Share Info about Freeschools & Anything Else Here

The Freeschool is Partnering with a Film and Zine Project! Please Pledge Your Support!

freeschoolstuff — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:28:02 GMT

Dear friends,

The Freeschool is happy to announce that we are partnering with the above Nationwide Film and Zine project!

The Freeschool has hosted numerous zine workshops, zine making classes and circulated zines for years as zines represent not only independence from mainstream press but also educational alternatives: people to people education rather than institution-to-people!

Recently, the Freeschool has been working very hard to get involved with filming as it is our desire to broadcast freeschool classes by film and by online video so more people of all physical abilities and financial backgrounds located all across Olympia, Thurston County, and the world can have free of charge access to those classes 24 hours a day (even in the winter when transportation is difficult)!

The project is set to begin filming the second half of the film in Olympia, Washington from March 1st-5th, 2011 and in Portland, Oregon from Feb 22-27, 2011. If they raise enough funds they will also visit the following cities:

~Austin, Texas – March 11th, 2011
~San Francisco, California – March 20th, 2011
~Santa Monica, California - March 22nd-23rd, 2011
~and more!

This is very exciting for everyone at the Freeschool as many people don't have the chance to experience being
part of creating a film without prior experience. The group recently had their project approved by Kickstarter, the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world, to raise funds for this project between now and January 1st, 2011!

Kickstarter has been featured in Wired Magazine, NPR (NPR Online Radio story here and numerous NPR Kickstarter success stories featured here), The New York Times (article here) and many more news outlets all over their world for helping amazing independent, creative projects find funding!

The Freeschool does not require or request anyone to pay for attending this filming experience. It is never a requirement, but if you would like to make a pledge to the pledge drive to ensure that this project finds funding please click here or visit www.InspireNewMedia.org

They are also looking for submissions of writing and volunteers as well.

The Pledge Drive ends on January 1st, 2011. If the project does not raise their funds by that date, kickstarter will not fund the project
and kickstarter will return all funds to the people who gave a pledge so your help is greatly needed! Pledges range from only one dollar and up and there are many pledge drive appreciation gifts as well.

Thank you all!

-Freeschool Community

p.s.

Click here for a list of other zine projects (found by placing 'zine' in their search engine, that we are not affiliated with but hope for the best for them) that are on kickstarter so we wanted to give solidarity shout outs to their projects as well and congratulations to all those zine projects on the list that were able to find support to make their dreams come true!

Happy Holidays everyone. :)

Everyone deserves to follow their dream.

Learn How To Make Movies, Music Videos and Much more! Free!

freeschoolstuff — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 10:41:59 GMT

Dear friends of the freeschool community,

The Freeschool Community of Olympia has spoken to the wonderful folks at Thurston County Television and by using their facilities, the Freeschool is happy to share with you free classes enabling you to make movies, music videos and much more!

YOU MUST ATTEND ONE OF THE BELOW ORIENTATION CLASSES in order to be eligible to attend the 'Studio & Control Room Operations' Class and the 'Digital Field & Editing' Class.

Date and Time of Orientation Classes:

(Choose one) August 19th, 2009, 3-5pm

or September 14th, 2009, 6-9pm.

You only need to attend one orientation.

Location: 440 Yauger Way SW, Olympia, WA 98502

In addition, the Freeschool Women's Empowerment Education group is Working to Empower Women to Change the Industry Statistics of Women's Portrayal in Media. The Freeschool Women's Empowerment Education group would like to encourage and empower self-identified women of all sexual orientations, LGBTQI, interested in producing, progressive media.

If you can attend attend all the classes, the Freeschool will sponsor you to attend the following classes 'Studio & Control Room Operations' Class and the 'Digital Field & Editing' Class. This will then enable you to use TCTV studio equipment, video cameras and much more. The Freeschool also has our own studio equipment as well. The Freeschool has many exciting, educational projects planned for the 2009-2010 school year including.

♥Movies ♥Music videos ♥Documentaries ♥Dance-Offs ♥Audio Project (radio)
♥Facilitating a free class, open to the public, that will be videotaped
♥Giving a class, to be recorded as a CD, DVD, and/or online video so that people worldwide can enjoy free class through the internet
♥offering these classes in multiple languages and so much more!

For more information, including dates, times and locations of all classes please visit the Freeschool website at www.Freeschoolunity.org and click on the article titled: 'Learn How To Make Movies, Music Videos and More. Free of Charge.' Click here for the shortcut and permanent direct link to the article that is found by clicking here: http://bit.ly/mediaoutreach

Evergreen Students are eligible

to receive Evergreen Intern credits!

Click here to read what past volunteers

and Evergreen interns say about

the Freeschool!

You do not have to be an Evergreen student to take this class.

If you love creating a better world, join us as we work to reach more people of all backgrounds (while having more fun) than ever before!

Pamela Whible: The Electric Doctor! "...some of the best medical, motivational presentations."

freeschoolstuff — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:01:58 GMT

MP3 File
.

Dear friends,

Just so you know, I'm listening to 'Forty Six & 2' by Tool while I type this...and that is the pumped up song you should imagine while reading this! Yeahhhh! Oh, and then I'll be listening to 'Black (LIVE)' by Pearl Jam on their 'Live at Benaroya Hall' CD. Good, magical music for a magical blog post and podcast I'm about to give ya! :)

Above and below are videos of Pamela, a good friend of mine. We both gave workshop at the Healthcare Justice Gathering at the Gesundheit Institute (as featured in the movie Patch Adams). She was friggin' electric... figuratively and literally...because she instructed everyone, including many medical students, how to remain a practicing, social justice, doctor without burning out and going into debt...and even gave everyone electric flashing glow in the dark steel blue and red earings! Why? Because healthcare Justice was meant to be fun, friends! Hell yeah! It was awesome later that night at the dance party with all the lights out watching red and blue faces flashing in the dark! Hella'cool! She has given some of the best doctor presentations and videos I have ever seen. No joke. The above one and the below two are just a sample and are short.

The wildest things happened too. When we both left the Healthcare Justice Gathering from West Virginia... She on an Amtrak train, I on Greyhound... I headed for Olympia... she headed for Eugene, Oregon.... The Greyhound had a lay-over in Portland...and I decided to walk around outside the Greyhound and maybe catch a later bus to Olympia, Washington later... and guess who yelled out my name? Pamela! No way! Yes way! Pamela had overslept and got off in Portland to Stretch.

She called my name, we hugged and were both bewildered by the whole thing. It was wild. Went and got something to eat and I saw her off on her train to Eugene and then jumped back on Greyhound later headed to my beloved Olympia.

A month ago or so I also sent her the hard-core, uncut Oscar Grant article that I wrote (found by clicking here) that I wrote...and ya know what she did? She loved it and sent it to all of her patients and friends! And I know she did it because she kept me on the CC email list! Now that is solidarity for a better world!

So as I encourage you to check out her videos... it actually makes me happy to do it! Because she is awesome!

I'm trying to convince her to do an in-person interview on our radio show. It will be the event of the year, friends! Look forward to that possibility friends!

Keep working for a better world!

WOoOOoooooooo Yeah!

-T. Love
http://www.blackmanfluff.org

You can also find this as an Mp3 audio recording and on my podcast or click here to subscribe to the Itunes subscription : http://tinyurl.com/link2itunes

p.s.
Here is recent video to another doctor, who I love dearly, who I met at the Gesundheit Institute and is now a Board member of the Freeschool Community: Dr. Bonnie Gifford instructing you on how to eat locally.

Want to leave comments? Leave them on my profile page found by clicking here.

Member of the The Freeschool Community Collective

To learn more about the Freeschool Community please visit: http://www.freeschoolunity.org

The Freeschool Community is a member of the PeaceCommunities Progressive Coalition.
http://www.PeaceCommunities.org

"....a political struggle that does not have women at the heart of it, above it, below it and within it is no struggle at all.”

-Arundhati Roy, Quoted from her speech: '2004 Sydney Peace Prize
Lecture' (The entire speech is available online, search for the title)

The permanent link and short URL to send you to a duplicate of this page is: http://tinyurl.com/3videos
The short URL helps you to circulate this via twitter and share with friends. :)
Hint Hint ;)

.

Freeschool Updates on Twitter

freeschoolstuff — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:33:53 GMT

Welcome! If you are looking for new broadcasts of Freeschool podcasts and online radio broadcasts from a freeschool volunteer please click here. If you are looking for the archive of the Radical Freeschool Radio Shows please click here.

Please also checkout our Freeschool Twitter Updates (You need Flash to see the below updates. If you are not able to see anything below, please click here) .

