#SFCommune/#888Turk Newswire

[ellipsis]

Occupy SF Affinity Groups to Liberate a Vacant Building and Establish a Social Center

http://occupysf.org/assets/jlgflyer-2-940x1024.jpg (http://occupysf.org/assets/jlgflyer-2.jpg)
On Sunday, April 1st, in solidarity with the Western Regional Advocacy Project’s “We Won’t Get Fooled Again” National Day of Action for the rights of the un-housed, Occupy SF working groups & affinity groups are liberating a vacant building and converting it into a social center, shelter and food bank for the people. We have already demonstrated, for 82 days, what is possible when a space is liberated and reclaimed.
The encampments at 101 Market St and Justin Herman \ Bradley Manning Plaza were successful experiments in non-hierarchical organizing where resources were shared in a gift economy and collective decisions made through consensus, while food, shelter and medical care were provided to the greater community.
This action on Sunday is not a temporary protest, but a permanent occupation intended to establish a social center. We will transform this vacant building into a productive and vibrant space, just as we did in the plaza occupation, and we wish others to take similar actions and more.
Wealth inequality is increasing, the environment is being destroyed, the police state and drug war are devastating our communities and social movements, while our foreign wars enrich the 1% at the expense of our troops and innocent civilians. In San Francisco alone, thousands sleep on the street while thousands of houses and apartments lay empty. From Chapel Hill to Seattle, from New York to Oakland, people are rising up to directly change the social and economic system by liberating vacant buildings and reclaiming them for the people.

We are taking this action to bring immediate relief and housing to homeless youth in our community, and to provide a space for assembling, sharing food and healing for all people.

Join us on April 1st for this autonomous action in solidarity with WRAP’s National Day of Action. The rally and march for the move-in begins at 4pm at Union Square. “We Won’t Get Fooled Again” street theatre and performances begin at 2pm at Union Square.

[ellipsis]

this person should be livestreaming if folks want to tune in: https://twitter.com/#!/jeffkloy

[ellipsis]

Tune in to the many live streams on #occupysf or #osf to follow the action, match starts 4pm pst.

[marl]

March going to start when Occupy Oakland arrives.

[ellipsis]

If OO is coming, u know it's gonna be good.

[marl]

they're hereeeee~ march should start soon

[ellipsis]

I'm not sure why we even had to wait... Oh well.

[ellipsis]

En route to new home.

[marl]

Guys watch the live stream, they've arrived.

[¿Que?]

I'm watching the livestream. I guess the cops must be afraid of another Oakland Commune incident. They seem to have taken the building.

[ellipsis]

Oh yah building occupied

[ellipsis]

We're eating and partying. Ga inside.

[Ele'ill]

Have you set up barricades inside?

[ellipsis]

but yea, barricades are awesome, looks like we have it for the night.

[Ele'ill]

Only a cop would ask that but yea, barricades are awesome, looks like we have it for the night.

My point being instead of partying you should be barricading.

[#FF0000]

Only a cop would ask that

badjacketing is so cool

[ellipsis]

I was fooling around, people are on security and partying, The cops have closed off the building but are still letting people leave.

[ellipsis]

I'll try to keep u updated but yah...

[ellipsis]

Nothing new to report, check the twitters , this will be my last post for the night.

[ellipsis]

After an awesome night, I went home. Folks are still inside, asking for support.

[ellipsis]

Btw, thanks to everybody who followed this thread, I feel loved. :D

[The Douche]

I heard the building has been declared a crime scene by the SFPD, confirm/deny?

[ellipsis]

if folks wanna support, occupiers are asking:


OccupySFDirectAction ‏ @OccupySFAction (https://twitter.com/#%21/OccupySFAction) For #SFCommune (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23SFCommune) 2 things 2 keep the space: 1) call Archdiocese @ 415-614-5500 to express solidarity w us, 2) come to #888Turk (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23888Turk)! #osf (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23osf) #oo (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23oo) plzRT

[ellipsis]

I heard the building has been declared a crime scene by the SFPD, confirm/deny?

At 5am, MSM video crews were told not to enter building as it was a crime scene. Apparently providing community space, food and medical service is a crime?:laugh:

[marl]

Hey, theredson, what's on the second floor that the media wasn't allowed up on the other day?

