community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Atlanta Hosts Competeing Convergences
by spooners_ghost
Monday, Jul. 11, 2005 at 9:48 PM
spooners_ghost@yahoo.com (email address validated)
Anarchists, anti-capitalists and anti-authoritarians gather in Atlanta for two "separate but equal" convergences:
Capital Terminus Collective and friends gather to form a Southern Anarchist
Federation/
Urban Guerrilla Liberation Front & G2A holds bi-annual convergence to
discuss strategy, tactics and skill shares.
The Capital Terminus Collective (CTC) called in early June for a founders conference for anarchists in the south to gather and conduct a three day long meeting to begin the process of forming an anarchist federation much like others throughout the country drawn from regional collectives. Individuals from across the city and others from out of town made the trek to the CTC's gathering spot and spent three days discussing the how to's and what for's of forming a federation. Ideology and and intellectual interpretations of the what it means to be an anarchist and what is considered to be acceptable conduct of its authorised membership. From the CTC's own newswire post it seems that alot of talk accomplished some good things. Strategy and tactics in relation to what needs to be done to build a meaningful and powerful voice of dissent in the current environment of state repression, wage slavery, and illegal wars being waged to extend the enslavement of humanity. However I can only cite the newswire post as I was not allowed to attend this conference because when I arrived on Saturday the 2nd of July with the intention of attending CTC's conference as well as the UGLF/G2A's bi-annual revolutionary convergence I was informed by the UGLF organisers that the delegates from these groups had been refused entry to the founders conference. Several of my friends from up north (Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana) and I had travelled a great distance to participate in these events only to find out that the CTC had unilaterally and without the other participants knowledge barred the UGLF/G2A voice from being heard in blatant disregard of the very principles that we all hold in such value. Immediately the UGLF/G2A organisers provided to all of the convergence goers the facts from the e-mails sent between these two opposing collectives. Oliver and the CTC seem to be trying to inflate comments made in the e-mails as harassment and intimidation. The CTC seems to try and deflect the facts by hiding behind the spin they are placing on what was written. Simply put UGLF organiser Jay Welin stated to the effect that by secretly denying and without the consent of all the participants at the CTC conference that they would be acting counter the very beliefs which CTC says it espouses to and go public with the facts. In response to this the CTC raised the hostility level in a war of words and rhetorical dogma. Jay nor the other UGLF/G2A activists discouraged us from attending the CTC conference in fact we held a vote on what should be done in response to this outrage. The outcome was that the UGLF, G2A and other activists at the convergence would boycott the 3 day founders conference by not attending and also to refuse to recognise the articles and documents that would be the foundation of a federation built on lies. At the conclusion of the 6 day UGLF/G2A convergence we all agreed to return to our homes and hold a similar vote within our own collectives and decide how each would respond to this in a public and transparent method. Then we would announce in a joint statement our overall response to this blatant disregard for the very values we hold dear. This statement would be declared publically by means of the IMC network and has yet to be completed as not all of the representatives have formally held their meetings and responded to the boycott.
CTC seems to have shifted the views of several individuals and collectives in regards to the true nature of Jay Welin and the UGLF/G2A by its elitist counter solidarity actions in denying them a voice at the conference and by secretly denying the other delegates the choice to hear out this unilateraly outlawed collective. Claiming ideological and tactical differences and that even though efforts by Mr.Welin and others have on several occasions attempted to reach out and mend fences from the previous differences he/they have had with others in Atlanta and elsewhere. Only in Atlanta have segments of the activist community continued its elitist and hostile position towards the UGLF and Jay. Every attempt that was made was met with resistance and apathy. Jay is viewed as a "front man", the voice behind the curtain that speaks for many and at times is subjected to extreme criticism from the activist community and unbearable harrasment by the authorities. Somehow though he managed to maintain a website, and manage the resources to create modest accomplishments when compared to his/UGLF's strongest critics. CTC doesn't even have a website, the Atlanta IMC had been off line for sometime, and from my understanding the UGLF has on multiple occasions offered both financial and material aid but was ignored or denied the previlge and reward of participation by hardliners unwilling to set aside previous squabbles over semantics and rhetoric. One of the things I learned from Jay in my five days spent in Atlanta was to "make friends from strangers". Don't get me wrong both myself and my collective BTR5 (Bardstown Road 5) have been very critical of the UGLF and of Jay it was only through the meeting of a UGLF/G2A activist in Louisville that I/we began to take a less ignorant perception of this enigmatic group and one of its many scattered organisers and activists. So I said "what the hell" I would go to the CTC conference and check out this UGLF/G2A convergence. With what I learned upon my arrival put a bad taste in my mouth regarding the Atlanta IMC volunteers (note the complete lack of moderation by the IMC in regards to the UGLF G8 Solidarity Action) and the CTC but it will not prevent me from overcoming these misgivings and attempt to reconcile these differences in the name of solidarity.
