Donations are welcome for the raffle component (e.g. art, a music lesson, a kitchen clean, whatever). Either bring your good/service the night of or drop off at 213 foote st nw with a note.

On April 8th, 2010, 29 individuals were arrested in Olympia, WA while taking part in an unpermitted march against police brutality. This march, like many others in cities along the west coast that day, took place in response to several recent and horrendous examples of police brutality in the west coast states. These marches were a part of the West Coast Days of Action Against State Violence on April 8^th and 9^th, which were anonymously organized to rally people to speak out against these atrocities and others like them.

In the weeks that have followed that night, the arrestees in Olympia have received nothing but defamation and unfounded attacks from their local corporate and independent media outlets. These news sources have used their positions of power as supposed voices of the people to call upon the entire Olympia community to literally turn their backs on the arrestees and to deny them of any form of support. They have made illegitimate claims as the to the groups intentions that night, and have written editorials to denounce the principles of those involved, painting them as hate mongering “masked morons,” and “bad anarchists.” These commentaries have not only demonized young Olympia residents, dividing the entire Olympia community and stifling chances for meaningful dialogue in the process, but they have also worked to turn the spotlight off the most important issue: the brutality of the police.

We, the State Street 29 Support Committee, recognize a necessity for dialogue about that night and call upon the greater Olympia community and beyond to start meaningful discussions about the alleged actions that took place during the march in Olympia. We recognize that discord may arise when a variety of tactics are used to address an issue. And we support debate between perspectives as valid and necessary means to reaching cohesion in a community. However, in the last month the local media’s handling of that night has done just the opposite. The discourse they have used has done nothing to resolve differences between the arrestees and others in Olympia, to make space for discussion on perspectives on tactics, nor to strengthen and support a community engaged in struggle against the repressive forces of the state. On the contrary, they only work to further divide the Olympia community and weaken chances of future coalition building.

Thus, we encourage you and your community to begin engaging in discussions about the issue of police repression and successful (and unsuccessful) means of addressing it. We invite anyone interested in discussing this issue, the night of the 8^th, or other related matters in an open and meaningful way, to please attend our events and fundraisers, to use open web forums such as Olyblog, Indymedias and independent publications to begin constructive conversations, or to contact us directly.

If you support our efforts, feel free to publish an open letter of support on behalf of your group or organization for the State Street 29. You may also link our blog, from your website to ours. To whatever degree this must be done we would like to achieve dialogue and pull the curtain on excessive persecution of those facing charges in the Bay Area, Portland, Seattle and Olympia. We see such discussion as a means to creating alternatives to the police and to strengthening our communities to be safer and more sustainable. Join us and begin to appreciate the interconnectedness of our struggles.

In solidarity with all those against state repression,
The State Street 29 Support Committee

Gender Jam and The State St. 29 Support Committee proudly present:

“Cum Together: Glitter Forever!” a benefit for State St. 29 Legal defense & GJ 2010.

Friday, May 21 2010 8PM at the Nut House: 2220 Walnut Road NW Olympia

With the Musical Stylings of Black Oak, ¿¿¿Witch Kromosomes??? and more!

Burlesque Acts by none other than the bedazzling Peggy Shazam Divine and Stefan Manriquez

Also featuring an interactive “Food Porn Peep Show”

This party is a Queer and Trans Safe Space. Also No Non-Consensual Touching, No Assholery, No Fatphobia, No Racism, No Sexism, No Drugs, & No Ablism will be tolerated.

To learn more about Gender Jam: LaD.I.Y & Trans Fest, visit their blog: http://olyladiyfest.wordpress.com/

1. Magi, Paul and Jami are the only people to have charges filed against them since 29 were arrested on April 8^th. All 3 will have pre-trials soon. Please attend these court dates to show your support!

• Magi, charged with two counts of Felony Assault on an Officer has been scheduled to appear in court on May 24^th, 10:30am at the Thurston County Courthouse: 2000 Lakeridge Drive Southwest.

• Paul has been charged with one count of Felony Assault on an officer. His Pre-Trial is scheduled for May 26^th, 10:30am at the Thurston County Courthouse: 2000 Lakeridge Drive Southwest.

