the uprising several prisoner informants and a guard were killed.

In the aftermath, the state aggressively recruited snitches, coerced their testimony, interfered with access to council, hid or destroyed exculpatory evidence, and presented little or no physical evidence in trials and legal proceedings. Five inmates were given the death penalty, while others were given life sentences.

More on Siddique Hasan…

Siddique Abdullah Hasan is a prison Imam, a skilled writer, and a compassionate mentor and friend to fellow inmates. He was placed on death-row for his alleged leadership role in the 1993 Lucasville rebellion. The riots occurred shortly before his scheduled release. Hasan maintains his innocence. His case has found widespread popular support, but is nearing the end of appeals.

Occupy Denver's last March of 2011 By Phillip Reynes

It was windy and cold this Saturday as I waited for the Occupy March to get to Skyline Park. The sun moved behind a building depriving me of its anemic warmth as I waited with a few others for the marchers to arrive so the we could then march to the Pavilions Mall on 16th Street. Ron Rosen's street medics as well as some people from the American Indian Movement waited with me as the wind buffeted us all. Talk of Obama's poor environmental record and the Keystone pipeline seemed to be the major topic of conversation amongst those gathered at the park.

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A police lieutenant and one of her minions questioned the AIM organizer briefly about the root as we all stood around.

The marchers arrived at the Park at around 1:30pm and this swelled the ranks of protesters to about 250 or so cod and shivering souls as the march set out down the 16th street mall towards the pavilions shopping center. Drums beet a rhythm and the protesters shouted slogans as we progressed down 16th street in high spirits.

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Early this morning, DPD continued to harass Occupy Denver kids - even though they have not rebuilt structures in the park. Police approached the park at almost one in the morning and ripped tarps off sleeping homeless. The message is clear - get out. Continually, the occupy encampment reminds people leaving from fluffy office jobs (on their way back to the suburbs) that income inequality and hegemony is a real thing. 

The police are seen in a video posted online (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A...). When cameras arrive the police suddenly stopped being so aggressive and backed into the street. They are continually asked what is defined as encumbance and if they could possibly point to what meager belongings qualify as such. The police identified nothing. 

The standoff lasts more than 30 minutes and ultimately the police left without evicting anyone. This, of course, is a common scare tactic meant to have the people police themselves while the mainstream media is not alerted to a full scale raid (as seen last Monday). 

For more, visit our website at OccupyThePress.Org. Feel free to comment or if you have contributions for us, please email us (links on the site). 

It smells of insurrection on this christmas evening. It kinda smells like corn starch, water, and elmers glue. Denver felt the wrath of these black clad and very cold Coloradans. The message: “From the nile to the platte, hit a cop with a baseball bat” Some of the targets included 5 points and east colfax ave. They say misery loves company and these miserable cold poor souls would love some company on the streets of denver. I hear wheat paste sticks especially well to cop cars.

A recipe of love to spread the rest of denver the joy we feel in our hearts on this cold christmas evening.

HOW TO WHEAT PASTE
Method 1...
Use some cornstarch instead of flour. It makes it clear instead of that nasty brown-ish color.
Add 1 cup cornstarch for every 2 cups of water...it tends to get maddd thick so add more water as you go. If it starts to clump then use a masher to break up all the clumps and your good...nd when ur done cookin it add a little bit of sugar and it makes it mad sticky...
Cause its clear you can use it to put over top the work when you done...cheaper then any of that spray stuff.

Method 2...

Pour wheat flower till it fills up 1/3 of the way. Pour some water in while you stir it so that it mixes good. You got to use that spray sealant this way cause it comes out that brown-ish / tan-ish color...

Spread the cheer in your neck of the woods.

During winter solstice rush hour, Three (count'em) three militant anti-cop banners were dropped off a bridge faceing both ways on I-25 downtown. They read "DPD turn your weapons on yourselves","James Bradley was right" (in reference to the man recently shot and hospitalized for hitting a police cruiser with a hammer) and "FROM THE NILE TO THE PLATTE HIT A COP WITH A BASEBALL BAT!" They were seen by thounsands of motorists driving slowly on icy roads during rush hour traffic. And are rumored to have made several cops weep.

target: district 4 denver cop shop

time: after your bedtime

mode: vandalism

rationale: immediate retaliation for the eviction of the civic center park homeless encampment. for dpd's existence. to encourage you to join in on the fun.

announcement: expect more

p.s.

fuck you.

Occupy Denver was raided last night after failed talks with the new Police Chief White. Roughly 200 riot cops came into the park at approximately 11:15 pm evicting the Occupiers into the winter night. The attack was very quick and with no warning. Arrests were made in the park, and one dwelling was set on fire by Occupy.

