Author: Compiled by PB Floyd

With the 2010 Organizer circulating around, many people have been contacting us from all over to let us know about their local project and to let us know about mistakes in the radical contact list in the Organizer. So here are a bunch of spaces we just heard about — some of them new and some of them new to us. It is extremely inspiring to be in contact with so many people in so many different places all putting their time and energy into alternative projects that seek to build community and model different ways of living. It isn’t always easy to volunteer and build something for the community while so many other people are just looking out for themselves, trying to get ahead. But when you relate to other people voluntarily working together for a common vision, you’re building deep community that goes beyond the superficial kind you’ll find at work, at a bar, or online. And doing stuff for yourself, for the love of art and music, and for the earth is meaningful and helps us feel less discouraged and confused.

We try to post corrections to the 2010 Organizer at our on-line radical contact list: slingshot.tao.ca. Check it out and let us know if you see errors.

Night Heron Grassroots Activist Center – Lake Worth, FL

They opened in November ’09 and feature a radical book/zine/video library and anarchist literature distro; activist organizing space and place for meetings, events and workshops (accommodating 25-30 people), storage for art-making supplies and protest props and a kid-friendly play area. It was started by Everglades Earth First!, West Palm Food Not Bombs, the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition and some individual activists and artists. They have space available for other groups. They are next to the Farm Worker Coordinating Council office, which provides social services to the local immigrant community and operates a free store. 1307 Central Terrace, Lake Worth, FL 33460, 561-249-2071.

LUNk Collective House – Lincoln, NE

A house with a radical lending library, free store and a micro-powered AM radio station. They host meeting, movies, shows, vegan potlucks, open mics and are linked into Food Not Bombs and a free skool. 1213 N. 12th Street, Lincoln, NE, 68508, 402-817-4791, www.lunkradio.org

Knoxville Birdhouse – Knoxville, TN

A volunteer-run community arts and activist space featuring music, performance, exhibits, workshops and studio rentals. They’re working on opening an infoshop. 800 4th Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917, knoxvillebirdhouse.com

Pangea House – Minot, ND

A non-profit community center for music, art and education. They host shows, skillshares and zine events. 109 Central Ave W Minot, ND 58703 Tel: 701-420-0913, www.pangeahouse.org

52.5 Records – Charleston, SC

An “underground” record store (“focusing on artists outside of the commercial mainstream”) that hosts shows. 561 King Street, Charleston, SC 29403 www.corporaterocksucks.com

Outer Space – Charleston, SC

A volunteer-run community space for creative expression and info exchange with art exhibits and a craft box. Open Sat 10-6. 623 Meeting St., Charleston, SC, 29403 outerspacecharleston.org

The Train Yard – Las Cruces, NM

A DIY community space in Mesilla Park that hosts shows. They are trying to keep a low profile so the physical address isn’t public – email them for directions. Mail: PO Box 1759, Mesilla Park, NM, 88047.

Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen – Sacramento, CA

A volunteer-run do-it-yourself bike shop with classes. 1915 I Street, Midtown Sacramento, 95811, www.sacbikekitchen.org

Bellingham Alternative Library – Bellingham, WA

A book, graphic novel and music library. The folks who run it also do a Food Not Bombs. 717 North Forest, Bellingham WA 98225, 360-734-2735 sushitree.org

The Hub Community Bike Shop Cooperative – Bellingham, WA

A non-profit, volunteer-run bike recycling shop with self-service and regular repairs. They host local bike events and teach biking in schools. 903 1/2 North State Street, Bellingham [mail: P.O. Box 1593, Bellingham, WA 98227], 360-255-2072

Spearfish Bicycle Cooperative – Spearfish, SD

They have a zine library as well as bike stuff. 727 Ames St. Spearfish, SD 57783 spearfishbikecoop.blogspot.com

