The Final Straw Radio

Justice4Jerry2020, Confederate Monuments + Repression During The Movement for Black Lives photo by Ben Harper This episode has three portions following a segment by anarchist prisoner, Sean Swain, about confederate monuments. [00:02:31 - 00:09:32] This episode warrants a general content warning for the mentioning of the murder by shooting of a Black man at the hands of the police. Justice4Jerry 2020 [00:09:32 - 00:29:36] First up we got the chance to sit down with Najiyyah Avery Williams, who is a community member, organizer, and mother of Jai Lateef Solveig Williams, also known as Lil Jerry. Jerry, who was a children’s book author, artist, musician, and a 35 year old father was brutally killed by the Asheville Police Department on July 2nd 2016 by Sgt Tyler Radford. This interview happened outdoors in front of the courthouse and police station in downtown Asheville, where the city was powerwashing a DEFUND THE POLICE street mural which was done autonomously the previous day to honor the life of Jerry Williams, and to call attention to the culture of violence and silence that the police hide behind when they murder Black people. Visit our social media for pictures of this mural before it was taken down! In this segment we talk about Lil Jerry’s life, his work, the circumstances surrounding his passing, racist violence and harrassment his family has received in the aftermath, and projects his mother is working on and would like to see for the future. An article by Socialist Worker detailing the initial murder and how contradictions were evidenced at the get go. To help support Justice for Jerry, which is trying to get his unfinished books published and will go to supporting his family, you can venmo to the handle @J4J2020, or follow them on social media platforms by searching Justice 4 Jerry 2020. Rural Protest Against Racist Legacy [00:29:36 - 00:39:10] After Najiah, we’re happy to share a voice message we received from Gabriel from Tyrrell County, North Carolina, about a protest that happened on the 26th in Columbia, the county seat. Gabriel shares his experience of the protest in this tiny town, giving an insight into some rural experience of confronting confederate monuments and their legacy. Michael Loadenthal on Repression During 2020 Uprising [00:39:11 - 02:10:16] In the third portion of this episode, you’ll hear Michael Loadenthal of The Prosecution Project, which maps how politics impacts the weight of criminal charges attached in the U.S. Michael talks about the scale of repression brought by local, state and federal law enforcement and ideas of resisting it during the uprising against police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, the destruction of racist statues known variously as the rebirth of the Movement for Black Lives, or the #ACABSpring. For a great article on the subject, check out Mapping the State’s Strategy of Repression Against the Rebellion on IGD. Michael talks about the construction of federal felony charges for what would normally be smaller local charges, the use of grand juries to map social networks. He also shares thoughts about safer practices with social media, shifting dialogue around the role of police in society, the role of open source intelligence as well as surveillance technologies like drones and facial recognition. Some points to follow up on from Michael's chat: Michael Loadenthal’s Academia.Edu page: gmu.Academia.edu/MichaelLoadenthal Michael's twitter account is @mloadenthal TPP: https://theprosecutionproject.org Buzzfeed article on police departments ability to digitally surveil individuals in crowds: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/police-software-briefcam This World Of Ours, James Mickens, 2014 https://ssd.eff.org The Final Straw episodes touching on Grand Jury Resistance: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/category/grand-jury/ The Tuscon 12 arrested after a protest at a jail, followed from protest by drone The evidence trail cited by prosecutors to Lore-Elizabeth Blumenthal The Tilted Scales Collective: https://tiltedscalescollective.org/ National Lawyers Guild: https://www.nlg.org/our-work/ Protest Law Tracker: https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/ A great presentation by a lawyer, James Duane, on why not to talk to police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE

Pan-African Social Ecology: A conversation with Dr Modibo Kadalie This week, we’re happy to air a conversation I had with the author and activist, Modibo Kadalie, author of Pan-African Social Ecology as well as Internationalism, Pan-Africanism and the Struggle of Social Classes. A version of Dr. Kadalie’s conversation with Andrew Zonneveld of OOA! Publishing, entitled Pan-Africanism, Social Ecology and Intimate Direct Action appeared up in the recently released collection Deciding For Ourselves, edited by Cindy Milstein out from AK Press. Dr. Kadalie has also been involved in political organizing including resisting the draft of the Vietnam War, labor organizing in Detroit and Memphis, ecological protest, community self defense in Atlanta and currently is working on writings about ecology and living in the territories of southeastern Turtle Island, including those of the Creek and Seminole peoples, and working at the Autonomous Research Institute for Direct Democracy and Social Ecology in Midway, Georgia. In this hour, Modibo talks about autonomous community organizing, the contradictions between the survival of the species and capitalism, CLR James, his read on Pan-Africanism and Social Ecology, the pandemic, and direct democracy. We also talk about Geechee history in south so-called Georgia, the weaknesses of nationalism, hierarchy and revering individual historical figures and the strength of spontaneity and community action. This conversation was recorded before the killing of George Floyd and but after the increased awareness of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery nearby to Dr. Kadalie in Glynn County, GA, which reflects in the discussion. Modibo shares some criticisms of official Black Lives Matter, liberal cooptation and the veneration of representative leadership. . ... . .. Songs used in this episode:  Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - What's Going On Quincy Jones - Everything Must Change - Body Heat Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come - Ain't That Good News

In the past few weeks since the uprising in response to police killings of Black and Brown folks around Turtle Island, amazing chances have presented themselves and folks have seized opportunities. One great and unfolding circumstance is known as the CHAZ or CHOP, an autonomous zone and occupational protest surrounding a police precinct in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The area was opened to community redesign after nights of intense battles with the police leading to the department evacuating the East Precinct to crowds of people chanting “Every Day”, meaning they would continue surrounding the police building. In many ways, the ability of the community, including anarchists and other radicals, to be able to respond to the situation was possible because of the mutual aid work that had been being developed during the covid-19 pandemic and years of building relationships. In this podcast special, you’ll hear a fresh conversation with D. D is a Black Anarchist who grew up in and around Capitol Hill district in Seattle. He talks for this chat about that neighborhood and adjacent Central District’s rebelliousness and conflictual history with the Eastern Precinct that the Seattle Police abandoned, about his knowledge of the protests of past weeks and the retreat of cops from their pen. D talks about the foundation of what has been called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, aka CHAZ, aka Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (or CHOP), or as D calls it the Chopped City CHAZ. You’ll also hear a tiny bit about the history of occupations during protests in the city, engagement with the zone and indigenous communities in the area, the idea of monolithic Black Leadership, self-defense against the far right, the reproduce-ability of the autonomous zone model and other topics. We’re going to try to bring you more stories from this place soon and are super thankful to D for sharing his perspectives. Transcription PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) note: I was informed by my cohost William that in fact the retaining wall in front of the fourth precinct in Minneapolis that I was referring to was actually constructed by the Minneapolis PD, hence why it looks janky as shit. A few of the resources that D suggests folks pay attention to include Converge Media, Some of the occupations that D mentions include: Northwest African American Museum Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Centre El Centro De La Raza The website for the Duwamish nation is DuwamishTribe.org And for the Suquamish nation’s website can be found at Suquamish.nsn.us Political Prisoner Oso Blanco’s statement on the CHAZ can be found at FreeOsoBlanco.Blogspot.Com. . ... . .. Music from this podcast: Liquid Liquid - Cavern - Discography (1981-1984)

This week we are pleased to present an interview William conducted with Gabriel Kuhn and Maxida Märak on the 2019 PM Press release Liberating Sápmi: Indigenous Resistance in Europe’s Far North. This book, of which Kuhn is the author and editor and Märak is an contributor, details a political history of the Sámi people whose traditional lands extend along the north most regions of so called Sweden, Norway, Finland, and parts of Russia, as well as interviews conducted with over a dozen Sámi artists and activists. Maxida Märak is a Sámi activist, actor, and hip hop artist who has done extensive work for Indigenous people’s justice. All of the music in this episode is by Märak and used with her permission, one of which comes off of her 2019 full length release Utopi. In this episode we speak about the particular struggles of Sámi folks, ties between Indigenous people all around the world, and many more topics! Transcript PDF (Unimposed) – pending ZIne (Imposed PDF) – pending Links for further solidarity and support from our guests: Pile o´Sápmi: http://www.pileosapmi.com/ WeWhoSupportJovssetAnte: https://wewhosupportjovssetante.org/ Gállok Iron Mine: http://www.whatlocalpeople.se/about/ Ellos Deatnu!: https://ellosdeatnu.wordpress.com/ Moratorium Office: https://moratoriadoaimmahat.org Arctic Railway: https://www.ejatlas.org/conflict/the-arctic-railway-project-through-sami-territory-from-finland-to-norway . ... . .. Music for this episode in order of appearance: Maxida Märak - Järnrör Maxida Märak - Kommer aldrig lämna dig - Utopi - 2019 Maxida Märak cov. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Soldier Blue

