The A-Zone & A
Decade of Anarchy
in Chicago

2nd Edition

in Chicago Saturday, May 6, 2000

and gy, @ Shea

i
The A-Zone Essay Project

by Alex Inasa
WHAT IS AN INFOSHOP?

According to the Wikipedia, “An infoshop is a storefront or social center that
serves as a node for the distribut political, subeulrural and arts information, typically
in the form of books, zines, stickers and posters Infoshops often serve as a meeting

space and resource hub for local activist groups”

Like many people in the US who got involved with sadical-Lefi politcs in or
around 2001, 1 had spent some time looking at Infoshop.org, but at the time | had
0 idea Infoshops as physical spaces existed, much less predated the website! The
first Infoshop that 1 ever visited was the Autonomaus Zone Infoshop (A-Zone) in

Chicago, 1L (Chi

‘THENEED FOR AN AUTONOMOUS ZONE

“The first ime | set foot in the A-Zone was for a forum on Anarchist cconormics,
held in opposition to the Trans Adantic Business Dislogue (TABD) meeting which
had just happened in Chi, in November 2002.

“The forum was originally supposed to be held ar De Paul, but the school had
retracted s permission without explanaton, and it just may have been something
pretty sinister since later we found out the Chicago Police Department
re-activated its so-called Red Squad (read White Squad) to monitor and inflieate the
A-Zone and four other groups organizing sgainst the TABD. These groups included
Anaschist Black Cross Nework (ABCN), the Discet Action Network (DAN), the

3

indeed

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Not In Our Name (NION).

Immediately it occurred to me the importance of having an alternative space.
outsde of the regular conol of the state, church, and schools, to host the forum
which represented a direet challenge to the corporations and their governments
whose interests were being presented in the TABD mecting

About thee monhs later I moved 1o Chi and became very involved with the
A-Zone. It was an apen collective, meaning that membership was decided by who
shorwed up to meetings and made things happen. 1 helped organize monthly public
forums hosted by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) which I was also a
member of, though most of my time there was spent just keeping the door open for
whom ever may drop in.

“This was the Bucktown, Chi space, at 2129 N. Milwaukee Ave. Some of the other
eroups involved at the time were ABCN, juggling Free School, the Anarchist Skins
‘and Punx Unity Crew (ASAP) and people from the South Side Punk House/South

Side Crew and the Vegan House

POLITICS OF THE A-ZONE

When T vas in the A-Zone Collective, we had a pretty wide range of politicalideas,
that 1 think balanced out roughly to being half life stylists, mostly Anarchists, and
half politcal activists, again mosdy but not only Anarchists. Personally, 1 was aleeady
De Leonist when | showed up, and my belief in Socialist Industrial Unionism and
politcal action had led me into the IWW and Green Pasty. But at the same time |
looked at the A-Zone 15 a much needed public forum, and was willing to work with
people there with & consensus decision making process, which had appealed to me
in theory from Food Not Bombin’ (FNB) in Cleveland, OH though Id aleady been
disilusioned with it there, but considered it 1 worthwhile compromise to be in the
Collecive.

Plus 1 had an inside joke with at least one of my comeades from the Collective
about how we were the government of the A-Zone. Other people would come to us
0 use the space, and we would try 10 work something out. But ultimately the power
weas ours, and some people really abused it. People who made the AZone their
litle fiefdom have reinforced my general dislike of consensus decision making, The
Collective very nearly collapsed in 2003 when a number of - people lefe, including
myself briefly, from various personality conflcts that were going on. We never
really fully recovered, our numbers hovering around six members when [ came back
around about a month or two after Lleft for a good chunk of spring 2003, I've heard
‘and read about the early years of the Collective when membership was between 30-
50, 1 never attended a Collective meeting that was mayhe more than a dozen, and |

4
doubt there were any more that were more than six after April 2003 or so.

Green Anarchism, Queer and Trans Liberation, ant-Corporate Globalizasion,
Labor Osganizing and Prison Aboliion were the biggest focuses of the activist types,
‘and music, visual arts, especially silk screening, bicyeles, gender, sexuality and food

the biggest focuses of the fe sylists. There was tons of erossover like most of
s would cook FNB at least once in a while though the acual A-Zone FNB chapter

folded just before I moved 10 town, and we generally supporeed each other's efforts

AANARCHIST PEOPLE OF COLOR

The A-Zone had an unfair eputation for being an all white, ex-suburbani
space. The only person who was & member from start to finish, Darrell G.,
African American who was born and raised in Chi, and sl esides in the Austin, Chi

Sometimes when was thee, Id be the only person of color (POC), yet at other
times the Collective would be upwards of half POC, though all of our events |
pasticipated in were attended by predominantly white crowds. Sometimes people
would tell me to my face my Collective was all white, and it was abvays stunning
Did they consider me white? Then why did I grow up being called the n word and.
2 Chink in Ohio? Plus it was always white, Uiversity or four year college educated,
excsuburbanites who would say it to my face, and most of them were involved with

even whiter, more privileged groups at the time.

es 1 am an ex-suburbanite, but 1 fled the suburbs to get avay from racist

hasassment. But when 1 was in the Collective there were two POC comrades who

were born and raised in Chi proper, and nearly everyone lived in town, there was one
exception who lived in Lombard,

In the summer of 2003 | was invited 1o help form the frst Anarchise People of
Color (APOC) group in Chi and declined. Starting as a POC caucus in Midwest
Unsest, an affinity group formed for the upcoming protests against a Free Trade
Avea of the Americas (FTAN) summit in Miami, quickly the comeades from the first
Chicago APOC group sealized the need for such organizing to be ongoing. Two of
my comeades from the Collective were in it, and at least one ex-member. But 1 felt

like we had a realy great,lepitimately multi-racal Collective going at the A-Zone, and
with my other activism at the time in the INW and the St. Francis Catholic Worker

House, 1 didvt want 10 take on another project, especially one that excluded whites.

and was explicily Anarchist.

