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CIMA on Community Defense Against ICE + Kristian Williams on the Comics of Alan Moore

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This week on the show, we’re sharing two interviews.

First up, Dulce, a member of Companeros Inmigrantes en las Montanas en Accion, or CIMA, a local organizing and advocacy group by and for immigrants in western NC about her experience working for dignity and solidarity in light of the current and past administrations. More on CIMA can be found at CIMAWNC.Org

Then, Ian speaks with Kristian Williams, author of Gang Politics, Resist Everything Except Temptation, and Our Enemies in Blue, among others, about his recent book, The Illuminist: Philosophical Explanations in the work of Alan Moore. The chat touches upon Moore’s work and its anarchist underpinnings, his legacy in and out of comics, the necessity of imagination, and the possibilities that arise from death and disaster. The book is available from emergencyhearts.com, emergencyhearts.bandcamp.com, and kristianwilliams.com. You can find past interviews we’ve done with Kristian here.

To hear the full podcast version, including Sean Swain’s segment, check out our website.


More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio

“From Hash Rebels to Urban Guerrillas” with Gabriel Kuhn

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Today we’re sharing an interview recorded this week with Gabriel Kuhn speaking about the West German urban guerrilla group the 2nd of June Movement, the book he co-edited on this subject entitled From Hash Rebels to Urban Guerrillas: A Documentary History of the 2nd of June Movement (from PM Press and Kersplebedb), the milieu from which it arose, how it compared to other groups at the time like the Red Army Faction, and some of the legacy of their critiques and interventions on radical politics in the autonomen movement and beyond.

For the hour we speak about the context from which the 2nd of June Movement grew (alongside the Red Army Faction, Revolutionary Cells and others) in the 1970’s, their goals and actions, the timing of the book and the legacy that these groups left to German society and the autonomous movements that continued. If you’re listening to the radio edition, to hear the full conversation plus Sean Swain’s segment, you can find it at our website or various streaming services.

• Our prior interview with Gabriel on Liberating Sapmi
• Gabriel’s blog: https://lefttwothree.org/
• A blog collecting documents of this period: http://germanguerilla.com/

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Featured Track:


More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio

Asheville Nonprofit Working Wheels Pivots After Helene

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By: Kevin Eddings

Patryk Battle, news team correspondent, sat down with Eric Smythers, development coordinator at Working Wheels on the January 22nd edition of the Asheville FM News Hour. They discussed the effects of Hurricane Helene on the nonprofit sector.

For the past few years Working Wheels has been dedicated to those who are not able to get to work, school, and doctor’s appointments because they do not have a source of transportation, or those who struggle to afford car repairs. According to Smythers, everything has changed because of Helene, which forced the organization to pivot in their approach to helping people.

Smythers shares that Working Wheels was quite fortunate during the storm. “We had some water in our mechanical bay, and we lost some cars to flood-related damage, but we didn’t have any major damage to our workspace.” he said. With the nonprofit coming back, Smythers said they have two new initiatives.

In the first initiative, vehicles like pickup trucks or box trucks that are actively being used in relief efforts will be repaired for free. Smythers said, “If you’re from Mana Food Bank we have an application online. Please fill it out and we will be excited to help you get repairs to your vehicles.”

Regarding the second initiative, Smythers said, “We are taking raised money…and directly purchasing used vehicles to get [them] into the hands of people who have been most affected by the floods.” 

Helene making national news had a positive impact on donations. According to Smythers,Money is better than cars because it is easier to use, rather than transporting a car from out of state. “We had people from California calling us up saying they wanted to donate a car,” Smythers said. “I tell them that’s a wonderful idea but if they want to sell the car and send us the money [that would be best], because that’s a very specific thing they can do.” 

When asked if there’s an end goal in sight, Smythers said that they started GoFundMe for $500,000 and they have already raised over $300,000, which will help them buy thirty used cars for people who need them.

If you wish to donate to Working Wheels, you can go to their website, where there’s a link to the GoFundMe page. And if you’re local with a working car, Smythers says they will accept it if the title is in your name.

Listen to the full interview at the AFM Newshour Archive page.


More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

The Ampelokipoi Case, Repression and Anti-Repression in Greece

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This week, we are sharing an interview with a member of the Solidarity Fund for Imprisoned and Persecuted Revolutionaries, or Tameio. We talk about the case of the explosion in an apartment in the Athens district of Ampelokipi from late October of 2024 which left comrade Kyriakos Xymitiris dead and left Marianna badly injured, after which there have been arrests of four other comrades (so far), including Nikos Romanos. Some supporters of those arrested believes the case is the New Democracy government distracting from their economic collapse by increasing repression and the spectre of terrorism

We also speak about the anti-repression landscape that Tameio participates in, the end of asylum protections against police on university campuses and difficulties faced by the anti-authoritarian and anarchist movements in Greece today.


More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio

Forced Labor, Living Conditions, Opacity and Impunity in Texas Prisons (with Michelle Pitcher)

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We’re sharing a recent interview with Michelle Pitcher of the Texas Observer about living conditions and forced labor in the TDCJ, the Texas prison system. You can reach Michelle at [email protected] or follow her at @michellepitcher.bsky.social .

Our prior interview with Jason Walker (more of his writings at his blog) can be found here (with a transcript available). And our prior chat with Comrade Z can be found here.


More Posts for Show: The Final Straw Radio

The Griffin List

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For weeks on the AFM News Hour, we have followed the ongoing story of Jefferson Griffin’s lawsuit challenging ballots across all 100 North Carolina counties. Griffin lost by 734 votes his bid to become a North Carolina Supreme Court justice.

Griffin, a Republican Court of Appeals judge, has argued that the ballots of nearly 60,000 overseas and military voters, and other registered voters should be nullified based on technicalities.

This week TheGriffinList.com launched. The new website, searchable by name and county, can help over 60,000 registered voters see if their November ballot is among those being contested.

The free tool also allows voters to access contact information for their county Board of Elections and learn how to verify and update their voter registration information. Voters who find their names on the list are encouraged to contact their county Board of Elections to understand why their ID numbers may be missing from records and to ensure their votes are properly counted.

Buncombe County alone has 1,578 voters whose ballots are in question. To see if your name is on the list, or to help a neighbor, colleague, friend, or acquaintance find out if their name is listed, visit TheGriffinList.com.


More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour