Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Here’s the press release. The “Asheville 11” is a reference to the group arrested and charged with vandalizing downtown businesses back on May 1.
From infoshop.org:
Eleven people arrested in Asheville, NC on May 1 still face outrageous felony conspiracy and rioting charges simply for being in a neighborhood in which some windows were broken. Although support for the defendants has been growing steadily, the District Attorney is stubbornly clinging to this opportunity to defame and demonize anarchists. It is increasingly clear that the outcome of the case hinges on the attention and support the 11 receive.
…
December 1 is coming up now, and it’s time once again to show that these 11 hostages of the state have not been forgotten. Defending them is a way to protect everyone who may be targeted for this kind of repression–the more attention they receive, the less emboldened the authorities will be to bring inflated charges against others.
On December 1 in Asheville, a march will take place against the criminalization of youth and the policing of downtown. Meet at the Vance Memorial in Pack Square at 5 pm to march to the jail; a spirited rally will follow. Everyone is welcome to participate!
If you don’t live in Asheville and cannot attend the march, please use this opportunity to put up posters bringing attention to the arrestees’ plight, or to write a letter to the Asheville Citizen-Times demanding that the charges be dropped, or to take other steps to spread awareness of the case and show support for the defendants. Once again, if you learn of a solidarity action worth reporting, please make a statement about it on the internet so others can see how many people care about the outcome of this case.
Anarchy in Asheville is like a food strike at fat camp… utterly useless. These kids hate America so much. So just deport them. A few years in sub-saharan Africa might change their tune to be more productive members of society and actually have a worthwhile cause.
I can't wait to see all 5 jokers who show up to this march get laughed out of town.
@downtown anarchist
The Klan? Really? Since when has the Klan ever had a presence downtown other than a half-hearted rally every couple years or so? And even so, technically (either under your anarchist rules or under the current Constitution) they have just as much of a right to downtown as anyone.
looks like these kooks are back at it again look at this interesting post to that site those kids were linked too
http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/12824#comments
stupid kids…
Downtown wishes he were rich?
The true sentiment of an anarchist!
Woo-hoo! Downtown sounds somewhat jaded. So anarchists have been a part of Asheville since 'the mid 1990s' ? Really? That long? Hell, I have shoes older than that.
Look downtown, exactly what sort of work are you qualified for? I mean, maybe you are fortunate just to have a job. Would you prefer that service jobs were eliminated?
BTW, I wish you were 'rich' too. It would be nice if we all were, but life isn't like that. It isn't fair…, got it? Work hard, make an asset of yourself. That is the way real life is, and it won't make an exception for you no matter how angry you may be about it.
I wish I was rich!
Downtown anarchist is one confused kook.
Ahhhh, downtown anarchist, you make a compelling point for your cause, or lack thereof. Keep up the good work! Oh and, by the way, I hadn't realized that the anarchists were the ones who introduced us to community gardens. Thank you! To whom do I make the check out to help defend these fine, upstanding citizens that are so wrongfully harassed by the man? Go get 'em you crazy anarchy guy!
man yall talk about spoiled kids, but damn wheres this trust fund money? cause my ass has grown up and lived in aville my whole damn life and i literally dont have shit, and that is why i and so many people i grew up with turned to anarchist politics and the "community" around them. we all work 40-60 hours a week gettin nothing back serving your stupid liberal rich asses while you love your stupid green city we huddle in our freezing over crowded houses and survive by stealing what we can from our stupid service jobs. anarchists have been part of asheville since at least the mid 1990s, longer than most of the commenters here have lived in asheville. it was us who organized with local communities that drove the fucking klan out of down town while your stupid asses were either 1) in florida, new york or where ever you pathetic fucks come from, or 2) were holding your stupid hand holding fest across town. it was us who first taught you stupid liberal fucks about community gardens and social centers…fuck your green buildings and your fucking hybrids and your stupid gluten free restaurants and your fucking lap dog yellow shirted pigs that patrol downtown harassing random kids, black people and latinos
also that art near the grove arcade is stupid and tacky, i wish the GA was the good ole cruising spot it once was… cause really who fucking cares about those businesses? who from asheville even goes to that part of town, if you do youre probably some shitty yuppie who hopefully chokes to death on your local fusion food.
