Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Repression

Italian police raided 34 anarchist squats and homes yesterday and arrested four people in connection to a campaign of parcel bombings which has targeted Italian officials and European politicians since December. Six others were arrested on July 20th and are still in jail. Italy has a sordid history of arresting anarchists who die "accidentally" while in custody for allegedly masterminding bombings which are later discovered to be the work of fascists and state officials.

From Colorado to Missouri anarchists, their, families, neighbors, and associates have been receiving visits from the FBI for the past week. Many believe that the activists are being questioned about their potential involvement in the Democratic Nation Convention protests in Boston and the upcoming Republican National Convention protests in New York City as a way to intimidate people and discourage their participation.


Demonstrators at the Democratic National Convention in Boston are taking advantage of the prison like "protest pit" known as the "free speech zone" which the city designated for protest by staging theatre. Boston Police Officers prepared for the protests by training under the occupational forces in Drumcree, Northern Ireland.

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

South African university students burn down three classrooms and win a decease in their students fees.
Jamaican squatter village is asked to relocate for the second time in less than a week.
Harrison David Burrows has admitted to setting a fire at a Brigham Young University animal "science" facility in the name of the Animal Liberation Front. The July 8 fire caused an estimated $30,000 damage and was the third attack on the facility since May. The 18 year old, animal rights activist faces one charge of destruction of property by fire and a second count of use of a destructive device during the commission of a crime. Together, the charges carry a minimum 35-year prison sentence and a maximum 50-year term.


One in nine of the "protesters" who demonstrated against the June 8-10th G8 meeting near Savannah, Georgia was actually an undercover police officer. In all 11,056 officers from 136 state and local agencies oversaw security for the meeting, which was held on an inaccessible island off the coast.

Monday, July 26, 2004

Two riots at privately owned prisons, in Mississippi and Colorado, this past week and a recent incident at a Tennessee facility were a female inmate's skull was crushed during an "altercation" with a guard have sent Corrections Corporation of America' s stock prices down. The Nashville based Corporation manages 62,000 inmates in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

Thursday, July 22, 2004

After intense pressure from the U.S. Greece has invited 400 armed American Special Forces soldiers to attend this summer's International Olympic Games in Athens. American, Israeli and possibly British security officers are also welcome to attend while carrying weapons. Intelligence agencies have not found any evidence that Al Qaeda might target the games but Greek anarchist groups have called for protests.

Tuesday, July 20, 2004


Casa Del Sol, a squat in the South Bronx

Land Struggles Around The World

  • Casa del Sol a long time squatted cultural center and home may be facing it's final eviction. The large South Bronx building has been occupied since the mid eighties but not without a fair share of struggle and strife. In 1997 the building's approximately 70 residents were evicted by a platoon of riot police assisted by helicopters, as part a Giuliani era anti-squatter "quality of life" campaign. The building was later re-occupied by a small group of former residents including Rafael Bueno. With Bueno at the helm Casa del Sol focused on it's vision of creating a center for indigenous persons of the Americas and converting the six story dwelling into a "green" building for "The Future City". In 2002 Casa del Sol's nonprofit face The Cherry Tree Association was awarded a $225,000 grant towards that end. Soon afterwards all residents of 672 East 136th Street save Bueno abandoned the project and their residence under less than amicable terms. Using classic time tested divide and conquer tactics the city's Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has "awarded" the property to local non-profit activist group the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in April. The group's director Bertha Lewis is actually a former resident and college of Bueno's, but the two have vastly different visions for the building. Bueno is fighting back in the courts and will likely remain in the building for at least another year. The building has promise of once again becoming an active center for community voices as Bueno has offered housing for 70 people who are coming to town for the Republican National Convention protests in August.
  • Iraq's newly appointed Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has ordered that all squatters living in "government owned" buildings be evicted. The strife ridden country already has a homeless rate of 20% nation wide, according to a recent survey by the Iraqi Ministry of Housing and Construction.
  • 300 foreign Indonesian workers, in Malaysia have been left homeless, after a fire destroyed four blocks of squatted houses in just under an hour. The fire may have begun at a nearby construction site. Nobody was reported to have been injured.
  • A fire in MoBay, Jamaica claimed the homes of 50 squatters. The cause is thought to be an electrical short circuit.
  • Squatters, whose building was razed by a fire over the weekend in Nimbin, Australia, "went on a rampage and smashed shop windows". Authorities are calling for more police to be assigned to the area in northern New South Wales were homelessness and crime is rampant. Currently there are only four.
Food Not Bombs Richmond shares nutritious vegan meals with hungry people and hasn't missed more than two servings in the past 10 years.
The World Wide Fund for Nature condemns the International Olympic Committee for destroying vital wildlife habitats and causing "serious and irreversible damage" while constructing aquatic sports arenas, miles of roads, and other developments. Anarchists, who are allegedly responsible for a series of bombings agaibanksnst police, banks, and multinational corporate targets, are vowing to "make a statement" against the games when they come to Athens later this summer.
Graffiti has trouble gaining grounds in Beruit.

