The following is a timeline of anti-police activity from the triangle area in the last few months. We assembled this to help folks in digesting this recent period, connecting the dots of various, seemingly disparate kinds of activity, and strategizing about future efforts. This list is most certainly incomplete, and we would welcome any additions with links, pictures etc., which can be sent to triAanarchy@riseup.net .
Aug 15th – The Chapel Hill Police Headquarters is vandalized by a group of anarchists claiming solidarity with prisoner Luke O Donovan, incarcerated for defending himself from homophobic violence in Atlanta, Ga, and with the ongoing uprising in Ferguson. Police cars are smashed out and spray-painted.
DURHAM — Hundreds of protesters filled downtown Durham on Tuesday to condemn the grand jury process in Ferguson, Missouri, which failed to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown.
But while protestors shouted about a show of solidarity with the residents of Ferguson, there appeared to be no unity between two separate groups who came to downtown to voice their anger over the grand jury’s decision.
One group gathered on the CCB Plaza and used spoken word and other forms of artistic discourse to express themselves.
On Tuesday night November 25th, a group of people enraged by the police murder of Mike-Mike Brown, and inspired by the rebellious acts that have spread across the country, vandalized the Durham National Guard Armory on Stadium Dr. Messages were painted on the front doors and over a dozen windows were smashed out.
The National Guard is now on the streets of St. Louis and Ferguson, continuing the racist cops’ war on behalf of the rich against the poor.
This act followed an exciting night of protest in downtown Durham, in which a diverse hundreds of people spoke out about their experiences at the hands of the police, blocked streets, set off fireworks, spray-painted buildings with anti-police and anti-prison messages, and blocked the northbound side of Highway 147.
We hope all of these acts contribute to a continued escalation in local, combative struggle against racism, capitalism, and the state.
DURHAM — On Saturday, members of the National Guard arrived at the armory off North Duke Street in Durham to find it locked and vandalized.
A group that identified its members only as “some Bull City anarchists” glued five sets of locks on the armory’s fenced lot to interrupt traffic flow and chained the front doors of the armory shut. Officers from the Durham Police Department responded at 6:41 a.m. on Saturday, said spokeswoman Kammie Michael.
The vandals’ hope was to disrupt the National Guard’s weekend operations, according to an anonymous message sent to The Herald-Sun and posted on anarchistnews.org.
Lt. Cl. Matt Devivo, director of public affairs for the North Carolina National Guard, said the weekend drill was not disrupted, and that safety and operation are the National Guard’s top priorities.
“We definitely take it pretty seriously and are working with the Durham Police Department on the investigation,” said a representative at the armory.
Devivo said that the armory had the equipment on hand to remove the locks and clean up glue that was poured into keyholes.
In the anonymous message, the vandals said that their actions were to support rioters in Ferguson, Missouri, after the National Guard occupied the town in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown.
The group also had a message for the National Guard in Durham.
Devivo said he had no comment about the message in the graffiti across the building and that the Police Department’s investigation was ongoing.
“We’re going to support (the police) in any way that we can,” he said.
On August 9th, a white police officer murdered an unarmed Black teenager named Michael Brown (“Mike-Mike”) on the streets of Ferguson, MO, a couple miles north of St. Louis. Nothing about this was abnormal or newsworthy in any way; it was simply another reminder of the cheapness of poor Black life in the United States in 2014. Typically, such tragedies are swept under the rug with ease, by the usual combination of go-nowhere state investigations, mild officer reprimands, and calls for calm, prayer, and peace issued by Civil Rights and church leaders and echoed by the liberal media.
On the night of Friday, August 22nd, a rally was held in front of the Chapel Hill post office to support the protesters and rioters in Ferguson. An anarchist student group, the UNControllables, initially called for the rally, and other groups like the Black Student Movement and the UNC Ebony Readers Poetry Group promoted and participated in the event. Handbills were also distributed door to door, on car windshields, and at apartment complexes throughout town. This was only one of several events that have occurred in the Triangle area with regards to Ferguson—the week before saw a large vigil in Durham, a nighttime attack upon the Chapel Hill Police HQ, and events at various churches.
This was done as a small gesture of solidarity with Luke O’Donovan, of Atlanta, GA, who was recently sentenced to two years in prison for defending himself against five homophobic attackers. We hope this brings a smile to his face.
We also carried out this act in solidarity with the rioters and looters of Ferguson, MO, who, in the face of continued brutality by racist police, have inspired the world with their courageous resistance against the forces of state, capital, and white supremacy. May their insurrection spread.
Both as small groups and entire neighborhoods, it is possible to fight back.
Grand Jury Resister Steve Returns Home!
Prison Books Update: Steve Jablonski’s statement has been called into question. Please see comments section of this article for a written statement regarding the time Steve Jablonski spent on the run.
Hi, my name is Steven Jablonski. I am anarchist and Grand Jury Resister.