from now on you can get me here:
http://joshuakahnrussell.wordpress.com/

love,
josh

I got to spend the last week touring with a band called Propagandhi.

( check out some video clips here: )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMYXXg3lffc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1nh_1dKQ5g

They just released a DVD to benefit an indigenous community in Canada struggling for autonomy called Grassy Narrows. Grassy is a community in resistance. The current face of the ongoing colonization and genocide they face is a company called Weyerhauser - the world’s largest logging company - who is trying to clearcut their traditional land area that sustains their entire way of life. Grandmothers and high school students from Grassy have been blockading the logging road and shutting down Weyerhauser using Direct Action for the last 5 years. So inspiring. They have been asking for support from RAN in running a campaign in the US and Canada against Weyerhauser to help give indigenous organizers space and breathing room up north to organize their own communities. And I got to go on tour with the band and speak and rant and rave and hopefully inspire at least a couple folks to take action and get involved in the campaign.

I first heard Propagandhi in middle school. Their early 90s LPs taught me to question things like gender roles and patriarchy, and taught me not to pledge allegiance in my 6th grade homeroom class every morning. Eleven years later, the down-to-earthness of the band was refreshing and inspiring. I crowd surfed like I was 15 again. It’s been so long since a punk or hardcore band has inspired the kind of catharsis and meaningful connection and release that meant so much to me growing up. The tour was a kind of reconnection to what made my life meaningful growing up, and reaffirmed my faith in punk as an entry point into organizing and social change. I guess getting to talk to a sea of 500+ sweaty, excited kids per night, with one of the most popular independent political punk rock bands of all time can help do that.

Propagandhi hasn’t toured the U.S. since before 9/11, so a lot of the kids who came out to see them have come from all over - many having driven up to 17 hours (Boston to Kentucky) just to see one show. The average night goes like this: all the other bands play, and then Propagandhi comes on. They tune up, look like they are about to start rocking.and then introduce me to talk first. What a tease. The kids, thoroughly itchy to see their favorite band - and fully betrayed by the fact that there is someone to talk politics with them instead - often seem ready to burst. I expected to be heckled out of existence.

The first night I mostly mumbled awkwardly as I tried to get a feel for it all.

The heckling was somehow all POSITIVE - though a little over the top. Kids would shout things like “LETS GO CLEARCUT WEYERHAUSER’S HEADQUARTERS!!!.RIGHT NOW AFTER THE SHOW! LETS DOOO IT!” But after the first night of experimenting I had my messaging down - keeping it super simple, focusing on romantic direct action and ways to plug in, peppered with dumb jokes and profanity, was surprisingly relatable. By the second night, things got pretty great.

The latent energy from people was amazing to work with - and by the third night, there were hundreds of people flailing their fists yelling such nuanced and thoughtful singalong style chants as “FUCK STEVE ROGEL! FUCK STEVE ROGEL! FUCK STEVE ROGEL! WOOO! WOOO!” I learned that depending on the dynamic, you could get a crowd of 500 people to shout cheering no matter what you are actually saying, just based on the intonation of your voice. So fun. If there is one thing I learned, its that kids across the midwest now REALLY hate Weyerhauser, and totally love RAN.

After the set, the RAN table - which is not so popular during the beginning part of the night, gets flooded with kids. This is also, in no small part due to the props that Propagandhi and the other amazing bands - Hiretsukan and GFK - give RAN during their set, asking kids to come check out the table.

Hiretsukan is a band I have been wanting to see for years and years. Getting to see them for a week straight was such a privilege. Those folks are so sincere and wonderful, too.

The shows, as one would expect, were mostly attended by white punk boys - but what is fascinating is the kind of cross section of white punk boys that Propagandhi attracts. The crowds are often rather intergenerational (for punk shows), and turn out people who would otherwise never be caught in the same room together.

