Update on Eddien Patterson, Columbia Anti-KKK Arrestee

Posted on IT’S GOING DOWN:

From FreeEddien.wordpress.com:

We have just learned from Eddien’s Public Defender that he in fact can be bailed out despite violating his probation. His bail is $50K so we need $5K to bond him out. Eddien is currently doing okay in jail, but strongly wants to be bailed out and desires that all money be used for that first and later for his legal defense.

Eddien was initially charged with 2nd degree felony assault and battery by a mob as well as 3rd misdemeanor assault and battery. He also has the additional charge of Breach of Peace of a High and Aggravated Nature for allegedly breaking the windows of a KKK member’s pick up truck.

You can donate to Eddien’s defense/bail fund here here. Benefits of any kind are welcome–if you want to get in touch with us about any details shoot us an email at free.eddien@gmail.com.

Background:
Eddien was one of six arrested at an anti-KKK demonstration on July 18th in Columbia, SC. On that day around 2,000 people showed up to confront the Klan, whose rally was cut short out of concerns for “public safety.” In a historic show of opposition, a rowdy and diverse crowd of gangs, black nationalists, anarchists, and various anti-racists humiliated the Klan and their Nazi counterparts and literally chased them out of town. A short zine about the demonstration can be found here.

November 7-8, 2015: 2nd Annual Torch Anti-Fascist Conference in Philadelphia

From the Torch Network:

This November 7^th and 8^th Antifa Philadelphia is proud to host the 2^nd annual Torch Antifascist Network conference. The Torch Antifa network is comprised of autonomous Antifascist groups who share information and resources. We expose, oppose and confront Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan, Anti-migrant and Anti-Choice groups and individuals, as well as other bigots and fascists.

For more info on our analysis of fascism and our points of unity, as well as contact info for our chapters, go to our website.

We do not believe that these groups are a small problem. Thousands upon thousands of act of violence and discrimination are perpetrated in this country by people who belong to these organizations every year. Thousands more by people who may not hold formal membership from fear or laziness but have similar beliefs. These cases are isolated and minimized as much as possible because the media has no interest in vilifying sexists or white supremacists the way they do Muslims, Black people and environmentalists.

In reality groups like American Freedom Party, Blood and Honor USA and the KKK recruit, train and embolden the “lone wolf” shooters, bombers and bashers. They also profit from it in money and privilege while injecting their racist, sexist and homophobic analysis into the mainstream political dialogue and making any sort of better world impossible.

The tactics of Torch and groups like us have proven effective time and time again for years all over the world for neutralizing our enemies organizing abilities and recruiting methods. Because Antifa represent another example of people power trumping state authority, specifically its desire to coddle racists and fascists, repression for Antifascists has become a normal expectation. This, partnered with the danger represented by the Fascists themselves, makes attending this conference all the more crucial.

We are calling on all Anti-Racists, Anti-Fascists and egalitarians to join us in Philadelphia this fall to Network and socialize and maybe get involved in Torch.

This conference will include both a public and private portion. The public portion will be open to all interested (no Fascists, obviously). More information on exact events will be released as the conference approaches. The private portion will be only for Torch Network members and potential members who have been vouched in. So crews looking to join the network should contact us via the closest chapter to you (contact info below) as soon as possible.

Housing is available to vouched Antifascists. Food will be provided at the public events.

If interested in attending the conference, send us an e-mail at PhillyAntifascists@gmail.com with “Torch Conference” as the subject line.

In Solidarity,

Antifa Philadelphia and the rest of the TORCH Antifa Network

TorchAntifa.org

South Carolina Anti-KKK Protester Held on Multiple Charges

From Free Eddien:

Support Eddien!

Columbia, SC native, Eddien Patterson was arrested during the July 18 anti-KKK demonstration in South Carolina. He was initially charged with He was initially charged with 2nd degree felony assault and battery by a mob as well as 3rd misdemeanor assault and battery. Eddien was on probation at the time of arrest and now is serving ten months for violating the probation. He is currently being held at the Richland Co jail.
On July 29 Eddien was given the additional charge of Breach of Peace of a High and Aggravated Nature for allegedly breaking the windows of a KKK members pick up truck. Currently we are trying to find a lawyer for Eddien, but he has requested that money be added to his books and desires to receive letters.

