Long Island Food Not Bombs (LIFNB), who facilitates community food shares 5 days a week, and organizes distributions of recovered food 7 days a week, distributed nearly 30,000lbs of produce yesterday alone (12/22/2013). These large numbers have become more common for the group in recent years, and is credited in-part to the group’s sister non-profit Community Solidarity Inc., whose 501-c3 status has allowed greater access to recovery points such as grocers and local cafes. The exponential increase in attendance at LIFNB’s food shares can also be attributed to the radical increase in income inequality and it’s creation of a growing constituency of hungry, working, poor families. LIFNB’s savvy use of social media, and community-driven organizing model has also contributed to its explosive growth. Moreover, the food served is delicious.

An 8min video published today by The Sparrow Project titled This Is What Solidarity Looks Like: 24hrs With Long Island Food Not Bombs provides a cross-sectional view into the group’s daily operations, specifically the 24 hour period surrounding the group’s annual Thanksgiving food share which took place this year on November 24th at the Long Island Rail Road Station in Hempstead, NY.

PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE SHARE »
Between 3pm and 4pm on November 24th, 2013 over 2,500 people visited the share and left with groceries, plates of hot food, or both.

TOTAL WEIGHT OF GROCERIES SHARED »
Between 3pm and 4pm on November 24th, 2013 approximately 50,078.75lbs of food was distributed. This consisted of fresh produce, cereals, soy milks, cooking amenities like oils and flours, as well as non essentials like spices and sweeteners. This abundance, if distributed evenly, could provide a week worth of nutrition for all 2,500 attendees.

VEGAN HOT MEALS »
Between 3pm and 4pm on November 24th, 2013 approximately 1,850 people enjoyed hot vegan meals. Long Island Food Not Bombs extends their foundational message of non-violence to embrace non-human animals and therefore only recovers and distributes vegetarian grocery items and only prepares hot meals that are strictly vegan. The group’s plant-based entrées (often celebrated by vegans and carnivores alike) is not only more sustainable and safe for distribution but directly challenges the Turkey fundraisers of other soup kitchens. The Hempstead meal alone spared ~180 turkeys.

SUPPLEMENTING FAMILIES’ INCOME »
On average Long Island Food Not Bombs saves a family who attends their food shares ~ $100 every week*. These savings add up for families who regularly attend the shares and can exceed $4,000 in savings per-family annually*. [ calculations based on fair market value of food donated*]

OPERATING ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET »
The creation of the group’s sister non-profit Community Solidarity has increased the group’s access to food and the groups ability to help an exponentially larger amount of people, all while allowing the autonomy, DIY ethos, and radical politics of Food Not Bombs to remain intact. The two-tier system however has not resulted in an infusion of capital. Unlike 501-c3 organizations with similar purposes, LIFNB and Community Solidarity Inc., have no paid employees and continue to operate on a shoestring. If you want to help change that you can do so by donating to Community Solidarity HERE.

The video published today by The Sparrow Project, is intended to inspire others to pursue similar endeavors in their own communities. LIFNB places emphasis on solidarity over charity and community engagement over hierarchical charitable models that can inadvertently patronize the communities they intend to help. Through the use of social media, a dedicated core of volunteers, and countless community members that make up the foundation of their food share distributions, Long Island Food Not Bombs was able to serve over 1,000,000lbs of food to tens of thousand of Long Islander’s in 2013.

For more information on Long Island Food Not Bombs visit http://lifnb.com or email longislandfoodnotbombs@gmail.com Tax deductible donations can be made to support LIFNB’s tireless efforts online at this LINK. To schedule an interview with a LIFNB member or for similar media requests please email jonsteps@communitysolidarity.org. Media request can also be directed to andy@sparrowmedia.net

» Demonstrators from the In our Hearts Collective brought instruments, pots and pans, and their voices to make noise loud enough to be heard within the walls of the detention center. The Illuminator projected messages of solidarity on the bleak walls of the prison. “Free Jeremy Hammond!”, “Solidarity with all Hacktivists!” and images of the infamous Anonymous Guy Fawkes mask lit up the night.  Additional images are posted below.

