Let’s Organize The ‘Hood!

How to Start a Black Autonomy
Federation Chapter in Your City.

i GRASSROOTS!

A Program of the
Black Autonomy Federation
P.0. Box 16382
Memphis, TN 38186-0382
Phone: (901)674-8430
Email: organize.the.hood@gmail.com
Help Build A new Grassroots
Black movement in Memphis,
or Your City!

Originally, Let's organize the hood was a serics of
community organizer training workshops being held all over
the USA and Canada during 1999-2004. The workshops
were sponsored by the Black Autonomy Federation
(BAF)and designed to train community residents in skills for
howto fight for their communitys rights and to speak back
10 power in order to win their own agenda. We are trying 1o

build a new type of grassroots organization not seen since.
the 1960,

Let's Organize the hood is now the geassroots organizing,
program of the Black Autonory Federation, based in
Memphis, TN. We believe that the solutions to the decp
social problems of the Black poor community, such as the
mass imprisonment of Black youth, police brutality, poverty
and homelessness, drug addiction, gang-banging, and
homicide cannot come from or be based on the charismatic
leadership of politicians, but will be tied to leadership from
the masses of poor and grassrots Black people themselves.

Therefore, Black Autonomy Federation is a radically new
‘group of Black community-based organizers and political
activists, with an entirely new vision of what to do 1o help
Black people correct injustice and empower our
communities. Our approach is to put the demands of the
community first, rather than the concems politicians or so-
called leaders. This power to the people is our approach to
help the community find its voice and power.

Starting from Scratch, Building Black
Autonomy.

Starting from scratch. You see injustice in your city, you

is high unemployment,
poverty, infant morlality, mass imprisonment, police
brutality, and a variety of other issues. You want o start a
Black Autonomy Federation in your hometown. It fairly
simple to do so, and it only takes 2-3 people to get started.

Then all you have to do is contact the BAF office in
Memphis, identify yourselves, and you are in business as
s00n a5 we contact you, and give you certification materials.
So what do'you do 1o get your ideas before the people in
your community? First, we suggest just walking around and
talking 1o people in your community. Find out who they are
and what they think about various issues. Be friendly, not
someone who is confrontational or implying that you know
everything. Some of the feedback you get will be helpful,
while some will be false consciousness( issues in people’s
‘minds generated by the government and the corporate mass
‘media.) Many people may not be willing to talk to you, and
that s fine in the first phases, just be friendly and ask if
there is a better time. Carefully record their names and other
personal details, issues discussed, and how they responded
10 your contact with them.

Truth s, that you may need to conduct such neighborhood
rescarch surveys several times before you get to meet
everybody and get someone who is sympathetic to your
viewpoint. Then after you do in fact talk to someone, you
should tell them about the mass program of Black Autonomy
Federation, Let's Organize the Hood, before trying (o get
them to join BAF. We do not expect people 10 just to join
the group before they know the details of our program
first. After you have conducted the first few research
surveys, the BAF organizers should then have their own
internal meetings to go over al the responses collected.
Questions you should have: What s the size of the
neighborhood and the Black community at large of the city?
What issues seem to be most popular and what issues can we
win on? What kind of campaigns could we run? When
should we hold a community meeting? These are just some
of your questions 1o be answered, there will be many others
in the fusture as you continue (o orgas

Community Organizing is all about contacting the
community, educating, and organizing and then mobilizing it
for neighborhood and people power against an entrenched
well-financed establishment enemy. There is no real
mystery. We ascertain the demands of the people in order to

‘make them rhyme with our own program, then bring it all
back 1o them.

So, then e hold a community meeting, to find out whether
the community will respond to what we present, This can be
held at a church, community center, even someone’s house!
If people do come out, it gives us a chance to determine
‘What are the issues they are passionate about and whether
they willtake any action about it. Our role is to help them
build a movement that can help them take such action,
including but beyond, the immediate issue. It does not
‘matter what issue people chocse to work on, as opposed to
working together with us against the establishmen.

