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Greetings Troublemakers... [br]welcome to Trouble.

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My name is not important.

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Capitalism, as an international [br]and inter-connected system of

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economic domination, [br]assumes different forms

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in different parts of the world.

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This is partly due to the need to adapt [br]to local customs and conditions,

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and partly by design.

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In some territories, local life is [br]coloured by the region's significance

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to the global economy as a [br]source of agricultural production,

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or a site of resource extraction.

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[br]I come from coal country.

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My grandfather was a coal miner[br]… actually all my grandfathers.

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Others, such as the Pearl River Delta [br]region in southeast China,

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have been selected for their [br]deep reservoirs of cheap labour

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and built up into global epicentres [br]of low-wage industrial manufacturing.

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Here, high-tech gadgets are mass-produced

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under the watchful eye of[br]the Chinese Communist Party

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and shipped off to consumer markets[br]in the Global North,

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ending up in any number [br]of metropolitan cities,

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each competing for prominence [br]as hubs of cultural production,

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research and development, [br]and IT.

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But although the local character [br]of capitalist exploitation

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and alienation differs, [br]each corner of its global empire

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is connected by a unifying logic,

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one that aims to coerce the vast majority[br]of us to toil our lives away

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for the benefit of a tiny minority.

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Gentrification, as one of the primary [br]methods of urban transformation

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under capitalism,

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plays out differently in different cities [br]and neighbourhoods for similar reasons.

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But like the broader [br]economic system it's part of,

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gentrification has a tendency [br]towards homogenization,

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creating neighbourhoods [br]that look strangely similar

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to their counterparts [br]half-way across the world.

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As we saw in the [br]first part of this series,

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those caught up in this process [br]experience these changes

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through the first-hand [br]violence of displacement,

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and the general dislocation [br]brought about by changes

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to the communities they grew up in.

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Many people, [br]rather than be passive observers

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to their own forced removal [br]from their homes, decide to resist.

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Over the next thirty minutes, [br]we will look at some of

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the stories of resistance coming out of [br]the San Francisco Bay Area,

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Berlin [br]and Montreal.

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Along the way, we will speak with[br]a number of individuals

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who are marking their territory,[br]fighting back against the encroachment

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of tech companies and high-price[br]boutiques into their hoods

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... and making a whole lot of trouble.

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Silicon Valley is south of[br]San Francisco and Oakland,

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and emerged as this Cold War project[br]that was receiving a lot of military and

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government funding to produce[br]different technology during the Cold War.

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After the Cold War a lot of these[br]companies became more consumer-oriented.

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And we can really see this moment[br]coinciding with the birth of the Internet

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and the rise of the dot com boom.

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And what we’re seeing now is that [br]the models of Google and Apple

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aren’t going to necessarily[br]bust in the same ways

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that the companies of the [br]late 90s and early 2000s busted.

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In San Francisco there are[br]lots of smaller start-ups.

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There are also now big companies,[br]like Twitter, right in downtown.

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These companies in Silicon Valley[br]have enabled their workers

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to reverse-commute to and from work,

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so that they can live in these[br]kind of cool, culturally interesting

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neighbourhoods in San Francisco, [br]or in Oakland.

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Gentrification is impacting [br]all of the Bay Area.

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There are smaller, personal, [br]beautiful acts of resistance

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committed by exploited and oppressed[br]people in their daily lives everywhere.

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The largest flashpoints of resistance[br]have been in San Francisco and Oakland.

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Many galleries and artists, [br]even the well-intentioned,

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participate in this process by[br]developing spaces and creating works

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that cater to a gentrifier audience.

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And by not honestly engaging with[br]the dynamics around how their projects

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actually assist the real estate industry[br]and the erasure of local cultures.

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KHY serves as a graffiti crew, [br]a network of creatives and radicals,

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as well as a broader movement[br]through which people from various hoods,[br]

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spaces and communities express [br]their love, rage and solidarities.

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We participate in local [br]street-rooted projects that produce

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both cultural and material resistance [br]and prioritize building with

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local oppressed and exploited folks.[br]Many who have had little or no access

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to established activist[br]and art institutions.

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Most street art is legal,

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thereby not challenging[br]the concept of private property.

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Nor contributing to the fight against[br]capital for our public social spaces.

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Every act of graffiti challenges the logic[br]of property and shatters the illusion

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that the state can [br]control us at all times.

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Even so, graffiti writers and their work[br]can align with the goals of gentrification

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if they are aren’t conscious[br]of several factors.

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When graffiti is both illegal[br]and explicitly radical in intention,

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it is not only a material [br]act of resistance,

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but also a way through which [br]to communicate and inspire,

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to explore and familiarize ourselves[br]with our physical environments,

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and to develop confidence in one’s agency[br]and the capacity to execute actions

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alone and as part of [br]an affinity group or crew.

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The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project [br]is a data visualization

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and digital story-telling collective[br]that makes web maps,

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that creates community events,

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and that does collaborative research[br]to fight the eviction crisis.

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We work collectively with a number[br]of different community partners

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and right now we have probably [br]about 50 people working in it.

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We’ve actually found that[br]evictions are proximate

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to these phenomenon that [br]people call Google bus stops.