Freeschool and www.PeaceCommunities.org Twitter Updates

follow the Freeschool on Twitter Love, Peace and Joy,

-The Freeschool Community Collective
To learn more about the Freeschool Community please visit: http://www.freeschoolunity.org
The Freeschool Community is a member of the PeaceCommunities Progressive Coalition.
http://www.PeaceCommunities.org

A PhotoJourney of Pain: Our World of Dreams Does Not Include Police Carrying Guns

00no_capitalism — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:06:19 GMT

A PhotoJourney of Pain: Our World of Dreams Does Not Include Police Carrying Guns

Important: if you do not see the photos here please visit here: http://savethepoorbrownchildren.blogspot.com/2009/02/photojourney-of-pain-our-world-of.html

Or this title: Time to feel the Momentum of the Movement: We Must Unite to Stop Police From Carrying Guns

or The Breeze of Revolution... No More Cops With Guns

An Open Letter to the World Regarding the Worldwide Police Killings of Unarmed People

To print out the 10 page PDF version of this article please click here.

By T. Love

This article was posted for educational reasons courtesy of the Peace Communities Solidarity Blog found at www.SaveThePoorBrownChildren.or g or http://www.SaveThePoorBrownChildren.blogspot.com - and it is a public group blog with an emphasis on feminism, women's empowerment, financially disadvantaged children, marginalized people's voices and direct action worldwide. The Peace Communities Solidarity Blog is the Media Outreach Blog of the Peace Communities Online Community < www.PeaceCommunities.org > a not-for-profit project started by the Mutualist project, created at Z Media Institute (founders of Z Magazine). T. Love is a Black Feminist activist and writer whose social justice writings have been featured in Street Roots, featured on Womanist-Musings, featured in the current issue of Natural Learning and featured in the current issue of Slingshot and many more radical activist publications, websites and journals worldwide. T. Love's personal profile page and personal blog on the Peace Communities is found by clicking here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I wrote this letter, I had difficulty breathing, I cried, and then I wiped my eyes and I pulled my self together to try to sound coherent, to write clearly and civilized... civilized.. so surreal... about the police officers shooting and killing Oscar Grant, a completely unarmed, handcuffed Black man who was down on the ground while other police officers held him down...and the entire event was captured on not one, but several different videos that i just saw, so there is no mistake of the events. At least two of the videos are now here:
http://aworldbeyondcapitalism.org/onlinevideo.htm or here
http://www.peacecommunities.org/onlinevideo.htm

These were Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police but they still has guns and were every bit as lethal. Was this an isolated incident? No, because just a few hours before Oscar Grant was killed in California, another unarmed African-American, Bobby Tolan, was gunned down by police in Texas.

I feel the momentum, like a breeze of revolution, of people all over the world who are tired of police carrying guns! It is a breeze that cannot and should not be ignored. There is a storm coming. All over the world people are taking action as a result of Police killing unarmed people. In Greece there were riots for weeks, in Oakland the people took to the streets for many days and even here in Olympia, the heavily policed capital of Washington state, activists have dared to take to the street.

In January 2009 in Olympia, about 45 people came together and wanted to show solidarity with the actions with Greece and Oakland. At first, the torch lit march against the police killings was silent and full of quiet emotion and anger about the increase in killings; then after walking around downtown Olympia some folks joined in and began playing the banjo, singing action orientated songs and Woody Guthrie songs. Several people pulled out road flares, held them up and then threw them onto the street and flipped over dumpsters to block police cars that began tailing them. Some held signs that said "Fight Back", "Fire All Cops" and much more. Some of the marchers screamed "Beneath the Concrete Lies the World of Our Dreams" and "Destroy Misery" and instead of fading off into nothingness as many marches often do, after looping around the downtown Olympia area, picking up more people, the march then headed towards the police station on the Westside of Olympia! The police quickly dispersed them with 3 people arrested and over 9 people detained. These are actions people are taking to let the world know: people are fed up with police carrying guns.

It does not take great skill and resources to show your opposition to police carrying guns. Much like most of you reading this, I am of few resources as I am a severely disabled, financially disadvantaged, Black feminist living on the West coast who happily writes with lots of typos and a blatant disregard for the grammatical rules of the Colonized English language. I watched the video of several different angles available online and what I saw was far more chilling than watching Rodney King being beat by Police Officers, in which Rodney King was fortunate to live through his hellish ordeal.

Kendra James

I considered Rodney King "lucky", because I used to live in Portland, Oregon, where three completely unarmed African-Americans were actually killed... by Portland Police within 25 months; Byron Hammick in 2002, Kendra James in May 2003 and James Jahar Perez shortly afterwards. James Philip Chasse, Jr. was not African-American, but was a mentally challenged unarmed person who was literally beaten (not shot) to death and killed by Portland Police officers in September 2006.

Many of you will never know what it feels like to be a disabled, financially disadvantaged, African-American person and walk the streets of a city knowing at any time you might be the next unarmed African-American male to be killed by Police. It's like the Black man's lottery that none of us wants to win. The only way that we, people from all backgrounds win in this crisis is join together to solve this crisis that divides us and speak out together.

Long ago, I researched every aspect of the 1999 Amadou Bailo Diallo killing, in which an unarmed Black man was killed in a barrage of 41 bullets fired by Police officers while he stood on the doorstep to his own home, and yet I still can't makes sense of it and I still can only remember. But I told myself it couldn't get worse than that. After all, the police said it looked like Diallo drew a gun, but it turned out he pulled out his wallet to show them the Photo ID because they requested to see it even as their guns were drawn. Whenever police harass me with racial profiling and ask me for ID, I move slowly, carefully and remember Diallo. Learn more here:
http://www.dsame.com/remember.pdf ]

3000 mourners at Patrick Dorismonds Funeral

And then, less than a year later, came the murder of Patrick Moses Dorismond in March 2000, an unarmed man, also killed by Police in New York. Over three thousand mourners showed up for his funeral. And then on November 27th, 2006 Sean Bell, an unarmed New Yorker was killed just hours before his wedding. I thought to myself, surely it couldn't get worse that...it'll get better. The police said they thought a fellow police office yelled 'Gun' but it was just a mistake.

But it is not just an American issue of social class of our failed system. On Saturday December 6th at around 10 pm, two Greek policemen engaged in a verbal argument with a small group of teenagers in the center of Athens. During the argument, one of the cops pulled his gun and shot 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos (Greek: Αλέξανδρος - Ανδρέας Γρηγορόπουλος). Riots broke out across Greece and the world from the event. The police always cite mistakes being made.

15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos (Greek: Αλέξανδρος - Ανδρέας Γρηγορόπουλος) seen on a sign held up by a man in a protest.

Robbie Tolan

Bobby Tolan was a reserve outfielder during his years with the Cardinals, with whom he won a World Series title in 1967... and batted second behind Pete Rose in the Reds lineup. Bobby Tolan is married to Marian Trahan and they have a son Robert (Robbie) Tolan who plays professional baseball in the Washington Nationals organization. On December 31, 2008, Robbie was shot by a Bellaire, Texas policeman. Robbie Tolan was unarmed and driving his own vehicle. The bullet lodged in (Robbie) Tolan's liver; the injury may have ended his professional baseball career. An investigation into the shooting is on-going." I researched further and learned that according to Robbie Tolan's family members, Robbie Tolan and his cousin were returning to Tolan's home in the primarily white Houston suburb of Bellaire in the early hours of December 31, when they were approached by officers who
suspected the SUV they had just gotten out of was stolen. Tolan's parents, the owners of the SUV, came out of the house to explain everything to the police. An altercation occurred and Robbie's mother was slammed against the garage door by an officer. According to Tolan's uncle, "Her son was on his back at the time, and he raised up and asked, 'What are you doing to my mom?' and the officer shot him -- while he was on the ground." Tolan's uncle, Eddie Tolan, was a sprinter who won two Gold Medals in the 1932 Summer Olympics..

In October 1995. Jonny Gammage, a 31 year old African-American was driving in the mostly-white Pittsburgh suburbs of Brentwood, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The car that Gammage was driving, a Jaguar, belonged to National Football League (NFL) player Ray Seals, Gammage's cousin. After a routine traffic stop Sgt. Keith Henderson and Patterson asphyxiated Gammage, who was completely unarmed during the entire incident, while he begged for his life. Court reports state his last words were: "Keith, Keith, I'm only 31." Officer John Vojtas, one of the police involved in the traffic stop, was found not guilty by a jury with no minority members. He was permitted to return to work as a police officer in the Brentwood department and received a promotion.

In May 1997, Shiloe Johnson was walking his bicycle across a bridge late at night. He was unarmed and wearing a Walkman and could not hear what was going on around him. A police offer approached his friend and started yelling. The cop then jumped Shiloe from behind and several seconds later the cop shot Shiloe point blank in the head. The cop had been dismissed from the LAPD for brutality. At last record, he is still employed as an officer in Napa, CA.

Abner Louima

And then in August 1997 Abner Louima, a male, unarmed immigrant, was assaulted, brutalized and forcibly sodomized with a broken broomstick by a number of New York City police in a bathroom at the 70th Precinct police station house in Brooklyn. They did all this while Louima's hands were cuffed behind his back and they sodomized him with a broomstick in a manner that caused severe internal damage to his colon and bladder that required several operations to repair. Volpe, one of the police officers involved, then walked through the precinct yelling he had "broke a man down."

