Monthly Radical News Roundup:

PNW News

Aberdeen

https://sabotmedia.noblogs.org/report-back-on-city-sweep-3-10-2023/

In the middle of a cold March morning The City of Aberdeen destroyed multiple peoples’ homes

After delivering a 72-hour notice  on Monday, the City moved in around 10am on Friday with bulldozers and dump trucks in order to commit an illegal sweep of the River St encampment of unhoused individuals.

Many people had no time to prepare as the week was filled with rain and wind. Despite being given a sheet of paper that described a process for the City to hold and store their property for 60 days, everything that wasn’t grabbed by the campers and set out on tarps across the train tracks was thrown in the back of the dump truck with all the other debris.

The City was using building code violations and health and safety as reasons to commit this illegal act. Although, now the campers have been further traumatized, stolen from, and will now be forced into tiny tents instead of the more spacious and easier to heat wooden structures that had been built up. There is no way this callous action was aimed at securing better living conditions for those affected.

The police were there to make sure that anyone who provided any resistance was threatened with arrest.

SOAP, or Save Our Aberdeen Please – our local fascist political organization – was present to video tape and laugh at peoples’ trauma. Their political base elected the very Mayor and City Council members who made today possible. They are well organized and motivated, and our counter operations should not underestimate them.

With smiles on their faces like this was just another day at work, the City workers used two large claw machines to smash and lift the debris into many dump trucks, the remainder was swept and shoveled up.

Chehalis River Mutual Aid Network was on site before the City. They set up a canopy with food and coffee, distributed literature on the laws and rights of people on the streets, and took some surveys responses from campers affected by the City’s actions. They also held signs in protest of the City’s actions.

Banner drops

Earlier the very same day some intrepid autonomous activists dropped two banners on the Chehalis River Bridge overpass above camp. The first banner read, “Being Homeless Isn’t A Crime, STOP THE SWEEPS” and the second read, “Stop The Sweeps, You Sweep We Strike”. Both read #StopCopCity in solidarity with the forest defenders in Atlanta.

This was all during the week of action against the City of Aberdeen announced by Sabot Media, The Chehalis River Mutual Aid Network, and Food Not Bombs. The call for action and the joint statement can be found here. A homeless right conference was held on the 5th in order to get people up to speed on what rights they had in the face of targeted harassment by the City. After a week spent distributing know your rights materials and response surveys to the unhoused community in preparation for the sweep, we found ourselves facing the wrecking crew on Friday March 10th at 10 am. People were prepared, but still traumatized and upset.

We spent the day helping people carrying their stuff out of their structures and laying it out on tarps across the road. There was no where for people to place their things out of the rain while the process of destruction was going on.

This is why showing solidarity and support through actions taken like the homeless right conference and the protest at the sweep, not to mention autonomous actions like the banner drops, is so important. When we take actions to inform people of their rights, they are more likely to want to organize to assert those rights. When signs of support show up our comrades know they are not alone. It is our duty as radical organizers to be in the streets, showing our solidarity at these times. We are grateful to all those who responded regionally to our calls for action and made their way to Aberdeen to show up for the unhoused having their lives disrupted.

Washington

Free Bike repair program opens up in Bremerton

Bremerton Bike Kitchen is an anarchist mutual aid based guerrilla bike repair program that provides free cycling repairs for homeless cyclists in the downtown Bremerton area. Ran by and for people who rely on bicycles as means of transportation, we are encouraging car free autonomy on the street level.

You can find the kitchen on Saturdays at 4:30 behind the old KRM building, at the Kitsap Food Not Bombs tent or reach out to us at 564 201 0623.

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seattletimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fvisual-arts%2F2-wa-artists-plead-guilty-to-faking-native-american-heritage%2F%23Echobox%3D1677817112

Two Western Washington artists have pleaded guilty after being charged for faking Native American heritage to sell art, despite neither having tribal enrollment or heritage.

In two separate cases, Lewis Anthony Rath, 53, of Maple Falls, and Jerry Chris Van Dyke (also known as Jerry Witten), 68, of Seattle, were charged, both in late 2021, with violations of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, a statute aimed at ridding the Indigenous arts and crafts market of counterfeits. Both men are set to be sentenced May 17.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigations, which began in February 2019, found that Van Dyke, under the name Witten, had represented himself as a Nez Perce artist when selling his artworks, despite later admitting to USFWS agents that he was not a tribal member. Carved pendants said to be based on Aleut masks were among some of his faked works. On Wednesday, Van Dyke pleaded guilty to misrepresentation of Indian produced goods and products, which can include a sentence of up to one year in prison.

In 2021, Van Dyke told investigators that the idea to represent his work as Native American was Matthew Steinbrueck’s, the owner of Raven’s Nest Treasure. Van Dyke sold work under the name Witten at the Pike Place Market shop, The Associated Press reported at the time. When speaking with the AP, Steinbrueck denied the claim.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, an investigation into Rath, which started in May 2019, found Rath to be falsely representing himself as a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe when undercover agents purchased Rath’s artworks, including carved totem poles, masks and a necklace, from Raven’s Nest and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Agents executing a search warrant on Rath’s Whatcom County home and studio then found feathers from protected birds such as golden eagles and other migratory birds like hawks, jays and owls in Rath’s possession. The feathers have since been forfeited to the government.

