The Olympian flagged/censored the following observations made in their comment section following the referenced article they ran in their publication on 3-8-13. Fortunately, they cannot censor it here. WE ARE NOW THE MEDIA!

The Olympian newspaper had a disturbing article about the City’s proposed ‘expansion’ of the Artesian well site on its front page today. It included a diagram/blueprint with a raised stage, movie screen, ping pong table, tiled emulated waterway art walk, steel arch entrance emblazoned with Artesian Court, and an awning designed to keep all dry except the homeless (the awning will be retracted and locked at night, presumably along with any public restroom facilities) promising to buoy up the City’s aspirations by ‘managed positive behavior’ (apartheid?)–a hallmark of Olympia’s public policy track record.

Yet another brick in the wall of Olympia’s march to becoming a gated city/community is afoot. The gentrification of the Artesian will complement the apartheid ordinances targeting the homeless, the poor, the dispossessed as personas non grata. Consider what Dave Okerlund’s vision of an ‘Artesian Court’ [pun intended?] arcade-like environment where “a combination of active & passive uses designed and managed to promote POSITIVE BEHAVIOR” means in a town which, until recently, restricted free speech to ‘busking zones’, and where its community center (Olympia Center) has ‘no loitering’ signs posted on its walls. The plethora of obnoxious signs in its transit center are similarly hostile, announcing bikes left in its racks have been vandalized, yet promising they will be seized if left over 24 hours. The transit authorities are unwilling to accept any responsibility for protecting the bicycles of its patrons, but they’re more than willing to steal them. Downtown Olympia has empty streets and a sterile atmosphere after dark.

If the City’s track record of managing by crisis and discrimination (busking ‘zones’, cruising ordinances, anti-‘camping’ ordinances, persecuting the homeless, locking people with no home but the streets out of public bathrooms, etc.) is a measure of its corruption/incompetence, citizens would be well served to avoid more of the same in its proposed gentrification of the Artesian well site. The white middle class arrogant ignorance of characterizing the site as currently “under-used” is deafening. The Artesian is, by far, the most popular City natural resource 24/7 and always has been. Its friends are legion. Besides water, it has been observed food donations are often left there. Street activists often use it as a meeting place to organize/stage events/protests. Art works have been created on site and a sense of ancient community watering holes permeates the place. All who come share the universal need for water to sustain life. Like death itself, water can serve as a great leveler in the quest for life…or it can become yet another commodity in the furtherance of greed and middle class ennui. This is what Mr. Okerlund’s proposal represents–an ode to capitalism and a cathedral to ‘managed positive behavior’ as one walks beneath the steel arch entrance to the ‘Artesian Court’. Perhaps a sign with more genuine language may be posted there: No Homeless Allowed–Homeless, keep off the grass!

Predictably, the resentment toward this furtherance of gentrification and apartheid within the City limits will become pronounced. This invited resentment will inevitably be expressed in the form of tagging and vandalism. The City’s newest gilded thumb in the eye of the poor, the homeless, the downtrodden, will become a target, a perverse ‘democracy well’ with the words of its prophets written on the walls. Dave Okerlund’s proposed gentrification of the Artesian is akin to dressing your 10 year old daughter up in hot pants and directing her to hang out on the street corner at night. It is not a responsible proposal. It should be firmly rejected as based on a vision conceived by one with middle class blinders ignorant of the Artesian’s current unique value and use by ALL of the community, not merely the ones favored by the City and its minions.

Failure to recognize oppression/victims requires only their sufferance of the same offense long enough.

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!”
–Samuel Adams–

“More Weight!” -Giles Corey-

Olympia’s Grand Jury Resisters Matt Duran and Katherine Olejnik were released on 2-28-13 pursuant to a court order signed by federal judge Richard Jones.  Maddy Pfeiffer remains incarcerated since having been taken into custody the day after Christmas, 2012. Portland’s Grand Jury Reisister, Kerry Cunneen, remains at large, having refused to appear to respond to a subpoena to testify before the same federal grand jury reasoning it would be a step in the direction of assisting the state in incarcerating yet another (A)narchist (herself) for little more than sharing a political philosophy w/friends & acquaintances while refusing to identify them.

