Nachie
11th May 2006, 15:21
RAAN Network News is a totally decentralized, all-volunteer, and incredibly sporadic one-page newsletter from the Red & Anarchist Action Network. Included in our sixth edition for Spring 2006: A new affiliated chapter opens in Philadelphia, a Venezuelan RAANista breaks his foot in parkour training, updates from the Direct Action Anti-Authoritarians collective in Modesto, Notes on the Green Scare, and DIY Corner: RAAN BrickPet!
Download the latest issue: http://www.redanarchist.org/texts/raan-nn/raan-nn6.pdf
Print and distribute freely and widely!
(full text follows)
RAAN - Network News
Issue No. 6 // Spring, 2006
Philly Holds Ultra-Sexy RAANfest
April 14th saw the kick-off of RAANfest in Philadelphia, PA. While [network organizer] Nachie had met up with members of the Revolutionary Marxist Collective (the libertarian Marxist collective from which the Philly RAAN crew came) on the 13th, the celebrations had only begun unofficially, centered around informal discussion and overpriced 40s. On Friday the 14th, however, the RMC and RAAN hosted the first-ever showing (to our knowledge) of Nuestro Petroleo y Otros Cuentos in North America, at a local autonomous space, the LAVA Zone. Despite varying technical difficulties of wild degrees, Nuestro Petroleo was shown successfully, albeit without sound (though Nachie provided insightful commentary and bangin' beatboxin'). The event saw the participation of new faces from LAVA, as well as participants in Philadelphia's local Venezuela solidarity movement. The movie was followed by a deep discussion on Chávez, the effect of the increasing oil exploitation, and how we can counter the Hands Off Venezuela organization in our local area.
Although Friday was cold and rainy, Saturday found the sun bursting onto Philadelphia. Our protagonists staged their first parkour training session in Clark Park, a two-block wide local area. The workshop contained only RMC members, which allowed for a wide amount of ground to be covered, though other people in the park watched us throughout, and inquired as to what the hell it was we were doing. After two hours, everyone was thoroughly in pain: but soon enough, people were back vaulting over new walls as we traveled up Baltimore Avenue. The energy and enthusiasm of the crew in Philly lasted more than five hours, stopping only for an evening workshop on the definition of RAAN (though periodic brakes for breathing and stretching did occur). This last discussion took place at the A-Space, an autonomous building in West Philadelphia. Members of the A-Space collective participated, as well as a NEFAC member, and a kid noone knew who was looking for a concert happening that night in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal, but decided we were more interesting. Everyone discussed RAAN, autonomous organization, and what we can build in Philly late into the night.
While Sunday saw Nachie catch a Chinatown Bus back to D.C., the spirit of RAAN had planted itself in Philly, and has been growing since. The Philly RMC reformulated itself as a local RAAN crew, and immediately moved into action. We organized regular parkour training sessions, and have begun to network with other local traceurs, in an attempt to build a larger parkour culture in the city. We're organizing a Really Free Market to take place in South Philadelphia (in a park down the street from one RAANista's house), and have made dates to show Nuestro Petroleo at a local coffee bar. We're also organizing a Free & Conscious Concert, a six-hour festival of socially conscious music, varying in genre from folk to punk to hip-hop, that is scheduled for July 7th. We're working with the local Anarchist Black Cross (whom our members overlap with) to support the case of Romeo Hardin (the youngest life prisoner in Iowa -- freeromeo.com), as well as to form the Philadelphia Action Fund -- a warchest to provide bail money for activists and revolutionaries, with the hope of inspiring more radical action, as well as to build dual-power. We have many other projects in mind, and cannot wait to see them flourish in the future.
Dat's the jawn, yo. Que vaina...
RAANista Breaks Foot in PK Training
Network News has received word that Robert, member of a Venezuelan RAAN chapter in the city of Valencia has broken his foot during a parkour (obstacle-coursing) training in early April; the accident is believed to have occured during a particularly intense session in the mountains. This marks the first time that a RAAN affiliate has been significantly injured during our experiments with PK as an organizing tactic, which began last Fall.
Robert is a street vendor and self-employed artesan who has been involved with RAAN organizing in Venezuela - and particularly the development of parkour culture - since it first began in early March. Spanish-language messages of support can be sent to the Venezuelan RAANistas at [email protected]
We would like to remind all comrades involved in PK training to proceed responsibly and at a moderate pace, with an awareness that the tactic is meant for high-impact conditioning and therefore bears an inherent physical risk.
Spring Report from Direct Action Anti-Authoritarians
After working with the south Modesto, CA community to protest the Modesto Tallow Plant, a plant owned by a wealthy Texas based firm that pollutes the local community, the city finally took steps to shut the plant down. In October we showed solidarity with striking workers in Livingston at the Foster Farms Plant, by cooking food to serve, holding pickets, banners, and also giving out class war anarchist literature.
In December we had our largest event of the year, with a Really (Really) Free Market, that drew close to 300 people. Taking some time off around the turn of the year from lots of organizing, we got back into the swing of things this spring firstly by moving Food Not Bombs to a new park. We also organized a protest against ongoing nazi/fascist vandalism in the area, and also the proposed legislation of prop. HR 4437. About 35-40 came out, and a small march was held. We also showed soldarity with people organizing against Wal-Mart, and after the protest got front page media converage, Wal-Mart stated that they will no longer be building on the main street of the small town the had originally planned.