Shortly after his sentencing at the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, Jeremy Hammond was transferred from the Metropolitan Corrections Center (MCC) on Park Row in Manhattan to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn where he awaits designation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to an institution where he will serve the majority of his sentence.

Hammond’s actions, while maligned by the Department of Justice as criminal in nature, have been celebrated by activists and journalists alike as a contemporary form of civil disobedience, motivated by a desire to protest and expose the secret activities of private intelligence corporations.

In the lead up to sentencing Hammond’s attorneys submitted a memorandum asking for a sentence of time served, supported by 5,000 people in petitions hosted by Change.org and Demand Progress. Additionally, over 250 letters addressed to the Judge from friends, family, journalists, academics, the tech community, and prominent whistleblowers were included with the memorandum. Among them was a letter cosigned by 17 editors and journalists representing international media outlets in fifteen countries with a combined audience of 500 million people.

VIEW EXCERPTS OF LETTERS OF SUPPORT HERE

“There are many – like our adversaries in the United States Attorney’s office – who do not accept Jeremy Hammond’s actions as acts of civil disobedience; many who see what he did as one dimensional, criminal and malicious,” said Jeremy Hammond’s counsel, Sarah Kunstler, in her sentencing argument on November 15th. “In its sentencing submission, the government argues that Jeremy Hammond ‘was motivated by a malicious and callous contempt for those with whom he disagreed,’ and that his goal, demonstrated by statements that he made in chat rooms, ‘was to cause ‘mass mayhem’ by destroying the websites of entities he disliked.’ Contrary to the government’s representations, this wasn’t a malicious and unfocused act against an entity with whom Jeremy had a disagreement – it was an act of protest against the private intelligence industry and its ability to do what the United States, in theory, is prohibited from doing – targeting American citizens and other populations worldwide.”

Print quality images of last nights action are available for download HERE. To schedule interviews with Jeremy Hammond’s attorneys and supporters please contact Andy Stepanian, 631.291.3010, andy@sparrowmedia.net.

» Print quality versions of these images are available for download HERE.

The Jeremy Hammond Defense Committee is a coalition of family members, activists, lawyers, and other supporters who are working together to protect free speech and to support Jeremy http://freejeremy.net

This action is part of three days of events to run in conjunction with the annual Left Forum. Speakers at this years forum include Oliver Stone, Jill Stein and Noam Chomsky. A list of forum events supporting Jeremy Hammond is posted below.

FRIDAY, 6/7
9:15 PM (meet outside right after plenary)
Gathering and short march to Metropolitan Correctional Center in solidarity with Jeremy & all political prisoners housed at the MCC. Bring your musical instruments or anything else that makes noise.

SATURDAY, 6/8
ALL DAY
Visit the Jeremy Hammond Defense Committee in the Left Forum exhibition hall.

SUNDAY, 6/9
12:00 PM (Session 6, Room W605)
See a Left Forum panel on the issue of Hacktivism, Information Activism, “The 5th Estate: Hacking, Leaking, & Investigative Journalism in the Age of Secrecy”. Panelist include: Gabriella Coleman (anthropologist & “Anonymous” expert), Will Potter (journalist & author of Green is the New Red), Grainne O’Neill (defense attorney for Jeremy Hammond)

SIGN THE PETITIONS
Jeremy’s twin brother, Jason, launched an online petition calling for the judge to grant Jeremy a sentence of time served. Jeremy has already spent 15 months in prison, including weeks in solitary confinement. Three of his Irish and British co-defendants are walking free today and none of the remaining three will spend more time in prison than Jeremy already has pre-sentencing.