Judge Jones based his ruling on the failure of the federal prosecutor to rebut the Resisters’ motion-affidavit contending their resolve to refuse to give up names of fellow philosophical travelers was unshaken and would remain so. The judge was considerably less impressed by the detainees’ argument characterizing the federal grand jury’s investigation, future course, or collateral prosecution of suspects than their personal statements about their confinement (solitary), their principles, and the reasons they will never provide testimony.

Besides the 5 months of their incarceration, much of which had been in solitary confinement, the court took note of the resulting injury to their physical & mental health, loss of employment, housing, relationships–all while being cut off from the world (even other inmates/staff) except for one 15 minute phone call per month. No explanation for their placement in solitary confinement (a disturbingly brutal environment) was ever forthcoming from the prison administration where they were held (Sea Tac federal detention center). The internal scars they bear merit respect and protest from their peers.

Judge Jones’ Order of Release.

ODE TO PIE

PIE!
In the sky or by and by,
We want pie until we die.
Whang dang doodle!
A treat not always sweet,
And better than strudel.
I have a mama and I love her dear,
But when I crave pie the choice is clear:
Hoosier Mama is the holy mother,
When it comes to crust there is no other.
Buttery, rich, and oh-so sinful,
I’m known to eat it by the tinful.
Seasonal fruits, berries galore,
She shops the market for what’s in store.
Classic apple, chocolate cream,
Ginger custard is supreme.
But if your tooth is not so sweet,
Mama’s got a savory treat.
Meat hand pies — you’ll need no fork,
Stuffed with tasty seasoned pork,
Or maybe beef or local lamb,
Either way, it’s a grand slam.
If you’re clad in spandex or a roomy shirt,
And enjoy sipping your dessert,
Order a pie shake from Mama P,
Available for the second time only.
She’ll take some pie — it’s eater’s choice,
Add some ice cream (hail, rejoice!),
Throw it in a whirring blender,
Proving her prowess as a vendor.
Voila le pie shake in all its glory,
And thus we end this pastry story.
The moral here is no surprise:
Be good to your mama and bad to your thighs.

Olympia’s Bakers Guild held their annual Pie Fest–a fund raiser to benefit the area’s homeless and hungry. Several local organizations donated items such as a cutting board, cheese plate, rolling pin, pie server, wooden whale, gift certificates, grocery gift certificates, hot pads, towels, oven mitts, apple corer, measuring cups, wines, George Foreman grill, lighted wine bottle, golf balls, consultations, books, toys, soaps, lotions, candles, loofa, and many gift certificates.

Olympia’s Mayor Stephen H. Buxbaum made a cameo appearance, announcing the last Saturday of February would henceforth be Olympia’s PIE DAY and Pie would was hereby declared to be its official food.

After the Pie extravaganza, organizers estimated $3,000 was raised along with the community’s consciousness.

Though attendance was high (well above the fire code rating of 81 for room occupancy) and the serving line long, it moved quickly.

Suspense rose with the bidding. The auctioneer successfully cajoled new heights in generosity.

The auctioneer’s hypnotic performance opened the room’s wallets.

$85 Apple Pie Stirs Hearts, Taste Buds

$115 Rasberry-Pomegranate Grand Prize Pie Breaks Record

Buskers Struggle, Grace Olympia’s Streets

Itty Bitty String Band ‘stuck’ in Olympia’s street scene, Clint & Sophie look forward to better times. Buskers are no longer harassed after the City Council decided to rescind a local ordinance which made this form of free speech illegal.

The City’s Mean Streets

But, having started on such a high note, it couldn’t last. The mood segued after visiting the Rajyoga India presentation in an adjacent room–deteriorated…resonating to the chilly mood and concertina wire erected by Oly’s masters.

Reminiscent of 20th century poverty laws like vagrancy and hitchhiker harassment, the visible antagonism toward the destitute was at odds with a town whose merchants would like to welcome shoppers/visitors.

Linda Oestreich, Director, was contacted at home and questioned about the sign, it’s implications, and who made the decision to mount it on the center’s wall. She referred to the facility as the ‘community center’ during the interview. She conceded no community input was sought before the sign went up. Linda admitted she had made the call and felt it wasn’t sufficiently significant to seek input from the community or allow those affected by the decision to participate in it.

