Slingshot is an independent radical newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.
Is this what fascism feels like? To most of us in the US, fascism has always been confined to the realms of hyperbole and history. But hyperbole seems stale and history seems just around the corner. There is no living memory of our institutions being so drastically reworked to concentrate power through fear, but here, now, this is happening.
Life is never going to get back to normal. When systems collapse, it’s scary. We’ve had to rely on this rotting system our whole lives, but mostly it limits us. Fuck / consume / conform / comply. The artificial scarcity, hierarchies and brutality of industrialism, colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism are so exhausting that it’s hard to imagine a world organized around enriching our lives — not just one about money and stuff. But it’s time for it to go. Then we can reconstruct a new world out of the ashes that’s better than the one we’ve known.
We’ve never waited for the state to save us, and it won’t now. For years we’ve built decentralized networks of support and resistance in the cracks and gutters between state and capitalism. With those cracks growing, shifting, yawning open, there is a lot more building to be done in the days ahead if we are to reduce the harm to our neighbors, loved ones, and friends. The amount of work ahead can look overwhelming, but when work is play, well… Just look how much new room we have to play in!
It is humbling to be part of the diverse communities not only surviving but thriving — organizing, creating, loving, making meaning. Living fully with empathy, compassion, rage and defiance.
Slingshot tries not to focus too much on specific events, because by the time you get the paper, it’s been weeks since we wrote it. We don’t know all the details but our response is clear: Care. Let’s care for each other, care for ourselves, and do it together. Let’s get shit done.
Slingshot is our love letter to the future, to a world that’s hurting. We love you and we believe in you. Let these dark days eventually be strange memories of the past. This is no time to wallow in despair or turn off and check out. Doing so will just make whatever’s going wrong even worse later.
Those of us who make Slingshot are not immune from feeling down as we witness authoritarianism on the march. But a funny thing happened when we started working on this issue. Our mood lifted to be amongst comrades trying to do something rather than just feeling helpless. Who knows what will break the tyrants’ backs? As humans, we can’t control the world. But we can decide what we’re going to do with our lives. And our choices determine how we feel. If you’re feeling afraid, plugging into your local revolt may be the best way to regain your sense of optimism, agency, calm and even joy.
We don’t know if this Slingshot issue will help you but it sure helped us chase the autocracy blues away.
These articles are written, edited, and published by a very loose collaborative of people, with open meetings and little structure. No two slingshots are published by the same group. Many of us disagree with aspects of articles we publish.
Slingshot is always looking for volunteer distributors. If you can hand out papers to your friends or put a few copies into your local cafe, library, truck stop, laundromat, school or whatever, we can send you copies for free. We’re trying to reach people who’ve never stumbled across the underground press before rather than just singing to the choir. We’re also always seeking new writers, artists and editors. Even if you aren’t an essayist, illustrator or whistleblower, you may know someone who is. If you send an article, please be open to its editing.
Thanks to the people who made this: Antonio, Bevicka-Esther, eggplant, Elke, Emily, Gina, Harlin/Hayley, Hazel, Henry, Jack, Jake, Jesse, Korvin, Lola, Matteo, muscle palace, Robin, Sanguine, Sean, Shuchi, Sirkka, Stuart, Sylvia & all the authors and artists!
Slingshot Article Submission Info
We’re not going to set a deadline for the next issue. We encourage you to submit articles for the next Slingshot anytime you want. We’ll make another issue when we feel like we’re ready. Please check the Slingshot website, IndyBay, instagram and facebook for deadline info. We also have an internal email list that will announce the next deadline so please contact us if you want to be added to the list.
Volume 1, Number 142, Circulation 33,000
Printed February 28, 2025
Slingshot Newspaper
A publication of Long Haul
Office: 3124 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley CA 94705
Mailing: PO Box 3051, Berkeley, CA 94703
510-540-0751 slingshotcollective@protonmail.com
slingshotcollective.org • twitter @slingshotnews
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Circulation information
Subscriptions to Slingshot are free to prisoners, low income folks, or anyone in the USA with a Slingshot Organizer, or are $1 per issue donation. International $3 per issue. Outside the Bay Area we’ll mail you a free stack of copies if you give them out for free. Say how many copies and how long you’ll be at your address. In the Bay Area pick up copies at Long Haul and Bound Together books, SF.
Slingshot free stuff
We’ll send you a random assortment of back issues for the cost of postage. Send $5 for 2 lbs. Free if you’re an infoshop or library. slingshotcollective.org