Kristian Williams

Cities across the country are burning, after police in Minneapolis killed an African-American man who was already in restraints.  Of course those in the streets have a very clear idea of why this is happening, but for the puzzled observer, Roar has published an excerpt from my book Our Enemies in Blue, discussing the function of riots as a response to police brutality.

And for those curious about the historical roots of policing and the structural role of police brutality, AK Press is offering Enemies at a deep discount for the next couple days.

I’ve written an essay for the current online issue of Perspectives on Anarchist Theory considering what Joseph Heller’s novel Catch-22 can tell us about large institutions and they various ways they have failed us during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rebecca Solnit’s A Paradise Built in Hell is an inspiring and optimistic study of the way communities respond when things go catastrophically awry.  I wrote a review of the book for Socialism and Democracy, a decade ago, soon after it came out.  The review has now been re-run at Three Way Fight, with a short comment from Matthew Lyons, concerning our current, global disaster.

I gave an interview on KBOO radio, discussing the anarchist roots of the concept of mutual aid, why it is important in the midst of the pandemic, and how today’s mutual aid network can be tomorrow’s revolutionary militia.

The program also includes an interview with Popmob‘s Effie Baum, discussing current mutual aid efforts in Portland.  Popmob, along with Rosehip medics and others, are producing hand sanitizer and giving it away, especially to under-served and vulnerable populations.  They need donations.

The broadcast ends with a long discussion of the CIA-funded animated film made from George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm.