let's get radical

The OCF is typically (and incorrectly) thought of as a bunch of hippies in the woods. While there are a lot of hippies and more tie-dye than you'd care to imagine, there's a lot else going on at the Fair. However, today was probably the most radical speaking engagement I've ever seen there. In the picture above (from R to L) is Bernadine Dohrn and Bill Ayers from the Weather Underground movement and Jeff Jones from SDS.

I've read Prairie Fire, the anthology/statement of the WU so it was awesome to be able to see and listen to two of the people that had a hand in writing it. People have given Ayers and Dohrn crap for turning liberal instead of radical based upon how the media aligned them with Obama. However, in listening to them speak and hearing about their experience with the campaign mishaps, it seems like they were still as radical as ever but just a little more seasoned now.
What else?

More pictures and Friday's outfit. It was a fun day although I think I spent most of it wandering around aimlessly after the Dohrn/Ayers event. At night, I went down to the gate and helped the security crew shuffle people back in after the fire show just outside the fair. Maria, a traffic person, gave me a fun light to use which helped. I strolled back into the fair later and happened upon a few music performances, one of which was Jaya Lakshmi, a new age yogi person who was singing beautifully while a DJ put a fun bass beat behind her. It made for fun dancing in the dark.

no justice, no peace

One of my friends was arrested earlier this week and his arraignment was today. He faces 72 felony counts. Half of them are vandalism. The other half are conspiracy to create vandalism. I'd say all of them are crap. It's a fishing expedition, designed to get people worked up and talking and snitching. Hopefully, people are smarter than that. His bail is twice as much as some murderers get. This justice system is so damn flawed.

I would say around 125 people came down to the courthouse today for his arraignment. They didn't even let him in the courtroom but had him broadcast over a TV. Nothing much happened at the arraignment but they set a trial date. I'm hoping that they get some if not most or all of the charges dropped. I've known him for about eight years now. He's a really good person and hasn't done anything even remotely violent. It's just not fair.

may day 2012

 

It's MayDay. This year, my friends made a bunch of signs with pictures of anarchists that have passed on. I met them down there and was handed a sign after a while along with zines which detailed who each of the anarchists were. It was a well-attended march and well received. I didn't truly celebrate since I didn't skip out on work but I did work half-assed. :)

What else?
Well, one thing I did do at work today was almost attack a 60 year old cowboy. He made a pass at one of my clients (who's 25) and it made her so uncomfortable she started crying. Unfortunately, he drove off before I could confront him.

marathon marching

I made up for missing the big Occupy Portland march on Thursday by attending today's solidarity march(es). I believe there were two marches originally planned today, one heading from PSU south park blocks and one heading from the Rose Quarter. Ashes, Nathaniel and I met Victory down there to try to cover the marches for Indymedia but then I ran into at least two other marches besides the two that were initially scheduled. Add on top of that the Portland Marathon which was going on at the same time and it made for a busy day.

Anyway, I bussed around for a while, trying to chase after the marches and I ended up just meeting them when they all came together at Natio Parkway, following the main group of Marathon runners. It was pretty impressive in size and I saw a lot of people there that I don't normally see at protests, including classmates from school and neighbors. Whatever becomes of this movement, it's good that people are finally paying attention.

Here is a quick youtube video of the march:



What else?
After a long day of marching and marathons, I met up with Justin, Jesse and Sophia for drinks and I got to ride in Justin's new car for the first time.

encamping

Today, I checked my cynical ass at the door and went into the encampment for the first time. Wow. Okay, so yesterday, having not walked through the camp, my perception of it all was that it was some punk squatters saying they wouldn't move until everything was fixed for them and they didn't have to pay their college loans back. Well, that was exactly what I DIDN'T see there. Instead, I saw a community full of a variety of ages, classes, races and backgrounds coming together to voice their frustrations with the system and to brainstorm how change can happen. Just...wow!

