Posts of Metro-Detroit Political Action Network RSSWed, 22 Jul 2020 00:01:21 GMTHeader: Secret Service agents deployed for a Trump rally in a pole barn off MI-53 in Washington Twp. on April 28th, 2018.While the kidnapping by Federal agents at 7 mile and Greenfield today was the work of ATF agents, the disturbing part of the NDAA is that these agents can just as easily switch their patches to be deployed under Trump's orders, just like in Portland. Since the US has gone Full Gestapo, we'd like to share these tips for organizers and protesters alike to limit their opportunities to black bag us.1. End the march where it starts, disperse all at once so they can't pick people off walking back from a second location.2. Make sure someone who knows your legal name and DOB is aware of where you're protesting, when you should be back, and who is organizing. Organizers, we need to make post-action inboxes a top priority to monitor.3. National Lawyers Guild Detroit & Michigan Chapter is your friend, if you see someone taken, make sure to inform the brave folks in the lime hats, and if we're following #2, they'll be in a position to coordinate with protest organizers and emergency contacts.4. This may be controversial, but we'd recommend pausing the intentional arrest strategy. We still expect arrests to happen with militant action, but submitting to cuffs in mass numbers now creates the terrifying question "where will they be sent"? NDAA is a vicious law.5. If you volunteer for action roles such as crowd safety or medic, make sure you can stay at least an hour past the listed action end time to allow for large group escorts back to demonstrators cars.6. Bring a change of clothes to every action, make sure you have different articles of clothing that can cover up the physical attributes listed on your driver's license (hair color, eye color, etc.) DPD's facial recog matches people to licenses, so the emphasis must be there.7. Cover your tats, with tape if needed. One bold anti-fascist that painted "Fuck ICE" on their Detroit HQ was only identified becau... Read more

]]>Wed, 22 Jul 2020 00:01:21 GMTCW: Literal Nazis and what comes with it.Originally Posted on June 10, 2019Update 6/12/19: Features account and video footage of an NSM member assaulting a woman in front of multiple DPD officers.An oral history of Antifascist action in Detroit, collected and synthesized from accounts with on-site participants. Preparations, Confrontations, and Mutual AidOn April 16th Burt Colucci, alleged "Commander" of the National Socialist Movement [NSM], levied a threat against Motor City Pride, stating they would be holding an armed demonstration to intimidate and harm Detroit’s LGBTQIA community. Word of the threat spread among leftist circles, and LGBTQIA rights organizers were rapidly alerted. When Motor City Pride was informed, they asked concerned residents to leave it to the Detroit Police Department.The initial threat, from his Facebook profile. Food Not Class (FNC), which routinely serves a free buffet and clothing/toiletries share for vulnerable community members twice a week, called in as many volunteers as they could for a special serving on the first day of Motor City Pride. They set up along an apropos wall of stone on Jefferson and Bates, having just produced a “History of Pride” zine, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall. Their spread was complete with 11 cases of bottled water, lasagna, vegan chili, stuffed peppers, pizza and a veritable mountain of cornbread, delighting the houseless community and passersby alike, wetting whistles and sating appetites. Mitten Medics were on hand to make sure anyone who got hurt could get patched up, and keep folks hydrated on an 80 degree day.Red Orchestra (RO) and the Communist Workers League (CWL) of Detroit provided the direct action and community defense portions of the proceedings, with Antifascists garbed in tie-dye and rainbow bandanas, alternately dubbed the “Rainbow Warriors” or “Rainbow Bloc” by onlookers and social media accounts.The FNC serve, and they still fed State Fair the same... Read more

]]>Sat, 09 May 2020 16:41:41 GMTOriginally Posted on January 30, 2019.  All photographs provided by: The Larson Lens, LLCPrelude:For much of December and January, Huntington Woods Library's "Drag Queen Storytime" was under attack by forces of bigotry within, and without, the local community. It began with City Commissioner Allison Iversen, whose emails about the event included the following "I have been trying to get this stopped since it started. Please do get more people involved. I am one voice and we need many people to call this out for what it is." That leak prompted a City Commission meeting where residents of Huntington Woods showed overwhelming support for the program."The results that have been achieved by Drag QUEEN Storytime is statistical truth to the desire of Huntington Woods and surrounding cities, which was echoed by community member after community member, at last month's City Commission meeting. There is a waiting list for the event, and ONE letter of opposition that was the only letter sent to the Mayor's office. The community has spoken, HATE chooses NOT to hear them,” stated Jey'nce Poindexter, Founder of Trans Sistas of Color Project - Detroit and Board Member of Women's March, MI, who was in attendance at the meeting. Allison Iversen would resign early on December 18th, with her bid to end Storytime failing. The results have been readily apparent. Joyce Krom, the librarian organizing Storytime, has been assembling wildly successful events, with 100 attendees at her first event and a perpetual waiting list since. "We strive to support all children in our community, one of our top priorities is to be welcoming and inclusive, and always work toward creating a more equitable society," Krom told MDPAN, when describing the purpose behind Drag Queen Storytime. Miss Raven Divine Cassadine, a regular host of Storytime, was leading the reading on January 26th. "I think that it’s very important that we teach the importance of reading to the children and acceptance for everyone regardl... Read more

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