Will Potter's Blog, page 23

Podcast Interview with Matt Dwyer, the Foul-Mouthed Ira Glass

I sat down with Matt Dwyer, who hosts an excellent podcast and is also a comedian and writer (and he brought together a bunch of other comedians for a Hollywood benefit for grand jury resisters). I have a lot of respect for folks who are able to confront weighty political issues with a sense of humor, and I mean the “foul-mouthed Ira Glass” line in the best possible way. I hope you’ll check it out.

Here’s a note from Matt:

I am very proud to have independent journalist and author Will Potter on this weeks episode of “Conversations With Matt Dwyer.” Will wrote a riveting book entitled Green Is The New Red: An Insider’s Account Of A Social Movement Under Siege. We have a highly informative conversation about the courts being used to push conventional boundaries of what constitutes as “terrorism.”  We also discuss how the FBI COINTELPRO intimidation tactics are still in full swing and how the government is willing to label leftist activist groups a threat when they ignore Neo-Nazi groups.

I know a lot of this sounds heavy but we also somehow pull this off while being highly entertaining. I think you’ll enjoy it.

I do, too. Listen to the full interview here. 

“These activists make Upton Sinclair’s ‘The Jungle’ look tame by comparison”

Last month I spoke at the Animal Law Conference about “Ag Gag” laws that criminalize non-violent undercover investigations exposing animal welfare abuses. The Animal Legal Defense Fund has been out front opposing these industry-backed bills, and so I sat down with ALDF staff  writer Jennifer Molidor to talk about the history of these efforts, how they impact journalists and activists, and why factory farms, laboratories, and fur farms are so afraid of public exposure.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

You describe undercover video investigations as a “window” into agricultural cruelty against animals. Why are these investigations so important?

WILL: We’ve seen, in the last couple of years, the true power of undercover investigators completely changing the national dialogue about animal welfare, factory farming, and veganism. With very few resources, and video equipment, activists are able to expose what goes on in factory farms in ways that have never been done before. Their YouTube videos and their media campaigns have reached millions of people. They have completely changed the national discussion about the proper way of treating animals in agriculture and whether or not they should be used at all, and whether people should go vegetarian and vegan.

… In some ways what these activists are showing makes Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle look tame by comparison. Because the power of this video is it brings to life things that people would never be able to see on their own. And that’s why they’re being met with such harsh oppression right now—they’ve been so effective.

And I think that the danger of these Ag-Gag bills isn’t just to the undercover investigators themselves. This bill raise questions about the protection of journalists and newsgathering; it raises serious questions about consumer safety, about animal welfare and environmental violations, and I think people need to be asking “what is it that Big Agriculture is trying to hide?”

Read the full interview at the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

“Do you intend to answer that for every question?”

Grand juries are used to threaten political activists in two ways: 1) by threatening prison time for those who refuse to talk about their political beliefs and political associations and 2) by using these threats, combined with secretive proceedings, to intimidate and disrupt the broader social movement.

The real danger of grand juries targeting activists is that these two distinct types of threats feed off of each other. Prosecutors tell activists who have been subpoenaed that they can “make this all go away” if they just answer some questions about their friends, and their politics. When facing the real threat of jail time, it can be tempting for some people to sacrifice their political ideals and the needs of the broader movement in the name of self-preservation. At the same time, activist communities can get wrapped up in a martyrdom mentality, repeating hardline “no compromise” slogans without recognizing that there can be room to refuse cooperation while also attempting to minimize the risk of jail time.

The recent subpoena of Maddy Pfeiffer to a Seattle grand jury targeting anarchists provides a great example of how to navigate a situation like this. Pfeiffer has refused to cooperate, but decided to enter the grand jury room on November 7th, 2012. When released, supporters provided a detailed transcript of the questions Pfeiffer was asked, and how they were answered. Here’s an excerpt:

P: Do you know what a black bloc is?

M: I am exercising my state and federal constitutional rights including the 1st, 4th and 5th amendments.

Homeland security outside the grand jury proceedings in Seattle. Photo from BecauseWeMust on Twitter.

P: Have you ever been in a black bloc?

M: I am exercising my state and federal constitutional rights including the 1st, 4th and 5th amendments.

P: Have you ever possessed a road flare?

M: I am exercising my state and federal constitutional rights including the 1st, 4th and 5th amendments.

P: Do you know a man named ____________ (name redacted)?

M: I am exercising my state and federal constitutional rights including the 1st, 4th and 5th amendments.