[ellipsis]

Very strong radical/anarchist presences. Everybody was getting along great, in spite of whatever history between people and groups, really nice to see everybody doing their own thing, i.e. security/barricades, food, art, discussion, partying and while awkward, pretty conflict free.

https://p.twimg.com/Apfvg8FCIAEwQlj.jpg:large

[ellipsis]

Hey, theredson, what's on the second floor that the media wasn't allowed up on the other day?

sleeping spaces, kitchen-esque space, big community rooms, then a back parking lot area, pretty much all the people. the media-free zone seemed to work ok, although very few people were in the media zone, which probably made livestream kinda boring. awesome barricades that were works of art.

[ellipsis]

hella regional comrades in attendance, seattle, PDX, Davies,CA, Oakland, etc. Oakland comrades really brought numbers, energy and vision.

[marl]

church decided not to let them stay, word is.

[The Douche]

church decided not to let them stay, word is.

Seeking the approval of the owner of the property is fucking stupid. You're not occupying shit if you have permission to be there.

If the church gave the thumbs up it would still be a defeat, it would only serve to reinforce/maintain capitalist property relations.

[marl]

cmoney, because the church didn't approve, the riot police are out atm. 12 arrests so far

[The Douche]

cmoney, because the church didn't approve, the riot police are out atm. 12 arrests so far

Yes, I know, when you trespass the police will attempt to remove you. If you trespass with the intent of establishing a social center the police will do it with a vengeance.

[marl]

yes, yes, i was just hoping enough time could be bought for the OO reinforcements to arrive

[ellipsis]

I can understand cmoneys reservation , my feeling was that the only chance to hold the buildings was to appeal to church.

[Ele'ill]

This stuff going on elsewhere but relatively close by makes me super antsy.

[The Douche]

I can understand cmoneys reservation , my feeling was that the only chance to hold the buildings was to appeal to church.

I get that. But it puts us (the movement) in a tough position. We can make appeals, especially moral and emotional ones to justify our actions, or we can take a principled and revolutionary position.

I would wager a pretty strong guess that this location was selected because of its relationship with the church, and the hope that the church might be more receptive to movements for social justice.

This is wholly flawed though, lots of groups (I bet this includes the catholic church in SF) run community programs for the poor, providing housing, food, and other necessities to people in need. They do so outside of a revolutionary context.

The thing that is important about occupation, the thing that makes it an occupation is that its done outside of bourgeois law. The reason that occupation can be a useful and important tactic is that, from the get go, it calls capitalist property relations into question, which is a necessity for the communist movement. What victory has really been accomplished if we are just playing the role of social justice groups?

Are we communists who seek to destroy the current social order, or are we do-gooders who want to hand out food? Obviously the two can coincide, but they can also occupy diametrically opposed positions.

Communism is not about charity, and the creation of a space where we can house people, plan events, and distribute food is great, but if it functions within the approved parameters of state and capital then we're only replicating the things were trying to destroy.


We've got to get away from the dynamic of demanding rights (don't kick us out of this park, the first amendment says we're allowed to be here!) and seeking recognition from the institutions which oppress us (call the diocese and tell them to let us stay!).

[ellipsis]

Tru nuf, most people were prepared to make a (futile) stand, church said that we would meet with an osf delegation, then gave the go ahead. The upside is now the church was forced to show its true colors, what they really care about.

[ellipsis]

Also, it mix of politics in the building, I didn't want to exert anarchist authority.

[ellipsis]

statement of solidarity from neighbor at community farm next door.


Letter of Solidarity with the SF Commune @ 888 Turk from a Free Farmer 4/2/2012

I am a regular and long-time participant at The Free Farm in San Francisco, a collectively worked farm which grows food to be distributed as a gift in low-income neighborhoods of San Francisco. The Farm is located on the same block of Gough St. as 888 Turk, formerly and forever the SF Commune. I am not speaking for the entire Free Farm community, only myself and those who have communicated their support.

On April 1st, when Occupy San Francisco liberated two of the neighboring long-vacant buildings at 888 Turk St, many within the farm we excited about the development. We welcomed our new neighbors and the great possibilities of collaboration between the two projects. Occupy SF asked for and received permission to access to The Farm shortly after the group occupied the building. The occupiers treated The Farm with respect and were our welcome guests.

On April 2nd, when SFPD violently entered the SF commune, they destroyed the lock and chain that secured our front gate and invaded The Farm to prevent our comrades from reaching the offered sanctuary. The Free Farm has a different address and is owned by a different church, St. Paulus Lutheran Church. SFPD did not have the permission of any member of the Free Farm community nor any member of St. Paulus to enter. Myself and others have I spoken with are deeply hurt that SFPD destroyed our resources and violated our space, bringing their violence and terror into a peaceful, spiritual urban oasis. Because the lock had to be replaced for the farm to be secure, The Farm is temporarily inaccessible to the community members who work there, plants cannot be watered, food cannot be harvested, compost cannot be sifted.

