Monday, January 19, 2009

The Co-opting of Oakland


"...self-appointed political leaders. When confronted with mass rebellion, such leaders will immediately use the threat of violence as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the oppressors, promising to pacify the masses if reforms are made."

Oakland resident, George Ciccariello-Maher, has written an EXCELLENT piece on the riots that followed Oscar Grant's murder by BART Police and how they affected the whole situation.

Ciccariello-Maher carefully points out how it was the street-level resistance that led the state to act.
It was the newly formed liberal running dogs of Coalition Against Police Executions (CAPE) that have continuously attempted to hijack the anger and momentum and turn the powers/police against those who correctly articulate the anger and frustration against Police violence and murder!

They use the "anarchist" and "outside agitators" lines to attempt to divide the movement.
"Where did the "outside agitator" sound byte, with all its paternalistic and racist implications, come from in the first place? As one might suspect, it was the police who first deployed it, the media who followed, and the unwitting organizers who followed."

CAPE has tried to turn opinion against those who have articulated and furthered the rebellion. CAPE act like the pigs.
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I often criticize anarchists who seem to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy cursing socialists or "Leftists" and enjoy drawing distinctions between themselves and whatever other radicalism they encounter.
I am not saying that insert-type-of-anarchy-here shouldn't act accordingly and let distinctions be drawn. I just usually don't think the radical left (or post-left, if you like) in this country is anywhere near where this hairsplitting is relevant or productive.

However!.. Here is a great example where anarchist insurrection joined perfectly with non-anarchist youth to produce a viable answer to the violence of the state, liberals/progressives have sought to steal the momentum for their own gain, and we must meet it with criticism and confrontation.

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"I see a lot of warriors out there," he said, "and I just want to ask you to make sure that the babies and the children get home safely tonight."

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