THELANDLORD'S GOON SQUAD

Qui

possibly the only time | actuall showed up on time for a volunteer shift in
the fall of 2003, 1 was followed in by three rather large men. One told me he
the rent. We had already been evicted, and the letter of eviction clearly stated.
would get our last three months in the space rent free if our landlord broke our lease

nted

The facts of the matter did't change things with the goon squad, a
me they wanted the rent any way before they Lt

ad they told

Upon reflcction, it was no susprise since our landlord had already tried to raise
ou rent higher than allowed by our lease, and when we refsed, he evicted us. Then
he tried to shake us down for money we didn't awe him, even according to his own
words! 1 shink it showed how even the term irself, landlord, is just a throwback
feudalism. The capitalist pi never did get that money! Also upon further reflection
Lthink it was proba

(read gentrifuckation) of that part of Bucktown too. Being a gentrifying force was
one of the down falls of the A-Zone pretty much from the beginning. When |
started doing rescarch for this project | read in (Dis)Connection that Wicker Pask,
Chiwas sill 10% Latin@ when the A-Zone s there in 1994, and the Collective was
e of how they were effecting the arca, at least n this sense

Iy one of the nasty signs of the beginning of the gentrification

‘THE BAKLAVA AUTONOMIST COLLECTIVE AND WIND CHILL FACTOR

When we were packing up the ‘ine library of the A-Zone in December 03, Mike
D, handed me a copy of Wind Chill Factor (WCE) a
the A-Zone came out of. | hink ar that point | had alrcady knows the collective used
to make the journal Sandpaper, which we sometimes still gor mail for, but WCF was

ad told me it was the ‘zine that

new to me and | was excited!

When | started doing rescarch
for this project and found the article
snnouncing the opening of the A-Zone
in WO strectsheet 0.1 from the end of
1993, 1 feelke | had struck gold. It was
exactly the kind of thing | had come to
the Chicago Underground Library to
look for!

After the firs edition of this ‘zine
1 continued this rescarch and became
familiar with how WCF was produced
by the Baklava Autonomsst Collective,
and how they had been involved with
the stare of Love and Rage (L&R)
s an Anarchist newspaper, then a
decentralized network,

LOVEAND RAGE

Though when Darrel G. mentioned L&R in the interview for this ‘sin it rang a
bell, | couldn' tell you why:. Then what started as rescarch

on the A-Zone became a more general study of firse 1990s
Anaschism with 2 focus on the Infoshop Movement,
then 19805 Anarchism. At the Long Haul Infoshop in
Berkeley, CA 1 bhad my first chance to go through old
copies of L&R and internal documents including a pre-
founding conference discussion bulletin!

1 was amazed to sce things such as the call for the
first Black Bloc in North America, and early coverage of

2
2
3
z
g
H

;8
g
8
3

the Zapatista Uprisng from the Mexican L&R group,
Amor y Rabia. There is one co-founder of both the
ind the Long Haul
ad we had some

local Anarchist newspaper, Slingshor,
Infoshop stll involved with both,
amazing conversations about these materisls. Younger comrades were equally

excited to be shown these aricles too.

A splitin L&R in 1993 between people who wanted to maintain the decentralized
Love and Rage Network the groups that produced the paper had become, and those
who wanted more cohesive politcs within a cadre organization led to groups such
25 Baklava spliting, and the re-organization of the Network into the Love and Rage
Revolutionary Anarchist Federation. The Federation continued to print LR to
1998, when it again splitleading to both new organizations such as the Fire by Night

Organiving Committce and Bring the Ruckus, and ex-members joining alceady
0)

established groups such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization I

‘THENETWORK OF ANARCHIST COLLECTIVES AND (DIS)CONNECTION

hordy after leaving the Love and Rage Network, Baklava helped start the
A-Zone, and also helped stast (Dis)Connection, which according to the fist issue
was “a journal dedicated to information sharing for Radical Collectives and Counter
Institutions. It was conceived during the 1994 Counter Institution Gathering in
Detroit. 1,00 copies printed in Philadelphia, PA. Infoshops and collctives received

master copies to reproduce as well. The producers of this issue can be reachet
the Wooden Shoe, a long established radical space in Phill which is sil going! The
Network of Anarchist Collectives (NAC) came out of this which included the Long
Haul Infoshop, the Emma Center in Minnespolis, MN and Bechive in Washington,
DC. There are 29 (Dis)Locations and 16 (Dis)trbutors listed, in 2 time not know at

al for radical poliics!
“The second issue was witten by Chicagoans, and was lasgely about the A-Zone.
The words, “Left Bank (another longtime racical space still going, this one in §
WA-—editor) donated $50.00 to assist in our goal of one Uz per A-Zone member”
on the inside cover instantly sparked my interest. This was acrually the firs issue |

25 able 10 read in early 2009 when my comrade, ex-A-Zoner Rachel A lent me this

attle,

and the third issue to help with my rescarch for this project. Asticles in thi issue
such as “Against Half-Assed Race and Class Theory and Practice” by Ken Wong,

“Genrifuckation and White Frontier Collectves” and “On Boys In Collectives”

Somewhat painfl reminders about how many current Leftists in general and
pastcipants in the Infoshop Movement in pasticular are pretty good at re-inventing
fauley wheels. Bringing back these past discussions and insights was a large part of
the point of this project.