Jason is pushing against the entire weight of the federal criminal justice system—the same system that drove Aaron Swartz to suicide—and he can’t do it alone. If you haven’t already, please join Jason in saying that Jeremy has spent enough time in jail by signing the petition at Change.org. If you have already signed, please tell your friends, family members, and co-workers to sign.

You can sign the petition to release Jeremy on a sentence of “time served” HERE

Jerry’s support commitee has also just announced an online petition and open letter that they are encouraging Jerry’s supporters to sign and share widely. Their open letter has already been joined by luminaries like Noam Chomsky, Simon Critchley, Frances Fox Piven, Jeremy Varon, Paul Mattick, Thomas Drake, Jesselyn Raddack, Doug Henwood, and Jodi Dean.

Jerry Koch’s support committee has circulated the following letter calling others to join in resisting the draconian grand jury that is holding him captive…

“New York legal activist and anarchist, Jerry Koch, is currently being held in a Manhattan federal detention having been neither charged nor convicted of any crime. He is being coercively held for refusing to speak to a federal grand jury — those black boxes of the judicial system, historically used to intimidate and harass radical communities. With his silence, Jerry is standing against this tool of government repression.

As part of Jerry’s support committee, we have penned an open letter, link below, explaining Jerry’s situation in the context of federal activist persecutions. We hope you might lend your signatures to the letter and help highlight the abuses perpetuated by shrouded grand jury procedures. And, of course, help us free our brave friend from the cage he now calls home,

Academics, artists and writers including Noam Chomsky, Simon Critchley, Frances Fox Piven, Jeremy Varon, Paul Mattick, Thomas Drake, Jesselyn Raddack, Doug Henwood, Jodi Dean, Molly Crabapple, Natasha Lennard and others have already signed on. I hope you will consider joining them.“

You can sign the petition to free Jerry at change.org HERE

I’ve been pondering a lot about Martin Luther King, lately; more than usual. Every day, down at Liberty Plaza, I can’t help but think that, had he not been murdered, he would be with us. This was especially salient on Tuesday night, October 18, when I did the People’s Mic with Jesse Jackson. Whatever one thinks of Rev. Jackson’s politics, the man was an associate of the late, great Dr. King. The image of a young Jackson, standing to the right of Dr. King, on that fateful Memphis balcony, is emblazoned on the collective conscious of all who revere justice.

I’ve long been awash in indignation at the co-opting of King’s legacy. Much as the capitalist war-makers have done with other historical figures who devoted themselves to peace and justice, Dr. King has been hijacked and bowdlerized; molded into a neat little figure who fits nicely into Americana.  The egregiousness of this was never clearer or more infuriating than in the recent dedication of the National Memorial to this great person.  Here were Republicans and Democrats (as if there is a difference), marionettes of Wall Street and the Military/Prison Industrial Complex, sanctimoniously celebrating a man whom they would incarcerate, were he still alive. They wish to portray King, selectively, as a Civil Rights leader, and nothing else. They ignore the fact that, for the last three years of his short life, King identified himself as a “Democratic Socialist.” This is the man who characterized capitalism as economic violence and exhorted us to ask, “’Why are there forty million poor people [He would be horrified by today’s total] in America?’” And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.”
 
» [related content] Jesse Jackson speaks about OWS & the 1968 Poor Peoples March organized by he and Dr. King on Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann «

Barack Obama spews platitudes of reverence to King, yet enacts policies that would have the latter in fits of apoplexy. This president has received more money for his re-election campaign from Wall Street than any other candidate, in history, and the election is still more than a year away.

This president has deported more than one million people, since taking office, in January, 2009.

This president has expanded the murder machine of war, so that the US is killing innocent people, en masse, in Iraq; Afghanistan; Pakistan; Yemen; Libya, et al. The sabers of iniquity are rattling against Iran, now. Wall Street’s lackey must ensure that everyone join the IMF.

This president has abrogated further the Constitution, vis a vis the First Amendment rights of the nation’s citizenry.

