repost this so it is readable, and I will read it

(the first part got cut off)

ally, Militant tactics such as property destruction and engagement of police forces will turn the general public off from supporting or joining our “movement”. There are many more arguments that I am sure readers will have heard before other than the ones just mentioned, but these arguments are the basis.

With these arguments, the pacifist left manipulates and channels the energy that exists at demonstrations/protests and successfully transforms that passion and anger into a sorry display of complacency at the feet of our masters. The worst part of it is that many Anarchists have fallen for these arguments.

So, try to keep in mind the four arguments previously given and how they relate to what happened at the San Diego anti FTAA action on April 21 as you read the description of what happened. I hope to deconstruct them to show their falseness and how these arguments, not Black Bloc tactics, are in fact authoritarian and divisive.

I will start my description of the San Diego event with the organizers sixth point of unity (the first five points are irrelevant to my argument as they simply stated what the protest was for/against). The sixth point of unity that was imposed by the “organizers” (every person who is involved with a demo is an organizer, not just the people who chose the date/location and had the flyer printed) of the San Diego border protest read as follows: “ 6. We are organizing a non-violent, legal protest. This means that: No groups or individuals will engage in violence, verbal or physical. No groups or individuals will engage in property destruction.No groups or individuals will plan civil disobedience or direct action”.

These points of unity were decided upon by a small group of about 20 organizers who made the false claim that somehow these points of unity represented a consensus. In reality, these points of unity were an imposition by a small group of people over the thousands who showed up at the event. Printing on a flyer does not represent a consensus! When people show up for demonstrations they are not showing up because of the non-violent points of unity on the flyer, they are showing up because they want to show opposition the issue at hand.

The protest at San Diego began at a park and was to include a march from the park to the border crossing point where people who wished to cross and join the demo on the Mexican side could do so. After everyone had shown up at the park, which was approximately 1500 people, the organizers became alarmed by the existence of the 30 person Black Bloc. Harmony keepers continually tried their best to reason with selected members of the Bloc in the hopes that the Bloc would stay legal during the march.

When these Harmony keepers realized that the Bloc was determined to do what they chose to do something very ridiculous and very authoritarian happened. The “organizers” of the protest canceled the march because the black bloc had shown up at the event! From the stage an organizer had the arrogance to state that a consensus had been made to cancel the march due to security concerns. At this point the illusions of the organizers were severely shot down.

The Bloc had a meeting and we all knew that the majority of the people at the event wanted to march despite what the organizers claimed, so we decided to have a march anyway. The Bloc soon learned that the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade and People from Art and Revolution also wanted to march, so we all decided to have a march together. When the organizers of the protest found out about this they got up on the stage and stated that a “walk” to the border (yes that was the exact wording, I’m not joking) was going to take place at 2:30.

As the march was assembling, three riot cops on horseback and a couple of ground pigs detained someone from the demonstration. Quickly, the RCPYB and the Black Bloc and some other people ran over and started yelling at the pigs to let the guy go. Needless to say, at the show of such angry resistance the protester was released. Everyone was amped up now and wanted to march so we all got together and started heading out of the park. Just as we were about to leave an “organizer” of the protest ran in front and tried to stop the march. She said that the march needed to wait until 2:30 before it could leave.

The arrogance of the “ organizers” at this protest was unbelievable. What in the world could make them think that a march that they opposed and then quickly tried to co-opt was going to stop because they wanted it to? I sincerely hope that there were not more sinister motives than being control freaks behind their attempts to get the march to wait an additional 50min. before it left. As the militants headed out of the park and reclaimed the streets something we all knew was going to happen, happened. To the great surprise of the protest organizers, the vast majority of the people at the park joined the march.

As the march headed down to the destination the Black Bloc made good on its promise and spray painted its way to the border. The Bloc also had a pushing contest with some ‘Asses on horses’ who kept trying to push the march onto one side of the street. When the march reached the border crossing there was a line of riot cops with rubber bullet guns behind a fence that was separating the march from the freeway. The Black Bloc quickly assembled against the fence and barricaded the fence with signs and banners to protect the march from police bullets. At this time people began to throw flowers, followed by rocks and bottles at the riot cops.

Take good notice here people, the individuals throwing the stuff at the pigs were not just black bloc participants, other people from the march joined as well, just like they did during the D.N.C. So you might be thinking now that it was still a minority of the protesters engaging in these illegal tactics, that the majority of protesters who show up to these events still do not believe in destroying property and confronting the police. Well, if the majority of the protesters at this particular event were against such tactics, as the organizers had incessantly stated, then why did the majority of the march stay with the Black Bloc and the others who were causing a ruckus. They could have crossed the border as a few others did, or they could have disassociated themselves and gone back to the park, but they didn’t do it. They stayed with the illegalists! This proves that the organizers who think they can speak for the masses are full of shit.