The tabling let me talk to all sortsa folks - from young kids who would say things like “I am so interested in this kind of stuff but have no idea how to plug into activism in my town? Can you help me?” to know-it-all arrogant self-righteous anarcho dudes, to the guy in a purple mohawk who carefully looks around and discreetly whispers that he is a bigtime financial consultant and supports what RAN does.

I got to visit lotsa friends and mentours on the road. I also got to tour with Joe, which was really nice.

More updates soon…

(thanks to dave and michelle from hiretsukan for these photos!)

This morning we shut down the port of Oakland. The ships that had supplies bound for Iraq sat idle.

At 6:30 am group of various antiwar activists, teachers, and union members went to the SSA Terminal at the port of Oakland. Lucky for me, it was only a 10 minute bike ride from my house. I was part of Bay Rising Affinity Group (BRAG!) - that’s us with the giant dove - and was rockin with UCLA and Bay SDSers. We set up a picket line, which the Longhshoremen Union (ILWU), had agreed not to cross.

Why? SSA (Stevedoring Services of America) has profited in an ugly way from the war in Iraq– privatizing Iraq’s main port in a no bid Halliburton-style deal, and has led efforts to bust the ILWU locally. And, it was at the gates of SSA that peaceful protesters were attacked by police on April 7, 2003.

After a couple hours the Union Arbitrators showed up. It is their job to determine if our picket is legal or not. If it’s legal, then the workers get to go home and still get paid time and a half. If it’s not, then the union is supposed to cross it. The arbitrators ruled against us.

In a staggering act of solidarity, the ILWU decided to STILL refuse to cross it. The workers upheld our picket and all went home - knowing that it would mean losing the time and a half weekend pay. It was a huge victory and a huge demonstration of the power of community support and unity. We had successfully shut down the port for that day with only about 100 people and no arrests.

The next shift was slated for 6pm. Activists that were able committed to returning in the evening (I couldn’t come back). Organizers went back to the port….and we won again. Those ships aren’t going anywhere.

Jonathan Knack, from the Port Action Committee explained it this way:
Key to our success yesterday were too unions - ILWU local 10 and the Oakland teacher’s union, the Oakland Education Association (OEA). The OEA played a major role in the Port Action Committee and were very important in lining up the political support we needed from local elected officials. As a result, numerous elected officials, including Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums expressed their support.

The political and policing situation that existed yesterday was a naturally a product of many years of struggle. After the police
brutality of April 7, 2003, the community forced the City Counsel to promulgate a new set of protocols for the Oakland police for their tactics in dealing with crowd control at non-violent political protests. This was in large measure due to successful law suits against the City by the ILWU and protesters which cost the City millions of dollars to settle.

Port Action will be working on how we can turn our one day success into a sustained campaign

If we really want to do all we can to end this war and shift spending from the war machine to schools and social services, actions like these are going to be critical. For them to be successful, they need to be carefully organized. We spent months laying the groundwork for this. And our tactics on the picket line were smart. Had we done certain things, the police would have moved to shut us down. And if the picket line had been shut down, the workers probably would have had to report for work.

The majority of the population in this country wants to stop the war in Iraq. They want to be heard and felt , but are frustrated and confused about how to accomplish that. Given the chance, they will seize the opportunity. One longshore worker told me yesterday, “[w]e have to stop this war. I’m a third generation longshoreman. My family has children in the Oakland schools. If they think I’m crossing this picket line, they’re crazy.” The task of organizers is to figure out how to allow them to express themselves and have an impact. Ports and other shipping facilities are a weak spot in the War Machine, because people can impact
the flow of material. In other locales, organizers may find their are other weak spots that can be the focus of direct action.

for more information see:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/13/18415810.php

After feeling victorious from shutting down the port this morning, someone in our affinity group got a call that a group of racists were harassing the Woodfin Workers picket.

Woodfin is a hotel in Emoryville, about 15 minutes from my house. Last Christmas, several immigrant workers were unjustly fired without notice in retaliation for organizing to obtain their rights under the local living wage and workload protection ordinance that EBASE passed last year. They have been tremendously courageous in organizing ever since.