Ms. Oestreich accepted the notion the center belonged to the public (or at least the City of Olympia) but insisted only visitors enrolled in a formal program or project being hosted within were welcome to socialize on the premises. Others would be allowed to pass through on the way to a destination so long as they did not tarry–much the same policy as the downtown public transportation center invokes.

When this on duty staffer was asked how long the ‘loitering’ sign had been posted, he ventured 6-8 months. Ms. Oestreich asserted it had been up much longer. She seemed nonplussed when asked what message she thought the sign conveyed to the public, but defended it as ‘necessary’ without offering specifics or a compelling reason why, while allowing the fact homeless denizens routinely use the facility’s showers @ 25 cents for 2 minutes of hot water.

The staff person became visibly nervous when pressed about the reasons/implications regarding the obnoxious sign, handing this reporter Ms. Oestreich’s business card and contact info with the suggestion questions be directed to her.

With ‘KEEP BACK’ warnings posted for pedestrians who might venture too close to the K9 police cruiser, another symbol of the fortress mentality endemic in a government supposedly ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’ was apparent. This siege defense policy has begun to transform our very cities, like Olympia, into virtual gated communities. An important distinction, however, is unlike residential gated communities, the City’s holdings are PUBLIC! They belong (in theory) to the public for the purpose of benefiting that public, even the least of us. Yet the fear & loathing is palpable on the mean streets of Olympia.

This cabby, when questioned on what the going wage rate was, responded he easily made more than from his regular job as a truck driver on weekdays. He leases the taxi for $50/day, keeping all fares he collects.

This down & out hard scrabble busking couple sing for their supper, but also sell clothing items to the Dumpster Used Clothing Store behind them to survive. When asked if they had a website, the woman laughed and confided they were homeless.

These store window signs protesting cost cutting measures which leave the most vulnerable exposed, explain the new municipal ordinance virtually criminalizing the homeless and directing them to a handful of outlying shelters where they may or may not be admitted–if there’s room, depending on what issues the applicant has and how amenable they are to authority structures.

Still secured by an impregnable lock, this bike frame has been stripped of all essential parts. Bicyclists seeking a more publicly visible safer storage venue are threatened with signs announcing their property will be seized by the City Transit Authority after 24 hours…a chapter reminiscent of the one just played out by Olympia’s homeless youth seeking a modicum of safety on the City Hall steps adjacent to the police station downtown.

All types of undesirable artifacts end up polluting the City streets when rubbish bins and public bathrooms are inconveniently located or unavailable. Worse than the visual pollution is the threat to public health.

Bong Haven

The owners would squirm if their downtown Olympia retail business was described as something as archaic as a ‘head shop’. 20th century colloquialisms aside, Fire & Earth is located on Franklin between 5th & State Ave. near the downtown public bus terminal. Its posted signs spell out, for the uninitiated, its wares are strictly for legal substances and they discourage/refuse service to those under 18. The staff was friendly, and sophisticated about the legal landscape affecting their business, including the entrapment not so long ago by the feds of Tommy Chong for the alleged unlawful interstate sale of ‘drug paraphernalia’. Mr. Chong entered a negotiated plea in order to free his family (sons) from the cross hairs of federal aparatchiks.

All the glassware are the creations of local artists.

Fear & Loathing

A few steps from the welcoming atmosphere in Fire & Earth awaited the antagonistic embrace of the Intercity Transit Center.

There wasn’t a whole lot a person could do according to the signs. The men’s room was out of commission and although a fair number of folk were sitting, waiting for Godot, there was little/no conversation overheard.

Unwilling to protect the bikes, Intercity Transit *is* willing to steal them.

A thriving black market exists in Olympia’s tenderloin district and underclass.

Gents might want to consider bringing an empty peanut butter jar when venturing downtown–or cross dressing.

Women’s bathroom kept under surveillance, the men’s…being distinctly uninteresting…less so.

As fares increase, Intercity Transit has cut service. As mass transit twists slowly in the wind, the State’s legislature considers a bill levying a new tax on bicycles.

Intercity Transit may find new demand for this connection in the wake of Olympia’s new anti-poverty law targeting the homeless sleeping in public spaces. Camp Coyote is located in the vicinity of the Family Courthouse.

