as small as a world and as large as alone, navigatethestream: i haven’t had much to say...

6:24pm August 14, 2014

i haven’t had much to say about what’s been going on in Ferguson but I will say this much.

I know some of y’all are invested in the work that Anonymous does but please tread lightly.

Anonymous has declared today a “National Day of Rage” at the same time the National Moment of Silence vigils organized by black and brown folks all over the country are supposed to be going on.

There are people on twitter saying that the co-option of the NMOS vigils has gotten so bad that graphics are being stolen in order to advertise for the National Day of Rage

I’m actually planning on attending the NMOS vigil in downtown Chicago. but I’d be lying if i said i didn’t have reservations. I don’t have reservations about the vigil itself, but about the possibility that it can be co-opted at any time by white anarchists following the lead of Anonymous all for it to turn into a shit show.

Suffice to say I’m sick of black and brown folks getting together to collectively organize spaces to mourn and heal together all for white leftists to co-opt them itching to live out some deeply romanticized understanding of how the intersections of violence, oppression, and resistance occur.

The same thing almost happened to me last year at the Trayvon Martin rally last Ramadan where members of the Bob Avakian and ISO were arguing with police about how much space the march could take up on the sidewalk and the streets

these same white leftists who treat getting into skirmishes with the police as badges of honor in the struggle.

who have no concern for the PoCs across generations (especially the elderly), the parents with very young children, the young black and brown youths already targeted by police on a daily basis will be affected by their actions.

who don’t realize that when they start shit with the police for the sake of it its not them who the police will be cracking down on in that moment or going forward. its US! its the people who wanted to gather peacefully and mourn together who will bear the brunt of police brutality in that moment and from then on

If you want to use your white privilege as an activist, leftist, however you identify yourself

Starting shit with the police at a peaceful vigil organized by black and brown folks is not the way to go about it. that’s not being a good actively anti-racist person. its actually showing how much you don’t get it and how much this is all a game to you.

Do not fuck this up!

People have worked really hard in such a short amount of time to be pull this together and it would be a crying shame for unflexed white supremacy to once again rear its ugly head and fuck things up

People need this space

If you really feel the need to rage then go to a punk or metal show. Save it for the next time the Klan comes to town.

If you’re so anti-racist with your rage use it to face off with your white supremacist brethren somewhere else