196.-coping-with-snitch-culture-historical-examples-current-proposals.pdf
Web PDF • Imposed PDF • Raw TXT (OCR)

COPING WITH SNITCH CULTURE: HISTORICAL EXAMPLES and CURRENT PROPOSALS
Got the Hollow Points for the Snitches ‘Coping with Snitch Culture: Historical Examples and Current Proposals, “Homeboy was talking to the po-po, we had to let everybody ‘hat was ano-no he ought he was on the low low, nd was surprised when hit him withthe fou(t)-fou(4)"-Unele Mur, ‘Bull, Bulle” ‘With the growing wave of repfesion by the sate towards dzec action oriented struggles, radicals have been, DDombarded withthe shameful con- em of etches and informants Ina struggle which sparely of choice and Individual realisation, as opposed toa ‘ich eltral or family heritage, a valor Sedieaton to ones community has ‘boon shamefully negiocted by some. ‘The folowing area provides «brief look inte how radial commenition of the past have approached traitors 0 ‘the commrity, wheat he se tine proposing how more unique stroggies ‘anioarn rom ‘Aa Anarchist, wo fight in the face of, ‘what appears tobe insurmountable ‘ds: our project of beraion in tbo ‘afural enemy of the culture of suthor- ity and capitals: we now live under. Considering tat our revolt against the lnstintons af domination are not iso. lated pockets of esistance, and that wo do not ive separately fom thereat of ‘octets, our communities aw inevitably AMfocted ~and perhaps infected by {he caee we ee aiming to destoy. Salih Culture ie not exclusive to (Commanisos in Resistance, Dut is ona ‘yvad of contol in the larger socal MH fabric of Americ. Thowe in power want ‘people to mutch on each other- expe aly thoee trom communities Cat a targeted in particular by the government and are therefore ‘more valnarabe o Snitch Culture because sntching work {octal uclimate of fear and mistrust that can fragment the populations tht tamaten the sracturs of power For example in tha war agnnat the poor and people of olor ~thove at il te prisons of America the State promotes snitching as « means fo perpetuate crime by creating a'r ‘volving door in which low-level drug doula, addicts, and ‘ther petyotfendars are arested and released with orders to provide more information in orda to erate mor arest 8 ‘der lol more priona. The efits of this cycle of ich land prison are tht enti communities are torn apart, fami ‘broken up, and the United States has the largest prison pops Iaton in he wor 1 Anarchist cles everyone know that Snitch Culture brosk solidarity among actives and paralyze our abil to wage be arrested cory TUR ‘Al groups of teenagers wearing baggy clothing after 10pm will ey fective resistance. Though hares mach complaining and ‘handwringing abou! the divisive roe siches play n out ‘communitien, we have engaged in very lite constructive ac- tion about this serious and peraistnt problem. This zine ian tempt to educate and foster dialogue n our communities in ‘order to develop effective strategies for dealing with aitches {nd fo forge aroistance that can withstand the attacks of 2 power. ‘Tovar, we must realize that Snitch Culture isnot anew pphanomencn or only particular to Anazchst, and that mary Communities of Resistance in orth America and Barope have coma up with a numberof diferent ways some mare ellc- tive tun othere—to deal with Sitch Culture while maintiting {eircom values. ‘Ther are uve component ~perhaps of unequal importance- that sistance groups and others have tadtionaly used © otermine their response to aitchex praciealy, the agree “ity the core values of he (oup, and tactical benetit ‘Tho ultra mltant Red Army Fecson GAP) in Vest Germany tried tose something called "Revolutionary Discipline” to respond toa growing ‘numberof mitches. This diacipine ‘drew houvly on the promise of {rumediate personal eprisala or sulching. tchos bot in jall and ‘out were subject o vicious best {ngs and in one cae, snitch was blinded. This type of sponse mas practical forthe RAF because boy hada suber of supporters bot {naide and outside of ja, Most sitchos oould be eal located sand jumped by supporters or {eteal RAP membvere twas agoo- ‘ble to the RAP becaune i ft wih (ets concepts of both Revolution 227 Discipine and a glorieatin of “Holence. However itd not prove to be a effective tactic for reds Ing the impact of sitches. BY the nd ofthe RAPS existence, snitchos ‘wore an important part of the Sato ‘tors to nt only disrupt, but © ‘sre numerous members of he [RAP- Snclnding its leadership. ‘The tacis they employed aia ot svem to edce Snitch Culture within their own ran OF of ‘ther contemporary milan radical orgaiaations in West Gr ‘many. Tha Weathor Underground (WU) lao had an extrome | Dbuteomewhat diferent strategy when confronting the problem. ‘lamiches. The WU red terror asa way to sop te effect: ‘eas of mulches. They required all members to give tho nares nd addeeses of clove fiends and famly and were explcly ‘warned ~sometimes while on peychedalic drage~ that ey hitched, they and their faraly would be subject o violent reprisals In one rambling message fom the WU ~writen titer an ADM atch took the stand again! former comrade. “published in radial periodicals tthe time and believed ‘hve boen writen by Bernadine Dorn sated that the WU wat ot fri to support the [Chari] Mason approach” when it ‘came 10" hell on Earth for pig-utches." wont ito etal about how violently the WU would deal with ansiches £0) for gang activity Seana
