Suggested Citation: Allen, Garth, Et Al. ALARM No. 6 (March 1993)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Suggested citation: Allen, Garth, et al. ALARM no. 6 (March 1993). Republished by the Environment & Society Portal, Multimedia Library. http://www.environmentandsociety.org/node/7099 The original publication carries an anticopyright and antiprofit statement. The Rachel Carson Center's Environment & Society Portal makes archival materials openly accessible for purposes of research and education. Views expressed in these materials do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Rachel Carson Center or its partners. a voice of northeast earth first! IN THIS ISSUE: Police Violence Against Activists, Sabotage, Direct Action, Indigenous Issues, and articles on Land, Air and Water Abuse. CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE Garth Allen, autonome forum, Billi Barker, Lisa Brooks, Biodiversity Liberation Front, Andy Cantsin, G.L. Doebler, Eastern Predator Project, . Fiery Viruses, Heather Fraser, Helkat, Orin Langelle, Micha de Linda, Marko & Ms. Chyph, Don Ogden, Gwen Parker, Anne Petermann, Regroupement de Solidarite Avec les Autochtones, Roadblocks, Bart Semcer, Spider Web Action Team (SWAT), and George Washington. page 2 The Alarm History of the Alarm by G.L. Doebler The history of the first Alarm is insepara- was really a collective one involving the efforts What' s in a name? When it comes to ble from the biography of its editor, Albert R. of Albert's wife, Lucy Parsons, and many of journals of social change, names mean a lot. It Parsons, and history of the Haymarket Affair, the other 150 members of the American Group has long been common practice for social revo an event that defined the shape and substance of the JWPA, including Lizz ie Holmes, lutionaries to invoke powerful symbols in nam of American anarchism and inspired an entire William Holmes, Sam Fielden, and several of ing their journalistic vehicles. Freedom, generation of radicals to pursue their activist the other Haymarket martyrs. Originally Firebrand, Liberty, Lucifer, Mother Earth, careers by demonstrating to the world the sham puplished as a weekly, The Alarm experienced Blast.. The vivid names of those publications of American justice. On May 4, 1886, a bomb constant financial problems which reduced its reflected the ideals and aims of the radicals was thrown by an unknown person into the appearance to every other week. Making a who created them. They were intended to rally ranks of a column of Chicago police who were virtue of necessity, however, the Alarmists to the faithful, rouse the curiosity and interest attempting to stop a peaceful meeting near the refashioned the publication as a co-operative, of the oppressed, and ring out in defiance of the Haymarket Square. The meeting had been The Alarm Press Club, selling s hares and oppressors. called by members of the Chicago branch of spawning support groups around the nation. the International Working Peoples Party They also organized lecture tours and special THE ALARM. (IWPA)-the anarchist international-to event fundraisers that brought supporters closer protest a brutal police attack on workers from together and ~elped spread th e word about the McCormick factory who were on strik<l- for anarchism. Picnics, dances, games and oth er the eight-hour day· as part of(!_national general= . diversions helped keep The Alarm alive-and strike for the eigh1-hour day-that had been initi- helped build a movement. ated on May 1st. The ex pJ 0sion killed one The- pages of The Alarm were filled with policeman instantly. More were killed-along lively articles, contenti ous debates, and reports with sco res of workers a nd innocent from radicals around th e country. The topics bystanders-by th eir own cop-brothers when covered were quite contemporary fro m our the potice panicked and opened fire indiscrimi - vantage point and incl uded the ongoing debate nantl y in response to the blast. between anarchi sm and sociali sm, gender Eight Chicago anarchists, including Albert issues and sexual politics, the plight of the The act of warning and the condition of Parsons, were subsequently tri ed for conspiracy Native Americans, and direct action tactics fo r imminent danger have been referenced as sym and murder; and though the actu al bomber was the street and workplace. Minutes of anarchist bols by revolutionaries for centuries. From the never identified and none of the defend ants group meetings, radical news from overseas, ringing of the tocsin in Pari s in 1789 to the could be shown to be involved in the throwing reports of strikes and demonstration , protests sounding of the bell on the commons of Kent of the bomb, a biased judge and prej udiced against the outrages of authority, anarchist sto- State University in 1970, alarms have been jury, on the basis of perjured testimony, found ries and