When asked to be on & panel about “Zines & Libraries” at Chicago “Zine Fest in
2010 when L was doing the inital research for this project, | made a point of inviting
Ken Wong and bringing the second and third issues of (Dis)Connection with me,
and talking about howe Wicker Park was sell 70% Latin at the time the A-Zone wa

there according to the journal. 1 brought
this up while talking about the current
gentsification of Pilsen, Chi for anyone
who was sil not taking it seriously

In the other issue of the journal |
was sble to check out at the time, #3,
Winter 95, one particular article stood
out 0 me, “AZone? WHAT THE
fuackdl” “Recently we decided 10 have

an “Existentialist Blucs' discussion at the
A-Zone. We decided to do this because
we REALLY needed to, because we hadat
sad one in a long time, cuz we thought

i€d be fun (ahem), and because we were

(possibly) moving to a new space” The
articl is mostly an analysis of the discussion, and it follow up, and larger one was
produced as a pamphlet, Existentialist Blues, that [ would still Love to get my hands.
on for a future edition of this zine or a similar project

exa of so-called “social networking” websites, these journals were a real
harge 1o get a hold of, and I'm sure 1 would have read and re-read them i they were
e It was also fascinating to sce Food Not Bombs in Chicago declared dead foreves.
There were three different neighborhood chapters going strong when | was reading
the journal years later! The death of the Earth First! Movement was also pondered
often despai when there is still hope.
As 1 continued my research in carly 2014 1 found copies of #4 & #5 at the

in this 19905 journal, showing how we

f}
Hooghan Infoshop, in Flagstaff, AZ and
with the help one of the Northern Arizona
University (NAU) comeades, Carrie D, got
PDFs of them posted on scribd.

These issues include four artcles of

2
0

intesest o his project on Intercollectivism
and can be read and hopefully learned from
by the many comeades who have been in
similar discussions since the 19905 and
older ones

g

perhaps are unsware of these
Especilly in Arizona where we recently

bad a state wide Atizona Radical Coaliion
(ARC) which inidially came out of the
three cities that had Infoshops, Flagstaft,
Prescott and Tucson, and Phoenis which s

the sixth lasgese city in the US, and whose

metro area saw two Infoshops stare and
stop within the time ARC vas sil going;

“The networking that came out of these journals culminated in Active Resistance,
4 series of events that were held in Chi in opposition to the Democratic National
Convention (DNC) that met there in 1996. We had an Active Resistance banner
hanging on the wall in the main room of the Bucktown space when [ was in the
Collective, and the events were the stuff of local legend to me. Also, from what |
understand at least one of the main artists who worked on the banner, Kevin, went
on o work with if not co-found the Bechive Design Collective!

With the recent wave of strect demonstrations demanding the acknowledgment
that Black Lives Matter, and the formations of the Black Rose Anarchist Federation
and the Torch Anti-Fascist Network, while those of us who duel in the Belly of
the Beast il live in an empire, even if it has gone into serious decline since the
early19905, radicals have a responsibility o try to learn from the past misakes
recorded in places such as the pages of L&R and (Dis)Connection so we can try to
take this rotten ass system down once and for al and replace it with some justice and

ecqualiey that has been denied for far 100 long!

THE A-ZONE IN EXILE

About two months a

rer we left the Bucktown space, | started volunteering at the
New World Resource Center (NWRC), which was a non-partisan, collectively run,
Lefiise bookstore located at that time a¢ 1300 N. Western Ave, in Humbolde Park,
Chi. We started having A-Zone Collective events and meerings there, reaching a peak
in June 2004 when dozens of people showed up to watch Usdrgrornd, a flm about

9
the Weather Underground Organization, and participate in 4 discussion about race
and clas privilege with ex-Weatherman cadre Bil Ayers.

PILSEN'S CRYPTO-INFOSHOP

The main inspiration for this project came from my involvement with La
Biblioteca Popular del Barrio Pilsen. After the A-Zone Collective had formally
disbanded, though | maintained friendships with some of my comrades from the
space, it was never seally the same spending time in Chi

Tisied to move 1o Madison, WI (Madeiy) in early 2005, and the Madison Infoshop.
weas one of the places 1 hung out a great deal. Though it was very different than the
A-Zone, it was still great place to hang our, read, get literature, borzow flms, use
computers and just hang out with people.

About a year laer | had a somewhat disastrous trip to Tucson which one of the
only good things that came out of i was the e I spent at the Dy River Infoshop.
Catching a punk show, a film screcning, finding out about stff going on around
toven, reading, using computers, and of course just hanging out; | even lucked into 2
sde all the way back t0 Chi from both Infoshops!

While visting Chi in October 2008 1 found out about an Infoshop opening in
Pilsen called the Sowing Cirele, and I was ecstaticl The nest day I swung by, and was
lad 10 sce people working on getting an Infoshop going in town again. Over the
next week or so | hung out there a few times and found out people were thinking of
not calling it an Infoshop and changing the name, even though it had pretty much
just opened to the public

By the time | rerurned to Chi in April 2009, sure enough, the space vas stil
going, but it was called the Lichen Lending Library. When 1 returned o Chi yet
‘again in late fal that year | became more involved with the space. In the midst of
the discussions about transitions that were going on at that time, such as

name change to La Biblioteca Popular del Barrio Pilsen, | mentioned the A-Zone a
oreat deal, and was asked many questions about it, That' when | got the idea for this
project, and started working on it

et another

As all oo many people know, 2009-10 was
standaxds() for the Anaschist and Anti-Authoriarian |
Lowan farm season, | went back to the Bay Area where | was born, and spent
sometime atthe Long Haul Infoshop and the Cat Haus, where amongst other things
I met with couple old timers including the one co-founder of both the Long Haul
Infoshop and Slingshot Collectives who was stil in both, and another long time
radical who had ventured off to Chi for Active Resistance! For as inspirational and
exciting as these conversations were, | also met a younger radical who was involved
0

After another southern

with both collctives who s down with nerding out over a couple of the issues of
(Dis) Connection I hadsit seen before and one I had. The younger radical was totally
unaware of this aspect of her collectives’ past, and | started to et a new vision for
this project. Instead of being only about the Infoshop Movement in Chi (though it
may be the center of the universel) perhaps it can be about the Infoshop Movement
in general and how it has relaced to Anarchist and Anti-Authoritarin praxis at east
in the Us?