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But basically they’re bus stops that [br]big companies - not just Google -

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can use to transport their workers.

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So we’ve found that 69% [br]of evictions are happening

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within four blocks of these bus stops.

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Around 2013, [br]we decided we would block one.

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And it was a collective of different [br]housing activists in the Bay Area

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that engaged in the first bus protest.

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Afterwards other groups [br]like Eviction Free San Francisco

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created its own bus blockade.

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Different anarchist collectives in Oakland[br]also created bus blockades.

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The media got very involved in these.

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And everyone suddenly, [br]I think, became aware locally

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but also nationally and internationally,

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of the sort of correlation [br]between real estate speculation

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and eviction and high tech.

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The police are complicit in gentrification[br]

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because they provide [br]the physical violence necessary.

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The police carry out evictions,

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intimidate and threaten [br]working-class venues and projects,

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harass houseless folks, criminalize [br]sex workers, enforce gang injunctions

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and just wage general violence [br]against us to show that

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we aren’t “allowed” [br]in these spaces anymore.

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In both cities there [br]have been police murders,

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primarily of Black and Latinx folks, [br]related to gentrification.

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Many were of people who were simply [br]existing in contested social spaces,

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such as working-class streets and parks in[br]areas being targeted for gentrification.

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The city has created apps so that[br]you can reserve public playgrounds.

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You can pay on this app to reserve, y'know[br]a portion of a public park or playground.

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And there was this very epic event [br]in which some employees

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from Drop Box and from Air BnB [br]scheduled a soccer match

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in this public playground[br]through their app,

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and proceeded to try to kick youth[br]of colour off the playground because,

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y’know, they had reserved it on this app.

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And meanwhile these youth of colour[br]had been playing soccer

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for years on this playground[br]and didn’t know about the app.

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Never had to pay[br]… that’s just where they played.

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If you wanna play pick-up, [br]you play pick-up like the rest of us.

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It’s not pick-up. You can book the field.

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Just because you got money [br]and can pay for the field

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you don’t get to book it for an hour, [br]to take over these kids fuckin, like…

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It’s like 80 bucks! [br]It’s like 80 bucks per person.

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It’s bullshit. No, it’s bullshit!

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Luckily there was a protest [br]that ensued after that incident

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and the youth won their right to keep on [br]playing in their playground

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without the app.[br]

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Sideshows are essentially large, [br]unpermitted moving car shows[br]

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that perform stunts.

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These shows are hosted by mostly [br]working-class youth of colour,

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are organized in a decentralized manner[br]and gather dozens to hundreds,

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and sometimes even thousands, [br]of participants.

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Approaching police vehicles have [br]their dispersal commands ignored

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and are often attacked with bottles, [br]other projectiles, and are stomped out.

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Fuck the police!

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When sideshows hold space in the streets,

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it is a group effort which can [br]relieve the alienation,

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anxiety and depression [br]that comes with living

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in neighbourhoods struggling [br]with violence and poverty.

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In Berlin, average housing prices [br]jumped more than 20% last year,

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earning the city the dubious title of the[br]hottest real estate market in the world.

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Much of this increase has to do [br]with a wave of property speculation,

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triggered in part by the [br]large-scale sell-off,

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by the city’s former mayor, [br]Klaus Wowereit,

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of over 110,000 social housing units [br]to private real estate firms

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and investment banks like Goldman Sachs. [br]

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The rapid spike in property values [br]has been accompanied

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by a flurry of new high-rise [br]condo construction

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that is transforming the character [br]of working-class neighbourhoods.

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And this is happening in a city [br]where 85% of residents are renters.

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Alongside this meteoric rise [br]in the cost of living, for years now,

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Berlin has been positioning itself [br]as the new Silicon Valley of Europe.

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Already home to a growing number [br]of global tech start-ups,

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the city was recently chosen [br]as the site of a new Google campus,

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planned to set up shop in the trendy [br]working-class neighbourhood of Kreuzberg.

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This announcement triggered an [br]immediate backlash from local residents

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and digital privacy advocates alike,

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transforming the proposed [br]Google outpost into a potent symbol

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of the city's IT-fuelled [br]gentrification woes,

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and the broader restructuring [br]of the global economy

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being led by the tech industry.

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People are very much concerned [br]here that Berlin would turn into

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a new San Francisco, or a new Toronto, [br]or a new London,

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where the most vulnerable people[br]got evicted from the centres

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and pushed towards the periphery.

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Kreuzberg has historically been [br]the hot spot for social struggles.

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Anarchist communities have[br]thrived there since the 90s,

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and many movements [br]got organized in the neighbourhood.

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Since last year, [br]many communities and individuals

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mobilized against the implantation[br]of the Google campus in Kreuzberg.

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On the one hand many [br]people from the neighborhood

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who are affected [br]by the ongoing displacement

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are fighting against capitalist [br]restructuring of the city.

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They have felt the increase [br]in living cost during the past years

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of start-ups moving into the area.

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Google Campus [br]will only accelerate this process.

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On the other hand more and more people[br]are starting to realize that Google

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is at the center of a growing system [br]of totalitarian technological control.

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In a very decentralized way, [br]a network of opponents got together.

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First, posters in the streets,

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then public meetings [br]in the anarchist library, Kalabal!k.