This president has aided and abetted the capitalist class’s assault on labor. While he stole millions from the unions, promising to enact EFCA, he has appointed Goldman alumna to his cabinet. His big mouth was conspicuously silent, when Wisconsin begged for support, earlier this year.

Let us remember that Dr. King, after being harassed for years by the very government which now seeks to siphon off of his legacy by dedicating a memorial to a fraction of the person, was murdered just hours after addressing striking sanitation workers, in Memphis.

 So, as I stand/sit/march/scream at Liberty Plaza, I cannot help but think that, if indeed there is another plain of existence to which we go, after our corpora expire, Dr. King is smiling down in solidarity on us, at Liberty Plaza, and shaking his head, in shame, at the Wall Street-Washington cabal that tries to usurp his great legacy.

Arthur Smilios is an unapologetic anti-capitalist, musician rabble rouser.   Arthur was the co-founder of the seminal New York punk band the Gorilla Biscuits. Since his days of performing “Cats & Dogs” (a song that encouraged thousands to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle)  Arthur has strived to braid his art with his passion for social justice.  The Sparrow Project has invited Arthur to continue to sound off on the issues he holds most dear through their blog on http://sparrowmedia.net .  Arthur’s articles are written exclusively in his own voice, and may not reflect the views of The Sparrow Project.

These charges present a new chapter in an increasingly diluted industry-driven narrative that abolitionists who oppose animal cruelty are in some manner on par with “terrorists.”

An international day of solidarity and action has been planned for tomorrow, Friday June 24th, 2011.  Events will be happening from Spain to New York to Toronto to Berlin.   Will Potter, author of Green is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Movement Under Siege has compiled an up-to-date roundup of all the solidarity events being planned world-wide on his blog http://greenisthenewred.com …if you don’t see an event in your country PLAN YOUR OWN!

A list of all the Spanish embassies can be found HERE!

These updates are reposted from Will Potter’s http://greenisthenewred.com

UPDATE: No prisoner support page yet, but you can donate to their legal support here (in English)

UPDATE 2: Official statement from Animal Equality. The Spanish government is saying the arrests are related to the recent release of mink from fur farms. Above-ground activists respond:

These two organisations, which define their activism as being non-violent, dedicate their efforts to raising public awareness of animal rights, by informing society of the consequences of the consumption of animal products and the promotion of alternatives. On the other hand, even though the organisations were not involved in the mink liberations, neither condemns these types of actions, to the extent that they defend the interests of all animals regardless of species, as none of the minks exploited by the fur industry deserves to live and die on a Spanish fur farm….

The animal exploitation lobbies and powerful multinationals wish to put the brakes on the animal rights movement in Spain, and now we are seeing the arrival of repression.

UPDATE 3: International day of protest and solidarity called for FRIDAY, JUNE 24th, 2011.Here’s a list of Spanish embassies.

Update 4: Protests planned for San Francisco, Toronto, New York City, Washington DCand more. Post a link in the comments and I’ll add them. Also, a quick thing you can do is update your social media profile photos with the banner above.

UPDATE 5: Protest in Munich, Germany, Friday 6/24 from 9 am – 1 pm in front of the Spanish embassy (Oberföhriger Str. 45).

UPDATE 6: Protest in Brussels, Belgium, Friday, 6/24 at 2 pm in front of the Spanish embassy (Wetenschapsstraat 19).

UPDATE 7: Animal Equality lawyers report:

“…the treatment of those detained is currently adequate, although they are not being given a vegan diet. Some of the activists have declared themselves on hunger strike until they receive vegan food…They are calm, but strong and determined, and many people are currently working on this situation. Many thanks for all the support that has been received so far.

“You can make your support for the detained activists reach further by calling the police stations in Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña where they are currently being held and inquiring about the health of the activists..