It really reminded me of the Oregon Country Fair, except nobody was trying to sell me a three dollar lemonade and I wasn't wearing a skirt. And it wasn't just because I saw Jimi Hendrix (pictured in the third-from-the-top photo. As Community Village is, the Occupy Portland encampment was full of caring, awesome and organized people. They weren't an elite group that had survived camp and now only identify with other campers. They were people doing outreach and just talking to one another and whoever came through the park. In fact, they were having sanitation issues so they were encouraging people to not camp if they didn't have to but to come, learn, talk, hang out and then participate in support activities like the marches and rallies going on tomorrow.

This really put my mind at ease and blew it away at the same time. They had committees organized, they had an information booth, a safety booth, a library with rotating speakers (and anyone could sign up), a food booth with free food and people designated to help if you experienced conflict with anyone, sexual assault or just needed medical attention. And this is ALL in this one little park. It was beautiful. I am soooo damn proud of this city!

Also, the occupy movement has won me over as well. Almost every state has at least one Occupied city (c'mon Wyoming and South Dakota, North Dakota is making you look bad!). Oregon has a few Occupied cities. One of them is Seaside. This surprised me but Ashes filled me in on what is happening in Seaside. It's a very sought after vacation spot where people own beach houses. Therefore, the rent is high and the land is expensive. So expensive in fact that people who work in Seaside can't afford to live there. There have been reports of people having to camp in the woods outside of Seaside and then hike into work each morning. Part of their Occupation revolves around finding a solution to this problem. That's inspiring and so awesome. On a side note, maybe I should have done some remote reporting for Indymedia and headed to Seaside to do report from there for the weekend.

What else?
It was a clear and sunny day for the most part today and I spent it chilling with Dean. I also cooked breakfast today using potatoes that Tim had planted in our front yard when he lived here. He comes over and digs them up on occasion. They were really good and it's awesome that they grow under my bedroom window

preoccupied with yesterdays

s

When all you've got is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.

I screwed that phrase up last time I blogged it out (which was more than 2 years ago) so I decided to restate it after today's experience.

Portland Indymedia's webradio has been in a state of transition for the past year and a half. Because of that, new content hasn't been generated and I'm sure that any listeners we did have have moved on to new sources and grown with the new technologies. In today's world of technological advances, a year and a half is a pretty significant period of time. Factor into that the fact that we weren't really up-to-date before we stopped broadcasting and we have almost become obsolete.

Today, the occupation of Portland continued and we had radio coverage of the event in a different space for the first time. We are using twitter and AIM so I guess we are evolving but Atomic and I had a discussion about whether or not we're just looking for nails in a world that has moved onto screws. As I have demonstrated, it's easy to get your voice out there. Indymedia was developed at a time when blogs and social networking sites weren't common and information didn't spread like wildfire. Still, I think that Indymedia, specifically Portland Indymedia is somewhat relevant right now because it is a central source for information that people can turn to. I'm not Facebook friends with more than 120 ppl and a lot of those people don't regularly update their status and, when they do, it's usually just how they are feeling, not breaking news information. If I really wanted to know what was going on right now, I would follow PortlandIMC through twitter or I would log onto the website.

I just think that we need to reexamine what we are doing, why we are doing it and if it is effective. I think that about the occupation though too. I biked by there today and was thrilled to see that they still had the street between Chapman Park and the other block occupied. Barricades are up and it looks very well put together. I found out later that the barricades are actually for the Portland Marathon which happens on Sunday but it still looks cool. However, all I know is that it's a bunch of people down there who want an end to debt and the 1% to stop lording over the rest of us. Um...how? I want world peace or at least an end to animal/environmental suffering but, again, how? How is camping in a park going to bring that about?

I don't know. Maybe I'm just frustrated with my inability to do anything. Shit, I couldn't even get out of my job today to come down and join but really I don't even know what I would have done down there if I was able to come down.

What else?

