Note to Anarchist from 1.20.05

Too Much to loose.
January 21, 2005. San Francisco Counter-Inauguration Anti-Authoritarian March.
Last night I stuck it out marching with the kidz, a common image of anarchy on the streets: young seemingly able bodied, healthy, rowdy and dressed in black. There were some prime moments of burning the grand ol’ stars and stripes and facing off with the Police. Yet cops weren’t blinking an eye, fire after fire there was no attempt to extinguish or disrupt the burning flags or posters. I guess it was easier not to. Marching we were one resemblance of what anarchism is, kidz looking for: a way to change the path of the future, a way to stop the exploitation of every other nation, a way to self-determine our own lives, our futures. We want to stop all the pain caused by capitalism, racism, patriarchy, to serve the needs of the richest most privileged people in the world, US citizens, and us.
There were so few of us last night. It was a work night and it was a school night and there was no call for direct action. No one wanted to get beat again, no one wanted to go to prison again, where were you? Do US anarchist have too much to loose in the face of global revolution? Is there an analysis of how to do this thing, how to be in struggle? Recognize privileges, oppressions, and establish friendships so that we can be a fierce force for radical change that includes working outside the system, lifestyle anarchism, solidarity work, institutional voices and people with access to destroy the system from the inside. Or with the state and its general lack of concern for life eat itself up and on its own and topple over?.
Its all surreal to me, the future is the past, the alarm was sounded long ago and it is our responsibility to continue in the struggle against government and empire. There is such strength and beauty; still keeping the flame alive is harder and harder everyday. I believe that we must live each moment of our lifetimes believing that every conversation we have is a revolutionary act, an opportunity to connect. Lets look at each “protest, march or rally” as a gathering time to practice working together, busting through police lines, breaking out of counterculture imposed boundaries, making group decisions, singing chants that hit the hearts of the disillusioned passerby’s and erasing the fear that separates our hearts. People ignore the sweatshops in far off corners but people were looked twice at 200+ riot cops following a mere 50+ youngsters in black (is this really happening in the US of A?)..….”We all live in a Military State! This is What A Police State Looks Like! Its Not Illegal to Walk on the Sidewalk!”.
Last night we didn’t shut down the city with our rage, we didn’t loot and riot, we didn’t cry and scream like we wanted to. We did made new friends, we yelled into restaurants and opera houses, we played anarchist-anarchist-cop (similar to duck duck goose) and an old fashioned round of telephone for an audience including hundreds of officers, dozens of police vehicles, hundreds of bystanders, firefighters, and the SFPD blocked a lane of traffic for hours. It was nice to scream at the top of our lungs, light things on fire, dance, pound the drum so hard our hands bruised, we asked questions about what to do – to find that we don’t know and that’s ok – were doing what we can and as long as we stay true and committed our daily breaths are not in vain – we are building blocks in a long history of struggle..Lets keep talking and playing and fighting and loving. See you in the shadows. Fight to Win – lunAcy