The Good Life Community Bicycle Shop – Calgary, Alberta, Canada

They are a non-profit, mostly volunteer-operated bike repair, education and resource center with free repair space and tools, workshops on bike repair, as well as recycled bikes and parts for sale. They have a meeting space for community groups. They aim to “make it as easy and fun as possible to choose biking” and “reduce environmental impact by encouraging cycling over driving and rescuing bikes from the waste stream.” 202-200 Barclay Parade SW Calgary, AB 403-619-2648, goodlifebikes.ca

Le Seul Problème – Marseille, France

They are an infoshop with a bookshop, a free store and a lending library. Contact them at: 46 rue Consolat, 13001 Marseille, 04 91 50 86 27, acratos@no-log.org. They ordered some Slingshot organizers from us and offered to improve our list of French infoshops. The huge list below is the result. Some of these were already listed in the 2010 Organizer. We’re not sure if we can print this all in the 2011 Organizer and so we might be looking for help to pick a few of the best ones. If you are in France before August 1, please visit these places and let us know which ones you liked best. We will include all of this in our radical contact list on-line!

• CIRA (Centre International de recherche sur l’anarchisme), 3 rue Saint-Dominique, 13001 MARSEILLE, cira.marseille@free.fr

• CSA Croix Rousse, 18 rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 LYON, csaxrousse@riseup.net

• Librairie La Gryffe, 5 rue Sébastien Gryphe, 69007 LYON, lagryffe@lagryffe.net

• Librairie La Plume Noire, 19 rue Pierre Blanc, 69001 LYON, groupe-lyon@c-g-a.org

• Le Pavillon Noir, 10 bd Poincaré, 14000 CAEN, la_mauvaise_herbe@no-log.org

• Le Lokal Autogéré, 7 rue Pierre Dupont, 38100 GRENOBLE, lokal_autogere@no-log.org

• Antigone, 22 rue des Violettes, 38100 GRENOBLE, antigone@ouvaton.org

• Centre Culturel Libertaire, 4, rue de Colmar, 59000 LILLE, ccl59@no-log.org

• Le Kiosk info-shop, passage Alexandre Dumas, 75011 PARIS, lekiosk@samizdat.net

• Librairie Publico, 145 rue amelot, 75020 PARIS, 01-48-05-34-08

• Librairie Quilombo, 21 ter rue Voltaire, 75011 PARIS, quilombo@globnet.org

• L’Athénée libertaire, 7 rue du Muguet, 33000 BORDEAUX, librairiedumuguet@no-log.org

• L’Étincelle, 26, rue Maillé, 49100 ANGERS, etincelle1999@hotmail.com

• Les Tanneries, 17, boulevard de Chicago, 21000 DIJON, tanneries-np@squat.net

• Le Local Libertaire, 61, rue Jeanin, 21000 DIJON, maloka@chez.com

• Le Raymond’s Bar, 77 Av E.Michelin, 63000 CLERMONT-FERRAND, weareraymond@gmail.com

• B17, 17 rue Paul Bellamy, 44000 NANTES

• Les Pavillons Sauvages, 35, avenue Jean Dagnaux, 31200 TOULOUSE, pavillons.sauvages@gmail.com

• Chat Noir Toulousain, 18 avenue de la Gloire, 31500 TOULOUSE, cnt.31@cnt-f.org

• La Cantine Populaire, 244 rue de Nantes, 35000 RENNES, cantine35@hotmail.fr

• Local Anarchiste la Commune, 17 rue de Chateaudun, 35000 RENNES, contact@farennes.org

• La Mauvaise Réputation, 20 rue Terral, 34000 MONPELLIER, groupe-uaf@c-g-a.org

• Librairie Scrupules, 26, boulevard Figuerolles, 34070 MONPELLIER, Librairiescrupule@wanadoo.f

• Librairie L’Autodidacte, rue Marulaz, 25000 BESANÇON, groupe-proudhon@federation-anarchiste.org

• Café Les Epines, 39 rue de Benfeld, 67000 STRASBOURG, epinescafe@gmail.com

• La Question Sociale, 51 rue Landouzy, 51000 REIMS, lechatnoir@club-internet.fr

• Bibli
othèque-infokiosque, 152 Grand’rue, 30270 ST-JEAN DU GARD, bibliotheque152@riseup.net

