map is right here.

its about time. i have been waiting to see some counter recruitment stuff happening at centers they actually recruit at!
ill be there with friends.

I second that Jason, No more fuckin marching in cricles to times sq. Time for some direct action vs the gov't. I WILL BE THERE. PEACE

Actually, if you want to "strike at the heart" of recrruiting in Brooklyn, you should go to the stations that have the most volume (ie. recruits). The Crown Heights, East New York, Flatbush and Bay Ridge stations are where most enlistments in Brooklyn come from. If you continually and consistently picket these stations you WILL bring recruiting in Brooklyn to its knees. That is the equivalent of taking a population the size of Missisippi or Arkansas out of play for recruiting.

Bay Ridge Recruiting Station:
8516 4th Avenue, 2nd Floor,
Brooklyn NY 11209-4899
718 238-0046

Crown Heights Recruiting Station:
269 Utica Ave
Brooklyn NY 11213
718 773-4059

Flatbush Recruiting Station:
2074 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn NY 11210-2496
718 434-2700


East New York Recruiting Station:
3410 Fulton St.
Brooklyn NY 11208-2010
718-942-1257

like the title says, you gotta start somewhere. doesn't mean the other stations won't be visited in time.

There will be a counter-recruitment protest at the military recruiting center in Hicksville, Long Island (nassau county) soon afterwards on nov. 19th. Stay tuned to indymedia for details!

How does one find out which stations are the most active? I live near the one on Broadway & Cook in Bushwick. I am curious how active that one is.

hey there, feel free to do what you need to do at any one of those recruitment centers. certainly, recruitment happens at more than one of them and if you have ever walked past the one on Flatbush that this is happening at, you will see there is substantial recruiting going on.

this should go in the center columm, no?
isnt it important enough?

NYC IMC is not supportive of projects that use the anrchist label and that may be why this has yet to appear on the center column. That is why despite there being a few very good NYC anarchist blogs like  http://bombsandshields.blogspot.com/ and  http://tothebarricades.blogspot.com/ you will not see them on the Indymedia blogwire.

Actually, they contacted me and asked permission to use To the Barricades, and I was on the blogwire for a time I believe - I guess too many of my posts do not concern New York specifically which is a fair enough to exclude it; I for one shan't assume bad faith nor do I care personally - but, this probably should be in the center column.

I think there is a non-anarchist demonstration occuring at the same location the following day, so if Indymedia is loath to appearing to subscribe to any particular political philosophy they could be combined, I guess...

... we just added the bombs and shields and to the barricades blog today. Sean is right about the reasons for the hold up ... There was (and is) some debate about how "local" to make the blogwire. This is the first time that any IMC has tried this and we're all just figuring it out, so feedback is really important ... even patently ridiculous comments like "nyc imc doesn't like anarchist projects."

That said, I'd love to see an anarchist blog devoted solely to nitty-gritty nyc issues from an anarchist perspective. I haven't found one yet, and would love to.

Dana -- I don't know you, so you don't know me.

But to look at this website as "hostile" to anarchists is just stupid. If anything, anarchists dominate it. I guess if it's not all anarchy, all the time then you just feel put out.

Anarchism is incoherent. But I love the Black Bloc.

... to get this in the center column by making a comment.

Good luck out there -- watch yourseves, because you know you'll be targets -- and let's stop these motherfuckers.

Every minute, every day -- the fascistic right is taking over this whole government.

So let's be ungovernable.

By the way, is there a comprehensive list of military recruiting stations in the greater New York area?

I don't have time to compile that, but I'd sure love to see one.

...in my pocket. And it's growing by the minute.

Billy Jack Red,

Here's a link to recruiting stations in Metro New York. Click on "NYCRB Company Lists" to see stations, addresses and phone numbers.


 http://www.usarec.army.mil/1stbde/1gbn/

More likely they will show up, make a lot of noise, perform some form of "guerilla theater" and expose to all us stupid common folk how evil the US Army is. And should any of there number be arrested, well "they are being oppressed" and "free speech is dead." As if there is anything even approaching free speech today.

Ho-hum... how predicatable.

Cheap symbolism?

More like hitting 'em where it hurts! Delegitimizing the military is one of the most important thing activists can be doing. They want to turn us into killers for empire. The more young people know what vicious liars these judas goats are, the less able the government will be able to round up enough fodder for their bs.

Symbolism? Really -- every major recruiting station needs a CONSTANT presence. Adopt your local office and hang outside on your free time. Believe that every time you do it, you'll stop at least one kid who should know better from signing up for "volunteer" slavery.

Whatever the mertis of anarchism's larger philosophy, the facts are in: direct action gets the goods.

