To The Rebels

Submitted by spamsucks on March 16, 2012 - 9:34am

Dear anarchists, radicals, malcontents, social warriors, class warriors, the decent souls, the brokenhearted,

In Marvin Booker Plaza, there is a battle going on, the likes of which Denver has not seen in years. John Hickenlooper, with his eyes set on the White House, Michael Hancock with his eyes set on a pretty, clean city of yuppies and barbed wire, and the DPD, with their hearts set on medals, quotas and a chance to use out all of their toys are deadset on killing the small town and family of the row. The row is made up of a group of 24/7 occupiers of the most valuable land in the city, mostly homeless, all poor and fucking relentless in their courage, strength and determination not to allow the city to break the community that they have created and protected against all odds. But the cops, acting on orders from the Governor, the Mayor and quite possibly the President, have shown no mercy, arresting people at random on a nearly daily basis. Just last evening, the police approached a group of Row inhabitants, claiming that someone was "yelling at them" and began arresting people at random, specifically targeting the people that they have long been focusing on as rabble rousers and bringers of hope and inspiration for the community. Four were arrested, with one more being arrested, once more at random, fifteen minutes later. After the night turned to morning and the cops needed a better excuse, the arrestees were now charged with robbery and given the highest bonds so far. This morning also saw the sentencing of Michael Clapper on felony charges, for the completely victimless burning of wooden structures that occurred last December in the final apocalyptic eviction of the settlement. This follows a couple weeks full of random arrests, often of the same people, pepper spraying and constant sweeps of the park, resulting in people's belongings being thrown out, in attempts to "fight scabies". If this was true, it would be the first time DPD has given a fuck about the welfare of Marvin Booker Plaza, aside from actively trying on a day to day basis to make it worse.

This is a clear attempt to nip this whole occupation before summer brings in even more people and the heart of this city of wealth and power becomes even more claimed by a group of the people that they would like to see disappear. Winter, the force of DPD, Colorado State Patrol, FBI, hundreds of arrests, hostile Denverites, and even wannabe leaders of Occupy Denver, a meaningless expression that has surrounded the row without ever controlling it or even drawing much of their attention, could not break them. The sidewalks are filled with anti-cop, anti-state, anti-capitalist messages and stickers, and on a daily basis people rally with "fuck the police" signs and proud defiance towards those that have been constant in their repression. The fact remains that these forces has failed and every day Marvin Booker Plaza stays standing is another insult to the masters and a beauty for those of us who rage and mourn for what they've made this world into. People are living their lives and struggling daily as a constant middle finger to the establishment, and beyond that providing a sometimes instable but constantly surviving example of what we're supposed to be about in the first place... solidarity, mutual aid, direct action, liberty, and equality. It's not perfect, but it's the kind of thing a lot of us say we dream of seeing, if we can only recognize the buds of it when it actually begins to break the Earth. Though the anarchist culture, both nationally and locally got some brief warm fuzzy feelings when Denver was the first occupy to set things on fire, the structures set on fire were the real inspiration. When Chief White came down and demanded that everyone remove their belongings in a day, the row responded by building dozens of permanent structures out of salvaged wood in the belly of the beast, stalling off the eviction for a few more days and providing one of the most beautiful examples of creation and defiance existing hand in hand.

There is a revolution happening in Denver. The Row is establishing dual power, a new world in the shell of the old, a parallel structure to the madness that pervades the entire world. They have defied power and spoken back to it in spite of this hideous machine's attempt to strangle them. They stand in a precarious situation balanced on the razors edge, and the injustice against them demands a swift answer. Our community has been strained by the earlier stages of the occupation, and frequently mistreated and snitched on by liberal yuppies and threatened by tea party types. But these pains are not wounds to the community, they are birth pangs of a movement far bigger and more valuable than those who have temporarily tried to use it for their own gain. There is no reason for the row to suffer because of people who hung out in the same park as them, a few months ago, and while there are good reasons to avoid it on grounds of safety concerns, the potential rewards and the current human suffering.are too great to be ignored. The community has swelled, new collectives have formed (the largest being The Row) and brought fresh resources and souls to the fight. It is here that, now more than ever, as May Day and the General Strike draw ever closer and the possibility for numbers to swell stands behind, we must show them what solidarity forever really means. If we are to break this monstrous lie we must stand up as one and show them the strength of our resolve and convictions.

The downtown rebels are hungry, cold, and under attack. Though we may not all be able to contribute materially, the mutiny at Marvin Booker Plaza needs anything and everything... lets show them what we've got.

Rise up! Down with the state! Down with Capital! Respect our gangster!

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