and thei ronda and family. This approach endod up being ‘complotely impractical forthe WU because they had nether the members nor tho eapport te pul off wich grandione plans. 2B the nature of being underground, they were marginalized ft had tle abiy to strike ou at itches in any way. n fact, ‘hore iano evidence that any srtch on the WU was ever even Dothered bythe group. Whether this approach of terror was ‘agreeable tothe core values of he WU ls hard fo ay since the ‘WU position on violence and acceplablevielence seemed to ‘change constantly. It was however, consistent withthe ulta- ‘lent streak inthe core leadership ofthe group. AB tactic Ines counter-productve~ it eaused considerable debate in ‘deal circles and moat oft was negative. The cops aso had. {ite trouble trning folk asvociated withthe WU, and a nz Dar of the most hetorcaly violent members ofthe leadership ther turned themselves io ct dels. ‘No walaance group in recent ime can compare tothe Black ‘Panther Paty (BPP) ~and its actions in terms of being com- ‘letly inflated by oniches as well as lw enforcement [BPR inthe popular mind is asociated with violence and lra- stan. The image ofa tough leather-clad Black Panther cat- ‘ying a tholgun ise ever prosant part of {o iconography ofthe radial of. One ‘would thin that th BPP's approach {ches would be similar fo the RAF and {he WU; nomover they tok a completely ‘Siferent approach and relied on Com ‘munity shame as a mechanism for deal- {ng with sitchen. ‘This was a somewhat practical spproach Docause thoy hada mamber of widely ‘Groalating publications and outlets (0 {etinformation about sntches ot. They ‘Dio wore followed closely by tho radical leffand had access oa staggering mum ‘ber of mediama to roportto the broader ‘cultres of resistance It was cortaily SSgmeabl to the ideals of tho BPP, wich Claimed tobe the voice of specifi com- ‘unites and saw tel a a community. Based organization Tactical, the record speak for isll There were «lage ‘umber of etches, many who were 0 ‘aed unt woll afr the fall ofthe BPR {tnd the government which was par~ ‘elaty bratal and roprsatve in doling ‘with he BPP--nevor had trouble turning mombersafated ‘with the BPP against the organization. In Chicago, for example, (he numberof sitchos was nearly epidemic. ‘While the above examples ar nat particularly positive, they [hatte vom ofthe dficulon we fac in daaing with tmulches today in our wm commanitien and tas the need {or dialogue, However, groupe ke the iri Republican Ary (GRA), to Baaqua Separatist (ETA), and namely the WW French Resist Fights (The Maqui), are positive ex ‘amples of Communities in Resistance that alt saccenfuly ‘wih Snitch Culture. The Magus, according to Gestapo/Vichy {ecotda, show that lous than 8% of al dotainees were "coop- ‘rative", Wiblam Volman, in ha book, Rising Up and Rising ‘own, auys ha the Spanish ~and Preneh~ governments have “never been successful in creating a culture of informants’ ‘The key into learn rom the mstakas of ho pat and forge our ‘own reponse to antches hat is practical, agreeable to our ‘ore values, and tactically beneficial Se as INA : t x $2 STAy IN LUNE ‘eendartnd vy ae gap IRA ETA nd be Magis ym accent we lsat efor en ima pln ageing chs be ween ot ‘nes peo ile eton Eagan cou EA 7am et Poe ea en tan Oy Mae ‘oes nt Ethanon sneer lao ch dite yh veya setae roe ty Sedsontanty bd neniy eee itor evraneciee Si Serato ean eee tecedby ae amps she nas Su ane rb o Sepa ttegw tet wean oct ae eetnlon SCMLsctetcing on agrend conines wen ‘inprecl inian Rann tee x mein anita cei on nnd ets 0 Seems fem ands nye cg sng Seavetcahere se now sol cbt an Tool pu oedema enor pram Ripe Enact ene by Caro Man asa TEES money med he ans pnt ety ‘hile til in jal Ths support ser ‘att ted the benetite of sth fig and the consequences (often ‘olent reprisal) greatly outweighed {he Donefts-The IRA, more tan any ‘other group was successalinredc- {ag the paniive nature ofincarcera- tion. ‘The Maquis used a combination of ‘lolent atacks on sitches aswell as “eftaming” propaganda There is ‘mach written about he beatings and ‘hoolings eatried ost by Mac, but the Matric record aru ows thatthe Magus ability to carry out toch attacks wea extemely ited, ‘They made use of very pablic pri thls in no doubt doe fot menopo- Iy an news by the occupiers, which. ‘turn nereused their effectiveness, However the we of violence can ‘only be seen as a partial explanation forthe succes the ‘Magis in osating Sitch Caltae. The Maris used an tive propaganda tat was based on the idea that they soo ‘would be victorious, which made leas attractive the coopera ton with legitimate authorities that would aon be removed, ‘hate warprising whon one reads ti memoir oftesistance fighters and the historical accounts of everyday French ring ‘ander occupation their firm and uahakeable bei! that they would be Mberaied Infact, mostPrench not ony owed they would be berated, but berated by he combined. FPronch Redintance forces This baief gave legitimacy tothe Magis end made crossing thom a more consequential pros: ‘peck since they Believed they would come to power which in
‘zuaed style of organising ao coraaly benaiial in Sghting Snitch Culture. That suid, te fow upprouches we have ened it dealing czecty with enitches have not been very success. ‘Wo seem to masiy operate ender some loove code somewhat ain othe Discipline” ofthe RAR The ides {hat ‘Bitches get Stiches'ls prevalent and agreeable to our politi, however it s impractical in that we lack the theer ‘umbers ~both inside and ouside of tho Jala to malts & ‘ealty'Sitches get Stiches" functions more like the WU idea ofterror and with the exact same result in proventing Sritch Cita: abacately none. Knowing thus, communities have also ‘ied th BFP model of sharia, bu wit he fecent evidence of ‘government iflration of radical groupe and organizations, former comrades tarning ino colaboraors wit wiretaps, sand fends arrested or ander Grand Jury subpoenas nace {ng names and cooperating with author, there i trnple coridence that histo a inelfotive and nal to stem ihe continuing tide of etches, Nis eary