The following is a suggested text to read:

“Hello. I am calling because I am concerned about the health of the activists who were arrested yesterday and who are currently being held in the police station. I would like to request that they be given a vegan diet.. I wish to express my concern for the health of those detained, and in particular, Sharon Nunez Gough, who has certain health problems.”

Telephone numbers:

– Comandancia de la Guardia Civil A Coruña, 0034 981 16 78 00, where the following activists are being held:

Sara, Olaia, Eneko, José Ramon, Eladio, Rafael, Jennifer y Borja

– Comandancia de la Guardia Civil Santiago de Compostela, 0034 981 581 611, where the following activists are being held:

Jose, Sharon y David.

UPDATE 8: Leaflets and posters are available for download for the solidarity events.

UPDATE 9: Protest in Vienna, Austria, Friday, 6/24 at 11 am in front of the Spanish embassy (Argentinierstraße 34, A-1040 Wien)

Protest in Berlin, Germany, Friday, 6/24, at noon in front of the Spanish embassy (Lichtensteinallee 1)

Food Not Bombs DIY ethos and decentralized structure is what has allowed it to flourish and spread its feedings virally to countries all around the world. Maintaining the ideals, autonomy & purely volunteer framework of Food Not Bombs is what will assure it’s continued success and continued growth within the community. It is for these reasons that Food Not Bombs volunteers have started a partner non-profit with the purpose of increasing access to recovered food, increasing distribution of food to communities in need, and for the purpose of coaching existing soup kitchens & pantries to more efficiently serve the community even while operating on a shoestring budget.

This new partner non-profit, properly named ‘Community Solidarity‘ can use your help. They have been nominated to the Vivint Gives Back Project, a socially-driven non profit incubator, and if they receive enough endorsements from people like you they can earn one of a handful of grants for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Food Not Bombs is asking all of their supporters to endorse the Community Solidarity project by visiting http://vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/647 and casting your vote for them. You can continue to help them by sharing the endorsement link with your friends on social networks. You can return back to the Vivint link to vote once a day until the drawing in August.

It is a sobering fact to learn that poverty and a lack of access to food and water kills more people every day then violent conflicts do. A fact that we so often ignore is that the blight of scarcity, poverty, and hunger are things we can do something about it. Food Not Bombs & Community Solidarity are showing us that DIY hunger relief and community empowerment are more then just bright-eyed ideals, they are an ever-growing concrete reality.

At the end of last summer I had an opportunity to remove myself from my daily life and focus on reflection.  I spent several days in silent meditation, facing nothing but myself.  I thought this look inward would provide a better insight into my own consciousness, but I was surprised when I realized how many blind spots I had for other people and my connection with those people. I confronted the reality that I, and those around me, can do more to provide mutual aid, support, care, solidarity, and – dare I say – love to one another.  It was painful and humbling to confront my inconsistencies, but ultimately it spurred me to action.

I was reminded of the great loss in Haiti and my feeling of ineptitude in response to it.  The suffering was so great, how could one person be of any help?

I donated money but my efforts felt hollow. Surely I could have given more but I was troubled by the idea of giving to an organization that may use the funds in counterproductive ways or to advance a self-serving agenda.  I was worried about contributing to what Naomi Klein defines as ”disaster capitalism.” Disaster capitalism are efforts that corporations and governments make to exploit times of great crisis and can come in the form legislation limiting civil liberties during a time of war or billion dollar contracts offered to multinational corporations for disaster relief.  Unsure of the most responsible way to give my resources, I was paralyzed into inaction. This paralysis was a total cop out. Despite the potential pitfalls of charity, I realized that it was my responsibility to discover effective means of solidarity with the Haitian people by doing my homework on the groups or movements worth supporting, staying connected with them, initiating outreach to my community, and being publicly accountable.  When I returned from meditation I reached out to my friend Andy Stepanian of the Sparrow Project to collaborate on a week of actions and fundraisers to commemorate the anniversary of the earthquake.  Funds would support Haitian Women for Haitian refugees, a grassroots organization that has built a center in Léogâne to support the work of women in the aftermath. Instead of throwing one big effort, we would use the power of social media to inspire our entire network to take initiative. These new media tools, when used effectively, have proven to be powerful agents for spreading ideas. Why not have the concept of global solidarity go viral?  We could provide materials, logistics, and a rallying cry. The rest is up to each individual in each community.   In this way we’d minimize overhead to almost zero and maximize our impact.

