On the 12th of July, protests were held all over the US for the Tampa 5, who were beaten, arrested, and charged w felonies for a peaceful protest at the University of S Florida on March 6. One of these protests was directly outside the courthouse, and the defendents spoke to the rally before going inside for what sounded like a status hearing.
The original incident was a brutal police response to a peaceful protest inside the University of S Florida President’s office. Despite many videos of the police brutality, prosecutors attempted to offer a plea bargain where the victims of the brutality would be expected to “apologize” to their uniformed assailants. All of them refused the “deal.” In response, additional felony charges were laid on, increasing maximum theoretical prison time for some of the defendents to 20 years.
The Tampa 4 case, the Florida 4 case, and the Tallahassee Occupy warrants are all trial runs for wholesale repression of all peaceful protest in Florida-and nationwide. DeSantis is a Fascist, and this is what Fascists do. Only thing is, if protest is outlawed, only outlaws can protest.
Extinction Rebellion DC challenged Washington Gas to a joust over the future of their $5B “project pipes” in Banneker Park on the 7th of July. Washington Gas was a no-show, so contestants best described as the Green Knight vs the Gas Knight (stand-in for Washington Gas) jousted against targets for the win. Washington Gas’s stand-in just could not hit their climate targets.
The gas pipelines in the DC area owned Washington Gas have been rusting out for decades and are leaking like sieves. Washington Gas is a for-profit corporation with deep pockets, yet they have declined to pay for fixing their polluting, leaky pipes themselves. Instead they have gone to the DC Council, demanding a $5 BILLION subsidy to replace the pipes at taxpayer expense while they keep raking in profits.
If an Uber driver’s car could not pass emissions due to a failed catalytic converter(about $1,500 for a good one), the DC Council would not buy them a replacement! They would have to buy their own catalytic converter, pay for a “low emissions tuneup” at every emissions test, or scrap the car. As it is for the Uber driver, so it should be for Washington Gas. If they cannot pay for the pipes, they can shut down, and the DC Council can either take over the pipes as a not for profit public utility or spend the $5 billion on replacing everyone’s gas furnaces with heat pumps and gas stoves with induction stoves. The latter has the advantage of making ready for future renewables.
Note that heat pumps and induction stoves make far better use of energy than a straight flame does. A heat pump can move several times the heat required to make the energy to drive it (near 300% equivalent efficiency), and an induction stove heats ONLY the pan. To boil water with gas at induction stove efficiency is possible, but would require a kettle with a network of many small tubes within and a fan to pull the flame into it, much like a locomotive style tank boiler. No such kettles are on the market.
Altas exec claims at home demo to have DROPPED Cop City, says “you guys are fucking nightmares!”THIS is how we win: we shall quarantine Cop City from all the rest of capitalism, and watch it dry up and blow away like an unwatered lawn in the Nevada desert
Atlas Technical Project Manager: “Atlas is no longer involved [in Cop City]…because you guys are fucking nightmares and you broke all of our fucking windows”
July 2nd- Dozens of protesters visited Atlas Technical Consultants’ homes demanding they drop the contract with the Atlanta Police Foundation’s Cop City project. Activists showed up with instruments, chants, and banners to the houses of Atlas employees in Minnesota. We marched down the street, knocked on the doors of the consultants—handing them a letter of demands— and canvassed their neighbors. We left sidewalk chalk art telling them to stop cop city and drop the contract. Two high-level Atlas consultants claimed Atlas was no longer funding Cop City; meaning they were either lying, or Atlas has not yet publicized that they’ve dropped the contract.Highlights of the house visits included:
– Atlas’s technical project manager claimed the firm was no longer in the project because of activism: “Atlas is no longer involved… because you guys are fucking nightmares and you broke all of our fucking windows” (For added context: back in January, someone smashed windows at Atlas’ offices in Minnesota.)
– One consultant’s husband got so angry he turned his back to us, squatted down, and mooned the whole street. Protesters and neighbors saw his pale suburban ass for several seconds.
– Atlas consultants themselves said they were against cop city and disliked cops.
– We had many kind, receptive neighbors engage in good conversation about Cop City with us. They all disliked the project. One neighbor even gave us a 6-pack of gatorade.
– One consultant pretended not to be home, but we saw her filming us through the window.
– One consultant pretended not to be home, but we saw her filming us through the window.You can recreate this action anywhere in the country! Go to https://www.stopcopcitysolidarity.org/ and find subcontractors like Atlas, insurers like Progressive, or bankrollers like Wells Fargo. Use Tor and a VPN (or even TAILS) to look employees up; either those already researched on this website, or find more on white pages. Gather a big group of comrades! Make signs and art! Print out letters for the targets and for the neighbors! Caravan around to their houses with silliness and rage.
If Atlas has indeed dropped the contract this marks a huge win for activists. Protest works, direct action works: stay in the streets!
With all the fireworks of hate coming from the Supreme Court, some protesters decided to show up at “Justice” Alito’s house. The usual cops were NOT present at Alito’s house, suggesting that they are present only when protesters are expected and this time around caught them by surprise.
Alito was a well-picked target, as in the leaked draft of the Dobbs decision Alito cited notorious 17th century jurist Matthew Hale. Matthew Hale is famous for having two women executed for witchcraft as well as originating the doctrine that rape was legal within marriage. This earned Hale’s follower Alito the “witchburner” name
Protesters showed up at Alito’s house on July 4, cops didn’t
Some major ass got kicked last night for Weelaunee Forest: Three corporate execs got paintwork at their HOMES. One of them (Keith Johnson of Brasfeld & Gorrie) got a side order of pool vandalism and a stench attack. Two more got side orders of slashed tires to go with that lovely paintwork
Like HLS, this doesn’t stop at the office anymore!