fables, a nd political analysis and used to gather people together to stand against them guilty. Four, including Parsons, were debate: all these made th e columns of th e Th e the common e nemy. Alexander He rzen 's executed on November 11, 1887; one commit- Alarm come alive with vitality and a rebellious famous newspaper Kolokol (the Bell), awak ted suicide before his sched uled execution; and spirit. Appeals for funds, needless to say, punc- ened the sleeping Russian giant to revolution. three were given lengthy prison terms. These (continued on page 21) And on October 4, 1884, the anarchists of men became international martyrs for anar ABOUT THE COVER... Chicago published the first issue of The Alarm, chism, and their farcical trial and judicial mur a journal which, they believed, would arouse ders became known as one of th e greatest This photo was taken during a the American working class to action against injustices in American history. blockade at Mount Blue State Park in untrammeled capitalism. The extreme vengeance th e authorities Maine, late in February. Pictured is a I was quite pleased to learn that the folks directed towards th ese anarchists was a conse protester being carried away (toward the who publish this journal decided to reclaim a quence of the ruling class' fear of the growing guest accomodations provided) by the part of our hi story by calling it the ALARM. revolutionary movement they were building, authorities. In the first set of arrests~· · all This choice of name reflects a concious deci and Th e Alarm, the newspaper of the English 13 activists non-cooperated with the sion of the radicals of today to identify with the speaking section of the North American IWPA, state during their two day stay at Club radicals who came before them. Since the rul figured prominently in the nightmares of the Maine Med and were treated just like it ing class survives, not only because it accentu rich. Th e Alarm appeared from 1884 to 1889, ates differences based on race, nationality, gen with a brief hiatis in 1886 when its offices were doesn 't say in the travel brochures. The der and religion, but also because it divides one raided in the aftermath of the Haymarket bomb, blockade continued, and the following generation from the next, robbing us of our his and again in 1915 and 1916. (at one time, weekend 21 non-violent demonstrators tory and therefore our identity, it is an act of Italian-American anarchists took up the flag, were arrested. See page 4 for the liberation to maintain the thread of conscious printing a journal entitled L 'Allarme.) Albert details. The resistance continues ... ness that connects us with kindred spirits of the Parsons, blacklisted from the regular printing Photo: Portland Free Press (from inde past. trades for his involvement in the Great Strike pendent activist video) of 1887, served as editior; but the endeavor One of Webster's definitions of alarm is "a mechanism that warns of danger, arouses from sleep, etc." With the ALARM we hope to arouse the human species from mental hibern ation. With awakening, hopefully empowerment will follow to prevent the further desecration of Gaia. The ALARM intends to be a revolutionary ecological news quarterly published by Earth First! groups in the northeast region. The ALARM is part of the international direct acti on movement that takes a no compromise stance in defense of Mother Earth. Responsibility in this publication rests with the individual authors and correspondents. The contents do not neces· sarily represent the viewpoints of this publication, the EF! movement, local EF! groups or individual EF!ers. Although the ALARM does not accept the authority of the hierarchal and patri archal state, nothing herein is intended to run anyone associated with the ALARM afoul of any government's police power. Please send correspondence to: ALARM POB 804 Burlington, vr 05402(802)658-2403 @nticopyright @ntiprofit The ALARM is printed on recycled paper. The Alarm page fr: The Action Page M@YD@Y! M@YD@Y! CARMAGEDDON An international call is always issued An international day of outrage is to those who feel the employing class and scheduled for May15th, against the infer the working class have nothing in com nal combustion monster. Northeast gas mon. Meet Saturday morning, Mayday, guzzlers have nothing to fear on that day at th e Onion River Food Coop in as all EF! activists will have crawled to Burlington, VT, @ 10 am for a "LET the Northeast Rendezvous scheduled to be THEM EAT CHAOS" celebration. Bring going on at that time. But have no fear, noisemakers and blow the whistle on we in the northeast will strike on the 17th. those who attempt to control us as we Coming soon to a location near you. frolic through the streets of this supposed ly enlightened burg(er). Yes, class war EF! Northeast Rendezvous has found a new home for th e rich! Contact the ALARM if you must.