----- Original Message ----- From: Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby at dojo.tao.ca> To: <Leninist-international at buo319b.econ.utah.edu> Sent: Saturday, December 04, 1999 4:59 PM Subject: L-I: Fwd: WTO BLACK BLOC COMMUNIQUE (fwd)
> Forwarded From: David Barbarash <otter at vcn.bc.ca>
>
> >
> > (from Independent Media web page)
> >
> > : N30 Black Bloc Communique
> > by ACME Collective 10:48am Sat Dec 4 '99
> >
> > A communique from one section of the black bloc of N30 in Seattle
> >
> >
> > On November 30, several groups of individuals in black bloc attacked
> various
> > corporate targets in downtown Seattle. Among them were (to name just
> a few):
> >
> > Fidelity Investment (major investor in Occidental Petroleum, the bane
> of the
> > U'wa tribe in Columbia)
> > Bank of America, US Bancorp, Key Bank and Washington Mutual Bank
> (financial
> > institutions key in the expansion of corporate repression)
> > Old Navy, Banana Republic and the GAP (as Fisher family businesses,
> rapers of
> > Northwest forest lands and sweatshop laborers)
> > NikeTown and Levi's (whose overpriced products are made in
> sweatshops)
> > McDonald's (slave-wage fast-food peddlers responsible for destruction
> of
> > tropical rainforests for grazing land and slaughter of animals)
> > Starbucks (peddlers of an addictive substance whose products are
> harvested at
> > below-poverty wages by farmers who are forced to destroy their own
> > forests in the process)
> > Warner Bros. (media monopolists)
> > Planet Hollywood (for being Planet Hollywood)
> >
> > This activity lasted for over 5 hours and involved the breaking of
> > storefront windows and doors and defacing of facades. Slingshots,
> newspaper
> > boxes, sledge hammers, mallets, crowbars and nail-pullers were used
> to
> > strategically destroy corporate property and gain access (one of the
> three
> > targeted Starbucks and Niketown were looted). Eggs filled with glass
> etching
> > solution, paint-balls and spray-paint were also used.
> >
> > The black bloc was a loosely organized cluster of affinity groups and
> > individuals who roamed around downtown, pulled this way by a
> vulnerable and
> > significant storefront and that way by the sight of a police
> formation.
> > Unlike
> > the vast majority of activists who were pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed
> and
> > shot at
> > with rubber bullets on several occasions, most of our section of the
> black
> > bloc
> > escaped serious injury by remaining constantly in motion and avoiding
> > engagement
> > with the police. We buddied up, kept tight and watched each others'
> backs.
> > Those attacked by federal thugs were un-arrested by quick-thinking and
> > organized
> > members of the black bloc. The sense of solidarity was awe-inspiring.
> >
> > THE PEACE POLICE
> >
> > Unfortunately, the presence and persistence of "peace police" was
> quite
> > disturbing. On at least 6 separate occasions, so-called "non-violent"
> > activists physically attacked individuals who targeted corporate
> property.
> > Some even went so far as to stand in front of the Niketown super
> store and
> > tackle and shove the black bloc away. Indeed, such self-described
> > "peace-keepers" posed a much greater threat to individuals in the
> black bloc
> > than the notoriously violent uniformed "peace-keepers" sanctioned by
> the
> > state
> > (undercover officers have even used the cover of the activist peace-
> keepers
> > to
> > ambush those who engage in corporate property destruction).
> >
> > RESPONSE TO THE BLACK BLOC
> >
> > Response to the black bloc has highlighted some of the contradictions
> > and internal oppressions of the "nonviolent activist" community.
> Aside from
> > the
> > obvious hypocrisy of those who engaged in violence against black-clad
> and
> > masked
> > people (many of whom were harassed despite the fact that they never
> engaged
> > in
> > property destruction), there is the racism of privileged activists
> who can
> > afford to ignore the violence perpetrated against the bulk of society
> and the
> > natural world in the name of private property rights. Window-smashing
> has
> > engaged and inspired many of the most oppressed members of Seattle's
> > community
> > more than any giant puppets or sea turtle costumes ever could (not to
> > disparage
> > the effectiveness of those tools in other communities).
> >
> > TEN MYTHS ABOUT THE BLACK BLOC
> >
> > Here's a little something to dispel the myths that have been
> circulating
> > about
> > the N30 black bloc:
> >
> > 1. "They are all a bunch of Eugene anarchists." While a few may be
> anarchists
> > from Eugene, we hail from all over the United States, including
> Seattle. In
> > any
> > case, most of us are familiar with local issues in Seattle (for
> instance, the
> > recent occupation of downtown by some of the most nefarious of
> multinational
> > retailers).