June 11th 2020: Marius Mason support and words from Jeremy Hammond In this June 11th podcast special, we’re happy to feature two interviews. The first is with Letha, a supporter of anarchist prisoner Marius Mason who is 7 years from release for animal and earth liberation front actions in the late 1990’s. Marius, who tested positive for covid-19 recently at FCI Danbury, continues his activism including on behalf of other trans folks behind bars as well as to write and create. More on his case and how to support him is up at SupportMariusMason.org. Then I spoke with Jeremy Hammond who is an anarchist prisoner supported by June11th for hactivist activities in the early 2010’s as a member of Anonymous and other crews that released information to WikiLeaks to expose corporate and police spying and abuse and war crimes, as well as supporting whistleblowers in the Global War on Terror like Chelsea Manning. Jeremy also recently resisted a Federal Grand Jury around WikiLeaks with Chelsea Manning, he contracted covid-19 recently, and currently produces a podcast with his brother, Jason, called Twin Trouble which is in the Channel Zero Network. More on Jeremy’s case at FreeJeremy.Net By way of introduction, June 11th is an important day for Anarchists. It began as a day of solidarity with Jeff “Free” Luers, an eco-anarchist who received a sentence of 22 years and 8 months in 2004 for burning 3 SUIVs on a car lot in Eugene, Oregon. Leurs was eventually released in 2009. In 2010, after the waves of the Green Scare subsided, the day was shifted to support Marius Mason and Eric McDavid. There is a history of June 11th written up at june11.org by Crimethinc from a few years back that is very thorough if you want more details. Suffice to say, Eric was released, Marius continues to sit behind bars. Since then, the list of long term anarchist prisoners has expanded as our numbers keep growing on the outside. The efforts to support those inside and to expand the struggles of those comrades behind bars also builds. As we recognize and are inspired by those who have stood up to inhuman power structures and suffered huge consequences, remember that not everyone has been caught, that being caught isn’t always the end, and that we still have fight in us. I’d like to invite people to check out June11.org to check out the call for this year’s June11th by the committee, listen the 2020 mixtape of songs curated by current anarchist prisoners J11 supports, find out more about the prisoners and check out where you can donate to them and read or hear statements by the prisoners as to what they want to see around this year’s celebration and rememberance. If you visit the resources page, you can see posters, reportbacks, zines, hear voices of formerly incarcerated anarchists and their supporters from an interview series, read past years prisoner statements and a whole lot more. We also hear that our comrades at the Crimethinc Ex-Worker podcast will be releasing an episode on J11 in coming days which is bound to be worth a listen. Finally, if you’d like to hear past interviews about June 11 and with anarchist prisoners that we’ve done since 2013, including with anarchist prisoners like Michael Kimble, Sean Swain and Eric King, their supporters, folks from the J11 crew, authors like Will Potter and formerly incarcerated anarchist, Eric McDavid, check out our June11 shows. Just an FYI, it is possible that Marius is dead-named and mis-gendered in some of the past shows as he came out as a man in 2015. . ... . .. Track featured on this episode: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - This Gentle Hearts Like Shot Bird's Fallen - Born Into Trouble As The Sparks Fly Upward

