The Beautiful Idea is a media project dedicated to bringing you the news and ideas from frontline struggles around the US, and the world, from a distinctly anarchist perspective.
ICE vs Ice: On the Ground in Minneapolis
Jan 21, 2026
In this episode, we speak with some organizers involved in anti-ICE resistance at the peak of the show-downs in Minneapolis, one week after ICE agents killed Renee Good, and 20 minutes after Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot. We discuss some of the ways that people in the city are escalating their engagement with ICE, how local police are engaging (or not) with ICE activity, and ways that people elsewhere can best support Minneapolis and prepare for further crackdowns in their own cities.
Please check out the links below for ways to support people on the ground in Minneapolis right now: -Venmo @mplsfamilysupport to support young mothers whose families have been ruptured by ice abductions. They are being faced with caring for their children alone, while not being able to work or leave their homes for fear of being disappeared as ICE raids continue to escalate. -Venmo @twincitiessolidarity to help buy supplies and community infrastructure for ongoing mutual aid efforts in the face of the ICE siege -Venmo @Chef-Collective-1123 or CashApp $ChefCollective1123 to source supplies for increasing requests for Shelter in Place Grocery Packs (coming in with greater frequency as people run out of food at home) -https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ (links to a bunch of crowdfunding and direct fundraising asks, in order of most need)
Getting Operational With It: A Discussion With BREACH Digest
Nov 17, 2025
We are at a moment of impasse, a time where political spaces and dynamics are shifting drastically. In the past months we have seen military units deploy to streets, the DOJ get used as an overt weapon of the administration, and terrorism laws being openly utilized to suppress anarchist movements. At the same time, there is a distinct sense in which the state, and this current administration, is breaking the state apart while they are trying to consolidate control over it. We are stuck in a race between administrative authoritarianism and the collapse of the American state as we understand it. The result has been a situation that is kinetic rather than definitive, in which the conditions of politics change into terms that are more material and less clear, which differ from place to place, and in which situational awareness becomes paramount for anyone attempting to act directly and effectively.
At times like this it makes sense to do something anarchists have been doing for decades, delving into operational theory. Operational theory is often described as the space that exists between strategy (large-scale movements over time) and tactics (the immediate techniques of fighting). It is a space in which we focus on dynamics, terrains, logistics, in an attempt not to pin an enemy down to simple categories, but to understand ourselves as acting in an environment that shapes those enemies, and ourselves, in very specific hyper-localized ways.
In this discussion we will be sitting down with an editor for the upcoming publication BREACH Digest to talk a little bit about operational theory. We discuss what operational theory is, the history of anarchists studying the operational arts, and some resources that you can get into if you want to dig deeper. BREACH Digest is a forthcoming publication with a release scheduled in the coming months.
Links to works by Col. John Boyd on organic command and control and the OODA loop
https://www.colonelboyd.com/boydswork
US Military Counterinsurgency Manual
https://irp.fas.org/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf
War At Ground Level: A Discussion About Experiencing the War in Ukraine
Sep 09, 2025
The war in Ukraine is often, like many conflicts, discussed through the lens of foreign policy and the interests of these entities that we call states. This is not the framing that we simply inherit from media, it is one that the Left globally has embraced just as thoroughly as liberals and conservatives. Discussions become echoes of the Cold War, where massive power blocks collide in some geopolitical game involving huge historical projects.
There are myriad issues with this framing, but we will focus on just one in this episode. This framing has a tragic side effect, it has the tendency to disappear people on the ground living through conflict, and often abandoning them as a result. It has led some on the Left to support the worst authoritarians, right wing religious extremists, and genocidaires, all while abandoning people fighting authoritarianism repeatedly, merely because the states that supports the regime they are fighting are "anti-American".
We want to have a different discussion about war, and about Ukraine; a discussion about what it means to be an anarchist living in a place actively under invasion, facing existential threats, and the threat of immanent arrest or death if you lose. We are joined by Anton from the Solidarity Collectives to talk about the war, how life continues in a warzone, what the war has meant for the anarchist community in Ukraine and the wider region, and how a movement can not just survive, but also actively engage in the situation around them, against all odds.
Big Beautiful Social War: Six Months Into Trump 2.0
Jul 23, 2025
On this episode of The Beautiful Idea, we speak with several authors and organizers, marking six months into the second Trump administration coming to power. During our multiple discussions, we look at the recent deployment of the military into Los Angeles, CA, the ramping up of ICE raids and arrests across the US, and the passing of the Republican so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," which ear-marks billions for war and the deportation machine, while cutting taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations, and slashing social services, health-care, and food assistance for the poor. Already, which has lead to rural hospitals being threatened with closure as food banks struggle to keep up with demand.
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In this episode you will hear from:
Silky Shaw, the executive director of the Detention Watch Network, and author of Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition, from Haymarket Books. Shaw talks about the rapid acceleration of deportations under Trump and the construction of new detention facilities, such as the newly built concentration camp, Alligator Alcatraz.