P: Do you intend to answer “ I am exercising my state and federal constitutional rights including the 1st, 4th and 5th amendments.” to all questions?

M: I am exercising my state and federal constitutional rights including the 1st, 4th and 5th amendments.

I’m not advocating that this is how everyone should respond to a grand jury. I know there are some folks who have had extensive experience with grand juries over the last few decades, and adamantly oppose even entering the grand jury room. However, I wanted to highlight this because it is in such stark contrast to the behavior of Leah Plante, who also pledged to resist the grand jury, then refused to answer any questions about the terms of her unexpected release from jail, and instead left town. Pfeiffer’s response shows accountability and transparency; Plante’s fosters distrust.

“…they all rely on a lot of accountability and immediate transparency.” -Scott DeMuth, former grand jury resister 

In California, a similar situation has developed regarding a grand jury targeting animal rights activists. Some people have rushed to say that Ariana Tanabe is an informant because she agreed to speak at a grand jury proceeding. Attorney Ben Rosenfeld responded that such characterization is misleading and divisive: “While testifying does not constitute resistance, it does not automatically constitute cooperation.”

“While there are non-compromising ways to go before a grand jury, they all rely on a lot of accountability and immediate transparency, neither of which Leah provided immediately upon her release, nor has she provided two weeks later,” said former grand jury resister Scott Demuth. “While this is not necessarily evidence that she cooperated, this is extremely sketchy and irresponsible behavior. Also, by going before a grand jury after previously refusing to testify (and getting a lot of publicity for this) and getting contempt, not only does this show that silence in solidarity can be broken, but it can be used in a legal sense to show that the current incarceration of others for contempt is not punitive since it has already coerced testimony. This has been used as a justification to continue to hold grand jury resisters. Regardless of what Leah may or may not have said to the grand jury, testifying before one after being incarcerated for contempt of court could very well translate as a longer incarceration the Matt and Kteeo (and for others yet to be subpoenaed).”

Banner outside Seattle grand jury. Photo from BecauseWeMust on Twitter.

This has been a difficult issue for activists and their communities to navigate, and unfortunately the threat isn’t going away. Pfeiffer has a contempt hearing schedule for December 14th, at which point continued non-cooperation risks jail time. And at Pfeiffer’s court date, a subpoena was delivered for another person to appear before the grand jury. It appears that the subpoena was delivered to the wrong person, though.

In many ways the most important way to prepare for new grand jury subpoaenas is to study how others have responded over the years.

“In the animal and environmental movement, I was the second after Henry Hutto to be imprisoned for not testifying [in 1993],” said Jonathan Paul, former grand jury resister and Animal Liberation Front prisoner, in a recent interview. ”Part of the resistance to the grand jury process is public outreach as this unconstitutional and fascist process spans to all walks of life, not just activists like me. Those who worked on freeing Henry after 45 days of not talking worked on my case so we knew the process better.

“I think my resistance showed that anyone could resist the grand jury. I am no superman as I am just another person no different than anyone else in many ways. Really it is all about commitment in your beliefs… I saw the grand jury as a strong arm of the government and corporations whose continual behavior will destroy life as we know it on this planet. So for me to compromise my beliefs so I could be free while others suffer in ways I have never or never want to experience is narcissism at the highest level. I would never be able to live with myself.”

Hollywood Comedy Show to Benefit Grand Jury Resisters

Boy did this make my day. I was talking with Matt Dwyer recently about the grand jury targeting anarchists in the pacific Northwest (I’ll post that interview shortly), and he mentioned that he was putting together a comedy show in Los Angeles to benefit the grand jury resisters. Then I get this awesome flier in the mail, with a roster of all-around badasses. This looks incredible. “Contempt: We speak up , so they don’t have to.” What a great way to raise awareness of this issue. If you’re in LA — GO! Details below.

CONTEMPT: A Benefit Show

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

9pm

Featuring:

Laura Kightlinger (Saturday Night Live, Roseanne)

Matt Braunger (MadTV)

Brendon Walsh (Comedy Central’s Premium Blend and Last Comic Standing)

Will Weldon

John Vargas

And more!

At The Little Modern Theatre

6474 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood

 

Meet the Real Sons of Anarchy — Greek Anti-Fascist Motorcycle Club Confronts neo-Nazis

Meet the real Sons of Anarchy. An anti-fascist motorcycle club in Athens, Greece, patrols the community, fighting neo-Nazis who attack immigrants.

From Athens Anarchist Anti-Fascist Motorcycle Club:

As of June 2012 the far right/neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn is officially represented in the Greek Parliament with support from the local media. As we have seen throughout history, in times of “economic” crisis, far-right ideologies tend to increase their influence dramatically.