• Librairie Infos, 2 rue Théodore Guiter, 66000 PERPIGNAN, antich@wanadoo.fr

• Bar La Réal, rue Louis Auguste Blanqui, 66000 PERPIGNAN

• Athénée Libertaire, 8 rue de Fouquerolles. 02000 Merlieux. kropotkine02@no-log.org

• Librairie L’Insoumise, 128, rue Saint-Hilaire, 76000 ROUEN, info-insoumise@no-log.org

• Le Laboratoire, 8, place Saint-Jean, 26000 VALENCE, lelaboratoire@no-log.org

• Undersounds, 6 rue de Gore, LIMOGES, undersounds87@gmail.com

Corrections to the 2010 Slingshot organizer

• We printed the wrong phone number for the Iron Rail in New Orleans. The new number is 504-948-0936.

• The OKC Infoshop in Oklahoma City has changed its name and relocated to: Scissortail Social Space, 3012 N Walker, Oklahoma City, OK 73103-1026. Their website is: scissortailokc.wordpress.com.

• The Taala Hooghan Infoshop moved to a larger location: 11 S. Mikes Pike, Downtown Flagstaff (In the white warehouse near the south side bus transfer station), Check them out at: www.taalahooghan.org

• The Elm City Infoshop was mistakenly placed on the “Rest in Peace” section of our website. Actually, they still exist at 810 State St. (inside Never Ending Books) New Haven CT 06511. They don’t have regular open hours but you can visit by appointment. Email them at elmcityinfoshop@gmail.com. They put out a newsletter and have a downtown street zine distro.

• Oops – two spots in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada were mistakenly listed as “RIP” — they are both still going strong: Junto Library 91 Albert St, Winnipeg and the Bike Dump at the Red Road Lodge, which is on the corner of Logan and Main, at the back of 631 Main St.

• The No Coast Infoshop in Columbia, MO has ceased to exist. The library is being stored at a private residence for the moment.

• We got envelopes returned from the following places. Does anyone know if they still exist? Please let us know.

— Pitchfork Collective at 2858 California, Denver, CO 80205.

–Greencup Books at 105 Richard Arrinton Jr. Blvd South, Birmingham, AL 35201.

–Centro Cultural de Playancha, Pedro Leon Gallo 4040, Playancha/Valparaiso, Chile

• The Bread & Roses Cultural Center in Denver, CO is no longer at the address listed – let us know if they still exist anywhere.

• The 123 Community Space in Brooklyn was evicted – they still have a contact: 123tompkins@riseup.net. A New World in Our Hearts is no longer involved in the project.

• The Hamilton Zine Library still exists at 27 Kingwilliam St. in Ontario. liber.library@gmail.com.

2008 is an election year and the media (and everyday conversations around the USA) are turning to the ‘excitement’ of the presidential election race. But in the radical community, a different kind of excitement is building — very serious and extensive efforts are underway to disrupt the Democratic National Convention (DNC) from August 25-28 in Denver, Colorado and the Republican National Convention (RNC) from Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, Minnesota. National meetings have laid out detailed strategies, outreach is underway nationally including an impressive call to action newspaper, and this spring, road shows will criss-cross the continent all in an effort to bring tens of thousands of people to St. Paul and Denver.

Why should anyone put time, energy, and ultimately their body on the line to shut down the national party conventions? The see-saw discourse of Democrats and Republics is all a huge distraction from the systematic corporate attack on the earth and its human inhabitants, after all.

And that is precisely the point. These two parties — really a few thousand politicians and activists plus a few thousand more individuals who run the political party’s corporate funders — dominate politics in the world’s richest country, and thus these people dominate the whole world. Most people in the US see the election campaign as their chief opportunity to participate in and change society.

Ultimately, if radicals want to make any progress, we can’t ignore the Democrats and Republicans stranglehold on power and legitimacy — we have to expose them and confront their domination of our lives and our future.