> >
> > 2. "They are all followers of John Zerzan." A lot of rumors have been
> > circulating that we are followers of John Zerzan, an anarcho-
> primitivist
> > author
> > from Eugene who advocates property destruction. While some of us may
> > appreciate
> > his writings and analyses, he is in no sense our leader, directly,
> > indirectly,
> > philisophocally or otherwize.
> >
> > 3. "The mass public squat is the headquarters of the anarchists who
> destroyed
> > property on November 30th." In reality, most of the people in
> the "Autonomous
> > Zone" squat are residents of Seattle who have spent most of their
> time since
> > its opening on the 28th in the squat. While they may know of one-
> another, the
> > two groups are not co-extensive and in no case could the squat be
> > considered the
> > headquarters of people who destroyed property.
> >
> > 4. "They escalated situations on the 30th, leading to the tear-
> gassing of
> > passive, non-violent protesters." To answer this, we need only note
> that
> > tear-gassing, pepper-spraying and the shooting of rubber bullets all
> began
> > before the black blocs (as far as we know) started engaging in
> property
> > destruction. In addition, we must resist the tendency to establish a
> causal
> > relationship between police repression and protest in any form,
> whether it
> > involved property destruction or not. The police are charged with
> protecting
> > the interests of the wealthy few and the blame for the violence
> cannot be
> > placed upon those who protest those interests.
> >
> > 5. Conversely: "They acted in response to the police repression."
> While this
> > might be a more positive representation of the black bloc, it is
> nevertheless
> > false. We refuse to be misconstrued as a purely reactionary force.
> While the
> > logic of the black bloc may not make sense to some, it is in any case
> a
> > pro-active logic.
> >
> > 6. "They are a bunch of angry adolescent boys." Aside from the fact
> that it
> > belies a disturbing ageism and sexism, it is false. Property
> destruction is
> > not
> > merely macho rabble-rousing or testosterone-laden angst release. Nor
> is it
> > displaced and reactionary anger. It is strategically and specifically
> > targeted direct action against corporate interests.
> >
> > 7. "They just want to fight." This is pretty absurd, and it
> conveniently
> > ignores the eagerness of "peace police" to fight us. Of all the groups
> > engaging
> > in direct action, the black bloc was perhaps the least interested in
> engaging
> > the authorities and we certainly had no interest in fighting with
> other
> > anti-WTO
> > activists (despite some rather strong disagreements over tactics).
> >
> > 8. "They are a chaotic, disorganized and opportunistic mob." While
> many of us
> > could surely spend days arguing over what "chaotic" means, we were
> > certainly not
> > disorganized. The organization may have been fluid and dynamic, but
> it was
> > tight. As for the charge of opportunism, it would be hard to imagine
> who of
> > the
> > thousands in attendance _didn't_ take advantage of the opportunity
> created in
> > Seattle to advance their agenda. The question becomes, then, whether
> or not
> > we
> > helped create that opportunity and most of us certainly did (which
> leads us
> > to
> > the next myth):
> >
> > 9. "They don't know the issues" or "they aren't activists who've been
> working
> > on this." While we may not be professional activists, we've all been
> > working on
> > this convergence in Seattle for months. Some of us did work in our
> home-towns
> > and others came to Seattle months in advance to work on it. To be
> sure, we
> > were
> > responsible for many hundreds of people who came out on the streets
> on the
> > 30th,
> > only a very small minority of which had anything to do with the black
> bloc.
> > Most of us have been studying the effects of the global economy,
> genetic
> > engineering, resource extraction, transportation, labor practices,
> > elimination
> > of indigenous autonomy, animal rights and human rights and we've been
> doing
> > activism on these issues for many years. We are neither ill-informed
> nor
> > unexperienced.