We decided not to focus our intentions on the power of charity nor the nobility of do-gooders.  By only giving to Haitian-based, Haitian-run organizations, we hoped to shine a light on the power, ingenuity, and resilience of the Haitian people. The Haitian people are not helpless; they are in crisis. Friends in crisis need support, not pity.  We wanted to expose more people to the truly heroic work on the ground that Haitians are doing for other Haitians.  As more people knew of the work already being done, the better likelihood that direct support could reach local activists.

The Sparrow Project immediately swung into action, enlisting the support of a team of folks around the country including Greg Bennick, who had visited Haiti over the past year and created an organization called 100 for Haiti.    100 for Haiti aims to raise $100,000 for a free clinic in Port-au-Prince led by Dr. Jacque Denis. In the interest of collaboration we joined forces by making a call out to our shared networks, asking people to throw fundraisers nationwide and internationally that would support both organizations. “100 Shows for Haiti” was born.

At first we were unsure about how many people would respond.  Most likely, we thought we were being presumptuous at best by calling our effort 100 Shows for Haiti when we had zero shows on the calendar.  Armed with a helping of hubris and plenty hope, we put the call out to our various networks, through Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, email, conference calls, and the like.  Slowly, people began to commit: a bakery open house in Utah, a dance performance in California, a hardcore show in South Korea.  As momentum built, the calendar filled up. In a few weeks scores of individuals on four continents staged dozens of events, and fundraisers. Events earned as much as $5,000 and as little as $12.  All of these interactions were important opportunities to raise consciousness, build community, and support Haiti.  All in all we raised $17,500.00 in a few weeks, and more events are on the calendar.

Motivated by our immediate success, others are staging events in April, May, June, on and on. What started as an idea a few friends bounced around in an email chain has blossomed into a grassroots, decentralized, international solidarity movement.  We may have put out the initial call but our communities answered  and they answered in ways we never could have imagined.

We hope others will apply this model of grassroots response to other needs all around the world. The emergence of the network as a global tool for change means all of our voices are amplified.  Let’s use that new platform to exercise our collective ability to make great change.  Visit www.100showsforhaiti.com

Moe Mitchell is a lobbyist and community organizer with the New York Civic Engagement Table.  When Moe is not at his day job, he expresses his political action through song as the front man for the New York Hardcore band Cipher.  Moe is a tireless social justice activist, a vegan, a poet, and a unbridled voice for the voiceless.

Hubris is the gift to the righteous; it ensures that the wicked will meet the sword of justice. The machinations of Scott Walker and his vampiric sponsors, the Koch brothers, in recent weeks, in Wisconsin, are a seminal event. This is momentous: posterity could remember this as the moment the working class shed the yoke of serfdom and accommodation and finally rejected plutocratic dicta that ensure our degradation, enslavement and ultimate extinction. The ignoble Governor Walker’s lies about “balancing budgets” were laid bare by a Yippie-style prank call in which he revealed that his goal is essentially to establish a precedent that would begin a domino effect leading to the dissolution of the organized labor movement.

For too long, the working class has acquiesced to the capitalist class, in supine servitude, so it was a great surprise that the masses arose and demanded that the proposed bill not be passed.

