“It Did Happen Here” with Mic Crenshaw and Moe Bowstern

“It Did Happen Here” with Mic Crenshaw and Moe Bowstern

"TFSR, 4-30-23, Mic Crenshaw + Moe Bowstern" and the book cover of It Did Happen Here: An Anti-Fascist Peoples History featuring 3 bars descending to the right and a grainy photo of anti-racist protestors yelling at or beyond police
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This week, we’re sharing an interview with 2 contributors an amazing history of anti-racist organizing in the late 1980’s through the mid 1990’s in Portland, Oregon, and with ripples across the so-called USA & beyond. In 2020 KBOO radio released a serialized podcast which became the basis for the book.

It Did Happen Here:

Mic Crenshaw:

Moe Bowstern

People Mic mentioned who were attacked for being white anti-racists in Pdx:

Mic Crenshaw was born and raised in Chicago and Minneapolis and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Crenshaw is an independent hip hop artist, respected emcee, poet, educator, and activist. Crenshaw is the lead US organizer for the Afrikan Hiphop Caravan and uses cultural activism as a means to develop international solidarity related to human rights and justice through hip hop and popular education. Crenshaw was a founding member of the Minneapolis Baldies and Anti Racist Action. He was a coproducer and narrator of the podcast version of It Did Happen Here. Moe Bowstern is a alum of the anarchist space in Chiacgo known as the @-zone that lasted from 1993 to 2003. She’s also a writer, laborer, Fisher Poet, and DIY social practice artist. Moe is the longtime editor of many publications, including the commercial fishing zine Xtra Tuf. She contributed to the writing of the book version of It Did Happen Here and lives in Portland, OR.

For the hour, we talk about the book and podcast, the reach, the resonance to anti-racist struggle today in Portland and beyond. We also talk about the toll of the violence faced and engaged by folks pushing back the organized white supremacy of the day, police and institutional violence and other, related topics. If you would like people featured in this book to come and speak at your institution, you can reach them at ItDidHappenHerePodcast at gmail dot com, through PM Press, or via the IDHH instagram.

This book was published by PM Press as a part of the Working Class History series. Another featured title in that series that was recently released was a similar documentary history with a really good narrative on the history of Anti-Racist Action in the 1990’s and early 2000’s throughout the midwest of Turtle Island, both in so-called Canada and the USA, and bits of other areas. Hopefully we’ll feature a chat with one of the contributors to that book entitled We Go Where They Go: The Story of Anti-Racist Action soon on this show.

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Facing 12 Years in Florida Abortion Graffiti + Anti-Fascist March in Bulgaria

South Florida Anti-Repression Committee

This week, we’re sharing two portions.

"12 YEARS FOR GRAFFITI? These Queer Pro-Choice Activists Needs Your Support! Donate to their legal defense at https://bit.ly/freeourfighters" Pictured are cartoons of a tan masculine-appearing person with shaved head and short beard alongside a brown skinned feminine-appearing person with glasses, a face piercings, long hair and lipstick
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First up, a chat with two members of the South Florida Anti-Repression Committee doing solidarity for the 4 queer activists facing up to 12 years in Federal prison on charges related to graffiti at a Pregnancy Crisis Center, aka a building funded by church and state to dissuade people from getting abortions. The Department of Justice is charging them under the FACE Act, a criminal law passed in the 1990’s to stop threats, violence and blockades against health clinics that offered like abortions, screenings, contraception and other services under attack by religious extremists in the USA. There are also Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, known also as a SLAPP suits being brought by a Miami-based Christian anti-abortion Crisis Pregnancy Center called Heartbeat of Miami as well as the state of Florida against the accused apparently intended to have a chilling effect and minimize their ability to defend themselves against the Federal indictments.

Oso and Hunter of SFLARC talk about the arrests, about the defendants and the rising tide of gender fascism and war on bodily autonomy in DeSantis’ Florida and around the country.