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What is really impressive here is [br]to see these decentralized networks

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of actors with no real center engaging [br]in many diverse direct actions

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from graffiti on the walls of the [br]Google Campus, to paint attacks.

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There have been unregistered [br]noise demonstrations

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every month at the campus site,

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and a Molotov attack on tech co-working [br]space Start-Up Factory Görlitzer Park.

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Also, The newspaper "Shitstorm"[br]with a print of 8000

0:12:15.228,0:12:18.583
contains articles criticizing Google [br]and the world it stands for,

0:12:18.583,0:12:20.273
from an anarchist perspective.

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Google is one of the strongest forces [br]behind the present convergence

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of information tech, cybernetics, [br]nano-tech, neuroscience, and bio-tech.

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And this is more than just an [br]upgrade to the industrial system,

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it is a fundamental change [br]towards power-as-domination.

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Therefore we don’t want [br]this entity at all as a neighbour.

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It’s not any form of hyper-capitalist [br]driven gentrification.

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It is Google.

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The Google empire responsible for mass[br]surveillance of everyone on this planet.

0:12:52.040,0:12:56.888
That actually normalized this business [br]model based on that mass surveillance.

0:12:56.888,0:13:02.153
Where fighting gentrification [br]also means fighting mass surveillance.

0:13:02.153,0:13:05.734
Also means fighting [br]technological dystopia.

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Also means fighting [br]this hyper-capitalism.

0:13:12.631,0:13:16.595
Security around the site of [br]the projected Google Campus

0:13:16.595,0:13:24.465
has tremendously increased when activists[br]started attacking the building itself.

0:13:24.465,0:13:29.157
We don’t count anymore the number[br]of paint attacks and graffiti attacks.

0:13:29.157,0:13:33.184
In several fonts and colours [br]already was written ‘Fuck Google’

0:13:33.184,0:13:36.604
all over the facade of the building.

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So at first they put some security guards,[br]then some security guards day and night.

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Then several security guards.

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Then frequently we [br]also see the police there.

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Google has been trying to counter [br]our efforts to articulate this critique

0:13:51.771,0:13:53.605
by throwing money at business owners,

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politicians and other[br]institutions in the city

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and doing their own [br]counter public relations.

0:13:59.001,0:14:02.068
Until recently most of the groups[br]had been united in their practices

0:14:02.068,0:14:03.918
of not negotiating with officials.

0:14:03.918,0:14:05.829
But divide and conquer [br]strategies are starting

0:14:05.829,0:14:08.007
to take hold within this community.

0:14:08.007,0:14:14.253
The Berlin police are reacting as[br]a way to serve these financial interests

0:14:14.253,0:14:19.496
of Google and the ones [br]who want to take over our city.

0:14:19.866,0:14:24.540
We also see that there is a political[br]will by the local administration

0:14:24.540,0:14:28.188
of the city to accompany [br]this tech-based gentrification.

0:14:28.188,0:14:31.695
This ‘start-up-ification’ of [br]our lives and neighbourhoods.

0:14:31.695,0:14:35.245
It is clear to us that it doesn't [br]matter what politician is in power

0:14:35.245,0:14:38.349
since they will decide [br]in favour of capital every time.

0:14:38.349,0:14:41.895
What we hope to do is somehow to lower

0:14:41.895,0:14:45.744
the attractiveness of the city [br]for these companies.

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If we kick Google out of Kreuzberg,[br]we hope that other companies,

0:14:49.613,0:14:53.484
other giants from Silicon Valley, [br]would think twice

0:14:53.484,0:14:55.985
before thinking to do the same.

0:15:01.931,0:15:05.671
Within the colonially-occupied [br]territories ruled by the Canadian state,

0:15:05.671,0:15:08.371
Montréal stands out among large cities,

0:15:08.371,0:15:10.674
both in terms of its militant [br]culture of resistance,

0:15:10.674,0:15:12.491
and its relatively affordable rents.

0:15:12.491,0:15:15.477
But while it hasn't seen [br]the same rapid pace of gentrification

0:15:15.477,0:15:17.617
as the country's other [br]metropolitan regions,

0:15:17.617,0:15:20.122
such as the Greater Toronto [br]and Vancouver Areas,

0:15:20.122,0:15:23.636
Montréal still faces many [br]of the same gentrification pressures

0:15:23.636,0:15:27.063
seen in countless other [br]urban environments around the world.

0:15:27.063,0:15:31.203
Namely, an increase in condo construction[br]and other luxury development projects,

0:15:31.203,0:15:33.525
a saturation of Air B&B rentals,

0:15:33.525,0:15:37.794
and the opening of countless boutiques,[br]trendy restaurants and hipster cafes

0:15:37.794,0:15:41.626
seeking to cater to tourists [br]and the city’s more affluent residents.

0:15:41.686,0:15:45.341
We bought a building in, [br]you know, what was once considered

0:15:45.341,0:15:52.311
a 'hood’ and transformed what was a, [br]you know, disheveled building into this,

0:15:52.311,0:15:57.002
you know, overly-luxurious, [br]fantasious, men’s club-type place,

0:15:57.002,0:16:00.352
that we could only dream of attending.