SWARM and the AFA https://www.facebook.com/SWARM360

Our next story follows a series of publications put out by the SWARM The Southwest Washington Anti Racism Movement Facebook, about a White Supremacist Organization known as the Asatru Folk Assembly and a new business they have opened in downtown Centralia Washington, the following is a news report made by king 5 news with plagiarized research from SWARM.

[King 5 News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10GhmTnxpwk]

Before we move on with more details about this story i would like to give a brief analysis of this coverage of the story.

The news report falls short in several key places when it comes to how they report on this group. The coverage is borderline irresponsible and needs to be mentioned. The report in its entirety uses a typical “both sides” approach to talking about the racists and the anti-racists, this serves to normalize the behavior of racists. This platforming of racist white supremacists is done without any critique or analysis for the viewer, leading to many people hearing WS talking points without any push back. They also claim that the business is not associated with the AFA, which is irrelevant since they have the same exact beliefs and agenda. It is important to draw nuanced distinctions here since there are many within the Neo-Pagan movement who are resolutely anti-racist, and actively push back on this behavior in their own community. All of these irresponsible failures mean that this report itself needed critiquing before continuing.

Anyways, back to the story at hand, On the 9th of March following a statement made by Centralia Mayor Johnston condemning the white supremacist storefront SWARM put out a post stating

We encourage all local leaders to follow Mayor Johnston’s example and condemn white supremacy. We look forward to her taking concrete steps to address the legacy of white supremacy in Centralia and Lewis County more broadly.

The post shared a statement put out by the mayor that read as follows

Also in response to this in a post on the 22nd of march SWARM called to attention the of using Centralia founder George Washington to absolve Centralia of a long legacy of white supremacy in Lewis county. SWARM stated as follows

However this was not the only response to the milquetoast liberal condemnation of white supremacy. As this story has grown it has forced many republicans across Lewis county to send in their condemnations to provide tacit cover for their parties rhetoric after this business saying the quiet parts out loud. Some following they mayors example of clinging to George Washington for absolution. SWARM Posted on march 22nd that

In another post by SWARM on March 15th stated in response to Centralia Councilpersons Elizabeth Cameron negative response to the Mayors statement, the post reads as follows

Leah Darrud also spoke against the mayor in a council meeting demanding the mayor apologize to Tanner Thayer and the AFA, SWARM Responded with a post stating

Unfortunately this White Supremacist storefront is not just a anomaly white supremacist organization in Centralia but one of many with deep ties to the history of Washington and the legacy of its settlements such as Centralia with white supremacist groups such as the Asatru Land Union and Asatru Northwest. This brings us to Elwin Herman.

Elwin Herman had responded to Leah Darrud’s Statement claiming that quote

This was written by Leah Daarud. She is now my personal hero. Tonight was Centrailia’s regularly scheduled city council meeting where members of the council shared their outrage for the mayor’s statements, discrimination, and violation of a resident and business owners freedom to practice his own religion and do business in our town.

So who is Elwin Herman? Well according to another post swarm that states

Elwin Herman’s personal hero is now Centralia City Councilperson Leah Daarud, due to her defense of Tanner Thayer and the AFA after last Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

To remind folks once again – Elwin Herman of the Sacred Spiral Sanctuary attended the NW AFA regional gathering in 2020, she has supported the organizing efforts of the Asatru Land Union, she associates with a number of white nationalists, her husband Tom was a KKK leader, and her son Joshua is a Neo-nazi.

Tom Herman who SWARM identified in another post as

Due to the recent attention around AFA and white supremacist organizing in Lewis County, we’d like to again remind folks of other key organizers and supporters whom we have identified in the past.

Most brazenly perhaps, is Tom Herman of the Sacred Spiral Sanctuary in Ethel, WA. Not too long ago, it came to our attention that Tom was fired from his job as a police officer in New Hampshire for openly organizing KKK rallies. These days, when Tom isn’t busy with his job at WA DNR, Tom and his wife Elwin run a pseudo-spiritual grift on gullible followers from their “Sanctuary.” A few years ago, Elwin was a featured speaker at the AFA’s regional gathering in Leavenworth, immediately preceding their leaders, notorious white nationalists Stephen McNallen and Matt Flavel.

The New Hampshire Magazine wrote that

In August of 1989, Tom Herman was 28, worked for the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department and was a police officer in Newfields when he applied for a permit for a Klan rally at Swasey Parkway. The permit was denied but Herman and his cohorts in Klan regalia walked through downtown Exeter with signs and leaflets. When interviewed by Fosters Daily Democrat, Herman remarked, “I see a lot of blacks out on the streets and they don’t act like white people,” he said. “They aren’t civilized at all. I want to be separate from that. I want to be with people who are civil.” The Boston Globe picked up the story and by 1991, Herman’s job at the sheriff’s department was terminated, a move he called “discriminatory.” Local Klan activity ceased when he moved south and essentially disappeared, but this striking photo taken by local photographer David Mendelsohn remained, presenting a question: Where is he now?