Yes, strangely enough, I agree that statement is correct, because from what we can see the police are slowly breaking us all down to the point where we blindly continue to allow them to carry guns despite their escalating and more frequent atrocities against unarmed citizens. Louima was tortured while handcuffed, and officers said he faught them, but Oscar Grant was seen on video and begged for his life by saying 'please, I have a 4 year old daughter' and was still murdered by the police. In every way, the problem is getting worse.

Salimata Sanfo, Ousmane Zongo's Widow. Zongo is survived by a widow and two children.

In May 2003, Ousmane Zongo a Burkinabè arts trader living in New York City, was completely unarmed and yet shot and killed by a New York City Police Department officer in a case of mistaken identity during a botched police sting. The shooter, officer Bryan Conroy, was disguised as a postal worker and shot Zongo four times, twice in the back but did not receive any jail time. Zongo is survived by a widow and two children.

Julian Alexander, killed by police at age 20, is pictured with his pregnant wife of a few weeks, Renee. Alexander was dead shot by Anaheim police in what is believed to be a case of mistaken identity.

In October 2008, the associated press ran a story with the title: “Newlywed Julian Alexander killed outside his California home by police in mistaken identity.”
“A newlywed killed by police after he stepped outside his home to confront suspected burglars was shot in a case of mistaken identity, police said. Julian Alexander died after being shot twice in the chest by a police officer who was chasing four burglary suspects early Tuesday morning. Police Chief John Welter said the officer ran into Alexander, mistook him for one of the four juvenile suspects and shot him."

"The last thing we ever want to do, No. 1, (is) take somebody's life," he said. "And we certainly don't want to take the life of someone who is mistakenly believed to be involved in some criminal activity." "He was a good kid, trying to protect his house," said Alexander's mother-in-law Michelle Mooney. "And the police, instead of asking questions, they just shot first. Somebody has to be held responsible for this." Welter would not release the officer's name, but said he was a 10-year veteran of the department. "It's mistaken identity, but that doesn't bring my son back," said Alexander's father Jerry. He said Alexander got married last weekend and his 19-year-old wife is expecting a baby in December.”

Alexander's wife and also her 15-year-old sister looked out the window during the incident and saw the police flip Julian’s limp and bleeding body over... and then handcuffed him. Julian's family then made an attempt to rush to Julian’s side, but the police yelled at them to get back…or else. Julian stayed out of trouble as a student and won the title of outstanding defensive linebacker in 2005 and 2006. He also was the defensive player of the year in 2007—before he graduated from Riverside's Notre Dame High School. Now a life of achievements, and staying out of trouble, has been cut short... by police with guns who shoot first and ask questions later. Julian's family saw the police flip Julian's limp and bleeding body over... and then handcuffed him while he bleeding, in the exact same manner that Oscar Grant was handcuffed after being shot by the Police.

Many people would like to tell you it is a race issue or a social class issue or some other issue. We not must not let gender, age, race, mental/physical disability, class, region, sexual orientation or any other characteristic divide on us the need to solve this crisis of armed police in our communities.

Perhaps I have been too busy paying rent, paying for food, paying for healthcare, trying to find a way to get two worsening, agonizing, excruciatingly painful cavities removed with a special, expensive surgery needed with no dental coverage because the AK arthritis in my neck doesn't permit my mouth to open wide enough for standard tooth repair... and simply existing is a full time job for me and it seems to gets harder everyday. Many of you face the same exact hurdles and much worse, I know.

Because with the Oscar Grant killing I must accuse myself just as I accuse the world... of being too quiet, because I must admit that the cop killings of unarmed people, all over the world, is getting much, much worse everyday and as we see Peak Oil and the worldwide economy collapse we must realize it will get far worse if we remain silent. Oscar Grant complied with all police commands and begged for his life saying: "Please, I have a 4 year old daughter," and what did he receive for it? A BART police officer bullet that reports state say entered his back and ricocheted to his lung area, and as he began to die...the police then placed handcuffs on him just as police did with Julian Alexander while he died.

Being unarmed and killed by police didn't just happen to Oscar Grant, Julian Alexander, Jonny Gamage, Diallo, Kendra James, James Philip Chasse, Jr., Alexandros Grigoropoulos or all the countless other unarmed people all over the world killed by police... it is happening to people as a whole, everyone of all backgrounds in our society, who are more frequently being placed into a position where we are being killed by police... even after begging for our lives.

It is time to stop begging for justice! It is time to rise to action!

I was born in Philadelphia and I know there is crime and I have been mugged many times and had a mugger put a gun to my head... but the police have tasers, pepper-spray, rubber bullets, dogs, riot gear, batons, asphyxiation and a few dozen other kinds of unethical forms of weapons that are even against the Geneva Convention like broken broomsticks at their disposal so why must they carry guns to continue killing unarmed people? If authorities can use tranquilizer guns to stop wild animals why are we as humans literally executed by police with guns and bullets?

Police killing unarmed people has become so routine that people ignore it and try not to think about it. I am hoping that you will not remain silent about police killing unarmed people anywhere in the world and you will take action and let people know that the system of armed police in our communities needs to end.

It is time to start feeling the momentum of action, the breeze of revolution, and start working on a new way of life for people worldwide.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968)

“Non-violent Direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue."
Martin Luther King* (1929 – 1968)

It is time to start working on a new way of life for people worldwide.

You don't need courage to take action, you just need to care about human beings.

"The non-violent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I love you all,

Love for the people!

-T. Love
Freeschool Community Collective Member and Board Member

================================================
For many of you, all that I have written will be too much information, too unthinkable, for you to take action at all and you won't even write an open letter. If this is the case then with all my heart I recommend that you at least see the graphic documentary by PBS titled "The Murder of Emmit Till." For after you see that documentary, which has proven at great length that it was an unthinkable atrocity that helped to launch the Civil Rights movement, you will quickly realize that without solutions things will only get worse. We have the ability to solve this crisis. There is hope for a better world!

If you intend to circulate this open letter, but desire a short, less graphic version...you will find a 997 word version at either of the below websites. Even though many of you may feel this letter was too long or too graphic, what you really need to understand is that each and everyone of the victims I described were only the “fortunate” ones that made international, major media headlines and their crisis was not ignored so I do not offer apologies for the long or the graphic nature of this letter but rather, I offer my apologies to the mothers and fathers who have sons and daughters who fall into the most ignored and unheard categories: the undocumented immigrants, homeless, those forced into sex-trade and those who are victims in the Prison Industrial System around the world who are among the countless male and female that never make the news when they are completely unarmed and killed by police with guns. Your pain is no less important I assure you, Thank you to everyone. Please keep in mind this is copyleft and I give everyone permission to edit all of it or part of it, and use it, without permission from me and without credit to me needed. The important thing is to get the word out, speak out, and stop the police from shooting unarmed people and turning our world into a police state... a police world. We can change things, one movement at a time, one crisis at a time, with action, hope, unity and real love for all people and for a better world.

http://aworldbeyondcapitalism.org/onlinevideo.htm
http://www.peacecommunities.org/onlinevideo.htm

2008: The Oakland police killed Casper Banjo, 71 years old. Unarmed.
http://adriennecareyhurley.blogspot.com/2008/03/casper-banjo-71-yrs-old-killed-by.html

2008: Jose Luis Buenrostro, 15 years old. Unarmed.
http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/01/12/mistah-fab-releases-song-inspired-by-bay-area-shooting

2008: Jody Woodfox, 27, unarmed. Killed by Police Office Hector Jiminez.
http://gunshot41.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/mister-policeman-kills-again

2007: Gary King Jr., 20 , unarmed.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/23/18449224.php

2007: Andrew Moppin, 20, unarmed. Killed by Police Office Hector Jiminez.

Photo Caption “These children, a racial cross-section of Oakland, standing with a sign during the protest regarding the Oscar Grant protests, seem determined to stop the police' open season on young men of color before it's their turn. The sign on the left reads, "Sunset 2008-09 RIP Oscar Grant III, Casper Banjo Jose Luis Buenrostro, Jody Woodfox, Gary King Jr., Andrew Moppin and others at the hands of Oakland police." - Photo: Demondre Ward
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Day after day, a powerful, vociferous section of the Indian elite, goaded by marauding TV anchors who make Fox News look almost radical and left-wing, have taken to mindlessly... glorifying the police and the army, and virtually asking for a police state. It isn’t surprising that those who have grown plump on the pickings of democracy (such as it is) should now be calling for a police state. The era of “pickings” is long gone. We’re now in the era of Grabbing by Force, and democracy has a terrible habit of getting in the way."