The Free Farm broke ground in January of 2010 was built on the site of a church which had been destroyed by fire and lay vacant for 15 years prior.

Since then, we have grown and gifted thousands of pounds of hecka local produce to our hungry friends and neighbors.

Since then, we have shared our visions and our knowledge of food production with hundreds, if not thousands of people, including folks from other community gardens, school groups of all ages from around the world and the residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

Since then, we have shown what can be done with vacant spaces, we have shown communities can self organize to increase their food security and access to healthy, eco-harmonious food options.

And since then, knowing the power and potential of liberated spaces we have watched the adjacent property, with three, large vacant buildings and decried their wasted potential. It is with deep sadness and disappointment that we have now seen our new neighbors evicted.

Liberate all property! Long live the SF Commune!

With revolutionary fury,

The Farm’s “resident anarchist”

[ellipsis]

IrxJuCkJH4Y

[x359594]

...We can make appeals, especially moral and emotional ones to justify our actions, or we can take a principled and revolutionary position...


It's not an either/or situation, it's both/and. We make moral and emotional appeals to get the message out while maintaining a principled and revolutionary position.

The classic example is King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" where he justified his law breaking in moral and emotional terms and as a matter of principal.

[The Douche]

It's not an either/or situation, it's both/and. We make moral and emotional appeals to get the message out while maintaining a principled and revolutionary position.

The classic example is King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" where he justified his law breaking in moral and emotional terms and as a matter of principal.

Appeals to morality are a dead end, the only morality which is applicable in our world is bourgeois morality. The kind of morality which says that we have to stay out of other peoples' property, we have to respect their "rights" etc.

Emotional appeals may have some sort of positive effect, but ultimately, they don't get to the heart of the issue. And I think its kind of shitty, because it implies that the working class can't get on our level, and we have to dumb our politics down to emotion in order to make connections.

[ellipsis]

Having participated in about a half dozen public occupations, I knew the building was most likely going to be raided within 24 hours, as this is always the case in SF. My reasons for participating were a) that more people need to gain more experience in the sort of tactic and b) after two "failed" building occupations in January (#J20 and #J28), it was time to try something new. at the sf commune, this meant having super tight security culture so we could at least get in to the building AND choosing a target owned by a "non-corporate", potentially sympathetic entity.

I think both choices paid off well and that the day was successful at exposing people to militant tactics (peace police i have made cry came in and love it) and as a broader inspirational and instructive propaganda action.

Too bad cmoney wasn't here to help with security detail.

[The Douche]

Still waiting on my super secret financing check to come from George Soros, you know, since he funds all of us professional protesters and our trips around the country.

[x359594]

...the only morality which is applicable in our world is bourgeois morality. The kind of morality which says that we have to stay out of other peoples' property, we have to respect their "rights" etc...

On the contrary. I for one am not willing to concede ownership of the world to the bourgeoisie. It is our world after all, so our morality prevails when we act for ourselves, as in this occupation and countless other actions. Ever hear tell of solidarity? An injury to one is an injury to all?

[The Douche]

On the contrary. I for one am not willing to concede ownership of the world to the bourgeoisie. It is our world after all, so our morality prevails when we act for ourselves, as in this occupation and countless other actions. Ever hear tell of solidarity? An injury to one is an injury to all?

I mean, you don't have to make appeals like that to me, I reject bourgeois morality. But that morality is the dominant mode of thought in the world today, so this whole "but all we wanna do is feed people" approach is foolish. 1) its dishonest, we don't just want to feed people, we want to destroy capitalism 2) your appeal on that basis often lands on deaf ears because there are plenty of institutions who feed people already, and they do it legally, so anybody who you could reach with that line will most often tell you to go volunteer at the soup kitchen, and stop trespassing "even if your heart is in the right place".


My point is that revolutionaries should not be trying to justify their actions in the context of bourgeois law, rights, morality or anything else. We should be open, honest, and clear about our actions and motivations.

[marl]

Still waiting on my super secret financing check to come from George Soros, you know, since he funds all of us professional protesters and our trips around the country.

oh my god THIS

[x359594]

...My point is that revolutionaries should not be trying to justify their actions in the context of bourgeois law, rights, morality or anything else. We should be open, honest, and clear about our actions and motivations.

I'm in complete agreement with you here.

[ellipsis]

some points- if talking/appealing to the church extended total occupation time (we never got permission, most didn't care either way) by making the church take time deliberating on their actions, it would have been a successful tactic.