He wasn’t really hiding, but it required the services of Dover private investigator Frank Santin to track him down.

Now 53 years old, he’s a firefighter who lives in Washington State. He’s been fighting wildfires for a dozen years and that’s what he was doing on August 8, 2014, when we reached him by phone at base camp. He seemed happy to talk.

The interview similarly to other White Supremacists after being exposed, with little to no remorse for their actions and when asked “Care to offer any words of wisdom to that guy in the photo?” referring to a photo of Tom Herman dressed in Klan robes that quote

Well, I tell a lot of young people that they should think about what they post to YouTube or Facebook. The things you do there will be seen for a long time by prospective employers. I guess I should have done things more privately, but I’ve lived long enough that I’m a part of history now.

and when asked that “What do you plan to do with the photo?” he said quote

I’m gonna put it in an archival quality mat and frame it. Hang it on the wall somewhere.

Its hard to determine the full extent of the White Supremacist organizing here in Washington state and their connections to other organizations nationally, Eastern Washington following the long history of white supremacist organizing in Washington state has proven a prime ground for recruiting for various Far Right and White Supremacists organizations such as Patriot Front, Proud Boys, White Europa, and many others. Just recently in Centralia SWARM posted on the 9th of March that

For those who weren’t aware, Patriot Front recently put up stickers in Downtown Chehalis. Please be vigilant and immediately report and remove white supremacist propaganda.

This is all escalating activity following 2022 where the spread of white supremacist propaganda hit record levels, according to a report published on the 8th of March by the Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL’s Center on Extremism identified 6,751 cases where white supremacist groups distributed “racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+” materials last year, including graffiti, banners, stickers and fliers.

• That’s a 38% jump from the year before and is the highest number the ADL has ever recorded, the report stated.
• Distribution of antisemitic propaganda more than doubled in 2022, the ADL said.
• “There’s no question that white supremacists and anti-semites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans and have significantly stepped up their use of propaganda as a tactic to make their presence known in communities nationwide,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.

The ADL identified at least 50 different groups that distributed white supremacist propaganda last year. But it noted that 93% of the activity was from just three groups — Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter.

• The Patriot Front — which calls for the creation of a white ethno-state, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center — was responsible for 80% of propaganda distribution in 2022. It was most active in Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Utah.
• The surge in antisemitic propaganda was driven by the Goyim Defense League. The group’s “overarching goal is to expel Jews from America,” the report stated.
• “The sheer volume of white supremacist propaganda distributions we are documenting around the country is alarming and dangerous,” Oren Segal, vice president of ADL’s Center on Extremism, said.

White supremacist propaganda has been on the rise for several years.

• White supremacist propaganda nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020 and jumped more than 120% from 2018 to 2019.

Seattle/King County cops executing a trans woman as part of an eviction in Ballard

https://twitter.com/QueerSatanic/status/1638284897730326528

A 29-year-old woman is dead and King County Sheriff Detective David Easterly remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound after deputies attempted to evict the woman from her apartment in Ballard Monday morning.

An ambulance took Easterly to Harborview Medical Center, where hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg said the detective was in critical but stable condition and headed into surgery. Law enforcement officers found the woman dead in her apartment about two hours after the shooting.

According to King County Superior Court filings, the woman’s eviction process began in September of 2022 over her failure to pay about $6,300 in rent.

Housing Justice Project Senior Managing Attorney Edmund Witter said his office handled her case but could not say more due to attorney-client privilege.

However, the connection between evictions and death was not new to him. A person can match the names of people who died unsheltered to the names of people booted from their homes the year before pretty faithfully, Witter said.

“An eviction can feel like a death sentence,” he added.

On Monday, three deputies went to an apartment complex on the 800 block of NW 54th Street in Ballard to evict the woman, according to Meeghan Black, a spokesperson for King County’s Independent Force Investigation Team (IFIT). At about 9:30 am, deputies called for backup after “gunfire was exchanged.” One bullet slipped beneath a deputy’s bulletproof vest and exited through his body. Black initially said the two uninjured deputies fired their guns, but an IFIT statement released Tuesday said “investigators found evidence indicating all three deputies probably returned fire.”

After the exchange, the woman went back into her apartment and barricaded herself inside, Black said. About two hours later, the Seattle Police Department, who responded to the call about the injured deputy, entered the apartment and found the woman dead. Update, 3/22: According to the Medical Examiner’s office, she died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Black said investigators were still looking into who shot first, whether police recovered a gun from inside the apartment, and how many shots were fired.

The Tuesday statement from IFIT named the other two detectives as Benjamin Wheeler and Benjamin Miller.

A member of a mutual aid organization on scene said over the weekend he delivered groceries to her. The source said he’d been working with her and knew she was facing eviction and that she’d put up two-by-fours and metal barricades over her door to prevent anyone from forcing her out of her apartment.