A City, not all of whose residents now sleep lawfully at night, keeps on trucking. The question of whose streets they are remains unresolved. The increased polarization continues unabated.

Storefront vacancies experience exponential growth while the City uses the homeless as a straw man.

Zeigler’s has become a tradition over the years as virtually the only welding shop in downtown Olympia.

Unlike some mixed neighborhoods, Olympia’s senior ghetto is sterile with little street presence of its members sealed behind locked doors. The nearby senior center has a ‘no loitering’ policy prohibiting socializing on the premises according to its director, Ms. Oestreich, unless enrolled in a formal program hosted by the facility. This may make the transitioning of its residents to nursing homes feel more familiar. The City has succeeded in greasing the skids to the graveyard–an efficiency that might have brought Hitler to tears.

City Puts Halter On Bikini Baristas

City of Shelton administrator Dave O’Leary has raised the alarm that an army of bikini clad baristas are plotting an invasion of our schools, parks, libraries, churches, day care centers, and residential areas. “We’ve got Pool…right here in River City! Pool–yes POOL. That starts with ‘P’ which rhymes with ‘T’ and stands for Trouble.” [Citizens begin to hyperventilate: “Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble…”] -The Music Man-

Bikini-clad baristas are causing a stir across Washington state, where some love the scantily-clad coffee servers, but others have complained on moral grounds. Mind you, no such espressos stands have ever actually set up shop or applied for a license in Shelton, but one can’t be too careful when it comes to the slippery slopes of a moral dilemma.

An army of bikini clad baristas marching on our schools, libraries, and parks from their “sexually oriented espresso stands” according to Dave O’leary, City administrator. Thus, the City, alarmed by the lack of a dress code protecting us from such a calamity, seeks a ‘moratorium’ (akin to a black hole’s event horizon) prohibiting any such testing of the limits of personal expression under a Mayor who ran on getting government off the backs of local business.

If the City is going to impose a dress code on one business, perhaps it should impose it on all businesses (bars, restaurants, night clubs, health spas, gyms, theaters, dance halls, fashion shows) including patrons. A hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held @ 6:00pm, 3-18-13. Concerned citizens are urged to show up shirtless (male), or bikini clad (female/male)…especially if you’re young and attractive. The Mason County geriatric set could use some stimulation beyond oyster shucking. Could the espresso stand (or bar, restaurant, night club, etc.) have a large Video screen with bikini clad baristas on display?

“Moratoriums are legal.” -Mayor Gary Cronce- [They’re also a tool to manipulate the law/Constitutional rights…not that the City would stoop to something so devious.]

       Who Knew? 2005 Wasn’t Long Enough to Wake UP & Smell the Coffee!

A bikini barista is a person who prepares and serves coffee drinks while dressed in scanty attire such as a bikini or lingerie. This marketing trend (sometimes referred to as sexpresso or bareista) developed in the Seattle, Washington area of the northwestern United States in the early 2000’s, and gained international attention by early 2007.

And how does the wage of a bare midriff compare to that of a fully clothed barista which might put the pacemakers in Mason County at such risk? Ever wondered if the motivation for wearing a bathing suit while pulling espresso shots resided in the paycheck?

A Craigs List ad for a bikini barista position in Everett offered the following tantalizing terms:

“Looking for a bikini barista in the Everett area. $9.00 per hour. Must have experience and great customer service. Needed all different days, including weekends. Please email me your resume along with pictures and phone number to get in contact with you.”

So…$9 an hour. Compare that to the average wage of a Starbucks barista: $8.64, according to Glassdoor.com. (That drops to $8.33 if you filter for less than one year of experience). For 36 cents less you get to work while clothed? Given our chilly climate that seems like something of a no-brainer.

Ah, but there is the matter of the tip jar to consider. Yes, one bikini barista wage does not add up to a representative sample. It’s still, um, revealing.

Can City/Mason County residents take the strain? You can weigh in on this vital moral imperative on 3-18-13 by showing up in Shelton’s City Hall at 6:00pm…bathing suits optional. Medics for the infirm will be on hand.