While the events that continue to transpire in Wisconsin are encouraging, it remains to be seen what will eventually come of them. The people of Wisconsin are undaunted and their courage and resolve seems to be spreading. Similar events are occurring in Indiana and are expected in every state where hateful, anti-worker legislation is being proposed. The capitalists and their marionettes in government may have gone too far, this time. Will this be our Cairo? Our truly grass-roots movement from below, rather than the “astroturf networking,” funded by corporations, which has passed for peoples’ movements, in recent years. Will Americans finally awaken and realize that the red herrings of race, religion and every other falsely divisive distraction are just that? Distractions. Will we finally understand that it is about class? Because, it is always about class. If this does turn out to be the case, as I hope it does, then the capitalist class had better take care: we are 95%; they are the degraded product of profligacy and entitlement.

It awaits to be seen whether this is our Cairo, or if our class solidarity is splintered by agents provocateur, simple apathy or the stupefying and seemingly self-loathing practices of workers who vote for politicians who enact programs designed to harm working and poor people. I hope it is the former.

Arthur Smilios is an unapologetic anti-capitalist, musician rabble rouser.   Arthur was the co-founder of the seminal New York punk band the Gorilla Biscuits. Since his days of performing “Cats & Dogs” (a song that encouraged thousands to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle)  Arthur has strived to braid his art with his passion for social justice.  The Sparrow Project has invited Arthur to continue to sound off on the issues he holds most dear through their blog on http://sparrowmedia.net .  Arthur’s articles are written exclusively in his own voice, and may not reflect the views of The Sparrow Project.

“Starting November 20th and going through November 25th Long Island Food Not Bombs will be holding its largest endeavor to date; it will include parties, Food Shares, copious amounts of decadent foods, the sharing of clothing, books and the organized efforts of thousands of community members. The largest of all these events will be Vegan Thanksgiving. It’s a 2-day affair that starts as an all night cooking party, (on Nov.20th, everyone is invited) and culminates into the Vegan Thanksgiving Food Share the next day in Hempstead (“the Hempstead Food Share Bonanza”).

Please Spread the word! This is our most ambitious project to date and to pull it off we are going to need your help, your friends help and even the help of their friends. Solidarity is what makes Long Island Food Not Bombs so strong and we ask that you help us make these events even more absurdly inspirational than we could ever imagine.

The Hempstead Food Share, on November 21st, will be the largest Food Not Bombs ever! We expect to be able to share a feast with everyone that comes! We’ll then be continuing the week with nearly a dozen events spread across our Food Shares in Bedstuy, Coram, Huntington and Farmingville.”

Saturday, November 20th @ 3pm: Expanded BedStuy Thanksgiving Food Share
Saturday, November 20th @ 7pm: Vegan Thanksgiving Cooking Party @ JonSTeps’ House
Sunday, November 21st @ 2pm: Hempstead Food Share Bonanza
Monday, November 22nd @ 5:30pm: Coram Thanksgiving Sleeping Bag/ Blanket Food Share
Monday, November 22nd @ 9pm: Dumpster Scavenger Hunt/LIFNB Olympics
Tuesday, November 23rd @ 6:30pm: Huntington Thanksgiving Food Share
Thursday, November 25th @11am: LIFNB Thanksgiving Lunch in Farmingville
Thursday, November 25th @ 6:30pm: Farmingville Food Share

]]> https://sparrowmedia.net/2010/09/peace-activists-targeted-by-fbi/ Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:58:22 +0000 http://blog.sparrowmedia.net/?p=953 If, in fact, there is anyone left who still believes that Barack Obama is a progressive, I offer this past Friday’s raids on peace activists in Minneapolis and Chicago as proof to the contrary. The homes of eight activists were invaded and their belongings confiscated due to their support of the Palestinian cause and the resistance in Colombia, as well as their criticism of the hegemonic wars being waged by the US.

