Category: Action

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

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Twice now is February, a new art gallery and real estate office was attacked with paint in the Powderhorn neighborhood.

War on gentrification

– South Side Vandals

P.S. <3 to Frostbeard smashers

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

In solidarity with the day of action for trans prisoners, south Minneapolis was decorated with several slogans.

No more prisons, only fires!

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

It’s finally here. Trump is to be the 45th President of the so-called United States. After a campaign based on nothing but white supremacist rhetoric, attacks on migrants and refugees, on the disabled, and on women, femme, trans, queer, and gender non-conforming folks, Trump has been granted the power of chief executive in the largest white supremacist empire the world has ever seen.

Rather than passively participate in yet another march of liberal/progressive passive resistance and the same old permitted march from point A to point B, anarchists, anti-capitalists, and anti-fascists in the Twin Cities both autonomously organized and also affiliated with the General Defense Committee contributed our own response to a Donald Trump presidency. As soon as the Black Snake Resistance march met the IWW’s ongoing blockade of Franklin and Nicollet avenue joined by indigenous residents of Minneapolis, an effigy of Donald Trump was lit up in flames. Anti-fascist speeches were given, and anarchists in the crowd urged people to “become ungovernable.”

Once the Resist From Day One march joined in, it was time to head towards Government Plaza. Aside from a few caution cones dragged into intersections and verbal shouting matches with police, the march is relatively tame but people are very high energy and a desire for something more is apparent among a lot of the participants. A few fireworks were set off and nearby marchers reacted with cheers. Marchers in bloc attire were not met with any hostility but rather some confused newcomers to resistance and interested protesters wanting to know how they could do the same. A growing amount of people are showing interest in actively fighting back against fascism, white supremacy, capitalism, and the State. This is encouraging, and a welcome shift in Minneapolis protest politics, which are usually very hostile to anarchists and anti-capitalists.

Upon arrival to Government Plaza, an anarchist contingent within the march blockaded the light rail and lit smoke bombs. A dance party on the light rail tracks attracted attention from nearby march participants milling around instead of listening to a variety of speakers meant to de-escalate. Soon enough, these self-organized marchers, most of them very young, joined in on the fun. A train read “DC IS BURNING” in black spray paint. Within a few minutes, we headed off for the youth jail. In the spirit of spreading the resistance to Trumpism both inside and outside of the razor wire, the anarchist contingent paid a visit to the juvenile detention center and lit off fireworks. Anti-incarceration and anti-police chants echoed off the prison walls and inmates pounded on their windows and raised fists in solidarity.

Minneapolis: breakaway #DisruptJ20 march headed east towards USBank Stadium, stopped briefly at youth jail for noise & fireworks demo. pic.twitter.com/ZVKhjjLXfO

— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) January 20, 2017

Upon arrival of a bicycle police squad and a police cruiser, the breakaway march continued towards the next destination. Wells Fargo, the arms dealing and private prison profiteer, not to mention it’s ongoing investment in the destruction of our planet and colonization of indigenous territory, was shown the wrath of class war. A G4S security agent (the same Pinkertons employed by Energy Transfer Partners to attack water protectors in Standing Rock and Mississippi Stand) had his phone smashed.

Brace yourselves, capitalists. Our anger is becoming incorrigible. The only answer we see to a Trump presidency is open rebellion. The increasingly apparent contradictions within capitalism are becoming impossible to ignore. It’s only a matter of time before the same desperate situations already ongoing in Greece, Mexico, Spain, Italy, and Portugal become reality here. Climate chaos will only intensify, even if we didn’t have a climate change denier as President. People of color will continue to be gunned down by police and incarcerated at alarming rates. Migrants will be deported at an even more accelerated rate than they are already by the now finished Obama administration. The only way out is class war.

Towards the victory of the Minneapolis commune

Towards an ungovernable 2017

From It’s Going Down

To end a year full of rebellion and reaction both inside and outside of the prisons, anarchists in the Twin Cities gathered together for a noise demo at the Hennepin County Juvenile Justice Center. As the march made its way from a nearby park the walls of surrounding businesses in the Elliot Park neighborhood of Minneapolis came alive with circled As and anti-police slogans. Streets were blocked off with conveniently located caution cones and construction barricades. The chilly Minnesota air was filled with chants like “Burn all the jails, burn all the prisons! Just make sure the cops are in em!” and “Fire to the prisons, fire to the prisons, we don’t need no water let the motherfuckers burn!”

Once we got to the jail we decided the kids locked up inside could use some holiday cheer. So we gave them their very own New Year’s Eve fireworks display! Bucket drums were pounded, chants continued to echo off the prison walls, and the prisoners inside responded with dancing, waving, raising their fists, and even pounding on the windows. A single guard inside stared at us powerlessly while his prisoners were getting lit.

