Note: this is a brief summery of the actions that took place, and in no way describes the situation in full
Dread locked white punks, crusties with their scabies friends, and traveling college bros swarmed a space on the dividing line of gentrification in the Bloomfield/Garfield/Friendship area late July 2009 in Pittsburgh for the annual CrimethInc convergence. Whereas previous CrimethInc convergences had been located deep in wooded areas, this particular one took place in a poor, black neighborhood that is being pushed to the borders by entering white progressive forces.
There were those that had experienced CrimethInc’s oppressive culture and people for years and others who had experienced enough oppression after just a few days. Our goals were to stop CrimethInc, their gentrifying force, and to end the convergence right then and there for all that they had done.
Just a few blocks away, eight anarchist/autonomous/anti-authoritarian people of color* gathered to discuss a direct confrontation. We arrived from different parts of these stolen lands of the Turtle Island. Some came from the Midwest, some from the Northeast, some born and raised in Pittsburgh. Altogether we represented 7 different locations, half of us socialized as female a variety of sizes, skin color, with identities of queers, trans, gender-queers, gender variants, and womyn. With little time and a desire for full consensus, we quickly devised a plan. A local APOCista offered safer space housing for unarrestables, parents, and children of color, we planned to extend that offer to the best of our abilities. We departed toward the convergence from our local apoc Pittsburgh friends with complete support.
Upon entering the convergence space, we each immediately began to fulfill our roles. One APOCista’s role was informing a mother of color and her child about the action and then offering safer space housing for the duration of their stay. This same APOCista also began informing other POC that were not already aware of our plan of what was about to take place and inviting them to join us or to remove themselves from the area if they chose. Some APOCista checked in with allies about our time schedule, also ensuring that there would be look outs for cops.
The majority of the CrimethInc kids were in the ballroom on the second floor watching and participating in a cabaret. A group of us began gathering attendees’ packs, bags, shoes, banjos, and such from the other rooms on the second floor and moving it all down the hallway towards the stairs. We had gone pretty unnoticed, mostly due to lack of lighting.
Once those rooms had been emptied, it was time for the main event. We gathered at the ballroom’s doorway furthest from the stairs following the final act of the cabaret.
On the count of three. One, two, three!” one APOCista said.
“Get the fuck out!”, we all shouted.
And the eviction began. One apocer began reading ‘An Open Letter to White Radicals/Progressives’, while the others began yelling at the attendees to gather their things and leave. Irritated by their continued inaction after about 10 minutes or so, one of the people involved in the action shouted,
“This is not an act! Get your shit, or we’ll remove it for you!”
Some white people started grabbing their bags and heading towards the back, but most stayed and watched as we piled their possessions in the hallway. Of course, many of them stayed pulling back bags from our arms, physically restraining us, attacking us, creating blockades, and trying to engage in dialogue about what was happening. We were not open to negotiation and stated such. There is no negotiation for colonization. As we were approached with physical force one of us responded with,
“Don’t try to fight us, we are not pacifists, we will defend ourselves!”
[a couple of hours of moving bags, being forcibly moved, blockaded, physically and verbally attacked, and yes defending ourselves]
One apocista was pushed down stairs
one was pulled out of the room
one was picked up and taken out of the room
a female bodied persyn was almost punched in the face by a white male when 2 others pulled them back
female bodied persyn grabbed by a tall white man while others yelled get her
a mother of color came in to defend us and pull a poc organizer off one of us
poc organizers forcibly closing door on us, crushing our bodies and heads.
One grabbed a big board that was used to push us out the door.
After quite a bit of time and effort used by folks to get us out of that space, we remained standing.
The cops had approached, a call was made to one of us upstairs to inform us that there was a policeman outside and they were being talked to by a police liaison and the situation was under control. We looked around to see other people of color and a medium sized group of mostly cis white males that were left. While at this point mostly engaging in discussion with other POC and POC organizers some people convinced the remaining stubborn white people to leave, after telling the last white persyn there that they were not welcome in this space, the doors were locked and caucusing began.
After 20 minutes or so, most everyone had expressed their opinion, people were emotional, tired and the discussion ended. We removed ourselves from the space. One APOCista involved in the eviction conferred with a medic to try to regain normal breathing due to an asthma attack that had been taking place over the last 3 hours of the eviction. We all exited, we were greeted by friends, allies, and others that had helped us by participating in the action.
We said our goodbyes, and departed towards a locals house to debrief an discuss the events that had just taken place.
Why was the CrimethInc. Convergence specifically targeted?
It had first been proposed by some Pittsburgh APOC that the convergence, its organizers, and its attendees be addressed initially by a boycott. There were APOCers from Pittsburgh who made a call for action and Smack a White Boy Round Two was proposed and some local APOCers gave 100% support for an action. This support for an action had much to do with the CrimethInc organizers’ disregard for the role they and CrimethInc attendees could play in gentrifying the neighborhood in which it was held. In email correspondence with one apocer that attended the convergence for its entire duration, the CrimethInc. organizers refused to address that they were organizing a white event (an event that, despite the attendance of a small handful of POC, was structured for white people, largely by white people, and as a white space). The organizers did not obtain the consent of any of the relevant communities before arranging for a convergence and went so far as to attempt to buy a building in a poor black neighborhood. By the lead of the white man specifically, white people are still invading, stealing, and colonizing. Organizers also implied that simply because they were no longer buying a space for the convergence, concerns about its impact on surrounding communities were invalid.
There were also apocers from around the country that had come to the convergence with no knowledge of the previous conversations that had taken place, yet were still appalled and disgusted upon entering the space. There were people from other cities that were on call and ready to come help take action once people attending the convergence and locals decided what kind of confrontation was necessary.