took at all ofthis and grow desparte Snitch Cul- ‘urn in nota problom tat can be easily solved and the very {araes a he core oft an right Ozough th haar of every ‘hing we ae aerapting. And perhaps that athe question and ssawer to this insu: what are we atempting? Why aze some ‘roups ike ETA, the IA, or The Maus able to muconstlly ony atempts by thove in power to tactare and break thelr ‘cultures of resistance? Why do Anarchist, with the gale of <estroying power and creating a now watid af wedom and, ‘mutual aid, fun into‘cooperating witnesses’ and aacriice ‘ot just their own dveums bai thove ofthe communion they Delong i? ‘Tease are the quostions we must atk ourseive if we wan! to Dulld Communtios of Raitance tht will hopaily one day, ‘win. We mast thin of ways o suungthon our communities of ‘stonomousindvidnals and bud a resistance tat elec: tive and sustainable in the long-term, iatendol the erent ‘ephazard and reactive scrambling to each and every blow of government repression. ‘What we can learn from the Communities of Resistance ‘hat were succeanal in defeating Snitch Calter ia that hey believed wholaheurtoly in thet struggle, Those that were sctivoly Sighting, as wll as thove who supported them did not ‘00 any choice bu ouberato themselves from llgitimate ‘thority and therefore saw themaelves individually ax past of something larger Tis ‘ould not be road a ‘all orindividoale Tesacriice them salves onthe ala of {he collective, bat ‘isetrate at people who believe n what ey are ightng for, and identify thom selves personaly with the aucoees or falure ofthat fight, ae leet ‘Bely to botray at struggle because that struggle S them. However it must be sald that iti prob ‘bly easier for people toidentiy intimately ‘wih ational bers tion struggles that have ~in a sense simpler goals, than wih something as complex and far-reaching sx Anarchy. ‘The Magus wanted to overthrow th Nast-colaborator Vichy (government and fo cast he German oocupars rom France, ‘Tho RA wants to Kick the English out of Unter ETA wants autonomy tom Spain and Prance and to preserve the Basque language and culture, These grovpe ae ighting against one ‘particular source of power, whereas Anarchists te stropging te deazoy a power. ‘Considering the fact that Anarchy ie more than jst the bera- tion from one particular legitimate authority and there are s2 ‘many batted as thare are aars nthe sky, can become ‘07 to fel dislusioned or inetloctiv. ARO a, authority and ‘aplalism sl exist and we are drowned inthe Propaganda {hat wo have reached th End of History thatthe Way Things ‘Aza wil contince unabated forever Snitches in Communities offanstance ae often people whose identity with the ata9- (lo for total Lberation has become fractured, or those whit {he face of the reproive power ofthe seo, betzry thir com- ‘munities because they fel there i litle chance those comend- ‘tion can win {wo ae fo defeat Sitch Culture in our Communities of ‘Resistance, we must este the propaganda of those in power. [Mmeans tearing up the history books becsuse te ands ‘ot predetermined by anyone bul us,The waye and means ‘ot bulding arsitance hat can refute ther story and can ‘ergage'n aistainabls and longterm struggle for freedom, ‘re the same ones needed to give Sitch Culture the final low. Clary the solution is tas siriple aa the maggeation “Salches get Stitches; buts complex and takes wa in may rections ‘As detaled eater, ere have been plenty of filed exper ‘ments in dealing with the inoue of eitches and te current epidemic of muitching cannot be topped tough random Deatinge or tzoogh empry treats While violence agua! snitches o collaborators may be necessary (or example, the ‘very public targeting of auiches tind by the Macq coal ‘rove wef) ti often harmful or weloas i ending Snitch ‘Gata. Not onl ean the Sate outmatch un terme o the olence itcan expend rendaring moot a wholesale campaign ‘ol viclent rprisala ~at nthe cago ofthe RAP ital near, ‘counter to our polities of treedom to we the dou of terror ‘coerce people int line and could put off empathetic or iter-
‘ented indidusls mach ke the WU did This should not be ‘ad asa dlamanal of tho tactic of violence in our resitance, Dut ar strong critique of violance as a useful ool in combating Snitch Calta, ‘What has the greatest possibilty of working ~although it is currently not practiced io the extent that it needs to bes ‘community shame coupled with prisoner support. Community shame has he benefit of not being irrevocable ~how ean you ‘make amends [or shooting of boating someone terribly iit ‘rns out hey were wrongly ascused?— a well ax providing a Jaboratos back in, along witha prisoner por in which the ‘benefits tno niching far outweigh any mesure put forte ‘by the Sale, soem to be the beat course of action Present, ‘Romer, these tactics have proved inetfectve inthe preven tion of iltch Culture, Stein know that hoy wil be rove Dy some, bat they ean remain in our communities by moving to where they ray be anonymous or because there are people ‘who wil nt oataciae them and allow ther to sotur. And even ‘hough ou prisoner support is one of our stongeaatibute, [ttn tobe the linchpin that provesta Snitch Caltare, mainiy ‘Becasseitialimited in ope, ‘What his boads ua backeio i he ides of building stronger communities cepable of long-term resistance fo the powers ‘fhe State. Community shame and prisoner support lack ‘hes necessary bite precnely becasse our Commanitis of ‘Resistance are fractured, with no eal communication or trast ‘amonget groupe. In ight dit socitie ie the Baaquo, fnutches have nowhere to go because word wil travel and they ‘wosld face socal isolaon wherever they ®- ‘Skame only works when communes can communicata ina ‘way that is normatie and trustworthy Without