Keep Austin Criminal
Autonomous Student Media: Gestures Towards the Ungovernable
To help make our publications more accessible, we are archiving previous publications of The Call, the zine published by the Autonomous Student Media collective. Originally published on May Day 2017, The Call has been a perennial feature of our organizing efforts. You can often find editions in stock at Monkeywrench Books, an anarchist bookstore & social space on North Loop (if you like their project, consider volunteering).
Autonomous Student Media: Gestures Towards the Ungovernable
Note: address info listed here is likely outdated
Over the past semester, we have been alerted to the occasional presence of an individual (always the same one) tabling for an organization called Turning Point USA–you may have seen them around with their big posters reading “socialism sucks” “free speech zone” and “I <3 Capitalism.” Upon investigation we discovered they were not a Registered Student Organization–the person tabling isn’t even a student–and so technically have no right to be on campus. Yet we know from recent history that Dean of Students doesn’t really care about that unless you’re a leftist organization! We decided to do some more sleuthing, and we’ve found some interesting information.
Continue reading “Blackshirt Alert! Far-right TPUSA Invades UT”
Dustin Ray Hamby is an employee of UT. He’s a vocal white supremacist who participated in the Neo-Nazi “White Lives Matter” rally back in November of 2016. After more local fascists were exposed, Dustin upped his security and removed more of his information–deleting/hiding social media accounts and address. The address listed below is his last known address as of 2016, and may be inaccurate. However, he still works at UT–and was recently promoted to cook!
By Kazi Nazrul, a member of ASN
On August 2nd, the University administration released new aspects of its plans to modernize the University for “security” purposes. These plans include restricted hours for building access and new surveillance systems with proximity card readers and video cameras. To raise awareness, the administration has adopted the cutesy slogan “Your ID is Your Key,” to encourage students to have their UT IDs on them at all times, in order to have access to buildings during restricted hours.
Recordings of the Anti-Politics radio show, an anarchist talk show hosted by members of the Autonomous Student Network. Premiering on UT’s KVRX station on January 23rd, 2017, Anti-Politics Radio aired weekly, reporting back on recent events, analyzing local and global political issues, and having a good time while doing it. These represent a small sampling of the episodes and content covered in the show.
In April 2017, a wave of vandalism struck frats across West Campus over the course of three nights. Frats were tagged with “racist” and “rapist,” among other slogans. Fiji, which was targeted the first two nights, held a racist “border patrol” party in 2015. A study published in March of 2017 found that 15% of undergraduate women on UT campus reported being raped. Actual statistics are believed to be much higher.
The anonymous statement republished here was originally sent to It’s Going Down, which made the acts even more notorious across the country. The graffiti came near the end of a year marked by student struggles against fascist activity on campus, the University’s failure to address racism, and other issues. The University, ironically, tried to make use of its (at the time) new hate & bias incident policy to investigate the vandalism. Shortly afterwards, the piece was again thrust into the spotlight as fraternities and the alt-right tried to connect the May 1st, 2017 stabbings at UT with the vandalisms (and by association all “antifa” and leftists).
Three years later, almost to the day, the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority was tagged with “Eat the Rich.” We host this article to keep alive the memory and intergenerational spirit of insurgency against Greek Life. You can find online readable and printable zine versions of this statement HERE.
Continue reading “Barbarians at the Gates: A Statement From the Vandals (2017)”
Originally published on Facebook by ATXResists
On Monday, February 13th, 2017, students and workers at the University of Texas at Austin awoke to find fascist propaganda and graffiti across West Campus and Campus. Flyers calling for the destruction of Muslims, the outing of undocumented immigrants, and the reclamation of “white pride,” associated with the group American Vanguard—a white nationalist organization—were plastered on poles, newspaper boxes, and statues across campus. Graffiti of the N-word, celtic crosses, and swastikas were spotted in West Campus. Students from the night prior reported seeing a small group of people putting up the flyers. This was not the first time such flyers had gone up; neo-Nazi Identity Evropa stickers had been spotted on a few occasions in the fall semester and were destroyed by anti-fascists. This was, however, the most visible round of fascist flyering on campus.