Despite concerns, a large mass of white people were brought to a site of gentrification and contributed to it, setting up a white space along Penn Avenue. People of color both within that convergence and within the communities it was situated were alienated. Many people of color attending the convergence were regularly silenced and disrespected. One wonders also how all the bros, overt perpetrators of white male power, can call themselves anarchists. Similarly, those who spearheaded and those who participated in the inappropriate jokes workshop, self-labeled though they may be, are no anarchists in our eyes. To the contrary, within the “movement” these people are some of the most overt perpetrators of oppression. Setting up “safe space” for racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic jokes is not anarchism, it is the continued violence of white-led oppression verbally embodied.
To all those who hide your oppressiveness and your privilege behind “anarchism,” as you can see, your perpetuation of white supremacy and patriarchy have not gone unnoticed. Throughout the convergence, you disrespected peoples’ gender identities, and lied to and ignored neighbors of color. And many knew full well that there were at least two perpetrators of sexual assault present at the convergence (which went against the convergence’s own policy), yet nobody said or did anything.
Why CrimethInc.?
CrimethInc has been/is the breeding ground for white anarchists. They encourage the culture of dropping out of society, which makes the assumption that the reader/attendee has that privilege and therefore their words speak only to those that have it.
Refusing to try to create a culture of calling people out on their shit allows for people in privilege to remain stagnant and thus creating “safe spaces” for the oppressors.
CrimethInc organizers have on many occasions attempted to try to dominate and control mass actions.
The furthering of our (oppressed peoples) silencing to create harmony to just sit back and deal with the oppressive behavior that we face within the “movement” for any oppression of that beyond class. The attitude that these oppressions are either irrelevant or not as important
Having no effective or serious anti-oppressive analyses or stance shows us that combating oppression is not in their interest
Why the White “Anarchist” Movement?
All of us who have participated in this action have interacted with white anarchists for good amounts of time in our organizing and/or lives. Our relationships with these folks have varied. But let us tell you this, not one of us has been unaffected by the racism within the movement. Don’t think these are isolated instances. White supremacy plays a role in everything. The anarchist scene reproduces the same oppressive social relationships we face throughout society, and furthers the notion that oppression does not exist within the movement. This silences many. [Note: watch Born In Flames]
We see this blatant oppressive behavior and failure to address privilege and each individuals role in the furthering of oppression [see Memorable Quotes for:internalized fascism].
Most of us have to spend our lives in unsafe spaces, and it is worsened with white peoples inability to help address oppression.
Euro-centric anarchism that also fetishizes people of colors struggles
Colorblind, Pretending we are all coming from an equal position
Failure to barely even question cultural appropriation.
Continuously fighting for the white issues in oppression. which has divided the feminist movement, gay rights movement and the anarchist movement in the US.
Failure to deconstruct white supremacy for what it truly is. meaning it’s not just about nazis.
The white race continues to be a parasitic force through cultural appropriation, colonization(they call it gentrification these days). They brought and continue genocide. Disease, slavery, starvation, capitalism, patriarchy, Christianity. Each and every white person benefits from white supremacy and the oppression of people of color. ultimately they will serve their own good. White anarchists tokenize/fetishize indigenous and other people of color. We are objectified and become something to be managed and be organized by whites, or educated by the white man. We are sexualized by the white queer anarchist movement. From the eco, feminist, unionist, student, communist, punk anarchists; in the end they show their white supremacy.
Things to address
APOC – the acronym stands for anarchist/anti-authoritarian/autonomous people of color. It is the name of different collectives and groups. it is also an individual identity, and a movement. Anyone who is such can claim the acronym APOC. For example, you don’t have to go to Bash Back! meetings to be in Bash Back, you don’t have to have an APOC group to be APOC.
Our autonomy – the different people who participated in the eviction” came from all around the country to the CrimethInc convergence for their own reasons. some were hoping to see some change in the role that white supremacy plays, some went to “educate” white folks, some went to see friends, and some for the sole purpose of taking action.
Race traitor – there are rumors afloat that the term “race traitor” was used towards mixed people and other who weren’t participating. this is untrue. the word was used towards specific individuals and their personal history of posturing a role in upholding, defending, and ultimately furthering white supremacy. for instance, by the spreading the idea that it is because we are not doing enough, that it is our fault that we are oppressed.
Unnarrestability of individuals- this convergence was filled with an absolute disrespect for the unnarrestability of individuals persyns, even when it was brought up repeatedly by them. For unarrestable people of color, this is serious! It has nothing to do with not being anarchist or punk enough and shouldn’t be thought of that way at all. Undocumented people especially shouldn’t have to beg to be protected by the anarchist community and those they call “friends”. Consideration of unnarrestability is the MOST basic thing white anarchists need to think about to have a mindset conscious of undocumented people. Keep your fucking community safe. Until then, you aren’t any kind of ally.
For the unarrestables that were “evicted” at this convergence, you spoke once and your voice was heard round the country, echoed throughout the community, people spoke in defense of you, and against this action for you. When we scream for support, we are not heard, and our struggles go unnoticed, because we are invisible from the get go.
displacement and oppression of white people… I wont even give lip service this to this point
tactics – This was a direct action, whether anyone likes it or not the purpose was to end the convergence, and the convergence was ended effectively and efficiently. Disgruntled attendees speculating on better tactics or a better message is fairly useless – the purpose has been fulfilled
anarchist fox news, honestly, listen to yourself, can you not hear the white supremacy in your own voice?
