2 – Introduction to Slingshot issue 125

Slingshot is an independent radical newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.

As Slingshot goes to press, our Indymedia comrades in Germany are freaking out, being shut down and dealing with government surveillance. Our comrades in Barcelona are being shot with rubber bullets.

Flipping through the pages of this issue, you will find articles that completely contradict each other. That’s the idea: we aren’t a monolith, we’re a movement. Lots of voices make up this movement, and not everyone is supposed to agree. That’s where our power comes from: holding space for contradiction and internal critique. Being able to see things from different points of view — to discuss, disagree but still be comrades in the same struggle is the only way we can win. May our diverse voices burst up like flowers through the pavement of the corporate oligarchy!

It’s projects like Slingshot that hold the movement together, not because of our propaganda, but because of the great times we share listening to James Brown, The Clash and Gil Scott-Heron on vinyl while we put the pages together. We share stories, go to shows, and break bread. We write what’s in our hearts and make the best art we can. 

While we were making this issue, Sam went to the hospital and discovered his arm was broken — and it had been broken for a month! We all felt pretty bad about it, especially since Sam helped us unload a bunch of boxes of organizers when his arm was totally broken 3 weeks ago… And then, as if that wasn’t enough, Sam got freaking mugged while walking home in Berkeley from layout on Saturday night. Tthe muggers punched him in the face because he was being “too slow.” “I mean, come on guys, I’m not the one mugging me,” Sam said. Everyone in Berkeley is such a critic. Sheesh. 

During layout the clock said 2:25 but it was actually 1:30 am and we were sleep deprived and layout-drunk so a collective member threw the clock down the stairs and then we destroyed every clock in our office with the Homes Not Jails crowbar. Fuck time! Then we all helped sweep up. This is the essence of a collective — we all get to smash things, and we all get to clean up afterwards so that our 5-year old collective member won’t get cut by glass when she arrives the next morning. 

Sometimes we wonder if making Slingshot is worth it, and find ourselves lamenting that we don’t have better quality articles to cover such important topics. But then we find value in the weird and wonderful process of making the paper, and in the overwhelming volume of positive feedback from readers — especially prisoners. And it’s amazing when we talk to people involved in radical projects and spaces all over the world and they say, “Oh, you work with Slingshot? Cool!” 

We regret that this issue includes a sobriety article without an article to counter it. There was an article of tips for doing LSD, but unfortunately it was too incoherent to publish. 

Slingshot is always looking for new writers, artists, editors, photographers, translators, distributors, etc. to make this paper. If you send an article, please be open to editing.

We’re a collective but not all the articles reflect the opinions of all collective members. We welcome debate and constructive criticism.

Thanks to the people who made this: Davey, Devin, Dov, eggplant, Elke, Fern, Gerald, Hayley, Indiana Joe, Isabel, Jesse, Joey, Joey Provolone, Korvin, Laundro-Matt, Sam, 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 Saturday, December 10, 2017 at 7 pm at the Long Haul in Berkeley (see below.)

Article Deadline & Next Issue Date

Submit your articles for issue 126 by January 13, 2018 at 3 pm.

Volume 1, Number 125, Circulation 22,000

Printed October 6, 2017

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 

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