Hotel Sanctuary in MPLS This week  we got to connect with Rosemary, who is an organizer in Minneapolis, about the liberation of a former Sheraton Hotel in that city and its slow but steady transformation into something that is becoming so much more than a housing cooperative. They speak about how this resocialization came to happen, some of the circumstances involved, about how this is a very deep collaboration between un-housed folks in Minneapolis and people involved in doing care work, the power of George Floyd who was profoundly involved in doing that same kind of care work with un-housed people, and many many more topics. Check out their new website up at SanctuaryHotel.org and their fundraiser at GoFundMe.com/f/SanctuaryHotel . ... . .. In this episode, you'll also hear a statement by anarchist prisoners, Comrade Malik and Sean Swain.  We invite you to stay tuned for mid-week as we release a podcast special for the June 11th day of solidarity with Marius Mason and longterm anarchist prisoners. We hope to feature the voice of a longtime supporter of Marius with updates on his case, and that of anarchist prisoner, anon hacker and Federal Grand Jury resistor, Jeremy Hammond. More about June 11th on June11.org. Transcription: Comrade Malik Transcription: Rosemary PDF (unimposed) Zine (imposed PDF) . ... . .. Further resources from Rosemary: Sharing from the Minneapolis Sanctuary Hotel FedBook page, hoping a website and crowdfunding link will be up soon so stay tuned!   Greetings community. We hope this long post finds you as safe and well as is possible during a righteous uprising. We wanted to provide you some updates and opportunities to plug in.    The Minneapolis Sanctuary Hotel is a community-led sanctuary space for over 200 displaced and homeless people who needed safety from the military occupation that occurred following the murder of George Floyd. We center values of autonomy, harm reduction, community care, mutual aid, and abolition.    1. First! This page, started as a space to boost all kinds of different work related to COVID, homelessness, and community care, is transitioning to become the Minneapolis Sanctuary Hotel Facebook page. Look for changing name and photos shortly!   2. We are overwhelmed with support. This is a good problem to have but we've had to rapidly scale up our infrastructure to meet the needs. Here are some ways to plug in: > If you are media with interview or press release requests, please email: sanctuaryhotelmedia@gmail.com > If you are a restaurant, catering company, or are interested in providing hot meals, please contact Kimberly at 612-203-2779 > If you are a new volunteer looking to get connected or are a previous volunteer with a special skill set we don't know about, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScy9VNQ1Xnamf6pUC-kphgXrnI3OwakUucW4YAfYNVz7o5cBg/viewform   3. A few boundaries to set for resident safety, capacity, and COVID reasons: > Please DO NOT show up at the sanctuary hotel if you are not signed up to work a shift. > Please NO MORE *non-perishable food* donations.  > Please DO wear a mask when on-site   Please continue to watch this space for more updates as we continue to learn and grow in the work of building a sanctuary. . ... . .. Call for vigils on 6/7/2020 for fallen comrades From anarchist BIPOC & accomplices: Since the George Floyd rebellions began on May 26 2020, following his horrific murder by police, at least a dozen more lives have been taken by state and vigilante violence in the struggle for Black freedom. We wish to honor them by making space to say their names, commemorate their lives, and celebrate our own resistance. By acknowledging the risk we all take when we move into the streets, we remember the martyred and continue to fight for the living. Calling for vigils everywhere, Sunday 6/7 at sundown. . ... . .. Music for this episode by: Ratatat - Loud Pipes  

Two Voices From MPLS: Medic and Abolitionist On this episode, we’re featuring two voices from Minneapolis, the epicenter of mass demonstrations and uprising following the police murder of #GeorgeFloyd. First up, you’ll hear from Jacquie, a professional medic living in Minneapolis. Jacquie talks about the impacts of corona virus on Black and Brown communities around the city, some of what she saw in the early days of the protests and the feelings expressed to her about the killing of George Floyd and the problem of police in our racist society. You can find a project of theirs on instagram by seeking @femmeempowermentproject. Then, Tonja Honsey, executive director of the Minnsesota Freedom Fund, talks about bail and prison abolition, infrastructure to get folks out of jail and supporting the people in the streets. They’re online at MinneapolisFreedomFund.Org Both interviewees shout out Black Visions Collective and Reclaim The Block, two police abolition projects in Minneapolis, and the Northstar Health Collective. Check our show notes for links to those projects, as well as bail funds for cities where solidarity protests have been met with police repression. Announcements Jalil Muntaqim There is an effort right now to get compassionate release for Jalil Muntaqim, former Black Panther and member of the Black Liberation Army. Jalil has been held by New York state since 1971 and he recently has tested positive for the Corona Virus. His attempts at parole over the years have been stymied by police and racists pressuring and stacking the parole board for Jalil’s involvement in the death of two cops 5 decades ago. This has happened 12 times since 2002 when he became eligible. More info about his case at his support site, freejalil.com and check out this SFBayView article for how you can help push for