City officials throughout the Bay Area have declared November 11-18 to be a “United Against Hate” week. As Berkeley mayor Jesse Arreguin states, “Berkeley and many other Alameda County cities will convene rallies, film screenings, art projects, etc. to learn ways we can effectively stand up to hate groups and make sure hate finds no home in the Bay Area. The goal is to give communities an opportunity to learn from one another, address specific hate crime incidents and above all, seek ways to stop hateful rhetoric from spreading.” (1) The organizing for the events are being done by a group called “Not in Our Town” (NIOT), a non-profit organization that is composed of a variety of ex-law enforcement officers, activist techies, and the reformed white supremacist founder of the Hammerskins, Arno Michaelis.(2) Reducing the issue of power and oppression to an emotional response (hate) or to isolated attacks obscures the institutionalized racism that the state requires for its functioning. This watered-down rhetoric about combating “hate” and singular attacks of prejudice is an attempt by the state and civil society to regain control of a situation that has become increasingly uncontrollable. Continue reading
Category Archives: Anti-repression
The Proud Boys in Berkeley’s City Hall
Ryoga Vee (front, center in Spider-Man outfit) poses for a photo with Bay Area Proud Boys and allies on April 27, 2017
NoCARA recently received an anonymous submission of documents disclosing communications as well as a meeting that took place between Berkeley City Councilman Ben Bartlett, conservative activist Ryoga Vee, and Bay Area Proud Boy Jarod Flores. This news comes at a time when Councilman Bartlett is under fire for abusing his authority on multiple occasions in order to avoid traffic tickets, and the Berkeley City Council and Berkeley police are facing backlash from the community after Berkeley PD doxxed counter protesters opposing a far-right rally in MLK Park on August 5. Continue reading
Tips for Staying Safe While Confronting Fascists in Berkeley on August 5
On August 5, Amber Cummings will hold a “No to Marxism in America” rally in Berkeley. Amber Cummings has been one of the most violent participants in local far-right gatherings. Several factors, including attempted coordination with other events and internal disagreements, have caused Cummings to frequently reschedule the start time of her rally. As of this writing, the rally will be from 12pm-2pm in MLK Civic Center Park in Berkeley.
It was revealed in the lead up to this event that co-organizer Lindsay Grathwohl received $5,000 from Alex Jones with which Grathwohl announced she would buy new equipment for the rally. Moreover, Cummings and Grathwohl were coordinating with Patriot Movement AZ and American Guard, a white supremacist group with ties to murders and other violence.
Though Amber Cummings claims to not want racists attending her event, she clearly seems either unwilling or unable to discern who the racists at her events are. Despite her rhetoric, Cummings still chooses to rally with people like Kevin the “Based Commie,” who advocates for the mass murder of Muslims and idolizes the mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 in Norway and performed a Nazi salute in court. Sacramento Proud Boys leader Gabe Silva, who recently called for war in Portland and threatened political opponoents with unprovoked violence, briefly announced he would join Berkeley after the far-right rally in Portland on August 4. Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson also announced he would travel to Berkeley on August 5.
Kevin “Based Commie” with Amber Cummings in San Francisco July 7
Kevin “Based Commie” advocates mass killing of Muslims on Facebook
In anticipation of fascist provocations in Berkeley on August 5, we’ve created flyers to help people identify alt-right agitators that have come to Berkeley in the past and may show up again. Share these online, or print them out and bring them to the counter protest against the fascists so others can stay informed. Another helpful resource to review are these tips for staying safe while protesting the far-right. It is unclear which far-right groups will keep their promise to show up or not. Last year in Berkeley on August 27, Amber Cummings cancelled her rally and far-right goons still showed up to the park. The counter demonstration will go on regardless. Continue reading
June 26th: Resisting State Repression
A police line on June 26th.
In early March, the California Highway Patrol completed its investigation of the anti-Nazi shutdown that happened in Sacramento last June, forwarding a 2,000-page report to the District Attorney’s Office. Law enforcement is urging the DA to charge 106 individuals with 514 misdemeanors and 68 felonies over the stoppage of the white nationalist rally that happened nearly a year ago at the State Capitol. While the intent here is no doubt to scare people, there is still a legitimate threat directed at our community. With this in mind, we would like to humbly offer these suggestions to prepare for the repression that the state has in store. This statement is intended for any anti-racist and anti-fascist protesters who attended the anti-Nazi demo on June 26, 2016, but it is also relevant to anyone in the same communities as those who attended. Continue reading
Meet the Bay Area’s 4chan Kangaroo Court
Cops and chan, hand in hand
On May 24, the Berkeley Police Department arrested Eric Clanton in Oakland regarding alleged assaults that occurred during an April 15 confrontation in Berkeley between antifascists and a coalition of far-right groups that included the 3 Percenter and Oath Keeper militias, Identity Evropa, Kyle “Based Stick Man” Chapman, and more. In weeks preceding Clanton’s arrest, members of 4chan’s politics forum called /pol/, the alt-right and all around disgusting and hate-filled internet message board, had been collecting what they considered to be evidence in the case. Threads about Eric Clanton’s alleged behavior could be seen wedged between other discussions such as anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Jewish world domination and the biological inferiority of people of color. Continue reading
Staying Safe & Watching Each Others’ Backs: Security Measures to Keep in Mind When Protesting The Alt Right, Nazis, or Others From The Far Right
What follows is a series of tips and suggestions on keeping yourself and others in our movement safe from the state and fascists. Continue reading
Supporting Each Other and Resisting State Repression
CAIR’s notorious anti-FBI poster. We love it.
It has now been three months since the events that unfolded on June 26th. Given the gravity of the situation, we must assume that the investigation is fully underway and prepare for repression accordingly. It is abundantly clear that during this aftermath period, we can expect to see law enforcement take its usual route of targeting and isolating individuals in an attempt to gain information to be used both to prosecute and for ongoing surveillance purposes.
Keep yourself and your friends safe – don’t talk! Continue reading