As anger continues to build in the streets, we hope this discussion shines a light on the contours and context of the building social war being waged against poor and working people across the US.
Self-Managed Medication Abortion: Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It
Jun 30, 2025
For as long as people have been getting pregnant, they’ve also been figuring out how to get un-pregnant. A self-managed abortion (SMA) is when a person ends their pregnancy outside of the formal medical system. Most often, self-managed abortions are done as “medication abortions” — abortions induced by medication. In this episode of The Beautiful Idea, we talk about self-managed medication abortions done with a combination of the drugs misoprostol and mifepristone. Guests Jane and Hazel are both abortion doulas (also known as abortion companions) with extensive experience supporting people completing self-managed medication abortions. Jane, based in Appalachia, works with the Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective (MAADCO). Hazel, based in the Rust Belt, is a former abortion clinic worker, and wrote the zine “how to do it anyway: a guide to self-managing an abortion at home” after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. We discuss the history of reproductive justice, how self-managed abortion is often stigmatized and why that can be harmful, and the actual step-by-step details of what a medication abortion entails (how to measure pregnancy, which pills to take when, how it might feel physically in the body, what to look out for to determine if an abortion has been completed, pain management, and some of the ways that people sometimes emotionally or culturally process an abortion), among other topics.
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There are many resources on self-managed medication abortion available. Here are just a few, mentioned in today’s show:
-National Network of Abortion Funds (https://abortionfunds.org/) — connects people to local abortion funds for financial aid, and to resources that provide practical support (childcare, rides to clinics, etc.)
-Plan C Pills (https://www.plancpills.org/about) — educational website w resources on how to source abortion pills, how to dose them, what to look out for
ICE Melts as Streets Erupt, Revolt at Delaney Hall Migrant Prison, UW Campus Occupation Against War Profiteers
Jun 24, 2025
Welcome back to The Beautiful Idea. So much has happened since we started to put this episode together. We've got a lot to cover, so let's not waste any time and dive right into it!
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Fire Beats ICE
First up, a dam has broken and the first real eruption in the streets has kicked off against the Trump administration in the fight against ICE and mass deportations. This push back has been building in recent months, as grassroots organizers and groups on the ground have been hard at work pushing back against growing attacks from ICE and the DHS. We're going to start off our show with a short interview from a reporter at Unicorn Riot, who talks about how ICE is coordinating with local police to create a vast army of law enforcement mobilized to attack migrant workers. Check out the full report on Unicorn Riot here.
In late May, resistance began to heat up at courthouses around the US, as people moved to block ICE agents from snatching people at court hearings regarding their immigration status. as the Trump administration pushed for accelerated deportation numbers. These confrontations then escalated into street clashes in San Diego, Minneapolis, and several other cities, before popping off in early June in Los Angeles, CA. On June 6th and 7th, thousands mobilized following militarized ICE raids on several workplaces, surrounding a federal building in downtown LA, and demanding that ICE release hundreds of people captured by DHS. The next day, people bravely faced off with ICE after federal authorities raided a Home Deport and attacked those in the wider community who came out to protest. Fierce clashes broke out between community members and state forces, with people throwing projectiles at ICE vehicles, eventually driving them from the area after several hours.
The next day, Trump moved to federalize several hundred National Guard troops, already in California to deal with the fires, who were then sent in to guard the detention center, leading to more clashes and rioting, as the Democratic Mayor put a curfew in place, and the LAPD began a campaign of mass terror and brutality against protesters. Solidarity demonstrations and similar revolts began to pop off in more cities, as people began to shut down court houses with mass pickets, mobilize to kick ICE agents out of hotels, and respond to immigration raids with rage and determination. Things popped off in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and beyond. CrimethInc. has recently published some amazing report backs that can be viewed here:
Meanwhile in Newark, NJ, where demonstrators have been demanding the horrific Delaney Hall ICE prison be closed, prisoners there launched a rebellion which led to several people escaping. According to a report on Jersey Counter-Info:
A few days ago riots broke out at the federal ICE detention center, Delaney Hall, in Newark, NJ. Detainees faced increasing abuse and starvation from their jailers and fought back, reportedly setting fires and knocking down an internal wall used to contain them. At the same time, Delaney Hall was swarmed by waves of protestors who slowed operations and drew the attention of ICE and other federal pigs away from the events occurring inside. Protestors stood their ground and prevented ICE vans from entering the facility and thinned out the number pigs helping to prevent the riot from being quelled. During this juncture 4 men, who were kidnapped and imprisoned at Delaney Hall by ICE, were able to make their escape from the heavily fortified facility. As of now, they are still free, liberated from detention. Because of the brave actions of the individuals detained inside Delaney Hall and the protestors outside, 4 people were able to escape and gain freedom. It doesn’t matter how fortified the state’s prisons or detention centers may be, how many federal pigs there are, what weapons they have to brutalize people, solidarity can and will WIN. Keep fighting, by any means necessary.
