Addameer on Palestinian Prisoners + new TTRPG “Oceania 2084”

This week, we’re sharing two segments.

Addameer on Palestinian Prisoners

Montage of the log of Addameer featuring a dove flying up from barbed wire and "Addameer" in Arabic, as well as part of the book cover of "Oceania 2084" featuring an eye peering down
Download This Episode

First up, we spoke with Tala Nasser of the Palestinian prisoner human rights group, Al-Addameer which has offices in Jerusalem or Al-Quds, as well as in Ramallah. We speak about the report they released on Palestinian Prisoners day, April 17th, on the conditions of Palestinian prisoners, particularly since October 7th, 2023 including in Gaza since the invasion. More info on the group and their findings can be found at addameer.org

A-Radio Berlin on new TTRPG “Oceania 2084”

Then, we’ll hear a segment by our comrades at A-Radio Berlin speaking with Johan Eriksson, an anarchist game designer has recently published such an RPG called “Oceania 2084“, based on George Orwell’s novel “1984”. You can find more of about the game including a free austere pdf of the gameplay at jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io , and you can hear more audios from A-Radio Berlin at aradio-berlin.org .

Sean Swain’s 2024 Presidential Run

For the sake of anyone in the office of Attorney General of Ohio if they’re listening: this segment is political satire. We feel it’s necessary to make this disclaimer as they referenced a spoof press conference for Sean as governor in exile of Ohio on the January 18th, 2015 radio segment in court filings to prove how dangerous Sean is, while actually just showing how stupid hierarchs are.

Midweek Release: Yaffa As

In case you missed mid-week release of our interview with Yaffa As, a queer and trans Palestinian poet, author, publisher and activist living in the diaspora about two recent collections they published as well as mutual aid and fundraising to get queer Palestinians out of range of Israeli genocide.

. … . ..

Featured Track:

Continue reading Addameer on Palestinian Prisoners + new TTRPG “Oceania 2084”

“I Don’t Think You Could Have A Resistance Movement Without Poetry”: A Chat with Yaffa As

“I Don’t Think You Could Have A Resistance Movement Without Poetry”

Photo by María Del Río of Yaffa with hands raised above their head grasping the branch of an tree in autumn
Photo by María Del Río
Download This Episode

We spoke with Yaffa, a Palestinian poet, author and activist living in the diaspora about two recent collections published by the Trans and Queer Muslim publishing house she founded called Meraj. One of the two books is entitled Inara: Light to Queer And Trans Palestinian Utopia and the second a collection of her own poems written during the last lunar eclipse visible on Turtle Island, Blood Orange. We spoke about the importance of poetry and world building, the importance of community care and mutual aid, as well as supporting queer and trans Palestinians escaping genocide at the hands of the Israeli military. You can find more from Meraj publishing as well as how to obtain these titles at https://merajpublishing.com/

Continue reading “I Don’t Think You Could Have A Resistance Movement Without Poetry”: A Chat with Yaffa As

Asheville’s Southside Community Farm

Asheville’s Southside Community Farm

"Support Southside Community Farm." faeturing a hand holding daisies and the logo SCF logo featuring a hand holding leafy greens
Download This Episode

This week, we’re sharing a recent interview with Chloe Moore, a steward, farmer and educator at the Southside Community Farm, in the historically Black neighborhood of Southside in Asheville, NC. The farm has been serving the neighborhood and the region with free and inexpensive, fresh produce for a decade, providing educational opportunities, grocery deliveries, an herb garden and a BIPOC farmers market. The farm sits on land owned by the public Housing Authority of the City of Asheville (HACA) and there is currently a threat that HACA will destroy the farm. For the hour we talk about the work of the farm, the legacy of a community farm in the wake of government policies that destroy Black communities, and ways that community members can support the SCF and help it thrive.

. … . ..