his release. Breaking the 4th Wall Hey, y’all. First off, I just want to say how impressed I am at the power that people are drawing up from within in order to battle the police all over the country. Seeing videos and hearing stories from Minneapolis, Atlanta, Oakland, New York City, Omaha, Denver, St. Louis, Tucson, Los Angeles and elsewhere, plus the solidarity rallies and support coming out here and abroad is so heartwarming. This week, you’ll know, police in Minneapolis murdered George Floyd, an African American man and people were there to video tape it. Since then, people took the streets, were met with tear gas and rubber bullets, some held vigils while others held the streets and set fire to a corner of that world that holds them hostage, including a police precinct. The cops present at Floyd’s murder were fired, and finally the officer who murdered has been arrested. Mr. Last week, police murdered a Black Trans Man named Tony McDade in Tallahassee. Over the prior month and a half, that same force murdered two other African American men, Wilbon Woodard and Zackri Jones. On March 13th, Louisville police murdered Breonna Taylor, a medical First Responder, during a home raid. At a protest on May 28th for Breonna’s legacy, 7 people were shot by unknown parties. Video of the murder by a white, retired cop and his son in Glynn County, Georgia, of yet another African American man, Ahmaud Arbery, was released a few weeks back sparking protests and the eventual arrest of the killers. The police sat on that video since Mr. Arbery’s killing in February, allowing the killers to walk free. Please stay safe out there, y’all. Already, some folks have died at these protests, riots and uprisings against the status quo. Wear masks to protect from covid but also to obscure your identity. Drink lots of water, get good sleep if you can, take care of each other and support each other in these hard times. You can keep up on ongoing struggle via ItsGoingDown.org’s site and social media presence, and you can watch amazing videos from Minneapolis via Unicorn Riot. Housing Liberation in Minneapolis "At 8:00pm on Friday, blocks from the epicenter of the uprising, we watched from a tent as armored vehicles and hundreds of national guard advanced on Hiawatha. The curfew was in effect and the state offered no options for a couple camped outside. The hotels promised to the large encampment across the highway left them and many other behind. The shelters were full. This couple finally found refuge in a largely vacant hotel a mile away. The next morning, they awoke to the burned remains of Chicago and Lake and learned that the hotel owners planned to evacuate. With nowhere else to go but with a community showing up to support, the couple declined to evacuate. Together we invited displaced and unsheltered neighbors to join us. Overnight people came in with harrowing stories of terror from police and other white supremacists. National guard shot rubber bullets at us while we stood guard against that violence. At the time of this writing nearly 200 people have created sanctuary in the memory of former shelter worker George Floyd. We avenge Floyd's death in the flames of the third precinct and honor his life in the reclamation of hoarded property. We have protected this building by occupying it. There is no going back to how things were - this isn't a Sheraton anymore, it is a sanctuary." . ... . .. playlist pending . ... . .. Bail & Anti-Repression Funds Across The U.S. (taken from Evan Greer's tweeted link, accessed at 4pm eastern, May 31. Likely updated, and includes lawyer info) National Bail Networks http://nationalbailout.org/ https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory https://bailproject.org/ By City / State: Atlanta - https://actionnetwork.org/groups/atlanta-solidarity-fund http://atlsolidarity.org/ Austin - https://reparation.atlas.thrinacia.com/campaign/24/400-1-bail-fund Baltimore https://www.baltimoreactionlegal.org/community-bail-fund Bay Area (San Fran, Oakland, San Jose, Vallejo, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz) https://rally.org/ARCbailfund Brooklyn - https://brooklynbailfund.org/donation-form Boston - https://www.massbailfund.org/ Buffalo NY https://fundrazr.com/11fcAd Charleston South Carolina https://www.gofundme.com/f/charleston-sc-protestor-bail-fund Charlotte - Cash App: $WereStillHere Venmo: ResistanceisBeautiful Call: (980) 224-2097 bail support PAYPAL = NCFreedomfund@gmail.com CashApp = NcFreedomfund Chattanooga http://www.calebcha.org/donate.html Chicago - https://chicagobond.org/donate/ Cincinnati Ohio https://www.givelify.com/givenow/1.0/NTU5MjE=/selection Cleveland - BLM Cleveland https://www.paypal.me/blmcle Colorado - https://fundly.com/coloradofreedom Columbia, South Carolina: Cashapp/Venmo: sodacitybail | 803-602-4589 Columbus - https://www.paypal.me/columbusfreedomfund Connecticut http://www.ctbailfund.org/donate Dallas- https://faithintx.org/bailfund/ https://svpdallas.z2systems.com/np/clients/svpdallas/donation.jsp Denver - https://fundly.com/coloradofreedom