There's also so much happening on the ground that it's impossible to give a full roundup of everything, so be sure to check It's Going Downon BlueSky for daily updates. We hope to get a new episode out soon with a better picture of the full extent of the growing wave of anti-ICE action, as well as some thoughts on the massive No Kings demonstrations which took place on June 14th, bringing out millions of people into the streets.
May Day 2025
This May Day, tens of thousands took to the streets across the US, celebrating the radical holiday which honors the Chicago anarchist martyrs and the fight for the 8-hour work day. Labor unions, immigrant rights groups, and community organizations held demonstrations across the US, decrying the Trump administration's growing attacks on labor unions, immigrant workers, and beyond. Anarchist and autonomous groups also held demonstrations and gatherings across the US to honor the holiday, with various events, actions, and interventions happening in numerous cities. For a full roundup, check It's Going Down.
Notable mentions include anarchist organized May Day gatherings and festivals in Eugene, OR, Boise, ID, Seattle, WA, Nevada, City, CA, Bloomington, IN, New Orleans, LA, and in several cities in North Carolina, an anarchist festival took place over several days. In Reno, NV, a mutual aid fair was organized, in Denton, TX and Binghamton, NY, anarchist bookfairs were organized, while in Richmond, VA anarchists also organized a march which met with up other May Day demonstrations. Meanwhile in New York City, people occupied the former Yippie HQ building before being evicted by police. Finally, autonomous groups held anti-ICE marches in Tacoma, WA, Eugene and Olympia, OR and San Francisco, CA.
On May 2nd there was a call for a black bloc under the slogan MAY DAY MELT ICE, in response to the federal government’s unrestrained escalations against migrants, people connected to last year’s Palestine Solidarity movement, and non-white people in general. A short, small march yielded some light property damage and a fairly heavy response from EPD, resulting in four arrests. Despite the modest attendance and intensity of attack, this was an important testing of the waters here in Eugene, where the climate of repression is shifting, with police beginning to take a more hands-on approach. Police tactics are evolving, and so should ours. And at the same time, this action proved that confrontational street action is very much still possible here. Things are bad, but you can definitely still wile out and get away with it. The inspiration we derive from others is unbound by time and space and, as an offering of gratitude, we tend to this cosmic fire, stoking its eternal flames. Our shouts and laughs and screams fan the embers of resistance. Together, each exhale creates ignition. Clearly, there is a taste for more heat in Eugene. The limits of endless “peaceful” marches and rallies were reached a long time ago, and we invite others to take initiative themselves; in person, in the streets, in spirit and/or in the numerous other avenues which sustain our counterattack. Despite setbacks, we will keep growing, offering each other grace as we pivot and learn from mistakes. Momentum excitedly continues to build within us — we know when to resist, and when to release.
In the bay area of California, members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) are celebrating a recent victory, following over a month of pickets and strike activity at Urban Ore, a large retail hub that sells used home-hold items and construction materials. Writing on social media, union members wrote:
After 40 days on the picket line pressuring the owners of Urban Ore to meet with us, engage with us at the bargaining table and bargain seriously to address workers’ needs, we have reached agreement on terms to end our strike! We are feeling incredibly proud of the effectiveness of our strike, grateful for all of the support we’ve received from the community to make that happen, and we are looking forward to reaching a full collective bargaining agreement. We have made some big wins which wouldn’t have been possible without the pressure we were able to exert through our direct action! Solidarity forever!
Cop City Trials Start
Trials for those targeted by the state for resisting the Cop City counter-insurgency training facility have started, with supporters rallying outside of several recent hearings and dropping banners in solidarity across the US. Be sure to check out monthly installments of In Contempt on It's Going Down and updates at Weelaunee the Freeand Fire Ant Movement Defense.
In Portland, OR, grassroots journalist Alissa Azar covered a recent mobilization against Turning Point USA, featuring anti-trans speaker Riley Gaines. From We Will Free Us:
When news spread that TPUSA would be bringing Gaines to PSU, students quickly mobilized. One flyer called for people to “stand up to transphobia on PSU’s campus,” and outlined plans to meet in the Park Blocks at 6:15 PM and walk to the 3rd floor of Smith by 6:30, when Gaines’ event was set to begin. Another flyer promoted a “trans/queer pride block party” at 6 PM with games like frisbee and badminton, emphasizing: “sports are for everyone.” The crowd continued to grow, eventually reaching a few hundred. Most people stayed in the Park Blocks, but a smaller group gathered at the front of the Smith building, waving flags, holding signs, and confronting people waiting in line to see Gaines. About 30 minutes later, some protesters in the back managed to hold open the doors to the building. A few people rushed inside before cops could intervene. According to a witness, it turned into a quick game of cat and mouse. Protesters got out without being arrested, but shortly after, PPB repositioned their officers directly at Smith’s front entrance. The first arrest followed minutes later just outside the building. What happened at PSU on May 5 wasn’t just about one speaker or one protest; it was a clear example of how far-right groups like TPUSA are being platformed and given institutional space to grow. It was another example of liberal and institutional complicity. Another example of transphobia being normalized under the guise of "debate." Another example of police escalating against queer and antifascist resistance. It is yet again another example of media outlets sanitizing repression while demonizing resistance. But people showed up anyway. They danced. They took risks. And they made it clear: queer and trans communities in Portland aren’t interested in playing nice with fascism.