0:16:00.352,0:16:03.456
These changes are leading to[br]significant levels of displacement

0:16:03.456,0:16:05.591
from working-class [br]and immigrant neighbourhoods,

0:16:05.591,0:16:08.416
which in turn has provoked [br]widespread community resistance,

0:16:08.416,0:16:10.272
including a good number [br]of anonymous attacks

0:16:10.272,0:16:14.309
emerging from the shadowy ranks of [br]the city's sizable network of anarchists.

0:16:18.952,0:16:23.895
In a lot of ways people tend [br]to use a lot of settler colonial tropes

0:16:23.895,0:16:27.166
as a way of legitimizing [br]gentrification in Parc Ex.

0:16:27.166,0:16:30.859
People frequently refer to [br]the neighbourhood as being “exotic”,

0:16:30.859,0:16:34.728
as a “hidden gem”, [br]or a “newly discovered neighbourhood”.

0:16:34.728,0:16:39.208
People express a lot of interest in [br]its restaurants but very little concern

0:16:39.208,0:16:43.727
with respect to the lives of the folks who[br]actually do live in the neighbourhood.

0:16:43.727,0:16:47.843
Parc Extension is a [br]predominantly working class,

0:16:47.843,0:16:50.752
immigrant, and poor [br]people of colour neighbourhood

0:16:50.752,0:16:55.745
located in sort of the central north part[br]of Tio’tia:ke, or so-called Montréal.

0:16:55.745,0:16:59.865
Today Parc Extension is one of Canada's[br]poorest neighbourhoods.

0:16:59.865,0:17:03.629
Plaza Hutchison has long served [br]as a community center

0:17:03.629,0:17:06.044
and meeting place for Parc-Ex residents.

0:17:06.044,0:17:10.127
In Spring 2017, the Plaza Hutchison[br]building was purchased

0:17:10.127,0:17:14.931
by the BSR group to be converted[br]into luxury apartment suites.

0:17:14.931,0:17:18.681
From the outset, its manager Ron Basal[br]has been very up-front

0:17:18.681,0:17:22.747
about stating that the units are all to be[br]rented out at so-called "market price"

0:17:22.747,0:17:24.744
and are not meant [br]to be affordable housing.

0:17:24.744,0:17:28.202
We tried to intervene [br]in the permit approval process,

0:17:28.202,0:17:32.516
we also disrupted a number [br]of city council meetings in an effort

0:17:32.516,0:17:36.150
to prevent elected officials [br]from granting the permit.

0:17:36.150,0:17:39.742
We were fairly violently [br]forced out of the room by the police.

0:17:39.742,0:17:42.205
And committee members [br]were actually forced to the ground,

0:17:42.205,0:17:43.594
arrested and charged.

0:17:43.594,0:17:47.849
I think it’s very clear from his actions[br]that Basal is not in the least bit

0:17:47.849,0:17:50.045
interested in the well-being [br]of the neighbourhood

0:17:50.045,0:17:54.015
and is only seeking to profit off [br]of the displacement of its residents.

0:17:54.015,0:17:57.723
Our experience suggests [br]that engaging in municipal politics

0:17:57.723,0:17:59.992
only ever brought us to a dead end.

0:17:59.992,0:18:01.431
There’s a number of instances

0:18:01.431,0:18:05.356
- be it through the rent strikes [br]in Toronto and Hamilton,

0:18:05.356,0:18:08.911
or building occupations [br]that have taken place in Montréal -

0:18:08.911,0:18:12.415
that there’s actually a number [br]of tactics that exist outside

0:18:12.415,0:18:15.325
of administrative and [br]political channels that can be

0:18:15.325,0:18:18.315
far more effective [br]in terms of stopping gentrification.

0:18:18.315,0:18:23.090
I think we’ve drawn some inspiration [br]from Hochelaga and St. Henri

0:18:23.090,0:18:27.094
as places where there have been [br]broader based community movements,

0:18:27.094,0:18:30.383
but also autonomous, [br]affinity-based groups that have been able

0:18:30.383,0:18:33.599
to engage in much more [br]confrontational actions,

0:18:33.599,0:18:36.380
and we believe those groups [br]have done really important work

0:18:36.380,0:18:40.256
in terms of highlighting the ways in[br]which gentrification is a violent process

0:18:40.256,0:18:44.049
and how a lot of the[br]cafés and vintage stores

0:18:44.049,0:18:47.217
actually are very inaccessible [br]to the people who

0:18:47.217,0:18:50.750
live in those neighbourhoods[br]and we definitely hope to do more work in

0:18:50.750,0:18:55.352
the coming months to sent a clear message[br]to developers and would-be gentrifiers

0:18:55.352,0:18:57.998
that if they try to get [br]these projects off the ground,

0:18:57.998,0:19:00.919
that they will be confronted [br]at every step along the way.

0:19:00.919,0:19:04.720
We know that gentrification[br]tends to be accompanied

0:19:04.720,0:19:07.496
by more police violence [br]and state repression.

0:19:07.496,0:19:12.343
And Parc-Ex in particular is a [br]neighbourhood where there already exists

0:19:12.343,0:19:17.509
a significant amount of racial profiling,[br]of police surveillance and harassment.

0:19:17.509,0:19:21.194
An important question we’ve been [br]asking ourselves is how we can work

0:19:21.194,0:19:24.907
to make the neighbourhood an uncomfortable[br]place for would-be gentrifiers,

0:19:24.907,0:19:28.181
but also to try to limit the [br]ways in which that could contribute

0:19:28.181,0:19:30.159
to police presence in the neighbourhood.

0:19:30.648,0:19:33.592
So, St. Henri was a historically [br]white working-class neighbourhood.

0:19:33.592,0:19:36.904
Well... historically[br]it’s Kanienkehaka territory

0:19:36.904,0:19:39.931
but this is one of the problems [br]when talking about gentrification.

0:19:39.931,0:19:43.184
It can erase ongoing colonial [br]violence and dispossession.

0:19:43.184,0:19:47.147
Sometimes, anti-gentrification [br]struggles get framed as just

0:19:47.147,0:19:50.457
“we want to stay” and that can lend [br]itself to some pretty shitty things,

0:19:50.457,0:19:53.618
especially in the context of a white [br]working-class francophone population

0:19:53.618,0:19:56.964
and reactions to displaced folks [br]from elsewhere in the world moving here.

0:19:56.964,0:20:00.060
There have been some [br]good moments in the South West.

0:20:00.060,0:20:04.296
For example, the squat in 2013 [br]that the POPIR was involved in

0:20:04.296,0:20:08.372
that forced the city to take a few lots in[br]the neighbourhood off the private market.

0:20:08.372,0:20:12.135
I have nothing, no sympathy, zero! [br]

0:20:12.135,0:20:17.300
They’re punks, they’re anarchists.[br]They’re from the black bloc.

0:20:17.300,0:20:19.535
There is a wide range of tactics [br]used by the struggle

0:20:19.535,0:20:22.773
against gentrification in Montreal [br]and there always has been.

0:20:22.773,0:20:26.824
The sausage heist was an interesting one.[br]A very Robin Hood-inspired action.

0:20:26.824,0:20:30.123
Just before closing Saturday night [br]at Maxine Tremblay’s store,

0:20:30.123,0:20:32.678
30 people in masks stormed in.

0:20:32.678,0:20:37.197
Half of them came inside with bags,[br]put food in their bags...

0:20:37.197,0:20:40.933
They told the employee [br]‘just shut up, don’t move.’

0:20:40.933,0:20:43.882
'Don’t do nothing, [br]we just want to steal some stuff.'

0:20:43.882,0:20:47.398
They threw smoke bombs, [br]stole food, spray painted graffiti

0:20:47.398,0:20:49.175
and glued posters to the windows.

0:20:49.175,0:20:51.507
Their message? [br]Gentrifiers, get out.

0:20:51.507,0:20:54.136
It was a brazen attack [br]on several businesses

0:20:54.136,0:20:56.150
at close to midnight on Saturday.

0:20:56.150,0:20:58.973
A group of individuals [br]wearing ski masks at the time,

0:20:58.973,0:21:00.780
broke the windows of four businesses.

0:21:00.780,0:21:03.531
Dressed all in black, [br]the vandals damaged store fronts,

0:21:03.531,0:21:06.394
as seen in this security video [br]obtained by Global News.

0:21:06.394,0:21:10.190
If we’re just talking about attacks, [br]I’d say that most of the communication

0:21:10.190,0:21:13.211
happens through anonymous [br]communiques on the internet.

0:21:13.211,0:21:16.045
Sometimes there are posters, [br]sometimes there is some graff,

0:21:16.045,0:21:19.344
sometimes, you know, [br]people drop off flyers somewhere.

0:21:19.344,0:21:22.378
People have gone door to door [br]to put flyers in mailboxes.

0:21:22.378,0:21:25.001
The mainstream media, they pick up [br]the most spectacular attacks,

0:21:25.001,0:21:28.429
and they're not on our side and [br]I wouldn't say that people rely on them

0:21:28.429,0:21:30.676
to communicate motivations[br]and rationale fairly.

0:21:30.676,0:21:33.425
It’s no longer vandalism, [br]it’s causing terror

0:21:33.425,0:21:35.535
to the people who are living in the area.

0:21:35.535,0:21:38.518
Corey Shapiro owns [br]several businesses in St. Henri.

0:21:38.518,0:21:40.868
Two of them were attacked[br]over the weekend.

0:21:41.248,0:21:43.348
A few years ago, Corey Shapiro,

0:21:43.348,0:21:46.833
the almost comical evil figurehead [br]of gentrification in St. Henri…

0:21:46.833,0:21:51.028
Or as they call me in the area [br]where we populate in Montreal

0:21:51.028,0:21:52.750
... ‘The Notorious Gentrifier’.

0:21:52.750,0:21:54.775
called for business owners [br]to band together

0:21:54.775,0:21:56.710
and hire private security for their shops.

0:21:56.710,0:22:00.575
His super fancy glasses store, [br]L’Archive, kept getting spat on

0:22:00.575,0:22:02.076
and he was pissed about it.

0:22:02.076,0:22:05.221
One person got a ticket for spitting [br]on L’Archive cause undercover cops

0:22:05.221,0:22:07.449
were stationed outside the store at night.

0:22:07.449,0:22:09.374
Cops have always protected[br]those with money.

0:22:16.194,0:22:19.588
In Hochelaga specifically, [br]the coming of yuppie businesses,

0:22:19.588,0:22:24.080
the place valois, and the condos[br]were definitely a major factor.

0:22:24.080,0:22:28.383
The city is trying to rebrand the [br]neighbourhood by renaming the area HOMA

0:22:28.383,0:22:31.808
- which is just some fuckin’ hipster [br]remix of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

0:22:32.328,0:22:35.878
They wanna change the image of this [br]neighbourhood from a rugged working-class,

0:22:35.878,0:22:38.960
like, somewhat criminal area [br]to a yuppie playground.

0:22:39.520,0:22:41.737
And of course that is just a continuation

0:22:41.737,0:22:44.885
of the colonial capitalist [br]project of occupation.

0:22:44.885,0:22:48.172
Montreal’s police force plays a huge[br]role in the process.

0:22:48.172,0:22:51.903
They remove street-based sex-workers, [br]drug-users, and homeless folks.

0:22:51.903,0:22:54.597
They can pretend to be [br]objective and neutral all they want

0:22:54.597,0:22:58.152
but the laws that they enforce [br]benefit business and property owners.

0:22:58.152,0:23:01.017
There’s been numerous [br]demands by business owners,

0:23:01.017,0:23:03.998
specifically those who’ve been [br]targeted by direct action,

0:23:03.998,0:23:06.661
for an increase in [br]cameras in the neighbourhood.

0:23:06.661,0:23:09.040
They wanna make sure that [br]if anyone steps out of line

0:23:09.040,0:23:11.227
there’s gonna be proof and convictions.

0:23:11.227,0:23:15.599
The collaboration between the state [br]and capitalists is pretty fuckin’ blatant.

0:23:15.599,0:23:19.200
It’s Projet Montreal calling [br]for so-called 'social mixity',

0:23:19.200,0:23:21.812
a fucking code word for gentrification.

0:23:21.812,0:23:25.275
These people are friends and they [br]just can’t wait for the area to be nicer,

0:23:25.275,0:23:27.140
meaning richer and “cleaned up”.

0:23:27.370,0:23:29.521
There are community groups [br]doing harm reduction

0:23:29.521,0:23:31.456
and mutual aid which is good work.

0:23:31.456,0:23:33.949
There’s interesting [br]decentralized direct action

0:23:33.949,0:23:36.781
that goes on which has [br]been effective in some ways.

0:23:36.781,0:23:41.590
Some businesses were so badly hit, [br]they were forced to close for clean-ups.

0:23:42.350,0:23:44.696
It’s scary, [br]because it’s not the first time.

0:23:44.696,0:23:48.091
It worries business owners.[br]It angers the rich.

0:23:48.091,0:23:50.673
It shows that cops [br]are somewhat ineffective,

0:23:50.673,0:23:54.017
and definitely allows [br]for some cathartic revenge.

0:23:54.017,0:23:58.340
When we think of territoriality, [br]we should think about it in terms of land

0:23:58.340,0:24:01.281
and not neighbourhoods [br]as clearly defined spaces.

0:24:02.421,0:24:06.083
We shouldn’t be dividing the [br]island into lots and smaller lots.

0:24:06.083,0:24:09.393
It’s not our decision to make and [br]it’s usually just used by the state

0:24:09.393,0:24:12.661
to map out and better [br]control the city anyways.

0:24:14.081,0:24:17.987
Municipal politicians try to [br]pacify struggles constantly.

0:24:17.987,0:24:22.542
If we listened to them, action other[br]than voting would never be the solution.

0:24:22.542,0:24:25.279
They’re inherently against conflictuality.

0:24:31.100,0:24:34.366
While it can often feel like it, [br]the struggle against gentrification

0:24:34.366,0:24:36.162
is not a zero-sum game.

0:24:36.382,0:24:38.641
By organizing and mounting [br]collective resistance

0:24:38.641,0:24:41.101
to the forces fueling [br]and pushing this process,

0:24:41.101,0:24:43.523
communities grow stronger [br]and more resilient,

0:24:43.523,0:24:46.708
even as they face the attrition [br]brought on by displacement.

0:24:47.658,0:24:49.780
Lessons learned in a campaign [br]to stop the construction

0:24:49.780,0:24:52.854
of a luxury condo development [br]can be applied to future battles

0:24:52.854,0:24:55.791
to halt the selling-off [br]of social housing units.

0:24:55.791,0:24:58.785
Tactics developed [br]in a battle against a new cafe

0:24:58.785,0:25:02.015
can be used to bring pressure to bear [br]against a notorious slumlord.

0:25:04.805,0:25:06.894
When we navigate [br]new terrains intentionally,

0:25:06.894,0:25:10.411
whether they be darkened back alleyways[br]to take out surveillance cameras,

0:25:10.411,0:25:13.928
or the hallways of apartment buildings [br]to knock on our neighbours doors

0:25:13.928,0:25:16.264
-- each provide us with skills that [br]we wouldn't have developed

0:25:16.264,0:25:18.895
if we hadn't first taken [br]the initiative to act.

0:25:18.895,0:25:21.276
Confidence and militancy are contagious.