Gilman Park Partners, LLC, owns the Ballard apartment complex where the woman lived. In September, the company told the woman she had 14 days to either pay the rent she owed or vacate the apartment. The woman’s lease dated back to at least 2019, though records show she may have become a tenant sometime in 2018. She paid rent on time until 2020.

In court, the Housing Justice Project lawyers cited pandemic-related financial hardship as their argument against the eviction. Gilman’s attorneys said the woman hadn’t paid during the two months after the Mayor lifted Seattle’s civil emergency. In December, the court found in favor of the landlords.

Seattle’s ban on winter evictions prevented Gilman from kicking her out until after March 1. On Monday, the King County Sheriff’s deputies followed the court order to remove her from the apartment.

Idaho

BOISE, Idaho — Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill allowing execution by firing squad, making Idaho the latest state to turn to older methods of capital punishment amid a nationwide shortage of lethal-injection drugs.

The Legislature passed the measure March 20 with a veto-proof majority. Under it, firing squads will be used only if the state cannot obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections.

Pharmaceutical companies increasingly have barred executioners from using their drugs, saying they were meant to save lives. One Idaho death row inmate has already had his execution postponed repeatedly because of drug scarcity.

The shortage has prompted other states in recent years to revive older methods of execution. Only Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and South Carolina have laws allowing firing squads if other execution methods are unavailable, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. South Carolina’s law is on hold pending the outcome of a legal challenge.

Some states began refurbishing electric chairs as standbys for when lethal drugs are unavailable. Others have considered — and, at times, used — largely untested execution methods. In 2018, Nevada executed Carey Dean Moore with a never-before-tried drug combination that included the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. Alabama has built a system for executing people using nitrogen gas to induce hypoxia, but it has not yet been used.

The last person to be executed by a firing squad was convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner, according to the group, who was shot to death by a firing squad in a Utah prison in 2010.

During a historic round of 13 executions in the final months of Donald Trump’s presidency, the federal government opted for the sedative pentobarbital as a replacement for lethal drugs used in the 2000s. It issued a protocol allowing firing squads for federal executions if necessary, but that method was not used.

Idaho Sen. Doug Ricks, a Republican who co-sponsored that state’s firing squad bill, told his fellow senators Monday (3/20) that the state’s difficulty in finding lethal injection drugs could continue “indefinitely,” that he believes death by firing squad is “humane,” and that the bill would help ensure the rule of law is carried out.

But Sen. Dan Foreman, also a Republican, called firing-squad executions “beneath the dignity of the state of Idaho.” They would traumatize the executioners, the witnesses and the people who clean up afterward, he said.

Agency Director Jeff Tewalt has said he would be reluctant to ask his staffers to participate in a firing squad.

The law takes effect on July 1.

Other News

– Police

The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission, a watchdog arm of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said on Thursday it would examine the activities of the community-industry response group, or C-IRG, based in British Columbia.

During the Fairy Creek blockade against old-growth forest logging on Vancouver Island, officers with the special unit were accused of ripping off protesters’ masks to pepper-spray them and dragging them by their hair.

A British Columbia supreme court judge subsequently ruled that the exclusion zones created by the RCMP – set up to prevent media from entering certain areas of the injunction area – were unlawful.

The C-IRG was also involved in protests over the Coastal GasLink pipeline, deploying riot control officers, dogs and helicopters to dismantle blockades – and as the Guardian has previously reported, was prepared to shoot on Indigenous protesters.

The RCMP has long faced criticism for its conduct against Indigenous peoples, and in recent years has faced mounting concerns over accountability and a disregard for court orders. The C-IRG has faced accusations of harassment, racism and excessive force – allegations the unit’s leadership has denied.

The unit is currently the target of a lawsuit alleging it used “unlawful tactics” to dismantle the Fairy Creek protest, and is also linked to a broader press freedom lawsuit after RCMP officers detained two journalists reporting on police efforts to tear down blockades against the Coastal GasLink pipeline on traditional Wet’suwet’en territory.

The RCMP oversight body says it will assess whether the unit’s operations are consistent with Canada’s charter of rights and freedoms, as well as recently passed legislation on the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples. The force has said it will also ensure the unit’s actions align with recommendations from a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The chair of the oversight group, Michelaine Lahaie, is not part of the RCMP.

The C-IRG unit, staffed with volunteer RCMP officers, was originally formed in 2017 to help resource-extraction protests proceed by breaking up public protest and blockades. The unit has cost nearly C$50m over the past five years, according to CBC News.

The CRCC has the ability to examine the conduct of individual officers to determine if policies or training need to change, the RCMP said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/10/canada-police-unit-excessive-force-environmental-activists?CMP=share_btn_fb

After police in Ohio raided Afroman’s house last August, the rapper — known for early aughts hits including “Because I Got High” and “Crazy Rap (Colt 45 and 2 Zig-Zags)” — decided to make something out of it.

Law enforcement had searched his home on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping, but found no evidence and filed no charges against him. He says they kicked down his door, broke his video surveillance system, stole money from him and frightened his family.

Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, told NPR in a phone interview that what he did next was his “smartest, most peaceful solution.”

“I asked myself, as a powerless Black man in America, what can I do to the cops that kicked my door in, tried to kill me in front of my kids, stole my money and disconnected my cameras?” he says. “And the only thing I could come up with was make a funny rap song about them and make some money, use the money to pay for the damages they did and move on.”

He released an album with songs about the raid and made music videos out of the surveillance footage. He created merchandise and social media posts calling out the officers who had been involved.

Now, some of them are suing him, his label, and a Texas-based music distribution company for invasion of privacy.

– Immigration

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/06/politics/biden-administration-migrant-family-detention/index.html

– Labor

Warrior Met Coal Strike Twitter @GrimKim W/Democracy Now
In an interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now she talks about the workers returning to work after the Warrior Mett Coal Strike that lasted over 2 years on the picket line with Labor reporter Kim Kelly who has been reporting on the strike since the beginning and author of fight like hell the untold history of American labor.  The president of United Mine Workers of America sent a letter to Warrior Met granting an unconditional offer to return to work on March 2nd as the two parties continue to negotiate a new contract. Here is the recording of their interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuFbFs-qt48

Tweet thread by disabled person fired by Elon

https://twitter.com/iamharaldur/status/1633082707835080705

Elon Musk who can not seem to keep his name out of headlines since his mistake in purchasing the social media giant Twitter has caught the attention of lawyers across the nation as he shoots yet another hole in his feet by publicly tweeting about firing a disabled employee for their said disability and proceeding to mock him on twitter.

One of the tweets in question stated as follows

The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm. Can’t say I have a lot of respect for that.

In a Responding Tweet Thread by Hali@iamharaldur

Hi again

@elonmusk
I hope you are well. I’m fine too. I’m thankful for your interest in my health. But since you mentioned it, I wanted to give you more info. I have muscular dystrophy. It has many effects on my body. Let me tell you what they are:

My legs were the first to go. When I was 25 years old I started using a wheelchair. It’s been 20 years since that happened. In that time the rest of my body has been failing me too. I need help to get in and out of bed and use the toilet
For a long time I thought my arms would remain strong. A doctor told me they would. But they ended up losing strength. Which, I don’t mind telling you, was hard to accept. But you okay the cards you are dealt and I’ve managed to create a wonderful life.
My family is the best. I have two kids. I see them every day. I recommend that. My wife is fantastic. Strong, kind, smart, amazing artist. Couldn’t be happier with her.
About nine years ago I started a company called

@uenodotco
I worked a lot, it didn’t do my body any favors but it’s what I felt I needed to do. The hard work paid off and the company became very successful.

We worked for more or less every big tech company. We grew fast and made money. I think that’s what you are referring to when you say independently wealthy? That I independently made my money, as opposed to say, inherited an emerald mine.
But after seven years I was tired. Covid was running for longer than the two weeks you said it would. And my body was also continuing to get weaker. After looking at many options I decided to sell my company to Twitter.
Financially it wasn’t the best decision. My company was making a lot of money and Twitter’s offer was lower than any smart valuation would say. But like you I made a bet on Twitter having a lot more potential than it has had.
I joined at a time when the company was growing fast. You kind of did the opposite. There was a lot going on. The company had a fair amount of issues, but then again, most bigger companies do. Or even small companies, like Twitter today.
Anyway, I digress, are you still reading? Or is the bathroom break over? What was I saying? Ah yes, and then you bought the company and told employees you weren’t firing 75% of them. Which you then did.
I wasn’t in the first batch. Or the second or third or fourth. I’m not sure which layoff round I was in there were so many of them. Each one came after you promised the last one was the final one.
During my time at the new Twitter, or 2.0 as you called it, I talked to my manager every week and asked what I should focus on. And then I proceeded to do those things. Every one of them.
I also contacted HR regularly and asked if my job description was correct or needed updating. I wanted to make sure I was doing what I was supposed to. They always said they were looking into it but I never got a reply.
And now finally to my fingers, which I know you have great concern for. Thank you for that btw. I’ll tell you what I told them. I’m not able to do manual work (which in this case means typing or using a mouse) for extended periods of time without my hands starting to cramp.
I can however write for an hour or two at a time. This wasn’t a problem in Twitter 1.0 since I was a senior director and my job was mostly to help teams move forward, give them strategic and tactical guidance.
But as I told HR (I’m assuming that’s the confidential health information you are sharing) I can’t work as a hands on designer for the reasons outlined above. I’m typing this on my phone btw. It’s easier for because I only need to use one finger.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you are going to pay what you owe me? I think you can afford it?

https://gizmodo.com/musk-plans-company-town-texas-called-snailbrook-1850209426

Elon Musk, in another galaxy brained 4-d chess move or whatever his fan boys call it, is adding one more title to his resume: town owner. The multi-billionaire is reportedly working on building his own “utopia” in Texas and plans to name it Snailbrook.

According to the Journal, Musk’s plans include building a place for his employees to live and charging them roughly $800 per month for one and two-bedroom homes, with the caveat that they would have 30 days to vacate the premises if they were laid off or quit. Although the plans are still in the works, it seems like a good time to ask: Is this even a good idea?