Meanwhile in Seattle, WA, over 500 people mobilized against a far-Right, Christian Nationalist rally featuring Matt Shea, a former Republican politician who called for using violence to establish a Christian theocracy. For several hours, people bravely faced off with Seattle police, who made several violent arrests.
Anti-abortion activists' day thoroughly ruined today: their charter bus was blocked before it could leave Montreal and delayed for close to an hour. Then in Quebec City, counter-demonstrators encircled them and drowned them out with boat horns, before continuing to block and surround them repeatedly when they tried to march. Riot cops were outflanked and pushed back, and a message was left on some activists' Cybertruck.
On June 14th, neo-Nazi groups and crews of Proud Boys attempted to harass and disrupt No Kings demonstrations across the US, but were largely unsuccessful in having any meaningful impact other than getting laughed at and dragged online. In Springfield, MO, a group of Patriot Front white supremacists were also driven from a local Pride celebration, after they attempted to harass locals.
At UCLA, students marked the one year since student occupiers bravely fought off far-Right Zionists attempting to tear apart their protest encampment with a film showing of the documentary, The Encampments, and were attacked by riot police -- at 9 p.m. on April 30th, around 30 UCPD officers wearing riot gear ran into the crowd of students, detaining two individuals and confiscating the screening equipment.. Also in California, students at Stanford and across the California State University system launched a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinians.
In Philadelphia, students at Swathmore College set up a protest encampment to continue to demand divestment from Israel and for the university to fight attacks on international students targeted by Trump. After several days and officials citing threats to "safety," police attacked and disbanded the encampment, arresting several students. In Baltimore, a violent police cracked down on a student encampment in solidarity with Palestine, leading to two students at John Hopkins University being injured. At Columbia University in New York, students occupied a library on campus, leading to clashes with police and arrests of 80 people and at Brooklyn College, the NYPD moved to attack student demonstrators who also set up an encampment, arresting several students.
Finally at the University of Washington (UW), students launched an occupation of the campus engineering building and defended it with barricades, demanding that the university divest from weapons maker Boeing. As a report on CrimethInc.wrote:
The University of Washington has been collaborating with Boeing for over a century....The University of Washington plans to use this building to deepen their relationship with Boeing, establishing a closer partnership to further the development of war technologies. Both the university and Boeing aim to benefit from this by sharing access to research facilities, establishing an AI educational institute for developing military technology, and securing Boeing’s influence of the engineering curriculum, which functions as a pipeline channeling UW engineering students into Boeing internships and contracts. These contracts promise financial compensation, yet often result in labor abuses and unsafe products...As students and community members of the University of Washington, we condemn this relationship and the intended use of the building. This is why we sought to reclaim the building and repurpose it as a much-needed community space.
At approximately 5pm students and their accomplices descended on the newly constructed “Interdisciplinary Engineering Building” (IEB). This building was funded by Boeing with the agreement that UW [University of Washington] would create a pipeline of students to assist with Boeing’s warmongering endeavors. Barricades were constructed outside the building as doors were sealed from the inside. Preparations were also made for the event that the occupation of Sha’ban Al-Dalou Hall became a longterm project. More and more supporters began to arrive as the day went on and a public call to join the action was released. A feeling of unity spread throughout the crowd as a diversity of tactics was upheld and respected. Barricade builders were offered support and supplies and community members cooked meals. A rebellious joy filled our hearts as speeches and chants filled the air. Posters praising the Palestinian resistance were plastered on every wall and window available. Almost immediately the area was swarming with cameras as reporters and fascist grifters heard about the action, these were quickly blocked with umbrellas to protect the identities of the crowd. As the sun began to set, the energy of the crowd shifted as it became clear that the police would attempt to remove the students in the coming hours. Many tactics for defending the building were considered with the bulk of the students electing to move into the street to block the police advance. Large barricades were built in every adjacent street to stop or delay the police regardless of their approach. As the multi-agency police force began to materialize, an officer from each agency approached the crowd in a failed attempt to facilitate our surrender. This exchange was captured in a now-viral video of black-clad and shield-wielding militants forcing them down the hill and back to their lines while chanting “Move Back”, mocking a common police dispersal tactic. From this point on, every hostile actor was forced out of the area including private security and individual agitators, including one man who repeatedly threatened to murder the students. However, the occupation received much support from passersby and motorists. At around 10pm, a completely unintelligible dispersal order was given over a malfunctioning LRAD. In response, a massive fire was started at one of the barricades. This fire forced the police to entirely reroute their advance, delaying them severely. This delay gave more than enough time for many within the group to disperse as staying at the barricades would only result in arrest and injury. The fire was slow to extinguish and effectively crippled the police advance. Over the next 1-2 hours a highly militarized group of SPD, WSP and UWPD broke into the building and cut students from their lockdowns, causing even further damage as doors were broken down and windows had to be broken to access the students. At the time of writing, 32 students were violently arrested inside the building causing concussions, damage to limbs and joints, with at least 1 arrest of the group outside. Sha’ban Al-Dalou Hall and the surrounding area was occupied for a total of almost 7 hours, and police response time was incredibly sluggish, allowing for a significant amount of direct action to take place resulting in at least $1 million in damage according to the university. A frankly embarrassing show of force by SPD, WSP, and UWPD.