Espresso drive-through stands and coffee outlets are numerous in the greater Seattle area, and the exact inventor of the “bikini barista” concept is debated. The “Natte Latte” chain’s first location was opened in November 1999 by Mary Keller, and its employees began sporting pink leather hotpants in 2001. Next, in 2003, “Cowgirls Espresso” opened its first location in Tukwila, Washington. A few months after opening, as summer heat invaded the small 70-square-foot (6.5 m²) shop, owner Lori Bowden adopted employee suggestions that they start a “Bikini Wednesday” promotion. Sales took off, and other scantily-clad theme days soon followed. The concept of “bikini baristas” spread quickly, featuring attractive young women dressed in attire such as bikinis, lingerie, stockings, and heels.

The first round of international press attention to the trend occurred in early 2007. The international trend continued with the release of wildly popular song “Bikini Barista” from the Seattle pop-punk band Quickie. Competitors that have not followed suit have complained about the trend, and have also seen a drop in business.

The retail establishments which employ bikini baristas often adopt titillating names, including “Peek A-Brew”, “Grab n’ Go”, “Cowgirls Espresso”, “Smokin’ Hot Espresso”, “Knotty Bodies Espresso”, “Java Jigglers”, “Espresso Gone Wild”, “Java Girls”, “Sweet Spot”, and “Natte Latte”.

The phenomenon of bikini baristas has caused controversy and complaints from local residents. Undercover police officers in Snohomish County, Washington witnessed some baristas performing additional services for extra money, including letting customers touch them, photograph them or watch them lick whipped cream off each other. These statements have been retracted by the Everett, WA police department, as the police officer ‘undercover’ was a known customer and offered the said barista money. The Everett, WA police department was accused of purposeful entrapment.

In September 2009, five baristas at a Grab ‘n Go in Everett, Washington were charged with prostitution after police surveillance caught them stripping and performing sexual acts for cash. Other complaints included the stand’s very close proximity to preschools and daycare centers. In another incident, “Espresso Gone Wild” in Belfair, Washington was temporarily shut down by Mason County in August 2008. It drew the ire of some Belfair residents. Mason County officials [Tim Sheldon] responded to complaints on the July 30, 2008 meeting, by ruling the espresso stand is “erotic entertainment” and off limits in the Belfair area. The owners of “Espresso Gone Wild” in Belfair were being told that their baristas are violating an erotic entertainment ordinance. They were also told that their baristas need to cover up and clean up their act or the stand will be shut down permanently.

Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon says the owners of “Espresso Gone Wild” are welcome to open a coffee shop and compete with all the other coffee shops in town. Sheldon also says the owners won’t be able to “sell sex and coffee on the side.”

“Espresso Gone Wild” in Belfair, Washington was prohibited from allowing employees to wear pasties and their baristas now wear bikinis. Residents in another community have scrutinized a local stand and called for boycotts of companies whose employees patronize the establishments. In July 2011, the owner and three employees of Java Juggs in Snohomish County, Washington were charged with prostitution, with the police later releasing some footage obtained.

As a result of these complaints and incidents, some local jurisdictions have been considering and adopting local ordinances to regulate and control the activities of the stores.

When contacted Thursday afternoon on 2-21-13, Mayor Gary Cronce and City Councilwoman Dawn Pannel would not comment on what business had expressed interest in setting up an espresso stand at 5th St. & Railroad Ave. according to City Administrator Dave O’Leary. Other City staff would/could not comment or were unavailable, as so often is the case in the public sector. Mayor Cronce successfully ran on a platform of relaxing regulations to get City government off the backs of local businesses. His tenure, to date, has not born out this promise. A casual look in the downtown Shelton business district indicates, at the present rate, the Mayor’s promise will be irrelevant as there won’t be any backs for the City to ride.

UPDATE:

The 1st 5 to 28 minute segment of the following video clip of the Shelton City Council public hearing regarding the no bikinia baristas moratorium might have been taken straight from THE MUSIC MAN scene where the scheming salesman warns the good River City folks of Pool Halls opening in their small town. Predictably (as here) the citizenry becomes hysterical as they begin to hyperventilate, “Trouble, Trouble, Trouble…!” The creeping paternalism in City government and patriarchal oversight is stifling. Unfortunately, no bikini clad baristas were on hand to rebut the straight laced pillars of Geezerville.