And this time, due to the mass outrage among the student body, the University was forced to respond. In the response the University made clear that it cares more about catering to the interests that fund and support it (including white supremacists and Trump supporters) than it does about protecting students. In its statement, the University stated that it had removed the posters simply because they violated rules regarding the posting of flyers. The University’s insistence that it “vigorously supports free speech” sent a chilling message: had this been a registered student organization putting up flyers in more “legitimate” places, the University would defend the platform for these fascists to spread their messages against students. The statement from J.B. Bird, Director of Media Relations for the University, furthermore fails to name the fascistic nature of these flyers, only labelling them as “political messages aimed at immigrants, minorities and Muslims,” normalizing the genocidal politics of fascism as a valid political position. Fenves’ letter called for “robust discussions and debate,” as though students of color, Muslims, and immigrants should be forced to debate for their own humanity against those who wish to destroy them. The University has made clear that it believes genocide could or should be simply another option on a ballot to have “enlightened debate” over.
Continue reading “Stand up, fight back! ATXResists statement on fascism at UT”
Originally published by the Autonomous Student Network at UT. This report-back from the Inauguration Day protests is offered on our site as a critical snapshot of a moment in autonomous activity in Austin. This report-back marks an attempt to forge an anarchistic pole in a moment rife with conflicts between groups over tactics, ideology, and police collaboration. This is also offered without an endorsement of the Maoist groups mentioned, but as a snapshot of a moment of tenuous (and temporary) unity between certain anarchists and Maoists in Austin.
On January 20th, students, workers, and radicals of all stripes—mainly Maoists and anarchists—took to the streets to inaugurate Trump’s regime with renewed militancy. For some, the day began early with a strike by fast food workers and members of Austin Socialist Collective and Fight for 15. Slightly later in the day came some of the most visible protests. A student walkout had been planned for 12:15, scheduled to meet in front of the UT Tower. While some student organizations were setting up for the event, members of the Revolutionary Student Front and Autonomous Student Network rallied in West Campus a few blocks away from the university and took to the streets with a group of about 20 radical students. With multiple megaphones, banners, and flags displaying anarchist, maoist, and anti-capitalist slogans, they grabbed the attention of students and set the tone for the day’s events as they marched down Guadalupe blocking traffic, and with NO police presence around to respond and parade them down the street.
Continue reading “NAVIGATING OUR WAY OUT: REPORT-BACK FROM J20 DEMONSTRATIONS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS”
Originally published by the Autonomous Student Network at UT Austin
On January 20th, students, workers, and radicals of all stripes—mainly Maoists and anarchists—took to the streets to inaugurate Trump’s regime with renewed militancy. For some, the day began early with a strike by fast food workers and members of Austin Socialist Collective and Fight for 15. Slightly later in the day came some of the most visible protests. A student walkout had been planned for 12:15, scheduled to meet in front of the UT Tower. While some student organizations were setting up for the event, members of the Revolutionary Student Front and Autonomous Student Network rallied in West Campus a few blocks away from the university and took to the streets with a group of about 20 radical students. With multiple megaphones, banners, and flags displaying anarchist, maoist, and anti-capitalist slogans, they grabbed the attention of students and set the tone for the day’s events as they marched down Guadalupe blocking traffic, and with NO police presence around to respond and parade them down the street.
Continue reading “Navigating Our Way Out: Report-back from J20 demonstrations in Austin, Texas”
Originally published by the Autonomous Student Network in 2017, announcing their reorganization as a group under the name ASN.
The past 6 months have been good for us. Since September, we have worked on the construction of an anti-statist, anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist student force. Using the shell of the S4SS, we cut off any lasting ties with the capitalist and pseudo-capitalist forces claiming to be “anarchists” that had dominated the UT S4SS, in both image and content, for the past few years. Building from the ground up, we worked with a group ranging from 3-7 dedicated members to perform outreach and find a place within the revolutionary circuits of Austin and UT. We made ourselves present, if unannounced, in most blocs and demos throughout the fall. Those who have encountered us in the midst of these events know who we are. We found that, even with our limited resources, we could serve an invaluable role in providing critical analysis, logistical information, and other tools to enable others in their activities.
Continue reading “New Year, New Us (The Origins of the Autonomous Student Network)”