this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2025
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In Person Activism
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"Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them." -Tim Snyder
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Back in the day, the IWW and other Unions made sure they had their own good squads at the ready.
Some trouble makers are undercover cops or paid informers, others may just be folks who want to throw a brick at a cop and figure they can get away in the crowd. The goon squad was there to make sure that no one gave the cops an excuse to start busting heads.
The police are always more prepared for violence than protesters. There are always elderly, infirm, or young children marching with us.
That's still common practice and still done by IWW groups afaik. At least in Asheville there are organized black blocs watching for agitators - cops have been known to fuck with them.
Ideally, nobody shows up looking to start shit, because that's how legal defense funds run dry.
I guess I don't look like goon squad material.
Step 1: get involved with active anarchist groups
Step 2: show up
Or be me, get involved
And dont
Whose the anarchist now bitches
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but the cops love to infiltrate groups like that.
Most of the big terrorist arrests you see happen when some provocateur tricks good hearted people into 'taking action.'
While yes, there's a shockingly relevent source of wisdom here in Pixar's A Bug's Life.
There are always going to be police and punishment. Tribal societies used to throw people out to live alone in the woods.
Stop focusing on the police and look at who controls them.
The problem is that the police are out of control and that’s why we’re even having this discussion.
i will be also watching for the people actually pulling the trigger, tyvm