iermaion ‘out mulches, communities cannot take step to lsolate or ‘Shame that poroon: and with ‘ut rut, communities hve ‘no ides ithe information ‘ellalo ofthat others wil also {aka steps to ostracan a teh Interma of prisoner eepport ‘er curren! Communion of Resintance olor aboartelt ‘support however, due 6 out Tk of nratructare and ‘support outside of adiional ‘Anarchist circle, we cannot ‘provide te all encompasng ‘Brisoner suppor ofthe IRA. Forinstanen, inmost cases, we cannot ifr jobs, money {oars or pay for loge ‘eprmsentation Most prison fom are shuniod from public ‘iow and ony a fw ae known ‘ona natonal or international ‘ass. the contrary, RA ‘risoners were glorified and the height of he Troubles, the majority of the murals in IRA neighborhoods were dedicated to celebrating prisoners fad ther deeds, The culture of prisoner support in the IRA {eatered an envizonment that made it dasizable to not etch, ‘desire Desod ona fotal community suppor forthe prisoner {and family, With some exceptions isis something that wo ‘cannot curren provide, Where tis eaves ws ison the Brink ‘ota solution, Wile we do soem to utilize the effective tactics in ‘combating Snitch Cultare prisoner support and community shame they are not actualy effective in sopping it Sitch ‘Cultus i not am wolated problem, as mentioned earles but ‘mn inerrlatedisue with otber problems facing our Com- ‘tes of Resiatancs.Itcomea aa no shock to bear that our com ‘unites are fagmonted and that hare tle commarication ‘or mutual ad betwoen them. Tho same also goes fr tho lack ‘tinrastructure or support of people not aditonaly identi- fed with Anarchist or other radical groups We must sorously and crtally examine our communiies and search for ways {at we can do things bette, not justo defeat Snitch Cultre, Dat to wind ‘The way Io strengthen our communities and increase our rsis- tance to Saute Culture would bogia by practicing eal metal, 1 Vary few groupe actualy work fogether ina way hat {nterrelated end tat would actolly help bulld our Counter {ntrastrctue. Pr instance, people in cities who want to grow {heir own food and those who already lve on farm could pertcipete in projects lk the Victory Gardens in Athens, Maino, which helps dlsonranchised people in both urban and rural communities develop thelr own sources of erganic ood ‘goops in diffrent cies could pool money and have benefits {o pay for the logal costs of prisoners i other places; and {hove choceing not o work could halp provide daycare for
people in prison that would actualy function ana deterrent to Enitehing For instance, we cannot always give people joba~if ‘hey want ther when they aze ou, of provide for people's fase i they aro put eway. The counterdrastructure we do have ia largely bused on entertainment, and while this sa pos- ‘hive thing nour communities, we mast move beyond this nto ‘ber terry For many obvious reasons, creating an nay ‘Srcture that does not ely on capitalism, but is Ou very own, WiaSiinely ciate our abultyto wage effective resistance. "os who aro Debind bars, We peed lo make dood onthe as Saar nthe lack of support for ou resitance ining: thay ar in there for 33,50 95 ae oat here for thal wrest ouaide of Anarchist cities, One way other Com- “It shouldbe clear thal thers ino simple soition oth Shuntion ofResiance have been effective shat hey had» tenes in our Comimantos of 3 Inge network of ipport Tine st oul bogin = dialog on hom, tnlargorvoclety Besides ‘un dony neh Cle ence ali the obrious this larger ma Rave SooR, suppor functioned as 73} Fis ouF swayto propel oistance 7 Enderestoda climate community support =o fothope climate that Snitch Culare does not function very wll in This lack of support may be ‘duet the fact that our should ever, ever condone sritching. Snitching representa the mont wee tropa of ene self and one’ comment [and altugh we may not be able to Draven rich Culture now, this doesnot roan that we should nt confines ine ctv removal of itches fom ou 6m ‘nies at present and withdraw mp ‘xmediaty. {he attach of power, nd that wil a proclara tie and alot of hard wode We mast, ‘hold seo move beyond _rmatesuategia that ook beyond today ‘esrscnpe and show our many faces: young and eld, queer and willow sto proactively deal with Sate represion not fan etraight,crasty and freshly-showered. ny to dfeat Sitch Culture, bat to create a world made of our ‘And obviow’y. ou surest prisoner support must continse deans id increase while working on the long-term project Dullding inresireetare and widening our cizcles of eppert. Excerpted from: Fir tothe Prisons #4 _—Prisonet rspport needa to Become something hat everyone, A taste of my rage age BOT lsogical loge. You dispute people's stories of hate, prejudice dont live it foe tj ave i, or experience i. Of course I'm mad, because {am fucking ‘tad. | em ieational to you because your rationale is set to leave your passion out. sin going to sell out, sy bias makes me me and iow you can't see, Bocause what you see iawhat they wanted you to 00,90 you wouldn't be tree. So don’t fuck with me "End say 'm stock on race, bat that shits always in my face. get angry when you try lo erase, with that emear look on Your face, the pain hat runs through my veins want "o get out ofthese fucking chaina,[ourve ao lean deal wih the cuse of seeing my ‘people ery and suffer, What do you know about pain when your part ofthe dominant ee, you woulda’ know the difference between ghettos, evervations, barrios, and, | projects. So here e my racial project, my shor siory, not meant forthe overprivileged| majority and {ain't goin’ to ragat coe! eit so You can understand what comes out of my lips, there's a reason why you dont understand, and I don't give a fuck ifyou dont stand me I'm not hare to caer for you he.