• Jami’s charges are Misdemeanor 4^th Degree Assault and Misdemeanor Malicious Mischief. Her Pre-Trial will be held on May 17^th, 8am in the Council Chambers Building of City Hall: 900 Plum Street.

2. The State Street 29 Support Committee would like to encourage you to continue supporting us in any way you can. Organizing an event in your town is a great way to get funds, circulate information and encourage your community to find alternatives to police. You can make a personal donation via paypal (contact us if you’d prefer to use a different form of payment). You can write an open letter of support for the State Street 29 and submit it to a web forum or local publication and/or send it to us directly. Another incredibly simple way to support the SS29 is to browse your contacts and invite others to join this announcement list.

3. Crimethinc. Ex Workers Collective has decided to host a newly released hip-hop track to benefit the SS29. “Great Lakes to Cascades” is a free download for those who donate $1 or more to the State Street 29 Support Committee.

Once again, we demand: DROP THE CHARGES!
-The State Street 29 Support Committee

The Direct Auction will probably be held on May 28 from 6-10pm at Fertile Ground.

We are looking for in-kind donations of any sort, including handmade crafts and gift certificates from local businesses, for a silent auction, as well as donations of services for our live auction.  Would you be willing to mop the floor or mow the lawn for someone?  Can you fix a leaky sink, bake a tasty cake, or tailor a baggy suit?  Do you have a talent to teach to others?  At the auction, your donated service or skill will be available for open bidding, potential buyers encouraged by a duo of kooky auctioneers.

OLDF is also seeking donated pizza ingredients like cheese, cheese alternatives, vegetables, and tomato sauce for gourmet pizza to be baked on site in Fertile Ground’s cob oven.

Thank you for supporting Olympia Legal Defense.  Your donation will help keep our community safer from injustice in the justice system.

We are saddened and enraged by what you were subjected to last Friday during the anti-police brutality demonstrations.  The viciousness the police demonstrated in their physical beatings and arrests was unacceptable.  We write to express our support and solidarity with you as you heal your physical wounds and prepare to face the ridiculous legal charges being thrown at you.

Members of our organization have, like you, faced the terrors of militarized repression; ours coming in the form of three unwarranted, racist arrests; as well as direct intimidation from the FBI.  We share your anger and we stand with you.

This latest incident, in conjunction with the recent murders the police have committed in Portland, reminds us of what we already knew: the terror the police regularly attempt to instill in the hearts of everyday people.  We know what we, as queers, trans folks, people of color, women, workers, poor folks, and activists, have endured at the hands of those that “serve and protect.”

We know that as queers, we may be targeted, harassed, assaulted, and murdered by the cops because our sexuality and gender expression threatens the very social order, which they will kill to uphold.  We know that as women, the police are on the front lines of maintaining and enforcing a patriarchal society that denies us freedom of movement; denies us freedom of choice; and denies us the right to defend ourselves.

We know the white supremacist nature of the police force.  We know the institutionalized practice of racial profiling. We are still seething knowing that Seattle cops ruthlessly beat 15-year-old Malika Calhoun, a young Black woman, claiming to justify their actions by saying she was “real lippy.”  We are still seething knowing that there still has not been justice for Oscar Grant, a Black man killed by racist cops in Oakland.   We know that, as people of color, every time we see a cop car, there may be 50 shots waiting to send us to our grave.

We know the cops are part of the same system as the U.S. military, the border patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  It is a system of militarized, violent domination, and as immigrants, we know that all wings of this militarized society are mounted against us; ripping us from our friends and families; subjecting us to rape at the border; indefinite detentions; and inhuman deportations.

We know the history of the police working on the side of exploitative bosses to violently break workers’ strikes.  To know what action the university and police will take in the event of mass student mobilization, we need only remember the images of students murdered by police at Kent State University and Jackson State University in 1970.

As the movement uniting students and workers against budget cuts and privatization has broken out in California and spread across the country this year, we have seen how ruthlessly the elites employ brutal force.  Indeed, as activists in California noted after the police beatings of demonstrators at UC Berkeley in November, “behind every fee increase is a line of riot cops.”  Well, we now know that behind every murder that the police commit are the clubs, tasers, handcuffs, and shotguns of the rest of the nation’s police officers.  We know that as activists, the police will try to use whatever means that they have to break our arms, faces, legs, necks, hearts and minds.