After citizens weighed in with their chaste hyper-morality, substituting it for even the most basic principles of individual liberty or Constitutional guarantees, Mayor Cronce (who successfully ran on a platform of removing municipal government excess from the backsides of business owners) can be heard boasting about his moral rectitude in promoting the “legal maneuver” when responding to the 2 City Council members expressing reluctance to adopt the role of a morality cop.

Council woman Dawn Panell hazards the opinion they may have acted too hastily when adopting the anti-bikini moratorium weeks earlier, suggesting a more considered or deliberate approach of adjusting the City’s ordinance would yield better results. Councilman Olsen seconds this view to no avail in the face of the Mayor’s obvious determination the anti-bikini moratorium remain undisturbed, practically gloating over its currency.

During the earlier public comment period (which Mayor Cronce closely limits to 3-minutes/person while urging citizens to voluntarily avoid even that level of ‘verbosity’), Tom Davis, a local dedicated political observer, emphasizes ‘values’ over the moral implications as he labels bikini barista espresso stands as “despicable” from the podium. Legislating ‘taste’ and moral dress codes had become the order of the day as residents who spoke unanimously condemned the practice of donning bikinis as work attire.

Nobody spoke out in favor of civil rights, individual liberty, 1st Amendment rights to expression (including dress standards), the right of adult women to be left alone by big brother/nanny, or in opposition to a tyranny of the majority in such matters as a City notorious for its interference with local business over the slightest of pretexts continued the pattern with apparent indifference to such legal proscriptions and trashing of 1st Amendment principles. The City of Shelton may be unconcerned about the air pollution its residents endure or the urban decay and abandoned buildings, the rickety infrastructure and broken streets…but it is more than willing to protect citizens against an army of bikini-clad baristas waiting to take over the town and corrupt our youth. The town that won’t provide public restrooms 24/7 because the homeless might use them, the Gateway to Industrial Blight, the downtown that looks like it never had a bath and can’t afford its own police force in a sea of vacant store fronts, stands ready to protect us from ourselves because that’s the limit to which its incompetence can aspire. It wants you to breathe sh*t, live in squalor, but not get too frisky in the bargain. Welcome to the underbelly of small town, America–at least in Mason County.

There are plenty of (A)narchists in the world. Many have committed robbery or smuggling for their cause. Fewer have discussed strategies with Che Guevara. There is only one who has done all that, and also brought to its knees the most powerful bank on the planet by forging travelers checks, without missing a single day of work in his construction job. He is Lucio Urtubia, from a tiny village, Navarra, in the North of Spain.

CitiBank Meets Its Match, Concedes

Lucio Urtubia’s Life: Bricklayer, Forger, Revolutionary

The astute reader capable of critical reasoning and an attention span long enough to finish the longer video production may recognize the apparent contradictions in Lucio’s life–especially in his later years. A man who eschews capitalism, money, materialism, and greed spends much of his life pursuing it–both illegally (smuggling, robberies, thefts, burglaries, fencing, kidnapping, forgeries) and lawfully (army enlistment, bricklayer employee, entrepreneur) as well as negotiating with the Devil himself (Citibank), contracting with him, even keeping the terms while using the proceeds to set up a successful proprietary business for himself. Simply put, Lucio is a man driven by ambition and success, no matter how it’s measured, no less than any powerful politician or tycoon.

Lucio can be seen in a certain light as protesting exclusion from capitalism as much as its existence. While his use of money he acquires through his schemes is infinitely more ethical than the banks’, his personal affairs (marriage) more conservative than his radical peers, he does not shun life by rejecting money when it’s offered/available…far from it. Yet he is not greedy. He serves as a useful mentor when he counsels his distrust of everyone, including his politically radical comrades–perhaps especially them. After all, it is they who argue politics/revolution is the basis and justification of the most deplorable acts. i.e. The ends justify the means. If you’re standing on the tracks when their train happens by?–Se la vie! It’s collateral damage rivaled only in scale by the U.S. war on ‘terror’ domestically and abroad.

“Everybody cheats to the best of their ability.” -Gramma-
“Anything worth having is worth cheating for.” -W. C. Fields-

We want your soul, Inc.