Featured Track:

  • Rise Above by Ibeyi from Spell 31

Continue reading Asheville’s Southside Community Farm

“Clean For Who? Safe For Who?”: Asheville Business Improvement District

“Clean For Who? Safe For Who?”: Asheville Business Improvement District

Anti-Business Improvement District flyer from Asheville “Show up to City Council on May 14th for the first of two votes on the proposed B.I.D. Bring a friend! B.I.Ds are bad for • Democracy • Business • Residents Don't take the CRAP NO AVL BID Tell City Council SPEAK UP! MAY 14TH 5PM CITY HALL”
Download This Episode

We sat down with three local activists to talk about the proposed Asheville Business Improvement District, a model of service provision using public funding to increase policing in downtown by an unelected and unaccountable body of largely business and property owners. For the hour, Grace, Madison and Elliot talk about attempts to ram the BID through public process, some of the businesses and individuals behind it, how bids have panned out in other cities around the country and what space there is left to oppose this further privatization of public space in Asheville.

We didn’t mention it here, but there have also been rumblings of the BID model, a version of which was fought and never funded in 2012, being applied to other parts of Asheville, for example West Asheville. You can find more information and ways to get involved with folks organizing against the Business Improvement District at AshevilleBID.com and on Instagram at @NoAVLBid. This is our show for the week of May 12th.

As a quick note, there are a few acronyms frequently used in this conversation. One is RFP, which stands for Request for Proposals and is a process of contracting out an element of a project. Another acronym is ADA, in this case Asheville Downtown Association which is an independent pressure group made up of individuals, business and property owners. Not to be confused with the Asheville Downtown Commission, which was created by the City Council and contains appointed representatives from the ADA, city council, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and few other community members including business owners.

. … . ..

Featured Tracks:

  • Asheville BID song (unknown artist)
  • Moving Through The Streets (instrumental)

Continue reading “Clean For Who? Safe For Who?”: Asheville Business Improvement District

Don Bosco Park Defense in Bologna + Bernard Jemison on Conditions and Resistance in AL Prisons

This week, two segments plus Sean Swain

Don Bosco Park Defense in Bologna

An image of park occupation in Don Bosco in Bologna, Italy with tree sits and a shack, buildings in the background. Also a photo of Bernard Jemison. "TFSR 5-5-24 | Don Bosco Park Defense in Bologna, Italy + Bernard Jemison on Conditions in Holman and other Alabama Prisons"
Download This Episode

First up, an interview submitted by audio comrades in Italy about the struggle against the cementization of the city of Bologna and the defense of Don Bosco park from the expansion of a university, highways… the whole urban landscape without the input of the residents so the city can move a school rather than renovate it. This struggle, including the occupation and defense of the park, represents an innovation in urban struggles in Italy which consciously takes inspiration from the struggle to Stop Cop City in so-called Atlanta and the activities of the park defenders has forced the left-leaning municipal government and mayor to temporarily suspend the cutting of trees. [00:02:04 – 00:27:10]

Bernard Jemison on Conditions and Resistance in AL Prisons

Then, you’ll hear Bernard Jemison, an incarcerated activist held in Holman prison in Alabama talking about conditions inside the ADOC recent calls for prisoner strikes in the state by the Free Alabama Movement and their outside supporters, as well as his views on the demands being made. [00:27:57 – 01:05:10]

The demands that we mention are the following:

  1. BILL TO REPEAL THE HABITUAL OFFENDER ACT ON THE TABLE
  2. CIVIL CLASS ACTION LITIGATION FOR PAROLE ALREADY FILED. EVERYONE NEEDS TO SIGN UP.
  3. PAROLE BILL ON THE TABLE
  4. WE NEED TO ABOLISH LWOP AND CREATE AN AVENUE FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
  5. NO MORE NITROGEN GAS EXECUTIONS..
  6. STOP SELLING OUR ORGANS.

A few articles on the subjects worth reading include:

Social media accounts Bernard thinks are doing a good job covering these issues:

. … . ..

Featured Track:

  • On Point (instrumental) by House of Pain

Continue reading Don Bosco Park Defense in Bologna + Bernard Jemison on Conditions and Resistance in AL Prisons