The number of attacks on immigrants is rising every week, fuelled by the police’s complicitly apathetic stance and refusal to do anything to stop the perpetrators. This has led to a need for anti-racist patrols, as it is the only way of protecting immigrants from racist violence.

On the nights of the 15th and 22nd of September, the first two antifascist motorcycle patrols took place, with fly-posting and protest chants against neo-Nazi attacks. A third motorcycle demo passed through down-town locations on the evening of Sunday, September 30th, where it encountered a group of neo-Nazis smashing up immigrants’ shops. The antifa successfully attacked and stopped them, and were themselves attacked in retaliation by several motorcycle police units.

I wanted to share this because here in the U.S., anarchism is increasingly being linked to “terrorism” in the courts and in disinformation campaigns. There are currently two anarchists in prison for refusing to talk about their politics before a federal grand jury, and a third individual has been subpoenaed to appear today. Meanwhile, the Cleveland 4 are fighting a “terrorism enhancement” penalty that would officially reclassify them as terrorists in prison.

Minneapolis anarchist motorcycle rally supporting CeCe McDonald.

Of course, not all anarchists form motorcycle clubs. They also step in after natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy to provide relief and support that, in some cases, has been more effective than the government has been able to do. Check out Occupy Sandy Relief for more information.

 

There’s video below. If motorcycles aren’t your thing, there’s also an anti-fascist scooter gang in Athens.

Meanwhile, if this club decides to start a US charter, I’ll be the first to sign up.

Iowa Attack Ads Call Congressional Candidate “Animal Rights Extremist” for Ties to Humane Society

A television advertisement running in Iowa attacks Congressional candidate Christie Vilsack, calling her an “animal rights extremist” because she received a political campaign contribution from the Humane Society.

Vilsack is challenging Representative Steve King, who has repeatedly defended dogfighting and cockfighting, and fought federal efforts on even the most modest legislation. King has gone on the offensive against anyone who exposes what takes places on factory farms, being out front in support of Iowa’s “Ag Gag” bill. The Humane Society calls King “the leading anti-animal welfare person in Congress” and documents a laundry list of grievances. It’s no surprise that the group is backing his opponent.

The ad says:

Christie Vilsack has some interesting friends. The Humane Society of the United States is America’s largest animal rights group. They’ve launched an all out assault on beef producers, while suing America’s pig farms. They’ve given money to Vilsack’s campaign, and are running attack ads against her opponent. Tell Christie Vilsack it’s time to stand up for farmers, not animal rights extremists.

This new ad is paid for by Protect the Harvest, a Big Ag front group formed by Lucas Cattle Company and Lucas Oil to attack animal welfare advocates. Protect the Harvest attacks any attempts to improve the lives of animals on factory farms. According to industry publications, the group started because of Humane Society “extremists” attempting to regulate Missouri’s puppy mills.

For decades, front groups like this have waged public relations campaigns labeling animal activists as “terrorists,” and those efforts have increasingly shifted to more and more mainstream organizations. For instance, there have been full page ads in the New York Times labeling the Humane Society a terrorist organization.

But calling someone like Christie Vilsack an animal rights extremist is a new low in these guilt by association tactics. If there’s one upside to this, it’s that these tactics truly reflect the desperation of an industry afraid of exposure and accountability.

“Activism Now Terrorism?” — TV Interview with Abby Martin

Huge thanks to Abby Martin for having me on her show this week to talk about grand juries targeting anarchists and animal rights activists. We also looked at how this fits into the broader political climate and legislation like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Martin has been following these issues closely, and I think it made for a good discussion. Hope you like it too. Video below.

Another Anarchist Subpoenaed to Grand Jury, as Leah Lynn Plante Denied Support

Another anarchist has been subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Seattle investigating political activists in the Pacific Northwest, while a support group for grand jury resisters has decided to withdraw support from Leah Lynn Plante until she provides information about her terms of release from jail.

