Happy heavenly birthday to chairman Fred Hampton.
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Happy heavenly birthday to chairman Fred Hampton.
Hampton was the visionary behind the breakfast program the Black Panthers were known for among many other projects. It's incredible that he started feeding dozens of kids while he was only 10 himself 🤯
The sheer scale and growth in these programs that Fred achieved in such a short time is literally why there are so many government run school meal programs now.
They felt existentially threatened by Black people NOT starving.
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I've been heartened to see activist friends starting a similar program in my neighborhood in the past year and a half and was extremely proud to be the first fridge in the network.
Like Fred's example it's grown by leaps in this time.
But you know what? The state oppression has been REAL.
The Mayor of Seattle personally ordered over $89k in destruction to put a stop to our meal services and other community outreach programs!
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Just like Chairman Fred's example we KNOW we're making a positive impact in our community. We also KNOW this signs us all up for more state sponsored violence, intimidation and repression.
Unlike Hampton's time activist run community programs are not allowed to flourish. Much of the time it also feels that the average American has become so much less generous than Hampton's day.
The grip of strife seems to run deeper today.
We don't let that stop us. It never works.
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The garden and the programs in it were a critical lifeline for many community members housed and homeless alike.
The fight continues. They could rip up the people's plants (which were nearly all edible by the way), they could jail the homeless and the loving. But we keep springing back.
Last year was one of the lowest overdoes death rates for the area where our food and garden programs took place in recent memory.
The states response?
A relentless campaign of arrests
nullagent (@[email protected])
Attached: 3 images I just stopped by the Black Lives Memorial Garden(in exile), only to find police arresting a homeless person. He was accused of assaulting the private security team now guarding the mud pit that was the garden. Parks Director Andy Schafer personally showed up to demand the removal of a large canopy, an unlit chimnea and supportive artwork about the garden. Around 15-20 SPD cops came to deliver the message. #seattle #BLMG #Garden #ACAB
PartyOn (partyon.xyz)
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We had tons of homeless people say that the BLMG garden was the daytime shelter that this city sorely needs. That is until the politicians get off their assess and build real affordable housing for ALL!
Good news!
We have legislation recently passed by initiative of the people and ready to do just that!
Many folks who helped keep the garden alive ALSO wrote and PASSED that legislation!
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I swear, when I reflect on the work my neighbors, friends and I have been apart of my heart leaps for joy.
I hope we're making the likes of Fred Hampton proud. I really do.
But this story, my story of revolutionary joy is one that cannot be told without the riptides of repression that follows each small leap forward.
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We've all lost so much along the way.
I. I have lost A LOT along the way.
But i know it's worth it.
Not everyone can see this value. We can't always talk about every step in the journey but I know we'll get to a better place.
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So where are we today?
The homeless and marginalized housed are being fed, clothed and warmed by a rag tag team of dirtbag leftists. Low on resources time, money and health.
We need this legislation to get the fuck through!
We need this shit or we need a new strategy.
Ppl think Donald Trump was the coup leader. No.
Its Seattle's (and your town's) lazy fucking wasteful politicians who don't give a damned about the people in the streets and on the margins.
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I need you to listen to this
I need you to hear the language of the oppressors.
How they hide behind the law. How they flout the law when it suites them.
If you weren't listening carefully it's easy to think they weren't talking about one of the MOST important way to saves lives and grow our economy. It's easy to think they weren't staging a coup.
But bruh, THIS was a coup!
This was the equivalent of carpet bombing the homes of the poor.
They did it with a pen and a smile on their face.
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If you missed it the Seattle city council largely decided, for no particular reason other than they don't wanna, to DELAY the vote on the people's legislation for funding new affordable housing.
What they did is deeply illegal.
Actions like this are exactly my arena.
We've been hard at work on how to respond to this one.
I hope to share more soon, but like I was saying there's many steps I can't always talk about until the fight is on & baby we gone fight!
Seattle Council Punts Social Housing Funding Vote to 2025 - The Urbanist
# Despite backers collecting enough signatures to make the ballot, the Seattle City Council voted Tuesday to delay a decision on I-137, which would fund Seattle's Social Housing Developer.
The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life. (www.theurbanist.org)