As the flyer being distributed by convention disrupters explains:

“Bewitched by the spectacle of politics, we confuse elections with freedom, representation with self-determination. We look to politicians to solve our problems, and when they fail, we replace them with other politicians. These politicians have been unanimous in their support for a disastrous war based on false pretexts. They are unanimous in defending borders that tear up families and countrysides while enabling corporations to export jobs, exploit workers, and pillage resources. They are unanimous in pushing cutthroat competition as the only possible economic model, even as the gulf widens between rich and poor and profit-driven environmental destruction causes global warming to accelerate at a catastrophic pace.

“They’ve created these problems, and now some of the same politicians offer to solve them for us. They try to maintain our attention by debating whether to change this or that detail. But it is foolish to expect different result from appealing to the same class of people: we can only extricate ourselves from the mess they’ve made by acting for ourselves, without so-called representation.

“Our protests against war, global warming and exploitation must be directed against the electoral system itself, so they are not reabsorbed and neutralized when new politicians offer to “represent” us. Our protests must interrupt the practical activity of the politicians — otherwise, [the protests] can be brushed off, to remain in the sphere of personal opinion. Even if we do not throw off their power entirely, the most efficient way to exert leverage upon politicians is by bypassing them to make the changes we desire ourselves, so they can offer us nothing and must struggle to catch up.

“We are proposing a strategy for each convention — a general framework to coordinate our individual efforts so they add up to something powerful. This must be public, so thousands of people can take part: a good strategy is effective regardless of whether the authorities are forewarned. This framework must offer space for a wide range of tactics and plans, so a diverse array of people can participate. Inside this framework, participants can craft their own roles, retaining as much privacy as they need to play the parts they choose. If we succeed in disrupting the political spectacle of the conventions, politics in this country will never be the same.”

Crash the Convention

As we learned at the political conventions in 2000 and 2004, the system will call out thousands of police to prevent any disruption to the conventions. Thus, mounting any serious challenge to the conventions is a numbers game — the more of us on the streets, the better chance we have of interrupting business as usual at the conventions. The cops may be able to arrest us in our thousands, but even if they do, it will take time. As we’ve learned in the past, massive police action in and of itself disrupts conventions. If we’re well–organized, we can use the police response and (over)reaction to our advantage.

Police in Denver and St. Paul have been “practicing” their convention tactics on local activists. The August critical mass ride in the Twin Cities saw a police riot and vicious arrests. Denver’s Columbus Day protests was met with chemical weapons and police carrying machine guns. The cops are trying to scare people off the street but it won’t work.

The political system has harnessed fear very effectively since September 11 to control the population. In 2004, New York city police used the excuse of “domestic terrorism” to infiltrate and spy on people preparing for the convention. But in 2008, the fear-mongers will be met with their own biggest fear: people mobilized, organized, and taking the future back into their own hands!

Unconventional Action, which is coordinating the protests against the RNC, has described how the convention protests fit in with the broader struggle for liberation by setting forth their goals: “A new reality will not emerge by simply stopping the 4 day spectacle of the RNC. We need folks with an alternative vision to come to the Twin Cities and turn their dreams into reality. Start something new, be creative, and come ready to build sustainable alternatives worth fighting for and defending. The new skills that we teach, learn, and put into practice here will allow us to return to our communities stronger, smarter, and more empowered.” They have called for the following strategies:

“1. Start Strong – Throw all of our energy into the first day. We’ll kick this off right and stretch the militarized police state out so far that it can no longer contain and suppress our voices and desires.

2. Transportation Troubles – This includes blockades downtown (at key intersections), on bridges (10 bridges over the Mississippi River in the metro area), and other sporadic and strategic targets (busses, hotel and airport shuttles etc.).

3. Respect, defend, and be prepared for autonomous self-sustaining alternatives – Lasting projects and spaces will be born out of our actions and will need to be protected. We also won’t knowingly bring the hammer down on existing long-term community projects. It doesn’t matter if we win the RNC battle, if the war for our lives is lost.

4. Be inclusive of local communities and respect alliances – We are all on the same side of the barricades and are trying to build lasting bonds for future mutual aid. We may not agree with each other on all of our tactics, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t venues for us to work together and build on the trust and community that already exists.”