The Panther in his desperate boldness Wears no dicquise Motivated by the truest OF the oldest, Lies. ~ from Black Panther Langston Hughes


COPING WITH
SNITCH CULTURE:
HISTORICAL
EXAMPLES
and
CURRENT

PROPOSALS
Got the Hollow Points for
the Snitches

‘Coping with Snitch Culture: Historical Examples and
Current Proposals,

“Homeboy was talking to the po-po, we had to let everybody
‘hat was ano-no he ought he was on the low low, nd was
surprised when hit him withthe fou(t)-fou(4)"-Unele Mur,
‘Bull, Bulle”

‘With the growing wave of repfesion by the sate
towards dzec action oriented struggles, radicals have been,
DDombarded withthe shameful con-

em of etches and informants Ina
struggle which sparely of choice and
Individual realisation, as opposed toa
‘ich eltral or family heritage, a valor
Sedieaton to ones community has
‘boon shamefully negiocted by some.
‘The folowing area provides «brief
look inte how radial commenition of
the past have approached traitors 0
‘the commrity, wheat he se tine
proposing how more unique stroggies
‘anioarn rom

‘Aa Anarchist, wo fight in the face of,
‘what appears tobe insurmountable
‘ds: our project of beraion in tbo
‘afural enemy of the culture of suthor-
ity and capitals: we now live under.
Considering tat our revolt against the
lnstintons af domination are not iso.
lated pockets of esistance, and that wo
do not ive separately fom thereat of
‘octets, our communities aw inevitably
AMfocted ~and perhaps infected by
{he caee we ee aiming to destoy.
Salih Culture ie not exclusive to
(Commanisos in Resistance, Dut is ona
‘yvad of contol in the larger socal MH
fabric of Americ. Thowe in power want

‘people to mutch on each other- expe
aly thoee trom communities Cat a
targeted in particular by the government and are therefore
‘more valnarabe o Snitch Culture because sntching work
{octal uclimate of fear and mistrust that can fragment the
populations tht tamaten the sracturs of power

For example in tha war agnnat the poor and people of olor
~thove at il te prisons of America the State promotes
snitching as « means fo perpetuate crime by creating a'r
‘volving door in which low-level drug doula, addicts, and
‘ther petyotfendars are arested and released with orders
to provide more information in orda to erate mor arest 8
‘der lol more priona. The efits of this cycle of ich
land prison are tht enti communities are torn apart, fami
‘broken up, and the United States has the largest prison pops
Iaton in he wor

1 Anarchist cles everyone know that Snitch Culture brosk
solidarity among actives and paralyze our abil to wage

be arrested

cory

TUR

‘Al groups of teenagers wearing
baggy clothing after 10pm will

ey



fective resistance. Though hares mach complaining and
‘handwringing abou! the divisive roe siches play n out
‘communitien, we have engaged in very lite constructive ac-
tion about this serious and peraistnt problem. This zine ian
tempt to educate and foster dialogue n our communities in
‘order to develop effective strategies for dealing with aitches
{nd fo forge aroistance that can withstand the attacks of
2

power.
‘Tovar, we must realize that Snitch Culture isnot anew
pphanomencn or only particular to Anazchst, and that mary
Communities of Resistance in orth America and Barope have
coma up with a numberof diferent ways some mare ellc-
tive tun othere—to deal with Sitch Culture while maintiting
{eircom values.
‘Ther are uve component ~perhaps of unequal importance-
that sistance groups and others have tadtionaly used ©
otermine their response to aitchex praciealy, the agree
“ity the core values of he
(oup, and tactical benetit
‘Tho ultra mltant Red Army Fecson
GAP) in Vest Germany tried tose
something called "Revolutionary
Discipline” to respond toa growing
‘numberof mitches. This diacipine
‘drew houvly on the promise of
{rumediate personal eprisala or
sulching. tchos bot in jall and
‘out were subject o vicious best
{ngs and in one cae, snitch was
blinded. This type of sponse mas
practical forthe RAF because boy
hada suber of supporters bot
{naide and outside of ja, Most
sitchos oould be eal located
sand jumped by supporters or
{eteal RAP membvere twas agoo-
‘ble to the RAP becaune i ft wih
(ets concepts of both Revolution
227 Discipine and a glorieatin of
“Holence. However itd not prove
to be a effective tactic for reds
Ing the impact of sitches. BY the
nd ofthe RAPS existence, snitchos
‘wore an important part of the Sato
‘tors to nt only disrupt, but ©
‘sre numerous members of he
[RAP- Snclnding its leadership.
‘The tacis they employed aia ot
svem to edce Snitch Culture within their own ran OF of
‘ther contemporary milan radical orgaiaations in West Gr
‘many. Tha Weathor Underground (WU) lao had an extrome |
Dbuteomewhat diferent strategy when confronting the problem.
‘lamiches. The WU red terror asa way to sop te effect:
‘eas of mulches. They required all members to give tho nares
nd addeeses of clove fiends and famly and were explcly
‘warned ~sometimes while on peychedalic drage~ that ey
hitched, they and their faraly would be subject o violent
reprisals In one rambling message fom the WU ~writen
titer an ADM atch took the stand again! former comrade.
“published in radial periodicals tthe time and believed
‘hve boen writen by Bernadine Dorn sated that the WU wat
ot fri to support the [Chari] Mason approach” when it
‘came 10" hell on Earth for pig-utches." wont ito
etal about how violently the WU would deal with ansiches

£0)

for gang activity

Seana


and thei ronda and family. This approach endod up being
‘complotely impractical forthe WU because they had nether
the members nor tho eapport te pul off wich grandione plans.
2B the nature of being underground, they were marginalized
ft had tle abiy to strike ou at itches in any way. n fact,
‘hore iano evidence that any srtch on the WU was ever even
Dothered bythe group. Whether this approach of terror was
‘agreeable tothe core values of he WU ls hard fo ay since the
‘WU position on violence and acceplablevielence seemed to
‘change constantly. It was however, consistent withthe ulta-
‘lent streak inthe core leadership ofthe group. AB tactic
Ines counter-productve~ it eaused considerable debate in
‘deal circles and moat oft was negative. The cops aso had.
{ite trouble trning folk asvociated withthe WU, and a nz
Dar of the most hetorcaly violent members ofthe leadership
ther turned themselves io ct dels.