Like the Seattle Police Dept.’s planned acquisition of drones, West Seattle residents and the ACLU are upset about the installation of dozens of surveillance cameras along their beaches and waterfront. This has prompted local resistance in the form of disabling or confiscating these devices reminiscent of a scene from Orwell’s 1984. In fact, the movement against state surveillance has begun to take on global proportions.

The following images were released by the Barefoot Bandit Brigade, Puget Sound, USA

Guerrilla surveillance camera destruction hits the U.S. by Salon

It started in Berlin: (A)narchists, donning black bloc attire, hitting the streets at night in pairs, small groups or alone, to smash and dismantle the CCTV surveillance cameras adorning city streets.

The v(a)ndals posted videos and photos of their exploits online and called the guerrilla project Camover. The German collective gave a playful interview to Vice U.K. in which they explained that they are “a diverse group of people: Shoplifters eluding capitalism who don’t want to be monitored, passengers who don’t want to followed step by step, and (A)narchists fighting everything that wants to control us.” Vice noted that the Berlin-based (A)narchists then laid down the gauntlet:

Camover has also recently announced a competition encouraging others to get involved. All you have to do to enter is think of a name that begins with the words “Brigade…” or “Command…” and that ends with the name of a historical personality, recruit a mob and smash up cameras. Then you send pictures and video evidence to their website, and they declare the winning footage.

The (a)nti-surveillance project quickly spread throughout Germany, to Finland, Greece and hit the U.S. West Coast this month. A group identifying itself as “the Barefoot Bandit Brigade” released a statement claiming to have “removed and destroyed 17 security cameras throughout the Puget Sound region,” with ostensible photo evidence published alongside. “This act is concrete sabotage against the system of surveillance and control,” wrote the group’s statement, adding that the Camover contribution was also intended in solidarity with (A)narchists in the Pacific Northwest currently in federal custody without charges for refusing to cooperate with a federal grand jury.

When asked by Vice “aren’t you just wasting taxpayers’ money, since the government will inevitably re-install any CCTV you take out?” Camover’s originators responded, “Isn’t the government just going to waste taxpayers’ money when they replace the cameras that we are inevitably going to take down again?” It’s a direct approach to fight the creepy surveillance state, to say the least.

“While very few can fight the Prince, all can conspire against him.” -Machiavelli-

(A)narchists strike back against Seattle’s expanded surveillance camera network

(A)narchists destroy 17 cameras in reaction to Puget Sound’s “system of surveillance” and the detainment of the Grand Jury Resisters 

by Emilie Rensink 

“Wait a minute baby, stay with me a while 
Said you’d give me light but you never told me about the fire 

Droning in the sea of love…where everyone would love to drone 
But now it’s gone, it doesn’t matter what for 
When you build your house then call me, ‘Home’ 

And it was just like a great dark wing, within the wings of a storm
I think I had met my match, it was singing and undoing and undoing the tracers, undoing the tracers…”

“Isn’t it rich?
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground,
You in mid-air.
Send in the drones.

Isn’t it bliss?
Don’t you approve?
One who keeps tearing around,
One who can’t move.
Where are the drones?
Send in the drones.

Just when I’d stopped opening doors,
Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,
Making my entrance again with my usual flair,
Sure of my lines,
No one is there.

Don’t you love farce?
My fault I fear.
I thought that you’d want what I want.
Sorry, my dear.
But where are the drones?
Quick, send in the drones.
Don’t bother, they’re here.

Isn’t it rich?
Isn’t it queer,
Losing my timing this late
In my career?
And where are the drones?
There ought to be drones.
Well, maybe next year.”  

(by Amicus Curia w/apologies to Stevie Nicks, Judy Collins, et ux)

US a step closer: Wide domestic drones use

Mainstream Media’s Portrait of a Reformed LAPD

by Rania Khalek

Since the manhunt for former police officer turned cop-killer Chris Dorner started, the establishment media has expressed shock and confusion at the level of animosity directed at the Los Angeles Police Department. Some have even equated this animosity with support for Dorner’s killing spree.

In a piece titled “Fugitive’s Rant Puts Focus on Evolving LAPD Legacy”, the Associated Press reports, that Dorner’s vendetta “comes at a time when it’s widely held that the police department has evolved well beyond the troubled racial legacy of Rodney King and the O.J. Simpson trial.” And what is the evidence for this apparent evolution? It’s that “Whites now make up roughly a third of the department and, while under federal authority, LAPD moved to require anti-gang and narcotics officers to disclose their finances and worked on new tools to track officer conduct.”