Predictably, the corporate media slandered the protesters, decrying them as violent—though three protesters were hospitalized as a consequence of police violence during the arrests and many more were severely bruised, whereas the protesters did not injure anyone. It appears that out of the over $1 million in damages that the university claims to have assessed, much of it was inflicted by police officers as they removed protesters. Dispelling any illusions of a progressive university, the University of Washington leadership spread a similar message, condemning the burning of dumpsters as violent. Those who control our institutions clearly care more about the burning of trash than the burning of the bodies of their own Palestinian students. Yes, we are in a moment of extreme repression. The consequences of action can be significant. Nonetheless, we believe that the consequences of inaction will be greater. Liberal petitions to political leaders will not save us, nor will an apolitical retreat from struggle. That will leave us weaker for next time—and leave most of us increasingly less safe right now. Revolt and uprising were possible and effective during the first Trump regime. They are tools worth applying today. Resist however you can and must. Mutual aid is a form of resistance; it can entail defense, protecting our communities from ICE or alleviating the consequences of the financial crisis wrought by the fascist and neoliberal coalition. Direct action is a form of resistance; it can undermine the violent apparatus of the state. “Occupation,” understood as a decolonial practice, is resistance. Palestine demands resistance—and so does your community.
An Interview with International Solidarity Movement Volunteers
May 19, 2025
In this conversation, we speak with two recent International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers about their experiences accompanying Palestinians in the West Bank. International Solidarity Movement is an initiative based in Palestine that enables international volunteers to physically accompany Palestinians facing harassment and attacks from the Israeli occupation. We discuss what everyday resistance — both large and small — looks like for Palestinians in the West Bank. Among many other topics, we explore the ways that ISM volunteers move between what they call “protective presence” and “solidarity” in their accompaniment work, how their experience has shifted or impacted the way they understand anti-colonial resistance more broadly, and what they see on the horizon for Palestine.
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This interview was originally conducted immediately following the agreement to a ceasefire between the IDF and Hamas, on January 16th, 2025. Israel violated the ceasefire numerous times from January 19 to March 17, killing at least 170 people in Gaza, averaging nearly three deaths a day. On March 18th, Israel officially broke the ceasefire agreement, and continues to bombard Gaza with air strikes and ground offensives. Gaza is on the verge of famine and a total collapse of healthcare infrastructure, as Israel continues to bar the entry of much-needed medical supplies, fuel, and other humanitarian aid including food and clean water to the region.
As of May 19th, 2025, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 53,339 people — including at least 17,400 children — have been confirmed killed in Gaza.
Last month, we published an interview with a friend and comrade of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old who was killed by the Israeli Defense Forces on September 6th, 2024, while accompanying Palestinians in the West Bank as an ISM volunteer. That interview, called “The Murder of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and the Future of International Solidarity” is available on our feed and at this link: https://thebeautifulidea.show/the-murder-of-aysenur-ezgi-eygi-and-the-future-of-international-solidarity-2/.
InterRebellium: A Discussion with subMedia
May 01, 2025
Join us as we sit down with members of the subMedia Collective to discuss their upcoming series InterRebellium. In this conversation we run down the history of subMedia, beginning in the 90s rave scene, the development of anarchist media in the first 25 years of this century, and what the future holds.
Finally we discuss their upcoming series, InterRebellium, which traces a trajectory of insurgent and autonomous action through struggles around the world. The trailer for InterRebellium can be found at https://sub.media/interrebellium-trailer/
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Dean Spade is the author of "Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis and the Next", and "Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law". Well known for highlighting the ways that mutual aid can be a direct response to societal needs as well as a transformative practice that shifts our reliance away from the state and toward each other, Spade has just published a new book called "Love in a Fucked Up World: How to Build relationships, hook up, and raise hell together". Informed by over two decades of experience pushing for trans liberation and racial and economic justice, Spade's new book discusses the urgency of building sustainable, accountable, and truly abolitionist interpersonal relationships that empower us to resist state violence over the long haul. In a time of increasing despair, he urges us to move beyond symbolic actions and embrace riskier, more meaningful forms of action that require trust, deep solidarity, and real vulnerability. We touch on Spade's personal journey of radicalization, think about some of the potential of this moment, and unpack some concrete tools for self-reflection and expression.