I hope they get prosecuted to the fullest extent.
What I find the most interesting about all this is …. if the folks who were arrested and have since proclaimed their innocence aren't affiliated with any group or anarchist organization, then why do/have so many anarchist groups come forward requesting money for their defense, and organized protests for their "freedom" …. why would these groups rush to defend people they claim no affiliation with?
Better headline title for this group 11 Douchebags. Ash, quit bringing attention to these twits.
I would love to participate by putting a boot to your ass. Destroying the property of others is NOT the way to get your point across. I hope they prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.
I'm not sure how you envision your blog, but posting a press release like this without any editorial comments implies an implicit endorsement or approval of the content. In this case, blaming The Man for "the criminalization of youth" is ridiculous; the criminalization of youth happened when those youths began acting as criminals with their random property destruction. If I and my friends were caught doing similar things I rather doubt that there would be an outcry about the "criminalization of geezers".
You guys broke some windows and call yourselfs anarchists. You guys are a bunch of punks (punks in a bad way).
"Eleven people arrested in Asheville, NC on May 1 still face outrageous felony conspiracy and rioting charges simply for being in a neighborhood in which some windows were broken."
This is funny! Those windows ran private tax paying shop owners thousands of hard earned dollars. "Earned Dollars" Which is something none of the 11 will ever know about. Its easy to find time to destroy and defame other peoples hard work and lively hood when you don't have a job, live off other peoples money, and utilize the government in every chance you are given.
Lame, Lame, Lame. Get a life, find a real cause, and grow up.
PAAAAAAALEEEEZE!! These people want support and protection from the very town they trashed? Their little rally against the MAN, really only harmed small independent owned, progressive minded proprietors. What kind of battle cry is that? Their anger is misplaced and the only destruction they caused that made any sense to their philosophy was beating up a ATM. The beauty of Asheville is there is disorder in its order; by the very nature of our towns culture, we have made a giant peaceful paradigm shift in the hierarchy of our establishment. We did not have to smash windows, or destroy property to bring about change. We lead through collective example, I.E the store owners who brought Asheville back from the dead. There are many of us that have a deep sense of pride of the beauty that was created downtown, from boarded up buildings. We have no tolerance for outsiders or misguided wannabe posers with rocks, trust-funds and little imagination.
"Hostages" . . . that is so laughable.
Awww little spoiled kids found out that if you break laws you have to pay a price whether you are a fan of Anarchy or not . . . . .
Whats more awesome than this is a "Group" wants to support a "Group" of Anarchists . . . . . . Now that is great comedy
Look….I'm all about the rights of these kids and am a card carrying ACLU member and blue-stater…..but, if these little fuckers had so much as scratched my car in downtown, I would be the one in jail.
These entitled, spoiled trust-afarians make me sick.
Stop giving Asheville natives and true hippie/liberals a bad name with your "anarchist" rants.
Look, you brats (and I say "you" because you all acted as a collective), did more than just break a few windows. You destroyed a wonderful piece of art in front of the Grove Arcade and you destroyed personal property (car windows). Had you done that to some Madison County redneck in town for a country show at the Civic Center, there would have been a bad incident.
Charging you with inciting a riot is a legally viable deterrent to prevent little know-it-alls like you from doing things like this.
Grow up. Stop making it some "cause" when you're too immature to take responsibility for your own actions (and that includes hanging out with the wrong crowd)…….or did they not teach you that at Stanford?
Puleeez, wanna be anarchists. Let them pay for their evening of fun. The shop keepers in the Grove Arcade sure had to.