Anarchist Neighborhood:Columbus, Ohio
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Columbus is a city contrived for the purposes of running the state government of Ohio. This is a city that values big business, big university and suburban expansion above all else. This is a city that erases its history through a nearly uncontested monoculture at the expense of all other ways of life. This is a city that forces everything else to retreat within it to the shadows of the city or else serve this culture and its mindset. Columbus, the name of this city was chosen generations ago by government bureaucrats bringing all that is dull and gray together in the middle of the state for no other purpose than government. This city acts much like the imperialist stooge it is named after, spreading the disease of its monoculture and putting underfoot that which doesn't submit. And so this is the reason that resistance takes the name of those native peoples who were nearly wiped out by our city's namesake. We are Arawakans and we live in Arawak City.
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[edit] Remembered History
- In the 90's the Ramlow Infoshop, Arawak City Anarchist Collective, Black Heart Anarchist Collective and Columbus Anti-Racist Action were a recognizable presence on the web. Outside of the web, little local history is known about the former three groups while Columbus ARA stretched into the new millienium with some of its later members still active today. Other groups like Writers for Revolution, Fuck Shit Up, and the ill-named Progressive Libertarian Party disappeared with little to no community knowledge of their projects. Columbus Anti-Authoritarian Media (CAAM) joined with Columbus ARA in the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist Network (RAIN), went to a few protests and held a single event together before Columbus Anti-Racist Action and CAAM merged with a newly formed group, Arawak City Brain Trust. The Brain Trust lasted as a propaganda, discussion and event announcement group that explored the possibilities of activity but differences caused the Brain Trust to fall apart. One group known as the RAAN Fraction (part of the Red and Anarchist Action Network) continued to exist after it pulled out of regular meetings and concentrated efforts into propaganda and discussion. Several months later in 2004 all groups had dissolved and several attempts to revive interest failed until Columbus (Arawak City) Indymedia and Anti-War Columbus (AWC) formed and brought interest back into town throughout 2005.
- In August 2006 several Columbus students attended the Students for a Democratic Society's National Convention in Chicago and formed a Columbus Chapter of the SDS. At the end of August 2006 several anarchists attended the Great Lakes Anarchist Conference in Bowling Green Ohio where they helped create a website to help facilitate activities for anarchists, activists and other radicals in the Midwest/Great Lakes region. In October after protesting nazis at City Hall, Arawak City decided to focus on anti-racism and reformed the local Anti-Racist Action briefly. In 2007 individuals involved with Columbus Indymedia began a couple of zines and developed several internet radio programs. In April, Arawak City attended the second Great Lakes Anarchist Gathering. Early in 2008, several projects joined together in the Subvertical Action Netwerk, a collaborative network of RAANistas while the Spore-Print Infoshop opened its doors to the public. Stretched thin, by the end of Spring 2008 the Subvertical Action Netwerk consolidated their projects into Revolt Against Work, Radio Subvertista and Copwatch-Columbus while others were put on the "back burner". Today our projects continue to expand even as people leave and new people come in.
[edit] Calendar
[edit] Organizations, Groups and Projects
- Food not Bombs - Food Sharing
- Free Geek - Computer Recycling Group
- Critical Mass
- Third Hand Bike Coop
- Spore-Print Infoshop
- Copwatch-Columbus - Citizens Keeping an Eye on the Police
- Arawak City Anarchist Black Cross - Prisoner Support - Arawak City P.O. Box 3647 Columbus, Ohio 43210
- Radio Subvertista - Anti-Authoritarian Discussion
- Revolt Against Work - Work Abolition Group
[edit] Alternative Media
- Arawak City Indymedia
- Freepress Internet Radio and Podcasting
- WCRS LP 102.1/98.3 FM Columbus's ONLY Community Radio Station
[edit] Culture
[edit] Local Networking
- Food not Bombs regularly meets at the park for the blind behind the main library downtown. If you would like to meetup, please attend, food is usually served around 3pm on every Sunday.
- Every Sunday, Revolt Against Work drifts around the Columbus Metropolitan Area. Email revoltagainstwork@yahoo.com to participate.
[edit] Regional Networking
[edit] Networking @ Infoshop
[edit] Other Networking Resources
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