0:25:21.276,0:25:24.302
Tactics and strategies honed [br]in one struggle can be catalytic,

0:25:24.302,0:25:26.403
spreading beyond [br]their initial participants

0:25:26.403,0:25:29.911
and inspiring others to take similar [br]action to defend their own blocks.

0:25:31.455,0:25:35.125
I think a great deal about [br]the importance of, you know, of centering,

0:25:35.125,0:25:38.061
directly affected folks in organizing.

0:25:38.061,0:25:42.471
We believe it’s important to think about[br]who’s coming to our meetings.

0:25:42.471,0:25:46.709
Who are our events being geared towards?[br]How are we reaching out to people?

0:25:46.709,0:25:50.184
Are we doing the important groundwork [br]of handing out flyers,

0:25:50.184,0:25:53.208
of you know, [br]of knocking on people’s doors,

0:25:53.208,0:25:54.977
of reaching people where they’re at?

0:25:55.347,0:25:57.562
Start with homies and [br]comrades you really trust.

0:25:57.562,0:26:01.427
You can start as small as stickering,[br]or as big as you’d like,

0:26:01.427,0:26:03.326
but act as soon as you can.

0:26:03.326,0:26:07.088
Make sure your crew is not only [br]rooted in shared views,

0:26:07.088,0:26:09.160
but also in friendship and solidarity.

0:26:09.160,0:26:12.596
Above all, we also think it’s[br]important to align ourselves with

0:26:12.596,0:26:18.076
other struggles against poverty, racism, [br]and displacement in the neighbourhood. [br]

0:26:18.356,0:26:22.954
Learn from and grow and build [br]with folks who occupy different spaces

0:26:22.954,0:26:27.509
and cultures so that networks grow[br]beyond smaller, radical circles.

0:26:27.509,0:26:33.510
Organize these networks[br]from the local perspective

0:26:33.510,0:26:37.998
but with a global objective [br]and a global reach.

0:26:37.998,0:26:42.240
Ensure to do all to inspire[br]the world with what’s happening.

0:26:42.240,0:26:46.477
I think it’s important for us to [br]remember that we’re on stolen land,

0:26:46.477,0:26:48.976
to remember those who [br]were initially displaced

0:26:48.976,0:26:53.983
and to continue to support struggles [br]for Indigenous solidarity as well.

0:26:53.983,0:26:56.795
To create that knowledge [br]and that fight from the ground up

0:26:56.795,0:27:01.775
and to do data work but [br]to also do direct action work.

0:27:02.205,0:27:05.377
Different groups can [br]prioritize different things.

0:27:05.377,0:27:07.595
Not everyone has to work on policy.

0:27:07.595,0:27:09.594
Not everybody has to produce the maps,

0:27:09.594,0:27:12.800
not everybody has to, you know, [br]organize direct actions.

0:27:12.800,0:27:15.778
But if different groups can [br]kind of take on different things,

0:27:15.778,0:27:18.405
or maybe different groups can, you know,[br]work in different neighbourhoods

0:27:18.405,0:27:22.679
or have different regional scopes, [br]I think struggles can be

0:27:22.679,0:27:24.729
more powerful and effective.

0:27:24.729,0:27:29.267
So, you gotta broaden your analysis, you[br]gotta find ways to connect your struggle

0:27:29.267,0:27:31.487
to community autonomy and mutual aid.

0:27:31.487,0:27:34.390
You gotta be focused on [br]your short-term goal,

0:27:34.390,0:27:36.444
but also connecting them [br]to the longer term goals.

0:27:36.444,0:27:38.112
Try to stay in your neighbourhood,

0:27:38.112,0:27:41.422
build relationships with your [br]neighbours who aren’t anarchists

0:27:41.422,0:27:45.013
… don’t be afraid of combative tactics, [br]but don’t fetishize them either.

0:27:45.013,0:27:49.042
Fighting gentrification isn’t necessarily [br]fighting capitalism and colonialism.

0:27:49.042,0:27:52.674
It has a more limited scope, [br]and that opens it up to recuperation.

0:27:52.674,0:27:56.306
Unfortunately, I think that [br]there has been a fetishization

0:27:56.306,0:27:58.726
of tactics and discourse on all sides.

0:27:58.726,0:28:02.121
Both in community organizing [br]and decentralized attacks.

0:28:02.121,0:28:04.181
I guess I’d say I’m annoyed [br]with populist discourse

0:28:04.181,0:28:06.307
and abstract community-building [br]on the left,

0:28:06.307,0:28:08.825
and badass posing in informal circles.

0:28:08.825,0:28:12.363
I think it’s interesting to [br]discuss these different tactics.

0:28:12.363,0:28:16.618
To be honest about what they accomplish[br]and what are their limitations.

0:28:16.618,0:28:19.161
And to be open to [br]different things happening.

0:28:19.161,0:28:22.700
And engaging in these fights [br]through a variety of scales

0:28:22.700,0:28:24.570
and with a variety of tactics,

0:28:24.570,0:28:30.262
is really important, and I think [br]it’s imperative that these processes

0:28:30.262,0:28:36.070
and these struggles maintain [br]anti-racist, and anti-capitalist, feminist

0:28:36.070,0:28:40.105
approaches to their organizing [br]and to their theorizing.