I didn't hold any real illusion, only slight hope of ANY kind of semi-permanent occupation, BUT at this point in the game, occupations are nothing more than propaganda, and by targeting a church building, the action spoke for its self and was a huge victory for Occupy SF and local radicals. the church was exposed as a inhumane corrupt organization which doesn't care about poor people as much as their bottom line.

for folks who wanted to see the "media free" second floor, my sources have obtained video from inside, will be uploaded later tonight.

All of the 80 comrades have been released except for one transgendered person who was heavily involved with occupy oakland and the local anarchist scene, he is still being held related to two year old, since resolved charges. FUCK STATE OPPRESSION.

[ellipsis]

2) your appeal on that basis often lands on deaf ears because there are plenty of institutions who feed people already, and they do it legally, so anybody who you could reach with that line will most often tell you to go volunteer at the soup kitchen, and stop trespassing "even if your heart is in the right place"

You don't seem to understand the local political climate. 7k-10k thousand homesless people in san francisco (very visible population) and 32k REGISTERED vacant housing units. people know this. Lots of people are familiar with food not bombs, the fight for the right to feed they had in the 90s and local social justice issues.

I have talked to so many people who literally ran away from wherever and moved to san francisco, eventually became employed and housed but tell be about how Food not Bombs feed them when they had no food or money.

Fewer deaf ears than many places.

Also local SF Chronicle and public radio coverage was very favorable.

I do appreciate the feed back and dialog, cmoney, i think you make a lot of valid points.

[ellipsis]

somebody drew this lovely sketch of one of the baricades inside the media free zone, thus no pictures.

http://truth-out.org/images/CagleCommune3.jpg

more here (http://truth-out.org/news/item/8294-occupy-sf-commune)


It lasted less than 24 hours, but the Occupy SF Commune at 888 Turk may have pushed the movement forward harder than many other of the movement's Bay Area actions of late. And despite Monday's raid, many occupiers saw the building operation as a success.

The 888 Turk building is not only the story of this brief building occupation, but also its place in the context of Bay Area activism, Occupy and beyond, on the eve of the planned May 1 General Strike. On January 28, many of these same people attempted a building occupation in Oakland, which turned into the tear gas, less-lethal melee that spawned another Occupy backlash there.
The 888 Turk occupation was, in Occupy terms, an escalation so profound and unexpected that many dismissed it as an April Fool's joke - even at the expense of Occupy Oakland and its brutal J28 crushing, which resulted in more than 400 arrests.


But the SF Commune was not a joke; the Spring Awakening took the city by storm, if only for a day. Within a half hour of the building's occupation, several large place-making banners were dropped from the roof, including many with Christian slogans and quotes, including, "Forgive us our trespasses" in white letters on black cloth.

....

The activist group Homes Not Jails, that was involved in the 888 Turk action, has been occupying buildings in San Francisco for about 20 years. They opened several hundred buildings from the mid to late '90s, creating symbolic short-lived occupations in some spaces and holding off police for days on end in others. While many occupiers were excited by 888 Turk, some seasoned activists were nonplussed.


"This is an old tactic," said Lydia Blumberg, who has worked with Homes Not Jails in the past and had brought her four-year-old daughter to the building's "Sacred Space" the prior evening. "We've been doing this for years."


A year ago next week, Homes Not Jails occupied a San Francisco apartment building owned by Kaiser Permanente. A banner hung from the roof read "Hella Occupy" - more than six months before Occupy Wall Street was born and that phrase came to typify the Bay Area iteration of the movement.


Homes Not Jails, first took the 600-unit Cathedral Hill Hotel on October 10. Occupiers took the building once again on January 20 following the "Occupy Wall Street West" day of action, which shut down the downtown San Francisco financial district.


"It makes me optimistic that we have all these kids carrying the torch," said Blumberg.

[¿Que?]

It does look like the church betrayed occupy SF. It seems like the christian sloganeering was done on behalf of the church as gratitude. This would have been a de facto agreement, albeit not a legal one. The church backed out, as I understand, leaving the occupiers to fend for themselves. SO they lost. Anything happening on the union front?

[ellipsis]

last comrade arrested has been released!

[The Douche]

You don't seem to understand the local political climate. 7k-10k thousand homesless people in san francisco (very visible population) and 32k REGISTERED vacant housing units. people know this. Lots of people are familiar with food not bombs, the fight for the right to feed they had in the 90s and local social justice issues.

I have talked to so many people who literally ran away from wherever and moved to san francisco, eventually became employed and housed but tell be about how Food not Bombs feed them when they had no food or money.

Fewer deaf ears than many places.

