On July 13, a comrade by the name of Will Van Spronsen was killed will engaging in an action against the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washing. While the facts of this case are still coming to light what is known is that he was an anarchist. He was an anti-fascist. He was one of ours. The media and the State are attempting to paint him as a person engaging in a violent act against individuals. Let us be clear, he was engaging in an act against property; property that is used to rob people of their liberty and dignity as human beings. He will be remembered by the anarchist community as a person who took action while the rest of the world stood by and did little.
To his friends, family and the Puget Sound anarchist community. We wish to express our sorrow and solidarity with you all. We can only imagine that right now your hearts must be broken over the recent news of Will’s death. We cannot begin to imagine the feelings of loss and confusion that has covered over your community. But we are with you during this period of loss and we will continue to be with you until the sun breaks through. We know that desperate acts often take place when attempting to struggle for humanity in an inhumane situation. We can only imagine that this is exactly what Will was trying to do. We value this. You are our comrades and you have claimed Will as your own. We will do the same.
To quote Pietro Gori’s “The First of May”:
“Give flowers to the rebels who failed, Their sight fixed upon the break of dawn, To the bold rebel who fights and works, To the far-seeing poet who sings and dies”
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