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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2001)
DOZENS & DOZENS of ways to say i 011748 Order early for the perfect floral gift for mom. Come in or call our flower specialists today or check our website eugenesflowerhome.com &uqene \s Slower ~J{ome “The University Florist” 610 East 13th Avenue (at Patterson) 485-3655 or toll-free at 1-800-478-3655 MEDIUM PEPPERONI OR CHEESE PIZZA 1711 Willamette (next to Blockbuster) 343-3330 stuff in the ODE Classifieds (Off The Mark, your daily horoscope and of course the crossword.) \ Anarchists continued from page 1 Most anarchists fall somewhere be tween these two extremes. Reflecting this division within the anarchist community, Eugene anarchist activity is Janus-faced. Headline-grabbing violent protests counterbalance peaceful organiza tions and programs aimed at culti vating strong community ties. Riots in the streets The first direct-action protest that put Eugene anarchism in the spotlight was the vandalism of NikeTown Eugene in November 1998, when a handful of anarchists trashed the inside of the store. The anarchist community had been developing in the Whiteaker area for a few years before the van dalism, and anarchists were begin ning to make their presence known. The NikeTown attack “ was a step forward,” Zerzan said. “It was beginning to be announced that something was going on.” In June 1999, an anarchist rally in downtown turned into a five hour riot of vandalism, looting and defying police. Then came the World Trade Organization protest, when Eugene anarchists participat ed in the first of a worldwide series of massive protests against interna tional institutions. On April 24, 2000, about 100 protesters, many of them anar chists, took to the streets to protest the imprisonment of Mumia Abu Jamal, who is on death row for killing a police officer. Last June, a re-enactment of the 1999 protest turned-riot led to a large protest and the arrest of more than 60 people, including two anarchists who were convicted of arson. Area anarchists say these protests are vital to their communi ty because they bring attention to anarchist ideas, as well as help an archists make connections with other activists. “For a lot of people, it’s the first time defying authority for a moral conviction,” anarchist Marshall Kirkpatrick said. “Making that step is a real meaningful opportunity for some people. It’s one thing for someone to have a philosophical opinion of the world, and it’s an other to put your safety on the line as many of us do.” Kirkpatrick and other anarchists expect more large-scale protests this year in Eugene and throughout the world. “This movement is really going to be big, starting this year,” Zerzan said. “It’s just going to make Seattle and all that look pretty small.” Such massive protests have made their mark in the Eugene community, specifically in police policy. Since the Eugene Police Department was caught off-guard by the June 1999 riot, the depart ment and the Police Commission have analyzed and altered crowd control tactics and use-of-force policies. Within the Whiteaker neighbor hood, anarchist slogans are often spray-painted on walls, and the EPD Public Safety station in the area has been vandalized numerous times. But police are hesitant to at tribute these crimes to anarchists, stating that copycat vandals might be to blame. “Anarchist stuff is really a non issue,” said EPD officer Richard Bremer, the Whiteaker Public Safe ty Station manager. “They’re here. We co-exist, and everybody goes about thfeir business.” But anarchists generally dis agree, saying they are often targeted by police. Eugene anarchists have actively participated in the Inde pendent Police Review Project, a community organization that area activists founded last summer as a forum for complaints about the EPD. Free food, radical thought Between protests, anarchists try to cultivate a community ambiance in the Whiteaker area through proj ects offering free food and radical thought. Eugene anarchism often takes on a social feel more than a revolutionary one. Organizers of Eugene’s version of Food Not Bombs cook and serve free, vegan meals at the Washing ton-Jefferson Park every day at 4 p.m., except Mondays. Food Not Bombs, a nationwide program, was founded in 1980 in Boston to protest hunger and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Until recently, one could see dozens of people every morning at West Third Avenue and Van Buren Street drinking coffee and socializ ing at an event dubbed “Cafe Anar quista.” This activity has lagged re cently because some organizers moved out of the area and because of bad weather. Though mostly non-confrontational, Cafe Anar quista organizers had a run-in with the EPD last summer when several people were ticketed for blocking the sidewalk. At the same location, The Sham rock Info-Shop, which opened in December, is an anarchist hangout with a full kitchen and a library of radical literature. “Its intent is to extend the amount of literature to the public,” said Cheryl Reinhart, who owns the 60-year-old house where the Info Shop is located. “It’s a really impor tant thing for our neighborhood be cause Whiteaker doesn’t have one place to gather where people don’t have to pay for something.” Reinhart, who doesn’t consider herself an anarchist, hopes the Info-Shop will become the hub for another ongoing Whiteaker proj ect called Free Skool, which is or ganized by various community members and offers grassroots clinics on topics ranging from wilderness survival to flu immu nizations. Also, the Subversive Pillow The atre, an activist-organized weekly showing of radical films and videos, might move from the Grow er’s Market Building at 454 Willamette St. to the Info-Shop. On the airwaves, Radio Free Cas cadia broadcasts from the Whiteak er area, and television shows Casca dia Alive! and Anarchist Forum air on cable access. Dreams of revolution Despite all this activity, there is a sense of cynicism and hopeless ness among many Eugene anar chists. Few anarchists expect to see a sweeping revolution in America during their lifetimes. “There used to be more idealism and optimism,” Zerzan said, de scribing the ‘60s activist move ment when he was first introduced to radical thought. “Today, some body will ask even the people will ing to fight in the streets if they think they’ll win, and they’ll say ‘no.’” This cynicism is understand able. Every major American insti tution, from police to government, directly stands in the way of the anarchist cause. Still, some anarchists, such as Zerzan, are optimistic that some type of change will occur. “Who knows, maybe we won’t get anywhere,” Zerzan said. “But I think there’s a worldwide move ment starting, and we’re going to see how bad people think things are, how badly they want freedom and health, life and authenticity.” There is also an understanding among many anarchists that a new form of protest is needed to accom pany or replace the mass street protests the world has seen during the past two years. “Unfortunately, police in this town and others have figured out how to stop street protests,” said an area anarchist using the pseu donym Amanda West. West said new tactics should be devised that would rally the larger community around the anarchist cause. “Mass change isn’t going to come from a bunch of black-clad kids in Whiteaker,” she said. “I don’t think the world is going to change tomorrow. Nobody knows what is going to happen, but I do have great hope that something will happen.” Applying Psychology to the Real World Department of Psychology, Summer Session, 2001 Join us for an exciting summer of Psychology! Our summer classes are small and are geared towards investigating real life issues. Course offerings include: Health Psychology • Illusion of Self • Psychology of Blame • Psychology of Gender • Adolescent Development • Assessment of Infants/Children • Behavior Genetics • Psycho-pharmacology • and many others. Several courses also fulfill social science, science and multicultural requirements. Registration begins Monday\ May 7, 2001 For a complete course listing and more information, please visit our web page: _ http://psychweb.uoregon.edu/summer Oregon Daily Emerald P.O. 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