The Hotwire #8: #FuckColumbusDay, fascists return to Charlottesville, McCormick prison uprising

This week we bring you a slew of reports from anti-Columbus Day actions across so-called North America. We also fill you in on an inspiring prison uprising that took over McCormick prison in South Carolina. Prisoners even got on the roof! The political crisis in Catalonia continues, this week with violent fascist and pro-Spanish reaction. White supremacists descended on Charlottesville again this weekend, and there are some upcoming calls to anti-fascist action in the south, so listen until the end. Plus, we got all of our regular features like political prisoner birthdays, announcements for upcoming anarchist book fairs, and the repression roundup. {October 11, 2017}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:00} Headlines {1:53} #FuckColumbusDay {6:40} Charlottesville Anti-Fascism Interview {12:20} The Opioid Crisis and White Despair {15:58} Repression Roundup {20:55} Prisoner Birthdays {24:55} Next Week’s News {25:47} Upcoming anarchist book fairs: The sixth annual anarchist book and propaganda gathering in Santiago, Chile will take place on October 14 and 15. The Los Angeles Anarchist Bookfair takes place October 28 and 29 at Leimert Park Plaza. The London Anarchist Bookfair also takes place on Saturday, October 28 at Park View School. Alerta! Alerta! Anti-fascists in Florida are calling for anti-racists to oppose Richard Spencer, who will speak at the University of Florida in Gainesville on October 19. Unicorn Riot reports that up to half a million dollars may be spent on security for Spencer’s event, even though no one at the University of Florida has invited him to speak. Ongoing grassroots disaster relief efforts: Florida: Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Texas: Bayou Action Street Health, Greater Houston Grassroots Relief, World on My Shoulders, Austin Common Ground, the Black Women’s Defense League, Redneck Revolt Houston, West Street Response Team, Houston Food Not Bombs Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief: here and here. Mexico: Oaxaca Earthquake Autonomous Solidarity Campaign #FuckColumbusDay actions reportback found here. A must-read for this year’s Columbus Day is this article by Indigenous Action Media about the limitations of Indigenous People’s Day. Also check out the essay Resistance is Disaster Relief, published on Columbus Day by Mutual Aid Disaster Relief. Action items and reportback from the anti-fascists who opposed the white nationalist photo-op in Charlottesville, VA this weekend. Go here to donate to the bail and legal fund for those arrested in St. Louis after the no-guilty verdict for killer cop Jason Stockley. Go here for the bail fund for those arrested protesting the murder of queer anarchist Scout Schultz. We mention the new episode of Submedia’s excellent show Trouble. This month’s episode is on counter-insurgency. Submedia does great work, so throw them some taco money while they are fundraising this month. There’s a call to disrupt the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Philadelphia from October 21 to 24, including a march starting at Thomas Paine Plaza at 10 AM on October 21. Read the call to action here.. You can find the DropJ20 drop-the-charges call-in campaign here. Freshet Collective is organizing legal support for the nearly 400 cases are still pending from Standing Rock. Natasha Lennard covers how 6 of the cases are nearly unprecedented federal charges faced by native activists. Other anarchist podcast episodes mentioned in this Hotwire: Episode 32 of The Ex-Worker, titled “White Supremacy and Capitalism, From 1492 to Ferguson.” Ex-Worker episode #56 about Charlottesville. Hotwire #4 has an interview with an anarchist DREAMer about how to support undocumented folks. Hotwire #5 covers the fatal police shooting of Scout Schultz, a queer anarchist Georgia Tech student. IGDcast’s Audio Report From CVille: Media & Police Facilitate Nazi Photo Op. CrimethInc. essays mentioned in this Hotwire: How and Why to Organize Your Own Copwatch Group Green Scared? Preliminary Lessons of the Green Scare Catalunya: Facing Two Bad Options, Choose the Third. On the Showdown between Spain and Catalunya Democracy, Red in Tooth and Claw. On the Catalan Referendum: The Old State, a New State, or No State at All? From 15M to Podemos: The Regeneration of Spanish Democracy and the Maligned Promise of Chaos The Opioid Crisis: White Despair and the Scapegoating of People of Color Scout Schultz: Remembering Means Fighting. Mourning a Queer Activist and Anarchist Murdered by the Police The 2018 Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners calendar is now available for bulk pre-orders. Your group can buy 10 or more at the rate of $10 each. Single issues are available from LeftWingBooks.net and AK Press. This year’s theme is “Awakening Resistance,” and features art and writings by Jesus Barraza, Fight Toxic Prisons, Serena Tang, Andrea Ritchie, Roger Peet, Sophia Dawson, Rasmea Support Committee, EE Vera, Herman Bell, Fernando Marti, Alexandra Valiente, Billie Belo, Arlene Gallone Support Committee, Marius Mason, David Gilbert, UB Topia, April Rosenblum, Design Action Collective, Sundiata Acoli, CrimethInc, Annie Banks, Mutope Duguma, Xinachtli, Zola and more. You can sponsor copies for prisoners for only $8, postage included! Just be sure to specify their full legal name and prisoner number. Any questions can be sent to [email protected]. Video of the two baby piglets freed by Direct Action Everywhere this past summer. Corrections & clarifications: In our reporting on the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement’s march in Gothenburg last week, we were ignorant of some pretty important details. Namely, the fact that they specifically chose to march on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur and that their originally proposed march route was chosen to pass by a synagogue, a clear act of intimidation, if not staging for an outright attack. Anti-Semitism is growing along with right-wing nationalism, and the targeting of Jewish sites and symbols is something anarchists should not ignore—not in the least because of the rich history of Jewish anarchism and anti-fascism! Check out this delightfully cheeky book review for a brief introduction to the history of Jewish anarchism. Here is the October 2017 Political Prisoner Birthday Poster, which you can use to organize a letter writing night. For a good introduction to writing prisoners, check out this guide from New York City Anarchist Black Cross. Political prisoner birthdays: Robert Seth Hayes #74-A–2280 Sullivan Correctional Facility Post Office Box 116 Fallsburg, New York 12733–0116 {October 15} Jermaine Parker #1185800 MECC 18701 Old Highway 66 Pacific, MO 63069 {October 15}