Occupy Everything: Anarchists in the Occupy Movement 2009-2011 " Occupy Everything: Anarchists in the Occupy Movement LBC Books 2012 licensed under creative commons reative ommons edited by , -•*>. - LBC Books works with motivated and engaged writ- Aragorn! ers and editors who are doing interesting projects (usually anarchist but not exclusively), to help them publish their material. For more information, please visit LBCBooks.com/copyright This book is set in Gentium'Basic, Gill Sans MT, Gill Sans MT Light and Segoe Script • ISBN 978-1-62049-000-6 ,1 y acknowledgements Table of Contents Introduction History . -ny contexts whX From Tsarist Russia to Zuccotti Park: :ake apart everything the'Paradox of Anarchism by Thai Jones 2 Squatting in the Beginning byADILKNO 5 Occupy has been as energizing of a moment for anarchists in North Amer- We are the Crisis by anonymous 9 ica as we have had since the events in Quebec City in 2001 and Seattle The Characteristics of the Occupation by anon 22 in !999.This bo'ok is about this moment in the context of past anarchist Resolution, by Public Assembly of Syntagma 38 occupations and of future anarchist actions. It is an expression of anarchist hope, anger; and energy, Ideas as Origins-Theory This book would not have been possible without the great effort ofmany people, This includes the named and unnamed authors in this book and Autonomous Organization and Anarchist Intervention Ariel Attack, Alejandro De Acosta, Gold Tooth, Lawrence Jarach, Sam K, by Wolfi Landsireicher 41 Kathyrn, Brandon Long, MHrh.Tim Simons, the STL crew, the NC posse .for Occupy Wall Street's Anarchist Roots by David Graeber 52 showing me a time, SC'Team Oocupy",The Oakland Commune for making me believe, Zoe from Denver; and the Phoenix Class War Council for being Reclaim the Cities by Cindy Milsiein • 57 the coolest class essentialists around. Occupied with Class by Phoenix Insurgent 66 Special thanks to the authors of Occupied with Class (Phoenix Insurgent), Locations theAntistatestl articles (anonymous), various For the Rupture of Reality (R.R), Occupying Terminology, Decolonizing Assumptions (Dot Matrix), i. Chicago - Open Letter to Occupy Chicago and by some potential friends/enemies ' '' 77 I'm Tired ofThis Shit (anonymous), ii, Portland-An Anarchist Account whose pieces were written (and re-written) for this book. by A Former Occupier ' 79 iii. Southern Ontario -Why are Anarchists Involved by Some Southern Ontario Anarchists 85 iv.Vancouver- Occupation is a Fuckin' Freak Show & notes for We, Antagonists by d. 85 v. Chapel Hill -This Building is Ours by anonymous 89 vi. Santa Cruz - 75 Hours In by anonymous 91 Philadelphia i.WhoThrewthe Can of Green Paint by Ben Webster 97 ii. We are Anarchist? by anonymous 98 iii. We are Our Own Demand by Cindy Milstein 106 Denver Violence and the Police i. #occupywallstreet Begets by Ignite! Collective 12 Seven Myths about the Police ii, Eyewitness Testimony by anonymous 13 b/Crimeth/nc '190 . ill. Denver ABC Statement on Occupy Denver 15 } Next Steps (-Strategy) St Louis The Other Way to Occupy Denver i, Introduction by anonymous 119 by igloosRforever . 196 ii, Are We an Occupation or Just a Gathering A Somewhat Belated Intro Communique by anonymous 120 by The Turritopsis Nutricula Collective 197 III, N17 fay anonymous 123 Occupy Wall Street Act 2 by. Peter Lamfaorn Wilson 200 Occupy Boston's Anarchist Alliance Calls for .: Seattle Neighborhood-Based General Assemblies by anon 203 i.The Port Shutdown'was aWild Success! Occupy Wall Street's Next Steps byjohnjocobsen • 204 by anonymous . 