The AP should tell this to the family of 36-year-old Jose de la Trinidad, an unarmed Latino father of two who was shot dead in November by two Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies.

The Sheriff’s department tried to cover it up, claiming that the officers opened fire because de la Trinidad reached for his waist to obtain what they believed was a gun, [Furtive movement!] unaware a nearby resident saw the entire thing from her bedroom window. She told investigators de la Trinidad was complying with police orders, his hands over his head and his back turned, when he was shot several times in the back, execution style. Police initially denied they ever interviewed the witness until they were grilled by the media and forced to admit they did. [The interview consisted largely of efforts to get the witness to change her account of the incident.]

Additionally, de la Trinidad’s autopsy report was released last week showing he was, indeed, shot in the back. His death leaves behind a wife, Rosanna, and two daughters ages 3 and 6. Three days after her husband was killed, Rosanna asked, “How am I supposed to explain to my daughters that their father was murdered by the police, the people who they are supposed to go to for protection.”

Perhaps Rosanna’s daughter’s will feel better knowing, as the AP so kindly reminds us, “Whites now make up roughly a third of the department” or, while under federal authority, LAPD moved to require anti-gang and narcotics officers to disclose their finances and worked on new tools to track officer conduct.”

Perhaps southern California law enforcement may be more racially diverse, but their culture of violence towards poor black and brown communities hasn’t changed, nor has the “code of silence” protecting trigger-happy officers who are rarely disciplined for their actions.

For example, nothing has happened to the eight LAPD officers who fired more than 90 rounds at unarmed 19-year-old Abdul Arian as he ran away following a car chase last year.  90 rounds! An LAPD internal probe deemed the 2010 police killing of Steven Eugene Washington, a 27-year-old unarmed autistic black man, justified as well. The LAPD officers who in 2011 shot and killed 25-year-old Reggie Doucet, naked and unarmed, were also cleared of any wrongdoing. The LAPD has yet to release the name of a man who officers shot and killed in October as he was handcuffed and lying on the ground face down.

In each of these cases, police claimed the suspect was reaching for his waistband (except in the case of naked Reggie Doucet who they say reached for the officer’s gun) and, like magic, their actions were justified.

Then there’s the LAPD’s recent scandal involving an elite gang unit promoting brutality and celebrating shootings. Last year, the Los Angles Times outed the existence of the “Jump Out Boys“, a secret group formed by seven LA Sheriff’s Department deputies and, according to Voxxi, “prides itself on aggressive policing, much of it in Latino communities, branding its members with matching tattoos of a red-eyed over-sized skull bearing the clique’s acronym and a bony hand holding a revolver.

Though the seven officers are being fired, Voxxi notes that it’s not “for any known criminal behavior but, apparently for tarnishing the department’s reputation and unethical conduct at a time when LAPD is struggling through a federal investigation.”

It’s no wonder poor communities and communities of color see the LAPD as a threat to be feared rather than the angelic department of do-gooders portrayed in the corporate media. Meanwhile, despite all the brutality, killing and cover-ups, the mainstream media can’t seem to understand why a so many people dislike the LAPD even as they’re being hunted by one of their own.

This confusion is illustrated best by the AP [Associated Press], which portrays a Facebook page as supportive of Dorner despite an explicit statement to the contrary:

On Friday, a community of online sympathizers formed, echoing complaints against police that linger in some communities. One Facebook page supporting Dorner, which had over 2,300 fans by Friday evening, said “this is not a page about supporting the killing of innocent people. It’s supporting fighting back against corrupt cops and bringing to light what they do.”

It is possible to both denounce Chris Dorner’s actions while also acknowledging the many truths in his critique of the LAPD. The establishment media doesn’t seem to get this. Instead, they see any agreement with Dorner’s assessment as tantamount to backing the murder of police officers. This reporting bias is not only foolish, but also indifferent to the people who have suffered at the hands of police violence.

It’s easy to attribute a shooting rampage to the lunacy of a deranged individual, which is largely correct. But, dismissing his motives ensures the systemic cultural factors that induced his cold violent desperate rampage will continue.