Anarchists in Washington, DC

If you are one of the 175 people who were arrested mid-morning on December 1, 1999 at Seattle’s Westlake Park:

A lawsuit was settled with the city of Seattle, but the lawyers are having difficulty getting in touch with the people who are eligible to get money from the lawsuit (since it has been 8 years, people have moved around and addresses have changed).

If you are one of those people, you must fill out and submit a claim form by August 28, 2007.

• Notice of the lawsuit
• Claim form

Instructions from the lawyers: The notice [linked above] describes in detail the settlement, the process for any objections and submitting claims, and the various deadlines. Hopefully all of your questions are answered there. If not, there are several avenues, as listed in the notice of the settlement, for you to ask questions and receive answers. If you were arrested at Westlake Park on December 1, 1999, the deadline for returning your claim form is August 28, 2007.

The Political is Personal: A Discussion on Holding onto our Dreams in a
World of Nightmares

Sunday, August 12th 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Brian MacKenzie Center Infoshop - 1426 9th St. NW

The world we live in now is unlike anything else before in terms of the enormous challenges we face. Ecological destruction, social disintegration, world war, a growing police state - the list goes on. How do we maintain a sense of hope in the face of all this? How do we address the despair and apathy when it enters into our lives and communities? How can we create the world of our dreams when the world we live in is going to hell?

This three hour gathering is intended to be a no-nonsense conversation of anarchists and other radical anti-authoritarians to talk openly about the world today, our lives in it, and how they relate.

About the facilitator:
(I)An-ok Ta Chai (pronounced “Yan-ock Ta Ch-eye”) has identified as an anarchist since 1996, has facilitated workshops and groups across the country since 2000, is a trainer in a process called Compassionate Communication, and currently lives and works in an intentional community in Maryland and Virginia

All events at the BMC Infoshop are wheelchair accessible through the main 1st floor entrance of the building. Please email us if you have any questions or concerns about this, events@dcinfoshop.org.

Workshops - Saturday 12:00-5:30
Dance Institute of Washington,
14th and Monroe NW D.C.
FREE (with a dollar off the shows if you come!)

Bands - Friday and Saturday, doors at 6:00 pm
St. Stephens Church,
16th and Newton NW D.C.
$7 for one show or $12 for both

Both near Columbia Heights Metro

What is this Different Kind of Dude Fest?

DKDF is about good music minus the often self-destructive, sexist dudedom
that comes along with many a music fest. And DKDF is about possibilities
for change and growth, as one organizer says,

“Different Kind of Dude Fest is about creating a safe, inclusive space
where people feel like they can learn, grow, discuss, and have a positive
experience. Different Kind of Dude Fest is a place to learn about yourself
and how to deal with the issues that go along with living in a misogynist,
patriarchal society”

And DKDF is about raising funds to support the great work of the following
organizations:

* HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive)
HIPS’ mission is to assist female, male, and transgendered individuals
engaging in sex work in Washington, DC in leading healthy lives.

* UBUNTU
UBUNTU is a women of color and survivor-led collective based in Durham,
North Carolina, USA, where community members are breaking the silence
about sexual assault and racist violence as part of a long struggle
against racism, classism, sexism and all forms of oppression.

click below for full band and workshop schedule

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday July 30th
$5 to benefit the Brian MacKenzie Infoshop

* The Max Levine Ensemble (just like the best band)
* Best Friends Forever (girl pop from MPLS)
* Matty Pop Chart (boy pop from Bloomington)
* Eat This McKinley (KY punker punk)

7pm @ The Bobby Fisher Memorial
1644 N. Capitol St. NW DC

Saturday, August 4 at 6:00 pm
A Night of Film, Art, and Action
$6-10 sliding scale benefit for Transgender Health Empowerment Project
Bobby Fisher Memorial Building
1644 North Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC

* Ninetynine (Australia)
* Hope and Anchor (Asheville, NC - Exotic Fever Records)
* Screening of Embodied Revolution

Embodied Revolution: A National Look at Gender-Based and Body Conscious Activism highlights twenty different activists across the United States engaged in direct action, community organizing, performance art, and everyday revolution. Each tackle a variety of issues from gender stereotyping and discrimination to body image, fat identity, queer femme visibility, transgender rights, intersections of race and gender, representations and objectifications of women in the media, safer communities, and more. Film runs 90 minutes.

Filmmaker Erin Remick and featured activists sarahbrown and Darby will have a short dialogue about the film afterwards. Hope and Anchor, Exotic Fever Records’ artists, scored the music for the film, and will perform a live set afterwards. Sarahbrown is a member of the band, and featured in the film. Following their performance, Australia’s Ninetynine will play (featuring Laura MacFarlane, who played drums in Sleater-Kinney and is featured on their album Call the Doctor) as well. Please contact Katy Otto katyotto (AT)gmail (DOT) com for more information.