-The quote is from 'Monster in the Mirror', written on December 30th, 2008 by Arundhati Roy

-----------------------------------------------------------------

This article was posted for educational reasons courtesy of the Peace Communities Solidarity Blog found at www.SaveThePoorBrownChildren.or g or http://www.SaveThePoorBrownChildren.blogspot.com - and it is a public group blog with an emphasis on feminism, women's empowerment, financially disadvantaged children, marginalized people's voices and direct action worldwide. The Peace Communities Solidarity Blog is the Media Outreach Blog of the Peace Communities Online Community < www.PeaceCommunities.org > a not-for-profit project started by the Mutualist project, created at Z Media Institute (founders of Z Magazine). T. Love is a Black Feminist activist and writer whose social justice writings have been featured in Street Roots, featured on Womanist-Musings, featured in the current issue of Natural Learning and featured in the current issue of Slingshot and many more radical activist publications, websites and journals worldwide. T. Love's personal profile page and personal blog on the Peace Communities is found by clicking here.

Creating a Housing and Community Space Use Collective in Olympia.

freeschoolstuff — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:57:47 GMT

We are Looking for Partner Organizations to Share Space in Olympia.

Dear friends,

The Freeschool Community of Olympia, serving the Olympia, Washington area for over 7 years, has partnered with several progressive organizations to form the Peace Communities. Among the many progressive organizations that have joined the Peace Communities thus far are the Mutualist Project members of the Z Media Institute (ZMI) 2007 Alumni, the Olympia Ecovillage/We Invite You, The Beauty of Barter, Imagine Seven, the Organizers of the Fifth Annual A World Beyond Capitalism Conference and organizers of the Do-It-Yourself Multimedia Creation Center. We have also have had conversations with the Evergreen Infoshop about possibly sharing a space and we welcome more Campus and Student-run organizations. Peace Communities is looking for More Partner Organizations to work towards Sharing Space in Olympia. We would like to work with several other organizations or progressive businesses to share the cost of a house, or transform a downtown or West Side warehouse into a shared space (as was successfully accomplished by the Rhizome Collective http://www.rhizomecollective.org ).

In addition to rental space, we will offer the use of free-of-charge shared webhosting space, help designing a website for your group, free-of-charge announcement space in our newspaper, "Natural Learning" with a circulation of 5,000 issues, 24 hours access to a feminist library and a secure room with a women's empowerment audio/video studio equipment. To see a small list of some of the recording and audio equpment that the freeschool currently has please click here: PDF Flyer or Document Flyer.

The below quote is from the Rhizome Collective wikipedia page:

"The Rhizome Collective is a consensus-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based on Austin, Texas, USA. The collective was founded in 2000 and operates an Educational Center for Urban Sustainability and a Center for Community Organizing."

"The Rhizome Collective operates out of three warehouses on Allen Street in East Austin. These warehouses and the 1/3 acre (1,300 m²) on which they sit make up the Rhizosphere. In addition to housing the collective, the Rhizosphere is used as a space for the development of urban sustainability practices."

"The Rhizosphere hosts space for organizations such as Austin Indymedia, the Austin Zine Library, the Inside Books Project, which ships reading material to prison inmates, Bikes Across Borders, and Food Not Bombs."

The idea to create a housing and community space collective in Olympia, has been in the research, cost analysis and forming process for almost two years. It is our desire to now rent a space as early as Spring 2009. Our next public forum will be held at:

Traditions café

Forum Title: Creating a Housing and Community Space Use Collective in Olympia.
Location: Traditions Café and World Folk Art, 300 5th Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98501
Date: Friday, January 30, 2009
Time: 7pm-9pm

Cost: Free. Snacks will be served.

We welcome all individuals, organizations and progressive businesses to participate in these conversations. We are grateful for help that we receive from all individuals and organizations, however, on order to maintain our education independence we are not accepting applications from government groups, religious groups or multinational corporations.

"If you are interested please send us an email by visiting the Freeschool Community's website at www.Freeschoolunity.org and click on 'contact.' Thank you. You can also call us from 11am-11pm, 7 days a week at (360) 539-8008 and we would love to talk with you.

Keep working for a better world everyone.

Love, Solidarity,

-Freeschool Members

-Peace Community Members

Love, Solidarity,

-Freeschool Members
www.FreeschoolUnity.org

-Peace Community Members
www.PeaceCommunities.org

===========================================================================

Did you go to this event? Did you miss this event? Do you want to talk about this event with others? Either way, you can talk about the event, learn more about it, or talk with others who attended it by joining the Freeschool Community's new Peace Communities Social Networking Website and Online Community with Member Profiles, Fully Customizable Themes for your page, Blogs, Discussion Forum, Event Listings, Photos & Slideshows, Custom Video Players, Real-time Activity Stream and much more! Its better than myspace and facebook combined, its free of charge and it has no multinational corporate advertisements. To join Peace Communities please go here: http://www.peacecommunities.ning.com

Media Island International(MII) Pizza Party at Fertile Ground May2008 - Also, June Painting Party!

freeschoolstuff — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:18:08 GMT

Hand drawn sketch of the Hail Seizures.

Media Island International(MII) Pizza Party at Fertile Ground in June 2008

FEATURING: JILL FREIDBURG, activist/film producer of true RAD documentaries such as,`This is What Democracy Looks Like '...Indymedia's coverage of the 1999 WTO protest in Seattle,and her latest film,`Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad(Little bit of so much truth) ...Live footage of the summer 2006 people's uprising in the mexican state of Oaxaca.

MUSIC:Featuring two of MII's favorite activist folk-punk acts, Hail Seizures and Paris McClusky.

VENUE:Fertile Ground Guesthouse at 311 9th ave SE.

DATE&TIME:SATURDAY 31st of MAY, from 6pm-10pm.

$10-$20 Sliding-scale and negotiable. All ages are welcome and half price for minors under 12.

REMINDER:Media Island International(MII) is Olympia's very own Indymedia center.MII was founded in 1984 by a group of dedicated activists seeking to bringing attention to issues largely ignored by the commercial mainstream media.

The 816 Adams house is the home of Kowa 106.5 Low-powered Fm radio station, Olympia IMC, Food Not Bombs, library and meeting space. We also provide umbrella for several small non-profits. We need your support in order to keep this media tree growing. Please donate !!

Also Below is a Different, Event Separate:

Painting Party at the Freeschool Community

Special Event: Spring Cleaning! Help Paint the Freeschool!

Free Snacks and the feeling of helping a wonderful resource become more beautiful!

Saturday, June 7th, 2008. 4pm-9pm in the freeschool. Thanks!

Location: The Freeschool Community, 610 Columbia Street

Visit our website at: http://www.FreeschoolUnity.org or http://www.FreeschoolCommunity.org

Pizza Party Event with live music at Fertile Ground, 311 9th Ave, SE, on Saturday, May 17th, 2008.

freeschoolstuff — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:03:14 GMT

Special Fundraiser Event for the Freeschool Community! Pizza Party Event with live music, "Those Bottom Feeders" and "Paris"! At Fertile Ground, 311 9th Ave, SE, on Saturday, May 17th, 2008. 6pm-9pm. Join us!

for more information about the Freeschool Community classes and events, visit:

www.freeschoolunity.org

or visit our back website at
www.freeschoolcommunity.org

Below There is a PDF and Jpg Flyer for this event as a File Attachment titled "May17_2008_Freeschool_Party_at_Fertile_Ground"

On May 15, 16 and 17th Please show solidarity and print it out an share with others (and post our flyer)! Thanks!

PDF flyer found here: Click Here for PDF flyer.

JPG flyer found here:
Click Here for JPG flyer.

Love, Solidarty and Peace worldwide! :)

Radical Feminist Art and Music Spring Artswalk Show

freeschoolstuff — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:31:44 GMT

Radical Feminist Art and Music Spring Artswalk Show!

Radical Feminist Art and Music Spring Artswalk Show

The Radical Freeschool Radio Show Presents: Radical Feminist Art and Music Spring Artswalk Show! This Show will include Brenna Sahatjian (pictured above ina photo by Jonny D) from the Nationwide travelling Riotfolk! < www.riotfolk.org > In addition, this show will also include the Activists who make up “Actor Slash Model”, Musicians Madsen Minax and Simon Strikeback (both pictured below) are Exploring Trans and Gender Variant Identity Musicianship and Performance! < see www.actorslashmodel.com. > This is a special Fundraiser for the Freeschool! No one turned away for lack of funds!

Time: 9:00 pm, Friday, April 25th, 2008

Location: Freeschool Community: 610 Columbia Street,

Organized by:
Radical Freeschool Radio Show http://www.RadicalFreeschoolRadioShow.org
and the Radical Feminist Distro found by clicking on RFD at http://www.FreeschoolUnity.org or http://www.FreeschoolCommunity.org

Print out the PDF version of the Award Winning Flyer by clicking here:

http://dsame.com/freeschool/RadicalFeministArtandMusic.pdf

Print out the Document version of the Award Winning Flyer by clicking here:

http://dsame.com/freeschool/RadicalFeministArtandMusic.doc

*Video Screening at Media Island <http://www.mediaisland.org> April 7, 2008

freeschoolstuff — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:22:58 GMT

816 Adams Street
Olympia, Washington, Cascadia 98501
*(Across the street from the Olympia Timberland library)*

360.352.8526*

*Breaking the Spell*<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_the_Spell_%28film%29>is
a 1999 anarchist <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism> documentary, directed
by Tim Lewis, Tim Ream, and Sir Chuck A. Rock.

