Posts Tagged ‘Bloomington’
Bloomington, Indiana: Democratic Party campaign headquarters disrupted in solidarity with 9/9 prison strike (USA)
Saturday, September 10th, 2016
On September 8th, in solidarity with prisoners taking action for the 9/9 prisoner strike, about a dozen people disrupted activities at the local Democratic Party campaign headquarters. Standing outside the building, people held a large banner announcing the prisoner strike while a statement was read and others passed out handbills. Additionally, a group of people went inside the headquarters to yell chants, clog sinks, tear down campaign posters, and scatter handbills. An American flag in the office found its way into a toilet. People walked away from the building tossing handbills in the air.
From the handbill scattered at the action:
As the ruling party, the Democrats and their Bureau of Prisons are responsible for the conditions in federal prisons and everyone being held hostage inside of them.
They profit from the labor of prisoners and contract with countless companies and industries that do the same, while prisoners earn as little as a few cents per hour.
They are responsible for the exorbitant prices of phone calls, commissary foods, and other basic necessities in prison. For the mailroom censorship, both institutionalized and arbitrary, of political and other materials. They are responsible for the poor quality of water and food that some must endure for decades, or even the rest of their lives. And for the dismal or nonexistent health care for prisoners when these conditions start to take their toll.
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Tags: Banner drop, Bloomington, Indiana, Prison Labour Strike, Racism, USA
Posted in Direct Action
Bloomington, Indiana: Noise demonstration at the local jail (USA)
Tuesday, July 5th, 2016
On the night of July 4th, a small group of individuals had a noise demonstration at the local jail. We shouted to those held captive, lit off fireworks and smoke bombs, and scattered hundreds of leaflets.
There is no point in waiting until there are enough people, until the time is right: you will be waiting forever. Small, modest actions are the necessary groundwork for revolt. You do not need great numbers to do meaningful things.
Text from the leaflet:
FREEDOM NOW!
FIRE TO EVERY PRISON CELL & BORDER WALL!
DEATH TO THE STATE!
Solidarity with those in revolt behind prison walls.
Solidarity with anarchist prisoner Eric King.
Prisons cannot stop anarchy.
War against power.
Tags: Bloomington, Demo, Eric G. King, Indiana, Solidarity Action, USA
Posted in Direct Action
June 11th reportback from Bloomington, Indiana (USA)
Monday, June 20th, 2016
Here is a short run-down of events and actions that occurred in Bloomington related to the June 11th international day of solidarity with Marius Mason and all long-term anarchist prisoners:
– A benefit in late May raised over $350 for anarchist prisoners.
– A benefit dance party in late May raised over $600 for queer and trans prisoners, including anarchist comrade Michael Kimble.
– A ‘packathon’ event put together packages of books for prisoners.
– A letter writing night signed and mailed cards and letters to over 20 anarchist prisoners in the USA, Chile, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and Russia.
Individuals’ translation skills enabled these to be written in the languages understood by comrades outside of the US.
– An informational night presented on the cases and current situations of over two dozen anarchist prisoners around the world.
– A movie showing of G.A.R.I., about an action group who held a banker hostage, demanding freedom for anarchists held captive in Franco’s prisons.
– A microphone demonstration and picnic. We played recorded texts written by anarchist prisoners, which were amplified. For three hours, the center of town echoed with the words of our imprisoned comrades. Afterwards, hundreds of flyers about Marius Mason were scattered around downtown.
– On the night of June 11th, anonymous individuals smashed out the windows of the probation office.
– A walk in Yellowwood State Forest in honor of Marius Mason. Years ago, Marius had spiked trees in that exact forest, in defense of wild spaces in Indiana.
– At most of these events, we set up a large table of informational handbills, zines of prisoners’ writings, posters, and prisoner addresses.
We are approaching the struggle against prison and the state with a basic proposal: that of polymorphous struggle.
We refuse any hierarchy of tactics, seeing each initiative as a tool which contributes to a diverse struggle. Fundraising, sending literature to prisoners, writing letters, spreading information about the struggles of our comrades, public demonstrations, attacking the state – all help create a space from which individuals can fight in whatever way is desirable to them or makes sense in their circumstances. We absolutely reject both the handwringing weakness that says that to act combatively for our comrades is dangerous, and the posturing militancy that finds no value in anything but “hard” actions. For us, everything that contributes to strengthening our comrades in prison and our shared struggle against the state is essential.
Anyone can contribute to this tapestry of struggle. All it takes is to be decided.
We send greetings to all imprisoned and fugitive comrades around the world.
Death to the state!
Long live anarchy!
Tags: Bloomington, Indiana, International Solidarity, June 11th Solidarity, USA
Posted in Prison Struggle
Bloomington, Indiana: Probation office attacked for June 11 Solidarity (USA)
Monday, June 13th, 2016
On the night of June 11th, as a small gesture, we smashed out the windows of the probation office.
The police, courts, and prisons constitute a web of control that seeks to crush human beings, forcing conformity to a social order of hierarchy and exploitation.
While this manifests itself as police murders and the brutalization of prisoners, more and more it takes the role of diffuse repression via systems of home detention, work release, parole, and probation. In each of these systems of self-policing, the ability of collective resistance shrinks to none, isolating those rebels who will not submit to these forms of soft imprisonment.
We can no longer accept the role of judicial power in our lives. We do not care if this takes the form of police cars on our streets, prison walls separating us from our friends, ankle monitors, or daily check ins. It all must go. We attack the system that floods into our lives as a reminder that its sprawl should not be normalized. As forms of repression grow beyond the prison walls it should be met with consistent attacks.
Each act of revolt opens up space for joy in our lives, space to breathe freely.
Against the asphyxiation of prison society, we choose rebellion.
Total complicity with all those in revolt against prison and the state in all their forms.
Tags: Bloomington, Fuck the Law, Indiana, June 11th Solidarity, Sabotage, USA
Posted in Direct Action
Solidarity with anarchist prisoner Sean Swain (USA)
Sunday, February 7th, 2016
Warren Correctional Institution, not content with merely restricting Sean’s communications with the outside world, has now assigned a lieutenant to read through all printed materials sent to Sean.
Please take a minute to send Sean some reading material. That stack of zines in the bathroom? That one book you’ve had for years but will never read? All those fancy new publications you designed? Send them all! Let’s help Sean (and the fuckweasels who intercept his mail) something to pass the time.
Send reading material to:
Sean Swain #243-205
Warren CI
P.O. Box 120
Lebanon, Ohio 45036
USA
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We receive & transmit:
Bloomington, Indiana (USA): Banner hung in solidarity with Sean Swain
We hung a banner in solidarity with Sean Swain’s struggles against the prison system in Ohio. Despite repeatedly being transferred and having his communications cut off, Sean remains uncompromising in his pursuit of freedom, putting his life on the line in struggle against the state. We keep his words and deeds with us as we carry out our own struggles against prison society.
Fundraising, letters, demonstrations, banners, graffiti, and direct attacks form a bright tapestry of revolutionary solidarity. Let’s always be searching for new ways to break down the isolation of imprisonment and build complicity through the prison walls.
Tags: Banner drop, Bloomington, Indiana, Sean Swain, USA
Posted in Prison Struggle