Anti-Fascist March in Bulgaria

Following this, we’re sharing audio from the February 2023 episode of Bad News, a monthly English-language podcast from the A-Radio Network. In this segment, you’ll hear comrades from Črna luknja show on Radio Študent speakin with an activist in Sofia, Bulgaria about the antifascist mobilization known as Anti-lukovmarsh, which will take place on 25th February under the slogan “No Nazis On Our Streets” – This is a manifestation against one of the biggest international neo-nazi gatherings (Lukov March). You can find more info at: http://antifa-bulgaria.org.

Announcements

Support Parole for Sundiata Jawanza

Political prisoner and activist Sundiata Jawanza in South Carolina has an upcoming parole and is looking for support. You can learn more about his case at https://www.sundiatajawanza.com/

Alfredo Cospito Ends Hunger Strike

As you’ll hear in Sean Swain’s segment, Alfredo Cospito continues to languish in 41bis close custody. After Sean recorded this segment, Alfredo ended his hunger strike of roughly 5 months. You can learn more at AbolitionMediaWorldwide. You can hear our interview last year on the conditions of 41bis with anarchists in Italy here: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2022/10/30/solidarity-with-prisoner-resistance-from-alabama-to-italy/

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Featured Tracks:

  • Gentleman by Fela Kuti from Gentleman
  • Yes All Cops by Worriers from Imaginary Life

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Views On Recent French Protests

Views On Recent French Protests

"Views on Recent French Protests | TFSR, 4-16-23" featuring a photo of protests in France featuring a sign reading in French "No to Macron's Pension!"
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Here’s a chat we just had with 4 radicals in France. Rather than introduce them, I’ll let them do that themselves. We talk about the recent protests and riots in France concerning reforms to the pension system that would push back the age of retirement and increase the amount of years someone has to work in order to retire, the legal manipulation by Macron’s neoliberal government to get it passed, the composition of the demos, the recent ecological demonstrations violently repressed in Sainte-Soline, police violence more widely,  Darmanin’s upcoming immigration and asylum law, antifascists in Lyon, work and austerity.

The conversation is a bit informal and though we cover a lot there is so much more to talk about. For folks who want to learn more, I suggest checking out recent articles on the protests by crimethinc and a recent video from Unicorn Riot and a transcript will be available soon.

You can find our past interview with David Campbell here

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Anarchist Historian, Barry Pateman (Rebroadcast)

Anarchist Historian, Barry Pateman (rebroadcast)

Barry Pateman, a white man bald on top with long, grey hair down the sides and a white mustache, looking over his glasses "Anarchist Historian Barry Pateman (Rebroadcast) | TFSR 4-9-23"
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This week, we’re sharing part of our April 26th, 2020 interview with Barry Pateman. Barry, born in the early 1950’s, grew up in a working class coal mining town of Doncaster in the UK and became an anarchist in the 1960’s in London. He is a longstanding member of the Kate Sharpley Library which covers histories of little-known anarchists and events in history. Barry has also contributed to and edited numerous books including “Chomsky on Anarchism”, a two book document collection with Candace Falk and many more titles, many on AK Press. We talk about anarchist history, community, repression, defeat, insularity, popular front with authoritarian Marxists, class analysis and how to beat back capitalism. Find Kate Sharpley Library at KateSharpleyLibrary.Net

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Featured Track:

  • Traditions by Los Hooligans from Traditions
  • I Never Gave Up (Rondo Remix) by Chumbawamba from the I Never Gave Up single

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Anarchist Filmmaking with The Elements of Mutual Aid

Anarchist Filmmaking with The Elements of Mutual Aid

"The Elements of Mutual Aid: experiments towards liberation" featuring 4 frames from the series picturing people organizing and sharing items. "TFSR 4-2-23 | Anarchist Film-making"
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We’re happy to share this chat with Leah and Payton, directors of the upcoming documentary series “The Elements of Mutual Aid”. You can find previews of the film on their social media and links to those and more in our shownotes at our website. The series is about to enter post-production once they’ve gotten JUST a little more footage to add to their 5 years of work. For the hour, we talk about the series, their concepts of mutual aid, the process of radically respectful film making and some of their inspirations.

Filmmakers links:

Film Projects they mentioned:

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