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Next Left Notes Is A News Magazine Devoted To Direct Action
Filed By Samuel Morales Jr and Thomas Good
This is an electronic log of telephone and email contacts
with Sam Morales, chair of the SPNYC, DAT member and IWW local
branch secretary, in DC for "J20", serving as a member of the
Anti-Fascist Contingent an anarchist collective that traveled
to DC for the counter-inaugural actions.
This electronic log also includes correspondence with two other
SP Activists: George Kropog from Michigan and Ron Braithwaite of
Portland, Oregon both of whom participated in actions on J20 in
their home states.
We have never tried documenting our actions in quite this way
before and so if you are inclined to offer feedback pls send it
to tmgood@socialistpartyusa.org
If you want to commend Sam he can be reached at
sam@sp-usa.org
If you want to extend thanks to Bill Blum for his generous
support (he provided housing) to the Party he is
bblum6@aol.com
Bill has a website:
www.killinghope.org
In struggle,
Tom Good
New York City, 21 January 2005
--
20 January 2005
Early Reports from IndyMedia:
dc.indymedia.org is reporting
that police have pepper sprayed a large group of "anarchists" near 7th
and 8th Ave near G NW. One IMC reporter was hit.
No arrests yet.
--
13:28 - report in from Sam (via telephone):
Sam was part of a large anarchist march that police disrupted.
The march attempted to go in a direction that the police did not
want and the cops attempted to block access. The marchers drew
a breath and counted to three then marched with locked arms into
the police cordon. The cops began pepper spraying. Cops slammed one
man onto a car for no particular reason, anarchists surrounded the
car, rescuing the comrade who thus evaded arrest. At this point,
folks are standing in the street, eating, singing and dancing.
The police have ceased pepper spraying and no arrests have occurred
near Sam's group.
There is a large police presence but no reports of additional police
violence...at this point indymedia is reporting that riot police are
now lining Penn Ave and 14th Street with about 1000 protesters
approaching. This is probably a splinter group from the large march
the police disrupted (above). There are unconfirmed reports that
the riot cops in this area have been issued tear gas.
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 13:29:20 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: Protest warrior
One thing I forgot. Protest warriors showed at malcolm x park and we of
the anti-fascist contingent "escorted" them out of the park!
--
Subject: Re: protest warrior
From: Samuel Morales
People gettin pepper sprayed, 14th and penn, overheard police telling
media to leave...
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 15:57:11 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: Tear gas rumors
Rumors of tear gas used but cannot confirm. Pepper spray definitely,
screams of "medic!!!" have been frequent. Mutual aid and solidarity have
been inspiring
Protested refused permission to leave 13th and Penn....
--
16:08 - report in from Sam (via telephone):
Police harrassment had intensified somewhat (pepper spray, etc) at about
the time IndyMedia reported that some activists had knocked down the
fence at Penn and 14th near the Willard Hotel. Fortunately Sam was not
on the receiving end of any pepper spray. At this time things are
winding down and some contingent members have departed. Sam reports
that there is a rally at 4 pm and a counter-inaugural ball at 6 pm.
After a bite to eat Sam will investigate these events. (Sam also related
to me that the contingent had been able to function all day in a very
decentralised manner, no apparent leadership. One tool that was very
useful was txtmob web to pager messaging. Every contingent member was
able to receive the same info and the contingent was able to make
collective decisions on the fly.
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:23:21 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: Anti-choice activists...
Anti-choice rightwingers @ 14th and F. Now receiving hugs by anarchists.
They appear annoyed
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:18:41 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: Action continues
Anarchist contingent reforms, marching down L street, turning on vermont
now...
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:37:43 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: What barricades?
We removed a baricade, proceeding down H
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:45:19 -0500
From: gwkropog@umich.edu
Subject: Re: [directactiontendency] J20 Addendum: Protest Warriors removed
from Malcolm X park...
Damn, my day was very mild in comparison with Sams. I was the final speaker at
a teach-in at the University of Michigan.
Keep us up to date on Sam, Tom. If he gets arrested, let us know so that we can
help out. The same goes for any other SP member that gets thrown in the klink.
Freedom isn't free,
George Kropog
[ NOTE: this message of support was conveyed via phone to a grateful Sam ]
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 18:01:22 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: More
Taking over street, flashing peace signs at passing cars, getting honks
in support
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 18:26:58 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: Warnings
Police issues 3 warnines to clear the street, began running into us with
motorcycles to push us onto sidewalk. We linked arms in solidarity, I
was nearly hit, brother to my left was hit. We moved onto the sidewalk
and have converged at Union Station...
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 18:31:25 -0500
From: Samuel Morales
Subject: Party
Spontaneous party at Union Station, chants for peace and end of
occupation. Tense situation now has good vibes.
Having a blast!
--
19:53 - report in from Sam (via telephone):
Sam is safely back at his assigned housing (many thanks to Comrade
Bill Blum!) after a long day in the streets. Sam evaded Metro DC
cops who pepper sprayed (tear gassed?) activists, rode motorcycles
into people and physically assaulted some demonstrators for no
apparent reason. Reports on corporate media mentioned Bush's
motorcade speeding up to avoid protesters along the parade route.
It's hard to claim a mandate when the evidence is right in front
of your face...
--
20:02 - report from Ron Braithwaite (via phone) at a demo in Portland, OR
A few minutes after I spoke with Sam I got a call from Comrade Ron
Braithwaite in Portland where demos are ongoing...on both coasts the
resistance made its presence felt. Maybe one day the so-called red
states will wake up. Let's hope it doesn't take too many body bags
to make this happen.
--
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 18:54:56 -0800
From: Ron Braithwaite
Subject: Re: [directactiontendency] End of A Long Day
We had a pretty good crowd out - completely filled about 12 blocks, I
think. We did a very long lap of downtown Portland and brought the
downtown to a halt. I was part of the IWW feeder march and we had about
150 or so Wobblies that joined up with the main march in the North Park
Blocks (for those of you who know Portland. We marched south on SW
Broadway (which was where I called Cde Tom) and turned left just past
the Oregonian building (largest paper in the NW with absolutely terrible
coverage of anything to do with progressive or labor politics)). Then
back down 2nd and up Oak and then back on 3rd. Which was when I realized
that my bum leg (badly broken in a motorcycle accident about 15 years
ago) was starting to act up. I cut back to Burnside and crossed the
bridge, got in my car and came home. I suspect they are still going
strong. there was a LOT of energy there.
I saw some of the usual suspects, but there were a lot of people who I
expected to see that I never did. Didn't mean they weren't there, but...
I did march for awhile with Bonnie Tinker, a wonderful lesbian activist
who founded Love Makes A Family (http://www.lmfamily.org/) and the
Freedom To Marry Coalition. She is on unemployment, since donations are
down so much - people are really depressed here in Oregon and those of
us who are dependent on fund raising to pay the rent aren't doing very
well. Hint. Hint.
More later. I'm tired and my leg hurts.
-Ron
J20 Photos (Direct Action Tendency Website)
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