‘No walaance group in recent ime can compare tothe Black
‘Panther Paty (BPP) ~and its actions in terms of being com-
‘letly inflated by oniches as well as lw enforcement
[BPR inthe popular mind is asociated with violence and lra-
stan. The image ofa tough leather-clad Black Panther cat-
‘ying a tholgun ise ever prosant part of

{o iconography ofthe radial of. One
‘would thin that th BPP's approach
{ches would be similar fo the RAF and
{he WU; nomover they tok a completely
‘Siferent approach and relied on Com
‘munity shame as a mechanism for deal-
{ng with sitchen.

‘This was a somewhat practical spproach
Docause thoy hada mamber of widely
‘Groalating publications and outlets (0
{etinformation about sntches ot. They
‘Dio wore followed closely by tho radical
leffand had access oa staggering mum
‘ber of mediama to roportto the broader
‘cultres of resistance It was cortaily
SSgmeabl to the ideals of tho BPP, wich
Claimed tobe the voice of specifi com-
‘unites and saw tel a a community.
Based organization Tactical, the record
speak for isll There were «lage
‘umber of etches, many who were 0
‘aed unt woll afr the fall ofthe BPR
{tnd the government which was par~
‘elaty bratal and roprsatve in doling
‘with he BPP--nevor had trouble turning mombersafated
‘with the BPP against the organization. In Chicago, for example,
(he numberof sitchos was nearly epidemic.

‘While the above examples ar nat particularly positive, they
[hatte vom ofthe dficulon we fac in daaing with
tmulches today in our wm commanitien and tas the need
{or dialogue, However, groupe ke the iri Republican Ary
(GRA), to Baaqua Separatist (ETA), and namely the WW
French Resist Fights (The Maqui), are positive ex
‘amples of Communities in Resistance that alt saccenfuly
‘wih Snitch Culture. The Magus, according to Gestapo/Vichy
{ecotda, show that lous than 8% of al dotainees were "coop-
‘rative", Wiblam Volman, in ha book, Rising Up and Rising
‘own, auys ha the Spanish ~and Preneh~ governments have
“never been successful in creating a culture of informants’
‘The key into learn rom the mstakas of ho pat and forge our
‘own reponse to antches hat is practical, agreeable to our
‘ore values, and tactically beneficial



Se as
INA :

t x
$2

STAy IN LUNE

‘eendartnd vy ae gap IRA ETA nd be Magis
ym accent we lsat efor en
ima pln ageing chs be ween ot
‘nes peo ile eton Eagan cou EA
7am et Poe ea en tan Oy Mae
‘oes nt Ethanon sneer lao ch
dite yh veya setae roe ty
Sedsontanty bd neniy eee itor evraneciee
Si Serato ean eee tecedby ae
amps she nas Su ane rb o
Sepa ttegw tet wean oct ae eetnlon
SCMLsctetcing on agrend conines wen
‘inprecl inian Rann tee x mein
anita cei on nnd ets 0
Seems fem ands nye cg sng
Seavetcahere se now sol cbt an
Tool pu oedema enor pram
Ripe Enact ene by Caro Man asa
TEES money med he ans pnt ety





‘hile til in jal Ths support ser
‘att ted the benetite of sth
fig and the consequences (often
‘olent reprisal) greatly outweighed
{he Donefts-The IRA, more tan any
‘other group was successalinredc-
{ag the paniive nature ofincarcera-
tion.

‘The Maquis used a combination of
‘lolent atacks on sitches aswell as
“eftaming” propaganda There is
‘mach written about he beatings and
‘hoolings eatried ost by Mac, but
the Matric record aru ows
thatthe Magus ability to carry out
toch attacks wea extemely ited,
‘They made use of very pablic pri
thls in no doubt doe fot menopo-
Iy an news by the occupiers, which.
‘turn nereused their effectiveness,
However the we of violence can
‘only be seen as a partial explanation forthe succes the
‘Magis in osating Sitch Caltae. The Maris used an

tive propaganda tat was based on the idea that they soo
‘would be victorious, which made leas attractive the coopera
ton with legitimate authorities that would aon be removed,
‘hate warprising whon one reads ti memoir oftesistance
fighters and the historical accounts of everyday French ring
‘ander occupation their firm and uahakeable bei! that
they would be Mberaied Infact, mostPrench not ony

owed they would be berated, but berated by he combined.
FPronch Redintance forces This baief gave legitimacy tothe
Magis end made crossing thom a more consequential pros:
‘peck since they Believed they would come to power which in












‘zuaed style of organising ao coraaly benaiial in Sghting
Snitch Culture. That suid, te fow upprouches we have ened it
dealing czecty with enitches have not been very success.
‘Wo seem to masiy operate ender some loove code somewhat

ain othe Discipline” ofthe RAR The ides
{hat ‘Bitches get Stiches'ls prevalent and agreeable to our
politi, however it s impractical in that we lack the theer
‘umbers ~both inside and ouside of tho Jala to malts &
‘ealty'Sitches get Stiches" functions more like the WU idea
ofterror and with the exact same result in proventing Sritch
Cita: abacately none. Knowing thus, communities have also
‘ied th BFP model of sharia, bu wit he fecent evidence of
‘government iflration of radical groupe and organizations,
former comrades tarning ino colaboraors wit wiretaps,
sand fends arrested or ander Grand Jury subpoenas nace
{ng names and cooperating with author, there i trnple
coridence that histo a inelfotive and nal to stem ihe
continuing tide of etches,

Nis eary took at all ofthis and grow desparte Snitch Cul-
‘urn in nota problom tat can be easily solved and the very
{araes a he core oft an right Ozough th haar of every
‘hing we ae aerapting. And perhaps that athe question and
ssawer to this insu: what are we atempting? Why aze some
‘roups ike ETA, the IA, or The Maus able to muconstlly
ony atempts by thove in power to tactare and break thelr
‘cultures of resistance? Why do Anarchist, with the gale of
<estroying power and creating a now watid af wedom and,
‘mutual aid, fun into‘cooperating witnesses’ and aacriice
‘ot just their own dveums bai thove ofthe communion they
Delong i?