Detroit - https://www.detroitjustice.org/the-bail-project Fargo & Morehead North Dakota https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8oLGbaaeqf Florida: https://www.floridajc.org/bail https://www.lgbtqfund.org/donate-1 ← focus on LGBTQ individuals https://hrcalachua.com/bail-fund-program/  Grand Rapids / Western Michigan https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kentcountyibond Harrisburg, PA https://dauphincountybailfund.org/donate Houston - https://www.paypal.me/blmhou https://www.restoringjustice.org/bail Indianapolis - https://bailproject.org/ Kansas City - https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/it-aint-over-legal-fund Las Vegas - https://secure.actblue.com/donate/vegasfreedomfund Los Angeles (inc. Oxnard, San Clemente, Santa Ana, Long Beach): https://www.gofundme.com/f/peoples-city-council-ticket-fund ← bail, supplies, transport overall fund Louisville - https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/ Madison, WI https://freethe350bailfund.wordpress.com/ Venmo: @Liam-Manjon | Cashapp: $FreeThe350BailFund | Paypal: FreeThe350BailFund@gmail.com Mass - https://www.massbailfund.org/ https://www.gofundme.com/f/fangbailfund Memphis - https://justcity.org/what-we-do/mcbfund/ https://midsouthpeace.org/get-involved/donate-to-support-the-black-lives-matter-community-bail-fund/ Miami - https://www.paypal.me/freethemall Michigan https://michigansolidaritybailfund.com  Milwaukee - https://fundrazr.com/mkefreedomfund Minneapolis https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/  ← asking for help in other areas. Click thru for links/direction Minnesota - https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/ Nashville - call 615-455-1875 https://nashvillebailfund.org/ Nebraska  - https://www.paypal.me/neleftcoalition  New Orleans - https://donorbox.org/safety-freedom-fund New York- https://www.libertyfund.nyc/ https://emergencyreleasefund.com/ ← focused on trans humans North Carolina PAYPAL = NCFreedomfund@gmail.com CashApp = $NcFreedomfund Oakland https://rally.org/ARCbailfund http://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/donate Ohio - Canton/Akron https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8pz5hovrmY Orlando Florida https://communitybailfund.org/ Philly - https://www.phillybailout.com/donate.html Phoenix https://secure.everyaction.com/lFZFGA1BpUa9kyYYgSxSKw2  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tsccbf Pittsburgh - https://www.gofundme.com/f/aftercare-for https://www.bukitbailfund.org/donate Portland - https://www.gofundme.com/f/pdx-protest-bail-fund Raleigh/ Chapel Hill - https://www.takeactionch.com/donations PAYPAL = NCFreedomfund@gmail.com CashApp = $NcFreedomfund Richmond - https://rvabailfund.org/donate Rhode Island https://www.gofundme.com/f/fangbailfund Roanoke -https://chuffed.org/project/rjs-bail-fund Rockford IL (and Winnebago County) https://www.wincoilbondproject.org/donate Salt Lake City, Utah https://www.gofundme.com/f/c2mvvn-support-protesters-arrested-by-slcpd San Diego (inc La Mesa)  https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-raise-funds-to-support-our-community San Jose https://siliconvalleydsa.org/donations/ https://rally.org/ARCbailfund Seattle - https://donorbox.org/ncbf Silicon Valley/San Jose: https://siliconvalleydsa.org/donations/ Toronto - https://www.gofundme.com/f/toronto-protestor-bail-fund Tucson https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tsccbf Tulsa https://www.paypal.me/BLMOKC Washington State https://www.nwcombailfund.org/ Wilmington, DE https://www.gofundme.com/f/fnbbailfundwilm

This is a presentation of some of the Q and A session which took place after the IDOC Watch panel in Chicago last year. If you are hearing this and don’t know what I’m talking about, head on over to the previous episode to catch up!   In this segment, we’ll hear Kwame Shakur, Lorenzo Stone-Bey, Sheila, and Zolo Azania speak on supporting incarcerated people, the tactic of the prison strike, and ways that attitudes in society about and toward prison and incarceration have changed over time.   Before we get into it tho I would like to say a big hearty FUCK THE POLICE to the murdering cowards we call cops everywhere and especially Minneapolis. I would also like to say big ups and strength to those who are fighting this white supremacist enemy in the streets this week. I hope y’all are staying safe from tear gas, having each other’s backs in whatever ways make sense, and enjoying all that liberated shit. We’re thinking of y’all and sending love!   Relatedly, our friends at the United Panther Movement are seeking funds to send some delegates up there to help in the fight.   From their fundraising ask: “They want us divided, fighting each other, so they can continue terrorizing our communities ! The United Panther Movement and the New Afrikan Black Panther Party will be there boots on the ground for the people whenever and wherever we can ! And now the people our crying out for justice in the wake of George Floyd's public lynching. We want to get out there yesterday ! We are asking the people to support our travels and lodging.   