Memorable Quotes
“While we were bein’ kicked out, I was looting the kitchen.” – white attendee
“This is the most racist thing ever”- white convergence attendee”
“you’re taking advantage of anarchists because you know they wont call the cops” – organizer
“we don’t know that, answer me a question, how many snitches at snitch camp this year?”- APOCista
“race doesn’t matter” – white attendee
“we’re gonna have an orgy against this” – white attendees
“what are you still doing here, we’ve been doing the same thing before you came here, while you are here, and will continue after you’re gone” – a white convergence attendee
“we’re all from Africa” – white attendee
“you can’t smash patriarchy, you can’t destroy racism” – opposing POC
“what do you want me to do hate myself because I’m white” while crying{white guilt}
“look around almost all thats left is cis white guys”
“in response to talk about genocide, rape,colonization, white people responded with “that wasn’t me”
“if you touch the puppets, I’ll fight you”
“j, I’m gonna be picking you up now, can somebody please help me pick j up{while trembling and screaming}” I don’t want to drop them, people will think I’m racist” – white persyn
“somebody give me some mace, they need to get the fuck up outta here” – opposing POC in reference to apocista’s taking action
“we’re closing the door on you, as they precede to crush our bodies between the door and door frame”
“I live in this neighborhood!” – said by a few white people
“its a apoc black block performance about gentrification” after which many preceded to clap
“me? did I do these things, little Ian?” – little Ian
“but I gave you a ride” – white attendee
“lets organize a sit in against this!” – white attendees congratulating each other
“why are you oppressing us?” – said by white folks
“APOC owes me a week of my life and I’m gonna get it back” – organizer
“I have a crush on all of you poc, I like big booties” – read from the crush jar
“this temporary inconvenience is nothing compared to gentrification and its permanent displacement” – APOCista to the crowd
“wait, I worked with you in New Orleans!” – white attendee
“the neighbors liked our presence, and they are happy CrimethInc is here” – organizer
“you’re violating consent” – in response to taking action
“this is enough to call the cops” – said by multiple people at multiple times
“we’re all anarchists here we’re all fighting for the same thing” – white persyn
*”People of Color refers to those who self-identify as a persyn of color, whether it be yellow, red, brown, black or mixed skinned people. People of Color can include, but is not limited to African, South American, Central American, American Indian, Caribbean, Pacific Island, Southeastern Asian, Arab, South Asian, Pacific Islander, Mediterranean, Indigenous Turtle Island and Indigenous Australian descent.”
illvox.org/2008/05/an-open-letter-to-white-progressives-and-radicals/
illvox.org/2008/05/bring-it-to-the-yard-an-open-reply-to-white-progressivesradicals/
illvox.org/2009/03/smack-a-white-boy-dc-apoc-reports-back/
We would like to extend the invitation for any APOCers that didn’t physically attack us to the 2009 Northeast APOC Conference August 6-9th in Philadelphia, PA.
illvox.org/ne-apoc-conference-09/
“We declare our right on this earth… to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.” – Malcolm X
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#1 by una camarada on September 11, 2009 - 8:43 am
word the fuck UP! so well-said, thank you for this.
#2 by dependencytheory on September 3, 2009 - 10:37 pm
Bryan,
I am pointing out the effort to erase the ideas of pre-Mecca Malcolm in favor of a MLK-style post-Mecca Malcolm minimizes the contributions of Malcolm as a whole, and that post-Mecca Malcolm was not the apologist for white accountability he is often made out to be.
This version of events you cite is popularly taken from Alex Haley’s posthumous “autobiography.”
If I ever wrote the OAAU was not founded post-Mecca, perhaps I didn’t see I wrote that.
As with those who reduce MLK to pacifism and loving one’s enemies, the revisionism that makes Malcolm a man who didn’t understand the nature of white supremacy DOES come with an agenda. Do you have that agenda? I do not know. I DO understand this version you present DOES have an agenda… either the one I mentioned or, as you write, to be symbolic of an opposing way to go (instead of the way the evicters chose to go).
To avoid a difficult conversation because of notions about real enemies, etc. is not a sufficient reason to avoid a conversation.
#3 by Bryan on September 3, 2009 - 12:05 am
This is the last thing I will post about this issue, because I do not want to play the game of bickering email tag. Earlier you quoted statements that Malcolm had made, in an attempt to support your argument ” Chickens come home to roost.” etc and oversimplified the issue to early Malcolm =good, later Malcolm= bad he himself admitted to the enlightement of his journey, if anyone is revising history it is you. The organization established to internationalize the struggle the Organization for Afro-American Unity(post-mecca) is a part you seemed to leave out of your version of history. Also to say that people who have this vew, have an agenda is absurd (you know about two paragraphs about me), to just write off all people of color who do not agree gives the upper hand to the real enemy, remember that!
#4 by dependencytheory on August 29, 2009 - 6:42 pm
Ayo, the eviction was conducted by a group of apoc supporters. The only people who say the evicters ARE apoc as a group are those with apoc beef.
This is a wrong and misleading (but popular) view of Malcolm X = early Malcolm, bad; later Malcolm, good.
Early Malcolm was correct on many questions, from the nature of the civil rights movement to the repressive role of whites in American society.
“ballot or the bullet” speech? Pre-Mecca Malcolm.
“chickens coming home to roost” comments about JFK? Same.
Malcolm’s trip to Mecca is credited by those writing a revisionist history of the man as bringing him to repudiate the Nation. In truth, the issues going on were a lot more complex and had to do mostly with internal moral issues within the Nation of Islam (namely Elijah Muhammad’s infidelities) and competition within the organization.
The popularly held view of post-Mecca Malcolm is he somehow freed whites of their accountability for and collaboration in white supremacy = false.
POC should recognize people spinning this story have an agenda, and depend on our ignorance of early Malcolm to let them off the hook.