‘Tease are the quostions we must atk ourseive if we wan! to
Dulld Communtios of Raitance tht will hopaily one day,
‘win. We mast thin of ways o suungthon our communities of
‘stonomousindvidnals and bud a resistance tat elec:
tive and sustainable in the long-term, iatendol the erent
‘ephazard and reactive scrambling to each and every blow of
government repression.

‘What we can learn from the Communities of Resistance
‘hat were succeanal in defeating Snitch Calter ia that hey
believed wholaheurtoly in thet struggle, Those that were
sctivoly Sighting, as wll as thove who supported them did not
‘00 any choice bu ouberato themselves from llgitimate
‘thority and therefore saw themaelves individually ax past of

something larger Tis
‘ould not be road a
‘all orindividoale
Tesacriice them
salves onthe ala of
{he collective, bat
‘isetrate at people
who believe n what
ey are ightng for,
and identify thom
selves personaly with
the aucoees or falure
ofthat fight, ae leet
‘Bely to botray at
struggle because that
struggle S them.
However it must be
sald that iti prob
‘bly easier for people
toidentiy intimately
‘wih ational bers
tion struggles that have ~in a sense simpler goals, than
wih something as complex and far-reaching sx Anarchy.
‘The Magus wanted to overthrow th Nast-colaborator Vichy
(government and fo cast he German oocupars rom France,
‘Tho RA wants to Kick the English out of Unter ETA wants
autonomy tom Spain and Prance and to preserve the Basque
language and culture, These grovpe ae ighting against one
‘particular source of power, whereas Anarchists te stropging
te deazoy a power.

‘Considering the fact that Anarchy ie more than jst the bera-
tion from one particular legitimate authority and there are s2
‘many batted as thare are aars nthe sky, can become
‘07 to fel dislusioned or inetloctiv. ARO a, authority and
‘aplalism sl exist and we are drowned inthe Propaganda
{hat wo have reached th End of History thatthe Way Things
‘Aza wil contince unabated forever Snitches in Communities
offanstance ae often people whose identity with the ata9-
(lo for total Lberation has become fractured, or those whit
{he face of the reproive power ofthe seo, betzry thir com-
‘munities because they fel there i litle chance those comend-
‘tion can win

{wo ae fo defeat Sitch Culture in our Communities of
‘Resistance, we must este the propaganda of those in power.
[Mmeans tearing up the history books becsuse te ands
‘ot predetermined by anyone bul us,The waye and means
‘ot bulding arsitance hat can refute ther story and can
‘ergage'n aistainabls and longterm struggle for freedom,
‘re the same ones needed to give Sitch Culture the final
low. Clary the solution is tas siriple aa the maggeation
“Salches get Stitches; buts complex and takes wa in may
rections

‘As detaled eater, ere have been plenty of filed exper
‘ments in dealing with the inoue of eitches and te current
epidemic of muitching cannot be topped tough random
Deatinge or tzoogh empry treats While violence agua!
snitches o collaborators may be necessary (or example, the
‘very public targeting of auiches tind by the Macq coal
‘rove wef) ti often harmful or weloas i ending Snitch
‘Gata. Not onl ean the Sate outmatch un terme o the
olence itcan expend rendaring moot a wholesale campaign
‘ol viclent rprisala ~at nthe cago ofthe RAP ital near,
‘counter to our polities of treedom to we the dou of terror
‘coerce people int line and could put off empathetic or iter-
‘ented indidusls mach ke the WU did This should not be
‘ad asa dlamanal of tho tactic of violence in our resitance,
Dut ar strong critique of violance as a useful ool in combating
Snitch Calta,

‘What has the greatest possibilty of working ~although it is
currently not practiced io the extent that it needs to bes
‘community shame coupled with prisoner support. Community
shame has he benefit of not being irrevocable ~how ean you
‘make amends [or shooting of boating someone terribly iit
‘rns out hey were wrongly ascused?— a well ax providing a

Jaboratos back in, along witha prisoner por in which the
‘benefits tno niching far outweigh any mesure put forte
‘by the Sale, soem to be the beat course of action Present,
‘Romer, these tactics have proved inetfectve inthe preven
tion of iltch Culture, Stein know that hoy wil be rove
Dy some, bat they ean remain in our communities by moving
to where they ray be anonymous or because there are people
‘who wil nt oataciae them and allow ther to sotur. And even
‘hough ou prisoner support is one of our stongeaatibute,
[ttn tobe the linchpin that provesta Snitch Caltare, mainiy
‘Becasseitialimited in ope,

‘What his boads ua backeio i he ides of building stronger
communities cepable of long-term resistance fo the powers
‘fhe State. Community shame and prisoner support lack
‘hes necessary bite precnely becasse our Commanitis of
‘Resistance are fractured, with no eal communication or trast
‘amonget groupe. In ight dit socitie ie the Baaquo,
fnutches have nowhere to go because word wil travel and they
‘wosld face socal isolaon wherever they ®-

‘Skame only works when communes can communicata ina
‘way that is normatie and trustworthy Without iermaion
‘out mulches, communities cannot take step to lsolate or
‘Shame that poroon: and with