130 ii. Capital Hell Commune fay anonymous 131 Criticisms ill. Becoming Uncontrollable: an Anarchist Reflection Lost in the Fog by Lost Children's School of Cartography 210 on Occupy Seattle fay anonymous 133 A Debate on Occupation and the 99% fay Cresencia DesofTo .& RR.fonon) 227 Oakland Occupation, the OtherWord for Work i. Open Letter to the Anarchists of Occupy Oakland fay Wylden Freeborne 235 ..byTEOAN . -.140 On the Recent #occupations: a communique ii. #occupyoakland: One Week Strong from WATCH. 238 by Autonomous Individuals 142 OccupyingTerminology by Dot Matrix . 245 iii. Dear Occupy Oakland fay ingirum 148 I'm Tired ofThis Shit by anonymous 246 iv. Letter from an Anonymous Friend after the Attack by anonymous ' 149 Appendix Thank You Anarchists fay Nathan Schneider 256 Oakland General Strike/Port blockade a, Statement on the Occupation'of 520 16th St fay Some Friends of Occupy Oakland 152 b, Blockading the Port is Only the First of Many Last Resorts by Sqdety of Enemies 154 c.The Anti-Capitalist March and the Black Bloc by member of Bay of Rage 161 d. Oakland's Third Attempt at a General Strike by Hieronymous 170 ADILKNO. "Squatting in the Beginning." of Many Last Resorts by Society of Enemies" David Graeben"OccupyWall Street's Anar- Nathan Schneider: "Thank You Anarchists" Cracking the Movement NewYorkAutono- Bay of Rage, http://www.bayofrage,com/from- chist Roots"Aljazeera 30 November2011. The Nation, media, 1994 the-bay/blockading-the-port-is-only-the-first- http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opin- http://www.thenation.com/article/165240/ , of-many-last-resorts/ ion/201'l/l 1/2011112872835904508.html thank-you-anarchists Anon. "We are the Crisis." After the Fall Communiques, Anon. "Statement on the Occupation of Hieronymous.."Oakland'sThird Attempt at a TEOAN,"Open Letter to the Anarchists of http://afterthefallcommuniques,info/!p=47 520 16th St by Some Friends of Occupy General Strike" Libcorn. Occupy Oakland" Applied Nonexistence, Oakland" Indybay, http://libcom.org/news/oakland%E2%80%99s- http://appliednonexistence.org/?p=212 Anon.'The Characteristics of the Occupa- http://www.indybay.org/newsiterjns/20-l I third-attempt-generaI-strike-13112011 tion," Crimethinc, http://www.crimethinc, /I l/03/l86970l8.php?show__comments=:| Various. "Resolution by Public Assembly of com/texts/recentfeatures/barc,php#b igloosRforever.'The Other Way to Occupy Syntagma" Occupied London Anon. "Letter from an Anonymous Friend Denver" Colorado Indymedia. http://www.occupiedlondon.org/ Anon. "Open Letter to Occupy Chicago by after the Attack." Bay of Rage. http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/8333 blog/201 l/06/03/609-resolution-by-the- some potential friends/enemies" Anarchist http://www.bayofrage.com/from-the-bay/ popular-assembly-of-svntagma-square-2nd- News, http://anarchistnews.org/node/15459 letter-from-an-anonymous-friend-after-the- ingirum."Dear Occupy Oakland" Occupy june-2011/ attack-on-the-oakland-commune/ Oakland. https://occupyoakland.org/2011/10/ Anon. "An Anarchist Account by A Former dear-occupy-oakland-a-Ietter-on-strategy/ Various. "We are Anarchists'" Rad Occupy Occupier" Anarchist News, http^/anarchist- Anon. "#occupyoakland: One Week Strong by Philly blog. news.org/node/16607 Autonomous Individuals" Bay of Rage, Ignitel Collective."