> >
> > 10. "Masked anarchists are anti-democratic and secretive because they
> hide
> > their
> > identities." Let's face it (with or without a mask)--we aren't living
> in a
> > democracy right now. If this week has not made it plain enough, let
> us remind
> > you--we are living in a police state. People tell us that if we
> really think
> > that we're right, we wouldn't be hiding behind masks. "The truth will
> > prevail"
> > is the assertion. While this is a fine and noble goal, it does not
> jive with
> > the present reality. Those who pose the greatest threat to the
> interests of
> > Capital and State will be persecuted. Some pacifists would have us
> accept
> > this
> > persecution gleefully. Others would tell us that it is a worthy
> sacrifice. We
> > are not so morose. Nor do we feel we have the privilege to accept
> persecution
> > as a sacrifice: persecution to us is a daily inevitability and we
> treasure
> > our
> > few freedoms. To accept incarceration as a form of flattery betrays a
> large
> > amount of "first world" privilege. We feel that an attack on private
> property
> > is necessary if we are to rebuild a world which is useful, healthful
> and
> > joyful
> > for everyone. And this despite the fact that hypertrophied private
> property
> > rights in this country translate into felony charges for any property
> > destruction over $250.
> >
> > MOTIVATIONS OF THE BLACK BLOC
> >
> > The primary purpose of this communique is to diffuse some of the aura
> of
> > mystery that surrounds the black bloc and make some of its
> motivations more
> > transparent, since our masks cannot be.
> >
> > ON THE VIOLENCE OF PROPERTY
> >
> > We contend that property destruction is not a violent activity unless
> it
> > destroys lives or causes pain in the process. By this definition,
> private
> > property--especially corporate private property--is itself infinitely
> more
> > violent than any action taken against it.
> > Private property should be distinguished from personal property. The
> > latter is based upon use while the former is based upon trade. The
> premise of
> > personal property is that each of us has what s/he needs. The premise
> of
> > private property is that each of us has something that someone else
> needs or
> > wants. In a society based on private property rights, those who are
> able to
> > accrue more of what others need or want have greater power. By
> extension,
> > they
> > wield greater control over what others perceive as needs and desires,
> > usually in
> > the interest of increasing profit to themselves.
> > Advocates of "free trade" would like to see this process to its
> logical
> > conclusion: a network of a few industry monopolists with ultimate
> control
> > over
> > the lives of the everyone else. Advocates of "fair trade" would like
> to see
> > this process mitigated by government regulations meant to
> superficially
> > impose
> > basic humanitarian standards. As anarchists, we despise both
> positions.
> > Private property--and capitalism, by extension--is intrinsicly
> violent and
> > repressive and cannot be reformed or mitigated. Whether the power of
> everyone
> > is concentrated into the hands of a few corporate heads or diverted
> into a
> > regulatory apparatus charged with mitigating the disasters of the
> latter,
> > no one
> > can be as free or as powerful as they could be in a non-hierarchical
> society.
> > When we smash a window, we aim to destroy the thin veneer of
> legitimacy
> > that surrounds private property rights. At the same time, we exorcize
> that
> > set
> > of violent and destructive social relationships which has been imbued
> in
> > almost
> > everything around us. By "destroying" private property, we convert its
> > limited
> > exchange value into an expanded use value. A storefront window
> becomes a vent
> > to let some fresh air into the oppressive atmosphere of a retail
> outlet (at
> > least until the police decide to tear-gas a nearby road blockade). A
> > newspaper
> > box becomes a tool for creating such vents or a small blockade for
> the
> > reclamation of public space or an object to improve one's vantage
> point by
> > standing on it. A dumpster becomes an obstruction to a phalanx of
> rioting
> > cops
> > and a source of heat and light. A building facade becomes a message
> board to
> > record brainstorm ideas for a better world.
> > After N30, many people will never see a shop window or a hammer the
> same
> > way again. The potential uses of an entire cityscape have increased a
> > thousand-fold. The number of broken windows pales in comparison to
> the number
> > broken spells--spells cast by a corporate hegemony to lull us into
> > forgetfulness
> > of all the violence committed in the name of private property rights
> and of
> > all
> > the potential of a society without them. Broken windows can be
> boarded up
> > (with
> > yet more waste of our forests) and eventually replaced, but the
> shattering of
> > assumptions will hopefully persist for some time to come.
> >
> > Against Capital and State,
> >
> > the ACME Collective
> >
> > "Peasant Revolt!"
> > -------------
> > Disclaimer: these observations and analyses represent only those of
> the ACME
> > Collective and should not be construed to be representative of the
> rest of
> > the
> > black bloc on N30 or anyone else who engaged in riot or property
> destruction
> > that day.
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Macdonald Stainsby
>
> check the "ten point platform" of Tao at: http://new.tao.ca
>
> "To give food aid to a country just because they are starving is a
> pretty weak reason."
> Henry Kissinger, 1974
> (former American Secretary of State)
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>