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In addition to Spade's books, check out the "Five Questions for Cultivating Solidarity When Responding to Political Repression", downloadable in English & Spanish here: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/resources-all/five-questions-for-cultivating-solidarity
Follow Dean Spade:
Twitter – https://x.com/deanspade
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/spade.dean
Personal website – https://www.deanspade.net/
People Hit the Streets As Trump's Trade War Heats Up
Apr 16, 2025
Welcome back to The Beautiful Idea! We're excited to bring you a jam-packed show today and we have some amazing content planned, so be sure to subscribe to the show and follow us on Mastodon and BlueSky.
A participant in the Imaginary Crimes Tour which is already underway, about how people are fighting back against state repression against the Stop Cop City Movement.
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But first, let's get to the news:
We are now over two months into the second Trump administration, and already the regime has created a constitutional crisis and has begun to defy some court orders, openly calling for judges to be impeached, and issuing executive orders against law firms, while Trump moves to enrich himself and his cohorts, even performing a grotesque infomercial on the White House lawn for Tesla. This has been coupled with a sweeping ramping up mass deportations, slashing safety-net programs, re-organizing cultural and educational institutions across the country, firing swaths of federal workers, and attacking labor unions and collective bargaining.
If we look at the current state of the fascist coup in the US, it is clear that they are making significant material progress while simultaneously losing more and more political and popular ground. The tariffs are a particularly extreme example of this contradiction: Trump has successfully claimed economic power over the entire globe exclusively to his person – let congress, the people, his allies, even his cabinet be damned – but stock markets are in freefall, he's hemorrhaging support from the capitalist class and even his own people have started briefingagainst him. But this contradiction has been visible in almost all of his moves, as he successfully wields powers constitutionally and legally "unavailable" to the executive, but all the while popular discontent, protest and fury build at a rapid pace. This contradiction will only lead to accelerating confrontations until it is resolved. They really only had this two-pronged strategy – control the media and purge the government while robbing the till as fast as possible – but they attacked everywhere at once, as though they had much broader control of the situation. This blitz maximized popular resistance while actively demoralizing their base and their street forces.
Meanwhile, the economy stands on the verge of a possible recession, as uncertainty in the market grows, and Trump continues to push through with tariffs, escalating a growing trade war - especially with China. How this will play out for poor and working people in the US remains to be seen, so be sure to listen later in this episode for more discussion on where this is all heading and the dystopian project underlying this push.
And as a recession lies on the horizon, the Trump administration continues to push for increased repression and authoritarian attacks on growing segments of society. Multiple international students living inside the US legally have been abducted from their homes and disappeared, as the state has moved to revoke the visas of international students across the US.
Even more horrifically, the Trump administration has invoked the Alien Enemies Act from the late 1700s, as justification for sending several hundred Venezuelan migrants to a super-max "anti-terrorist" prison in El Salvador, in an exchange for several million with the far-Right dictator of that country. Those sent to the prison, which is known for human rights abuses, will be used as slave labor. Recent investigations have found that the vast majority of those sent there have no criminal records, including a man who the only "evidence" of his membership in a gang turned out to be a tattoo that celebrated Autism Awareness. Another person sent to El Salvador, Kilmar Garcia, a union member living in Maryland that even the Trump administration admits was deported due a administrative error, has sparked widespread anger, protests, and calls for his release.
As It's Going Down reported in its column In Contempt:
Today, we attended the rally at the Northwest Detention Center right here in Tacoma to support all immigrants detained in immigration detention. The labor movement showed up in force, multiple labor unions, community members and organizations demanding the release of immigrant union members and leaders, Lewelyn Dixon member of SEIU Local 925 and union leader Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez of Familias Unidas por la Justicia We know that these attacks against immigrant and undocumented communities as well as labor unions by the capitalist class have been happening for decades, even centuries at this point. They are systemic and structural, and are part of the root causes; capitalism, imperialism and colonialism. We continue the fight!
A mother and her three children who were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents as part of a sweep in the tiny home town of the Trump administration’s “border czar”, Tom Homan, have been released following days of outcry from community figures, advocates and protesters calling for their freedom. Over the weekend, about a thousand protesters marched outside Homan’s home in a small New York village, calling for the release of the family after they were detained last month.
Resistance is bubbling across the social terrain, with literally millions of people across the US taking part in mass demonstrations over the past month against both Elon Musk and the Trump regime. One of the largest popular expressions of popular outrage at Elon Musk and the Trump administration, has been the explosion of the Tesla Takedown movement, which has held demonstrations and rallies outside of Tesla showrooms across the country since Trump came to power. On March 29th, thousands of people rallied outside of Telsa showrooms across the US in a day of action.
More anti-Tesla demonstrations are planned in the coming weeks, as Tesla stock continues to tank. Meanwhile, acts of targeted vandalism against Tesla show no signs of slowing down, as Tesla cars in various cities have been set on fire and damaged in a growing number of incidents. The state is also ramping up calls to charge those arrested for vandalism with "domestic terrorism."