0:28:40.105,0:28:42.115
I think that’s extremely important.

0:28:42.115,0:28:46.074
The conscious desire for total freedom [br]requires a transformation of ourselves

0:28:46.074,0:28:49.018
and our relationships in the [br]context of revolutionary struggle.

0:28:49.018,0:28:52.924
It becomes necessary not merely to rush[br]into this that, or the other activity.

0:28:52.924,0:28:56.391
But to grasp and learn to use all [br]of those tools that we can take

0:28:56.391,0:28:58.811
as our own and use[br]against the current existent

0:28:58.811,0:29:00.477
based on domination.

0:29:00.477,0:29:03.618
In particular, the analysis of [br]the world and our activity in it,

0:29:03.618,0:29:06.729
relationships of affinity and [br]indomitable spirit.

0:29:06.729,0:29:09.435
It has also become necessary[br]to recognize and resolutely

0:29:09.435,0:29:12.954
avoid those tools of social change [br]offered by the current order

0:29:12.954,0:29:16.507
that can only reinforce [br]the logic of domination and submission,

0:29:16.507,0:29:20.868
delegation, negotiation, [br]petition, evangelicalism,

0:29:20.868,0:29:24.422
the creation of media [br]images of ourselves, and so on.

0:29:24.422,0:29:27.639
These wider tools precisely [br]reinforce hierarchy, separation,

0:29:27.639,0:29:29.626
and dependence on the power structure,

0:29:29.626,0:29:32.551
which is the reason why they are [br]offered to us for use in our struggles.

0:29:33.341,0:29:44.054
Fuck off Google (x 6)

0:29:44.054,0:29:45.074
I don’t know if it helps.

0:29:58.080,0:30:00.560
As our cities continue [br]to be steadily transformed

0:30:00.560,0:30:02.382
according to dictates of capital,

0:30:02.382,0:30:05.733
tossing more working-class, [br]racialized and immigrant populations

0:30:05.733,0:30:07.386
into new suburban ghettos,

0:30:07.386,0:30:11.299
struggles against gentrification will only[br]become more urgent and more desperate.

0:30:11.299,0:30:13.642
But as long as people [br]continue to live in cities,

0:30:13.642,0:30:16.860
these urban environments [br]will continue to be sites of resistance.

0:30:16.860,0:30:20.864
The shape that this resistance takes, [br]and the measure of its effectiveness

0:30:20.864,0:30:24.617
will depend on the concrete actions taken[br]to build solidarity among our neighbours,

0:30:24.617,0:30:28.409
prepare our collective defences, [br]and sharpen our tools of attack.

0:30:28.409,0:30:31.680
This process will require [br]active and dedicated engagement

0:30:31.680,0:30:34.386
on the part of revolutionaries [br]equipped with the patience

0:30:34.386,0:30:37.296
to build relationships of[br]mutual trust and respect,

0:30:37.296,0:30:41.050
and the humility to learn and adapt[br]our strategies and tactics as required.

0:30:42.200,0:30:44.239
So at this point, [br]we’d like to remind you that Trouble

0:30:44.239,0:30:45.805
is intended to be watched in groups,

0:30:45.805,0:30:49.409
and to be used as a resource to promote[br]discussion and collective organizing.

0:30:49.409,0:30:52.516
Are you interested in getting [br]more involved in fighting gentrification

0:30:52.516,0:30:54.253
and defending your block?

0:30:54.253,0:30:56.470
Consider getting together [br]with some comrades,

0:30:56.470,0:31:00.337
organizing a screening of this film, [br]and discussing where to get started.

0:31:00.337,0:31:02.646
Interested in running [br]regular screenings of Trouble

0:31:02.646,0:31:06.642
at your campus, infoshop, community center[br]or even just at home with your friends?

0:31:06.642,0:31:08.123
Become a Trouble-Maker!

0:31:08.123,0:31:11.356
For 10 bucks a month, we’ll hook you up[br]with an advanced copy of the show,

0:31:11.356,0:31:13.575
and a screening kit [br]featuring additional resources

0:31:13.575,0:31:16.482
and some questions you can use[br]to get a discussion going.

0:31:16.482,0:31:18.858
If you can’t afford to support us [br]financially, no worries!

0:31:18.858,0:31:22.454
You can stream and/or download [br]all our content for free off our website:

0:31:25.317,0:31:28.267
If you’ve got any suggestions for show [br]topics, or just want to get in touch,

0:31:28.267,0:31:29.518
drop us a line at:

0:31:31.331,0:31:35.446
This month, sub.Media bids a fond farewell[br]to one of our collective members,

0:31:35.446,0:31:39.721
Tierra Morena, as they leave[br]to focus more attention on other projects.

0:31:39.721,0:31:42.708
Tierra has been an integral [br]part of our team here at Trouble,

0:31:42.708,0:31:45.008
and we look forward to the chance[br]for future collaborations[br]

0:31:45.008,0:31:45.948
further down the line.

0:31:45.948,0:31:48.484
Last but not least, this episode [br]would not have been possible

0:31:48.484,0:31:50.833
without the generous support of Magdalena.[br]

0:31:50.833,0:31:53.035
Now get out there[br]…. and make some trouble!