For more updates visit: https://freeeddien.wordpress.com/
to send money, either send donations to free.eddien@gmail.com on PayPal or go to https://richland.mcdanielsupply.co/deposit/index
his # is 591561

Write Eddien:

Eddien Andre Patterson #591561
E Dorm
Alvin S Glenn Detention Center
201 John Mark Dial Dr
Columbia, SC 29209

Thank You From Recently Released Antifa Prisoner John Tucker (Tinley Park Five)

After twenty months of imprisonment, antifascist political prisoner John Tucker is free. John is the second of the Tinley Park Five to be released and he’s written a thank you letter to his supporters. The letter reads:
“These past 20 months have been an ordeal to say the least. From court drama to safety issues to just the woes of incarceration itself, this has been a trying process. Yet, even within the darkness of a cell, cut off from the world, some light could still be seen. Your letters, donation,s and noisy solidarity were things of beauty to eyes forced to view the despair of a broken system day after day and eyes that could not help but watch as any glimmer of hope faded from so many youths as they were dehumanized by the tortuous conditions in which they were forced to dwell. Your zines brought much needed and often obscured information into a citadel of ignorance and fear, your books lifted the weight of monotonous oppression, and your donations aided in the welfare of so many with nothing but the state to care for them. A parcel of food here or some cosmetics there so often mean the difference between another night spent hungry or unclean and a good night’s rest, and never doubt the weight of one’s spirit in a time of need. Sadness, loneliness, and a lack of basic human needs often crush that vital spark necessary for a meaningful, productive, life and sadly press those “corrected” into a self-defeating cycle of unchecked violence or harsh drug use.

For so much I am thankful for the supporters, but of greatest importance was the solidarity. Your constant stream of letters and cards not only kept myself sane, but also gave tangible, physical proof of solidarity which revealed the tremendous weight of the conviction of people from the real world who likewise are willing to make a stand against the far too often accepted evils of the world, to an incarcerated populace who had often not heard of such people before. The attention brought by the constant stream of mail peaked curiosity and drove many to question what was going on. This in turn lead to discussions, which in turn lead to some longer discussions that I hope have made a difference in at least a few lives over the course of my stint of incarceration.

Now that I am free I am no less thankful for everything I have received from our amazing support network, which is in itself a testament to the will of a people willing to sacrifice to make a change. A support network populated by good hearted, noble people who have often suffered first hand under the weight of unchecked and unopposed malice. Thank you once again for everything you have done and continue to do; you are indeed an amazing people.

In Solidarity,
John Tucker”

While John is now out of prison, he undoubtedly needs the kind of support that those nearest to him can provide. At the same time, three of the Tinley Park Five remain imprisoned. Please take this time to write to them. Their addresses are:

Cody Sutherlin M34021
Robinson Correctional Center
13423 East 1150th Avenue
Robinson, Illinois 62454

Dylan Sutherlin M34022
Centralia Correctional Center
Post Office Box 7711
Centralia, Illinois 62801

Jason Sutherlin M34023
East Moline Correctional Center
100 Hillcrest Road
East Moline, Illinois 61244

New Campaign: Welcome Home John Tucker

From NY ABC:

John Tucker of the Tinley Park 5 is due to be released from prison at the end of this month or by early February. So , Bloomington ABC ,NYC ABC , and Sacramento Prisoner Support have launched a campaign to start a release fund for John.

From j.mp/JohnTucker:
“John Tucker, the second of the Tinley Park 5 to be released, will be free in JANUARY! The Tinley Park 5 are 5 men from Indiana charged with multiple felonies for an altercation with active white supremacists at a restaurant in Tinley Park, Illinois. (more info here)

John’s health has been neglected while imprisoned, so he is facing medical expenses, including dentistry and dermatology, when he gets out. John will also be responsible for court costs and court-mandated “anger management” classes.

John has enjoyed many letters, book & commissary donations, and correspondences from his supporters during his time in captivity (y’all have helped to make his time much more tolerable!), but prisoner support doesn’t end when they’re released; transitioning out of prison can be a difficult time for former prisoners. Having felonies on their records creates barriers to housing and employment. Many things about their lives and communities may have changed during their time inside, so extra effort is required to provide support and build solidarity to avoid isolation and undue financial hardship. Please help us create a gracious homecoming and a smooth re-entry for John.

If you cannot provide financial support at this time, we recommend writing the 3 still inside and writing, visiting, and building relationships with other incarcerated folks to continue struggles like those for which the TP5 are imprisoned. Support your local prison rebels!”

Please remember that prisoner support doesn’t end when a comrade is released. Through halfway houses, supervised release, parole, or probation, there is usually state supervision beyond the initial sentence. Also, prison is traumatic. And of course there is the stigma of being a former prisoner that effects nearly every aspect of one’s life. All of this adds up to the less obvious, but equally necessary, support needed when our loved ones come home. Donate to your ability and show an anti-fascist comrade how we welcome folks home.

If for whatever reason you’d rather donate to John offline, please make the check payable to John Tucker and mail it to:
Sacramento Prisoner Support
Post Office Box 163126
Sacramento, California 95816

If you’d like to write to John to let him know you’re thinking of him and that you’re glad he’s getting out soon, he’d love to hear from you. His current address is:
John Tucker M34024
Lincoln Correctional Center
Post Office Box 549
Lincoln, Illinois 62656

More information is available at tinleyparkfive.wordpress.com and j.mp/JohnTucker

TP5: Support for John Tucker’s release

John Tucker is getting out soon!

John Tucker of the Tinley Park 5 is due to be released from prison in February of 2014. So, Bloomington ABC , NYC ABC , and Sacramento Prisoner Support have launched a campaign to start a release fund for John.

By the time John is released he’ll have been locked up for just under two years, will have a felony on is record, and certain things just won’t be the same. Lets help him make a smooth transition! Lets raise some money, and secure a release fund that will welcome him upon his release.

Here is the website that was created for folks to donate to John Tucker’s Release Fund online: https://www.wepay.com/donations/john-tucker-prison-release-fund. If for whatever reason you’d rather donate to John offline, please go ahead and make the check out to John Tucker, then mail the check to:

Sacramento Prisoner Support
PO Box 163126
Sacramento, CA 95816

If you’d like to write to John to let him know you’re thinking of him and that you’re glad he’s getting out soon, I’m sure he’d love to hear from you. His current address is as follows:

John Tucker M34024
Lincoln Correctional Center
Post Office Box 549
Lincoln, Illinois 62656

in solidarity,

Bloomington ABC, NYC ABC, SPS

Greece: Golden Dawn offices attacked, anti-fascist demonstrations called for this evening in nearly 30 cities

Full coverage, updated regularly at From the Greek Streets a project of Occupied London

Greece: Anti-fascist Hip Hop Artist Murdered by Golden Dawn Fascists

From Occupied London:

Killah P Rest In Riot.

Pavlos Fyssas, a 34 year old antifascist and hip hop artist (Killah P), was murdered by Golden Dawn neonazis in Keratsini, a working class neighborhood in Piraeus.

From eye-witness report: “Around 24:00 a group of 15-20 fascists, wearing black t-shirts and military pants and boots, was deployed on P. Tsaldari street. During that time, Killah P was walking with his girlfriend and another couple when he was spotted by the fascists shouting “what are you looking for here, you know there is no place for you in this hood”. The fascists hunted the two couples down P. Tsaldari street towards Gr. Lampraki avenue, where from another street, a new group of around 10 fascists came out and surrounded the guys. At that time, a car drove opposite in an one-way street, stopped, the driver came out and stabbed Killah P once in the heart and once in the abdomen (the stabbing on his abdomen had an upside-down “L” shape).

The whole scene took place in the presence of DIAS motorbike police, that only afterwards and only as soon as most of the fascists had already dispersed, arrested the murderer (according to some witnesses Killah P while still in shock kept pointing at the murderer and this is how the cops arrested him – a 55year old holding a knife, described by other eye-witnesses as a known Golden Down associate). The ambulance took 35 minutes to approach and Pavlos was pronounced dead at Nikaia general hospital.”

A call for a gathering on the spot of his assassination was made for today, Wednesday 18:00, on 60, P. Tsaldari street (from Athens, via public bus B18 from Ralli-Salaminas, or Γ18 from Gr. Lampraki, from Piraeus via public bus 824 or 826). There are also calls for demonstrations in Thessaloniki: 10:00 in the teachers demo, 16:00 in Physics dept. in AUTH university campus, 18:00 demonstration from “Kamara” on Egnatia street. In Mytilene, Lesbos island, 18:00 on Sappho square, in Patras, 10:00 on Olga square, in Larissa 10:00 in the 1rst Lyceum and 10:30 in the teachers’ demo, in Komotini and many other towns there also demos on 18:00.

It is hardly surprising that the Greek police once again did nothing to prevent Golden Dawn nazi violence (Golden Dawn is largely supported by the Greek capitalists, the government and the church, as a willful thug against militants, workers and the poor, and more than half of the police vote for this openly neonazist party) if not actively participating in or covering the organisation of what looks as a death trap for a well-known radical, member of the metalworkers union and antifa hip-hop artist in a working class district, near the spot where a few days ago 8 members of the communist party (KKE) were also brutally assaulted by Golden Dawn nazis.

It is hardly surprising the silence of all the mass media, that are kept alive due to the government’s vast loans and benefits, that either decided to mention the assassination as a “fight after an arguement about football” or to not mention it at all. They are the same mass media that promote every misanthropic Golden Dawn activity as an “opposition to the system’s flaws”, and lately as a realistic government partner for the future. They are of course the voice of their owners, the same few families of capitalists, owners of a shitload of shiptanks, banks and hotels that support the right-wing government and its thuggish little counterpart on the streets, the Golden Dawn, in what they see as a Golden opportunity to get rid of workers rights and turn Greece into a proper labour camp under the nationalist and religious kitsch.