-------

I swear to god I wonder who the negativos are who haunt Indymedia. They must have the fattest asses on earth from sitting around and complaining about those who do right. I can't help but notice that those who talk the most shit, have the least to offer in terms of alternatives and ways forward. Flamewars and crabby mumbles. You're an authoritarian, you eat garbage... yadda and so on.

thanks Billy Jack Red! perhaps that info will be compiled into an easy to read zine soon...if so, downloadable PDF files will be made available on IMC soon.

>Symbolism? Really -- every major recruiting station needs a CONSTANT presence. Adopt your local office and hang outside on your free time. Believe that every time you do it, you'll stop at least one kid who should know better from signing up for "volunteer" slavery.

Whatever the mertis of anarchism's larger philosophy, the facts are in: direct action gets the goods.I swear to god I wonder who the negativos are who haunt Indymedia. They must have the fattest asses on earth from sitting around and complaining about those who do right. I can't help but notice that those who talk the most shit, have the least to offer in terms of alternatives and ways forward. Flamewars and crabby mumbles. You're an authoritarian, you eat garbage... yadda and so on.<

Yeah, it's kinda tired. I think we can provide constructive criticism of each other without slinging mud.

I wonder if World Can't Wait folks (and others)will watch what goes down on the 16th then sit back and criticize it all, or will they be out there on the streets working to shut down these recruiting centers too. We'll see.

You know why I don't use Indymedia? Cause any dipshit, assuming the best, can post any provocative crap at all and it passes as "criticism."

Please.

It's constant. Sometimes people discuss ideas, we've even seen some this week -- but just about never.

Truth: Radical activists just about always wish each other well. There are exceptions, but I never seem to meet them in person.

you guys rock

im totally missing all of you in nyc

good luck next week

ill do what i can here in portland missing you

-love and anarchy

bring friends
wear black
make a flyer, copy it, bring some
make a banner
can't come-->call them a few times that day and every day after that.
show up at another recruiter center but dont post something here about it
show up at another one and do post something here
show up when its closed and glue their locks
call and pretend you are interested in joining. take up their time
if you are really good, go in there and do the same
order a pizza or 10 to the recruitment center on Wednesday
check out the website of nyc recruiters above on this imc post-adopt a center or recruiter
play 'name and shame'-get photos of recruiters-paste them up in your hood
if you just think of it, there are a ton of things you can do by yourself or with your friends to make an impact on military recruitment
this is the just the tip of the iceberg

This style of direct action is played out. It is falling right in to the enemies hands. We need a new way to pit them against us. We know what is going to happen with this tyoe of thing and thus, it will be less then effective. Our goal as anarchists should be to demolish the entire system. Show the people that our beliefs can work and will set everyone free from oppression, wage-slavery, and exploitation. We should create a welcoming and positive direct action that exposes the capitalistic web in which everyone is caught. Kropotkin knew this. Goldman and Berkman knew this. Ghandi knew this. Chomsky knows this. Do we?

Two days ago Chanders post a comment stating that "... we just added the bombs and shields and to the barricades blog today." As far as I can tell this has not actually happened can anybody speak on this?

what are you talking about mings? your post makes no sense...but maybe you are exposing the capitalist web in which we are all caught by shit-talking actions that are trying to do just that?

prey tell...what do chomsky, ghandi, berkman, goldman, and fucking _kropotkin_ all know?

It was a bug. They're up now.

I'm not really sure how I'm shit talking. Depending on what the direct action is going to be, it may be successful. If, however, it is going to be a group of people dressed in black with their faces covered, how will this help the anarchist cause? "Normal" people will not be inclined to join in or learn about our cause. They will just think it's another crazy anarchist demonstration. I'm ceratainly not against direct action, but I think it sould be in line with the bigger picture of liberating the people to achieve their full potential.

I think you are wrongly underestimating the effectiveness of the folks (non-anarchist groups) who picket. This summer, while "picketing," we did perform direct action - we spoke with kids, parents, and anyone we could find about the alternatives to going to the military. I think you need to address this when you are downtown Brooklyn (which was picketed this summer by a variety of groups).

You will never close down all military recruitment. You will never stop military recruitment. But you can talk Americans about the truth about the military and cut off the supply of young, black, latino, and poor whites. You have to address misconceptions about the military (the GI Bill, etc.) and alternatives to paying for college (Pell Grants, etc.). I don't know if this is the "direct action" you are planning, but consider it (if you are serious about sending Brooklyn Youth to war.).

Good luck.

There should be mutual aid between all activists doing counter recruitment work and that means having someone's back when they choose to risk arrest.

its a day to flyer the station, not a civil disobedience...

