The Eugene Police don't get it

Chuck0 chuck at tao.ca
Tue Jun 20 13:37:36 PDT 2000


Once again the Eugene Police department show that it is like police departments everywhere in that it won't allow the tiniest amount of political dissent. I've been an anarchist activist for 15 years. Back in the Midwest, where I was weaned on street protests, we could usually take to the street without a permit and with no complaint by the police. If you think about this, marching in the street is a pretty standard expression fo free speech and shouldn't require a permit. After all, it would be pretty dumb to say that cars are the only things which can use the streets.

At some point in the 1990s though, police departments in major cities decided to start harassing activists. They'd make them march on the sidewalk, or take off their costumes, or stand a certain way. Frankly, I'm tired of being hassled by cops when we do nonviolent actions. Every activist I know agrees with me about this. We should be able to have a parade down the street without 14 police jurisdictions sweeping down on us. We should have the right to wear a funny mask during street theater about Shell Petroleum's involvement in Nigeria.

As an anarchist, I will not go to the government and ask for my rights back. I will take them back, preferably through nonviolence. If the police attack me, I will fight back. The streets belong to the people and the police need to be reminded of this fact.

I resolve today that I will plan to attend a future march by the Eugene anarchists. I will fly across the country if that is what it takes. If we need to organize a black bloc of anarchists from across North America to come to Eugene, we'll do it.

I stand in solidarity with my Eugene comrades and my friend Robert Thaxton, who is serving a 7 year sentence for daring to say, "This street belongs to me."

Chuck Munson Washington, DC

This was the year *everything* changed.

-- Commander Ivanova, 2261

Mid-Atlantic Infoshop -> http://www.infoshop.org/ Alternative Press Review -> http://www.altpr.org/ Practical Anarchy Online -> http://www.practicalanarchy.org/

Homepage -> http://flag.blackened.net/chuck0/home/

"A society is a healthy society only to the degree that it exhibits anarchistic traits."

- Jens Bjørneboe



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