We know all of these brutalities to which we are subjected are purposefully meant to strike deep fear in our collective consciousness; the type of fear that freezes us in our tracks along the path to liberation.  As we condemn the violence and coercion of the cops, we refuse to remain frozen, and we vow to link arms with you and anyone else who is willing to face down our enemies in blue.

We apologize for not responding sooner.  Please call on us for whatever support you need.

Stay strong!  Someday we will prevail!

In solidarity,

Democracy Insurgent

Paul French, of the State Street 29, has been accused of Assault on an
officer, a Class C Felony. He is one of only 3 of the State Street 29 to be
officially charged since the arrests.

Paul’s arraignment will be held at the Thurston County Courthouse tomorrow,
Tuesday, April 27th at 9AM. Please attend to show your support.

Funds for legal fees are still needed. Please contact us detailing what you
can do to help.

Solid,
The SS29 Support Committee

We are a group of Olympia residents whose goal is to support the “State Street 29”. Our goal is to encourage others to view these people from the perspective of those who rely on and care about them.

The State Street 29 is a group of individuals who were arrested on the night of April 8^th, 2010. They were arrested at a march consisting of over 60 people that took place in downtown Olympia. The march was done in solidarity with the West Coast Days of Action against State Violence to draw attention to the fact that police everywhere are perpetuating and fostering fear among our communities. Our goal as the State Street 29 Support Committee is to encourage others to view the arrestees, from the perspective of those who rely on and care about them, as loving, well intentioned, and active citizens concerned about the safety of our community.

The April 8^th march was similar to ones that took place in Portland, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area on the same day as well as April 9^th. These marches were formed to speak out against recent unjustified violent actions taken by police officers in these cities and surrounding areas. In Portland, police have killed three people within the last two months.  In March 2010, three Seattle police officers repeatedly TASERed a visibly pregnant woman for refusing to sign a speeding ticket. And yet, a federal appeals court has declared that the officers who committed that heinous crime did not use excessive force. In Oakland in January 2009, a young man named Oscar Grant was shot in the back while handcuffed, lying face down on the ground. The Olympia Police Department, as well, has a history of murdering with impunity. In November 2008, Jose Ramirez-Jimenez, an alleged suspect in a shooting that happened earlier that night, was shot twice while in his car, once in the back and once in the neck. The execution was justified as the three shooting officers claimed he refused to show his hands.

Just as they did in Seattle and Portland during similar actions on the 8^th and 9^th, the police attacked the march in Olympia.  Without orders to disperse or statement of arrest, the police used batons, pepper bullets and fists to ambush a majority of the march and force them to the ground.  Many of the arrestees were not read their rights before 27 of them were taken to the Olympia City Jail and 2 were taken to the Thurston County Jail.  At the Olympia City Jail, more than one dozen people were kept in a 2 person cell, uninformed of their charges, some for up to 13 hours without being fed, before being processed. Other abuses included injury from improperly used zip tie handcuffs. Property slips were never issued, and many people reported missing property when they were released.

This diverse group of young people feel that their futures and their freedom to express their political views is being threatened by the police. It is important that the 29 arrested students, child-care providers, custodians, volunteers, scientists, and other workers and valued community members have our support for the duration of their court processes. If we do not defend the arrested now, the future safety of our entire community and our collective ability to exercise our freedom of speech will be compromised. We stand in solidarity with anyone who has the courage to demonstrate their discontent and we encourage all who share our concerns to join us in this struggle.

The State Street 29 Support Committee wants to urge our community, local and nation wide, to support the State Street 29.  Finally, we demand:

DROP THE CHARGES!

Jami Williams, of Olympia’s State Street 29, will be arraigned Wednesday, April 21st at 9AM in the Council Chambers building located at City Hall at 900 Plum Street. Charges filed against Jami are misdemeanor 4th Degree Assault, misdemeanor Malicious Mischief.

The State Street 29 Support Committee wants to urge our community, local and nation wide, to support the State Street 29.  Finally, we demand:
DROP THE CHARGES!

If you would like to donate to help pay legal fees or if you have any questions or updates regarding the State Street 29, please contact us:
statestreet29supportcommittee@gmail.com