I wish you all good luck, I will not be able to attend, but I will tell people about it, also please support the NYU graduate students strike

You run a picture of peope wearing all black and covering their faces, and somebody out there just might think this is about more than flyering.

the conception that people who wear black and cover their face are only interested in smashing things (while often true) doesn't mean that the tactic is only used for things of that nature. i think having a strong, militant presene while outside the recruitment center is a good thing, even when handing out flyers.

the event in pittsburgh (where the picture came from) was about flyering and affecting the ability of the recruiting station to recruit. that event became a police riot, because the police attacked the crowd: pepper-spraying indisriminately children, elderly women, and others, letting loose a dog on a man in a wheelchair, and beating people. these are good reasons to have your face covered and to be prepared for when the pigs act like the violent thugs they are.

A few days later, in Hicksville on Long Island, we will be staging a protest against the military recruitment center there. If you're able to be there, please come and participate! Below link for more info:
 http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2005/11/60374.html

...that maybe wearing ski masks and dressing in a uniform associated with street riots just may have encouraged the police to act like pigs. They don't really need an excuse, but I imagine if I was walking down the street and saw a uniformed group with their faces covering "flyering" I must just get confused as to what was happening.

I mean, "militant flyering?"

I'm with you in spirit...

we will be out there. bring an umbrella!

That's great that another group in NYC is targeting military recruitment.

Perhaps a little background of the picture and the current Pittsburgh counter recruitment campaign would be helpful. Since last April the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) has been involved in a sustainable campaign against military recruitment. Our efforts have been two part: education and opposition. POG members have been flyering local high schools with literature that exposes the myths of military enlistment, holding bi-weekly pickets at the main recruiting station in the college district of Pittsburgh, organizing rallys/speak outs, encouraging local businesses who have recruiting info available in their place of business to remove it, speaking in nearby cities on the need for counter recruitment and much more. Our pickets have succeeded in the closure of the recruiting center each time we hold down a presence there.

Judging by the above comments there is a concern over the wearing of masks and 'looking militant". This past August 20, POG called for a nonviolent shut down of the recruiting station - the next step in an escalating campaign to throw a monkey wrench in the war machine and to step up efforts to disrupt recruiters. Indeed, the event turned into a police riot and the violence was put forth by the police. A free-lance camera man basically fueled the entire incident by alleging a masked protester assaulted him. The police overreacted, stormed the crowd, assaulted several people, tasered two individuals, pepper sprayed children & others in the crowd, toppled a man in a motorized wheelchair, a 68 year old woman was bitten by a police dog. 6 people were arrested, 2 hospitalized. Preliminary trials are still being held, in the first of many to come the free-lance camera man admitted on public record that he could not identify the person who allegedly pushed his camera and sparked this whole incident.

Folks assaulted during this event were not assaulted because they were wearing masks or looking militant. This protest (organized primarily by anarchists) was attended by community members, local groups, older folks, younger folks, people of color, etc. We are extremely fortunate in Pittsburgh to have wide community support - which was shown at a picket the following week where 175 people came out to the same spot where the police violence occurred. Of course, certain folks do not support direct action but there is a large amount of solidarity. It is vastly important to keep the goals of a campaign in mind at all times and not get caught up in differing tactics. Direct action will always get the goods, combine that with other necessities like encouraging high school students to opt out, circulating petitions to encourage schools to ban recruiters or for equal access, confronting recruiters where ever you see them, forming ties with other local groups concerned about tactics recruiters are deploying - combine all these things and you have something that is tangible and effective.

Its simple supply and demand - slow the supply of troops and these wars cannot be waged.

Good luck to those in Brooklyn tomorrow. If POG can be of assistance in sharing information regarding CR literature, petitions, campaign framework, DA/CD, or any other form of mutual aid please let us know

i think POG says it well.

you're generalizing and you're directing your anger in the wrong direction.

1. recruiters do not choose to be recruiters, they are assigned to be recruiters, and most of them don't like doing it at all

2. not all recruiters use dishonest tactics

3. they're doing what they were told to do - it would be far more useful if you directed your anger at the president or at senators or other politicians.

you can hate the president and you can hate the war, but it's stupid to blame the military.

karmann-

your attempt to reduce the issue to a question of assigning 'blame' to recruiters is fatuous and irrelevant.

the point is to stop the war machine, not pin moral opprobrium on this or that actor within it. each recruiting office aims ensnare just a few fresh bodies for the meat grinder every month-- so if each of these sorts of actions can prevent even one person from falling for their lies and macho bs, then it's working.