#5 by Bryan on August 28, 2009 - 2:08 pm
I am an anarchist, and a person of color, where do you get off representing everyone of color in the anarchist community? APOC’s action addresses a lot of shortcomings within the movement, it seems to me there was a lot of action, and not too much analysis. Let me use the person quoted at the end of the article to express my point. Malcolm X in his first interaction with the Nation of Islam in the US made divisive blanket statements much like APOC’s, he spoke of the “white devil” and promoted Elijah Muhammad’s version of Islam. His pilgrimage to Mecca opened his mind and he saw Muslims from all over the world, he realized that race was a social construct, and that dismantling this vile system takes the participation of everyone. He then distanced himself from Elijah Muhammad for many reasons, one being that his trip shattered his illusions of Elijah Muhammad’s analysis for a segregated liberation movement. My point is that gentrification is a race issues, yes, but gentrification has more to do with property ownership,and property value, what about the owner of the building? are we to believe that all white people are rich and should occupy a space according to their income? Isn’t it a class issue that everyone wants cheap rent? The dominant paradigm has used race to divide and conquer ALL communities, let’s learn from Malcolm X’s life experience read the speeches he made towards the end of his life take them to heart and act on them.
#6 by a Matriarchal Anti-Authoritarian of Color on August 23, 2009 - 1:20 am
Smack the f*ck outta white boys. Matriarchy is a natural system of life. There were once both egalitarian and matriarchal communities. Fight for them both!
- a matriarchal apocer
#7 by dependencytheory on August 17, 2009 - 8:17 pm
I am sure the “boy” in the name is not a gender comment. “Smack a white boy” is the first lyric in the dead prez song Fuck the Law.
#8 by pghpgh on August 17, 2009 - 11:19 am
Hey, I just wanted to point out that there were women there too. White women enjoy white privilege too. I hope you don’t miss that point. White women enjoy white privilege even more than the men in anarchist circles, they are almost never targets of anti racist actions. There were also trans gender people too. You must have something special planned for the white women, cause you haven’t said anything about smacking them, or are you matriarchal anti-authoritarians? Your website looks better too, I guess any press is good press.
Maybe you should have a smack a white girl?
#9 by maya ani on August 9, 2009 - 4:43 pm
i wanted to write something about my experience with crimethinc., because i don’t really understand people’s feelings about that group. yes, i have a lot of problems with crimethinc. texts when it comes to how they represent struggle that is irrelevant to my life and the lives of people i love. yes, i have problems with how crimethinc. texts suggests ways of struggles that assume white privilige. yes, i have a problems with how i am not represented in crimethinc. so instead of writing some awesome text against crimethinc. and putting it on infoshop, i went to crimethinc. and talked about my concerns, and got as a response an invitation to create within crimethinc. a space that will be my own.
i don’t know if anyone cares, or if this changes anything- but during the convergencce in pittsburgh there were 5 different workshops dedicated to talking about racism (not including two workshop blocks dedicated to apoc), and 4 workshops blocks dedicated to talking about how to deal with the convergence’s possible gentrifying affect on the near neighbourhood. during the gentrification workshops there were some good suggestions on how to deal with the situation, people took responsibility on making it happen (the same people who were “white allies” during the evicition action) but nothing really happened from there. all of this was not genreated by the action, but happened before the action.
throughout the convergence the same people who did the eviction kept talking about the neighbourhood response to the convergence in a way that made me feel very uncomfortable, as if the neighbourhood was a unified block. they claimed to have done the action in order to stop the gentrification (at least they did during the action) without explaining how an eviction of the convergence will contribute to that. now they say their action was more about criticizing white supremacy within crimethinc., which to me is very confusing and makes me feel like the action was not as thought through as they want to represent it. needless to say, the action was not discussed in the apoc cocous during the convergence, and non of the other apocistas (and there were a few of us) were informed about it happening.
i have a sensitive legal status and could not, in any way, get arrested or even carded. the only point in which i felt worried and afraid was during the action when the police have showed interest in what was going on in the building. it is nice for the people who did the eviction to talk about us non-citizens as if they represented us, as if our voice was heard, but the fact is that they put me in danger.
it saddens me so much that people actually put time and energy in this type of actions. people in my home country are dying everyday, and on a very personal level, i feel the urgency of stopping genocides and white supremacy takes priority over fighting crimethinc.
mostly, this concerns me because it makes me feel like there is no space for my passions and my needs within apoc, and it is heart breaking.
#10 by billie rain on August 9, 2009 - 12:29 pm
hi!
i thought i would share a statement from the 2002 queer disabillity conference, particularly because as POC and mixed-race folks, we outlined what we would want from future conferences.
this was the first and only queer disability conference and the lack of resolution of these and other issues significantly contributed to that fact. i would like to see more events organized across communities who share common experiences and/or goals, rather than privileged folks setting the stage and defining the agenda. i hope you enjoy our statement.
xo billie
We are a group of people of color and mixed race individuals who would like to acknowledge and thank the Ohlone First Nation, whose land this university and conference exists upon.
We would like to thank the organizers for all of their work and energy in putting together this conference. We have produced this statement in a spirit of change in the hopes that that these considerations will be taken into account in the future.
As an organizing committee that played the central and foundational part in forming this new international community dealing with the intersections of disability and queerness, we feel that the responsibility of including communities of color has been grossly neglected. Usually, this problem stems from people of color not having involvement in the planning process, but only as an afterthought to diversity. To build an international movement, it is important to understand that in our world, numerically speaking, people of color are the majority. At a conference in San Francisco, CA, in an area that is predominantly Latino/a, there is no reason for this lack of representation.
With this in mind, we would like to draw attention to the following concepts:
How can we have a queer disability conference and not discuss issues of access to healthcare?
How can we have this conference and not discuss housing issues?
How can we have this conference and not discuss race issues?
How can we have this conference and not discuss class issues?
How can we have this conference and not discuss youth and elders issues?
How can we have this conference and particularly not discuss how all of these issues overlap and intersect, which many of us are good at theorizing about but do not practice?
How is it possible that the local communities of color and First Nations people in the bay area are not represented here?
As Emi Koyama asked at the beginning, who has this conference been the safest for? Whose community is this? With this in mind, the people of color caucus would like to offer the following suggestions for a more inclusive conference in the future.
We envision a conference where:
First Nations people’s experiences and perspectives are centralized.
Non-English speakers have access to all activities.