The Occupiers were pushed to the corner of 13th and Broadway shortly after the raid. Confronting the riot line, the Occupiers “Tebowed” when the police made a move forward. The roving group then made their way down Broadway. Protesters did allow traffic to keep moving but did block police vehicles when offered the opportunity.

The group then made their way into the Capitol Hill neighborhood chanting “wake up, Denver, wake up.” Riot police followed throughout the neighborhood. Upon making their way to Colfax, the Occupiers shut down the street, but again let civilian traffic pass.

In a contentious decision the DPD sent the dump truck with Occupy belongings down Colfax with the hazard lights on - thus provoking the now homeless people to block the truck and jump in the back - quickly attempting to toss belongings out of the back and onto Colfax. Many Occupiers felt this was a clear tactic meant to provoke them. Regardless, riot police quickly swarmed the area, making a riot line and pushing the Occupiers further up Colfax, away from downtown.

Saturday, November 12, 2011 I've reported on the Saturday weekly march, and they tackled the issue of Constitutional Rights. We've marched for those rights to be kept with us. I've reported for Denver Open Media. D.O.M. is a television and video production non-profit organization, and we've got channels on Comcast (channel 56, 57 and 219). I've shot the video, got interviews, videotaped my own standup for when I did my closing remarks, and pieced the story together on Final Cut Pro video editing software; I did it all by myself. I'm what they call a one-man band reporter. Watch the YouTube video of my report - http://bit.ly/srQ3KI

Reporting Back from the Big Ol’ Elf Revolt

This past Saturday, D17, a gaggle (or herd? maybe a swarm?) of radical elves took to the streets of Denver, united in their desires for liberation from the cruel, exploitative hand of the “free” market. The system of capitalism in which these elves have been laboring has concentrated mass amounts of profit and power (both material and ideological power) into the big fat lap of Santa. Santa, in all of his greed to amass more and more capital, has done so on the back of poor working elves all over the globe, from the North to the South Poles. All elves are targeted and affected in some way by the social and economic system, which mandates their need to sell their labor, while not benefiting elves in any way from the perverse machinations of capitalism. Yet all elves are not targeted or affected in the same way. We must acknowledge the differential impact upon elves of color, indigenous elves, elves in the global South Pole, women elves, trans elves, and queer elves. We elves also know that our reindeer comrades and our homelands (our pristine forests and mountains and rivers) are contaminated, subjugated, and decimated every day by the never-ending hunger of capitalism.

What a beautiful Day i thought as I walked from my car to the park to cover the rally. It was brisk, cool, but sunny and I felt refreshed as I approached the Occupy protesters. I reflected upon the article I read in the Denver Post – such a right wing rag really, though to right wingers they would think the thought crazy; but what do you expect from people who do not read or even understand simple concepts, like socialism, or left wing – about the new police chief meeting the demonstrators and telling them that all “encumbrances to the side walk must come down.”

I had yet to talk to any one about it at occupy but the thought made me laugh, boy he (the new police chief) and Hickenlooper and the Mayor must really be out of touch I thought as I walked up. They do not understand how angry many people are.

What did I see before me as I approached? More “encumbrances” then where there when the new police chief spoke to the movements leaders. I smiled. Some where of cardboard and others appeared to be of cardboard but upon closer inspection where reenforced with wood to make removal more difficult. This made me happy, as all civil disobedience does against an unjust system.

Over the past few months, Denver ABC has devoted a tremendous amount of resources and energy into Occupy Denver. Our collective has staffed a 24/7 legal line, coordinated the bailing out of almost one hundred demonstrators arrested over the last two months, and onsite CopWatch and Street Medics. We’ve made an earnest and largely successful effort to get supporters into the courtrooms for nearly every hearing and court appearance featuring our arrested comrades. All this has been juggled with attending the weekly marches and adding our spirit to the marches and General Assemblies as one portion of the 99%.

As of December 4th, our collective has decided to no longer support Occupy Denver. This means we will not be providing our legal line for Occupy actions; fundraising for the movement; encouraging our members, friends and allies to get involved; as well as serve roles such as CopWatch and Medics. This is in solidarity and coordination with other ally formations such as West Denver CopWatch and the Colorado Street Medics.

We want to be clear that our decision is not based on a generalized, absolute rejection of everyone involved in Occupy Denver. We are grateful for many relationships of solidarity that we have made through our work with OD and are confident those relationship will continue to blossom. Our commitments to the OD arrestees that we have been supporting still remain as well.