Also local SF Chronicle and public radio coverage was very favorable.

I do appreciate the feed back and dialog, cmoney, i think you make a lot of valid points.

I understand the desire to successfully cary out an occupation and hold the space, and provide people with food and shelter. I can see how that represents a victory and how such a victory is tactically important (it gives us a base of operations, it gives us a tangible presence that people can relate with, it provides physically for the movement, and it can serve to energize people and bring new people out to further actions).

But I feel that such a victory is a strategic defeat, because its a victory on the terms of the bourgeoisie. In such a scenario, we have only succeeded because the owner of the property allowed us to, so it leaves the power dynamic unchanged and unquestioned.


I'd say, strategically, that even though the building wasn't held, there was still a victory. Especially if the general feeling in the area is in favor of the occupants, then the lack of cooperation of the church and state can make it clear to people that the issue is property relations. So this tactical defeat can still potentially be a strategic victory.

[ellipsis]

A great point to support you is The Free Farm which was established with a tacit agreement with the church, who then sold the farm land for 5.5 million dollars two years later. The farms serves the hungry, most of the churches congregation are homeless....

Never ask permission, always ask forgiveness.

[ellipsis]

Raw footage of media free zone of SF commune, day after raid.

gzVf-EnAeNk

[ellipsis]

tLJlss759YA

NFq0Ke_2eLA

[ellipsis]

Apparently the sf commune was resurrected on Sunday and will have its public opening on 5/1.

[ellipsis]

news on reformed SF commune:


The SF COMMUNE arose from the ashes on Easter Sunday at an undisclosed Church owned property. Less than one week after the Archdiocese commanded SFPD to violently evict and arrest 75 folks from 888 TURK St., a new Collective Housing Community Center has been established. The SF Commune will not tolerate the systems that force 7,000-10,000 San Franciscan's to remain homeless while over 30,000 housing units are wasting away vacant.

On MAY DAY, the SFC will open it's doors and conduct another OPEN OCCUPATION in solidarity with the MAY 1ST GENERAL STRIKE. For the next three weeks, the new site will continue to thrive covertly, engaging in mutual aid and direct democracy, in preparation for May Day. The SFC has been initiated to provide a perpetual, autonomous headquarters for the Occupy SF movement.

[ellipsis]

hahaha :D




Police warn of building takeover ahead of Occupy SF action
By: Mike Aldax (http://www.sfexaminer.com/people/mike-aldax) | 04/15/12 3:54 PM
SF Examiner Staff Writer | Follow on Twitter @SFExMikeAldax (http://www.twitter.com/SFExMikeAldax)

http://www.sfexaminer.com/files/imagecache/large_scaled/blog_images/Occupirates.jpg (http://www.sfexaminer.com/files/blog_images/Occupirates.jpg)


s.f. examiner file photo
San Francisco police are asking property owners to seal off unattended buildings after Occupy SF protesters occupied a building earlier this month and are reportedly planning on doing it again.



Board up your vacant buildings, please.

Police are asking property owners in The City to do whatever it takes to keep members of the Occupy SF movement from squatting.

The global Occupy movement against economic disparity has apparently changed tactics in San Francisco, police say, as rumors swirl about a May 1 takeover of an undisclosed property.

“So please help us out by fencing, boarding, covering, etc your vacant property,” Northern Police Station Capt. Ann Mannix said in a community newsletter released Friday.

The warning comes after 75 demonstrators were arrested earlier this month for taking over a Turk Street building owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. They put up banners and scrawled anti-corporate and anti-police slogans on walls, police said.

Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Andraychak has said thousands of dollars in damage was done to the building.

On Jan. 20, Occupy demonstrators took over an empty Cathedral Hill hotel, leading to 20 arrests. A nearby Lamborghini dealership also was vandalized.


Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/crime/2012/04/police-warn-building-takeover-ahead-occupy-sf-action#ixzz1sENCiB5k

[ellipsis]

The city of san francisco must either be getting sick of these, or maybe national coordination of crackdown on occupy compelled them to actually prosecute people arrested during protests and direct actions, usually the DA drops the charges on 1st amendment arrests in SF.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/06/occupiers-are-eager-move-takeover-charges-full-trials-skip-deals

Members of Occupy San Francisco facing criminal charges related to the takeover of two vacant buildings are being urged by fellow activists to occupy the court system by rejecting any plea deals from prosecutors.
Eight protesters now face misdemeanor charges for vandalism or trespassing in connection with the April 2 and May 2 takeovers of two Tenderloin buildings belonging to the Archdiocese of San Francisco.