Communities of color play a critical part in the organizing process at the beginning instead of as an afterthought.
Poor and working-class people of color’s struggles are included.
The conference is not based upon panel presentations, many of which are filled with academic jargon that do not allow for discussion and integration of everyone’s thoughts, feelings, and insights into the issues at hand.
We are not placed in the unenviable position where we must organize at the conference due to the inherent lack of inclusivity at the existing conference.
In conclusion, as Diana Courvant stated in her panel earlier today, we must recognize issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, age, and so forth, as many rivers that have separate qualities, but are also part of a larger water system. In essence, the confluence of the waters is representative of a larger and more desirable act of decolonization.
#11 by dmz on August 4, 2009 - 11:20 pm
CORRECTED COMMENT
i wasn’t there but i have two comments:
1. crimethink needed a shake up as they are if anything assertively naive. whether this is the only form said action could have taken well, i don’t know. but bravo for carrying out a direct action against the direct action-ers. i hope this gives them pause for a desperately-needed re-assessment.
i think you should have called your action “kicking crimethink’s ass again for the very first time”.
2. your communique screams for some basic editing. if your intention was to make a statement then that statement needs to be much, much clearer and include examples of the behavior/ideas that you claim are endemic to crimethinkers (even though i know what you are talking about) for those who don’t know them.
this is delivered in the spirit of solidarity and discussion.
saludos,
dmz
#12 by Don Oorst on August 4, 2009 - 11:52 am
Its worth noting that down under in australia, a similar action by womenfolk , against sexism amongst radicals , produced some really kick-ass efects on getting the guys to start evaluating their male supremacist attitudes.
And yes there was a lot of butthurt and crying about the intervention immediately after, but the end result was a stronger anarchist community.
I hope the people who where evicted take this as a pedagogic opportunity to evaluate their own stances and treatment of non white activists , because its only THEN we can stop worrying about fighting each other, and instead learn to be each others strength.
I know the crimethinc kids aint stupid, so I trust they will eventually come to the right conclusions and use this as an oportunity to grow and learn.
You can plant a flower in this hole, if you think about it right.
#13 by John on August 4, 2009 - 1:48 am
Hey. I have a couple questions for APOC organizers involved in the Philly Disruption:
1. Since when does anyone seriously consider Crimethink part of the Anarchist movement?
2. Why is it at all important to confront white college students? Why aren’t we focusing on confronting racism, hetero-sexism, and patriarchy within working class organizations?
3. How is kicking white people out of a building (which they were going to leave in a day or two anyways) putting a dent in the gentrification of that commuinty?
I was already pretty embarassed to call myself an anarchist before this, and I don’t know how much more infighting I can take before I refuse to participate in established anarchist communities altogether…
The Philly APOCista’s are behaving like the New Black Panther Party, and now I’m worried about my own safety. Am I going to have to wear a mask at the Philly G-20 not just to hide my face from cops but also from APOC?
#14 by cZolgosZ on August 3, 2009 - 5:00 pm
I have nothing but admiration for the apocistas who carried out this bold action. It should be known, and obviously is for many (clearly not enough) self-identifying anarchists that our “movement” is in serious jeopardy from within. I’m speaking of course of the apparent and frightening racism that penetrates and often motivates actions. crimethinc is one of the more serious perpetrators, especially being that there has been a consistent position of blatant denial of these serious accusations rather than any real discourse. This shit within our movement must be realized. Idealistic colorblindness will solve nothing, and “activists” need to understand and confront this. Race will never be a non-issue in THIS fucking society and as such, a “movement” cannot be seriously intended to solve THIS society’s many problems without addressing one of the most pervasive, yet somehow fucking hidden, issues we have: racism, both internal and external.
My only worry with this action at the crimethinc convergence is that, had I been there (I wasn’t, for many reasons, one of them being the serious (and seriously ignored) act of gentrification being proposed), I would probably have been evicted as well (alas, I am a cracker) before I could join the apocistas in evicting the self-serving, deluded, patronizing, patriarchal, and (the obvious one) white anarchists. I would not ever think to butt-in on an apoc congress, I know that my input is not valuable therein, but in an action that, quite frankly, NEEDED to happen, I would certainly hope that I could join in with such an effort.{r@ss}
-Just a privileged cracker who hates that whole identification, but knows that denial doesn’t break chains.
#15 by Anarquise on August 3, 2009 - 2:51 pm
This action was awesome. Crimethinc is definitely the most important example of racism in AmeriKKKa. Two more disruptions like this and Crimethinc will fall, taking the state and capitalism with it.
#16 by bpn on August 3, 2009 - 8:33 am
good work – crimethinc needs a good shake up to get it out of its privileged lifestylist ghetto. love the bit on arrestables. Shoulda stormed it and set up an emergency forum on white privelege
#17 by voice22 on August 3, 2009 - 1:48 am
I offer my full and
Submitted by voice22 on Fri, 2009-07-31 06:57.
I offer my full and unqualified congratulations to the @pocist@s from different parts of the country who engaged in this bold, creative and wildly courageous action in Pittsburgh! Although the outcome may not turn out as we hope this time, their attempt to address what is clearly an urgent crisis in @merikkkan @narchism through non-pacifist direct action provides inspiration for others and may be remembered as a turning point for the movement.
