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( )P-EI)There are obvious prejudices andmisconceptions directed
at anyone who
calls him or herself an anarchist. The mostcommon of these is
that people aSSUI11e thatall anarchists are violent. I myself
haveexperienced this taboo. Just using the wordanarchist in a
positive light can lead peopleto disnliss one's opinions. Where
does thisprejudice come from? Is it actually based infact?
True, historically. a tiny nlinorityof self-described anarchists
were violent.Howevec the vast majority were not. Whyblal11e an
entire movement for the actions ofa minority? An analogy might be
helpful.Moses, prophet of 3 major religions, wasviolent. He is
recorded as saying ....Now killall the boys. And kill every WOl11an
\vho hasslept with a man, but save for yourselvesevery girl who has
never slept with a 111an"(Numbers 31 verse 17--depending on
thetranslation, this quote may vary slightly).And yet Moses is seen
today as a civil izingfigure. And few aSSUl11e that the followers
ofMoses-Muslil11S. Jews. Christians-support the violence that Moses
ordered.The difference between the way thesereligious people are
viewed versus the wayanarchists are viewed shows how irrationalthe
hatred of anarch ists is.
What is anarchy? A theory thatpromotes the absence of all direct
orcoercive government as a political ideal.Who is an anarchist? An
anarchist isanyone that proposes the cooperative andvoluntary
association of individuals andgroups as the principal 1l1ode of
organizedsociety. Historically, anarch ists have beenpeaceful and
have made significantcontributions to major social and
politicalmovel11ents worldwide. And today in thetTIOVel11ent. Inost
anarchists are peacefulorganizers, nlany of \VhOl11 support
therecent Occupy 1110vements andAnonymous internet campaigns.Given
that the hatred of anarchists is notrationaL \ve l11ight look to
why it
5L@CKFL@G()fficial N evvsletter of the Free Association of
Anarchists (F@@)Inaugural Issue Issue Nunlbcr:Ol Spring 2012
Adapted from ~ ~ T h e Condition of Compliance: Strategies for O
v e r c o m i n g ~ ' by Miguel Felix... ()n a structural leveL
powerful political and economic institutions are perhaps the
largcontributing factor in the continual cycle of poverty and
exploitation across the world.Economic exploitation can be
illustrated by the existence of poverty-wage jobs that do provide
any possible upward l110bility for \vorkers. This arrangement
Inaintains socialstratitication, allowing deprived coml11unities to
s u f f e r ~ as a result of the prioritization oprofit, rather
than human need. As psychologist Isaac Prilleltensky has recently
madec l e a r ~ 'governl11ents usually cater to economic interests
opposed to taxation and socialexpenditure," This pattern is
apparent. with the obvious intentions of l11aintaining contrin
positions of power. Prilleltensky provides the exal11ple of
Nicaraguan death squadsalong with intervention in other parts of
Latin Anlerica where the CIA trained soldierswith the intention of
installing new persons in power, at the saine tilne unleashing
"terrand indignity of calamitous proportions. never quite
understood by the US public:'Documented research also iJIustrates
the role that l11ajor financial institutions can have odevastating
the livelihoods of poor working people across the world. The
InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are both
examples of financial bodies thathave used globalization as a
pretense for the privatization or elil11ination of publicservices.