Friday, July 16, 2004

New Zealand has cut all diplomatic ties with Israel after authorities busted two alleged Israeli spies, who had tried to obtain false passports.

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Peru - Despite early proclamations of union success, in a nation wide strike meant to unseat neo-liberal President Alejandro Toledo, most of the countries labor force reported for another day of work.
The Bush administration plans to put nearly 60 million acres of raodless national forests lands on the chopping block for minning and milling interests.

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Anarchists in Kansas City open Crossraods Infoshop, a bookstore, and "bring hope to middle-aged cynics". Pictures

Monday, July 12, 2004

A general strike was recognized as thousands took to the streets to protest police brutality and the government in Indian occupied Kashmir. Another general strike was observed throughout Bangledesh where workers upset, about job loss and privatization policies, clashed with police.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge al Qaeda plans to attack the United States in an effort to disrupt the upcoming November election. Bush wants to be empowered to prevent that, by calling off the election until a later date.

Sunday, July 11, 2004



23 year old Lenin Cali Najera, founding member of Indymedia Guayaquil (Ecuador) and a national leader of the youth of Pachakutik has been assassinated.

Saturday, July 10, 2004

The City of Durango, Colorado is attempting to evict two families, who have occupied a plot of land for more than 18 years, in order to build a parking to a park.


My friend Swoon, of the Toy Shop Collective, is profiled in a New York Times article and video on street art.

Friday, July 09, 2004

The Animal Liberation Front is claiming responsibility for a $30,000 fire at a livestock research center operated by Utah's Brigham Young University. No animals were injured by the blaze and the FBI was no leads or witnesses.

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Australia - After five months of denials police are now admitting that they were "following" Aboriginal teenager Thomas "TJ" Hickey who lost control of his bicycle and was impaled on a fence. The 17-year-old's death set of over 9 hours of rioting in which the angry residents of Redfern unleashed their anger on what they consider a racist police force

Monday, July 05, 2004

Foreign security contractors in are attempting to evict the 300 families who have squatted Iraq's former state television building. Families are being paid brides of $100 each to leave peacefully. Thousands of families in Iraq live in buildings formerly controlled by the state; at least some who have accepted $100 are planning on moving into other such buildings.


A group of activists with Maine Earth First! played a game of messy back yard today at the governor’s mansion in Augusta. The action was planned in support of a moratorium on liquid natural gas terminals in the state. Six demonstrators were arrested for trespassing after throwing hundreds of pounds of Maine lobster guts and rotten food throughout the yard, setting up an "oil slick slip and slide" and one woman had suspended herself from a tripod in the governor’s driveway. Governor John Baldacci, who is a staunch proponent of liquid natural gas (LNG), has been fighting a losing battle to set up a plant and under water trans-Canadian pipeline. Many communities have successfully blocked new LNG terminals in their areas, sighting the environmental dangers as well as the threats it poses to the fishing industry