I like the idea of "counter recruiting," but that's not what you seem to be planning. If you were indeed counter-recruiting, you would set up your own little table and make flyers about why one shouldn't join the military. Making a big fuss at people who have no control over the situation (the military recruiters) won't get you anywhere but arrested for harassment! People who actually sign up at recruiting stations were mostly planning to anyway. If they're scared away by the scene, they'll just come back tomorrow. However, if protesters are quiet and peaceful and offer information, you might actually get through to some potential recruits. Your current plan shows that you really don't understand what goes on in recruiting offices and how to effectively counter that.

r graves,

but the only people you're going to stop will be people who may set off today to visit a recruiting station, and anyone who is visiting a recruiting station is going because they are interested, and seeing a bunch of protestors out front is not going to change their mind, it will only delay them. (i know this because i am one of the calmer animal rights activists, and even i am disgusted by the over the top animal rights activists who just make us look crazy.)

perhaps it would make more sense to think about why someone would join the military and think about how you can counteract that (i.e., someone who is interested because of the recruitment $$ incentives, and then you could . . . help them get job training or whatever). set up tables in places and hand out informative brochures.

these recruiters were assigned (against their wishes) to be recruiters, and we all know that there's no way the military will let them out of it.

and personally, i just think they should draft everyone who voted for W and leave the rest of us alone - that seems fair.

The military recruiters are representatives of the US military. They form an absolutely necessary link in the chain of process that takes a civilian and turns him/her into a killer. That doesn't mean that military recruiters aren't human beings who do not deserve basic human respect. We all deserve that. Including the civilians in Iraq who are being shot at, tortured, and maimed through the recruiters efforts.

see, but here's the thing. the US does in fact need a military (especially when the prez is so busy alienating the rest of the world), and these guys and gals join the military because they want to help the country, or because they want the money, or because they don't know what to do with their lives, or for whatever other reason. and then at some point, the military says "hey, you're a recruiter now" and the soldier says "hey, how can i get out of that? i don't want to do that" and the military says "tough crap, you're a recruiter."

and then this person, who joined the military for whatever reason, is a recruiter. and they don't want to be, but they are S.O.L. and stuck where they are and they hate it and they can't get out of it.

do any of you know any recruiters? have you actually spent any time talking to them finding out why they are in the military and how they feel about what they're doing? i'm willing to be that most of you have no idea whatsoever about what goes on in their minds, what goes on in their lives, what they have been through, or anything. i know recruiters, and they are nice guys. they said "hey, do you want to join?" and i said "not for anything in the world" and they said . . . "okay."

gee, what a bunch of scuzbuckets.

you tell us we should focus on the president. give me a break/ these comments reek of classist bullshit written by white liberals. your children are not the ones being sent to die and so you calmly suggest we should sit there with tables and literature. Bullshit. We brought tons of literature today, gave out 500 flyers and got tons of comments like 'no way I would sign up' and 'they're full of shit [the recruiters]. the young black youth we spoke to today seem to have disagreed with your perspective. the honks and thumbs up we got from tons of people also too, dont agree with your liberal suggestion. many of the youth we spoke to get it about the military and who it is that is fighting these wars. they also are not too pleased about the fact they get recruited in high school and some kids told us they
have already opt-ed out of the lists recruiters get to harass students.

As for the poor recruiters being assigned, the selection of what one does is no random matter. they choose to join the military for whatever reason and many of them choose this aspect. lets think for a second why...no combat. if you are a recruiter, you get to hang out on flatbush all day and lie to children about joining. yes, they are legally allowed to lie to potential recruits. this has been proven over and over so lets not bother to debate it here.

as for today, make all the comments you want. it was well organized. flyers were made, we had banners and posters and stayed there for 3 hours. no. no one was chanting meekly or telling anyone else what to do but that is how anarchists organize. the nypd shut the place down, had all the shutters pulled and parked on the sidewalk. this was a side effect of calling for a demo-having a suspicion that the pigs were going to do our work for us.

as for people coming back another day, our goal was not to force or coerce people to not join but to present them with some information about what bullshit to expect from the recruiters and some reasons to consider it.
sure, people can come by the next day but frankly, many of you are dead wrong in your ideas about how people join. the military sends people out to street fairs, subways, schools etc to meet potential recruits and then gets them to come to the center. often,people join when they are under duress and life seems to be going nowhere. what we were doing was encouraging people to think about other options and present them with information from people who have served and their opinions on it.

its so easy for people to sit back, do nothing and criticize, especially on this anonymous forum. calling the event 'laim', telling us we should do this or that but you need to do it yourself if you dont think we are doing it right. GET OFF YOUR ASS, DISCONNECT YOUR COMPUTER AND DO IT YOURSELF> if you dont, then shut up and let us be.

Photos of today's flyering at
 http://www.stratecomm.net/~fritz/gallery/recruitment

Keep up the good work anrchists! The more recruitment suffers,the sooner there will not be recruiters.....but instead a draft and you yourselves might find yourself on the front lines or moving to Canada. Phk Off!