AASPECIALTHANKS
L would like to thank sl the contributors!

Dasrell G, as mentioned above was the only member of the Collective start ©0
finish. Our interview came o a somewhat abrupt stop when he criicized Weather
Thought and what he considers the politis of white guilt. With things going around
the generification of Pilsen, Biblioteca Popular and the current APOC group in
Chicago, I kind of drew a blank and wasn't sure where 0 5o from there. Afier typing
itup | felt a litebetter about and sent him a copy, asking if there was anything he
would like t0 add to . As with this whole project, maybe sometime in the furue. He
was also involved with the Sandpaper Collective.

Bl Burns and 1 only met once, when he came to speak at one of the A-Zone
events we held at the NWRC. We screencd “Rebels With A Cause” a film about
(SDS), and he spoke casua
‘SDSer with the ten o so people who showed up for the event. Bill Burns'lie has been

search for freedom. He has been a part of many revolutionary organizations. He is
stil secking revolution. As an anarchist he i sil very active i social change. He s on
the steering commitrce of a tasi drivers union. He s active on the defense committee.
of a friend and cabdiver, charged with providing material aid to a US, defined
tercorist onganization. Finally he is part of a collective called RELATIONSHIP
ANARCHISM.

Students for a Democratic Soc

y with another o

Anthony Rayson is a write, editor, publisher and disteibutor of @ndicopyright
and free “zines. He has also been involved in co-founding and organizing for
rassroots citizen’s groups, such as Shut This Airport Nightmare Down (STAND),
Southside Anti-Racist Action, Southside Citizen's Coalition and others. For STAND,
Ragson wrote newsletters, “ines and the newspaper, Rural Life Standard. He's done
many interviews, mosty with conscious prisoners, such as the MOVE women,
Sundiata Acoli, Russell Masoon Shoatz, Sean Swain, Coyote Sheff, Lee Savage and
many orhers. His complete ‘zine collection (over 400 titls and counting) is housed
at DePaul University and his publications can be found in *zine librasis, licerature
tables and prisoner study circles throughout the vast Amerikan gulag system. He
had a chapter published in the book, gaiting A Revoltion, put out by AK Press. His
work has been published in numerous ‘zines and newspapers, such as Sandpaper

"
and AREA Chicago.

Rust Belt Jessie (ska Jessic Lynn McMaing) wrore the one completely new
contribution to this edition! She s a writer and zine-maker currently based in
southeastern Wisconsin. She writes, mainly; about her misspent youth and about
pun. Vst her website a recklesschants.net or her blog a rustbelfessic.rumblr.com.

16 a personal fuiure of mine that the gender balance of the Collective s in no.
represented by this project. Pretty much all events and Collective meetings were
roughly half male and half female bodied people when I was active with the A-

another reason | would like to sce another edition with other contibutors
sometime in the future.

“Thanks to everyone who helped with the rescarch, especially ex-A-Zoners Rachel
A.and Tracy K., Racchel Tiffe, the Chicsgo Underground Librarians, the Anarchist
History Nerd Brigade, the Long Haul and Taala Hooghan Infoshops and AK Pres

“Thanks to everyone who helped with the technical stuff especially people from
La Biblioteca Popula, Wax Wing “Zines, Voices for Creative Non-Violence and the
School of the At Institure in Chicago where | was sort of a Resident Hobo when |
started working on this and did a lot of the iniial work there wih help from a couple.
of students. Ditto for the NAU comades who helped with the second edition in
similar circumstances! Thanks to everyone who helped with the networking for this
especally Seribler, Locked Out and Mess Hall. And thank you all for taking the time
this. This is only a small part of the history of the A-Zone, and if there is
angthing you would like 0 add to shis history, please write the Anarchist History
Nerd Brigade! anarchisthistory at siseup dot net

2
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5
Interview with Darrell G

Ty Alex Inasa
Alex Iwasa: What were the A-Zone spaces?

Dasrell G October 93 to summer "4 Division near Damen, magbe Wolcort,
The sccond space North Ave, Damen and Milwaukee, "4 to late ‘05, the third space
weas North Ave. and Claremont, late 95 to 1 think May 7. The fousth space was
Chicago Ave. and Damen, July 97 to fall of 2000, the fifth was Division, Kedzic,
2000 to summer 2001, the Buckown space, the one you wes with, 2001
to December 2003 was the last one. Then we were renting from the New World
Resource center in 2004,

AL What brought you to the A-Zone?

DG: L was involved with peaple who were involved with the A-Zone, some longer.
than others. Some 1 worked with things for years prior o the A-Zone, some who
put out the pilot issue of what became Love and Rage,
the late 805 The majority | met during the demonstrations against the Persian Gulf
War in Chicago. At the time, these folks used to have Anarchist house parties. There
music performances, speak outs.
meetings, located at the De Paul Nort]
they were in people’s homes. There was
and the idea was 1o get them 0 work together, which s very difficult to this day,
because people’s egos dominate, and they ot want 10 work with others, or they are
comfortable with their friends.

i Anaschist Collective in

atually there was Anaschist Federation
Side campus around 1991, 1992, Later on

misture, a milieu of different Anachists,

People invalved with Wind Chill Factor were interested in starting an Infoshop,
like in other cites. A couple people wante it to be & co-op and live together. | just
weanted to be continually involved with an Anarchist milieu after being out of one
for a short while.

Then 1 started doing my History and Polies of Rhythm and Blues video
nacrative presentation. In the early days of the first space of the A-Zone, weekly
meetings always consisted of 25 0 30 people.

AL That has always blown my mind. Were they operated on consensus?