Once we ran out of fireworks we started to head back, chanting “We’ll be back!” One of the prison walls got a redecorating job and from the light rail one could read “Kill cops” just in time for the Vikings’ last home game the following day. A window of the prison also got shattered somehow. That cold Minneapolis wind can be a real doozy sometimes! The police finally showed up only to watch us all scatter and disappear into the night, just in time to get home and watch this bullshit dumpster fire of a year finally die.

Total complicity and solidarity with all prison rebels of all ages. Nothing but animosity and hatred for the slave catchers of the 21st century: the motherfuckin’ pigs. Here’s to another year of giving our enemies a reason to lose sleep and giving our friends a reason to never lose hope!

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

On Saturday night, the snow-swept statue of the revolutionary Emiliano Zapata on Lake Street in Minneapolis was cast in the light of emergency flares and surrounded by a black-clad crew, as anarchists held a memorial observation for our comrades fallen in recent weeks.

We gathered to mourn three tragedies—the death of Michael Israel and other freedom fighters in Rojava, the murder of Guilherme Irish by his nationalist father in Brazil, and the dozens of dead friends lost in Oakland’s Ghost Ship fire.

Michael Israel, from California, was an anarchist and revolutionary unionist. A co-founder of the Sacramento IWW, he came to Rojava to join the YPG and defend the autonomous cantons from Daesh and state repression. Michael’s unit was advancing on Daesh’s capital in Raqqa as part of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ offensive to take the city, the Wrath of Euphrates. Although the Erdogan regime in Turkey claims to be part of the coalition against Daesh, the regime has continued to attack SDF forces—a strategy to weaken and destroy the revolution in Rojava which the Turkish state views as a threat to its own occupation of Kurdish-majority lands. On the night of November 29th, Turkish jets bombed a small village that the YPG had liberated from Daesh, killing Michael and many other revolutionary fighters.

Guilherme Irish was a Brazilian anarchist student of mathematics at the Unidedade Fedal de Goiás. He was actively involved in the student occupations of schools in Goiânia. This last summer, the Worker’s Party administration in Brazil was impeached in a putsch organized by the country’s wealthiest families, and the new Temer government has launched a series of attacks to limit political freedom for students, reform high school curriculum, and dramatically freeze social spending. Since the beginning of November, students have occupied over 1,000 high schools and nearly 100 universities in protest. Guilherme’s father did not accept his involvement in the movement, and had threatened to hand him over to the police, to kill him. He had gone armed to demonstrations against school privatization to threaten his son and other militants. On the 15th of November, Guilherme left his home for the Occupation of Campus 2 at UFG. His father ambushed him with a pistol and shot him to death. Guilherme was 20 years old.

Ghost Ship was a DIY space in Oakland and home to the Satya Yuga artist collective. It built in a warehouse in the Fruitvale neighborhood, one of many arts and living spaces that turned to unsafe low-cost buildings in the midst of the city’s housing crisis. For black, brown, and queer artists especially excluded by the music scene, the warehouse parties in Oakland provide a platform even in America’s most expensive metro where tech industry gentrification has pummeled working class neighborhoods of color. On December 2nd, at 11:20 at night, a fire broke out in Ghost Ship during a concert, spreading quickly through the crowded building. Those inside struggled and aided one another in escaping the fire, but for too many it was impossible. Thirty six people died. In the aftermath, alt-right fascists online have made a project of harassing DIY spaces by reporting them to fire marshals, hoping to use the fire as a way to bring state repression on the DIY movement.

At the Zapata statue, anarchists gave eulogies to our fallen comrades, read passages in commemoration, and poured out whiskey in celebration of their lives. Wobblies in attendance recited the poem, “Red November, Black November”:

Red November, Black November- Bleak November, black and red

Hallowed month of labor’s martyrs, labor’s heroes, labor’s dead

Labor’s wrath and hope and sorrow- red the promise, black the threat

Who are we not to remember? Who are we to dare forget?
Red and black the colors blended, red and black the pledge we made

Red until the struggle’s ended- black until the debt is paid.

As anarchists, we do not make a fetish out of death, in the way that fascists, armies, and nations do. We do not prefer our comrades, friends, and lovers as cold and stern memorials, or as rose colored memories revived in the haze of sentimental poetry. We prefer them beside us, creating with us the spaces and struggles of our liberation and fighting alongside us in defense of our lives. We do not ask for martyrs.

We do, however, know that is inevitable that those of us who struggle, who revolt against the crushing daily violence of the state, capital, and all existing hierarchies, will be put in the crosshairs of repression. We know that those of us who seek to build new worlds in the cracks and unstable edges and boundaries of the old, will face all the dangers of the current world’s collapse, and of those who try to cement it together again in blood and terror. We are born in the history of the Haymarket Martyrs hanged for resisting the industrialist’s police, of Suga Kanno strangled by the Empire of Japan, and of Carlo Giuliani shot down by the Italian cops. We inherit a flag stained black in the remembrance of our dead, in the negation of their killers, and in the promise to never surrender.