Many of us have grown tired of patiently enduring the nauseating stench of white supremacy which permeates our movements. Imperial, racist wars continue and expand overseas while the domestic legacy of colonization continues unabated, internalized under the rubric of gentrification it is nothing more than neo-Liberalism at home. Many of us are exhausted by the general tendency of scenesterism and the disproportionate influence of an immature, petty, spoiled, youthism within the @narchist movement. Let us out it by any means necessary. In the meantime, urgent issues have festered. For at least a decade now – and at least since the publication of Crimethinc’s racist, classist screed “Evasion” — some excellent, patient, intelligent, valiant, and time-consuming work has been done by many poc and whites, at both the individual and collective level, work that has attempted to raise consciousness around issues of race, privilege and tactics. Although clearly a very articulate group, I have yet to hear or see Crimethinc respond to any of the voices of dissent and resistance to its logic being raised from the margins. As these threads attest, while some have accepted the challenge of self-criticism and bridge building, others have fed on the open-ended, anti-authoritarian nature of the @narchist impulse to wallow in tired ideological game playing and evasion of the most ugly and inexcusable kind. At least a handful of us, it seems, are now refusing to be marginalized quietly. The urgency of the moment forces us to ask…
Where are your John Browns white @merikkka?
I hear it claimed that Pittsburgh @poc does not exist. Perhaps you are just playing games and we shouldn’t take the words of the very vocal majority here at face value. But if you are suggesting that there are no “legitimate” anarchist/anti-authoritarian people of color in Pittsburgh I suggest you think again. It shouldn’t be too hard to understand that @pocs are self identifying. In the future we might be able to have @poc register themselves in an official almanac so that they may be legitimized, but in the meantime I can assure you that there are many of us not only in Pittsburgh but also from around the country who are standing in firm solidarity with or brave comp@s, brothers and sisters who gave their time, energy, hearts and reputations to stand up to deliver this firm and unequivocal message. They have drawn a line in the sand.
Maybe Pittsburgh “black bloc” does not exist. We will see in September when it dons the masks of resistance to stand against the G-20. Let us hope that they are as energetic and creative as our allies who are withstanding this storm to break down the walls of white youth supremacy within our ranks. This action makes us stronger, not weaker.
One thing I hear far too little of in these discussions is any serious self-reflection on racism either within Crimethinc or the white @n@rchist movement as a whole. The comments on this list-serve are vile and despicable. They provide a very convenient window, for anyone who cares to look through it, of the ugly AmeriKKKan and prove, beyond a doubt, that despite denials and assertions to the contrary, Crimethinc and its allies are largely composed of the sons and daughters of colonial settlers. The ethics of freedom, liberty and anti-statism were central to the Homesteading Movement of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a period which saw the wholesale military depopulation of indigenous lands and their resettlement with a people seeped in a hypocritical, self-righteous ideology of exceptionalism and rugged individualism. These were also a people stubbornly resistant to making any link between their own freedoms and the oppressions of African and Mestizo people, the slavery and forced labor which produced the surplus value and goods which made white freedom and enlightened, philosophical liberty possible. Sadly, I sense almost zero willingness among the activist “left” to even touch upon that difficult terrain. In fact, all of the threads that I have read so far only appear to justify the critiques made against Crimethinc and its followers by the diversity of folks participating in the @poc action.
This action has provided us with a radical, revolutionary opportunity to look critically at these issues. It has, in fact, brought the scum to the surface and shone a light on the roaches within our midst. Let them scramble but don’t let them hide.
We needed this action people. Times are crucial.
Peace,
voice AkA dAlton
#18 by J."G."J. on August 2, 2009 - 9:28 am
Hey, all… J.”G.”J. from Books through Bars NYC, APOC NYC and MXGM here, with my unbidden two cents:
Did the conference get shut down entirely, or just disrupted for a day? The answer will determine, for me, if the expenditure of energy and risk to personal POC safety was worth it…
Blowing off steam is necessary, from a Fanon-esque perspective, and these privileged crusties would do well to be reminded that setting up camp in black neighborhoods leads to justification, and is disrespectful of the community space (did they desire the CrimethInc presence?)… This latter point is especially applicable, give the willfully individualistic, arrogant pillaging / parasitism of the organization’s ideology (which I love, but not when perpetuated upon those not of their kind (take that to mean what you will))…
If would have been much more inspiring if there was a way to dialogue about the situation with the CrimethInc folk themselves (rather than employing Maoist tactics of specifically precluding any discussion), and let them dig their own verbal graves before putting them on a justified (from their perspective) defensive…
I also would have been inspired if the two factions united in that moment to fuck up the pigs, a bank or some other overt enemy. Maybe next time. Let’s smash some NON-ANARCHIST / RADICAL white targets, who WILL call the cops and who COULDN’T be considered allies. Much less safe (as anarchists will NOT get the law involved, and to take advantage of that IS, on some level, opportunistic bullying), but much more effective.
Keeping the “A” meaning “anarchist” and not “autonomous” (which lends itself to extreme forms of authoritarian Marxism, which as an anarchist I oppose as I would right fascism) might clarify the goals of the group, but, hey, we’ll see what happens…
I am coming up for the conference. Anyone want to give me a place on their floor? I can clean, acquire food, teach all the Wing Chun for which we’ve the time, or do whatever else is necessary in a “gift economy.” genocideshow@gmail.com
-J.”G.”J.
#19 by contra_soldado on August 2, 2009 - 12:34 am
That was to you en solidaridad.
#20 by contra_soldado on August 2, 2009 - 12:34 am
Why are any comments of this action narrow-minded and ignorant? And why does no one give me answers when I ask what, specifically, it was supposed to accomplish? The only thing I see in these comments from people who support this action is sheer vitriol for white anarchists based on descriptions of their appearance and background. Did you know these people? Had they committed specific actions which were offensive to you? Offensive enough to warrant throwing them out of a building and telling them you`re `sick of seeing their white faces?`
I want to help subvert white supremacy too, and I`m very interested in discussions on how we could do this, but it seems every person who posts on this action doesn`t have suggestions, they just want to say how happy they are to have seen some white anarchists get pushed around. Why?