All you Anarchists out there who have fallen for the pacifist lefts lame arguments about not alienating “the masses” need to re think your positions. Even some of the people who were driving by on the freeway were giving the fist sign to the people up against the fence confronting the pigs. How much more evidence do you need that people are inspired by militant tactics, not turned off by them. I hope that the four arguments stated earlier, that the pacifist left uses against those who wish to use more militant tactics, have now been thoroughly debunked.

The only argument that I don’t think was touched upon was the first one, that militant illegal tactics are divisive. When this argument is made by its believers, it is referring to the “movement” not the general public. I assume that this “movement” that some people refer to is the anti-globalization movement. First of all, this movement is already divided. Some of us are communists, some of us are anarchists, and some of us are even pro-capitalist! If the term divisive is referring to something that will render these different groups from being able to come together at these types of protests, don’t worry it won’t happen. When something as horrible as the FTAA occurs people will inevitably come together to oppose it regardless of whether they like each other or not.

The third point I want to make about this division nonsense is that if anyone is creating divisions that haven’t already existed forever it’s the reformist liberals within the “movement”. They are the ones who try to prevent or talk the anarchists and other militant revolutionaries out of taking more extreme action against the State, and they are the ones who try to smear the anarchists in the media when anarchists and others behave badly at the protests they think they own! As one of my good comrades says, the revolution isn’t something that comes like Christmas; we have to make it happen! So lets stop letting these people hold us back and get to it!

By A-Day Southern Kalifornia Anarchist Alliance

(the first part got cut off)

ally, Militant tactics such as property destruction and engagement of police forces will turn the general public off from supporting or joining our “movement”. There are many more arguments that I am sure readers will have heard before other than the ones just mentioned, but these arguments are the basis.

With these arguments, the pacifist left manipulates and channels the energy that exists at demonstrations/protests and successfully transforms that passion and anger into a sorry display of complacency at the feet of our masters. The worst part of it is that many Anarchists have fallen for these arguments.

So, try to keep in mind the four arguments previously given and how they relate to what happened at the San Diego anti FTAA action on April 21 as you read the description of what happened. I hope to deconstruct them to show their falseness and how these arguments, not Black Bloc tactics, are in fact authoritarian and divisive.

I will start my description of the San Diego event with the organizers sixth point of unity (the first five points are irrelevant to my argument as they simply stated what the protest was for/against). The sixth point of unity that was imposed by the “organizers” (every person who is involved with a demo is an organizer, not just the people who chose the date/location and had the flyer printed) of the San Diego border protest read as follows: “ 6. We are organizing a non-violent, legal protest. This means that: No groups or individuals will engage in violence, verbal or physical. No groups or individuals will engage in property destruction.No groups or individuals will plan civil disobedience or direct action”.

These points of unity were decided upon by a small group of about 20 organizers who made the false claim that somehow these points of unity represented a consensus. In reality, these points of unity were an imposition by a small group of people over the thousands who showed up at the event. Printing on a flyer does not represent a consensus! When people show up for demonstrations they are not showing up because of the non-violent points of unity on the flyer, they are showing up because they want to show opposition the issue at hand.

The protest at San Diego began at a park and was to include a march from the park to the border crossing point where people who wished to cross and join the demo on the Mexican side could do so. After everyone had shown up at the park, which was approximately 1500 people, the organizers became alarmed by the existence of the 30 person Black Bloc. Harmony keepers continually tried their best to reason with selected members of the Bloc in the hopes that the Bloc would stay legal during the march.

When these Harmony keepers realized that the Bloc was determined to do what they chose to do something very ridiculous and very authoritarian happened. The “organizers” of the protest canceled the march because the black bloc had shown up at the event! From the stage an organizer had the arrogance to state that a consensus had been made to cancel the march due to security concerns. At this point the illusions of the organizers were severely shot down.

The Bloc had a meeting and we all knew that the majority of the people at the event wanted to march despite what the organizers claimed, so we decided to have a march anyway. The Bloc soon learned that the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade and People from Art and Revolution also wanted to march, so we all decided to have a march together. When the organizers of the protest found out about this they got up on the stage and stated that a “walk” to the border (yes that was the exact wording, I’m not joking) was going to take place at 2:30.

As the march was assembling, three riot cops on horseback and a couple of ground pigs detained someone from the demonstration. Quickly, the RCPYB and the Black Bloc and some other people ran over and started yelling at the pigs to let the guy go. Needless to say, at the show of such angry resistance the protester was released. Everyone was amped up now and wanted to march so we all got together and started heading out of the park. Just as we were about to leave an “organizer” of the protest ran in front and tried to stop the march. She said that the march needed to wait until 2:30 before it could leave.

The arrogance of the “ organizers” at this protest was unbelievable. What in the world could make them think that a march that they opposed and then quickly tried to co-opt was going to stop because they wanted it to? I sincerely hope that there were not more sinister motives than being control freaks behind their attempts to get the march to wait an additional 50min. before it left. As the militants headed out of the park and reclaimed the streets something we all knew was going to happen, happened. To the great surprise of the protest organizers, the vast majority of the people at the park joined the march.