A lot could be said about the history of company towns, but to summarize we would like to show you this clip by The Trillbillies on Means TV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SugMvGn2wQQ

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/arkansas-gov-sanders-signs-measure-rolling-back-child-labor-protection-rcna73977

Arkansas Gov. Sanders signs measure rolling back child labor protections

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a measure this month loosening child labor protections in the state.

Under the law, the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, children under 16 do not have to obtain permission from the Division of Labor to get a job. They will no longer need to get an employment certificate, which verified their age, described their work and work schedule, and included written consent from a parent or guardian. Sanders signed the bill into law on Tuesday.

Alexa Henning, Sanders’ communication director, said that the permit requirement had placed an “arbitrary burden on parents” who needed government permission for their child to get a job.

“All child labor laws that actually protect children still apply and we expect businesses to comply just as they are required to do now,” Henning wrote in a statement to NBC News.

The move comes as the Biden administration has sought to crack down on child labor after media reports, including by NBC News, on the employment of minors, sometimes in grueling and dangerous jobs. It also comes as as several other states consider legislation to undo child labor laws.

Last month, the Labor Department announced it had found more than 3,800 children working at U.S. companies in violation of federal law. More than 100 children, some as young as 13, were working hazardous overnight jobs cleaning slaughterhouses for Packers Sanitation Services Inc., one of the country’s largest food sanitation companies, the Labor Department said. Some of them used “caustic chemicals to clean razor-sharp saws,” the department said. Ten of the violations occurred in Arkansas.

Since 2018, there has been a 69 percent increase in the number of children employed illegally by companies, the Labor Department said.

– Land Back

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/indecent-assault-trial-arthur-masse-manitoba-1.6770405

Native American tribe wants to reclaim 9,000 acres of Diablo Canyon land: ‘We’ve been waiting’ https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article272531331.html

What will happen to nearly 11,000 acres of land encompassing California’s last nuclear power plant when it closes?

According to one proposal, about 9,000 acres of prime San Luis Obispo County real estate could return to the Native Americans who first occupied it.

The future of the massive property on which Diablo Canyon Power Plant sits was the subject of a public meeting held by the California Natural Resources Agency in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors chambers on Feb. 10. The agency must submit its land conservation and economic development plan for the Diablo Lands to the California State Legislature by March 23, according to State Senate Bill 846. That bill, which passed in September, allowed the state to loan up to $1.4 billion to PG&E to extend the life of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant until 2030, about five years past its originally scheduled closure date. Additionally, the bill set aside $160 million for the land conservation and economic development plan. The plan must support “environmental enhancements and access of Diablo Canyon power plant lands and local economic development in a manner that is consistent with existing decommissioning efforts,” according to the bill. Beyond that, however, there aren’t too many details of what the plan should include, or how the $160 million should be spent. In general, the land, which is currently owned by PG&E and its subsidy Eureka Energy Company, is expected to be conserved forever to prevent it from being developed, according to proposals by community groups. The 600-acre parcel where the Diablo Canyon plant resides, known as Parcel P, could be turned into a large campus for research and education on sustainable ocean practices and energy innovation. But there’s one area where San Luis Obispo County community groups can’t quite agree: Who gets to own the remaining 10,800 acres of land that surround Parcel P?

Should Diablo Lands be granted to Native American tribe? While some community groups suggest a public entity such as California State Parks should own the land, one proposal — by REACH Central Coast, an economic development think tank; the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini (ytt) Northern Chumash tribe, Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County — requests the state allow most of the land to be owned by the tribe. The groups want 4,500 acres to the north of the plant and another 4,500 to the south to be transferred to the ytt tribe, with The Land Conservancy holding conservation easements on the land. The remaining 2,400 acres, known as the Wild Cherry Canyon lands, is under litigation in San Luis Obispo Superior Court. The groups propose that Wild Cherry Canyon be transferred to a public entity such as State Parks for ownership and management, while the ytt tribe could hold an access easement. “When we were removed from this land, we were removed violently and never given the opportunity to return,” said ytt chairwoman Mona Tucker. “We’ve been waiting for the opportunity to become the rightful owners and also appropriate stewards so that this land will look the way it looks 500 years from now, the way it looks today.” If completed, the land transfer to the Native American tribe, which is not federally recognized, would be one of the largest in recent California history, according to Albert Lundeen, director of media relations for the state Natural Resources Agency.

– Trans Rights

Neo-Nazis Spewing Racial Slurs Stormed an Ohio Drag Queen Story Hour

Neo-Nazis were among the hundreds of protesters at an Ohio drag queen story hour on March 11th, further underscoring the connection between white supremacy and anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry.

The Rock-n-Roll Humanist Drag Queen Story Hour was organized by Aaron and Krista Jo Reed, who were promoting a children’s book that introduces young ones to humanist philosophy, a belief system not rooted in religion that teaches the importance of good ethics. The event was accompanied by “a short Rock-n-Roll drag celebration performance,” per the event description.