The tragedies of November ended our comrades’ lives, but not the visions they lived for. The Revolution in Rojava carries on the fight for autonomy as the Syrian regime batters its Opposition, the Erdogan regime attacks Kurds on both sides of the border, and foreign powers, confident in the YPG’s defeats of Daesh, prepare for their inevitable betrayal of the revolutionary cantons. The rightist coup in Brazil will be opposed every inch of the way, and the popular movement against it will not be leashed and captured by the ineffectual Worker’s Party whose capitulation to neoliberalism paved the way for the rise of the reactionaries. DIY spaces and projects of reclamation will continue to seize the structures left gutted and abandoned by globalization and deindustialization, and fill them with those displaced by gentrification. We will improve the security of these spaces, both from accidental fires and collapses, and from far-right and state attacks. Every day we wake and draw breath, we strive to undermine and attack the systems that murdered our comrades and friends.

In memory of Michael Israel, of Guilherme Irish, of Denalda, Feral, and all other victims of the Ghost Ship fire, we remember the verses of the Greek poet, Dinos Christianopoulos, echoed in the Mexican counterculture: “They tried to bury us; they did not know we were seeds”.

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

Individuals and accomplices stood up to neo-fascist Milo Yiannopoulos and shut him down for some time at Mankato State University…

Individuals shouted “No safe space for fascism”. Others told Milo to beware “antifa is changing tactics”. Although Milo feeds off of protesters, we believe that the normalization of fascism anywhere leads to tyranny everywhere. We call on all other antifascists to stand up fascism wherever and whenever it appears using diverse tactics and by any means necessary…

From It’s Going Down

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The door locks and ATMS of 3 Wells Fargos and one US Bank in Minneapolis, MN were glued shut in solidarity with the Standing Rock pipeline resistance movement this Black Friday weekend. Wells Fargo and US Bank directly fund the Dakota Access Pipeline and are thus complicit in perpetuating over 500 years of genocide and oppression against Native Americans. Business as usual cannot continue while banks and oil corporations destroy indigenous peoples’ lands and cultures. We demand that Wells Fargo, US Bank and all other funders divest from Energy Transfer Partners, DAPL and all fossil fuel interests.

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

On Saturday evening, ten individuals braved the cold and briefly took over Lake St in south Minneapolis. For forty-five minutes, the small crowd blocked traffic in both directions while moving back and forth between Bloomington and Chicago avenues. This was a humble effort at disruption against the incoming Trump regime, efforts that aim to generalize unrest as the transition progresses. Bilingual flyers advocating for autonomous self-organization were distributed along the way to enthusiastic passerby.

From Unicorn Riot

Thousands stormed Interstate 94 in Minneapolis, protesting Donald Trump, the new President-elect, on Thursday night, effectively halting traffic in both directions for several hours.

This action came a day after Unicorn Riot was in St. Paul, where we were live throughout the evening documenting the more than five hour march that took place starting at the State Capitol building.

As anti-Trump protests continued to sweep through the nation’s streets for a third night in a row on Thursday, Unicorn Riot was livestreaming during both the Minneapolis and Denver protests that shut down major interstates.

In Minneapolis, the protest began as a rally on the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus. After a myriad of speakers finished, throngs of protesters took to the streets, marching down Cedar and Franklin avenues.

The march paused at the G.O.P. headquarters, located in the heart of the ‘liberal’ Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis and speeches were made. “F— Trump” graffiti was added in large letters to the outer brick wall of the building that holds G.O.P.’s headquarters.

From there, protesters marched down Riverside Avenue, where hundreds, maybe thousands, streamed onto the on-ramp for Interstate 94, effectively shutting down one of the main interstates in Minnesota for several hours.

Dozens of yellow- and orange-vested marshals were present, at least some of whom had never before served as a parade marshal. Most were faced towards the protesters yelling for them to stay in line and follow their orders for acceptable marching.

Minneapolis police officers, led by Deputy Chief Arneson, provided “safety” for the march route by blocking traffic and consistently communicating with the police liaisons utilized by the protesters.

While at least seven Minneapolis Police vehicles were leading the march, only two State Troopers were stationed at most entrances to the Interstate. In a metro that has seen five shut-downs of the interstate by protesters in the last two years, the State Troopers, who have commanding jurisdiction over the interstate, usually amass themselves in a heavier presence.

Shortly after the protesters took over the interstate, a motorist drove his truck into the crowd, hitting some people (video below). State Troopers stood idly by and, when confronted by the crowd, a Trooper standing a hundred yards away from the scene of the incident told them to “bring the girl here“, referring to a youth that was hit by the truck. The youth hit by the truck was okay and did not need medical attention that we know of.