And one tactical observation, the Democratic convention is scheduled just 3 days before the Republican convention. No doubt police in the 2 cities are in communication. We have to avoid a situation in which most of us get arrested in Denver so we are either in jail and can’t make it to St. Paul or are too exhausted to do so. Pace yourself.

Get connected

This spring, you can help the effort by bringing the road show to your town, distributing convention protest materials, and forming affinity groups to go to the conventions. It wouldn’t hurt practicing at anti-war protests in March (or even on leap day!) Check out www.unconventionalaction.org, www.nornc.org or www.recreate68.o
rg for lots more details and information.

Here are some listings of new infoshops or radical community spaces that we’ve learned about since we published the radical contact list in the 2008 Slingshot organizer, along with some corrections. Radical community spaces can play an important role in building the radical scene, making space for meetings, workshops and events, and hosting groups, do-it-yourself projects like bike kitchens, Food Not Bombs and alternative media. Each of these radical spaces is the culmination of vibrant community and people doing the hard work to transform our dreams of how a post-capitalist world could be — guided by cooperation, freedom and enjoyment — into reality. Plug into and support your local community space or start your own!

Indigenous Youth Media Arts Center & Infoshop – Flagstaff, AZ

Ivan tells us that this organization has existed for a few years, but that they just opened a new space. It hosts Out of Your Backpack Media, which empowers native youth in media through trainings, production, and screening. There is also a small library with hard-to-find books, zines, and movies on native rights, gender, sexuality, race and art. They also have a storefront selling books, zines, Zapatista coffee, and the work of local artists. Their action statement says: “We are an Indigenous-established volunteer-run collective dedicated to creatively confronting and overcoming social and environmental injustices in Flagstaff and surrounding areas. We are restoring and redefining knowledge and information in ways that will be meaningful to our communities. We offer access to independent media, the arts, and alternative education, with the goal of self-development as well as empowerment for youth and the greater community into action in favor of a more just and sustainable world.” Hell yeah! Visit them at 1926 N. 4th Street, #7B, Flagstaff, AZ, 928-213-9063, info@indigenousaction.org, indigenousaction.org.

Firefly Lending Library – Miami, FL

They are a radical lending library housing over 500 books and zines. The space is open for community group meetings, film nights, art shows and other events. Visit Tuesdays and Thursdays 4-7 pm and Saturdays 2-6 pm at 219 NE 20th St. Miami FL, 33137, 305-572-0064, us@thefirerfly.info, www.thefirefly.info

Grand Ole Co-opry – Evansville, IN

They are a collective and co-housing project consisting of 2 houses in Evansville and one sister house in southern Indiana. They have a house library, bike library and project house. Visit at 1405 S. Grand Ave. Evansville, IN 47713 615-275-5161.

Community Cycles – Boulder, CO

They are a non-profit bike shop that provides re-cycled bikes and a welcoming space to learn about bicycle repair, maintenance and operation through outreach and advocacy activities. 2805 Wilderness place, Ste 1000, Boulder, CO 80301, 720-565-6019

Firehouse Artspace – Phoenix, AZ

They are an artists’ live/work collective with a gallery and a performance stage that hosts events and displays art. 1015 N. 1st St Phoenix, AZ 85006 www.strivedreams.com

City Heights Free Skool – San Diego

They have a free skool, infoshop, bike kitchen and community garden with a lending library, workshops and classes and a computer lab. 4246 Wightman St. San Diego CA 92105 619-528 8060

Bloom Collective – Grand Rapids, MI

They have an infoshop and lending library with books, zines and videos, and a bulletin board. Open Mon, Wed, Thurs 3-7 and Fri/Sat 1-5. 1134 Wealthy St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

Taos Peace House and Infoshop – Taos,NM

They have literature, DVDs, bumper stickers, t-shirts, workshops and educational events. Open Monday – Saturday 11:00 to 6:00 at 801 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM 87571, 575-776-3880.