DG: That was the original model, from the beginning. Also in the early days of
the A-Zone, ss people would stay there, and that was not abways an easy task.
Because of the differences in the culture and background of the majoriy of the
homeless and the backgrounds and cultures of the majority of the people involved
with the A-Zone. Unfortunately some of the homeless men were blatantly sexist,
"

and didn't trea the women from the A-Zone with respect,

The majority of the members of the AZone were very young, and very
And this also made dealing with the

inexperienced with working with the homele:
landlord had.

Also what came out of the first period of the A-Zone was the
Initated [ think by early members Kate S, and Dina.

AL What were some of the classes?

DG They were various kinds of things. Discussions on things. Historical things,
not necessarily relevant to Anachism. But of interest to people. Eventually conflct
management, silk screening, and it varied, with the idea that we were all learning
from cach other. There was no expert. It was a skill share in a non-hierarchical

Quickly there were problems already within the collective, which was the
weakness within the A-Zone abvays, through out all the various spaces, an inability

to resolve conflicts.

Within this first period there were lots of sceusations and name callings of
comtades within the A-Zone.

AL What kind of accusations and name calling?

DG 1 think it was some people calling other people, or accusing them of being
‘e listened to.

sexist, not loyal, or flt they
AL What sort of work did you all do for overcoming sexism?

DG: 1 shink we discussed some of this stuff but we didn't deal with stff very
well When we started the space, there wasn't enough discussion about political ity

Then part of it was | puess alot of them were very new to this sort of activism, Then
eventually the aumbers of the collective started o drop.

Ken W. and [ attempted to have a couple of discussions sbout race and class
issues, both sbout organizing around face and class, in an attempt to bring more
people of color into the AZone. The second one became a white guilt discussion, it
was taken over by people who didat want to deal with more complex issues.
“The fist one we attempred to address a lot of racial and class issues that are
often not dealt with in Anarchist or Lefoise situations, Some peaple in the A-Zone at

time were poliically influenced by the Peaiie Fire Organizing Committee /Joha
Brown Anti-Klan, Maoist poliics of the late ‘605, white peaple should follow: the
leadership of people of color, and should stay out of communities of color. That
made it difficult for people to deal with the real issues of race and class

1n 1998 in the Chicago and Damen space, Camille and | were frustrated because
we thought 1 would have been a good idea for us to relate to the founding congress
of the Black Radical Congress. To provided literature ac ULC. What happened was
the organization had to put & tsble together, and there wa
“armille was upset that we weren't able to do i, and | second thas, because as an
Anaschist Collective we should be able t0 go beyond the accepted politcs of the
converted Lefe, and it was a missed opportunity

an ssue of cost, and so.

In general a times, it was difficult for me being older, African- American, queer,
ot coming out of the punk scene, not liking punk music.

Puth 5 iop - wose

*
lings A The A-Zon:

by Bill Burns

AS you get older memories become a problem but the feclings of that very
exciting time | will communicate.

The time of the IVCF and Baklava was twenty years ago, they were the fore

runners of the A-Zone. Sprite was the moving force in those organizations. |
remember at Sprite’ place on Lincoln Ave. and a womyn named Judy who was very
intelligent but at some point decided 10 become a layer. In that time sets and fund
fasers were held at various people’s homes to spread the basics of Anaschism and
et peaple to consider establishing a space as one choice of faclitating Anarchism,
The years of 1990-1994 T had my own taxi cab and was deiving 85 hours a week. So
my partcipation in this movement at this dme was not full but [ did write articles
the IPCF under the pen name of PURPLE BRUISE

“The first A-Zone space that | remember was on Division St. | semember large
fumbers of peopl

ind loud ruckus meetings. In time factional fighting took place
and cerain people emerged as an informal hierarchy within a process that was
ostensibly consensus. As the years went on we went o the two spaces on North Ave.
The A-Zone did not grow in numbers but because of the energetic leadership of
Kim F, James M., Sprite, and Eileen R, the influcnce of the A-Zone grew worlduide

In dime T was able to reduce my taxi houes and in 1996 1 became fully active in
the A-Zone in our last space on North Ave. In about his time the four key people
already mentioned began o gravitate 10 other projects. Vie S. came back to town and
together she, Tony D, Darrell and [ became the principal energizers of the A-Zone,
and we were the ones who made the decision to relocate the A-Zone on Chicago
Ave. where is stayed for the nest three years. My last year 1o be involved with the
A-Zone was 199,

Wewere never able to build a broad based movement of 2 lot of people in which
true consensus was practiced. Certain people who were articulate or had technology
skills dominated and an informal hierarchy was practiced. Unless that informal
hieraschy was adequately replaced, each time certain key people ef,then the energies
of the A-Zone flagied, and over time the Rachels and Mike Dis of the world where
nat able to keep the space going | think of certain people as look back n time who.
were more quier, less aggressive, who 1 believe were not heard. They had something
t0 say but drifted avay. Other folks came in, felt who s in control, and did not
come back. As Anarchists we did not increa

our number and mass participation
nor did we effectively reach out (o the communities that we were a part of and find
common issues. We were not able to effectively transeend the culture that most of us
came from. 1 am a long time Anaschist so my commitment to those much younger
myself, who were Anarchists, was total. At no time was there ageism practiced
sgainst me. But of course there was a difference as | came from an R&B culture,

How can we build a broad based Anarchist movement? One in which true
consensus is practced? That can interact with other communities n an effective way?

In 1998 Daseell, my companion Camille N. and I tried o hold workshops on
building consensus, confliet sesolution, and relationship building, We were not sble
0 effect these processes within the larger A-Zone body

Overthe last year Jim N, Camille N. Daseell G, Zack . Mike D, and I have formed
+ group called Relationship A
in which we scek to build relationships

i o s selv = ].,‘,4 with (,(y.m a2 MUMIA'S
CONTINUVES

hism

resolution is effectively practiced. We have

a web site called The Neasest Shore, and

this summer we will be holding workshops
on building effective relationships within

Another project that 1 am involved
in is United Taxi Drivers Community
Council (UTCC). Lam part of the Stecring
Committee for the group that i organizing
taxidrivers. | have introdiuced the concepts
of Consensus, Affinity Groups, and .
Conflict Resolution ino our processes,

which to me are all Anarchist principles.