#OccupyWallStreet Begets https-y/radoccupyphilly.wordpress.com/we- http'//www,bayofrage.com/from-the-bay/ #OccupyDenver" Ignitel Denver blog. are-anarchists/ Anon. "Why are Anarchists Involved by Some occupyoakland-one-week-strong-at-oscar- https://ign itedenver.wordpress.com/ Southern Ontario Anarchists" Get to the grant-plaza/ Various. "A Debate on Occupation and the Roots blog. https://gettother6ots.wordpress. John Jacobsen. "Occupy Wall Street's Next •99%" The Sovereign Serf #2-3.TacomaWA com/2011 /10/26/why-are-anarchists- Anon, "Capital Hell Commune'Tides of Flame Steps"TheTrial by Fire blog. involved-in-the-occupy-movement/ blog, https://tidesofflame,wordpress.com/ http://thetrialbyfire.org/201 I/I l/29/occupy- Various. "Occupy Boston's Anarchist Alliance wall-streets-next-steps-part-1/ Calls for Neighborhood-Based General As-. Anon. "This Building is Ours"triAnarchy blog, Anon.'The Port Shutdown was a semblies"The Phoenix blog. http://anok.me/o https://trianarchy.wordpress.com/20l I/I I/I3/ Wild Successf'Tides of Flame blog Thai Jones. "From Tsarist Russia to Zuccotti this-building-is-ours-chapel-hill-anarchists- https^/tidesofflame.wordpress.com/ Park: the'Paradox of Anarchism". The Jewish Various. "Are We an Occupation or Just a occupy-downtown-building/ Daily Forward 2 December 2011. Gathering" Antistate STL blog, Crimethinc. "Violence and the Police Seven http://forward.com/articles/I47124/!p= I https://antistatestl,wordpress.com/ Anon. "75 Hours in #75River" Serf City Myths About the Police" Crimethinc. blog. Revolt blog, httpy/surfcrtyrevotblogspot • http://www.crimethinc.com/texts/ Wolfi Landstreicher. "Autonomous Orga- Various. "A Somewhat Belated Intro Com- com/2011 /12/7S-hours-in-75rivenhtml atoz/fuckpolice.php nization and Anarchist Intervention'The munique byTheTurrrtopsis Nutricula Collec- Anarchist Library. tive" Puget Sound Anarchists, Anon. "EyewitnessTestimony from Police . D, "Occupation is a Fuckin' Freak Show & http://theanarcriistlibrary.org/HTML/ http://pugetsoundanarchists.org/node/! 153 Aggression in Denven" Ignitel Denver https:// notes forWe.Antagonists" Anonymous Autonomous_Self-Organiza- ignitedenvenwordpress.com/ Moment of Insurrection blog. tion_and_Anarchist_lntervention_j'\_Ten- W.A.TC.H."On the Recent #occupations" https://momentofinsurrection.wordpres5.com/ sion_in_Practice.html bmorewomentrans blog. Anon.Tost in the Fog by Lost Children's occupation-is-fucking-freak-show-all-power- https://sites.google.com/site/bmorewomen- School of Cartography"Occupied London. to-the-freaks-and-notes-for-we-antagonists/ Cindy Milstein."Reclaim the Ctties'The trans/communique http://www.occupiedlondon.org/ Anarchist Library. blog/201 l/12/03/bst-in-the-fog-dead-ends- Denver ABC. "Statement on Occupy Denver" http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/Cindy_ Ben Websten "Who Threw the Can of Green and-potentials-of-the-occupy-movement/ Denver ABC blog. Milstein Reclaim_the_Cities From_Pro- Paint" Viewpoint Magazine. https://denverabc.wordpress.com/2011 /12/09/ test_to_Popular_Power.html http://viewpointmag.com/who-threw-the- Andn. "The Anti-Capitalist March and the denver-abc-statement-on-occupy-denver/ can-of-green-paint/ Black Bloc" Bay of Rage. Cindy Milstein. "We are Our Own Demand" http://www.bayofrage.com/from-the-bay/the- Wylden Freeborne, "Occupation, the Other Outside the Circle Peter Lamborn Wilson.