Using amateur camera footage recorded by protesters at the scene of the 1999
WTO
riots<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTO_Ministerial_Conference_of_1999_protest_activity>,
it documents the riot from the perspective of the anarchists, their opinions
of fellow protesters, local politicians, and includes footage which aired
nationally on 60 Minutes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes>.

The film is currently distributed by
CrimethInc.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrimethInc.>on the CrimethInc.
Guerilla Film Series, Volume
One<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrimethInc._Guerilla_Film_Series%2C_Volume_One>DVD.

*the Miami Model*

http://www.mediarights.org/film/the_miami_model

In November, 2003, trade
ministers from 34 countries met in Miami, Florida, to negotiate the Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The FTAA threatens to devastate workers,
the environment, and public services like health care, education, and water,
and to destroy indigenous rights and cultural diversity across North,
Central, and South America. Thousands of union members, environmentalists,
feminists, anarchists, students, farm workers, media activists, and human
rights activists who gathered in Miami to struggle against the FTAA were
brutally attacked with rubber bullets, pepper spray, electric guns and shock
batons, embedded reporters and information warfare, all coordinated by the
new United States Department of Homeland Security.

Against Capital's model of paramilitary oppression, information warfare,
and corporate rule, we offered models of grassroots resistance, creative
action and solidarity. Collectively, Indymedia activists shot hundreds of
hours of video footage documenting the FTAA protests in Miami. This footage
has been edited by the FTAA Miami Video Working Group into a documentary
that cuts through the mass media blackout to reveal the brutal repression
and assault on civil liberties that took place, as well as the
life-affirming and inspiring alternatives to capitalist globalization that
were also in full effect in Miami.

The Freeschool Would Like to Recommend Close friends of Ours: Entropy Pawsed!

freeschoolstuff — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:39:29 GMT

Immerse yourself in healthy simplified living!

Entropy Pawsed is a nature-linked low energy living demonstration site in a rural remote valley of the Yew Mountains, 25 miles north of beautiful historic Lewisburg, West Virginia. Entropy Pawsed utilizes the principles of Permaculture and Deep Ecology to seek Earth harmonious ways of living. We offer educational programs to those interested in the potential for beauty and elegance in a healthier, simplified lifestyle. If you are tired of endless consumption and constant competition, or just know somehow, deep down, that life should be different, we can help.

Panther Camp Creek valley. Entropy Pawsed just left of and below center

Entropy Pawsed awaits your visit.

Day Trip
Camp on the beautiful, wild grounds
In 2009, stay in our guest lodge

Love for all,

-The Freeschool Community Collective

Love, Peace. Solidarity,

-The Radical Freeschool Radio Show Collective
http://www.RadicalFreeschoolRadioShow.org

To learn more about free classes offered at the freeschool please visit:
http://www.FreeschoolUnity.org

Or if that website doesn't load quick enough, please visit our back-up website:
http://www.FreeschoolCommunity.org

Networking Freeschool Worldwide (Page 2 of 2)

freeschoolstuff — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:13:26 GMT

Dear friends,

The Freeschool Community of Olympia is very happy to share with everyone that we currently have a wonderful intern who is working to find out which of these freeschools are "free" and which ones charge a fee.

That will enable people to easily find and research the various free-of-charge models of freeschool with greater ease.

This page is "Networking Freeschools Worldwide (Page 2 of 2)"

To read Networking Freeschools Worldwide (Page 1 of 2)" please click here.

Thanks for your interest!

Love, peace, and No fees for an education,

-The Freeschool Community Collective

Australia

Australasian Association for Progressive and Alternative Education, Aranda, ACT
Blacktown Youth College, Saint Marys, NSW
The Booroobin Sudbury Democratic Centre of Learning, Booroobin, Sunshine Coast hinterland, Queensland
Currambena Primary School and Preschool, Lane Cove, NSW
Fitzroy Community School, North Fitzroy, Vic.
Pine Community School, Brisbane
Sherbrooke Community School, Sassafras, Vic.

Austria

Belgium

De Vlinder Sudbury School, Gent
Leerhuis Bressel, Brussels

Brazil

Lumiar School, Sao Paulo

Canada

ALPHA Alternative School, Toronto, ON
Au Grand Bois, Ladysmith, QC
The Beach School, Toronto, ON
Calgary Board of Education, Calgary, AB
Colin Macdonald Community School, Hamilton, ON
Democratic Dialogue, Ottawa, ON
Ecole PEACE, Bondville, QC
Education Plus, High River, AB
Fairfield School, Wolfville, NS
First Nation School, Sandy Lake, ON
Indian Way School, Kahnawake, QC
Indigo Sudbury Campus, South Edmonton, AB
Montessori Jewsih Day School, Toronto, ON
Oneida Learning Center, Southwold, ON
Our Schools / Our Selves, ON
SEED Alternative School, Toronto, ON
South Shore Waldorf School, Blockhouse, NS
Windsor House, North Vancouver, BC

Colombia

Colegio Bilingue Jorge Emilio Gutierrez, Bogota

Costa Rica

Cloud Forest School / Centro de Educaciï¿½n Creativa

Denmark

Det Frie Gymnasium, Copenhagen

Ecuador

Academia Cotopaxi, Quito
Experiencia Educativa Santana, Cuenca Azuay

France

Les Enfants Dï¿½abord, Vendat
Lycï¿½e Autogï¿½rï¿½ de Paris, Paris
The Olive Tree International School, Quinson

Germany

Berlin Sudbury School, Berlin

Guatemala

Naleb School

Honduras

Cofradia's Bilingual School, Cortez

Hungary

Carl Rogers Person-Centered School, Budapest

India

Abacus Montessori School, Perungudi, Chennai
Butterflies Program for Street and Working Children, see also this page, New Delhi
Gram-Mangal, Karve Nagar, Pune
Isha Home school, Singanallur, Coimbatore
Kangaroo Kids Education Ltd., Bandra, Mumbai
Primrose School, Pondicherry
Sholai School, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu
Sri Atmananda Memorial School (the model school for the KPM Approach to Children), Malakkara, Kerala

Indonesia

Sunrise School, Bali

Israel

The Institute for Democratic Education, Tel Aviv
KANAF Democratic School, Eliad, Golan Heights
Kehila Democratic School, Tel Aviv

Japan

Famille Chofu 307, Tokyo
Global Community School, Takasago City
Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Ishikawa, Japan
Kogakkan University, Ise City
National Institute for Educational Policy and Research of Japan, Tokyo

Korea

GET PLEX, Incheon
School Star, Seoul
Seoul Alternative Learning Community Network, Seoul

Nepal

Sri Aurobindo Yoga Mandir, Kathmandu

Netherlands

De Ruimte Soest, Soest

New Zealand

Tamariki School, Christchurch

Norway

Hurum Rudolph Steiner High School, Tofte
Forsï¿½ksgymnaset i Oslo, Oslo

Palestine

Hope Flowers School, Bethlehem, West Bank

Poland

ASSA: Autorska Szkola Samorozwoju (The School for Individual Development), Wroclaw

Russia

Eureka Free University, Moscow
First of September newspaper, Moscow
Generous Apple, Kostroma
Kluch School, Moscow
Moscow International Film School, Moscow (click on "ENG" for English)
School of Self Determination, Moscow

South Africa

The Blue Crane Centre, East London
Nahoon Montessori School, Nahoon, East London

Spain

Asociacion 'El cohete y la estrella', Madrid

Thailand

META International School

Ukraine

Stork Family School, Vinnitsa

United Kingdom

Brigflatts Cottage, Cumbria
Brockwood Park School (Hampshire)
Craven Cottage, Berkshire
Education Now, Nottingham
Education Otherwise, London
First College (UK), Online
Human Scale Education, Bristol
Marquess College, London
Phoenix Education Trust, London
Planned Environment Therapy Trust (P.E.T.T.), Cheltenham, Glos.
Sands School, Devon
Schumacher College, Dartington
Summerhill School, Leiston