On April 5th, various progressive organizations, largely aligned with the Democratic Party, held massive "Hands Off!" demonstrations in over a thousand cities and towns across the US, mobilizing upwards of millions of people. While the protests are certainly a temperature check that Trump's policies are largely unpopular, as many have pointed out, the attempt to herd us back into the Democratic Party is a dead end. As anarchist author Peter Gelderloos wrote:
It is insanely delusional to believe that the Democrat[ic Party is] capable of changing in a meaningful way, and it is insanely delusional to trust them. They are guilty of genocide, mass murder, mass incarceration, impoverishment, bloody wars, and oppressive politics. The system they uphold, the system they promise can be reformed if we just trust them one more time, has condemned this generation and the next one and the next one to a future of unimaginable suffering, danger, and poverty.
Casey Goonan #UMF227 Santa Rita Jail 5325 Broder Blvd. Dublin, CA 94568
Sam Beard, an activist in the movement to Stop Cop City, a host of the Party Girls Podcast, and also spokesperson for the defense fund for Luigi Mangione, issued a statement that they were visited by two FBI agents that were part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), hours before Beard appeared on NewsNation, speaking about the ongoing case of Luigi Mangione, who is accused of assassinating the CEO of United Healthcare. In a statement posted to social media, Beard stated: "This task force targeted me, not because of anything I've done, but for what I've said."
CrimethInc. has published a call for events on May Day. Tune-in late in this episode to hear an audio version of the call and read it here.
Be sure to check out CAW, Collective of Anarchist Writers, a worker-run collaborative which is producing high-quality writing and content featuring anarchist analysis and opinion.
The Imaginary Crimes tour is hitting the road, speaking with communities across the US about the fight against repression of Stop Cop City activists. Tune-in later in the show for an interview about tour. Check out a list of tour stops here.
Upcoming Events:
May 1st: May day all over!
May 15th - 21st: Constellation Anarchist Festival in Montreal, QC. More info here.
May 17th - 18th: Los Angeles Anarchist Bookfair in Los Angeles, CA. More info here.
May 17th: DMV Anarchist Bookfair in Washington DC. More info here.
May 23rd - 25th: Heart of the Valley Anti-Capitalist Bookfair in Corvallis, OR. More info here.
June 7th: Inland Empire Anarchist Bookfair in Inland Empire, CA. More info here.
That's gonna do it for us, enjoy the interviews and we'll see you soon!
The Murder of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and the Future of International Solidarity
Apr 05, 2025
On September 6th of last year, 26 year old University of Washington graduate Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was shot and killed by IDF soldiers while doing accompaniment in the West Bank of Palestine with International Solidarity Movement (ISM). In this episode, we speak with a friend of Ayşenur's who had travelled to the West Bank to do accompaniment with ISM alongside her, and was present during the days leading up to and immediately after her murder.
We discuss what happened to Ayşenur, settler violence against Palestinians and IDF complicity, grief, remembrance, and ways in which anarchist movements internationally can effectively support people facing violence from the state and occupying forces.
The Murder of Ayenur Ezgi Eygi and the Future of International Solidarity0:00/4861.8961×
During the discussion a number of pieces are referenced:
The speaker interviewed on this episode does not represent the views of International Solidarity Movement. For more about the work of ISM, visit their website at:https://palsolidarity.org/
This interview was originally conducted immediately following the agreement to a ceasefire between the IDF and Hamas, on January 16th, 2025. We apologize for the delayed release.
*Adi Callai has previously been interviewed by contributors to this show. Shortly following the October 7th attacks, they appeared on "This is America" (with Tom Nomad) to discuss IDF strategy (https://itsgoingdown.org/counter-insurgency-israel-podcast/).
Trump, the Tech-Right, and the Post-Neoliberal Order
Mar 12, 2025
In this episode of The Beautiful Idea, we present an interview with author Jamie Merchant, author of Engame: Economic Nationalism and Global Declineand numerous articles at The Brooklyn Rail. Merchant argues that we have entered a post-neoliberal age, with both Trump and Biden abandoning many of the touch-stones of corporate globalization that defined the past several decades.
Trump the Tech Right and the Post Neoliberal Order0:00/6185.2081×
But what comes next? During our discussion we talk about how and why Bidenism failed following the upheavals of 2020 and the rise of the Tech-Right as a bloc within the Trump administration. We map out what this formation wants and how it connects to the State's push to expand the American tech industry and in particular, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
We also unpack what it would mean to create new forms of autonomous class based street politics, as demonstrations against ICE and Tesla continue to grow.