Santa Barbara Infoshop – California

They’re set to open the day Slingshot goes to the printing press! They have a lending library with books and zines, computer access, a tool library, meeting space and free box. They’ll host events and classes. Visit 421 N Alisos St. #A CA 93103, sbinfoshop@ gmail.com www.sbinfoshop.org

Wrench in the Works – Willimantic, CT

A member-run coffeehouse and social justice center with a lending library, space for workshops, meetings, performances, or just hanging out with a cup of fair-trade coffee or tea and browsing a small collection of radical books, ‘zines and other media. Open Mon, Wed- Fri. 3-7 and for events. 866 Main St, Willimantic, CT 06226. (mailing address: PO Box 254 Willimantic, CT 06226) www.wrenchintheworks.org

Unity infoshop – Denver, CO

They have a zine library, weekly copwatch trainings, monthly art shows (first Friday) and other community stuff. 1145 Santa Fe Drive, Denver CO 80204, 303 279-6348

Dirty Dove Infoshop – San Francisco, CA

They have a lending library, free box, sewing machines, workshops, movie nights, benefit concerts, cafes, language exchanges, discussions, skillshares, zines, a lounge space and internet. Open Wed 4-8 pm. Located at station 40 at 3030b 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94103. www.dirtydove.org/

Intertribal Frienship House – Oakland, CA

This is the oldest Native American community center in the nation. They recently fought off a threat from developers and a $30,000 tax debt. The two large halls, kitchen, office space and playground are dedicated to promoting cultural education and social justice. They have daily activities including bead classes, drumming, pow wows, movies, dinners and fundraisers. 523 International Blvd. Oakland CA 94606. 510-533-3204

Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library – Oakland, CA

This extensive socialist / labor / racial justice radical reading room / library has existed under Slingshot’s nose for a long time but somehow didn’t make it into the organizer. In 1996 they moved five blocks from our office at the Long Haul and have been hosting weekly speakers and meetings. Open Tuesday – Friday 10-4 pm. 6501 Telegraph Ave Oakland, CA 94609-1113 510-595-7417 www.marxistlibr.org

Camas Infoshop – Victoria, BC, Canada

They sell books, shirts and zines and have a kid’s space. They show films and have events. 2590 Quadra, Victoria BC V8T 4E2, 250-381-0585, camas.ca.

Lost Generation – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This residential bungalow was transformed into a community art space in 2004. They have art shows, performances, festivals, music shows, teach-ins and provide space for making art, video, silkscreening, banner making and information on local issues and events. No.11, Lorong Permai, Off Jin Syed Putra, Robson Heights, 50460 K.L. Malayasia 019-6838397

Centro De Cultura Libertaria – Bogota, Colombia

If you’re in Colombia, South America, check out this anarchist community space that hosts collectives, movies, discussion groups, dinners, meetings and a variety of DIY space-sustaining projects such as : estampando conciencia (silk screen workshop), ensalladero rojinegro (band practice room), malas pulgas (distro/store with independent music, organic cooperative raised/prepared foods and clothes and patches made by different local folks & collectives) and literature and video library. They are open Monday-Saturday 1pm-9pm at Cra 17 No. 61-28, Chapinero, Bogota, Colombia, culturalibertaria@gmail.com, www.anarcol.tk, 310-0810

Corrections to 2008 organizer

• The number for the Bookstore in a Barn in Liberty, TN is wrong: it should be 615-536-5022. Also, judy call it just “the barn” or “Fifth Estate Books.”

• The Velocipede Infoshop in Iowa City, IA has lost their space. They may re-organize and re-open, so watch this space . . .

• The address listed for the Third Space Infoshop is listed WRONG in the organizer: the real address is: 214 W. Eufaula St., Norman, OK 73069. (405) 310-2596

• The Rochester, New York Infoshop is closed.

• Mad Ratz Infoshop in Atlanta, GA has closed.

• The People’s Free Space in Maine moved an
d changed its name. It is now the Meg Perry Center at 644 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101 207-772-0680.

• Circle @ Infoshop in Barcelona is gone – in fact, we knew this when we published the 2008 organizer but we forgot to type it in during all the last minute madness. Sorry!!!