Recently one of our members from Kashmir was arrested for giving financial aid
to one of the individuals working for independence; which the powers that be have
deemed a tercorist person. My fellow cab deiver, my friend, willbe defended by the
Defense Committee that will emerge. To me a fundamental principle of Anaschism
is t0 show Solidasity to fellow workers.

The Sandpaper came out from December 1997 to the summer or 2000 1 believe,
Some of the issues you can find online. The articles were diverse and the writing
go0d. Asa collective we worked well together. The project ended when David Myers
who had technologcal skills withdrew and | decided to go back to school. The paper
s distributed all over the ity to all the neighborhoods, and I believe it got around
the world.

w
“Oh! Just Go To The A-Zone!”

by @nthony Rason

T grew up in the sixties and was very active as a high school kid and for a few
years afier that, but | was estranged from activist involvement for quite a while, fom
‘around 1975 unl the 1990' T never gave up my radical belies,sill wrote and lived
a sort of unconscious anarchist ife. Then, my wife, son and | moved to the Peotone
Airport “footprint” unbeknownst 1 us. There, I quickly got involved in 4 group.
called RURAL — Residents United to Retain Agricultural .

T didn't even realize there was an “anarchist” presence, anywhere. | subseribed
to publications like Z Magazine, The Pragressive and some Marsist papers. | had a lot
of books, but 1 had no conneet to the anarchist “movement.” | was never a punk,
although © always loved certain punik bands, particulacly,the Clash. T saw them once,
too, in Chicago.

Th
was then a Harvard professor and an editor of the journal, Rac Traitor. This was a

ound 1995 1 sead an interview with Chicago native Noel lgnaties, who

genuine epiphany for me, as 1 had been wrestling with this disconnet between my
beliefs and my actual actions. Here was a man | could idenify with. He was telling
the truth in a matter-of-fact yet thillingly radical manner. 1 finally saw a person in

America who was for real. | wrote a letter, which was published. A Chicago editor
of Rase Traitor, Kingsley Clarke contacted me, and hooked me up with 1 group of
students at the University of Chicago, who shared these beliefs. Noel came and
spoke with us. Then | satin on a group of writers and artists who were working on
the student paper there.

Tas working on a flurry of esplosive essays to sort of carch up on all the ideas.
that were botted up in my head. 1 got a hold of a copy of The Match and could
immediately idenify with the pure anarchism Fred Woodworth and his collsborators

were dishing; 1 sought any and e
my material to many of them, wrote letters and sent copies of Rar Trair, 100. At

ry “underground” publication I could find. T sent

mecting, where the U of C. writers were brainstorming up the next issue, | told
st and L asked them, “Where should | go to conneet with other

* Almost in unison they said: “The A-Zone.”

S0, 10 the AZone 1 went and found a world of wonder. Magazines, books,
newspapers and ‘zines and lesh and blood anarchiss greeted me. At this time, | had
also contacted the Chicago Surrealist Group, speasheaded by Franklin and Penclope
Rosemont. So, 1 was also captivated by the “marvelous” at this tme.

9
“They must have thought 1 was some sort of ringer because [ was over forty, had
00 tats and yer, T was naive as hell. T thought once [ contacted real anarchists,that we.
would organize ous asses off and blow the lid off of this whole, disgusting society: |
had a sense of urgency that, no doub, was very disturbing o some. | rubbed people
the wrong way: Sometimes, 1 was a realjerk. | wanted some action!

Istarted an ARA chapter in 1998, with the then secretary of the Chicago Greens,
Lionel Trepaier, called the Southside ARA. The Chicago ARA would sort of mentor
. At this time, a Northside ARA lso came into existence. We met at the A-Zone

to gt our feet. Then, we would meet in Blue Island. We put on bencfit shows at a
place called OFF the Alley in Homewood. Wild bands ke Race Traitor and Kung Fu
Rick would ply, and A-Zone folks would come down and spread licerature around.
We did some actions in the suburbs. Then, Chicago ARA organized an action out
i Mount Prospect because a record store up there was selling racist shit. | came up.
there with o bunch of posters and it made the Chicaga papers. Later, we learned
the record store in front of OFF the Aley, the Record Swap, also had this nazi erap.
behind the counter. Our group and other anti-fas in the south suburbs, most notably
the Slaugherhouse crew, gave them hell over it Soon afier, they shuttered their doors.
The owner was also involved in the Mount Prospect thing snd he ws very bitter
towards me, but he deserved it for trying to profit on hate music.

“This eas 2 busy year for me, 1998. 1 also started my ‘sne distro, which was
originally called, South Chicago ARA-ABC Zine Distro. Also,in February, we stated
4 new group to fight the Peotone Airport to supplant RURAL which | named
STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down) The lady spearheading R URALL.
took ona job as adocal reporter, o it was a “conflict of interest.” We wanted to step.
up the level o the fght against this monstrous idea. I ook on the role of “Secretary”
and did a lot of writing and organizing for the group.