Although I am frustrated with a lot of things right now, I don't want anyone to think that I didn't enjoy today because I did. Capping it all off was an awesome conversation that I had with our friend Kim. She's a great source of comfort and a great listener. If nothing else, talking with her made my whole night worthwhile. 

when trees fall

Shortly after I moved to Portland, I found a group of friends who were mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. We were ready to rally, prepared to protesting and fit to fight. I guess that's what comes with time. People got into relationships, fell out of relationships, fell off the wagon, got into work and basically became overwhelmed and out of steam. It's sad but that's the toll time can take.

For me, school is what happened. I've done very little since starting school. I'll go to protests here and there but there was a time when I wouldn't miss a thing. I can't say that anymore. I was reminded of how far I've fallen today by watching the documentary, "If a Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front." It's inspirational to see what Daniel McGowan was doing and the drive he had during his protest days. However, it seemed like he changed his focus and his tactics even before he was caught like I feel so much of us have done. He went to work for a legitimate non-profit and started focusing on his personal life like most of the rest of my friends.

I went to the documentary today with Arturo and Max. It was great to see them again and to see a great movie with them. We walked around NW 23rd afterwards and I went to Escape from NY Pizza for the first time, although just to use their bathrooms. We sat in Couch Park while it got dark because nobody felt like drinking. It was nice and reminiscent of a time when hanging out didn't have to involve a bar.

What else?

I had another nice walk with Dean on Tabor today, trying a different route. I think I like our regular route better but maybe I just need to head out earlier so we have more time in the park.

anti-rape culture

Ugh, this sucks to have to write about but it comes up way too often and it's pretty unavoidable.  The term rape culture is used to describe a culture in which sexual violence (typically against females) is common, accepted, expected or overlooked.  It's absolutely horrifying and unbelievable but it's out there and unfortunately it's not rare.  Gawd, I hate humanity sometimes.

It'd be nice to think that with every new day, we come one step closer to doing away with rape culture.  Like all forms of hate and intolerance (except again haters), I hope that it will all just evolve out of our system.  Yet, some forms of hate are so ingrained in society that they're like bed bugs.  Just when you think you got rid of them, they flare up again and you're better off just leaving everything behind and moving.  However, with rape culture, we tend to just ignore it and hope it goes away.

People grow up with violence in their house and just accept it as the norm, carry into another house and keep the cycle going.  The media doesn't exactly discourage it.  It shows misogynistic assholes and glorifies them.  The government and legal system has proved to be incompetent at dealing with them and at reform instead of just wrist slapping (castration, anyone?).  Hell, the military refuses to give rape victims any protection or hope for retribution. 

While I would love to think of my small Portland culture as being above the rest of the world in this matter, we're not.  There are better, more community-driven ways of confronting rapists within the community.  It should also be added by 'community,' I mean punks, anarchists, radicals, etc.  We're supposed to be anti-patriarchy, supportive of each other and accountable for our issues.  However, not all people within this community are on the same page.  While most people that I would expect to identify themselves as members of the community would hopefully agree that full-on, attack, forcible rape is horrendous, some people have different definitions when alcohol is involved.

This is yet another reason why I hate alcohol.  It can impair your judgment or just black you out completely.  If one person's drunk and has their judgment impaired and a sober person takes advantage of them, it is rape.  It's not consensual.  If it isn't rape, then there's no such thing as a rape drug which I think most people would agree there is.  It works under the same philosophy.  Yet, when both people are drunk, is anyone really to blame.  The lines become a lot more blurry then although there may still be coercion involved.

