[Fwd] Seattle Police Department raids apartment for "anarchist" reading materials (fwd)

[J.A. Terranson]

-----Original Message-----
From: carol isaac [mailto:carolannisaac at msn.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 8:05 AM
Subject: 

 

Yesterday the Seattle Police Department's SWAT team, rammed open an 
apartment door in the CD at 5:45 a.m., threw in two flash grenades which 
woke up the neighborhood and the four residents of the apartment, and with 
assault rifles served a warrant for some articles of clothing and 
"anarchist" reading materials.  The took a few articles of clothing like a 
sweater, blue cap, bandana, and some reading material and left.  No 
charges, no arrests.  They said it was related to May 1st.  This was a 
raid that violates the ethical and moral standards of the community.  See 
the Stranger's blog for more details.  There was a demonstration against 
this behavior last night, and there is a larger one planned for this 
Friday at 7:00 p.m.  The rally began at Westlake last night, and most 
likely will begin there this Friday also.

I am passing this timely information along below.  Please feel free to do 
the same...

A Seattle activist is in Minneapolis and has advice from two of the RNC 8 
who were arrested & charged with conspiracy around the anti-RNC plans in 
2008.

One of them has extensive experience with community-oriented support 
campaigns for people facing grand juries & criminal cases for political 
stuff and was heavily involved Cece MacDonald's case.  The following you 
may already know or may be helpful.

With regards to security it was advised that sometimes people can do more 
harm than good by not sharing essential info with their community when the 
police already have access to that anyway.  In particular it was advised 
all this information can be sent over email.

It is suggested getting lawyers, but stresses that it's important to keep 
folks involved so that lawyers can't control the situation.

This is now an opportunity to lay groundwork for a defense campaign for 
the possibility someone is arrested or charged.  In particular we can use 
this as an opportunity to start doing know-your-rights trainings, 
including some specific to grand juries.


Also, we have time to plan in a way that allows us to have more control 
over the public narrative in that case.

On that note, it's important to not isolate ourselves and seek/appreciate 
support wherever it's available, but to also do as much as possible to 
control the narrative of any support campaign, i.e., to counter narratives 
of innocent vs. guilty or "they were just exercising their first amendment 
rights" stuff.
  
As an example, we should not present ourselves as "just peace activists" 
if we are in fact revolutionaries.  Revolutionaries can lose support from 
liberals and progressives if we're not straighforward about our politics. 
Don't water down the type of organizing and political work that you're 
doing.  Liberals should support radicals and revolutionaries because 
anyone involved in organizing deserves support when the cops/feds come 
after them. It shouldn't be based on claims that the work they're doing is 
compatible with capitalist democracy if that's not actually the case.  
Don't say anything to the media or community that can't stand up in court.

Grand Juries: it's essential to have an across-the-board policy of 
non-cooperation with grand juries: Refuse to answer ANY of their 
questions. Some people think they can outsmart grand juries, but they are 
fishing expeditions and even minor-seeming information can help them.  
There have been cases where every single person refused to testify.  As a 
result no one was found in contempt of court for not answering questions.

Preferred website with lots of useful grand jury info.  Kris Hermes, who 
runs it.  <http://grandjuryresistance.org/> 
http://grandjuryresistance.org/

We should publicly announce this site whenever the feds talk to someone or 
approach us at all.  If the feds aren't seeking media attention a la "perp 
walks" then that means they don't want it; it's better to draw 
community/media attention so that people don't feel isolated if/when it 
happens to them.


Media work is really important, again to get as wide of support as 
possible.


Links to more info:


With degrees of variation, pretty much everyone who does various legal
support training (know your rights etc.) across the country uses ordraws
heavily from midnight special material:   <http://www.midnightspecial.net/>
http://www.midnightspecial.net/

This is the last version of a Minneapolis zine; some of it is outdated or
specific to mpls, but a lot of it continues to be relevant:
<http://zinelibrary.info/files/eartwarrior.pdf>
http://zinelibrary.info/files/eartwarrior.pdf

Commonly used zine:
<http://conspiracytour.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/ccr_if_an_agent_knocks.pd
f>
http://conspiracytour.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/ccr_if_an_agent_knocks.pdf

Good general security culture zine:
<http://zinelibrary.info/files/zine-what_is_security_culture.pdf>
http://zinelibrary.info/files/zine-what_is_security_culture.pdf

You may not agree with the overall analysis, but it is useful nevertheless:
<http://zinelibrary.info/files/ageofconspiracyPRINT.pdf>
http://zinelibrary.info/files/ageofconspiracyPRINT.pdf

Sign at last night's demo:  "First they came for the hoodies, ..."  (BTW, an
irony:  The four people in the Seattle apartment do not identify as
anarchists.)


Solidarity,

Carol

-------------------------------

//Alif

--
Those who make peaceful change impossible,
make violent revolution inevitable.

An American Spring is coming:
   one way or another.