It is worth noticing that this is a hard time for the government and their nazi counterparts, as even after their full scale assault on anarchists, squatters, and workers’ struggles, the movements seems to find again its momentum, with the current struggles of the teachers, the hospital workers etc.

Chicago: Another arrest linked to Tinley Park antifa actions

DABC Note: Other capitalist media outlets are making the connection between Jason Hammond and his brother, imprisoned Anonymous Hacker, Jeremy Hammond. More information on Jeremy and his case can be found here.

From the capitalist press:

A 28-year-old Chicago man has been charged for his role in a bizarre mob attack on a group of alleged white supremacists dining at a Tinley Park family restaurant in May 2012, officials said.

Jason Richard Hammond of the 3300 block of South Morgan Street was charged with armed violence, aggravated battery and mob action on Thursday, Tinley Park Police Chief Steve Neubauer said. He is the sixth defendant to be charged in connection with the melee.

On May 19, 2012, a group of 18 masked men charged into the Ashford House in the 7900 block of West 159th Street to confront a group of alleged white supremacists who were said to be at the eatery.

The masked men, all from the Bloomington, Ind., area, are members of the Hoosier Anti-Racist Movement. Hammond belonged to same group, Neubauer said.

Security video shows the men in masks carrying batons and other clublike objects. Within minutes, a melee broke out between the two groups, and several bystanders were injured.

Brothers Dylan, Cody and Jason Sutherlin and two other men, Alex Stuck and John S. Tucker, were arrested by an off-duty police officer shortly after the attack and have since each pleaded guilty to three felony counts of armed violence in connection with the attack. Their sentences range from 3 1/2 to 6 years in prison.

The case is a high priority for the police department, Neubauer said. The attack occurred on a Sunday afternoon and disrupted a graduation party and a bridal shower, he said.

“These people came in masked with weapons and created mayhem in the place,” Chief Steve Neubauer said. “It was surreal.”

“You just can’t have those kinds of things going on, so we have worked on this thing relentlessly,” Neubauer said. He declined to discuss how the police department tracked down Hammond, noting that there are still 12 suspects who have yet to be arrested.

Nick Cardinal, the manager at Ashford House who was also on the scene at the time of the attack, said he was pleased by the latest arrest.

“They’re getting to the bottom of it and we’re happy to see results,” Cardinal said.

Reportback from a Visit with Tinley Park 5 Prisoner Dylan Sutherlin

from NYCABC: We received this reportback from Bloomington Anarchist Black Cross

Last week several folk visited with Dylan for about 4 hours at Centralia Correctional.

Dylan was in good spirits. He has greatly appreciated all the mail! When he first got to Logan County Jail, he said there were several weeks in a row that he got at least three letters a day, and people were saying, “Who is this guy?!” He has received lots of letters from all over the world. He hopes those overseas feel his sincere thanks, even as he is not able to write back because the prison determines how much each letter sent outside the country costs, and it’s too expensive.

Dylan said people at Centralia are friendly, and he mostly keeps to himself. He told a story of his time in Logan County Jail when he first got there. He said there are lots of Nazi’s at Logan. The grandson of one of the “victims” was also in there and had orders to get revenge. But Dylan quickly had friends in high places. The Lt General of some gang said he was untouchable so the Nazi’s couldn’t get him. They offered $500 for the gang to turn him over from their protection, but they wouldn’t.

Dylan gets to talk to both his dad and his mom at least once a month. He has written the warden about being able to write to his brothers in other prisons because his understanding is that family members can write each other, but maybe not because they are also co-defendents. He has not heard anything back from the warden after writing three times, and recently had trouble getting in touch with his lawyer.

This month Dylan ran out of commissary. He had received two books, ‘The ABC’s of Anarchy’ and ‘Green Rage’, but the prison rejected them as “security threats”. The prison said he had to pay to return them or they’d be destroyed, and so they had to be destroyed. He said he doesn’t read too often, but he received V for Vendetta and enjoyed it. He’d like to receive the 5th and 6th Game of Thrones books. They must be paperback.

He is on a wait list for college courses, which will help to shorten his sentence, and so he is hoping to get in soon, but he has no knowledge of where his name is on the list.

Dylan loves visits and is allowed way more visits than he’s getting. Anyone interested in visiting can write to Dylan and include their full legal name, address listed on their ID, age, race, gender and birthday and ask him to add you to his visitation list. For more info about visiting you can call the prison visitation department and ask them questions.