http://anarchism.tribe.net/thread/a34bf3f5-d609-41d8-8eef-fe88e45ade95?format=rss Tribe.net. Local Connections http://anarchism.tribe.net/thread/a34bf3f5-d609-41d8-8eef-fe88e45ade95#6e21c0f6-9ecb-4d66-917e-c20d88dfd89e On January 7th a spontaneous uprising occurred following the brutal execution of Oscar Grant, a 22 year old Hayward man who has left behind a 4 year old daughter. This was not a riot for the sake of a riot, this was the result of failures to address systematic problems within law enforcement. Their failure to immediately bring Grants murderer into custody to be tried for the killing ignited a long boiling frustration over racism and poverty that are such a major part of the lives of minorities and poor in Oakland. The media of course is framing the incident as violent and uncontrolled, but as I ran through those streets with folks i may never have had the opportunity to speak to, I felt the camaraderie of revolutionary consciousness. We embraced each other, protected each other and shared our emotions. It is easy to see footage of cars being smashed and fires being set on your television set and be tempted into lumping, stereotyping and making broad assumptions, but unless you were out there in the streets feeling the anger and pain, you are only hearing the voices of the corporate rulers. This is exemplified in the fact that police protected downtown business and actually pushed the crowds through residential areas. Yes, some innocent people woke up to find their cars had been vandalized, but by assuming that the vandals simply wanted to smash things for the hell of it is to say that these people are ignorant. The truth is these were people who saw the injustice and needed to send a message that we will not accept another police murder, we will not accept the silence from our public officials and we are fighting not just in the name of Oscar Grant, but the brutal massacre of workers, the poor and minority populations all over the world. Hearing older folks recall the spirit of the Black Panther movement of the1960s has revitalized my faith in the struggle against oppression. Unfortunately it always takes an assassination, murder or massacre to ignite our passions communally. Let's keep pushing for justice through both effective direct action and non-violent resistance, through art, through music, through festivity. Now is the time to embrace each other. Don't just sit around complaining about other peoples actions, reach out in your own ways. Over a hundred people were arrested Wednesday night, many charged with felonies so right now I am working on organizing benefits to help legal expenses. One idea I have is to hold an art exhibition, so if your an artist and would be willing email me, I know there's a lot of amazing visionary artists out here on Tribe that are socially conscious and i'd love to here from you. I am an artist (albeit not the best) myself so i'm working on some pieces at the moment, maybe we can collaborate. Please email me at StephanieM23@gmail.com if you can provide any assistance, no matter how benign it may seem, also any other ideas on how to continue and expand the resistance and help those facing charges. Blessings to you all, please support our fellow brothers and sisters. Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:07:52 GMT http://anarchism.tribe.net/thread/a34bf3f5-d609-41d8-8eef-fe88e45ade95#6e21c0f6-9ecb-4d66-917e-c20d88dfd89e Stephanie 2009-01-11T06:07:52Z