Let’s Organize the “Hood can be organized around almost
any issue, but it s the radical strategy of Black Autonomy
Be Outgoing When Turning Inward

By Hybachi LeMar

To the outcasts of our society....

To you who are the mockery of the party...whether you're presentin f or nof...

To the intellectual lepers alienated in institutions and fo the parich of conversations you self-excuse
yourself from with an unreturned wave.
To you who slip into your dreams with iberation on your lis, and who long o be relieved from
the agony of regrets with the kind of redemption you find in the renunciation of your condemners’
religion...

To you — yes you — alienated ones of the world who exist as an undomesticated Desire writhing
lawlessly in a maggot orgy of neglected needs:

Be outgoing when turning inward.

‘The dissipating sands of Time have been generous enough to extend an invitation inscribed in
stone between the paws of the Hero-em-Akhet (the Great Sphinx) n ancient Egypt (Kemet). — An
invitation of great impor, later translated into Greet above the entrance gate o the Delphic
Oracle of Apollo; one which franscends Time and is presently being imparted fo you.

The Message:

Know Thyself.

Whatis the purpose of iving if one is living without Purpose?
Of what use i it to own a mind i iF's not @ mind of your own?
Reflecting on these questions reveal enlightening revelations that become apparent to-Truth-
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oy typachitomar

To the cast-awayed youth locked down in juvenile placements across amerika

with a silver spoon i your mouth and who are.

To you. who like me, wasn't bor
‘commanded to make your own cofs and stand in front of your doors at count- fime

Yes. You, the generation of amerika's rejected youth—yau are the future and you'

very much LOVED!

It doesnt take a genius to see that the so-called “Juvenile Justice system” doesrit

work

In fact. if you ask any counselor where you'e confined at what the odds are of you,
yourself becoming a prisoner af rer your juvenile bid, they'll most likely adi? to you

that your chances of becoming one are extremely high

And they're right!
According to statistics, between 80-90percent of youth confined in juvenile
facilties in amerika end up in an adult prison. Tnsulting enough, many of the staf
who control and know this wil adiit i 1o your face - some of them may even say so
with a slow nod of the head and reply sweetly, “Z7s frue * What they may not tell
7ou, however, is that the system raises many of us (especially Black, Latino & poor
whites) s surrogate (fake) parents 1o become “institutionalized slaves” 1o a system
that imprisons millons of unpaid and under-pai prisoners 1o profit over.our labor
In other words, they're rearing you for the Big House. It's big business for Wal
Street hustlers with dolla signs in their eyes and it costing many
children(especially if youre Black or Latina) our childhood

We grew up fast in amerika at an early agel

. 100, spent most of my younger years as a misfit in various jvenile placements T
was a loner who couldn't seem 1o quite fit in any institution that the system locked
me inside of There were many nights when T, in private. cry myself to sleep Yes
Tknow 100, dear young comrade, what it feels like to suffer the feeling of
oneliness. to be restrained by grown-ups and to be jumped on and *jumped-in" To
ot be understood by others and far. far away from family. friends and from the
ioyS that others of the same age have fun enjoying

There are a few things that we of the revolutionary movement would like you o
Know,

Things that those in authority won't dare fo teach: yet can' take away from your
mind once safely inside it. Knowledge that's important for you to Aol close 1o your-
feart and that you can surely find empowerment and strength in, when you need it
One thing for sure is that 1o live without a Cause is o live without an effect

Lt's highly important and healthy to have an upifing purpose in ife. A purpose to
help others. and to unify with those like you and T, who the government has
rejected. so that we may band together for freecom within ourselves individually
and as an outcasted society that we're fighting to free from these stresses

Never let those who have legal authority over you try to brainwash your precious
mind into believing that freedom isn' a human right and that it's a ‘privilege" for
You. In fact, it is the opposite which is true—freedom should never be a ‘privilege”
ina free society. On the contrary. in free society, freedom is a human rightl
We would als like you to know that whatever your
ituation may be—that though your parents

may have beaten you and although society has
gnored you and the judges have rejected you—
youre not lone! There's a revolutionary movemen
larger than the boot camps and suvenile prisons

theyve thrown you away 1o: a world-wide Movement

v o4 Aunfuz uo 51 3up 01 Ainfug uy

of caring people who won' turn a deaf ear to

your voice and who are ever-ready to embrace you

info our world-wide Movement with open arms!

