March 20th Anarchist call for action in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“My mind is my general, my heart my captain, my morals my code of conduct, my body my weapon, and my comrades? They are all as I, and we are an army united in the idea that the world shall be free.”

To all anarchists in the region,

This is a call to action to all anarchists to come and join us for a weekend of joyous resistance on March 19-21st 2004, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

In the last year, Pittsburgh has witnessed eight un-permitted marches, ~170 non-deliberate arrests, a slew of violent repression and harassment from the state, and had a combined total of 14,000 people in the streets. Through it all anarchists have sought to fan the flames of discontent while making people cognizant of the fact there is no one movement. There are strands and tendencies, inextricably tied together by their commitment to build a better world based on precepts of direct and participatory democracy, equality, and justice for all life on this lonely planet. Our opposition is systemic; it’s based around the war in Iraq only in so far as we oppose that particular projection of US violence, not singularly, but as a piece of the larger picture of statecraft, militarism, and capitalism. And to date we have succeeded beyond our dreams. The movement is growing, ideas are spreading and taking root, and actions are increasing. The efforts of the corporate state to crush local movements have failed. Although they continue with attempts at infiltration, surveillance, and disruption, people continue to resist falling prey to the national campaign of fear and intimidation.

March 20th is a day that bears significance as the one-year anniversary of Iraq war and we feel it is critical that the movement mobilize itself for large-scale events that emphasize direct action. It is an opportunity to take stock of what we’ve done and where we’re going and hopefully forge a newly energized path of resistance. While we don’t deny that we wish to fill your heart with the desire to make Pittsburgh’s M20 special, in the end it’s just that- a single day that will end and leave us again with a long lifetime of struggle. There is no quick fix capable of bringing about the society we seek and that is why we focus our efforts on a variety of fronts from alternative institutions and mass education efforts to active resistance. The arch of change is long, but we believe it bends towards libertarian socialist ideals. Pittsburgh is playing host to a regional convergence that we believe is unique in the country. It is one not dominated by A.N.S.W.E.R., that is respecting of a diversity of tactics, and that is seeking to directly confront those institutions that are a part of the military-industrial complex with the aim of winning tangible results to slow the war machine.

We wholeheartedly concur with other opinions that the time has come to move beyond more symbolic un-permitted marches and take the next logical step; actions that put direct pressure on the local structures involved in militarism. In order for the Government to maintain its empire and carry out its economic and geo-political agendas it depends on a vast network of power structures and institutions, all playing seemingly small and insignificant roles. These roles must be identified and opposed because it is these that channel and process the energies of often well meaning people into the gun in the hand of the state. It is these pieces that are so closely tied to our communities and neighborhoods, and that ultimately ignore the responsibility they have for the consequences of their actions.

The focus of direct action on March 20th clearly must be Carnegie Mellon University. There can be no doubt that CMU plays a major role in the web of the military-industrial complex and any attempt to stem the spread of militaristic tentacles will inevitably focus on them. They are developing the next generation of software and robotic technologies used by the military. CMU has consistently, and we believe deliberately, misled the public by refusing to articulate to what degree they are assisting US Military efforts. When convenient, the university’s administration has reacted with great indignation towards critics that claimed CMU was intimately involved in war research. CMU said they weren’t involved in any classified research- now they are. They said they didn’t know how to build tanks- now they’re building just that- an unmanned prototype tank dubbed GLADIATOR. When CMU’s Software Engineering Institute was originally created there was to be a board to ensure that the interests of the Department of Defense would not jeopardize the academic freedom of professors. This committee no longer exists. And the list goes on and on.

The question that must be asked is at what point does the University believe its ties to the US military machine compromises its educational mission? Will CMU end up doing research needed for the next napalm? Can it give any assurances about these answers or are we destined to endure another bout of empty promises, delayed reviews, and short-lived talk of oversight boards? We believe the university has lost its right to ‘address’ the concerns of the community and must immediately move to sever its military ties. Money has and continues to corrupt the better judgment of many at the University and the dark side of CMU’s growth and prominence must be brought to light.

It is for these reasons and more that, tactically and strategically, we support the call for direct action at Carnegie Mellon University. For too long we have merely taken to the streets while local institutions continued their military research on weapons of death. For too long we have sought to draw attention to this or that war while we ignored those locally involved in research and profiteering from a policy of death. We will no longer sit idly by calling for a change in national policy while the cancer of this system closes in around us. How can we appeal to the country and its current administration to reject the monetary profits of militarism when this region attempts to revive its economy through its complicity with the military-industrial complex?

CMU faces two choices; it can sever ties to the military-industrial complex and focus on education or it can continue to slowly increase its ties and dependence on the US Military for money while facing an escalating campaign of protest.

We await President Cohen’s response…

Western Pennsylvania Anarchists
We’re a loose collection of anarchists active in a variety of groups in the western PA area

More information on the Pittsburgh convergence can be found at www.pittsburghmarch20.org and www.organizepittsburgh.org

A note on DOT during the convergence; we must put our trust in each other that people will think carefully about when and where to engage in actions that may be perceived as more confrontational. This includes we anarchists who sometimes view diversity of tactics as a one- way street that legitimizes more militant approaches but not more symbolic actions. Some of the events for the weekend are being planned for those who do not seek or cannot risk encounters with the state and we should try to respect this. As has often been said by those in Pittsburgh; our mutual respect and solidarity will hold us together.