United States

Alabama

School of Organic Education, Fairhope
World Of Opportunity, Birmingham

Alaska

Pacific High School, Sitka
Steller Secondary School, Anchorage

Arizona

Arkansas

Headwater School, Pettigrew

California

Amity Institute, San Diego
Ananda Institute Of Alternative Living, Nevada City
Arbor Academy, Thousand Oaks
Big Rock Sudbury School, Marin County
Cascade Canyon School, Marin County
Cedarwood Sudbury School, Santa Clara
Celebration Education, Yucaipa
The Children's Neighborhood Workshop, Pasadena
Contra Costa School, Orinda
The Cottage, Berkeley
Diablo Valley School, Concord
Education Futures Project, Sacramento
Foundations School, Van Nuys
Garden Gate Montessori, Walnut Creek
Genesis Forum Academy, Loci
Global Friends School, Nevada City
Global Village School, Ojai
I.D.E.A.L., Shell Beach
The Independent Institute, Oakland
Laurel Springs School, Ojai
Learning Forum, Oceanside
Manzanita School, San Luis Obispo
National Center for Montessori Education, Sonoma
Nonesuch School, Sebastopol
Oak Grove School, Ojai
The Oaks School, Hollywood
Oasis Community School, Encinitas
Pacifica Community Charter School, Los Angeles Peninsula School, Menlo Park
Play Mountain Place, Los Angeles
Rose Blossom Nursery School, Aptos
Rudolf Steiner College, Fair Oaks
Sacramento Valley School, Sacramento
The School Of Choice, San Jose
Tara Redwood School, Soquel
Arbor Academy, Thousand Oaks
Villa Panorama School, Rolling Hills Estates
Whole Lang Umb, Fresno
Wildcat Community Free School, Richmond

Colorado

Alpine Valley School, Wheat Ridge
Colorado High School, Greeley
Continuum High School, Ft. Collins
Eagle Rock School, Estes Park
Golden Independent School, Golden
Jefferson County Open School, Lakewood
Lamborn Valley School, Paonia
The Living School, Boulder
Monarch Center for Family Healing, Georgetown
NAPNSC Accrediting Commission, Grand Junction
Naropa University, Boulder
New Vista High School, Boulder
Pattern Research, Denver
PIONEER School for Expeditionary Learning, Ft. Collins
River Mist Learning Community, Durango
The River School, Telluride
September School, Boulder
Watershed School, Boulder
Yampah Mountain High School, Glenwood Springs

Connecticut

Mountain Laurel Sudbury School, New Britain
Mead School, Stamford

Delaware

Newark Center For Creative Learning, Newark
Renewal of the Spirit Institute, Delaware City

District of Columbia

Center for Education Reform, Washington
Magnet Schools Of America, Washington

Florida

Chimera Center, Alachua
Full Circle Community School, Oviedo
Grassroots Free School, Tallahassee
Jordan Glen School, Archer
Life Of Florida, Odessa
Lifetime Learning, Coral Springs
The Magnolia School, Tallahassee
The Montessori Foundation, Sarasota
Palmetto Bay Academy, Miami
Pinellas Preparatory Academy, Largo
REAL Education Center, Inc., Tallahassee
Sail High School, Tallahassee
The Sanctuary on 8th Street, Jacksonville
The School Without Walls
Spring Valley School, Palm Harbor
Stonesoup School, Crescent City
Walden School, Gulfport

Georgia

Idaho

Teton Valley Community School, Driggs
Woodbury Reports, Bonners Ferry

Illinois

Alternive School Network, Chicago
Augustana College Education Department, Rock Island
The Children's Music Network, Evanston
The Crystal Lake Montessori School, Woodstock
Forum High School For Creative Study, Chicago
Small Schools Workshop, Oak Park
Youth Connection Charter School, Chicago

Indiana

Christa Mcauliffe Alternative Middle School, Evansville
Geo Foundation, Indianapolis
Harmony School, Bloomington
Kind School, Indianapolis
Ward Education Center / Fort Wayne Community Schools, Fort Wayne

Iowa

Iowa Association of Alternative Education, Des Moines
Pleasant Valley School, Decorah
Scattergood Friends School, West Branch
The Village Home School Cooperative, Coralville
Virtual Homeschool International, Coralville

Kansas

Bridge Alternative School, Eureka

Louisiana

New Orleans Free School, New Orleans

Maine

Maryland

The Freedom School, Barnesville
Fairhaven School, Upper Marlboro
Global Integral Solutions, Germantown
International Montessori Society, Silver Spring
Oneness Family School, Chevy Chase

Massachusetts

Balance Rock Democratic Freeschool and Homeschool Support Center, Jefferson
Hampshire College, Amherst
Heathcote Open Classroom, Freeland
The Hartsbrook School, Hadley
Hilltown Cooperative Charter School, Haydenville
Institute for People Education Action, Florence
Living Routes, Shutesbury
North Plain Farm, Great Barrington
North Star, Hadley
Rosenberg Fund For Children, Easthampton
Shackleton Schools, Ashby
Stone Soup School, Worcester
Sudbury Valley School, Framingham

Michigan

Ann Arbor Open School, Ann Arbor
Clonlara School, Ann Arbor
Community Connections Learning Center, Lansing
Honey Creek Community School, Ann Arbor
Oasis High School, Mt. Pleasant
Upland Hills School, Oxford

Minnesota

International Association for Learning Alternatives, St. Paul
Lake Superior High School, Duluth
Learning Alternatives Community School, Spring Lake Park
Learning Quest, Inc., Lewiston
Mahtomedi Alternative Learning Program, White Bear Lake
Second Foundation School, Minneapolis
Southside Family School, Minneapolis
The Village School, Northfield
Wolf School, Minneapolis

Missouri

Delasalle Education Center, Kansas City

Montana

Billings Educational Academy, Billings
O.P. & W.E. Edwards Foundation, Red Lodge
School of Education at the University of Montana - Missoula, Missoula
Missoula Community School, Missoula
Sleeping Giant Community School, St. Ignatius
Sussex School, Missoula

New Hampshire

Ashuelot River Free School, Winchester
Bedford Youth Preforming Company, Bedford
The Community School, South Tamworth
Derry Montessori School, Derry
The Meeting School, Rindge
Pine Hill Waldorf, Wilton
Souhegan Alternative School, Mason
Woodland Community School, Bethlehem

New Jersey

A Child's Place, Lincroft
Center For Design Studies, Englewood
Jersey City School District, Jersey City
Holistic Moms Network, Caldwell
New Jersey Unschoolers, Farmingdale
The New School Of Monmouth County, Holmdel
Ridge And Valley Charter School, Blairstown
The Schoolhouse, Pottersville
Terry McArdle Free School, Little Falls
Unity Charter School, Morristown
Voyagers' Learning Center, Farmingdale
The Wellspring School, Gladstone
WMH Brown Academy, West Orange

New Mexico

Mountain Mahogany Community School, Albuquerque
NALSAS, Accreditation Division, Santa Fe
Sante Fe Community School Home Study Program, Torreon
The Tutorial School, Santa Fe

New York

Academic Community for Educational Success (ACES), Bedford Hills
Akwesasne Freedom School, Rooseveltown
The Albany Free School, Albany
American Montessori Society, New York
Bay and Paul Foundations, New York
Beacon Program, Floral Park
Bethlehem Children's School, Slingerlands
Blue Rock School, West Nyack
Brooklyn Free School, Brooklyn
Calhoun School, New York
Child Activity Center, Adelphi University, Garden City
City-As-School, New York
Crossroads, Brewster
East Village Community School, New York
Education Futures, East Hampton
Eugene Lang College, New York
For Kids Only School, Elmont
Friends of the Ferrer Modern School, Altamont
Friends World Program, Southampton College, Southampton
Harriet Tubman Free School, Albany
Hawk Circle Wilderness Programs & Earth Mentoring Institute, Cherry Valley
Imagine Academy, Brooklyn
It Is Time, New York
Lehman Alternative Community School, Ithaca
Longview School, Corlandt Manor
LVSCD Homeschooling, Bayville
Manhattan Country School, New York
Mountain Road School, New Lebanon
Network Biofeedback Services, Inc., Lynbrook
The New School, Syracuse
Niagara Falls Alternative High School, Niagra Falls
PACE, Brookville
Paulding Lane, Crompond
Progressive School of Long Island, Merrick
Provident Living Academy, Savannah
Renaissance Charter School, Queens
Schools and You, Brooklyn
Students Against Testing, New York
Teachers & Writers Colloborative, New York
The Theater Street School, Richmond Hill
Village School, Great Neck

North Carolina

American Montessori Society, Boone
Arthur Morgan School, Burnsville
Forest Children Home Enrichment Program, Black Mountain, NC
Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine, Sugar Grove
Rainbow Mountain Children's School, Asheville
Raleigh Progressive School, Raleigh

Ohio

Antioch School, Yellow Springs
Community Service, Inc., Yellow Springs
Harmony Community School, Cincinnati
Heartlight School, Toledo
Institute for Democracy in Education, Ohio University, Athens
Leaves of Learning, Loveland
National Association For Core Curriculum, Kent

Oregon

Blue Mountain School, Cottege Grove
Emerald Valley School, Eugene
Homesource, Eugene
Newport Alternative School, Newport
Olympia Community School, Olympia
Portland Cooperative School, Portland
Portland Family Freeschool, Portland
Trillium Charter School, Portland
The Village Free School, Portland
Wellsprings Friends School, Eugene

