June 2008 Friendly Fire Newsletter!

Another month has gone by, and our project has started to get itself off of the ground. We've collected another series of articles, videos and audio for you all to digest. Here in the Bay Area over the past month, there was an Reclaim the Streets (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/31/18503223.php) mobilizing people against Prop 98 (which ended up failing in the state elections!) as well as an action at the Chevron Headquarters in Richmond (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/28/18502753.php), both of which were fairly successful. Hopefully you all have found your own successes in your own projects as well.

Friendly Fire is also taken another strep forward in producing it's own material and has recorded a talk by Andrew Flood of the Workers Solidarity Movement about anarchist organizing in Ireland that he gave earlier this month. During his speaking tour, he was also able to record audio of his own of interviews with anarchists all across the U.S. including with Amanacer, the group which sponsored the talk we recorded in San Jose. Although there are too many to host on our site, we found them inspirational and they can be found here: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/27/18502496.php

In July you can look forward to a few new additions from Friendly Fire. We'll be adding an image gallery to our site which will be a collection of original works which can be downloaded and printed. In July we've decided to host our first event in the Bay Area (keep an eye out for next months newsletter for more details). We'll also be publishing new original writing from the collective. If you have any articles, events or anything else which you feel could be helped by Friendly Fire, please do get in touch with us and hopefully we'll be able to collaborate further. Also, if you know anyone who you think would like to be getting this newsletter, please feel free to pass this on. We hope you all enjoy the beginning of summer.

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"Will Obama stop the war?" by Anthony Arnove http://friendlyfirecollective.info/articles/38/will-obama-stop-the-war

Now that Barack Obama is the official democratic nominee for the 2008 presidential election, and his popularity among the left in the United States is swelling, it seems to be a critical time to take a closer look at the details of his policies. In this article written by Anthony Arnove, Obama's claim to be an anti-war candidate is deconstructed and is shown to be a demobilizing force to the larger anti-war movement.

"What to Expect from the Conventions" by Crimethinc http://friendlyfirecollective.info/articles/39/what-to-expect-from-the-conventions

Now that summer is rolling around, we felt it was time to take a closer look at the upcoming DNC and RNC mobilizations. In this article, Crimethinc presents a strategic discussion on the significance of mobilizing against summits and offers insight into the proposed strategy put forth by the RNC welcoming committee and its potential for movement building.

"The World Food Crisis: Sources and Solutions" by Fred Magdoff http://friendlyfirecollective.info/articles/35/the-world-food-crisis-sources-and-solutions

An acute food crisis has struck the world in 2008. This is on top of a longer-term crisis of agriculture and food that has already left billions hungry and malnourished. In order to understand the full, dire implications of what is happening today it is necessary to look at the interaction between these short-term and long-term crises. Both crises arise primarily from the for-profit production of food, fiber, and now biofuels, and the rift between food and people that this inevitably generates.

"Lessons From A Sean Bell Verdict Protest" written by Elliot Liu http://friendlyfirecollective.info/articles/40/lessons-from-a-sean-bell-verdict-protest

Last month, three NYPD officers who were on trial for killing Sean Bell and wounding his two friends in a hail of 50 bullets were acquitted amid mass outcry. This article chronicles a militant demonstration in the streets of Jamaica, Queens after the verdict was announced. The author Elliot Liu offers his personal perspective as a participant of the demonstration and how it stood apart from other protests surrounding the verdict.

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"A People's History of American Empire by Howard Zinn" http://friendlyfirecollective.info/articles/34/a-peoples-history-of-american-empire-by-howard-zinn

As a prelude to Zinn's new illustrated "A People's History of American Empire", this animated short gives a brief overview of American imperialism since the nation's beginnings utilizing Zinn's personal experiences since WWII as a lens for examining these events.

"Labor Beat Remembers Utah Phillips" http://friendlyfirecollective.info/articles/36/labor-beat-remembers-utah-phillips

Legendary labor singer and IWW activist Utah Phillips died peacefully in his sleep on May 23, 2008. Labor Beat celebrates his memory with clips from their video archives over 20 years.

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Building a popular Anarchist Movement in Ireland http://friendlyfirecollective.info/articles/37/buildling-a-popular-anarchist-movement-in-ireland

In this audio production from the Friendly Fire Collective, Irish anarchist intellectual and labor organizer Andrew Flood came to San Jose and Oakland as part of his North American speaking tour. Flood is a long time member of Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM) and has participated in the anarchist movement's development from a handful of dedicated organizers into a directly democratic anti-capitalist movement that has spread across Ireland. This is the audio of Flood speaking to a crowd in San Jose at an event put on by our friends in Amanecer.

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Tribute to Utah Phillips Originally planned as a benefit to help Utah Phillips with expenses as he was no longer able to perform or tour. After his passing, it was decided to go on with the show as a tribute to Utah and his life as Wobbly, story teller, musician and all around folk legend. All of the original musicians are still on board with the addition of 90+ yr old Faith Petric, a great folk singer and friend of Utah. Date: Saturday June 7th Time: 6-11pm Location: 2844 Union St., Oakland CA

DNC Disruption Tour in Berkeley The DNC Disruption Tour will be stopping by the longhaul on Sunday June 15th at 7PM to fill us all in on the demonstration plans in Denver to protest the Democratic National Convention. Please come by and learn how you can participate. This will be an excellent opportunity for groups planning on participating in this summer's convention protests to learn more from individuals that have been working on the ground in Denver to pull this thing together. This will be a potluck event. Date: Sunday, June 15th Time: 7-9pm Location: The Longhaul infoshop 3124 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA (510) 540-0751

San Francisco Gentrification Awards Gay Shame along with a few other organizations are planning an awards ceremony for the city's worst gentrifiers. The details of this event are still in the works. For more information go to GayShameSF.org Date: Saturday, June 21st Time: TBA Location: Castro and Market

CRITICAL MASS!!! Bicycle! Bicycle! Get on your bikes and ride! Date: Friday June 27th (and the last Friday of every month!) Time: Gather at 5:30pm, leave at 6:00pm Location: Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco, CA

Check back at friendlyfirecollective.info for more additions to the calendar as the month goes on.