In a nation whose de facto motto is, in Randolph Bourne’s words, “War is the Health of the State,” this should come as no surprise. The powers that be (Wall Street; defense contractors; private militias, etc) and the government they control have a vested interest in maintaining and expanding the status quo of mass, state-sanctioned violence and misery. It is common knowledge that the oil cartels and the inner circle of elite corporations have made obscene profits off of the hell unleashed by the US on the Middle East. It is also a point of dark humor among the rest of the world that Israel is the 51st state in the Union, as the US government consistently, with no deviation, condemns any UN resolution critical of the former, however effete and benign that resolution may be. What is not as widely known is that Colombia, with its repressive (and capitalist-friendly—surprise, surprise) regime is, as former FBI agent Coleen Rowley points out in an interview on Democracy Now!, the third largest recipient of US military aid. It stands to reason, then, that anyone who is shining the light of truth on these horrible events is a target of the war machine.

The raids were clearly political, in nature; obviously a means of attacking an ideology, as the victims were affiliated with a number of groups opposed to US policies, including the Freedom Road Socialist Organization—not the “S” word! As Colombia solidarity activist Tom Burke, one of those handed a subpoena by the FBI, said, “[The raids] are designed to suppress dissent and free speech, to divide the peace movement, and to pave the way for more US military intervention in the Middle East and Latin America.”

Aside from the obvious problems with the national police arbitrarily invading citizens’ homes, what is even more disturbing is that, while virtually ignoring truly dangerous people, such as murderers of health-care providers and armed, racist paramilitary groups, they are targeting peace activists. But this is nothing new. Eugene Debs served years in jail for refusing to recant his statement that the First World War was “a capitalist’s war.” Emma Goldman was deported for similar sentiments.

Former Agent Rowley, when asked if there is any difference in the way the FBI conducts its business—consciously and deliberately abrogating civil liberties—now and during the Bush II years, categorically states that there is, in fact, no difference.  Rallies are scheduled for tomorrow, around the country. A full listing of where and when they are being held can be found at Fight Back!

Tuesday 9/28:

NYC, NY – 4:30 to 6pm Federal Building, 26 Federal Plaza

Newark, NJ – 5 to 6pm Federal Building Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA – 4:30pm Federal Building, 6th & Market,

Washington DC – 4:30 – 5:30 FBI Building, 935 Pennsylvania Ave NW.

Boston, MA – 5 pm, JFK Federal Building

Detroit, MI – 4:30 pm McNamara Federal Building, Michigan Ave. at Cass

Raleigh, NC – 9 am. Federal Building, 310 New Bern Ave

Asheville, NC – 5 pm Federal Building,

Atlanta, GA – Noon, FBI Building

Los Angeles, CA – 5 pm, Downtown Federal Building, 300 N Los Angeles St

Tucson, AZ – 5 pm Federal Building

Wednesday 9/29:

Albany, NY -5 to 6 pm Federal Building

As Barack Obama proves that he is nothing more than a handsome, intelligent and eloquent version of Bush II, and this nation moves closer to outright totalitarianism, it is imperative that we exercise our right to freedom of speech while we still somewhat can. The word “terrorism” has been bandied about as carelessly as that other bette noir, “socialism.” Webster’s defines terrorism as “the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion.” Following this definition, it is clear that the greatest purveyor of terror, at home and abroad, is the corporately owned, militarist US government and its agents. We have to let them know that we will not be cowed into submission and indolence by their Stalinist tactics and that we refuse to allow them to continue funding mass murder with our tax dollars. If you can, please attend these rallies and show your support for free speech and thought.

– Arthur Smilios is an unapologetic anti-capitalist, musician rabble rouser.   Arthur was the co-founder of the seminal New York punk band the Gorilla Biscuits. Since his days of performing “Cats & Dogs” (a song that encouraged thousands to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle)  Arthur has strived to braid his art with his passion for social justice.  The Sparrow Project has invited Arthur to continue to sound off on the issues he holds most dear through their blog on http://sparrowmedia.net .  Arthur’s articles are written exclusively in his own voice, and may not reflect the views of The Sparrow Project.