Abolish Rent: A Discussion With The LA Tenants' Union
Mar 06, 2025
"Rent drives millions into debt, despair, and onto the streets. The social cost of rent is too damn high. Written for anyone fed up with the permanent housing crisis, complicit politicians, and real estate greed, Abolish Rent dissects our housing system from the perspective of those it immiserates. Through unsparing analysis and striking stories of resistance, it shows us how tenants can, through organizing and collective action, harness our power and win the housing we deserve. From two co-founders of the largest tenants union in the country, this deeply reported account of the resurgent tenant movement centers poor and working-class people who are fighting back, staying put, and remaking the city in the process. Authors Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis take us to trilingual strategy meetings, raucous marches against gentrification, and daring eviction defenses where immigrants put their lives on the line. These are the seeds of the revolutionary movement we need to make our housing, our cities, and the world our home."
During our discussion, we cover the growing crisis around rent and housing and how landlords and politicians have attempted to shift the discussion onto attacks on migrants and the houseless. We cover how the Los Angeles Tenant Union and the wider Autonomous Tenant Union Network have grown to build a grassroots, tenant led autonomous movement, aimed at building power on a neighborhood level.
Discussion With The LA Tenants Union0:00/3937.0321×
The Long Emergency: A Discussion With Adam Greenfield
Feb 26, 2025
The Long Emergency0:00/3882.6241×
Welcome back to The Beautiful Idea, a new project from a collective of several anarchist and autonomous media producers scattered around the world. We’re bringing you interviews and stories from the front-lines of autonomous social movements and struggles, as well as original commentary and analysis.
In this episode we sit down with Adam Greenfield, author of the book Lifehouse, out on Verso. In this discussion we talk about technology and the internet, the occurrence of disaster, the long emergency, the concept of lifehouses, prepperism, and the complexities of organizing in communities.
Resistance Forms as Trump Takes Power
Feb 14, 2025
Resistance Forms as Trump Takes Power0:00/6070.51751×
We are currently in the midst of a constitutional crisis. As we speak, the Trump administration is less than a month into its second term, and already the courts are running into roadblocks in their meager attempts to contain Trump's blatant calls to disregard basic constitutional guard rails. As this is being recorded, multiple rulings by judges to stop the Trump administration freezing federal funds to basic government programs continue to be ignored. We are in the middle of the Rubicon being crossed: the executive branch is defying the orders of its own courts. What happens now is both determined by what people do and how the state responds to its own internal contradictions. Will the supreme court step in and side with Trump, or will the administration simply ignore any and all rulings, turning the state into a mechanism to carry out any and all of Trump's dictatorial demands: as the US slips into an all out dictatorship with billionaires at the helm.
But resistance is building, and developing at various points of contestation. Across the country, as ICE ramps up deportations and is pushing to begin again deporting entire families and has begun setting up camps at Guantanamo bay, organizers are stepping up their organizing, forming Rapid Response Networks, organizing protests, and educating people about their rights. "Border Czar" Tom Homan even went on CNN recently to complain about people in Chicago being "too educated" about their rights, throwing a wrench into the gears of the deportation machine, as Trump demands increased numbers of removals. Communities in Colorado mobilized when ICE went door to door in an apartment complex at the center of far-Right conspiracies about "Venezuela gangs taking over" Aurora, CO, working to support working-class people targeted and documenting ICE abuses.
Meanwhile, thousands of people are taking to the streets against ICE, demanding an end to the raids, a strengthening of sanctuary city laws, and calling for solidarity with those targeted by the deportation machine. Most impressively, we've also seen weeks of student walkouts, most notably in Los Angeles, where hundreds of students across multiple schools have continued to carry out walkouts and rallies, writing anti-ICE slogans throughout the city. Mass protests have also led to clashes with police in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, and beyond.
In multiple cities, thousands have also taken to the streets against Trump's attacks on trans people, in an effort to call on hospitals to protect access to gender affirming care and resist the administrations draconian executive orders. Mass mobilizations have already taken place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlottesville, New York, and beyond.
Communities have also been pushing back against attempts by the far-Right to test these new waters. This past week, we saw folks in the historically Black neighborhood in Lincoln Heights, OH, arm themselves and push through a line of police to attack neo-Nazis who were being protected by law enforcement on a freeway overpass, holding automatic weapons and swastika flags. Community members burned one of their flags, wrecked one of their cars, and even left behind bullets spelling out the letters "LH" for Lincoln Heights.
Protests have also been taking place non-stop in Washington DC against Elon Musk and his team of far-Right minions, leading to some early attempts to blockade them from entering buildings and near constant rallies and protests by workers and their supporters.
We're in scary territory, but also fertile grounds to organize in. People everywhere can see how the Democrats helped get us here and how their refusal to respond to demands from social movements and instead doubling down on expanding and militarizing the repressive functions of the state - who is now coming for everyone.
In our following episode, we speak with folks around the country about this unfolding reality. First, we catch up with Mia Wong, a journalist at It Could Happen Here, a daily podcast on Cool Zone Media about everyday resistance and the current crisis, then we speak with a participant in the publishing collective CrimethInc, about the emerging cracks in the current crisis and what this means about how we can respond, and finally we speak to folks in Olympia, WA and North Carolina about recent "Festival of Resistance" events that were organized in the lead up to Trump's inauguration.
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