Our decision is based on festering frustrations with a small sector of OD who continue to marginalize, silence, and threaten our communities and ally communities. Despite the hard work of many involved in OD, its political platform continues to be framed by and for economically privileged, hyper-nationalist white heterosexual males. Experiences of race, gender, class, nationality, immigration status, and a multitude of other identities continue to be buried underneath the dominant “We are the 99%” narrative.

More than a month after the DPD raid on the squat at 27th and Bryant, one part of the story has still not been told. The cops were clearly a bunch of scumbags in what they did, along with the courts that were, until recently planning to prosecute people with FELONY burglary charges. But neither entity would have been able to do what they did legally without the go ahead from the property's owner... and he's a piece of work himself.

Occupy Denver Meets the Winter by Phillip Reynes

It was cold and snowing as I drove downtown to the capital. When I say cold I mean bitter cold and when I say snowing the word dumping comes to mind. Thank goodness it let up just as I parked. I was cold as I walked to the park from the place I parked all the while wondering what the turnout would be for the rally and march. The turnout was small but considering the weather it is what I expected.

Despite the weather some had stayed all night sleeping on the sidewalk and covered only by a tarp atop their sleeping bags.  You know they had to have had a very hard night.

One group of three people sat meditating and I loved their sign as well as their discipline. They sat in the meditative sense for over an hour, unmoving, still, calm: all the while their sign made their point “Occupy the Moment.”

Tea party types where in the crowd as well as their affiliates – you know the ones, the free market ideologue who think capitalism is some sort of divine religion – spouting their usual bull shit about rent taking and small government as well as their revisionist interpretation of the constitution.

Saturday, December 31 at 11:30pm - Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 1:00am

Outside & inside La Plata County Jail (Durango, CO)
742 Turner Drive
Durango, Colorado

(Not in or near La Plata County? Organize NYE noise demos outside prisons, jails, and detention centers in your area!)

Join us in making a ruckus outside (and inside!) La Plata County Jail in Durango, CO this coming New Year's Eve (& *every* NYE!).

This easy, safe, and simple expression of solidarity can have amazing positive impact for those behind and inside the walls and bars of the incarceration system. Let's make some noise and let them know that they're not alone and not forgotten.

(Note: Remaining on public property for a noise demo outside a prison, jail, or detention center is perfectly legal. As long as participants remain on public property, they are not placing themselves at legal risk.)

Bring noise makers, drums, instruments, sound systems, your voice, your friends, your family, your lovers, and your indomitable spirit of resistance.

This event, which we hope to make a yearly event in our community, is inspired by the North American call out for a day of action against prisons in the New Year of 2011, which remains relevant unchanged:

Noise demos outside of prisons in some countries are a continuing tradition. A way of expressing solidarity for people imprisoned during the New Year, remembering those held captive by the state. A noise demo breaks the isolation and alienation of the cells our enemies create, but it does not have to stop at that.

ARMY SETS PRE-TRIAL HEARING DATE FOR BRADLEY. VIGILS AND RALLIES PLANNED AT FORT MEADE MD, WORLDWIDE.

Solidarity Rally in Durango. Saturday, December 17th, 2011. 1PM. 11th St. & Main Ave.

The United States Army has scheduled an Article 32 pretrial hearing for PFC Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence specialist accused of releasing classified material to WikiLeaks. The pretrial hearing will commence on December 16 at Fort Meade, Maryland.

This will be PFC Manning’s first appearance before a court and the first time he will face his accusers after 17 months in confinement. In a blog post this morning, Manning’s lead counsel, David Coombs, notified supporters that the pretrial phase is scheduled to last five days.

Here is the full text of his update:

“The Article 32 hearing for PFC Bradley Manning will begin on December 16, 2011 at Fort Meade, Maryland. The hearing is expected to last approximately five days. With the exception of those limited times where classified information is being discussed, the hearing will be open to the public.

The primary purpose of the Article 32 hearing is to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the government’s case as well as to provide the defense with an opportunity to obtain pretrial discovery. The defense is entitled to call witnesses during the hearing and to also cross examine the government’s witnesses. Each witness who testifies is placed under oath; their testimony can therefore be used during the trial for impeachment purposes or as prior testimony should the witness become unavailable.

The Tea Party-associated group “Free Markets, Free People” will be at Occupy Denver this Saturday. We need to have a strong presence to stand up to their lies. Market capitalism isn’t in crisis; market capitalism IS crisis. Capitalism oppresses queers, women, people of color, and of course the working class. So all you socialists, communists, autonomists, anarchists and radicals of every sort, be at Occupy Denver on Saturday. Bring your bodies, your signs, and your chanting voices! A! Anti! Anti-Capitalista! 

Love and solidarity,

some north Denver radical queers