Remember This

An Anarchist Call to Action in Solidarity With the People of Los Angeles

There is no denying that what is currently happening in the United States can accurately be described as a fascist takeover led by Donald Trump and his loyalists. In stating this fact however, one cannot overlook the historical reality of American authoritarianism. Simply put, this country was founded on genocide and slavery, and every attempt at addressing this issue has been snuffed out through brutal political repression at the hands of various police departments and federal agencies. Our current predicament, while never set in stone, has been led up to through decades of police militarization, continual mass surveillance and disenfranchisement of marginalized communities, and the slow creep of climate collapse caused by industrial capitalism run rampant. Done under the supposed moral justification offered by ‘non-violence’ ideologies, political parties perpetually funnel any and all rage at these injustices into predetermined avenues of frothy platitudes and marches to nowhere. Despite this, over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets, engaging in the most joyful acts of insurrection witnessed under this empire since the George Floyd Rebellion of 2020.

Last week, the president called for an increase in the number of deportations to be carried out by ICE. Throughout the country masked federal police, distinguished only by the acronym of the agency they fall under, pulled thousands of people from their homes and places of employment. The majority of these violent raids have been occurring in democrat-run cities such as New York and Los Angeles. In both cities, migrants and their community members spontaneously stood up against the militarized Gestapo and, in some cases, even succeeded in stopping the abductions.

These acts of bravery carried out by people across the United States in defiance of the Trump regime, shine light on a rage that has been simmering for the four years he’s not been in office. While that’s not to say there have not been courageous displays of anger during the Biden administration, and it would be remiss to not mention the pro-Palestinian campus occupations or the fight to stop cop city, the broad support for radical direct action largely died down after Trump left office.

Even though the fight against fascism never went away, it is inspiring to see it reignited with such force. Two days of open fighting with BORTAC and ICE swat teams provoked Trump to take control of the California national guard and threaten to send in the marines. In the face of a military invasion, Migrants and their families, community members, and anarchists, created makeshift barricades, vandalized numerous LAPD vehicles, and set fire to multiple self-driving cars the local police use to spy on civilians.

These acts of desperation and solidarity signal the end to the subjugation of this land and its inhabitants, so that the free movement of living beings may prevent the annihilation of our planet. Earlier this year communities in LA county were destroyed by wildfires in one of the worst human caused climate disasters in history. By calling in 500 US Marines, the president has declared war on the already frightened people of Los Angeles, and it would be appropriate to respond in kind. If the law proves only to be a mechanism which maintains and upholds systemic violence, then the only appropriate response is to pursue an insurgent criminality which can defile the institutions that create our present day misery.

With the choice of either deportation or death under fascism, these actions need no further justification. To be peaceful now is to ignore the violence of everyday life in the United States and everywhere else. There is little that can be done that is not nothing compared to the millions that have been, and continue to be, slaughtered and displaced by colonialism and imperialism. Those in the streets don’t need anyone to explain why they were compelled to risk their livelihoods to fight against tyranny. We do not need to recall the banal trauma of our lives in order to see how these systems of power have brought about their own demise.

Those subject to identity and class based violence are well aware disobedience of a fascist police state will not appear civil. We have seen time and time again that the state will not so much as give an inch to marginalized people unless drastic measures are taken. Derek Chauvin was not arrested until the Minneapolis third precinct was torched and the police were forced to abandon it. The civil rights bill was only signed in an attempt to quell the uprising which occurred after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The first pride was a riot. To put it bluntly: the American dream has failed. All that is left to do is to find each other, and to prepare ourselves for what is to come.

The police continue to reveal that their control over their given city and the nation exists only so long as they are able maintain their presence in an area. Simply put, where the cops aren’t, freedom awaits. A lot can be accomplished with a small group of people while the riot squad is dealing with the main demonstration downtown.

The Lakota phrase “water is life” was made widely known to settlers at standing rock. Its meaning implies the sacredness of water and its necessity for our’s and every other living being’s existence. The slogan “be water” was first popularized in a revolutionary context during the Hong Kong independence uprising. It initially referred to on the ground tactics which involved freedom fighters staying on the move to avoid arrest. While this is still a useful methodology for attack, it can also be interwoven into every aspect of an insurrection, especially when taken into context the biological, physiological, and mythological importance of water. When a strategy is no longer successful, we must make necessary changes in order to secure our continued existence. When it is at its most ferocious, water carves out new avenues and cuts even the strongest of stones. We must avoid becoming stagnant. Repeating the same modes of defiance over and over again will yield diminishing results, and might also lead to burn out. In order to overcome this, we can try new strategies.

You don’t have to be an expert to take a stand. If you and your friends or community members want to do something, do it! A protest doesn’t have to just be marching in a circle. Get Creative! Even big demos can be swooped into a riot with careful planning. Anybody can put out a call to action, we don’t need established orgs to tell us how and when to fight.

But we cannot win solely on the backs of those on the front line. For every anarchist wearing a balaclava there are a dozen behind the scenes. Organizations like the national lawyer’s guild are paramount in assisting those facing state repression. Propagandists bring new faces into our circles and help articulate our motives and declarations. In past social upheavals medics have been a staple at protests. Even independent journalists can help bring extra attention to events—when it is desired. We need people who can help establish backchannels to disseminate critical information just as much as we need people out in the streets. Find what works for you and take action!

As Capitalism alienates and atomizes us, while simultaneously disposing of us, our existence and experiences in life are commodified and made meaningless. We’ve become numbers on a spreadsheet—potential customers, employees, or casualties. We’ve been stripped of all our value, save what can make a profit.

So many times we are forced to leave others behind—to forget their value as a living being. We cannot forget that memory is a powerful weapon against fascism, an ideology which seeks to eradicate all others. The children stolen from their families, the children of this land we paved over, and the children of Palestine, deserve to be remembered by more than land acknowledgements and broken treaties.

A time will come when your life is threatened by those in power. When that time arises, what will you choose to do? Will you choose to roll over and be forgotten, or will you adapt? It is through our collectivizing against the status quo of war and genocide that we might find our inherent value again and remember what it means to be alive on this planet.

“There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy.

Remember this, Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause.

Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.

And remember this: the Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empires’s authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege.

Remember this: Try.” -Nemik