#21 by Strike on August 1, 2009 - 11:39 pm
As one of those involved, I can assure you that there was no malice on my part. I can’t speak for my comrades, but I participated in that action to address glaring weaknesses in the anarchist “movement”. I’m hearing talk of COINTELPRO, infighting, and factionism; talk of ‘divide and conquer’. The fuck do the Feds need to instigated that for? Shit if we ain’t already divided. How united can we be when our meetings are still filled with White privilege, patriarchy, heteronormativity, etc.? We’re all ready to mask up and charge after “them”, but when the shit is in our own circles, it’s all about being “diplomatic”. Too many anarchists have internalised liberalism. Fuck that. If we’re gonna tip toe around the very issues that stand in the way of our freedom, we’re ALL fucked, and it sure as hell won’t be Strike didn’t do anything to address it.
In solidarity,
Strike
#22 by Brady on August 1, 2009 - 11:36 pm
I haven’t seen anyone critically write anything about Crimethinc here. Do people not understand that “Crimethinc” is VERY OFFENSIVE to a lot of people of color? No one has even tried to understand that, it seems. (Although, as it were, it’s hard to read every word of all the comments happening about this on every website.)
Even if people are very defensive about their whiteness, and, unable to open their eyes, let me say this:
This action has elicited much discussion over issues that have rarely been talked about meaningfully in most white anarchist circles. It seems that it will be discussed for awhile, as well. Even the harshest critics of this action seem to acknowledge that “the issues brought up are important”, so, the proof is in the pudding, I guess…
#23 by in the burgh on August 1, 2009 - 10:20 am
This was found on the table after the action:
Saturday, July 25, 2009
A crimethinc ex-worker communiqué
The police will not respect your social views, sexual preferences, race or place of origin.
You are not here to hook up, you are here to organise.
If you are unprepaired for a raid of ANY KIND, then you will put everyone around you in jepardy.
This is not a joke, anarchy and activism is not a safe and cozy place.
It is tear gas, mace and barbed wire, people die for these causes.
Whatever was said last night, 100 people were caught by surprise,
100 people who will now be more effective activists.
Props to those members of APOC for shaking this convention.
Props to everyone here for not running and hiding, for staying to confront these issues.
For crimethinc organisers, a simulated raid should be part of every crimethinc covergance.
The consensus in this room is that this was an act of love and growth.
Relax, The future is not written.
A crimethinc communique.
—————————
#24 by Greenkush on August 1, 2009 - 9:47 am
I think the responses to this piece re-emphasize its central point about the prevalent racism within radical anarchist movements. Perhaps a good place to start, again, is to really take up and recognize that race is a construction. It exists only as it is created by society. It is not an essential category of the human, nor is it a biological one. So when a person, who claims to be radical, names themselves using racial terms without this recognition, they are speaking in racist, hegemonic tongues. What really is a “white” or “mixed” person? How are they different from a “black” person?
#25 by sista revolution on August 1, 2009 - 9:02 am
240 comments on anarchistnews.org!
First, this eviction of the white anarchist punk gathering is hilarious. And no, I don’t mean hilarious as in a joke, a foolish act, etc. I mean I want to see pictures.
Second, is it just me or do white anarchists have a very narrow, close-minded take on oppression? I have read numerous letters/statements from bash back that talk about fucking up the straight world, gender binary, the cisgendered norm. I, as a straight woman of color, did not (and will never) fully understand the reasons why bash back states/does what it does but I am open and respectful of them. I support the people of color that have been at bash back conferences 100%. White people, ever considered that you (for the most part) let bash back spread like a beautiful wildfire around the US and participate in countless actions, yet when apoc does two actions its time for internet bashings and war.
Third, apoc (if you are apoc) that have been commenting, who are you? I was at the apoc conference in Oct. of 03 in Detroit. When was it ever said that apoc is not an organization? When was it said that apoc be good little minorities and do not cross the race line and shake up the white racist anarchist movement? Were any of you at the conference in Detroit? I cannot begin to tell you the incredible diversity of that conference. It was far from perfect. However, your comments and assumptions of apoc are not true to the actually history that is less than a decade old.
Forth, to all apoc that may read this (that’s a small shot), will there be a national apoc conference sometime soon? As we can see from apoc coming out of the east coast recently, there’s much networking and organizing to be had. I’ll keep my eye out on the apoc website.
en solidaridad…
#26 by SAWBR2 supporter on August 1, 2009 - 7:59 am
apoc that participated in this action
remember you’re reading internet anger, computer self-righteousness and online white pride. there are more white ‘anarchists’ on the internet than there are us (anti-authoritarians of color).
keep it going! ignore these internet haters. you should know that gentrified and locked down communities is where your support is at.
why do you think apoc is poc? look at what has happened when you make your voice heard.
i’m working during the conference, will be there is spirit. our paths will cross down the road.
hey philly! know any apoc over here in trenton? i’m at nomatterhowhard@hotmail.com
- apoc, more poc than a, from trenton, nj
#27 by yooo on August 1, 2009 - 7:47 am
dear now ashamed to be apoc —- gentrification is possible in Chicago. It isn’t even 2 decades away in Pittsburgh. That’s what makes their action even less justified.
#28 by ~eryle on August 1, 2009 - 3:44 am
aha, this is funny trying to get rid of APOC and declare it dead… not that easy.. POC been strugglin’ a long fucking time…
la lucha continua…
~eryle
#29 by now ashamed to be apoc on August 1, 2009 - 2:04 am
My mistake, you assholes fucked up in Pittsburgh, not Chicago.
I admit my mistake; when will you ignorant assholes admit yours?
#30 by now ashamed to be apoc on August 1, 2009 - 1:47 am
This has got to be the most idiotic, stupid, short sighted action and article that has EVER hit the Internet. How are a group of Crimethincers who have been rolling around in dirt for 5 days bringing gentrification to Chicago? Are you fucking kidding me? I am APOC and have been a hardcore organizer for 15 years, and I have NEVER seen even white punks act so incredibly stupid, stupid, stupid. You should be embarrassed as shit and ready to debrief on this at the upcoming Philly conference.