As time elapsed, a stand-off ensued near the Cedar Avenue exit, where a large assortment of law enforcement officers took positions on the interstate not allowing protestors to continue.

The officers ranged in departments from University of Minnesota Police, who provided officers on the front-line of the stand-off, to MN State Troopers, as well as Minneapolis, Anoka, and Fridley Police. Despite this heavy law enforcement presence, including police in riot gear and canine units, the police seemed reluctant to arrest anyone.

This protest was organized, co-hosted, and endorsed by a large assortment of local ‘progressive’ groups. Spokespeople from some of these groups communicated with the marshals to make sure that protesters stayed inside the box that organizers were attempting to force people into, in efforts to “ensure everybody’s safety“. When people ventured outside of the box, marshals and some of the spokespeople quickly took efforts to herd them back behind the banners, truck, or the line of vested marshals.

After a couple hours of taking space and chanting, including a “Water is Life” chant in solidarity with #NoDAPL water protectors (see below), protesters voluntarily left the interstate and returned to the UMN campus.

No arrests were made while on the interstate. As folks made their way back to the starting location of the march, Unicorn Riot interviewed some participants and community members.

 From It’s Going Down

While Hennepin County Sheriffs and other agents of law enforcement moved in on the Standing Rock camp in North Dakota, a banner was dropped in Minneapolis that read “AGAINST THE DAPL AND ITS WORLD (A)”

AGAINST THE DAPL… The defense against the pipeline has been inspiring, ongoing for nearly 7 months now. A small encampment has grown into a huge, heterogeneous movement. Today, they burn barricades against the gangs of police set upon them by the state. With this action, they can know they are not alone.

…AND ITS WORLD! The Dakota Access Pipeline is only a small piece of a large complex of infrastructural projects that make up this world. Rather than concentrate forces in a single location, spread the struggle everywhere!

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

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On October 22nd, dozens of masked rebels took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis towards the youth jail. Banners declaring “Fire To The Prisons” and “Criminal Queers Against Cops Prisons & Borders” were unfurled and flares illuminated the night. Upon arriving at the youth jail, fireworks erupted across the sky as demonstrators chanted and hitting makeshift drums. When our voices grew tired, those locked up on the inside broke the silence by banging on their windows. The group quickly dispersed back at Elliot Park with zero arrests.

Despite a noticeable increase in self-organization by those who showed up, the significant police presence reduced the energy of the crowd and it’s potential. Moving forward, it will be necessary to assume a more hands on police strategy and prepare ourselves accordingly.

The noise demo was called for in the context of ongoing solidarity with the September 9th prison strike. While some prisoners may end their strikes, new ones begin—the struggle for freedom continues beyond any one campaign or movement. Every refusal to work, every guard stabbed, every dormitory takeover fills our hearts with love for prison rebels and hate for this system of cops and cages. To those who revolt on the inside, we are with you.

Present at the action was a sizeable feminist/queer bloc to highlight the women, queer, and trans prisoners who have been at the forefront of the September 9th strike and other uprisings. Unfortunately this is often omitted from the narrative surrounding prison rebellions—something we refuse to accept any longer.

Gig Harbor – Holman – Minneapolis

Until the last prison is ashes under our feet

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

This week, posters were wheatpasted around Minneapolis in solidarity with prison rebels. The prison strike called for September 9th has sparked such incredible and inspiring resistance, one can only hope even larger storms are brewing. It is crucial that prisoners know they are supported on the outside in both word and deed.

Victory to the imprisoned fighters!

Fire to the prisons!

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

In response to the call for solidarity with the prison strike on October 1st, a banner was hung in a busy part of town Saturday afternoon.

Total complicity with prison rebels across the world!

Anonymous submission to Conflict Minnesota

The death of yet another unarmed black man at the hands of police and yet another city that has exploded in anger. It has become almost routine at this point. It is quite frankly fucking sad that this keeps happening. It is exhausting to have to see the same old cycle we’ve sadly grown so used to since Ferguson play itself out over and over again. It breaks our hearts to see a loving father taken from his family so callously by the pigs. But I digress.

In solidarity with the brave fighters in the streets of Charlotte standing up against both the police and the national guard and also in solidarity with prison rebels who continue to strike against white supremacy and prison slavery that a small but definitely visible action was taken. “All cops are bastards” was painted on a wall facing one of the busiest streets in Minneapolis just before rush hour. It is the hope of those who did this action that those who hate the police and their violence, their jails, and their prisons were affirmed in their beliefs and reminded that they are not alone and that those who lick the boots of the police state felt a little unsafe for once in their fucking lives. Solidarity with all who resist!

From Holman to Charlotte to Minneapolis

death to the State

death to white supremacy

long live anarchy!