Al the while, 1 would periodically check in at the A-Zone, go to meetings,
speaking events and shows Id bring literature from my distro and STAND and bring
home what they bad. 1 soon left ARA and began to focus on the prisons, which |
have continued 10 do to this day. 1 figured the prisons are ground zero in the struggle,
here at home, and that is where [ wanted 10 pour my energies

“There were some memorable experiences at the A-Zone, that had a huge impact
on my thinking One in particular, | remember. Sam Mbah came to speak one nigh.
He was from the Nigerian Awareness League. He co-wrote the groundbreaking
book, African Anarchism, which was available for a while through Sce Sharp Press
In my opinion, he along with Lorenzo Komboa Ervin, are the two most brillant
anarchist thinkers of our day. | was fascinating to here him break down complicated
world dynamics with 2 cleaesighted anaschist analysis, on the spot. 1 thought to
myself: “1 could listen to him answer questions all day?” Afeerwards, | gave him a
phone card. He was so personable and gracious, something to cmulate

w
1 as self-centered, unseasonable, paranoid and hothesded - not too good. But,
my heart was n the ight place and on my own, [ could perform excellent work. Like
1 suid carlier, | was naive and thought “an:
out of hell. T never could adjust 1o the laid back way of doing things.
didaetrust and | really resented what | perceive
folks, ot just

on two hands the times city people have come down to huddle with me. | guess 1
looking for a reliable collaborator, which I finally found a few towns over down he
in the suburbs in 2004, There was one exception to this and that was the South Side
Crew They would come down to Peotone or Pack Forest or downtown o wherever

hists” would and should work like

me people |
heavy city-centric atitude of ity
dozens of times and | can count

warchists. I've been to the city seves

we were staging an action, be it against the war, against racism or against this infernal
airpore. They'd bang their buckets and give our demos some lfe!

Avound 2001 or early 2002, there was a weekend of activiies, organized out of
the A-Zone focusing on women's iberation. 1 did a workshop at the A-Zone about
women prisoners. T wrote a thick “zine specifically for this event, entitled Women
are in Prison. During my remaks, 1 blurted out that is was shameful that the city
of Haymarket did not have an ABC chapter. We then proceeded to start one on
the spot. We took 2 lot of names that night, but only a scant few actually followed
through with it. Jane Doc and 1,

would do mast al of the work. SOUTH CHICAGO
We held weekly meetings, ARA ALERT

sometimes twice monthly Novermber 20, 199 82
FifthoAnte-Racist Action Network Conference.

Columbus s

mectings in the basement of the
A-Zone to work on projects. We
published Chicago ABC Zine
1 & 2. Earler, | had published
the South Chicago ARA Zine
1 & 2 and ARA Primer, along
with countless other ‘zines. We

worked with other groups, such
as the News and Letters Marist

Humanists, even the Maoists,
to hold demos around the city,

such as a Cook County Jail. We
launched support campaign for
prominent, mosly Midwestern
activist pisoness, such as Richard
Flood and Khalfani Malik
K
‘aines abou,

ldun, who we wrote thick

In 2004, i was discovered by

that several act

Sun-Times reporters | belie ses groups, including Chicago ABC,
had been infiltrated. All these groups got together to call out this outrage in front
of Chicago Police Headquarters on Michigan Avenue. A lot of the organizing for

that and many other actions, events and so forth, were organized out of the A-Zone,

In 2002, 1 was invited to participate in launching the ABC Network. We had a
tersific kick-off conference in Austin, Texas to do just that. Sadly, the group dama
near imploded at the launch pad, as volatile pessonalites in Texas did not get along
at all - and these were the main organizers! [Did anyone else immediatel hink of
Brandon Dasby upon reading this? —cditor]

S0, the nexe year, the folks from Break the Chains put on 4 terrific conference
ugene, Oregon, and this helped keep the Network on life support. The nest
year, Lagreed 1o host the yearly conference, but it seemed more important 10 me 0
make it & “Prison Abolition” conference and not just & mere ABC gathering So, we.
invited a ot of high-octane prison people, such as Pam and Ramona Afrca, Lorenzo
Komboa Ervin, Kathy Kelly (fresh out of prison, herself for violating the blood-
sonked grounds of the School of the Assassins, down in Georgia), Robert King and
others. We had & rousing conference that several A-Zone folks help make happen.
“This helped get ABCN on its feet. The next year, Lawrence Kansas ABC hosted the
gathering and things relly solidified from that

Whenever a comeade from out of town would hit the ciy,it was convenient to
meet them at the AZone. Whenever | wanted to show a suburbanite around radical

circles, T would make sure we stopped in at the A-Zone. 1t was ahways a rush 10 pick
up the latest publications from around the country and the coolest ‘vines, which 1
often added to my own distro, I'm sure it was a helluva lot of work to make sure
. police

it stayed open and useful, what with dealing with Nais atacking the spac
hacassment and greedy, nosey landlords.

Umogad 1 vasot MATCHES®MAYHEM Venues

banned from there, as %

I suppose 1 could have
been. Those people at the
U. of C. were sightl The
place for o determined,
bell bound for leather
anarchise back in those

days, was mose assuredly,
the A-Zone!

2
Reflections On The A-Zone

by Rust BellJessic

L met a lot of people involved with the Autonomous Zone not long after I'd
moved to Chicago, in the autuma of 2001. 1 got a message from an emaillise | was
on, saying there was a benefit party for one of the local Food Not Bombs chapters
It was at an apastment within walking di

be a good way to meet peaple. | grabbed a
could sellthem at the pasty and give the proceeds to FNB, and | was off. | won't
o into detail about the pa
but su

ance from mine, and I thought it might

stack of copies of my zines, figuring |

avild

night. Most of the attendees were
anarchises or queers or both, and

snarchises know how to party
(atlease, the “If T can't dance ics
not my revolution” types do),
queer people hella know bow
to party, and queer anarchises
throw just the best partics. But
the most imporant thing that
happencd that night was thar |
joined 2 chapter of Food Not
Bombs, and | found out about
the Autonomous Zone. The
Autonomous Zone, during the
time | spent there, was housed in
a dingy sorefront on Milwaukee
Avenue, wedged berween a hair
on and an empry shop th

once sold storm windows. It wa

home to one of the most vibrant
communities I've ever been pare
of. It was the place we mobilized
before protests, and the place
we met afterward, to figure out
who was in jai, who needed

