AUTHORITARIAN REEDUCATION: QUESTIONES ABOUT THE “WHITE” RADICAL LEFT

Do white people need authority the same way some folks need a strict god to keep them from hurting themselves and others? I ask specifically about white people because of my own personal observation and not by any kind of statistic or study. It may be the organizing spaces I have moved in, both in Boriken and Portland, that just so happen to have a “white” person who proposes a strict chain of command system where no one can disagree with the leadership.

Is Authoritarian Socialism appealing to white people because white people feel a NEED for authority? Are Communism and Socialism western ideas with “white” people in mind and are they solutions for “white” people? Specifically are these systems for European/white intelligentsia? Although there have been leaders like Mao Zedong and Kwame Nkruma, were their movements necessary for people to organize themselves and provide community care? Do rural or poor people need government or do they need the safety to rule themselves? Is Authoritarianism for people that cannot self-govern but have more access to power and resources?

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The sun sets and gives rise to Comrade Spider

Hey comrades,

This has been a great few months. Thank you all that have followed me all these months. I am leaving this platform. It is time to grow up and work with a team. You can still follow my work on Comrade Spider the #1 Source for Honest and Bias Articles by radical folk. Thank you for all the support. I hope you follow me and give that same support to the folks that have worked with me to create Comrade Spider. 

 XOXOXOXO

Stevie Elepan

Earth Womb Held Hostage

This week I had the shit luck of having my phone destroyed and needing to buy a new one. The hazard of doing business. A friend of mine suggested I get out of the city for a bit and go out to Arecibo. My mood quickly changed at the prospect of a day out on the west side away from all te city noise. 

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

I threw my bags in the back seat and got in the car. We jetted down the freeway, trying to chase the sun and get the good light. We were headed to Cueva del Indio ( Cave of the Indian). It is a sacred Taino sight. The sight is located on the beach between the ocean and the private fence that many locals say is illegal. The "owner" of the property charges $5 per person but offers to protect your car in the parking lot. There has been much debate as to the legality of this and those with access to maps that would settle the dispute are not sharing them. Both the city of Arecibo and the colonial government of Puerto Rico seem unable to locate the maps in their records.

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

There is a way to to get in without paying but the path is even more dangerous than the private entrance. Jagged rocks created by the tide and strong unpredictable winds make the alternative path sketchy. 

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

It is no wonder that this was a sacred place. One of many of the cave entrances my friend took us through was shaped like a vagina. Many of the passage ways were cut in a similar fashion. The cave was both warm and wet and smelled of metal and  saline. 

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

Bats and bees that made their home in the caves ceiling. Seeds and shells  where scateredon the cave floor. There is a monstrous moaning sound that comes from the tide pushing air through the cave like a giant conch.

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

The cave walls are covered in petroglyphs that seem to depict babies, children and sea creatures. Some people in the recent history of the cave have left their own marks in the cave.

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

This cave is one of many sights in Boriken and the Caribbean that show the civilizationes that existed here made up of people rich with stories, imagination and vision. It is tragic that so much has been lost through the revision of history by colonial powers. 

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

From the Thracians to the Ainu, cultures from all over the world have associated caves with the womb. Caves have been seen as gate ways between the spiritual and the temporal. It is not a shock  that the Taino of Arecibo would treat a cave on the ocan like Cueva del Indio as such a place. It is a shame that I could not call it by the original name and have to use such a problematic title.

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

On the 25th of Spetember the people will be congregating at the sight to demand that it be turned over to the people. For mor information click here.

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

PHOTO:Stevie Elepan

All but one of these photos were taken with flash. Caves are delicate enviroments, please take photos responsibly. 

PHOTO:Jesselyn Velez Torres

 If you enjoyed this article check out Through Our Own Eyes at KBOO 90.7 FM and get a post card from Puerto Rico when you make a donation to our project before the 1st of November 2016.

Time To Pass The Hat

Hey folks,

It has been two months and some change since I left Portland, Oregon for Puerto Rico. In August we had 13,527 views from all over the world. People from Palestine to Ireland, from India to Panama, from the Philippines to Portland people from all over the world are starting to watch what is happening in Puerto Rico. We have been able to do what the capitalist media refuses to do. We are showing people getting organized and resisting.

We have also been able to use our gear to help create the all woman’s podcast show Toti Moti, should be ready to air in the coming weeks. We were also able to develop a presentation called Killer Sister: Woman Using Violence Against Patriarchy. It was created, developed and edited right in the Campamento Contra La Junta (CCLJ).