In April, we spoke and tabled at the "Journey for Justice" caravan across the central valley. Showing films, giving out literature, and giving the anarchist perspective on a panel with other community activists. We also conducted the 3rd annual 'Earth First! Day', complete with films, free food, a free patch making station, and lots of literature, flyers, books, and other radical items. We made over $75 from the event, and the response from the public was the best ever. For more info: www.modanarcho.tk
Notes from RAAN on the "Green Scare"
In light of recent events, RAAN-NN is breaking its editorial policy of only reporting on physical network activity in order to address the recent wave of government repression against alleged members of the Earth Liberation Front.
We must be clear in stating that these arrests should be seen as an attack on the entire revolutionary movement, and as a result a massive shift in resources towards prisoner support is necessary. One of the accused, Bill Rodgers, was found dead in his cell on December 21 of an apparent suicide - now more than ever, these comrades need our solidarity in any way we can offer it to them.
Our network is for the moment too small for the implementation of serious prisoner support mechanisms, but we see the future development of such tools as being essential to the sustainability and future growth of the movement. For the moment we are recommending that all affiliates with the available resources get involved in letter writing to the accused and solidarity work with prisoner support groups towards the creation of bail funds and quick response networks to counter what will be increasingly heavy-handed government repression. Building serious personal support networks with all prisoners is something we cannot afford to slack on if we're serious about the future of this project.
For more information regarding the arrests and the ongoing cases of those involved, we would recommend the websites www.ecoprisoners.org and www.fbiwitchhunt.com For those looking for anti-authoritarian literature on the green scare for distribution, RAAN-NN recommends the non-affiliated Warrior Wind zine for the latest updates and analysis. The Warrior Wind is available for download or mailorder through www.impassionedinsurrection.info
A weekend of resistance against the green scare has been called for June 9-11, 2006.
DIY Corner: RAAN BrickPet!
Being a RAANista can be pretty lonely these days, which is why we'd love to teach you how to make your very own RAAN BrickPet to keep you company!
Step 1: Find yourself a brick at a local construction site. Sometimes a big rock will suffice, but they usually lack personality.
Step 2: Using sturdy cardboard or a plastic sheet, create a "RAAN" stencil approximately the size of your brick.
Step 3: Use neon pink spraypaint and the stencil to transform your boring brick into a sexy RAAN BrickPet!
Now you'll never have to be alone again! Make several BrickPets so they can play together when you're not around! RAAN BrickPet likes: the open air and visiting upscale bougie neighborhoods. RAAN BrickPet dislikes: fingerprints.
Download the latest issue: http://www.redanarchist.org/texts/raan-nn/raan-nn6.pdf
Print and distribute freely and widely!
(full text follows)
RAAN - Network News
Issue No. 6 // Spring, 2006
Philly Holds Ultra-Sexy RAANfest
April 14th saw the kick-off of RAANfest in Philadelphia, PA. While [network organizer] Nachie had met up with members of the Revolutionary Marxist Collective (the libertarian Marxist collective from which the Philly RAAN crew came) on the 13th, the celebrations had only begun unofficially, centered around informal discussion and overpriced 40s. On Friday the 14th, however, the RMC and RAAN hosted the first-ever showing (to our knowledge) of Nuestro Petroleo y Otros Cuentos in North America, at a local autonomous space, the LAVA Zone. Despite varying technical difficulties of wild degrees, Nuestro Petroleo was shown successfully, albeit without sound (though Nachie provided insightful commentary and bangin' beatboxin'). The event saw the participation of new faces from LAVA, as well as participants in Philadelphia's local Venezuela solidarity movement. The movie was followed by a deep discussion on Chávez, the effect of the increasing oil exploitation, and how we can counter the Hands Off Venezuela organization in our local area.
Although Friday was cold and rainy, Saturday found the sun bursting onto Philadelphia. Our protagonists staged their first parkour training session in Clark Park, a two-block wide local area. The workshop contained only RMC members, which allowed for a wide amount of ground to be covered, though other people in the park watched us throughout, and inquired as to what the hell it was we were doing. After two hours, everyone was thoroughly in pain: but soon enough, people were back vaulting over new walls as we traveled up Baltimore Avenue. The energy and enthusiasm of the crew in Philly lasted more than five hours, stopping only for an evening workshop on the definition of RAAN (though periodic brakes for breathing and stretching did occur). This last discussion took place at the A-Space, an autonomous building in West Philadelphia. Members of the A-Space collective participated, as well as a NEFAC member, and a kid noone knew who was looking for a concert happening that night in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal, but decided we were more interesting. Everyone discussed RAAN, autonomous organization, and what we can build in Philly late into the night.