Today they were out in force, standing up for their rights. In response, the Woodfin hotel did something that was really stupid. They invited a group of Davis College Republicans to come and counter-protest. Woodfin gave them all free room and board the night prior - they would rather PAY money for asshole college kids to come and crash in their hotel than pay people wages they deserve.

We rolled up with our giant dove.

The cop flipped out. Apparently the College Republican boys were so confrontational that the cops were really afraid that there would be violence. The Republicans came with signs like “Quit Stalin - get back to work” and “Marx would be proud” and “si se puede CON GREENCARD!” Their intention was only to provoke and jeer.

This asshole in particular just tried to heckle us on a megaphone.

He wasn’t very good at it. It’s hard to yell into a megaphone with a silver spoon stuck in your mouth.

t’s almost funny. All Woodfin did by bringing these dudes in was create more conflict, and a bigger scene. Any potential guests were far less likely to go in. A couple people went in and canceled their reservations when they saw what was happening.

We joined the picket and it was beautiful. It was the most energized picket I have ever seen. Creative, fun, dancy chants, and lots of love. It was such a sharp contrast to the boys across the street - with their poorly scrawled neon orange signs, who were motivated by hate. I can’t imagine what that must feel like. It’s sad.

Punk Planet

and The Nation

and Left Turn

In case you are curious, here is the Incomplete, True, Authentic and Wonderful History of MAY DAY
http://www.midnightnotes.org/mayday/green.html

Yesterday I found myself in San Francisco’s Dolores park, marching behind the “gringos para la justicia inmigratoria” banner. Thousands marched in the Bay - in SF, Oakland, and San Jose. For more info see: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/01/18408028.php

here are some photos

(Bob Avakian LOVES immigrants*)

(*denotes joke)

This will be a historic moment – a pivotal reference point in how our movements for change conceive of themselves, and how they will move in the next 5 to 10 years.

In an effort to both support USSF and Rainforest Action Network’s growing network of activists and chapters, RAN will be hosting an ACTION CAMP in Atlanta for youth (aged 13-30) during the 4 days prior to USSF. It will be a space for RAN activists to learn organizing skills, develop our grassroots strategy, and build our network. It will also be a place to connect with other RAN activists, to have a base of folks to experience USSF with.

We realize that money is tight for a lot of folks. So we would like to invite you to apply for a scholarship to the Action Camps.

:::The deadline is May 7th – !!THAT IS REALLY SOON!!

If you have ever thought about getting involved with or starting a RAN chapter – this is a great way to jump in!

Here’s the application. Enjoy.
http://ran.org/new/ryse/join_us/ran_youth_action_camp/

The Department of Justice plans to build power plants on the sacred Natural Medicine Lake Highlands near Mt. Shasta. These are spiritual places for the Native peoples of California, and are just another instance of the colonialism and genocide that continues to this day against Indigenous people in the U.S. and beyond.

Could you imagine if they wanted to pollute and destroy Jerusalem to build power plants over the Churches, Synagogues, and Mosques in the area for a quick buck? Why does that seem ridiculous, and this kind of destruction of sacred sites so commonplace? Our government still doesn’t recognize the right to self determination of Native peoples, nor do they acknowledge their beliefs as legitimate religion.

On Friday, April 6, 2007, I joined Native activists and other Environmental Justice allies for a rally at the Department of Justice Office. The Rally itself was beautiful. An intergenerational and multi-racial group of activists stood in a circle. Rather than simply gathering around to see a couple hand-picked speakers, the megaphone was passed around to give each person an opportunity to speak and meet one another. Some people gave fiery and rousing speeches, while others simply said they were here to support.

The demonstration and rally was organized by Advocates for the Protection of Sacred Sites, Seventh Generation Fund, International Indian Treaty Council, Indigenous Environmental Network, Citizens of the Pitt River Nation, and Redding Rancheria Cultural Department. And involved allies like Rainforest Action Network.