All this is possible because of your time and money invested in reading and sharing our articles. All this is possible because of the people of Puerto Rico that have welcomed my work and hosted me. They have allowed me to observe, document and report their labor. 

We have been able to influence and attract support and action from organizations such as Portland Chapter for Human Rights in The Philippines (PCHRP) and In Other Words Feminist Bookstore is collecting 

P-Styles for folks in the CCLJ. 

We have raised more than 50% of our goal. With these funds we have been able to buy better gear, paper for activist to print their educational material, food for our host and transportation to and from actions and money for helping out host with mundane problems that would hinder them from participating. 

21,565 of you have viewed our articles. If every view came with $5 we would be able to stay in Puerto Rico a little longer and be able to cover more stories not just in Puerto Rico but in other places where people are resisting capitalism, white supremacy and the patriarchy. If you have enjoyed this project and would like to see more please donate HERE at our crowdfunding page.

Palante, Siempre Palante!

Stevie Elepan

The People Shut Down The First PROMESA Confrence

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

On the morning the 31^st of August 2016, the people of Puerto Rico mobilized to shut down the First PROMESA Conference at the Condado Plaza Hilton. Protestors occupied both access to the Ashford Bridge and the east side of the hotel on Avenida Ashford. 

Google Map of Condado

Law enforcement had been prepared and deployed the day before. Security was comprised of 150 police officers in riot gear, an unconfirmed number of undercover close protection officers and private security personal from companies such as the local firm Blackhawk and the British multinational G4S. Blackhawk is also the company that provides armed security for El Nuevo Dia.

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

The event, that was to host potential investors from the US, Europe and Latin America. Police escorted White passing European settler folk as they forced their way through the picket line. One group of attendees hired a private boat to bring them in throw the hotels beach access. Protestors cooperated together to hold back law enforcement as best as they could. In the process they notably wore down the officers. 

Col (ret.) Arnaldo Claudio  PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

Law enforcement was exhausted and agitated, their gear waving them down in the heat as protestors sang and held the line. There was law enforcement members that had to be pulled from the ranks for getting to violent. There was police colonel present and he seemed to be spending most of his energy trying to keep his subordinates from rushing in prematurely. Sergeants had to frequently talk down their team members and other sergeants. Early on the presence of Arnaldo Claudio (The most interesting person I have met in Puerto Rico). The retired Colonel is the Technical Compliance Advisor approved by U.S. District Judge Gustavo A. Gelpí in 2014 to monitor local law enforcement. 

Protestors were highly motivated and showed great organization. They were in constant communication with each other but never used personal names.  I found them very cooperative when it came to documenting and interviewing them. 

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

Security was very tight early on in the day. After I had checked in at the press table and issued my press pass, I stepped out to take some pictures of the protestors. When I tried to reenter I was directed back and forth from one officer to another. One was rather pleasant but all the others were either pass aggressive or plainly hostile. I would be relived later to have been stuck outside where all the action was when I learned that the 1500 seats of the conference room at most had 200 occupants. 

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

Many of the talks were canceled. I had looked forward to Dick Larkins talk on PROMESA after meeting him the day before. He was going to wear a baseball helmet when he went on stage as a reference to the protestors he was expecting. 

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

Around 2pm the protectors deiced their work was done and there was no need to stay till 530pm. The people collectively demanded that the riot team gets out of their way. They chanted “If you’re not with us, get the hell out of our way” while selected spokespeople talked to the police commanders. A police copter from the FURA unit hovered above as the mass marched through with the riot team standing on the side of the street. They crossed the Ashford Bridge carrying a great victory with them

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

The mass moved to a local park to de brief and cool after the long day of fighting capitalism. I believe this is just the start for the people of Boriken. That day was victory and not the last. The road ahead will be challenging and these folk understand that and are not afraid to take on any obstacle. 

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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Special Arrest Officers PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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Translation: No Fiscal Board, No Colony, No paying of the debt  PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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The cops are always ready. PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

An American Investor from Chicago with "Multiple Projects" PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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 Protestors stuck together and took care of the fallen. PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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The woman in the white hat assit the photographer that got hit by pepper spray.  PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

Documenting the police  PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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A blessing of smoke.  PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

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 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

 PHOTO;Stevie Elepan

 If you enjoyed this article check out Through Our Own Eyes at KBOO 90.7 FM and get a post card from Puerto Rico when you make a donation to our project before the 1st of November 2016.