This written contribution to the Atlanta IMC's newswire is not about how great or not great the UGLF/G2A and Jay Welin are. It is a report upon what took place at the UGLF/G2A convergence. Though I was not present at the opening ceremony on Friday the 1st of July I was given the rundown on what took place Jay and the others conducted a community outreach by passing out meals to the homeless and less fortunate in a city park. The second day of the convergence (the day I arrived) was mostly discussion in regards to ideological, doctrine and tactical/strategic focus of the UGLF/G2A in the present and in the future. We discussed at great length building solidarity with other collectives, groups and individuals amongst the anarchist and activist community. We closed the discussion and broke into two clusters that were divided based on the housing situation as 15 people can not stay in one one bedroom apartment so half my comrades packed it up and took it across town to continue an evening of skill shares as was conducted at Jay's place. As a late night activity we spray painted a banner and dropped it from an overpass in solidarity with our comrades in Scotland protesting against the G8. The remaining days of the convergence were pretty much built around movies related to historical events and personalities which have been immortalised within psyche of our noble breed. Discussions and skill shares focused on first aid, outreach, DIY projects and media as an activists' tool as a method of protest and were broken up by the delicious and copious amounts both vegetarian and omni-vore cuisine. On the fourth of July the convergence held a "wake for a nation" anti-celebration and ended with Jay and the others lighting the fuse to an anti-climactic parody fireworks display. The convergence closed on Thursday evening with all the participants agreeing to work closer on solidarity within our own collectives and with others in our activist community. That building of strategic resources and by engaging and supporting anti-recruitment/anti-war efforts, community outreach and work force organising. As a parting gift a high quality DIY printed T-shirt was made for all the convergences attendees with a revolutionary image or slogan and a vhs copy of Direct Action: the UGLF's Greatest Hits 2005, a 40 minute montage of direct action, protests and propaganda by the deed that the UGLF/G2A had participated in over the course of the last year. As the convergence concluded and its participants packed up their cars or headed out to the airport, train and bus stations the feeling that something great had happend was echoed by all and the phrase "make friends from strangers" really hit home not just with Jay but with all my new comrades scattered across the country. Perhaps the CTC should consider this in the future and seek to reach out and unify the movement then to secretly and intentionally further a divisive and elitist agenda that will not forge the strong voice of dissent that its attempting to create. Maybe we can all learn from one cautious but optimistic point of view. That view is this not all is what it seems and not all books can be judged by their cover.
As a final thought, having met with these people and one of their most vocal organisers I not only had my opinion completely changed but that the public and uninformed perspective of Jay and these direct action propaganda by the deed activists is about as inaccurate as you can get. They are very motivated, highly dedicated to our common cause, down to earth, hospitable and most of all contrary to popular belief do not live in their parents basements. They maybe the authors of some the most misspelled blathering diatribes and creators of cheesy multi-media projects that clog the IMC network but they are not the alleged drug abuser agent provocateurs that many accuse them of and suffer both the efforts of trolls,ignorance and state sponsored repression via false flag ops and negative commentary that riddles the IMC's to discredit and alienate them from the very people they stand in solidarity with.
spooners_ghost
BTR5
I've included some of the pictures from this convergence sorry that i did not show any from the skill shares but these were some of the ones given to me on a disc and i havent gotten the others off my camera.
fireworks
by spooners_ghost
Monday, Jul. 11, 2005 at 9:48 PM
spooners_ghost@yahoo.com
fireworks
by spooners_ghost
Monday, Jul. 11, 2005 at 9:48 PM
spooners_ghost@yahoo.com
![[masthead]](/images/masthead_140.png)