Pennsylvania

Camphill Soltane, Glenmoore
The Circle School, Harrisburg
Keystone National High School, Bloomsburg
Kinder Associates (consultants in mindbody health), Lancaster
Lincoln Intermediate Unit No. 12, New Oxford
National Coalition for Education Activists, Philadelphia
The Oakland School, Pittsburgh
Open Connections Inc., Newtown Square
ProgressEd, Philadelphia
Project Learn School, Philadelphia
"Road" Scholar Tutoring Services LLC, Scappoose
School on the Hill, Kirkwood
School in Rose Valley, Rose Valley
School of Living, Julian
Seven Generations Charter School, Emmaus
Upattinas School, Glenmoore

Puerto Rico

Casa Sudbury, Cidra

Rhode Island

The Big Picture Company, Providence
Quest Montessori School, Exeter

South Dakota

Yankton High School, Yankton

Tennessee

Laurel High School, Knoxville
Germantown High School, Germantown
Home Life Academy, Memphis
Kids to the Country, Summertown
Natural Learning School & Homeschool Resource Center, Memphis

Texas

Khabele School, Austin
Brazos Valley Sudbury School, Brookshire
Greenbriar, Bastrop
Academies of Houston, Houston
Houston Outdoor Learning Acadamy, Houston
The Real School, Houston
Redd School, Houston

Utah

Aspen Community School, Orem
Higher Ground Learning, Salt Lake City
Sego Lily School, Salt Lake City

Vermont

Atrium Society, Middlebury
Common Ground Center, Starksboro
Foundation For Educational Renewal, Charlotte
Goddard College, Plainfield
Hiland Hall School, Bennington
The Journey School , Chester
Kroka Expeditions, Putney
The Institute For Social Ecology, Plainfield
Mountain View Community School, Rutland
Open Path Homeschooling Resources, Middlesex'
Orchard Valley School, East Montpelier
Vermont College of the Union Institute and University, Montpelier

Virginia

Arch Academy, Staunton
Blue Mountain School, Floyd
Chesapeake Alternative School, Chesapeake
Community School, Roanoke
Dinwiddie Alternative Ed., Dinwiddie
Education Anywhere, Anytime, Sterling
H.B. Woodlawn Program, Arlington Public Schools, Arlington
Hopewell High School, Hopewell
Lander Creative, Montebello
Massaparex High School, Fredericksburg
New School of Northern Virginia, Fairfax
Project X-CD, Vicksburg
Richmond Waldorf School, Richmond
Shenandoah Vally Community School, Lacey Spring
Southeastern Alternative School, Midland
The Enterprise School, Vienna

Washington

Alger Learning Center & Independence High School, Sedro-Woolley
Antioch Seattle, Vashon Island
The Attic Learning Community, Bothell
Bellingham Cooperative School, Bellingham
Burlington Little School, Burlington
Central Washington University, Ellensburg
The Clearwater School, Seattle
Community School Of West Seattle, Seattle
Eagle Alternative School, Toppenish
The Heritage Institute, Clinton
Methow Valley Community School, Twisp
Mt. View School, Port Townsend
New Horizons For Learning, Seattle
Olympia Community Free School, Olympia
Olympia Community School, Olympia
Puget Sound Community School, Seattle
Salmonberry School, Orcas
Spectrum Community School, Bremerton
Wheels of Life School, Bellingham

West Virginia

The Highland School, Highland

Wisconsin

Multicultural Community Services, Milwaukee
Rethinking Schools, Milwaukee
Technical Assistance & Leadership Center, Milwaukee
United Migrant Opportunity Services, Milwaukee
The Young Women's Institute for Global Studies, Milwaukee

International

The Secret CO-OP Model Learning Center

</div>

Ciao to Ko Tao

freeschoolstuff — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:36:38 GMT

Dear friends,

Below is another letter sent to a member of the freeschool from a friend and a great activist in a far away place. She gave us permission to share this with everyone.

Love. Solidarity, Peace, Freedom,

-Freeschool Community Collective

================================================================================

I am sitting in an internet cafe. It's fairly nondescript and just as good as any of the other 35 internet cafes at the pier but I usually come here because I love the young woman who runs it. She has a smile that is so sweet.

It's dark...It's 8:36. Cheesy Thai disco music blasts from a shop across the street and motorbikes whisk past at random intervals. People laughing, people shouting, people not saying anything at all pass in couples or alone. This is Mae Hat the pier town of Ko Tao, the island I have been living on for over a month now---divng and sunning myself.

During the day there is a bi tmore action. Products of every category..fruits..diving suits...fans..packaged noodles..are unloaded from 5 in the morning until late at night. Boats come in and out unloading divers and travellers alike. The streets are lined with souvenir shops, tiny markets, fruit stands, internet cafes, restaurants of every variety, book exchange shops and of course many places offering the same "Boat, bus, visa run, combined ticket" choices. For some reason I absolutely love this place.

I haven't actually seen this entire small island. I have seen only small parts of it on land and I have seen a lot of the oceans surrounding it. There are fish and coral and other forms of life that if Id idn't see it for myself I would have never believed existed. I have seen sharks and the tiniest of fish. I have seen parts of the world that not everyone sees and for this oppurtunity I am eternally grateful.

When you stay somewhere so long it is very hard ot pull yourself away. I have made many friends at teh resort and outside of it, and I will miss them dearly. I cannot wait to return next year to do my divemaster.

I was trying to decide what was it exactly that had made me decide to stay in this one place so long: I went through many combinations...

Was it the gecko who screamed his love song from the same corner of my bungalow three times everynight? Was it the amazing people..Thai, Burmese, German, Spanish and American alike? Was it the slightly crazed captains of the diving boats who were always so happy to see me and scream some of the few english words they knew at random times "Party!" "Whale SHark!"? Was it my cold shower (sorry it was sometimes slightly warm for the first 20 seconds) in my grungy pastygreen tiled bathroom that cooled my sunburn and rinsed me off the ocean salt at the end of the day? I went through everything and then realized..that I have never been happier in a place before. for all the good and bad I made my home here for a month for good reason and I am returning soon enough.

So for now I say Ciao to Ko Tao and I will miss it and its people dearly .

On to other beaches and oceans...

Love,

Natasha

I tried to update some of my pictures but it's not quite working so I have attatched some

NatashaO38: My friend Annie from Greece in Mae Hat Pier

Natasha056:view from one of the dive sites

Natasha063: view from the bungalow I had for a month

Natasha076: me, for anyone who misses my silly faces and doubts that I am alive :-)

The Beauty of the Sea

freeschoolstuff — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:21:36 GMT

Dear friends,

Below is a letter sent to a member of the freeschool from a friend and a great activist in a far away place. She gave us permission to share this with everyone.

Love. Solidarity, Peace, Freedom,

-Freeschool Community Collective

================================================================================

Hey darlings,

I've finally had a break in scuba diving world, because I have OVER-scuba dives and how have blisters on my feet from the fins. Oh well I guess I needed a rest so I will really appreciate it when I can finally go again.

I have to say I am on a role with the scuba diving. It is completely absorbing my attention and passion. I find myself drawing fish accidentally, I go to sleep at night and I feel the ocean rocking beneath me. When I remember my dreams, they always involve scuba diving..and my nightmares involve me missing out on scuba diving because I was late to the boat or something...Geez I'm a woman obsessed.

I am obsessed for a good reason though. The beauty you see underwater is incomparable to anything else I have experienced. It's harmonious, shocking, and mind-blowing. The colors, the life, the feeling of being underwater is just becoming a quickly enveloping passion.

I have seen a shark, anenome fish ducking in and out of their home, pufferfish, stingrays, Christmas trees (yes, underwater), gropers, butterflyfish, angelfish, barracuda and so many more forms of life that I don't even know the name of yet.

The island that I am on is tiny enough to feel at home and I now know hte inside and outs of the main pier, nevermind that I am quickly becoming quite balanced on the edge of a boat.

Two days ago, I went Night diving which is as freaky as it sounds. It's scary but the desire to see what scuba diving is like with barely any light overcomes any fear. you have light, one dive light each. To be honest htey aren't that big and I am glad I was going with a scuba instructor that I really trusted and he knew the area well enough for me to feel calm about it. We saw a small wreck--a rusted catamaran--which was a little spooky at night. Many huge fish were resting inside sleeping peacefully rocking with the water.

We also turned off our dive lights when we were settled on a sandy bottom and played with the bioluminescent algae. Truly wonderful. You wave your hands and sparks go off all around you wherever the movement happened. We sat around in a dark circle waving our hands around wildly and laughing into our regulators (it souded liek gurgle gurgle but we understood what everyone was feeling).

That was truly an amazing night--of conquering fear and seeing animals you don't usually see in the day...like the pufferfish which are incredibly cute with their puffy lips and big eyes.