– Right Wing

5 held after series of Fresno bombings. Police, FBI probe links to hate groups https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/crime/article272640614.html

Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama on March 1st announced the arrest of five people after a series of bombings in the city. A task force of local police and FBI agents also seized bomb-making components, firearms, methamphetamine and white supremacist paraphernalia, including Nazi flags. The investigation ranged as far as Riverside County, where Scott Anderson, 44, the suspected bomber, was arrested together with Frank Rocha, 56. Two other men are in custody after they were arrested in Fresno: Steven Burkett, 51; and Paul New, 55. Also arrested was Amanda Sanders, 41. Balderrama, at a news conference at downtown police headquarters, said investigators are trying to ascertain if Anderson or the other four are linked directly to known white supremacist groups.

The series of bombings began Dec. 13, 2022, with an explosion in a car at 5674 E. Clinton Ave. Other bombings took place at: 3560 West San Jose, in a car, on Jan. 8 2763 North Argyle, in a mailbox, on Jan. 27 5674 East Clinton, in a car, on Jan. 27 377 West Fallbrook, in a car, on Feb. 19 2048 North Fine on Feb. 21, in a car at a Fresno County Probation Office Anderson, who has a criminal record that includes being a felon in possession of a firearm, is accused of detonating an explosive device and possession of firearms. Rocha is accused of possession bomb-making materials. Burkett is facing charges of possession of firearms and ammunition as a felon. New is facing charges of possessing firearms and explosives as a convicted felon. Sanders was charged with possession of the methamphetamine. Balderrama said that it is too early in the investigation to determine whether a hate crime had been committed or if one was planned. He also said the was concerned that the bombings were becoming more frequent and brazen.

Exposed: Dallas Humber, Narrator Of Neo-Nazi ‘Terrorgram,’ Promoter Of Mass Shootings https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dallas-humber-terrorgram-narrator-mass-shootings_n_64010e78e4b0d14ed6a6a545?qah=

Florida bill would require bloggers who write about the governor and legislators to register with the state https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-bill-require-bloggers-write-governor-legislators-register-stat-rcna73191

A Republican state senator in Florida has introduced a bill that, if passed, would require bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis, his Cabinet or state legislators to register with the state.

Sen. Jason Brodeur’s bill, titled “Information Dissemination,” would also require bloggers to disclose who’s paying them for their posts about certain elected officials and how much.

“If a blogger posts to a blog about an elected state officer and receives, or will receive, compensation for that post, the blogger must register” with the appropriate office within five days of the post, the legislation says.

It defines “elected state officer” as “the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature.”

Failing to register would result in a fine of $25 a day, and the penalty would be capped at $2,500 per posting, NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa reported.

The bill says the bloggers’ reports to the state “must include” the “individual or entity that compensated the blogger for the blog post, and “the amount of compensation received from the individual or entity.”

The bill defines a blog as “a website or webpage that hosts any blogger and is frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content,” but it says the “term does not include the website of a newspaper or other similar publication.”

DeSantis’s office said Friday it was reviewing the bill. “As usual, the governor will consider the merits of a bill in final form if and when it passes the legislature,” said his press secretary, Bryan Griffin.

Ron Kuby, a First Amendment lawyer in New York, said the law would not survive a court challenge if it is passed.

– Additional Headlines

Uniquely Evil Minnesota Republican Steve Drazkowski Votes Against Free School Lunches Because “Hunger Is a Relative Term”

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/03/steve-drazkowski-minnesota-free-school-lunches

South Carolina Bill to Execute People Who Have Abortions Gets Support From 21 Republicans

https://www.commondreams.org/news/south-carolina-abortion-death-penalty

9th grader sues school district after staffer allegedly ‘physically assaulted’ her when she didn’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance

https://abcnews.go.com/US/9th-grader-sues-school-district-after-staffer-allegedly/story?id=97803847

March 2, 2023-
– Minneapolis Teachers Union, Cops Battle Over Student Recruitment
– Israeli Forces Kill 11 Palestinians and Shoot Over 100 During Raid on Nablus
March 4, 2023-
– ‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action Begins in Atlanta
March 5, 20230-
– Police Raid Atlanta Forest After ‘Cop City’ Opponents Overrun Security Post
March 10, 2023-
– ‘Don’t Let Them Kill Vio.Me.’ Decade-Long Greek Factory Occupation Threatened
March 12, 2023-
– What is the Lukov March and Why Was it Banned in Bulgaria?
March 13, 2023-
– Triple Bank Collapse hits Silicon Valley & NY amid Economic Downturn
– Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán’s Independent Autopsy Report Released at Press Conference
March 14, 2023-
– FBI Bookstore Spying in Chicago Eyes Abortion Rights, Cop City, Anti-Development Activists
March 16, 2023-
– Dancing Revolution: How ’90s Protests Used Rave Culture to Reclaim the Streets
March 17, 2023-
– ‘Anti-Protest’ Measure Passes Minneapolis City Council
March 18, 2023-
– An Historic Direct Action in a Forest Outside Atlanta
March 19, 2023-
– #FeesMustFall – South Africa’s Student Movement for Free Education
March 20, 2023-
– The Case of Marvin Haynes – Part Three: The Framing of Marvin Haynes
March 21, 2023-
– Behind the #StopCopCity Domestic Terrorism Warrants
March 23, 2023
FBI Informant ‘Microchip’ Surfaces in White Supremacist Election Interference Trial
March 24, 2023
Ahead of the Final Four, Houston Criminalizes Homelessness
March 24, 2023
Eight Remain in Jail from March 5 Weelaunee Forest Raid, 15 Released
March 26, 2023
Acrylate Water Safety Emergency Hits Philly; Residents Scramble for Bottled Water
March 29, 2023
Administrative Detention and ‘Medical Neglect’ in Israeli Prisons Lead to Deaths and Protests