Some background from Advocates for the Protection of Sacred Sites:

On 2/21/07 the US Department of Justice (DOJ), acting on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS), requested that the 9th Circuit Court review the issues involving the proposed plans to build geothermal power plants in the Medicine Lake Highlands, a mountainous region held sacred to many Native Nations. In November 2006, a panel of the 9th Circuit unanimously ruled that the agencies not only violated the cultural rights of the Pit River Nation but also failed to uphold provisions of the National Environmental Protection and National Historic Preservation Acts. In their ruling the Court of Appeals found that the above Federal Agencies had never adequately considered whether the Highlands should be developed for energy at all. As a result, the Court rejected the leases that would have allowed Calpine Energy Company to build geothermal plants.

With DOJ’s recent request to the 9th Circuit Court, the department may try to claim that the issue brought by the tribal government and supported by a panel of the 9 th Circuit is irrelevant. They may argue that the Native peoples who traditionally use the Highlands did not protest a new 40-year lease agreement that superseded the previous lease agreement.

In the 1980s, BLM decided to lease the Highlands for geothermal development, but did not go through the required tribal government consultation process mandated by U.S. law. Pit River, Modoc, Wintu and other Native peoples have been opposing these plans ever since they learned that their holy place would be violated. From a Native rights perspective, Medicine Lake Highlands is essential to the free exercise of Tribal religious beliefs and the encroachment of the proposed electrical power generating plant, represents a gross infringement of their constitutional and civil liberties. Native Peoples have never endorsed energy development in this pristine and sacred region nor will they ever. In fact, as far back as June 5, 1970, the late Mickey Gemmill, a distinguished cultural leader of the Pit River Nation issued a “Proclamation: To the President of the United States and the American People” that stated “We are the rightful and legal owner of the land. No amount of money can buy the Mother Earth; therefore, the California Indian Land Claims Commission has no meaning. The Earth is our Mother and we cannot sell her.” From this statement it is clear that the Native peoples that hold the Highlands sacrosanct would never support the pollution and money generating plans of the federal government and energy companies that would cause irreversible damage to the sacred and natural Medicine Lake region.

“Clearly, DOJ, BLM, FS, and Calpine energy company are grasping at straws with their latest legal argument to try to open up the Highlands for energy development,” said Radley Davis, Co-Chair of the Advocates for the Protection of Sacred Sites.

James Hayward Sr., Co-Chair of the Advocates for the Protection of Sacred Sites, said “If the Creator wanted such development in that area there would not be large amounts of dangerous arsenic and mercury in the ground to contend with. A panel of the 9 th Circuit and a lower court have already spent a great deal of time and other resources reviewing the case and it is time for developers to leave the Highlands alone. “

West Oakland has no grocery store. But not because grocery stores don’t want to be here. There’s actually an Oakland Food Justice collective called Mandela Foods that wants to start an organic, affordable, community cooperative grocery store. But like most cities undergoing gentrification, the folks who hold the purse strings want to lease spaces to the junk stores and chains that will eventually give way to fancier establishments and lofts.

Currently a space is up for lease - it’s a space called the Mandela Gateway and is funded by our tax dollars. The Oakland Housing Authority, which ultimately says whether the landlord can lease or not, wants to allow a chain 99 Cent junk store in its place. All we have in West Oakland is Liquor Stores and 99 cent junk stores…we only need one: the one legitimate, community owned and controlled Marcus Garvey Dollar store, which everyone wants to support.

My neighbors and community organizers have been getting together to challenge and pressure the Oakland Housing Authority to say NO, and allow the community food cooperative a chance to let West Oakland develop in a way that is self sustaining and autonomous - one that will give our community good sustainable jobs, local pride, healthy food, and invest its money back in the community.

The above and below photos were from an Oakland Housing Authority meeting we went to about a month ago. We went to another one tonight. Aint no no power like the power of a community cuz the power of a community don’t stop….