On October 25, 2012, two FBI agents served Matthew “Maddy” Pfeiffer with a subpoena in Olympia, Washington. Pfeiffer is scheduled to appear before the grand jury in Seattle on November 7. Three others have already been imprisoned for refusal to cooperate in any way, and Pfeiffer expects to be the fourth. In a statement Pfeiffer said:

I will never betray the people I care about, the ideas which I hold dear, or the commitments I have made. I will never give any information about crimes, should I have any knowledge of them, nor will I give information about my personal relationships. I will never cooperate with this or any attempt to stop struggle. I will never cooperate with the systems of control which I loathe. If the federal government chooses to imprison me for my refusal, then so be it. I expect no less from them…

Meanwhile, the Committee Against Political Repression, which is one of the support groups for grand jury resisters, has announced that it will no longer be supporting Leah Lynn Plante. Plante was imprisoned for her refusal to testify about her political beliefs and political associations, and due to a massive amount of publicity she became a public face associated with the grand jury resistance.

After a week imprisoned, Plante was released on October 17th. That news wasn’t shared with the public until several days later. I was in the Northwest for speaking events in Eugene and Portland on the 17th and 18th, and spoke at length about her case and called for people to make donations and write her; no one knew she was actually out of jail, not even those who self-identified as her friends and supporters at the events.

A few days later Plante released a cryptic statement that began “do not panic.” It also said she was traumatized that she could have been imprisoned for the 18-month grand jury term. Since then she has made other statements about internet commenters remarking about her appearance, and her supporters have posted cat photos, but no one will say anything about the grand jury.

The Committee Against Political Repression said it has withdrawn support until Plante provides information about the terms of her release: “We do not know what was said at that hearing. In the time since her release, Leah has not offered details regarding the subjects of the hearing, her response, or about her release. CAPR is withdrawing support for Leah until we get information regarding her grand jury hearing.”

I delayed commenting about any of this because it is such a sensitive situation. Grand juries are secretive by nature, so it is impossible to know what was said during a hearing. It’s impossible to know if someone cooperated, and it’s impossible to know if they refused but were released in order to foster distrust and skepticism amongst their supporters. However, in light of Plante’s refusal to communicate what actually happened two weeks ago, and in light of a new subpoena, CAPR’s response seems appropriately cautious.

A support rally is being organized for Maddy Pfeiffer on November 7th in Seattle.

Propagandhi’s Chris Hannah and Derek Hogue Interview Will Potter

Propagandhi has been tabling the book on tour. Thanks to Ken in Atlanta for the photo.

When I got my hands on Propagandhi’s “Less Talk, More Rock” in the mid 90s, I went to the library and got pretty much every book listed in the “recommended reading” section of the liner notes, by authors like Emma Goldman and Noam Chomsky. That band has had a huge influence on my life and my politics, so I was excited to sit down with  Chris Hannah and Derek Hogue recently for their new podcast called Escape Velocity.

The first half of the program looks at the recent debates around Black Bloc tactics, and is probably the most rational, sharp discussion I’ve heard on the topic. If you’re not familiar with the term, a “Black Bloc” is a group of people, usually at mass protests, wearing all black and taking part in direct action, whether that’s street blockades, destruction of corporate property, or street fights with police. Black Bloc tactics have been a controversial topic in the U.S. since the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, and the debate has resurfaced due to their prominence in Oakland and a public condemnation by author Chris Hedges.

The rest of the show is an interview with me about Green Is the New Red, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, the Earth Liberation Front, and how corporations have turned activists into “terrorists.”

I hope you’ll check out the full program. Folks have been leaving some nice feedback about it on Escape Velocity website.

Listen to the show on Escape Velocity.

Can You Help Daniel McGowan Find a Job?

It has been a long journey, but after five years in prison — much of it in a secretive prison unit for “domestic terrorists” called a Communications Management Unit — Earth Liberation Front prisoner Daniel McGowan will soon be going home.

He is scheduled to be released to a halfway house in Brooklyn in December, which must feel like years away (when I visited him more than a year ago, he was already preparing for this). Returning home from prison is a difficult transition that requires plenty of planning and support from family and friends. Among the many tasks facing them is finding McGowan a job.

I have been corresponding with him about this, and he asked that I help share this information in case you or anyone you know may be able to help.

Here’s a quick summary from his supporters:

In addition to having a Bachelor’s degree, Daniel completed a paralegal course as well as every continuing education and vocational course available (over 25!) while in prison despite limited opportunities for education, as well as frequent moves. He is extremely driven and has a broad skill-set that he is looking to utilize at a NYC-based, non-profit organization. Much of Daniel’s career experience from 1997 onward is within the non-profit world he has ample experience in development/fundraising, communication and IT positions. Daniel has a particular interest in working as a paralegal for civil liberties organizations but would welcome and appreciate work in any social justice fields.

His friends have created a LinkedIn profile for McGowan with more information.

Can you help? If so, please email friendsofdanielmcg@yahoo.com with “jobs” in the subject line.