It's important that you understand. young Warrior. every one of us has made
choices we wish

we.could take back but obviously cannot—every ane of us. from every age. race ¢
religious (or lack of religious) belief. Siuch are lessons of life. We live and we lea
If conditions were dif ferent for you growing up, and if you were listened-to mor
and if society called on the community instead of the cops. we know how freer we
be as a people at large!

Where there is no master. there is no slave. and where there's no slave there ca
be no master

We believe that skavery in any form s wrong and i frankly a violent and played-c
idea. In our rejecting others fo rule over and master us—and inour refusing o -
over and master others—we collectively and individually become our own overseer

Alightha.

nto our own {zom within
Naturally, this doesn't come overnight

We've been slaves (in one way or another) wi*hout even realizing it for most of o
tives. We were slowly conditioned o submit fo the law, to obey our parents,
teachers and even priests, with unquestioned obedience and o basically follow
every one of their rules in blind faith.

We see how far that's gotten us, however: agitated, mis-educated and incarceratc
Think for yourself how many times those who have power over you have lied o you
and how behind lock-n-key they drive you to *fake it o make it” in order for them
however. fake it 1o make it forever

just 1o release you unto probation! We can't

SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!
The right to free speech is as much as a Auman right as it i a civil one, and no one.

has the right to deny you of this right simply because of your age, just because
youre a pre-teen or a feenager

Just as important as it is for us 1o think before we open our mouths fo speak, it's
also healthy for our minds and our spirit to question authority.

Question authority and unlock the cuffs the system tries o slap on the wrists of
‘your mind. Talk back to your parents and if they tell you not to talk back to them,
let them know that it's in fact important for you fo do so. Just as a closed mouth
cannot be fed, it also holds true that the ones who ask specific questions receive

specific answers,

Exe cise your right to speak and ask questions and watch how rapidly you develop
into the free-thinking person you can grow and mature to become!

WRITE US & JOIN THE MOVEMENT
WE AccerT vour

Does the staff at the juvenile facility youre in make you spend hours frimming

fheir bushes? Do they make you vacuum their of ficers and mow their lawns with no

pay. like field slaves? Do they siam you when they restrai you? Then join us, young

rebel, in [YOC~the Incarcerated Youth Organizing Committee division of the

Tncarcerated Workers' Organizers’ Committee—for we accept you, are hire to
suppor' and protect you and uphald the belief that an injurysto One is an injury fo

Al

We accept all artwork and writings from juveniles (as well as adults) to be
considered into our newsletter. The Incarcerated Worker:

Al letters/artwork can be sent to us at

Avin: Cicage Tarcarated Youth Organising Commtree WSV BUGK

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1S CHANGING IN ALBT @F WAYS, PRIS@NS ACKSS. h

Seskers as fwovgh a resh pak of eyes faal discover contradiciions i the society thathes shaped:
us.

We've been brainwashed info believing that wrong s right & that right is wrong. That ifs ethical
1o submit fo demands that demoraiize us.

We've been indoctrinated to have faih in others instead of ourselves; conditioned to think that
calling ourselves “wise" s stupid and that to call others stupid s “wise”.

We've been maneuvered into accepting the nofion that fo think for ourselves isn't as smart as
having someone else doing our thinking for us. That i’s in our best interest o pledge allegiance fo
@ government that exploits us and to obediently bow to what we must rebelliously rise against!

Truly autonomous (self-governing) minds find liberation from a formented existence througha
relative degree of detachment; and in walking unfrequented paths in pursuit of the deeper truths
discover our liberating abilty 1o relieve ourselves from self-hate by replacing it with the daily
practice of self-love.
No love-hater or Hate-lover, no door-knocking demoralizer, no warden or judge has urisdiction in
@ mind that's declored autonomy from their reach; where an abiding sense of serenity is

in going out of one’s mind instead of being stuck inside the head in the most

Should they look diagonally at us for looking squarely info the eye of what once oppressed us;
whether or not they make the sign of the cross when we pass them — we can rest assured in the.