The sun hadn’t risen yet. After circling once under the cover of darkness, our van and truck pulled up to Chevron’s world headquarters. Our affinity group (Bay Rising Affinity Group aka BRAG!), burst out of the van and deployed our barrels, lock boxes, and bodies. The cops were waiting for us, but for some reason when we hopped out of the van, they ran the opposite direction. We locked our arms into place.

Our barricade and occupation of Chevron’s entrance was in place in less than 60 seconds. We completely shut down the main entrance to Chevron’s International HQ. Initially we were worried that we wouldn’t have enough bodies to cross the whole 6 lanes of the entrance - but lucky for us, even though we didn’t reach the other side (at first!), the cops completely shut down the rest of it for us!

Police accumulated and we were told that a call had been made to the special unit that had the saws to cut us out of the barrels. As we wondered how long we would be able to hold the space, people started arriving.

First it was our friends with bright banners and puppet heads. Then it was the Tug-of-Oil-War affinity group, complete with costumes for subsequent street theater. Then people from local communities that have been devastated by Chevron’s refineries in Richmond. Soon we had over 100+ people with bright signs and loud voices. Groups representin’ included Bay Rising affinity group, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS), Communities for a Better Environment, AmazonWatch, US Labor Against the War, Bay Area Labor Comittee for Peace & Justice, Oil Change International, Global Exchange, West County Toxics Coalition, Tug of Oil War, Failure to Disperse, and Rainforest Action Network (RAN).

We chose Chevron for a lot of reasons. We wanted to step it up with nonviolent direct action and begin to target war profiteering corporations, as they are a strategic pillar along with recruitment centers and other direct military targets. We wanted to help draw the link for the public between CLIMATE CHANGE and WAR, with OIL at the center. We also wanted to highlight (one of the) the real reasons we are at war: the Iraqi Oil Law is being rammed through Iraq’s parliament as I write this. It’s a law that was drafted by the Bush administration in English, and it would literally give the oil underneath Iraq to American corporations. Companies like Chevron would outright OWN 2/3 of the oil underneath Iraq for the next generation if this goes through. The Federation of Iraqi Trade Unions and a coalition of Iraqi Parliamentarians have asked for international solidarity and support. They want us to resist these companies and this law in our own countries, where we have the most power to do so. So we’re leveraging our own power and privilege as American citizens to jam up the gears of the War Machine to give Iraqis a little bit more breathing space to organize.

We were working with local affected communities and organizers who have been campaigning against Chevron for a long time now. Leila Salazar-Lopez, a new RAN campaigner, longtime Bay Area activist, and former organizer with AmazonWatch, said that after years of going after Chevron she knew their PR guy pretty well. Usually at demonstrations he is calm, collected, and professional. At this action, he was going bonkers. Dude was pacing back and forth, getting all bent out of shape and freaking out; Chevron knew we had clear and concise messaging, and roughly a gazillion (maybe even two gazillion) TV cameras on us. See the bottom of this post for media links.

So they decided that it would make them look WAY worse if they let the cops arrest us. So to all our surprise, we held the entire space and shut down their entrance for the whole time. And at the end of the day we walked away without going to jail.

A SWAT team cop told Matt “you know, you guys are really well organized. You run a tight ship. I can respect that!”

It was fun: a bunch of kids who had gotten trained in nonviolent direct action (NVDA) at the demonstration the day prior came and locked down with us, extending our barricade all the way to the second entrance. A group of folks held a funeral procession for “the last ice cube on earth”, and Larry the clown hammed it up as a fabulous preacher. There was a tug-of-oil-war with “the people” dressed in Robbin Hood costumes, and “Chevron Execs” dressed as…Chevron Execs (guess who won). The Ronald Reagan Home for the Criminally Insane folks came, and danced dressed as the Bush admin. People sang beautiful songs. Amazing local folks spoke passionately about the Environmental destruction happening right next to us. Amazing women from the Philippines spoke about Chevron destroying their communities. I got force-fed chocolate by Jodie. I also got to wear a diaper. It was a good day.

