Anarchists

A general descriptor for some radical groups often blamed for vandalism and destructive tactics.

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June 27, 2011 | 5:55 PM | By

LulzSec releases law enforcement intelligence reports on U.S. Anarchists

Ali Winston

Unconventional Action at a March 4, 2010 education protest.

Shortly before the hacker collective LulzSec shut down its operations last week after a 50-day hacking spree, the group released a trove of law enforcement documentation. Many of these reports pertain to Arizona police agencies and were released as a critique of that state’s laws criminalizing illegal immigration. However, other reports released by LulzSec offer a clear window into the “domestic terrorist” threat posed by Anarchists.

It’s commonly known that American law enforcement keeps close tabs on the Anarchist movement, and has done so for years. A report from the Missouri Information Analysis Center, one of dozens of fusion centers that collect and disseminate information to local law enforcement agencies, breaks down several strains of Anarchism and associated groups.

The ideological strains identified by the report are: Anarcha-Masculinism, Anarcha-Feminism, Anarcho-Communism, Anarcho-Syndicalism, Anarcho-Primitivism, Green Anarchism and Christian Anarchism. Here is a brief primer from the MIAC report on Anarchist ideology at large, which MIAC claims “poses a significant domestic terrorist threat at this time”: Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Community, Anarchism, Anarchists, fusion centers, Lulz Boat, LulzSec
June 20, 2011 | 4:36 PM | By

Explainer: What is a “book bloc?”

Ali Winston

Some of the "book bloc" from the June 17 protest in support of Oakland Public Libraries

During last Friday’s “Anticut” protest against threatened cuts to the Oakland Public Library system, a protest tactic familiar across Europe made its Bay Area debut: the book bloc. Six people wielding the “books” marched at the head of the demonstration, occasionally forming a barrier to the Oakland Police officers who arrested 16 of the protesters that afternoon.

While it is somewhat fitting that demonstrators decrying cuts to a library system would march with signs painted like book covers, the titles chosen and the way the signs were used are reflective of the radical politics represented by the “Anticut” actions. The book bloc’s appearance in California also demonstrates linkages between local and International protest movements.

Among the titles in Oakland were the autobiography of black nationalist Assata Shakur, who fled to Cuba after being convicted for the murder of a New Jersey state trooper; The Story of Ferdinand, a Frano-era pacifist children’s book banned in many Fascist countries during the 1930s; French philosopher Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle, a critique of the authenticity of contemporary social life; and Nanni Balestrini’s The Unseen, an account of Anarchist movements in 1970s Italy.

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FILED UNDER: Community, Anarchists, anti-austerity, Book Bloc, Oakland, protest
January 27, 2011 | 12:08 AM | By

Anarchists, the FBI and the aftermath of the Oscar Grant murder trial

Ali Winston

Unconventional Action at a March 4, 2010 education protest.

One of the most noted tragedies in recent Bay Area history was the death of Oscar Grant. The unarmed 22-year-old was shot and killed by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle two years ago on in the early morning hours of January 1st at the Fruitvale BART station.

The shooting sent shock waves throughout the Bay Area, setting off rounds of protests and civil disturbances over the following year and a half.

One of the largest demonstrations took place last July 8th, when Johannes Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. More than a thousand people gathered in Downtown Oakland to protest the jury’s decision. As darkness fell, there were running battles between police and protesters. Scores of people were arrested.

The Oakland Police Department prepared for the night of protests well in advance, calling it “Operation Verdict,” according to internal documents obtained by KALW’s Ali Winston.

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FILED UNDER: Police, Anarchists, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Oscar Grant, Surveillance
January 7, 2011 | 3:48 PM | By

Logs detail Oakland Police surveillance of Grant protesters, concerns about “Anarchists”

Ali Winston

Unconventional Action in the Bay at a March 4, 2010 education protests.

The Oakland Police Department’s surveillance of demonstrators began long before the July 8th protests that greeted former BART officer Johannes Mehserle’s involuntary manslaughter conviction. Two logs obtained by The Informant indicate OPD monitored websites, Twitter feeds, public demonstrations, flyers and meetings to gather information about potential protests and the possibility of violence.

The documents also show a particular preoccupation with “anarchists” or the “black bloc,” a commonly-used term for black-clad protestors who have engaged in targeted property destruction (usually chain stores, banks and large corporations) at various demonstrations in Europe and the Americas since the mid-1990s.

There is also the possibility that OPD sent confidential informants or undercover officers to gatherings of Oscar Grant supporters. A June 29th entry in the log for OPD’s tip line reports on the announcement on the website Indybay of a meeting at the Niebyl Proctor Libray on Telegraph Avenue to plan “an organized militant response to the verdict.” The entry, which was logged by BART Officer Ken Dam, reads as follows:

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FILED UNDER: Police, Anarchists, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Oscar Grant, Surveillance
August 9, 2010 | 6:36 PM | By

Alleged eco-terrorist argues entrapment

Eric McDavid

supporteric.org

Eric McDavid was convicted of conspiracy in 2008 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Among the appellate cases heard by the Ninth District Court in San Francisco today was that of alleged “eco-terrorist” Eric McDavid, a tale that has all the makings of a modern-day version of Joseph Conrad’s novel, The Secret Agent.

McDavid was convicted in 2008 of conspiring to sabotage government and privately-owned properties, including cellphone towers, electric power stations, the United States Forest Service Institute of Forest Genetics, and the Nimbus Dam and Fish Hatchery near Folsom. In his charging documents, McDavid is linked to the Earth Liberation Front, a loosely-knit direct action organization that advocates direct action – including property destruction – against institutions that damage the environment. In its prosecutions of ELF activists such as McDavid and Jeff “Free” Luers, federal authorities often emphasize the organization’s connection to a broader “anarchist” movement. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Courts, 9th Circuit, Anarchists, Domestic terrorism, Earth Liberation Front, eco-terrorism, Eric McDavid, FBI, US Attorney of Eastern California
July 14, 2010 | 9:56 PM | By

Q&A: Oakland City Attorney John Russo

Oakland City Attorney John Russo says he wants to sue ‘outside agitators’ who ‘trashed’ Oakland during the riots following the Oscar Grant verdict and kick them out of town. So Ali gave Russo a call for details.

Q: Who exactly are you trying to sue and why?

A:JOHN RUSSO: First and foremost, we’re going be working in conjunction with the district attorney’s office. They have the lead role in dealing with criminal matters. So, we’ve traded messages, we’re in agreement to work together on these things. Some of the folks who were arrested are being arraigned at 2 o’clock today. I know that the District Attorney intends to seek restitution for businesses that have suffered losses at the hands of vandals and other folks who were using legitimate public anger about the Mehserle verdict to trash Oakland.

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FILED UNDER: Courts, Anarchists, Civil Liberties, Johannes Mehserle, John Russo, Oscar Grant