Tag: Hamilton

Hamilton: John A MacDonald Statue Painted Red

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Early in the morning on November 9th, a few of us tread into the night to pay visit to Sir John A Macdonald in Gore park downtown Hamilton. With a loaded fire extinguisher, we painted him red, symbolizing his blood-soaked legacy. We did this in solidarity with the land defenders out 1492 Landback Lane, our neighbors from Six Nations, who are facing intense police violence in their attempt to save their land from another cheap and hollow suburban development. Read More …

Into the Second Wave: Barton Prisoners on past rounds of struggle and the challenges ahead

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It’s been two months now since the last hunger strike at the Barton Jail. To end it, the administration made a slew of promises, but have they been kept? This past week, we had long conversations with several prisoners who participated in the strike and in negotiations with the admin, and they expressed deep disappointment at the Barton Jail’s failure to follow through on even basic promises. As well, there has been a steep increase in lockdowns in recent weeks, rolling back a gain from a previous round of struggle that saw an end to rotating lockdowns. And finally, as the second wave of covid hits, we talked with prisoners about masks, soap, and healthcare. Read More …

1492 Landback Lane Solidarity Demo in Hamilton

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Last Sunday (on August 23rd), I showed up at a public demo in support of the 1492 Landback Lane reclamation site on Six Nations of the Grand River territory. I saw the event page on Facebook and was really glad for an opportunity to support the land defenders out there. It is absolutely disgusting that the OPP decided to raid the camp and kick Haudenosaunee people off of their own land, and to use such force to boot. Read More …

Hamilton: If the OPP Come Knocking: Info about Police Harassment

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This morning, August 13, 2020, an individual in Hamilton was approached by plain clothes OPP officers in a park while they were out walking their dog. The officers knew not only the person’s name, but also that of their dog and family members, and they seemed to know the person’s routine well enough to be waiting for them. They made vague threats to the person and also offered to protect them, and asked to talk with them further. They were likely being approached in order to inform on others. Read More …

August Barton Jail Hunger Strike: Post Updated for Day 2

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Update from Day 2 of the Hunger Strike

Today around 11am a small but enthusiastic group of hunger strike supporters gathered at the Barton Jail to show the folks inside some solidarity by holding banners and signs. We visited both sides of the jail east and west and heard banging and tapping from inside.
We also heard a report of fireworks being lit off on both sides of the jail in a beautiful show of solidarity with the hunger strikers last night. Read More …

Collective Action For The Win! Hunger Strike in Barton Quickly Forces Concessions from the Admin

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Today at noon, we learned that four ranges on the Barton Jail’s fourth floor had resumed a hunger strike, with at least 60 prisoners confirmed to be participating . One prisoner presented the action like this: “We have to starve ourselves to get out a message that is barely heard. We have a voice and aren’t just faceless inmates. Our concerns, our families’ concerns, are valid. We face violence for speaking out in here, but we are doing it for the ones that come after us.” Then, before we even had time to publish the demands, we got called back just before 5 with the news that the administration was moving to meet the strikers’ demands. This is amazing news and shows the power of collective action in materially improving the conditions inside. Read More …

Ambitious Times: On Decentralized regional organizing for the 2010 G20 summit

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I’m based in Hamilton was involved in Southern Ontario Anarchist Resistance, SOAR, in the leadup to the 2010 G20 summit. In the years since, a lot of our conversations about that organizing experience since focus on repression – the undercovers, the mass arrests, the prison time – but lately what stands out to me most about it is how ambitious the whole mobilization was. Read More …

Hamilton: A Second Range Starts a Hunger Strike! Call-in Campaign on Monday the 22nd

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Yesterday we announced a hunger strike on 4B with a list of demands. Later that day we stood outside the jail with a banner reading “Hunger Strike on 4B”, since it’s very difficult for prisoners to communicate between different section. Our phone line immediately lit with calls from people inside wanting to know more and to vent their own frustration. Today, we got a call from a prisoner on 3B letting us know that a whole range there is on hunger strike now as well — all 20 prisoners refused breakfast this morning. Read More …