Good Morning Keith Johnson,How did you sleep last night? Did you rest well knowing you are responsible for destroying a beautiful, life-giving forest forest in order to build a death-bringing facility? Brasfield & Gorrie, the company for which you are the Eastern Regional President (bosses burn in hell), has already torn apart one of the last lines of defense against climate catastrophe and the largest green space in a Black neighborhood of Southeast Atlanta. You’ve decided to build a cop city that will produce brutal state violence. You’ve occupied sacred Mvskoke land and are working with the killers of Tortuguita in order to enable their repressive and murderous regime. B&G claims to live by the Golden Rule, and if we’re truly following this moral framework, what fate do you deserve?I imagine you woke up early this morning and made a cup of coffee. As you looked out the window, something unusual caught your eye. You opened the back door to investigate and the stench of rotten fish and dirty motor oil hit your nose. To your dismay, blood-red paint has been cast around the pool, dripping into the water and mixing with the oil concoction, destroying your fancy little filter. There is blood on your hands (and you won’t be able to wash it off with that nasty pool water). At this point, I imagine feelings of anger and fear began to rise, which grew overwhelming when you saw the words, “COP CITY WILL NEVER BE BUILT,” “DROP THE CONTRACT,” and “YOU CAN’T HIDE,” emblazoned across your property. But you didn’t need the words to know what this is about and these feelings are surely nothing new. We know things haven’t been feeling great in the office– you’re losing money, subcontractors are upset, there are fractures everywhere the cop city project, and all that weight and precarity is on your fragile shoulders. Each time you think of us or see the reminders we left you, remember this is your own doing. You can make all this stop by dropping the Cop City contract.There are a couple more surprises in store for you, but we don’t want to spoil them. Maybe it will be your daughter who sees the damage first instead, but we won’t feel bad. Mary Grace Johnson works for the same awful company that you do. Seems like rancid vibes run in the family.See you next time! P.S. To our beloved comrades– the fight is not lost. While we have not yet taken back Weelaunee People’s Park, the forest is with us. For every cowardly security detail shining their lights into the night, there are ten trees providing us with revolutionary darkness. Take to the shadows, no matter your experience. There’s a stinky prank hiding in the back of your mind and you just have to start sniffing
Fun with friends – House Visits! Vehicles vandalized!Posted on July 2, 2023 -On a recent night, 2 groups of friends were feeling a little bored and decided to go on a fun little excursion. One group visited to home of LS3P senior architect Anthony Kenny at 235 Lake Drive in Norcross GA. Another group visited the home of Ambrish Baisiwala, who is on the APF board of trustees and works for Portman Holdings, at 683 Cumberland road NE in Atlanta. Messages were left in paint, tires were slashed. It was a joyful occassion all around. Thank you to the kind people who provided the names and addresses that facilitated this night of fun, particularly the free & rowdy Party. There are many more names and addresses of people making cop city happen that could be the locations of future fun nights for you and your friends if your looking for something to do!-DTF party planning committeeSubmitted Anonymously Over Email
On the 2nd of July, a massive crowd gathered in Ft Lauderdale, FL to march against FL Governor DeSantis’s vile and hateful new laws that went into effect the previous day.
Thoughout the entire event, there was no sign of the “Vice City Proud Boys, known for protesting similar events in the past. Possibly they are too busy fighting each other after the Oregon City battle between Proud Boys and other Nazis? The only visisble right-wingers were three Second Amendment activists who were unable to start a fight because too many agreed with them on that issue. they had T-shirts, one flag, and two camera people. Gun controllers say “assault weapons are for war” and millions fear needing them for exactly that with the brewing genocide first of trans people, then the rest of the LGBTQ+ community.
Drenching rains opened up just before the start of the march, but very few people left. Rain or shine the march went on, as DeSantis is drenching the state in hate and religious bigotry and extremism.
If this evil man becomes President of the US, he will do all he can to “Florida your New York, your California, your DC etc! The violent and genocidal anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-migrant legislation will then be presented to a probable GOP Congress and if it passes the whole so-called United States will be plunged into religious conflict and hate.
Three police vehiclesvandalized, and several police motorcycles were set on fire overnight.Officers were dispatched around 1 a.m. to 890 Memorial Drive regarding damage to vehicles.Upon arrival, they discovered three APD vehicles with broken windows. The Path Force Unit is located at that address.Atlanta Fire and Rescue responded to a multi-vehicle fire inside a parking deck at 180 Southside Industrial Parkway around 2:20 a.m.Several motorcycles were set on fire inside a parking deck near the Atlanta Police Training Academy on Southside Industrial Parkway.
Found On Mainstream MediaPosted in NewsTagged direct action, police, sabotage
July 1 was the day all the vile and hateful legislation rammed through Tallahasse by FL Gov DeSantis took effect. On that day, “Freedom for all” marches were held in cities throughout Florida. One of these was in St Petersburg FL.
Key chant “We will not be silent-Stonewall was a riot!”
This protest was also against the corporatization of Pride. One speaker reported seeing many corporate “sponsors” in St Petersburg Pride who also donated millions to the politicians responsibe for the current wave of genocidal legislation.
On the 29th of June, Weelaunee Forest’s defenders showed up at a speech given by Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens at a firehouse. As protesters chanted and peppered the Mayor with questions, he abandoned his speech, cutting it sort.
In possible deference to this being at a firehouse, “if we don’t get it burn it down” was reverted to the older “if we don’t get it shut it down.”
This is similar to Climate Defiance actions in DC and elsewhere that have forced much of the Biden cabinet to flee or cancel public appearances, in one case hiding behind a row of garbage trucks
Protest and direct action against capitalism, imperialism, and fascism