While Sunday saw Nachie catch a Chinatown Bus back to D.C., the spirit of RAAN had planted itself in Philly, and has been growing since. The Philly RMC reformulated itself as a local RAAN crew, and immediately moved into action. We organized regular parkour training sessions, and have begun to network with other local traceurs, in an attempt to build a larger parkour culture in the city. We're organizing a Really Free Market to take place in South Philadelphia (in a park down the street from one RAANista's house), and have made dates to show Nuestro Petroleo at a local coffee bar. We're also organizing a Free & Conscious Concert, a six-hour festival of socially conscious music, varying in genre from folk to punk to hip-hop, that is scheduled for July 7th. We're working with the local Anarchist Black Cross (whom our members overlap with) to support the case of Romeo Hardin (the youngest life prisoner in Iowa -- freeromeo.com), as well as to form the Philadelphia Action Fund -- a warchest to provide bail money for activists and revolutionaries, with the hope of inspiring more radical action, as well as to build dual-power. We have many other projects in mind, and cannot wait to see them flourish in the future.
Dat's the jawn, yo. Que vaina...
RAANista Breaks Foot in PK Training
Network News has received word that Robert, member of a Venezuelan RAAN chapter in the city of Valencia has broken his foot during a parkour (obstacle-coursing) training in early April; the accident is believed to have occured during a particularly intense session in the mountains. This marks the first time that a RAAN affiliate has been significantly injured during our experiments with PK as an organizing tactic, which began last Fall.
Robert is a street vendor and self-employed artesan who has been involved with RAAN organizing in Venezuela - and particularly the development of parkour culture - since it first began in early March. Spanish-language messages of support can be sent to the Venezuelan RAANistas at [email protected]
We would like to remind all comrades involved in PK training to proceed responsibly and at a moderate pace, with an awareness that the tactic is meant for high-impact conditioning and therefore bears an inherent physical risk.
Spring Report from Direct Action Anti-Authoritarians
After working with the south Modesto, CA community to protest the Modesto Tallow Plant, a plant owned by a wealthy Texas based firm that pollutes the local community, the city finally took steps to shut the plant down. In October we showed solidarity with striking workers in Livingston at the Foster Farms Plant, by cooking food to serve, holding pickets, banners, and also giving out class war anarchist literature.
In December we had our largest event of the year, with a Really (Really) Free Market, that drew close to 300 people. Taking some time off around the turn of the year from lots of organizing, we got back into the swing of things this spring firstly by moving Food Not Bombs to a new park. We also organized a protest against ongoing nazi/fascist vandalism in the area, and also the proposed legislation of prop. HR 4437. About 35-40 came out, and a small march was held. We also showed soldarity with people organizing against Wal-Mart, and after the protest got front page media converage, Wal-Mart stated that they will no longer be building on the main street of the small town the had originally planned.
In April, we spoke and tabled at the "Journey for Justice" caravan across the central valley. Showing films, giving out literature, and giving the anarchist perspective on a panel with other community activists. We also conducted the 3rd annual 'Earth First! Day', complete with films, free food, a free patch making station, and lots of literature, flyers, books, and other radical items. We made over $75 from the event, and the response from the public was the best ever. For more info: www.modanarcho.tk
Notes from RAAN on the "Green Scare"
In light of recent events, RAAN-NN is breaking its editorial policy of only reporting on physical network activity in order to address the recent wave of government repression against alleged members of the Earth Liberation Front.
We must be clear in stating that these arrests should be seen as an attack on the entire revolutionary movement, and as a result a massive shift in resources towards prisoner support is necessary. One of the accused, Bill Rodgers, was found dead in his cell on December 21 of an apparent suicide - now more than ever, these comrades need our solidarity in any way we can offer it to them.
Our network is for the moment too small for the implementation of serious prisoner support mechanisms, but we see the future development of such tools as being essential to the sustainability and future growth of the movement. For the moment we are recommending that all affiliates with the available resources get involved in letter writing to the accused and solidarity work with prisoner support groups towards the creation of bail funds and quick response networks to counter what will be increasingly heavy-handed government repression. Building serious personal support networks with all prisoners is something we cannot afford to slack on if we're serious about the future of this project.
For more information regarding the arrests and the ongoing cases of those involved, we would recommend the websites www.ecoprisoners.org and www.fbiwitchhunt.com For those looking for anti-authoritarian literature on the green scare for distribution, RAAN-NN recommends the non-affiliated Warrior Wind zine for the latest updates and analysis. The Warrior Wind is available for download or mailorder through www.impassionedinsurrection.info
A weekend of resistance against the green scare has been called for June 9-11, 2006.
DIY Corner: RAAN BrickPet!
Being a RAANista can be pretty lonely these days, which is why we'd love to teach you how to make your very own RAAN BrickPet to keep you company!
Step 1: Find yourself a brick at a local construction site. Sometimes a big rock will suffice, but they usually lack personality.
Step 2: Using sturdy cardboard or a plastic sheet, create a "RAAN" stencil approximately the size of your brick.
Step 3: Use neon pink spraypaint and the stencil to transform your boring brick into a sexy RAAN BrickPet!
Now you'll never have to be alone again! Make several BrickPets so they can play together when you're not around! RAAN BrickPet likes: the open air and visiting upscale bougie neighborhoods. RAAN BrickPet dislikes: fingerprints.