institution of price hikes for local consumers and consumers and
the eliminatioof small time c o m p e t i t i o n ~ such as local
farmers. Measures such as these are put in placin the name of
econol11ic growth, but without conditions being inlplemented that
couldother\vise provide barriers to environmental degradation or
human rights abuses.Psychologists can playa vital pal1 in the
pursuit of r e f o r m ~ and to achieve thisPrilleltensky offers
his model of "psychopolitical v a l i d i t y . ~ ' T'his type of
validityreferences intervention strategies for underserved
conlInunities. bringing together twomain goals. These are (1) to
produce tangible tactics to encourage both psychological apolitical
liberation while (2) also providing these comnlunities with
education on the
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"0 P- E D ~ ' continued)It exists mainly because of a
calnpaign
f state propaganda that reaches deep into ourl i t e r a t u r e
~ as Sigmund Freud
The Interpretation of'~ ~ M a n y years ago I read in a
a comic instance of a falseOn one occasion during a sitting
f the French chalnber a bomb thro\vn by anexploded in the
chamber itself and
the consequent panic with thewords: La seance continue." I
is the only ITIention of an anarchistdo not justify the
of this particular "anarchisf' thatd e s c r i b e s ~ I find it
te 11 ing that Dupuy is
" ~ c o u r a g e o u s " for his words ~ lac o n t i n u e . ~
' The phrase is French for,
t r a n s l a t e d ~ "may the sitting c o n t i n u e . ~ is
what politicians of today are knownfor-sitting and talking. Dupuy
basically
all the ruling class wants is to sitand prevent any real change
fronl
Other propaganda includes cartoonsthe stereotypical scary
anarchist
in the left hand and an ignitedin the right. The television
better with. for e x a l n p l e ~ atitled "'Sons of A n a r c h
y ~ ' providing
of tTIen riding motorcycles as theyguns. Sounds more like ~ ~ c
o w b o y s of
age" than any anarch ists that I knowf today. Even worse is the
.. Anarchist
k ~ ' detailing ways to executeand make illicit weapons. I fail
to
that the book has nomessage and certainly no
to the actual anarchistneed not go into the music and
industry. As professor Noam ChOlTIskyis to a
the bludgeon is to astate:'
It's no wonder that anarchists get aJlWe are not defined by v i
o l e n c e ~ we
wanting true change and trueThis is the very reason why the
to depict us as dangerousd anti-social. I kno\v I have
experienced
and even violence frombecause I alTI an anarchist.
sameifbeing a champion for
non-hierarchical leader-less democracynle the ....bad guy:' then
to me it is good
be bad. Peace. and viva la revolucion!Black Flag Staff
Writer
(,Condition ofColnpliance" continued)sources of oppression...
With the consistency of psychological patterns that have
beedelTIonstrated by the research, it becomes clear how social
conditioning combined withlnultiple factors of oppression can
negatively influence individual well-being.Interconnected forms of
psychological distress that include problellls such as
lo\v-selfesteem. depression. or even isolation can be connected
back to conditions of oppressionwithin varying levels of intensity
for different people depending on circumstances.However. with an
elTIpo\vering method of intervention. the enlotionaL physical. and
lTIestate of people can be improved g r e a t l y ~ as lon g as
this l1lethod entails challenging bothpersonal and structural
obstacles.
Direct ActionDon't be a sitting duck!!!Failing to prepare is
preparing to fail!!
((- ~ { . j We have the right to defend our bodies as much as
our message!!Historically protests, rallies and direct actions
across the country have been raided bypolice, resulting in
countless injuries, arrests and thievery of the peoples'
supplies(including medical) and food. Your community action or
campaign is not immune to beinraided and disrupted by the pigs.
Knowing this. are we gonna run? No ! Are we gonna besitting ducks?
No !! Then what? Stand our ground? Yes! Resist o p p r e s s i o n
~ policeviolence and domestic terroriSlTI ? Yes! Lets be strategic
and seize the tiITIe. Are you in ito win it? Do you sincerely
believe in positive change? Or are you only here because youare
bored with your life and need something to fill the void? Rise up
until victory .. .FY [ :A black bloc is a tactic for protests and m
a r c h e s ~ whereby individuals wear blackclothing. scarves, ski
m a s k s ~ ITIotorcycle helnlets with padding, or other
face-concealingitelTIs. The clothing is used to avoid being
identified. and to, t h e o r e t i c a l l y ~ appear as onelarge
mass-prolTIoting solidarity-and as a faceless movement. As a black
bloc, wedon't condone or initiate violence. It's the police who do
that. We simply advocatefor people to defend themselves and hold
their ground if and when the stateunleashes its violence upon
them.Tactics of a black bloc can include demonstrating without a
permit,misleading the authorities, assisting in the escape of
people arrested bythe police, administering first aid to persons
affected by tear gas in areasvvhere protesters are barred from
entering, building barricades andresisting tl1e police.
Historically, property destruction carried out by blackblocs tends
to have symbolic significance: common targets include b a n k s
~
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( " ~ D o n 't Be a Sitting Duck" continued)
buildings, outlets for tTIultinational corporations, gasoline
stations, and video-surveillance cameras.The tactic of wearing
identical black clothes and masks meant that the people were better
able to resist the police and elude identificatio-Create an aff
inity group. this means people are will ing to:-keep the group
informed about their whereabouts, or stay within their visual
range-use a buddy system-be accountable to the group and have each
others' backs-stay together in the streetGeneral advice: -Make sure
you are not wearing or carrying anything that you would be really
sad to lose, like jewelry, sentimental items, lapextra cash, or
your diary from the last six months (carry a fresh notebook to the
action).-Minimize possible exposure of other persons as a result of
your arrest. Don't carry your address book, palm pilot, or
meetinnotes! Think about your security and your comrades' security.