Yesterday, I worked the door for an event at the space and heard new artists.  I also had to help watch the door when we were fully expecting a rapist to walk through the door.  At many venues, this would be ignored.  However, we do not endorse, support or ignore rapists.  My housemates called him out, confronted him and made him wait by the front while calling his accountability coordinator.  It was an uncomfortable situation for all involved but I don't see how anyone can argue that it was the right thing.  The guy was a jerk about it and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that he was caught off-guard.  I don't think that enough people have stood up to him and called him on being accused of rape which they should.  I think that if rapists were called out more often and more publicly, it would be a hindrance to rape culture.  However, people need to work to support the survivors more.  Calling someone out is an intense experience and it would be unimaginably difficult for a survivor to confront someone in a public venue when he is surrounded by his friends.  So they need support, like my awesome housemates.  I love knowing that I am surrounded by the right type of people.

i love you for your TLP but i'll come back for the lack of pig

I didn't know what to do for dinner tonight until I saw this. (click me)  I love the Red and Black and I have for years.  The staff is great, the patrons are my community and the food (long live the TLP) is fabulous!  However, it's good to be reminded from time to time just why I love it.

The story in the link above is national.  It's crazy the type of thing that Portland gets publicity for but that's why I'm here.  I know a lot of people may find their actions objectionable but I'm not about to go into a Republican convention dressed in my black hoodie and mask and expect to be welcomed so why would a cop (an ARMED cop) expect to be welcomed at an Anarchist cafe.

Anyway, my new thing is seeing the performers that happened to be here tonight, Seth Martin and Sara Tone.  I was more thrilled to see the large crowd here, despite a call for a liberal boycott.  However, I really came here to show my continuing love and support...and for the Tempeh Lettuce and Pepper (TLP) sandwich.

What else?
 As soon as I saw the story about the cop, I got on my bike and headed down here, leaving my camera behind.  I also have been having problems with my phone so I couldn't take a picture.  However, being always prepared, I had my computer and used my webcam for the first time to take a picture.  I kind of liked it (the using of the webcam, not the picture itself).  I may have started something...

may day 2010

Happy May Day!

I took a break from school work today and went to the May Day rally and march and then to the events afterwards.  May Day's great because it brings all of these different groups together.  It's an anarchist holiday, a worker's holiday, more recently it's become an immigrant's right day and the hippies celebrate it as Beltane.  At the march, I saw people from school, work, Country Fair, Radical Faerie Land and various activist circles.  There were socialists, feminists, anarchists, liberals, radical queers, immigrants rights activists, police accountability activists, laborers and many more people, around 5000 in all, out to say, "This isn't working."

There was a big recognition of the fucked-up-ness of Arizona's racial profiling, anti-immigrant law.  Even though the message was pretty diverse in what we wanted, most people were in support of one another.  And it's always nice to march in the streets.

After the march, everyone took a little time to recuperate and then went to the Red and Black for fun times.  In the school near the R&B, there was a housing rights encampment going on.  Right2Survive, a housing advocacy group was educating people on their rights as far as squatting goes.  I attended that for a bit but it was getting cold, I didn't dress for the weather and I am fighting off being sick so I left.  I just have a minor throat irritation and I'm tired easily so I went back to the R&B.  I had my first Kombucha on tap.  It was such a good alternative to drinking because it tastes kinda nasty like beer but it's supposedly good for you.

All in all, it was a good day.  It's nice to see people out and about, including myself.

write on

Today, I saw someone I know live one of my dreams and I'm kind of glad that it was him and not me.

From an early age, I believed I wanted to be a writer.  I was an avid reader as a kid and I had an overactive imagination so I thought that would easily translate into writing.  I took creative writing classes in high school and majored in English in college.  I took poetry classes, advanced writing classes, served on the editorial board of the University's literary journal (which I did poorly) and even submitted some of my stories to magazines for publication.  Nothing was ever published and I never really found the ability to complete even a short story outside of college.  I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Magpie is touring with his book on the history of anarchism.  Personally, it's not my bag.  I'm not a history buff.  However, I thought his presentation at Powells Bookstore tonight was well done and well received by the absolutely full reading room.  It was a bit too full so I took Raven to another room so we could read comic books.

I really think that I'm happy with the path I've chosen.  Maybe if I'd pursued writing more and fought to make it into the business, I'd be happy there too.  I just feel that I'm doing something more substantial here.