‘ut rut, communities hve
‘no ides ithe information
‘ellalo ofthat others wil also
{aka steps to ostracan a teh
Interma of prisoner eepport
‘er curren! Communion of
Resintance olor aboartelt
‘support however, due 6 out
Tk of nratructare and
‘support outside of adiional
‘Anarchist circle, we cannot
‘provide te all encompasng
‘Brisoner suppor ofthe IRA.
Forinstanen, inmost cases,
we cannot ifr jobs, money
{oars or pay for loge
‘eprmsentation Most prison
fom are shuniod from public
‘iow and ony a fw ae known
‘ona natonal or international
‘ass. the contrary, RA
‘risoners were glorified and
the height of he Troubles,
the majority of the murals in

IRA neighborhoods were dedicated to celebrating prisoners
fad ther deeds, The culture of prisoner support in the IRA
{eatered an envizonment that made it dasizable to not etch,
‘desire Desod ona fotal community suppor forthe prisoner
{and family, With some exceptions isis something that wo
‘cannot curren provide, Where tis eaves ws ison the Brink
‘ota solution, Wile we do soem to utilize the effective tactics in
‘combating Snitch Cultare prisoner support and community
shame they are not actualy effective in sopping it Sitch
‘Cultus i not am wolated problem, as mentioned earles but
‘mn inerrlatedisue with otber problems facing our Com-
‘tes of Resiatancs.Itcomea aa no shock to bear that our com
‘unites are fagmonted and that hare tle commarication
‘or mutual ad betwoen them. Tho same also goes fr tho lack
‘tinrastructure or support of people not aditonaly identi-
fed with Anarchist or other radical groups We must sorously
and crtally examine our communiies and search for ways
{at we can do things bette, not justo defeat Snitch Cultre,
Dat to wind

‘The way Io strengthen our communities and increase our rsis-
tance to Saute Culture would bogia by practicing eal metal,
1 Vary few groupe actualy work fogether ina way hat
{nterrelated end tat would actolly help bulld our Counter
{ntrastrctue. Pr instance, people in cities who want to grow
{heir own food and those who already lve on farm could
pertcipete in projects lk the Victory Gardens in Athens,
Maino, which helps dlsonranchised people in both urban and
rural communities develop thelr own sources of erganic ood
‘goops in diffrent cies could pool money and have benefits
{o pay for the logal costs of prisoners i other places; and
{hove choceing not o work could halp provide daycare for




people in prison that would actualy function ana deterrent to
Enitehing For instance, we cannot always give people joba~if
‘hey want ther when they aze ou, of provide for people's
fase i they aro put eway. The counterdrastructure we do
have ia largely bused on entertainment, and while this sa pos-
‘hive thing nour communities, we mast move beyond this nto
‘ber terry For many obvious reasons, creating an nay
‘Srcture that does not ely on capitalism, but is Ou very own,
WiaSiinely ciate our abultyto wage effective resistance. "os who aro Debind bars, We peed lo make dood onthe as
Saar nthe lack of support for ou resitance ining: thay ar in there for 33,50 95 ae oat here for thal





wrest ouaide of Anarchist cities, One way other Com- “It shouldbe clear thal thers ino simple soition oth
Shuntion ofResiance have been effective shat hey had» tenes in our Comimantos of 3
Inge network of ipport Tine st oul bogin = dialog on hom,
tnlargorvoclety Besides ‘un dony neh Cle ence ali
the obrious this larger ma Rave SooR,

suppor functioned as 73} Fis ouF
swayto propel oistance 7

Enderestoda climate community support =o

fothope climate that
Snitch Culare does not
function very wll in This
lack of support may be
‘duet the fact that our

should ever, ever condone sritching.
Snitching representa the mont wee
tropa of ene self and one’ comment
[and altugh we may not be able to
Draven rich Culture now, this doesnot
roan that we should nt confines ine
ctv removal of itches fom ou 6m
‘nies at present and withdraw mp
‘xmediaty.



{he attach of power, nd that wil a>
proclara tie and alot of hard wode We mast,

‘hold seo move beyond _rmatesuategia that ook beyond today
‘esrscnpe and show our many faces: young and eld, queer and willow sto proactively deal with Sate represion not
fan etraight,crasty and freshly-showered. ny to dfeat Sitch Culture, bat to create a world made of our

‘And obviow’y. ou surest prisoner support must continse deans
id increase while working on the long-term project
Dullding inresireetare and widening our cizcles of eppert. Excerpted from: Fir tothe Prisons #4
_—Prisonet rspport needa to Become something hat everyone,

A taste of my rage



age BOT
lsogical loge. You dispute people's stories of hate, prejudice
dont live it foe tj ave i, or experience i. Of course I'm mad, because {am fucking
‘tad. | em ieational to you because your rationale is set to leave your passion out.
sin going to sell out, sy bias makes me me and iow you can't see, Bocause what
you see iawhat they wanted you to 00,90 you wouldn't be tree. So don’t fuck with me
"End say 'm stock on race, bat that shits always in my face. get angry when you try
lo erase, with that emear look on Your face, the pain hat runs through my veins want
"o get out ofthese fucking chaina,[ourve ao lean deal wih the cuse of seeing my
‘people ery and suffer, What do you know about pain when your part ofthe dominant
ee, you woulda’ know the difference between ghettos, evervations, barrios, and,
| projects. So here e my racial project, my shor siory, not meant forthe overprivileged|
majority and {ain't goin’ to ragat coe! eit so You can understand what comes out of
my lips, there's a reason why you dont understand, and I don't give a fuck ifyou dont
stand me I'm not hare to caer for you he.











The Panther in his desperate boldness
Wears no dicquise

Motivated by the truest

OF the oldest,

Lies.

~ from Black Panther
Langston Hughes