(tug of oil war)

(Jessica Tovar, organizer with Communities for a Better Environment)

We got tons of media and feedback. This is my favorite message we got:

Dear peace organization,

We have analyzed your group’s activity and deeply respect the bravely rendered dramatizations regarding criminal and exploitative business practices, but it may not be in the best interest and full effectivity of your communications to make corporate executives and Chevron employees look so sexy. We may have available some mechanical slimy toads in our production studio warehouses, should you need to represent Chevron employees in the future, please feel free to contact us.

This action is part of the trajectory of people stepping it up with NVDA and civil disobedience against the war. SDS alone has had dozens of coordinated actions across the country in the last week, resulting in arrests, media, and base building for a rejuvenated anti-imperialist anti-war movement. Over 5,000 students across the country participated in actions over the last 4 days. Across the country we’re connecting this war to the other imperial wars for Empire that our country is engaging in - including the wars inside our own borders against women, people of color, poor people, and queer folks. We’re connecting the mad drive for oil with the impending climate chaos that is looming over our heads across the planet. We’re seeing that people dying as the result of Hurricane Katrina are directly connected to the same system that is murdering children in Iraq.

Here are some more photos of the action:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37274909@N00/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockrebel/sets/72157600011850193/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/losinghand/sets/72157600009879574/
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/03/19/18379360.php

The best TV and print coverage isn’t available online, but here is a smattering of the media coverage we got:

TV:

CBS
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_078113411.html

ABC
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=5133091

NBC
http://www.nbc11.com/news/11294275/detail.html

The Contra-Costa Times made a slideshow with audio!
http://bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/cct/multimedia/flash/chevronprotest/index.html

PRINT:

Contra-Costa Times
(the actual print version is totally different and much more extensive. Not sure why the e-version is like this… )
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/16934674.htm

SF Bay Guardian
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?page=2&entry_id=3159&catid=&volume_id=254&issue_id=287&volume_num=41&issue_num=25

SFBG again
http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/politics/2007/03/protesting_chevron.html

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/us/20vigils.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

SF Chronicle
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/19/BAG2EONS7L4.DTL

NBC Print
http://www.nbc11.com/news/11294275/detail.html

Inside Bay Area
http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_5477544

Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/topics/San+Ramon

INTERNET:

Indymedia
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/03/20/18379716.php

It’s Getting Hot in Here
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/1226

Rising Tide
http://risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/

The Argus / MediaNews
www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_5472028

Aid and Abet blog
http://jenangel.wordpress.com/

RADIO:

KPFA NEWS
(Beautiful live recording includes interviews with Jessica Tovar of Communities for a Better Environment, Michael Eisenscher of US Labor Against the War. It starts about 16 minutes into the news)
http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=19261

FLASHPOINTS:
(Live interviews with Sam, Antonia and an in depth in-studio interview with Leila Salazar. It comes about 2/3 of the way through the show, so you can forward to it).
http://aud1.kpfa.org/data/20070319-Mon1700.mp3

(labor against the war)

(herb)

(funeral)

(extending the barricade)

(after unlocking)

(leila doing media)

(david solnit rocks the mic)

(adrienne)

For more info on the Iraqi Oil Theft Law, Labor, and Environmental Justice check these links:

Are U.S. Oil Companies Going to “Win” the Iraq War?

Iraqi unions attack plans for foreign company control of oil

The Price of Oil

The Bush Agenda

Iraqi journalists union demands apology for raid on headquarters in Baghdad; U.S. military denies involvement
The Associated Press, February 24, 2007

Official Statement on American raids on the General Federation of Iraqi Workers headquarters in Baghdad
February 28, 2007

UK Hands Off Iraqi Oil Coalition

General Union of Oil Employees in Basra, Iraq

Communities for a Better Environment

US Labor Against the War