If you can, please donate to cashapp:$unitedpanthers or paypal.me/upm2019.”   . … . ..   Here is an announcement from Oso Blanco’s support website:   “Indigenous prisoners at USP Victorville are being denied access to essential supplies for their sweat ceremonies. This has been a routine occurrence even before COVID-19 response protocols were in place. Most recently, after further attempts to raise their legitimate grievances, newly arrived chaplain Sadiq ordered corrections officers to take the sacred pipe from its elected pipe carrier, Oso Blanco/Yona Unega (also known as Byron Shane Chubbuck). Oso Blanco is urgently requesting letters and emails to bring attention to these grievances and demand action. NOTE: Oso wants the tone to stay polite and non-confrontational for the time being. Send both letters and emails to the addresses below: Assistant Warden Martinez USP Victorville P.O. Box 5400 Adelanto, CA 92301 fmartinez@bop.gov VIM/ExecAssistant@bop.gov Chaplain Michael Northway USP Victorville P.O. Box 5400 Adelanto, CA 92301 mnorthway@bop.gov VIM/ExecAssistant@bop.gov”   If you do send anything, please do not mention Oso Blanco by name as he is already receiving a lot of shit from the administration.   Further reading recommended by Kwame Shakur:   Freidrich Engels – The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State PDF version   New Jim Crow; Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness   . … . ..   Music for this episode:   Fuck the Police (instrumental) - IduBeats  

This week we are presenting audio from a panel conducted last year in Indiana with members of IDOC Watch, which is the Indiana Department of Correction watch. From their website:   “The Indiana Department of Correction Watch (IDOC Watch) exists to be in solidarity with prisoners. This means we correspond with and and foster camaraderie with people who are incarcerated in Indiana, expose abusive conditions and treatment, and fight policies and initiatives that further isolate, marginalize, and harm prisoners. We seek to uplift prisoners’ voices and struggles (check out our blog!), and educate the masses about prisons, generally, as well as specific issues we are fighting.”   This panel features (in order of appearance): Kwame Shakur of the Stolen Lives Movement, Sheila, who is a mother, grandmother, and advocate of incarcerated people, Lorenzo Stone-Bey of IDOC Watch, and Zolo Agona Azania who is formerly of the Black Liberation Army, and is a three time survivor of death row. He is currently a prolific writer, artist, and advocate for incarcerated people. To hear our past interview with Zolo about his life, check this out!   While editing this panel, which took place well before the current pandemic, I was very struck by the panelists words and how applicable they are to today’s situation. Many thanks to all the buddies who got this audio out, with a special shout out to Casey!       *** As a general content warning for this episode, since folks are talking from their direct experiences of the violences of racism and incarceration, this show makes mention of police and prison guard brutality, extreme isolation, and suicide.     Stay tuned mid week to our podcast feed for the extended Q&A session which occurred after this panel! It will also be up at our website https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org     We are excited to announce that The Final Straw will be airing at 4pm every Sunday on KMSW, the Martinez Street Women’s Center at 101.5FM in San Antonio, TX! You can check them out online at http://mswomenscenter.org/ If you have a local radio station that you wanna hear us playing on, get in touch with us or follow the radio broadcasting link on our website for ideas on how to propose us :)     Music for this episode:   De La Soul ft. Redman – Oooh. (instrumental) off of the 2000 self titled release Oooh.

We’re happy to share the second half of this conversation with Graham Clumpner, anarchist, U.S. military veteran and eco-defender. If you missed the first half of this chat, check out our May 17th episode up at our website. For this hour Graham talks about the responsibility of U.S. society as a whole for the devastation of the Global War On Terror and to the victims in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. He also talks about the need for a movement against militarism and war, the need for active inclusion of veterans into our movements and intersection of militarism and ecological devastation and climate catastrophe. You can find Graham on twitter by the handle @turncoatveteran The anti-militarist organizations he mentions include: Courage To Resist About Face GI Rights Hotline Graham's involved in on-water direct action against extractive industry with Mosquito Fleet. . ... . .. featured tracks: A Tribe Called Quest - Clock The Rhime - The Low End Theory DJ Shadow - March of Death (featuring Zack de la Rocha) - Rise Against - Hero of War - Appeal To Reason Sole & DJ Pain 1 - National Bird - Nihilismo