Halloween Party at The A-Zone, October 2002

bail money, who needed their
medication taken to them. It was

the place where | somerimes went when | had nothing else to do and needed to get
out of my apartment. Id stop by the A-Zone and sce if there was any work
nceded doing There 2

cays was, and I hang out for an hour or ewo. 1d wipe away

some of the decades worth of dust that coated everything and clogeed my sinuses;
or catalog and file radical zines for the library. But most of a pla
to meet people. Yes, | confes - | used it less a8 a place for revolutionary organizing

I, it was a place | went

than 1 did a5 place to partake in underground cultural events, and to meet potential
frends and lovers. It was a good place for thar, because if 1 met someone at an
st some basic belicfs. It was a

Autonomous Zone event, | was sure we shared at

good place for thar, because only anarchists are precty. It was a good place for that,
because there, nobody thought 1 was weird for being 2 polyamorous bisesual punk
rock anarchist. | actended vegan potlicks. Somerimes the food - ike my friend |
so delicious it made me say: “Meat-eaters who say all
donst know what they're talking sbout!” And sometimes

super-spicy guacamole - vas
vegan food is bland or gro
the food was so foul it gave all vegan food a bad name - | remember someonc’s

atrocious atiempt at vegan biscuits and geavy, wherein the biscuits were more like
burnt seveninches, and the gravy was more like watery mustard with mysterious
lobs of flourin . attended book readings and zine readings (at times | pardiipated,
‘and read from my own zine), acoustic shows and film screenings. “My favorite was
Quecrzone - a sub-Collctive that hosted an event ever Wednesday night It was
o the bar foeused /aleohol eentered/yuppie/lame-
s queer scene in Chicago.” Sometimes Queerzone had 2 theme, sometimes there
were speakers or performers. Many times it was just handful of us queer anarchists
drinking coffce and being goofy. Once, there was a drag night. | donned an old suit
of my dad's, put some buttons on t, and added bowler hat and my low-top oxblood
shoes to complete the ensemble. 1 looked I
had time all night - “Have you ever heard of The Specials®” O “Hey, Jess, you
dropped something, You need to pick it up! pick it up!pick it up!” I pretended to be.
mad, but | had a blast

“started to create an alter

a rude boy, and everyone gave me a

1 stopped going to the A-Zone at some point in the summer of 2003, Id had a
flling out with some of the people there 'd been closest to, and | was distancing
myself from the anarchist scene in general. | held onto my core ideals, and [ came.
back to the scene afier a while, but 2003 was the end of my Autonomous Zone days.
Lwill ahvays remember that place, and be thankful for e ime when it was a positive
part of my life.

2
Autonomous Zone Position Statement

Ty the Autonomous Zone

Thi s a prss rebase we starkd at o colltive mecting but ctually firised at my work.
wbile 1 s on he ok for the pess cnfrece e b with Chicago Die Action Network
(DAN)-Labor, e lcal Avarchist Blak Cross (probabiy calied Chicago ABC, it was partof
the ABC Nitwrk. o oppused t the ABC Feraton back in 2004 e this hpened), Not
1s Our Name (NION) the American Frinds Servic Committe (AFSC), presienof s ocal
National Lavyrs Guild (NLG) and Fred Hampton I wbon e foud ut the Chicgo Poli
Dapartment’s R Squad hid b r-ctivted 1o ot the abore e gronps. - Al

CHICAGO — W
organization. We hay
years. Our spaces are used to facilieate politcal-social events in a fight for liberation

the Autonomous Zone Collective, are an anti-authoritarian
been operating infoshops in the Chicagoland asea for ten

from state power.

We provided a space for some of the planning meetings around the time of
the 2002 TABD Conference. Our group was one of the organizations that we
infliated by the Chicago Police Department in 2002 and some of our members

were targeted for harassment and false asrest.
“The Chicago Police Department’s response is just another
state’s historical systematic targeting of activists. Chicagos history is rife with the
of power: from the genocide of the indigenous inbabitants of
can't organize against

ample of the

institutional abu:
the area to the repression we encounter tday when people
miliary occupations abroad without being monitored secredy by the police.

s illogical 10 say we are fighting for freedom abroad when our freedoms are.
¢ay at home. Our government is perpetuating a climate of fear in

being siphonc
order ta ensure compliance from the public. The sccurity apparatus is designed to
protect the privileges of the minority of corporations and their politicians at the cost
of the civilliberties of the majority of the people

Th
imperative to the survival of our freedom that we continue to organize sguinst the

. in defiance of this aumosphere of unvarmnted fear, we

wars abroad and the incursions of ou civil liberties at horne.
Suggested Readings

If you are interested in reading more about the political context in which the
Autonomous Zone operated, the following titles are worth checking out

‘The Political Pre-History of Love & Rage by the Anarchist History Nerd

Brigade

Passionate and Dangerous: Conversations with Midwest Anti-

Authoritarians and Anarchists cdived by Mark Bohnere

A New World in Our Hearts: 8 Years of Writings from the Love and Rage
Revolutionary Anarchist Federation cdited by Roy San Filippo

In this second edition of “The A-Zone and A Decade of Anarcy in Chicage,”
editor Alex Ivasa and other contributors share reflctions on The Autonomons

Zone (or “A-Zaone”), an infoshap that existed in Chicago in the 19905 and early
20005

In many ways, the A-Zone was typical of the experiments in connter-
institutions and infoshaps undertaken by anarchists in the 19905 and as such the
wriings within cover an important aspect of recent anarchist bistory. 1t gives an
interesting snapshot of the infoshops of the 19905 and the related anarchist milen
Beyond the A-Zane, the zine talks about the Love < Rage anarchist federation,
the anarchist networking project (Dis)Connections and the related Network of
Anarchist Collectives, the Chicago-based projects Baklara Collective and Wind
Chill Fuctor. Also covered are Food Not Bombs, Anarchist Black Cross, and
Anti-Racist Action.

ANARCHIST HISTORY NERD BRIGADE
HTTP://ANARCHISTHISTORY NOBLOGS.ORG