Freedom found in the inapprehensible reaches of Self-Awareness; and what can be more:
liberating fo the confined of the worl thon being outgoing when turing inward?

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Federation and our class politics that will keep us grounded.
Organizing is not just about identifying an issue and
mobilizing people around that alone; it is about building
organizations that can wield collective power for the people.
‘We come together to build a community base that can make
that happen.

Since this is a nzw movement, it is possible that no one will
come out 10 our meetings at first, and that could be because:
we had & poor outreach campaign or if we are so new that
they do not trust us yet. Either way, we must not become
demoralized. We must get ready for the next meeting,
correct our errors and get back out there! We should not
expect instant success, and therefore we should not be
discouraged if we get a small number of people. Work with
those people and build with them to bring others into the
movement

We also cannot expect people 1o take radical action if they.
have not yet given up on the system, no matter how much an
issue negatively effects them. Oppression does breed
resistance, but only if they can see a way to win and change
their lives. We must provide an altenative to them. We must
understand this, and therefore never get confused, just
reload! We should first trust in the neighborhood residents
themselves, and then local Black Autonomy Federation
organizers must be able to make an assessment of their own
communities, and out of that build a local strategy and set of
tactics. We are of the people and must be in the *hood, in
order to organize the *hood, instead of standing on the
sidelines.

At every step of the way we must educate the people about

: “Let's Organize the
Hood: Revolutionary Community Organizing Handbook" as.
a teaching manual to hold political education classes. This

will spread our ideals, but also bring new revolutionary
fighters into the movement, something we definitely necd.
There is no textbook or manual on how 1o do everything in
every community, but this organizers’ handbook will no
doubt help In this period, virtually no one is doing
community based organizing, preferring instead to work on
the internet, run mainstream political campaigns, or work
through a church or other mainstream institution. We are
different, as explained throughout the book.

1 you start a chapter, if you sign someone up to it or raise
any funds, you must report this to the national office in
Memphis, giving us the full contact details of everyone who
becomes a member, 5o that we can send them a membership
card. We will then send them a “welcome pack of
materials.”

; if you want to
have speakers to come (0 your city or community, then
please contact us at the address below

We have other materials to help you in doing organizing,
and we are available to help you, just contact us on the
Black Autonomy Federation Facebook Page, or at our email
address: orsanize.thehood@gmail.com. You can also
wite 10 us by surface mail
Memphis Black Autonomy Federation
P.0. Box 16382

Memphis, TN. 38186-0382

(901) 674-8430

Also: c/o Black Autonomy Federation page
(on Facebook):
wwiw. facebook com/Black Autonomy Federation
Black Autonomy Federation, through Let’s Organize the
*hood conducts workshops in cities all over the country in
‘vasic organizing theory and practice, based on the

. revolutionary direct action approach.

Here is a sampling of the issues taught at a Let's Organize
the Hood community organizer workshop:

. Nuts 1 bolts of Organizing: strategies and tactics.
. Campus-based organizirig: Creating a Black Autonomy
Student and Youth network.
. Organizing against the Klan and police brutality.
« Building comm-unity: creating the conditions for
social change by building community institutions for
cultural, political and economic empowerment.
. Building a movement against poverty and
unemployment. Depression level of unemployment
and poverty in the black community.
. Fighting mass imprisonment: Black youth are going
1o prison in massive, the community must fight itt

Memphis Black Autonomy Federation
P.0. Box 16382

Memphis, TN. 38186-0382

(901) 674-8430

organize.the hood@gmail.com
“The Community must not only find its voice,
but must use grassroots political pressure to
achieve a solution in their best interests,
thus making government officials
accountable to the people.”

I WANT YOU

0 JOIN
THE REVOLUTION

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