All information the pigs collect will enter a Special Order 11
dbase no matter how peaceful or law-abiding you are and used
against you or some one close to you some how, some way some time
or another if they can help it. This is not a game! Will we be
scared because of this? NO !! Will we continue justmuch more
strategically and keep organizing with our guard up ? YES!!-Enable
passwords on cell phones, or don't even bring them at all.-Soak
bandanas with vinegar (so have a bottle of vinegar for your group)
which serves as a filter against the tear gas. Also eye wash
handy.-Wear a sweatshirt with a hoodie (protects head) or leather
jacket-both serve as padding and protection. But you're gonnahot
and sweating?? Who cares !! Warrior up !!-I f you normally wear
contact lenses wear glasses instead. Contacts can trap tear gas and
toxic fumes, burning your eyes. goggles too.-Cooking pots can be
used as shields (against batons and rubber bullets) or to cover up
dispersed tear gas canisters. Or yocan just throw canisters back
where they came from. Wear gloves-heat resistant ones are better
because those canistershot.-Don't wear shoes that you wouldn't play
basketball in. Who is more able to rnaneuver? The pigs wearing
urban tactical booRevolutionaries wearing urban tactical boots?
Homies rocking Chuckies? Or Hippies wearing sandals? You
decide.-Bring Spray paint. If domestic terrorists attack you, you
can spray their visors of helmets, surveillance cameras and
windshof armored trucks blocking their vision, thus hindering their
movement ( Ex. Egypt and currently around the world, really)-Build
barricades. Create a wall or barrier between you and any threat as
to hold them off or slow them down. Barricades prthe space from
approaching police lines and enhances public safety.-Be aware of
your geographic location. Recognize weak points, strong points,
Windows? Alleys?-Create rendezvous points to meet up if you get
separated.-Wooden sticks on the protest signs could be used as
splints in case of injury-I f arrest is imminent and you are
carrying any kind of camera (maybe you can have a sticker with your
email on the camerachuck it to someone outside the arrest area and
ask them to leave it with the legal team. It's safer with a
stranger who's aprotester than with the cops. Police often do not
return cameras to arrestees! And even if you do get your camera
back, youwon't get your film back (including the images of your
probably illegal arrest situation).-Hold your ground, represent by
example!!
If unfortunately arrested during community actions: say nothing
I!!!! meaning, SAY NOTHING I!!!!!!!! !!!!-Remind yourself that the
arrest and jail system are designed to make you feel powerless,
vulnerable, dehumanized, and al-Remind yourself that as bad as it
is, you will get out (there is a light at the end of the tunnel,
chill)-Cops, guards and jail employees all lie. They lie in order
to control you. They will lie in the form of threats to frighten
you orcoerce you and they will lie in the form of promises to
pacify or manipulate you.-Cops will attempt to manipulate you into
admission or cooperation by saying your comrades snitched on you
and revealedeverything to them. Don't believe them. Keep your
composure. ( If you do happen to have coward ass chump squealers
aroyou singing like canaries to the pigs, that knowledge will come
out more sooner than later, such as within the reports, forexample,
or even worse-them testifying against you.)-Cops and guards are not
prosecutors and they are not judges. They do not decide what you
are charged with nor what yoube sentenced with. They cannot
negotiate with you about these things. Don't believe anything they
say about charges orsentences. You're going to have to wait until
your public pretender or lawyers can sort through it, so just don't
try to figure it while you're in jail.-Don't admit to anything.
Don't accept guilty pleas unless you talk to a lawyer about it.
Don't talk with the police or guards abwhat happened or who did
what. It will not help you or anyone else for you to babble. Remain
silent! You do not have toparticipate in any kind of questioning
while in custody. Repeat "I want to speak to my lawyer. I am going
to remain silent." Sathis over and over and over. It will NOT help
you to participate in questioning.-I f your bullshit charges are
not dropped or dismissed, don't be scared into signing pleas.
Immediately put in a motion for thPolice Report ( contains charges,
dialogue, inventory and other important details) and a Motion of
Discovery ( which is spand all detailed evidence the state or
prosecution is going to hit you with-chances are its not much if
anything at all). Thisknowledge must be revealed to you and you
lawyer. You can put in these motions yourself even if your public
pretender isn'complying with you. Be assertive and persistent, do
not be intimidated.
