Rose City Counter-Info

As election night draws near, it seems like many anarchists are content with sitting back and watching what unfolds. We cannot predict what will happen- perhaps widespread riots, perhaps widespread nothing- but this should be even more reason to attack!

For months, we have been inundated with news blurbs about the plans to prevent election night unrest. The Portland Police have bragged about their preparedness to handle protests and have shown off their new riot squad and its fancy new toys. Although the police have made changes since 2020 and 2021, they are not all-powerful. Our desire for freedom will always be stronger than their control.

On last two election days, in 2016 and 2020, anarchists had a large presence in the streets. Things still managed to get rowdy in 2020 even after the National Guard was called in. It got rowdy, most importantly, because people (not just anarchists) wanted it to. If we want unrest, we need to make it. Attacks away from the crowds, all across the city, can show that no matter who they elect, we are ungovernable.

Riots create opportunities for other people to experiment with attack, they subvert property, authority, and capital and unleash the boldest of desires- a desire for freedom and destruction. But even after the riots end and everything goes back to how it was, they continue to live in a collective imaginary as a memory of what is possible- and this memory is the kindling for the fires to come.

At the same time, we have to think critically about the meaning of a night or two of rioting and what role we might play. How do these riots, ever momentary ruptures, fit into a goal of insurrection and generalized subversion? How can we contribute to making these moments last? How do we spread attack and create the conditions for other people to strike as well?

Instead of sitting at home and waiting for someone else to throw the first stone, or waiting for activists to tell us why we need to be out in the streets, let’s strike first, and strike for ourselves. Let’s smash the spectacle of the election and reject their calls for social peace- after all, we are explosive beings with unpredictable reactions. We are dynamite.

 

submitted anonymously

At the end of 2010 an individual act of despair in the town of Sidi Bouzid ignited a daring, enraged, and joyful upheaval that travelled through North Africa into the Middle East and beyond. People defied the oppressive systems they had been immersed in for generations and came together in the streets to topple the political elites at their helm. The authorities, at first stunned by this courageous spirit that they couldn’t understand, then unleashed a cynical and brutal response.

This defeat is still being inflicted on the people in the region, and is also felt all over the world by those who stood in solidarity with the uprisings but were mostly unable to overcome their powerlessness as the uprisings were massacred.

The horrors in the region during the last decade are many. To name some that stick most in my mind: Sisi has turned back the clock in Egypt to military dictatorship with the material support of the US. The regimes in the other North-African countries are paving over any sign of freedom while being coaxed by European countries to shut down the immigration routes over the Mediterranean. Without the murderous military campaigns of Hezbollah and the IRGC in Syria, Assad wouldn’t have survived the uprising. The Iranian regime itself brutally oppressed three different uprisings in the country in the last decade. Most people in Lebanon are in a daily struggle for survival because of the greed of its political leaders while mobs at the orders of Hezbollah beat down street protests. Early on in the uprisings, Hamas, who has shot political opponents in broad daylight on the streets of Gaza, culled attempts at an uprising by rounding up protest organizers and threatening them with murder. Leaders in the region understood once again that they can use any means against the populations under their control without real push-back from outside. Indifference, cynicism and opportunism trump moral appeals, and strategic alliances are always in play. The world churns on. For those of us who have not looked away, how can we not see a connection between Assad bombing Syrian cities into obliteration and Netanyahu razing Gaza? Continue reading “Towards Another Uprising”

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been taking action in what is colonially known as Portland, OR to target banks and other corporations that are directly funding and enabling israel’s genocide in Palestine. We targeted 3 Bank of America branches, 3 Chase Bank branches, and a Wells Fargo. We used gorilla glue to disable ATM machines and plug up door locks, tagged walls and doors, and super-glued “WARNING: THIS BANK FUNDS GENOCIDE” messages to ATMs. We also tagged a Nike billboard and a McDonalds. Continue reading “Targeting funders of Zionist imperialism”

Answering the national call to “shut down tech” on October 24th, autonomous groups of community members targeted Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, breaking glass jars full of “blood” (red paint) on its Executive Briefing Center building, pouring “blood” on the big Microsoft sign, and leaving behind the message “Azure: Drop Israel Not Bombs” painted in dozens of places. This action brought attention to companies in Seattle have with the israeli occupation forces (IOF), that many are unaware of. Continue reading “Microsoft Executive Building hit in Redmond, WA”