And how many of you will later be outed as infiltrators? This is COINTELPO shit. Don’t you know ANY of the history about the government’s war on dissent? Do you have ANY idea how much your ridiculously misguided actions will impact future coalition building and the safety of others in our communities? You had to get on a plane a stir shit up in another state? Do you have any idea about how you have played into the hands of the feds? You gave it to them on a silver platter, you imbeciles? This article is plastered all over the Internet and the grand majority of feedback is correct in defining what assholes you all are.
Why didn’t you use your time and money–and just where did you GET this money???–to do good work in Philly or Pittsburg. How stupid can you be?
APOC is now dead and you killed us.
#31 by RoastBeef on August 1, 2009 - 12:58 am
This is one of the most abrasive and pointless examples of anarchist infighting I’ve ever seen, made all the more disturbing by its apparent racial motivation and outright hatred toward fellow anarchists. Regardless of the feelings the participants in this action held toward the tactics and rhetoric of CrimethInc, this was a flat-out forceful, coercive action against an anarchist gathering with little reason beyond a supposed strain of white supremacy. All this action seems to have done so far is polarize people; militant anti-racists may now take the heat for the actions of what appears to be a group of black supremacists, causing more hindrance than help for the cause of racial awareness and combating white privilege.
Altogether, a complete waste of time and energy that could have been better spent combating a legitimate threat to our freedom and equality.
#32 by pghnative on August 1, 2009 - 12:02 am
OK – to the dimwit APOC people who aren’t from Pittsburgh. THANK YOU, BUT FUCK YOU.
Thank You for trying to rid our steets of stinky ass free loaders. we don’t have cockroaches like people in the south and we didn’t ask for human cockroaches.
Fuck You for not looking into the full picture of the 15224 and 15206. the people who live in those areas want the streets to be safer, and want businesses and services to exist. a bunch of stinky ass white kids having a pow wow and begging for change is the opposite of gentrification. the mere color of their skin doesn’t make the area more attractive. it makes it unappealing and stinky.
go to a larger city with an actual gentrification problem or stay at home and find more words in which you can replace vowels with the letter y.
#33 by jody rope on July 31, 2009 - 10:11 pm
The dumbest site on the web–made even more embarrassing by the central writer’s attempts to use terms and phrases from PoMo Critical Theory. Clueless fools clash with posturing racists at an event that meant zip minus.
#34 by spOOk on July 31, 2009 - 9:38 pm
Got hate? Whats it getting you?
Got authoritarianism much? Whats it getting you?
Get pushed around much? Push people around much?
Race should not be used as an excuse for ones shortcomings.
Everyone has shortcomings, no one is exempt.
How should on deal with their own?
Got internalized racism much?
#35 by contra_soldado on July 31, 2009 - 8:47 pm
As a mixed race anarchist whose considered attending APOC meetings in the past this pretty much puts the coffin in that hope. I’ve been turned off in the past by militant posts from people in APOC who seemed obsessed with attacking other anarchists for their skin color, and by reports of mixed people in APOC being told that their “skin color was oppressive” but this pretty much confirms it. I don’t see anything beneficial in what was done, and still fail to see what this “action” was meant to accomplish. Clearly you must not care what the white kids thought otherwise you wouldn’t have pushed them out and discouraged them from speaking with you about the issues. I often read these declarations which remind people that racism is a systemic problem which white individuals and communities contribute to daily without knowing it. Yeah, true, but what specifically should they do about it? And how does pushing them around help them or you?
Then I look on this site and see Greenkush mentioning people who “have a history of being white.” You mean people can stop being white??? Is that essentially what you want from them? Honestly people, what benefit did you hope to gain by behaving like thugs and then throwing your racial identity as people of color up and saying “we’ll defend ourselves if you try to stop us from pushing you.” Seriously if you want to go push white kids around just do it, but don’t pretend that you care about your opinions or about the Anarchist movement, because it’s clear neither matter to you. Hope y’all got off on this, it must have been a real power trip pushing a bunch of white college kids around…
Also these quotes are ridiculous.
“in response to talk about genocide, rape,colonization, white people responded with “that wasn’t me”
Jee, I wonder why they might have said that? I`ve never had much respect for crimethINC anarchist scensters, but if I ever get pushed out of an anarchist even because of my skin color I will punch someone in the face, and don`t you dare call it racism…
#36 by see through you on July 31, 2009 - 7:42 pm
this looks like some kind of weird govt. situationist action..
there is no way this many people of color could embrace their colonization to the point of violence without the influence of some kind of govt. programmer being involved..
it is the maintenance of colonization, and unfortunately no one, no matter what “color” they are is exempt from being this stupid.
suckers.
#37 by Greenkush on July 31, 2009 - 6:27 pm
I am always amazed and angered by the degree to which white identified progressives/radicals/anarchists have left unexplored their relationship to the conundrum of race. I’m also surprised by the anger/sulleness/with-holding silence which is so often expressed when someone confronts such “white” folk with an experience of racism within radical movements that have a majority of people who are (or have had a previous history of being) “white.”
I thinks it’s great that those involved in this eviction had the courage to take it on, and deal with all the shit that came from it. I do think that you should become more nuanced in the way you talk about the social construction of race. A lot can get loss within the location “white” as you use it. However, one of my questions is, how does one deal with this pervasive issue in this radical/progressive context?
#38 by A. Joseph on July 31, 2009 - 1:43 pm
Not having been there, I think “The anarchist scene reproduces the same oppressive social relationships we face throughout society, and furthers the notion that oppression does not exist within the movement. This silences many. [Note: watch Born In Flames]” and “Euro-centric anarchism that also fetishizes people of colors struggles” and “Failure to deconstruct white supremacy for what it truly is. meaning it’s not just about nazis.” are three very important aspects that are pervasive through anti-capitalist movement in AmeriKKKa. I wish I could have been there.