As the march headed down to the destination the Black Bloc made good on its promise and spray painted its way to the border. The Bloc also had a pushing contest with some ‘Asses on horses’ who kept trying to push the march onto one side of the street. When the march reached the border crossing there was a line of riot cops with rubber bullet guns behind a fence that was separating the march from the freeway. The Black Bloc quickly assembled against the fence and barricaded the fence with signs and banners to protect the march from police bullets. At this time people began to throw flowers, followed by rocks and bottles at the riot cops.

Take good notice here people, the individuals throwing the stuff at the pigs were not just black bloc participants, other people from the march joined as well, just like they did during the D.N.C. So you might be thinking now that it was still a minority of the protesters engaging in these illegal tactics, that the majority of protesters who show up to these events still do not believe in destroying property and confronting the police. Well, if the majority of the protesters at this particular event were against such tactics, as the organizers had incessantly stated, then why did the majority of the march stay with the Black Bloc and the others who were causing a ruckus. They could have crossed the border as a few others did, or they could have disassociated themselves and gone back to the park, but they didn’t do it. They stayed with the illegalists! This proves that the organizers who think they can speak for the masses are full of shit.

All you Anarchists out there who have fallen for the pacifist lefts lame arguments about not alienating “the masses” need to re think your positions. Even some of the people who were driving by on the freeway were giving the fist sign to the people up against the fence confronting the pigs. How much more evidence do you need that people are inspired by militant tactics, not turned off by them. I hope that the four arguments stated earlier, that the pacifist left uses against those who wish to use more militant tactics, have now been thoroughly debunked.

The only argument that I don’t think was touched upon was the first one, that militant illegal tactics are divisive. When this argument is made by its believers, it is referring to the “movement” not the general public. I assume that this “movement” that some people refer to is the anti-globalization movement. First of all, this movement is already divided. Some of us are communists, some of us are anarchists, and some of us are even pro-capitalist! If the term divisive is referring to something that will render these different groups from being able to come together at these types of protests, don’t worry it won’t happen. When something as horrible as the FTAA occurs people will inevitably come together to oppose it regardless of whether they like each other or not.

The third point I want to make about this division nonsense is that if anyone is creating divisions that haven’t already existed forever it’s the reformist liberals within the “movement”. They are the ones who try to prevent or talk the anarchists and other militant revolutionaries out of taking more extreme action against the State, and they are the ones who try to smear the anarchists in the media when anarchists and others behave badly at the protests they think they own! As one of my good comrades says, the revolution isn’t something that comes like Christmas; we have to make it happen! So lets stop letting these people hold us back and get to it!

By A-Day Southern Kalifornia Anarchist Alliance

Hey Pookie,

People who criticized the SKAA's threats of violence were NOT pacifists or even opposed to the Black Bloc in general.

They were opposed to endangering the illegals on the US side and getting Mexicans' asses beat on the Tijuana side for your own selfish reasons.

Militant tactics are for HELPING someone, not macho masturbation. Critics of your tactics were pissed off because SKAA can't understand when property destruction and confronting police is useful and when it might be self-destructive.

something to remember about the points of unity that the organizers of an action put out: without the organizers, there wouldn't *be* the action. you can protest the ftaa anytime and anywhere. if someone goes through all the effort to get 1300 people to the border, feed and house them, etc... it's a matter of respect to follow the guidelines they put out...

Points of Unity don't exist in a vaccum. You don't get to set any points of unity you want cause you organized the event. Well, you can but doesn't make them correct. Points of Unity should be evaluated based on whether or not they serve the interest of the peoples struggle against injustice.

You could have points of unity that forbid gum chewing or call on people to turn people in to the cops. That don't make it right. Now, we all have different ideas of what forms of struggle best serve the highest interest of the people.

Some people are pacifists. They would claim that only sitting down and letting the police beat your ass is the form of protest people should engage in. There are, however, many people --alot from poor and oppressed nationalities--that get their asses beat by the police on a regular basis and have no interests in letting them do it for free. Alot of people see the necessity and the righteousness of fighting back against the police or migra or anyone else who would try to abuse them with the racist brutaltiy of the state.

I happen to think that if you don't support the peoples right to engage in revolutionary violence then you can't possibly support the people being free ultimately. Doesn't mean you're not good intentioned. Just means that you haven't confronted what it is really going to take for people to liberate themselves and what the nature is of the beast we are up againt.

It is in the best interest of the peoples struggle that we have the majority of people out together standing up against this madness. This means the pacifist along side the brother or sister who believe in fighting back; The democrats out there with the commies; Black block with the mechistas. It is bad for the movement for people to try and divide us up from each other or stifle voice or initiative of each other.

Does this mean that we can't engage in political struggle about what is needed or most useful or can make the most powerful statement in a given -- no, it does not. We must engage in struggle. But when all is said and done we have support and defend both the people who sat down and the people who threw the rocks.

Yes, we should point the finger. BUT keep it pointed squarely at the enemy. Not each other.

"Know your enemy. Know your friends. And you will win a thousand battles."

Mao Tse Tung