Austin Archives - Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words

The Texas hemp industry is booming despite the obstacles faced by Lone Star State entrepreneurs.

That’s the message of the Texas Hemp and Garden Show, which took place on March 13 and 14 in Austin, Texas, at a downtown nightclub near the heart of the popular SXSW festival and not far from the capitol building.

2018 marked the Hemp and Garden Show’s second year, and there were about a dozen different vendors or organizations represented when I dropped in on the second day. Activists helped passersby fill out voter registration cards on the sidewalk, a DJ spun tunes from a small stage outside, and inside a succession of experts spoke about topics ranging from agriculture to the war on drugs. At night, musicians took over for the speakers including a surprise appearance from rapper Lil’ Flip.

Kit Reviews The Top CBD Gummies Online

A close-up of a pile of gummy bears in a rainbow of colors. (Pixabay / Hans, public domain)

February 21, 2018

Kit

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Kit Reviews The Top CBD Gummies Online

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and Ministry of Hemp

I adore the chewy delight of a gummy candy, and I loved getting the chance to pick out the best CBD gummies.

I may be a bit biased, because I’ve always enjoyed gummies, from gummy bears to gummy worms, and they’re even better when you add the healing power of CBD. Obviously I’m not alone: store shelves are full of gummy adult vitamins and numerous other nutritional supplements in candy shapes. When it comes to CBD oil, the beneficial supplement made from industrial hemp, it’s no surprise there are lots of sweet, chewy CBD treats for sale now, too.

The appeal of CBD gummies is obvious: the flavors and texture make CBD easy to ingest, particularly if people have trouble swallowing pills or dislike the flavor of conventional tinctures. While all gummy supplements should be kept out of reach of children, some kids do take CBD, particularly for especially serious forms of epilepsy, so CBD gummies have an obvious appeal for those parents. It can also be easier to take a precise dose with edibles like gummies compared to a dropper of liquid CBD tincture.

The Street Is An Art Gallery: Behind The Scenes With Sleep Is Famous

A cluster of differently colored "Sleep" stickers on utility poles. The stickers depict an old-fashioned television with rabbit-ear antennas and cartoon feet, labelled "Sleep." (Sleep is Famous, used with permission)

November 15, 2017

Kit

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The Street Is An Art Gallery: Behind The Scenes With Sleep Is Famous

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, and Journalism

Austin has many street artists, but few of them are as ubiquitous as “Sleep.”

Sleep, also known as Sleep is Famous, appears everywhere you look on our streets. His iconic image, an old-fashioned TV with rabbit-ear antenna and tiny stick figure feet, clings onto road signs, subverts fossil fuel advertising, and escapes from fires on Walmart emergency exits.

The artist behind Sleep is Famous remains mysterious and anonymous by choice, but he was willing to answer a few questions by email after I approached him about my Gonzo Giveaway. Sleep moved a few years ago from Seattle, where the very first Sleep TVs were doodles he created while he struggled in an artistic rut.

#Catscult Talks Stickers, Cats & Street Art: ‘It’s Cool To Be A Cat Person’

A psychedelic cat, made from two-mirrored halves of a cat's face, is surrounded by glowing green crystals, set against a grassy background and the word "dreams." (The Cats Cult, used with permission)

November 1, 2017

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#Catscult Talks Stickers, Cats & Street Art: ‘It’s Cool To Be A Cat Person’

Posted in Austin, and Journalism

Are you part of The Cats Cult?

If you pay attention, and you know how to look, you can almost see their feline mind control rays washing over us, embedded in the WiFi signals. Every time your friend shows you an adorable cat .gif, the cult sinks its tendrils a little more into your consciousness.

I discovered The Cats Cult the way I discover many of my favorite artists — while on a long walk around Austin, a city that is highly decorated with graffiti, wheatpastes, murals, stickers and all forms of street art. The bright colors and psychedelic style attracted me to the image: an orange tom cat, third eye open, apparently wearing a red t-shirt and taking a selfie, all framed by a mystical triangle and the hashtag #catscult.

Masked Up For Your Protection: In Praise Of Black Bloc Heroes (#GonzoNotes)

A black bloc activist turns to look at the camera, in a group of others dressed in similar black hoodies and face masks. Tahrir Square, Egypt, February 6, 2013. (Flickr / Ella, CC NC license)

October 30, 2017

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Masked Up For Your Protection: In Praise Of Black Bloc Heroes (#GonzoNotes)

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

What do you feel when you see the black bloc?

I feel pride, solidarity, and hope.

Though their faces are masked, I see a group of beautiful humans willing to get injured or imprisoned in order to keep all of us safer.

What the mainstream media wants you to feel is fear. Strangely, they want you to feel the opposite around the police, who come out to the protest dressed for war, driving military vehicles and with a sniper team ready on the roof tops. In addition to bullets, they’ve got bean bag guns, pepper bombs, noise cannons, the whole array of nightmarish “less lethal” weaponry that late stage capitalism can bring to bear.

Meanwhile, the black bloc have just their bare hands and their bodies, or if they’re lucky, a handful of flags on sticks and some homemade shields.

Richard Spencer’s Ties To Violent Nazi Will Fears (Newsweek)

Texas neo-nazi and convicted kidnapper William Fears performs a nazi salute in downtown Austin, Texas on May 1, 2017. (Oh Shit! What Now? public domain image)

October 27, 2017

Kit

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Richard Spencer’s Ties To Violent Nazi Will Fears (Newsweek)

Posted in Austin, and Journalism

Last week, Texas neo-nazi Will Fears, along with his brother Colton and another local fascist, Tyler Tenebrink, were arrested after a speech by the notoriously punchable Richard Spencer at the University of Florida.

Fears was, once again, working with Patriot Front, the neo-nazis who attacked the Houston Anarchist Bookfair and themselves a spin off of Vanguard America, the neo-nazi group that included Heather Heyer’s killer in Charlottesville. Patriot Front and other fascist groups like Anti-Com were working as security for Spencer’s event, according to a document leaked by Atlanta Antifascists that has since been verified by multiple sources including Spencer’s think tank.

The Fears brothers and Tenebrink were arrested after the speech when Tenebrink, under encouragement from Will Fears, opened fire on a group of antifascist activists.

I recently spoke with Newsweek reporter Michael Hayden about Fears’ long history of violence against antifa and the left in Texas, which includes his participation in the May Day fascist attack in downtown Austin and an assault on a clergywoman at Houston airport during the Muslim Ban protests.