Eric McDavid is a political activist who has been in jail for 14 months after being accused of “conspiring to damage or destroy by explosive or fire” cell phone towers, power plants and US Forest Service facilities. He has not yet gone to trial, but faces 5-20 years in prison if convicted.

His family needs help paying for his legal defense. $9000 has been raised so far, but they need an additional $6000 before his trial in September.

Please read the June 19 update from Eric’s friends and family for more details.

Back ground information is at SupportEric.org.

The US Campaign and United for Peace and Justice are sponsoring a two-day mobilization in Washington, DC to protest the 40th anniversary of Israel’s illegal military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.

Sunday, June 10:
10:15-11:45 am - Teach-In at the 2007 Annual National Convention of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee - Omni Shoreham Hotel
2:00-4:00 pm - Rally at the Capitol
4:00-6:00 pm - March from Capitol Hill to the White House
7:30-9:30 pm - Cultural Evening - National City Christian Church

Monday, June 11:
8:00-10:30 am - Grassroots Lobbying Day Training
10:30-5:00 pm - Grassroots Lobbying Day

More information

June 17th is Father’s Day and DC Books to Prisons is hosting the greatest BBQ Fundraiser EVER!!! Complete with a pie-eating contest!!!

When: Sunday, June 17, 2:00-6:00 pm
Where: 3632 New Hampshire Ave NW (corner of NH and Spring, Georgia Ave/Petworth metro stop)

Bring a dictionary for a surprise gift! Tell your friends, and bring some $$$ to help us pay for postage.

How to get involved with DC Books to Prisons:

Come by Foundry Methodist Church at 16th and P St. NW (two blocks west of Dupont Circle) every Wednesday from 5-9pm to help us pack books. We always need volunteers. Sign up for our email list to get the most current information.

We also need your help if you want to work on grants, are able to help deliver books to the Post Office during the day, or can help meet special book requests. Send us an email.

We are always in need of paper bags, stamps, scissors, packing tape, and address labels, come by the church to drop these off and we’ll owe you one. We need books too. Especially if you have dictionaries, thesauruses, or Spanish/English dictionaries.

And with expenses that average $600/month in postage we can always use your tax-deductible donation. Big or small, every dollar counts. Send donations to:

Equal Justice USA
PO Box 5206
Hyattsville, MD 20782

Please write “Books to Prisons” in the memo line of your check

Sponsored by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) Office of the Tenant Advocate.

Saturday, June 2, 2007 (Ward 2), 10 am to 1 pm
Francis Junior High School, 2425 N Street, NW

Saturday, June 16, 2007 (Ward 3), 10 am to 1 pm
Wilson Senior High School 3950 Chesapeake Street, NW

Through a series of simultaneous workshops, information will be provided on rent control and the 2006 amendments, tenants right of first refusal (The Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act)
and condo/coop conversions, how to file a tenant petition, and the ins and outs of the residential inspection process. This is a great opportunity for tenants to learn about their rights.

These forums will be held in every ward. Future dates:
Ward 6 Saturday, September 8, 2007
Ward 5 Saturday, October 6, 2007
Ward 4 Saturday, November 3, 2007

For more info, contact:
Delores Anderson at the Office of the Tenant Advocate
202-442-8359 or Delores.Anderson@dc.gov

Who: Anyone who is interested in working on the NCOR collective
What: A chance to meet past organizers and learn more about organizing the 2008 conference
When: Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 pm
Where: 1750 Swann St NW
Red line: Dupont Circle Metro (Q Street exit)
Swann Street is between S and T streets, at the bottom of 18th Street, near Lauriol Plaza)

The National Conference on Organized Resistance (NCOR) is an annual event that brings together activists from a variety of issues, struggles, ideologies and backgrounds for a weekend of radical discourse and collective empowerment. Through diverse workshops, panel discussions, skillshares, tabling, and the creation of an open and safe space, NCOR seeks to promote organized action amongst participants against the injustices and inequalities that we confront in our daily lives and in the world.

In 2008, the conference is celebrating its 11th year! In order to make 2008 an amazing conference, we are currently seeking a diverse group of people with various levels of experience. We are encouraging everyone and anyone to come out, especially people from a variety of backgrounds, ages, races, struggles, ideologies—students and non-students. Please join us at this meet-and-greet to find out more about the conference and meet some of the past organizers.

NCOR will be held in the spring 2008 at American University in Washington, DC.

If you are interested but cannot attend this meeting, please email us at: ncor@mutualaid.org. You can also visit the NCOR Website or call 202-403-1583.