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Tag: Activism

We Didn’t Fix Austin (Or America)’s Nazi ProblemA massive supercell storm cloud forms in a funnel shape over the fields of Oklahoma.
Just looking at this photo causes me a twinge of fibromyalgia pain. (Unsplash / Raychel Sanner, public domain)
September 1, 2021
Kit
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We Didn’t Fix Austin (Or America)’s Nazi Problem

Posted in Austin, Creative Commons, and Journalism

A friend that lives in Portland posted on his Facebook about the latest spasm of white supremacist violence that took place there.

Someone that I’ve a bunch of mutuals in common with responded. A sort-of-smug comment to the effect of “thank goodness we ran those people out of Austin, Texas!” And I’ll be honest, that comment shocked me: we did what?

The comment reminded me that this attitude is probably widespread in my city and across the country.

I asked myself, are there people in this country that go days without thinking about the rise of fascism and the collapse of the climate? What must that be like?

Read moreWe Didn’t Fix Austin (Or America)’s Nazi Problem
Coming Soon: Soup For Our Families zine(Image: A faded out photo of a pile of rusted soup cans, their labels long gone. Added text in a curvy retro font, in red & black words layered on top of one another, reads "Soup For My Family". In the lower right in black are the words "Coming soon...")
"Soup For Our Families" will be a collection of recipes submitted by antifascists of all kinds.
July 30, 2021
Kit
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Coming Soon: Soup For Our Families zine

Posted in Creative Commons, Food, Other Writing, and Zines

Let me start by saying thank you  for supporting me. The last couple of months have been challenging, and the next few probably won’t be a whole lot easier. I’m looking for work, dealing with the slow collapse of the hemp industry, and coping with some significant health problems in my family.

So that’s why I’m assembling a cookbook zine. It’s called Soup For Our Families: An Antifascist Cookbook, and I’ll be collecting recipes over the next month. That’s right, actual food recipes — and not just soup, I’m collecting food and drink from every category from apps to desserts. I want to showcase the wide range of who we are, using food as a window. The only rule is the recipes should come from antifascist/antiracist people or groups.

Read moreComing Soon: Soup For Our Families zine
Anyone Can Adopt Any Activist Tactics: A Spencer Sunshine InterviewA photo of a banner drop on an overpass, but the banner has been pixellated to make it illegible. Three small figures are visible behind the banner, attaching it to the bridge.
Banner drops and other tactics don't "belong" to the Left. (From a 350 dot org image on Flickr, CC NC SA license)
March 17, 2021
Kit
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Anyone Can Adopt Any Activist Tactics: A Spencer Sunshine Interview

Posted in Creative Commons, and Journalism

Activists sometimes forget that anyone can use tactics like banner drops, including the fascist far right.

Late in 2020 and in the first days of 2021, I spoke twice to Spencer Sunshine, a researcher of the far right and ways to oppose them. I included “40 Ways To Fight Fascists,” the zine he co-wrote with PopMob, in my Virtual Gonzo Zine Library.

Since Trump’s election, I’ve noticed more American fascists using tactics traditionally associated with leftist activism, like banner drops or wheatpasting. Patriot Front is one of several groups that frequently drops banners, with messages in support of white supremacy, from buildings and overpasses.

Read moreAnyone Can Adopt Any Activist Tactics: A Spencer Sunshine Interview
‘We Must Act & Care For Each Other’: An Interview With Mutual Aid Disaster ReliefPart of the cover illustration to the zine Mutual Aid Disaster Relief: Lessons Learned, ith the name of the organization on the right. To the left is an illustration of people climbing a dandelion, which drops seeds across thecover. Other symbols present include an eye, a hand and a watering can.
Part of the cover to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief's zine "Lessons Learned," illustration by Kelly Seacrest.
January 14, 2021
Kit
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‘We Must Act & Care For Each Other’: An Interview With Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and Occupy Wall Street

Inspired by Common Ground in New Orleans and Occupy Sandy and numerous other community-led relief efforts, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief cultivate “autonomous, decentralized, and liberatory disaster relief.”

I’ve featured multiple Mutual Aid Disaster Relief publications in my Virtual Gonzo Zine Library. Most recently, I put “Lessons Learned” in the “Winter 2020” edition of the VGZL. I reached out to MADR by email, and they answered collectively. I found their answers so eloquent, I wanted to present them here in Q&A format rather than editing them into a formal interview-style article. I’ve only lightly edited the responses for clarity and brevity.

Kit O’Connell: Any advice for handling armed fascists or right wingers that show up in disaster areas trying to “patrol” “prevent looting” guard against “antifa” etc?

Read more‘We Must Act & Care For Each Other’: An Interview With Mutual Aid Disaster Relief
Taking Space Feels Like A Drug: Reflections On A Coup AttemptSoftgel capsules full of glitter and sparkly confetti.
Will the buzz of participating in a coup attempt be worth the hangover after? (Flickr / Rawpixel Ltd, CC license)
January 11, 2021
Kit
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Taking Space Feels Like A Drug: Reflections On A Coup Attempt

Posted in Creative Commons, Journalism, and Occupy Wall Street

After watching the coup, I keep imagining the feeling of breaking through. The rush. The giddy high of taking space.

Like so many antifascists, I saw something like this coming. I wasn’t surprised, but I was still shocked at the sight of a war-helmeted christofascist raising his fist in the air as he stood atop the heart of American political power.

And I keep coming back to how good they must feel. These nasty fucking fascists, white supremacists, and Qsuckers are riding one of the biggest highs of their lives. And that makes them even more dangerous.

Read moreTaking Space Feels Like A Drug: Reflections On A Coup Attempt