This week tension cables that holds a wooden power pylon were cut causing the pylon to lean.
This was done with the hopes that the pylon later fall causing an outage.
Electricity is exists today as a crucial component of state power, capital, and ecological destruction.
However small this action, the secret is to begin.
Solidarity with the volcano group.
SWITCH OFF! THE SYSTEM OF DESTRUCTION

submitted anonymously

On June 4th, The Israeli Defense Ministry penned a deal to procure a third F-35 fighter jet squadron from the United States government. This deal totaling 3 billion dollars, financed by US military aid to Israel, would bring the Israeli Air Force’s F-35 fleet to 75 fighter jets. The F-35 considered to be the backbone of the Israeli airforce, has played a critical role in the IDF’s assault on Gaza, escalating Israel’s aim of the total destruction of Palestinian life within Israeli occupied territories.

So on the morning of June 9th, we started a fire at the Portland offices of Parker-Hannifin located at 6458 N. Basin Ave in the Mocks Bottom industrial area. The mainstream media did not report on this fire. The full extent of the damage is unknown. Continue reading “Claim of Responsibility for Parker-Hannifin Arson”

Over the weekend, two simultaneous attacks occurred at construction sites for a major refined petroleum pipeline running through the forested hills of Portland OR. Work is ongoing to upgrade the pipeline, which is run by Kinder Morgan and carries diesel and gasoline between Portland and Eugene. The pipeline is an essential supply line for gas stations in the area and part of a bigger network that runs up the West coast. Continue reading “TREES SPIKED AND MACHINES DESTROYED AT PIPELINE WORKSITES”

This piece is a little bit late to the party, but after reading the other reportbacks published locally and participating in discussions with dear friends and close strangers, we still felt that some ideas were in need of sharing. We don’t wish to recap the events of May Day but hope to contribute some thoughts and expansions on other takeaways of the occupation and the march. As Palestine solidarity actions continue to grow, we feel that these points are still important. Additionally, much of what we have to say applies far beyond this struggle. What follows is a compilation of thoughts from a few different voices, which we hope can add to the conversation. Continue reading “Additional Thoughts on May Day and the PSU Occupation”

On May 2nd, Jarrid Huber was taken into custody by the Portland Police for alleged actions related to a fire at the UPS Distribution Center on January 20th, which someone had claimed online in solidarity with Atlanta forest defenders. He had already been on a 60 month probation for a former arson charge in 2021. He had his initial arraignment on May 3rd and was released on a $1000 bail the same day.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed on May 3rd with the court, when interviewed by the detective, Huber admitted his involvement with the action and further went on to state “he was there with a group of “unknown” people that he met at a book fair.”

We discourage public speculation on anything beyond what is in public court documents, but it is reasonable to assume that the police are seeking to prosecute other individuals. As always, solidarity is our best weapon.

It is always in yours’ and others’ best interest to never speak to police. To remember your right to remain silent, and to ask for legal counsel.

If the police come to your door, say, “No, you cannot come in. I do not consent to a search.” Keep the outer gate or door chain locked. If you must, step outside and close the door behind you. Better yet, speak through the door. Say “No, I will not answer your questions.” You can also say “I have been advised to not answer questions. If you leave a card, a lawyer may contact you.” The police are trained to intimidate. Don’t let them bully you! The police are trained to lie, to manipulate. Regardless of what they say, remember that you are never required to answer anything they ask. Your responsibility is to your conscience, your ideals, and your community.

Resources:

When the Police Knock on Your Door

Don’t Talk To Cops

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Repression

 

submitted anonymously

In a beautiful occupation, self appointed leaders definitely took a toll. There were a lot of people starting convos about who to let in. Mostly informal, but some attempts at solidifying it in weird meetings. Some people decided to work the door. Instead of focusing on welcoming people, giving them encouragement to act autonomously, and making sure they have skills to stay safe from repression, many decided to try to sus out who’s a cop or not with it and turn people away. Continue reading “Quick thoughts on Refaat Alareer Memorial Library”