It’s Going Down is a digital community center for anarchist, anti-fascist, autonomous anti-capitalist and anti-colonial movements across so-called North America. Their mission is to provide a resilient platform to publicize and promote revolutionary theory and action. You can find the following articles on their website at itsgoingdown.org:

March 1, 2023-
– Cities Across the US Take Part in ‘Week of Action’ Against Cop City
– In Memory of the Unyielding Anarchist Rebel, Librado Rivera
– In Contempt #26: Fight to Free Mumia Continues; Keith LaMar on Hunger Strike; Repression Ramps Up
March 2, 2023-
Davis to Protest Charlie Kirk Tour After CEO Calls for Trans People to Be “Taken Care Of The Way We Used To In the 1950s”
March 6, 2023-
– “The Amount of Solidarity is Incredible Here”: Voices on the Frontlines of the Fight to Stop Cop City
– Fire Ant: Anarchist Prisoner Solidarity #15
– We Got Us: A Case Study and Reflections on Supporting an Arrestee from the 2020 Uprisings
– Antifascists Drop Banner Against “Grade A Grifter” Jordan Petersen in Vancouver
– Report Back from Rally in Solidarity with Resistance to Cop City in Avon, MA
– Message from Yaqui Political Prisoner Fidencio Aldama to the National Indigenous Congress
March 7, 2023-
– Freedom for Manuel Gómez Vázquez, Member of the Zapatista Support Bases
– Temporary Occupation in NYC Calls for Divestment from ‘Cop City’ in Atlanta, GA
March 8, 2023-
– The Show Must Go On: On Sunday’s Arrests at the South River Music Festival
– Atlanta, GA: Elders Say Stop Cop City!
– Canadian Tire Fire #55: CGL and TMX Updates, Immigration Policy, and Fighting Encampment Evictions
March 9, 2023-
– Ron DeSantis, Interstate Autocratization, and Building Resistance
March 12, 2023-
– Report Back from Noise Demo in Support of Those Facing ‘Domestic Terrorism’ Charges in Atlanta, GA
– Gulfgate Tenants Fight Back Against Abusive Slumlords
March 13, 2023-
– Community Defense Blocks Sacramento Proud Boys From Disrupting Children’s Event
– Mutual Aid and Banner Drops Push Back on Ongoing Attacks on the Houseless in Aberdeen, WA
Dungeons and Dugin: How an Alliance of Authoritarians Hopes to Destroy a Politics of Solidarity

March 14, 2023-
– Montreal: Banner Drop for Weelaunee Forest Defenders
March 15, 2023-
– Report from NYC Rally in Solidarity with Alfredo Cospito
March 16, 2023-
– Art Campaign for the Freedom of Manuel Gómez Vázquez
Mar 17, 23
This Is America #183: Report from Atlanta During ‘Week of Action’ Against Cop City
March 18, 2023-
– Kite Line: We Have to Stick Together++
– Charlie Kirk and Proud Boys Confronted at UC Davis
March 19, 2023-
–Final Straw: Felony Littering Trials Under Way in Asheville
March 20, 2023-
– “We are Not in the Least Afraid of Ruins”: Food Autonomy in the Weelaunee Forest
March 21, 2023-
– April 28th – 30th: 2nd Biannual Call for Weekend of Distroing
March 22, 2023-
– Corvallis Against Fascism: Five Years of Nazi Tears
– Community Defense Organizations Disrupt Transphobic Rally in Jefferson City, Missouri

Crimethought is everything that evades control:

CrimethInc. is a rebel alliance. CrimethInc. is a banner for anonymous collective action. CrimethInc. is an international network of aspiring revolutionaries. CrimethInc. is a desperate venture.

Check out these articles at crimethinc.com
March 2, 2023 – Defending Abundance Everywhere A Call to Every Community from the Weelaunee Forest
March 8, 2023 – Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom): The Genealogy of a Slogan
March 16, 2023 – Disasters of State: On the Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
March 22, 2023 – France: The Movement against the Pension Reform. On the Threshold of an Uprising?
2023-03-27 A Coup d’État in Israel? :The Bitter Harvest of Colonialism
2023-03-30 France in Flames: Macron Attempts to Crush the Movement against the Pension Reform with Lethal Violence

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