Slingshot is an independent radical newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.
People often claim that the Bay Area exists in a bubble. This is a little unfair when considering the United States behaves as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Many maps even erroneously depict the land as an island. Many aspects of the Bay actually take into account dynamic world issues and how to make impactful changes locally. A gradual change has been making a peaceful transition of the Bay intolerable. The war being waged on poor people is most noticeably in San Francisco — but spreading into Oakland and Berkeley as well. A population preoccupied with material wealth is unlikely to get involved in grassroots social justice organizing.
Our offices here in Berkeley recently received complaints from neighbors of noise performance artists. This compelled the city to require us to get a business license after operating the Info Shop for 25 years, and another 15 as the Long Haul before that. Prior to 2014, we were zoned as a massage parlor.
It is in spaces operating off of main street outside of permits that our organization flourished in as well as countless other spaces nationally and internationally. Info shops, squats, street parties have broken free from the demands of money and government to provide direct experience and action.
When compared with the affluence and pressures of the business world it appears as “A town of fucking fantasy”. The idea with this style of rabid and organic journalism is to make being conscientious rewarding.
Every issue the painful topics of the world gets ingested by collective members. Sometimes trying to solve them or other issues of working on a paper the pain gets directed inward. Internal strife plagues every project and often seems an antidote to reaching a goal. A cool quote surfaced around while the fray of hurt feelings and bitterness of this issue was being practiced, “Tyrants don’t mind if you hate them– Just as long as you don’t love each other.” It is one thing to forget to go after the people and organizations actively killing people and nature by giving energy to so much drama. But to forget to marvel and appreciate the people in our lives is a failed opportunity. Have patience with your allies..
The mistakes people make are often the strongest teachers they have in making a new world.
This time of year we have quite a few organizers lying around that we could use help in finding people who want them. If there is events you want to table for, a cool bookstore that doesn’t have it or even if you know a homeless youth organization that we should donate copies to let us know.
Slingshot is always looking for new writers, artists, editors, photographers, translators, distributors, etc. to make this paper. If you send something written, please be open to editing.
Editorial decisions are made by the Slingshot Collective but not all the articles reflect the opinions of all collectives members. We welcome debate and constructive criticism.
Thanks to the people who made this:, Aaron, Eggplant, Emily, Enola, Finn, Glenn, Jesse, Joey, J–tron, Judy, Soren, Stephski, Terri, Vanessa, Zander and all the authors and artists.
Slingshot New Volunteer Meeting
Volunteers interested in getting involved with Slingshot can come to the new volunteer meeting on February 23 at 4 pm at the Long Haul in Berkeley (see below.)
Article Deadline & Next Issue Date
Submit your articles for issue 116 on March 29 2014 at 3 p.m.
Volume 1, Number 115, Circulation 20,000
Printed
Slingshot Newspaper
A publication of Long Haul
Office: 3124 Shattuck Avenue
Mailing: PO Box 3051, Berkeley, CA 94703
Phone (510) 540–0751 • slingshot@tao.ca slingshot.tao.ca • fucking twitter @slingshotnews
Circulation Information
Subscriptions to Slingshot are free to prisoners, low income and anyone in the USA with a Slingshot Organizer, or $1 per issue or back issue. International $3 per issue. Outside the Bay Area we’ll mail you a free stack of copies if you give them out for free. Each envelope is one lb. (8 copies) —- let us know how many envelopes you want. In the Bay Area, pick up copies at Long Haul or Bound Together Books in SF.
Other Slingshot Free stuff
We’ll send you a random assortment of back issues of Slingshot for the cost of postage: Send $3 for 2 lbs. Free if you’re an infoshop or library. Also, our full–color coffee table book about People’s Park is free or by sliding scale donation: send $1 — $25 for a copy. We also have surplus copies of the 2012 Organizer available free to a good home. Email or call us: slingshot@tao.ca / Box 3051 Berkeley, 94703.