What else?
Before the presentation, we went to the Vegetarian House and I got "Ham"-fried rice for the first time.  Classy as I am, I ate half of it during the presentation.  While leaving, a guy on the street corner tried to sell us a plastic rose or something like that for a dollar.  When we said no thanks, he asked if I could spare my supper.  It was good but I think that I ate my money's worth out of it so I gave him the other half.  I hope he enjoyed it.

intro to protests

Today I met four new guys.  They happened upon a video showing at the Red and Black of the G20 protest footage.  It was nice because we are so often preaching to the choir, especially at the Red and Black.  However, these guys had never been to a protest, especially a protest-gone-bad so it was nice to be able to contribute to their education.  Who knows if they'll actually pursue activism but at least they have a new perspective now.

The house of cards was Raven's work during the meeting.

black rose

Today was the first time I had been to the Black Rose Collective Bookstore.  It's been open for years.  I don't know why it's taken me this long to get here.  I went there to pick up Riot Cop's equipment.  They played a show last night which I didn't attend due to vehicle issues.

The place is small and full of good vibes.  It just felt really comfortable.  I'll definitely be going back

sisters are doing it for everyone else

I think of myself as a queer activist but I don't think that I actively do enough for the queer community anymore. I need to do more. Tonight, I attended an event put on by several groups that could teach me a think or two.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are not only quite a spectacle but they are also quite the movers and shakers, getting shit done, causes supported and the word out. Tonight, the Sisters were being recognized for being an active force in Portland for the past 4 years and for being around nationally for 30 years at the Portland Artist Network event at Ella Street Social Club. Yellow Brick Road was also being recognized for all of their amazing work, getting volunteers on the streets to hand out medical/hygiene supplies every night for the past 25 years. Fuck, I'm lazy! I need to be acitvated, stat!

beyond riot porn

Tonight, we showed Berlusconi's Mousetrap at the Red and Black Cafe. It's a indymedia documentary about the 2001 G8 protests in Genoa. Showing movies is nothing new to me but this movie was something else.

I've seen lots of films that include 'riot porn' (a term I'm not that comfortable with) which could be classified as gratuitous scenes of riots without a lot of context. This documentary had a lot of rioting in it but it had a lot of context as well and it framed mass mobilizations in a way that I haven't really thought of previously. It's interesting because it was made before I saw my first protest. Mass mobilizations are important in the respect that they illustrate collectively that we don't agree with the actions that are being imposed upon us or in our name. However, in the end, it's reactionary and the bottom line is we're gonna put a lot of energy and effort into getting our asses beat down.

Anyway, the new thing was meeting a few new people with fresh perspectives. After our video showings, we generally have a discussion group in order to provide a little more than just showing a movie. Sometimes they go well, sometimes not and then sometimes they outshine the movie. Today may have been the first time we talked about the movie afterwards where it changed the way I looked at the movie. I know about dual power struggle where you build up communities while opposing oppressive systems and I've always thought that mass mobilizations were a necessary part of the latter but it seems that it could be done more effectively. After all, the WTO riots were the exception, not the norm. We've lost the element of surprise so it's time to start working smarter...and harder.

best friends with benefits

I first heard the saying, "When all you've got is a hammer, everything starts to look like a hammer," years ago from a friend in regards to indymedia. It stands true still. If there's one thing we can confidently do (but there's definitely not just one), it's throw a good benefit.

We held this Indymedia Benefit at the Union Hall downtown. It's an awesome space run by awesome people who just enjoy a good time. We had four great bands play. We got beer donated. I printed t-shirts (which incidentally has been my new thing throughout the week) and we had a fun raffle.

Although throwing a benefit has become old hat for us, we had some new tricks today. I ended up DJ'ing the entire night, playing music between the bands and being sound guy (for the first time) when they were playing. We made good money but the best part was definetely gathering friends together.