I also have tried my hand at underwater photography which is quite fun although a bit frustrating. The fact is: fish move. you are just about the take a picture and the fish is gone. You have to sense where it is going and plan ahead. Like my friend said: It's like taking a picture of running horses you have to put the camera way in front so that by the time they are there you are ready. Except the fish go around in circles and dont' move in a straight line. Even When you are taking a picture of something still, like coral or Christmas trees (I'm sure you can tell what thye are in the photos) you are moving. This is part of my fine tuning my buoyancy underwater and precisely regulating my breathing. It's hard but it helps tremendously because you will just be ready to take a picture and you start floating away...it's great fun and slightly frustrating, but I will only get better with practice.

I have also had my first angry moment underwater, trying to make a square with a compass. It is simple--because I understand know--I just wasn't watching the needle in the right place. Being underwater is really the safest place for angry people because you can't sware or comunicate very much and if you are throwing your fists around there is nothing to hit but water. You can't even punch that hard because the water slows your momentum. I eventually figured it out after communicating frustrated messages on an underwater slate...and floating away while doing so..:-)

In the past two days, I haven't been doing much..drawing fish and waiting to get back into the water...it feels so empty without diving. I have tried to work on my tan but the results arent' so obvious, plus it gets a bit boring when you can't dip in and out of the water. you are just sweating over yourself waiting till you can go in the shade.

Ahh I can complain, but honestly I am having the best time of my life. I have found many passions here, and I am sur eI will return and get my liscence as a dive instructor. But first I will have to make many many more dives, but it's not so painful discovering the beauty of the sea.

For now, from Ko Tao.

Love,

Natasha

The pictures are of anenome fish(fish peaking over the tentacles), butterfly fish--who always travel in couples(the yellow ones), CHristmas trees (the close-up of little furry things) and just a photo of coral and damselfish surrounding it. I couldn't download the photo that my friend took of me underwater but I will try to send one when I underwater photograph again.

RFR Show #5 - Raise Your Voice

freeschoolstuff — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:23:32 GMT

Dear friends,

You can listen to the third broadcast of our radio show by clicking here.

Contents:

This is the Open Mic Event hosted by the Radical Freeschool Radio Show. The next Open Mic Event will take place on March 22nd from3pm-5pm at the Freeschool Community, 610 Columbia Street. Olympia, WA.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Love, Peace. Solidarity,

-The Radical Freeschool Radio Show Collective
http://www.RadicalFreeschoolRadioShow.org

To learn more about free classes offered at the freeschool please visit:
http://www.FreeschoolCommunity.org

Articipatory Music and other weird things

freeschoolstuff — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:27:38 GMT

Articipatory Music and other weird things
by Jessica Corey-Butler, Oct 11, 2007

Last weekend Articipatory Music happened at the Olympia Community Free School during "A giant party for a better world," the Love, Imagine, Network, Kindness (LINK) Symposium, an extension of "A World Beyond Capitalism," The Third Annual International Multiracial Alliance Building Peace Conference. An activist folk music collective called Riotfolk performed and a Secret Cafe fund raiser was held, benefiting a residential permaculture project. And eight people created compositions, but not made out of notes and played on flutes and guitars.

Huh?

Articipatory Music was an idea originally born when it's facilitator (and creator) Michael Gaiuranos attended a summer session with the School for Designing a Society, held on Patch Adam's Gesundheit! Institute in West Virginia.

Initially, Gaiuranos thought he was going there to compose music with the experimental musicians associated with cybernetics.

The second time he attended the school, he recalls, "I knew I was aiming for something else." He credits the school for "encouraging me to do weird things."

As such, he feels his extrapolation of one exercise he had learned where participants composed responses, one inane and one an elaborate ideal, and then negotiated within larger groups.

"That was the really really really interesting part," Gaiuranos remembers, adding, "How do you negotiate your Utopia?"

His original idea for Saturday's event was to have his participants "compose ideal conversation in the context of Utopian ideal society."

As it panned out on Saturday, however, Gaiuranos thinks possibly the amount of time allotted -- two hours -- might have been inadequate for carrying out his idea. As it was, the discussion elicited positive responses, as well as some lasting visual cues for Gaiuranos.

In one activity, the "art lube," intended to open minds to a more creative direction, the group was asked to compose a five-second response to the word purple. One individual created a response that alluded to the liberation of kidney beans from a can. Another had a boy observing the emperor's purple testicles -- a wry observation about the notion of purple as royal, noted Gaiuranos.

Now, Gaiuranos admits his associations of the word purple will forever include that image, as well as Donny Osmond, Alice Walker and Prince.

Gaiuranos, who says, "I compose, but mostly I write -- wallow in the self indulgence of it all," has side jobs directing tarot card reading seminar (for free, at the Free School), as well as conducting writing seminars (not for free).

He also whiles away second Mondays of each month with the Northwest Playwrights Alliance, explaining, "Hanging out with them gives me a reason to write."

With the group's encouragement, Gaiuranos has completed a 100-page full-length play; his immediate plans are to "sit around like a fat lazy cat and wait for the next inspiration to strike."

He'll bring the second Articipatory Music to the second portion of A World Beyond Capitalism in Seattle.

For more information, go to http://www.aworldbeyondcapitalism.org/awbc.html or e-mail mailto:snow_leopard@comcast.net

The article was originally printed in the Volcano Weekly and on their website found here: http://www.weeklyvolcano.com/2007-10-11/naked-city-main/1212/

Photo: Myspace

Michael Gaiuranos doesn't believe it's necessary to print his photo so enjoy our interpretation of Articipatory Music.

</div>

Land trust works to keep South Sound natural

freeschoolstuff — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:08:51 GMT

From its humble beginning in 1989, the Capitol Land Trust has been key in staving off development on 41 special places in South Sound totaling more than 2,800 acres.

And the nonprofit group that appeals to people from all walks of life and political persuasions still is busy trying to keep ahead of the bulldozers and suburban sprawl, pursuing protection for another 2,500 acres of marine shoreline, forested wetlands, South Sound estuaries and other undisturbed areas vital to fish, wildlife, water quality and peace of mind.

The land trust uses all of the tools in the book to keep natural areas natural, leveraging state grants and private donations to purchase property from willing sellers or negotiate conservation easements that allow private property owners to live on their land, but keep the developers permanently at bay.

As I drove to the Capitol Land Trust's fourth annual conservation breakfast earlier this week at Saint Martin's University's Worthington Center, I had plenty of visual reminders of South Sound growth and development and memories of a less hectic, pastoral time when Thurston County was home to fewer than 60,000 people.

To reach the breakfast, I traveled down College Street, just ahead of the morning rush-hour traffic that clogs the four-lane road that runs north-south through the heart of Lacey.

As a young teen, I remember cutting firewood with my father in what seemed like a never-ending forest next to a one-lane, rutted road. This was the southern end of today's College Street.

Near the intersection with Yelm Highway was a Christmas tree plantation where Lowe's sits today. A dairy farm down the road - where my father, a veterinarian, treated the milk cows - became the Capitol City Golf Course and housing development.

I thought about the tentacles of growth radiating from what was once the tiny village of Lacey as I drove to the Capitol Land Trust breakfast fundraiser, an event where the pro-growth and no-growth factions check their guns at the door and rally around the community benefits of protecting valuable open space and habitat in a nonregulatory way.

"Conservation is the concern of all of us," Capital Land Trust board president Pene Speaks said succinctly. "It's not a partisan issue."

Fromhold was instrumental in securing $100 million last year for the state's Wildlife and Recreation Program, a pot of money that the land trust has dipped into to conserve South Sound special places. That's double the typical two-year budget for the program.

"Don't let go of that

Swecker, a recent graduate of The Evergreen State College's master's program in environmental studies, talked about the need to work with landowners who are willing to go that extra mile to be good stewards of their land.

Homestreet Bank also was recognized for its longtime support of Capital Land Trust efforts.

The master of ceremonies for the breakfast was former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, an active member of the land trust and someone whose standing as a South Sound mover and shaker might be unparalleled, especially in his ability to forge unique partnerships around conservation and civic projects.

By the time I left the breakfast, I once again was convinced that the Capitol Land Trust is the most successful soldier in the never-ending battle to keep sprawl from spilling into the environmentally sensitive places that continue to make South Sound a wonderful place to grow up, raise a family, work and - I hope - retire some day.

==========================================================

The below excerpt is from teh Article originally published by The Olympian on March 2nd, 2008 by John Dodge. John Dodge is a senior reporter and Sunday columnist for The Olympian.

Update: Kaylen Williams gives his first-hand perspective on the Evergreen Riot from the Beginning

freeschoolstuff — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:02:41 GMT

This below story was written by Owen Taylor
and Originally titled: The real story behind the Evergreen Riot

It first appeared in the Volcano Weekly.

Members of the Radical Freeschool Radio Show were at that Dead Prez Show and had a radio broadcast about the riot available online. To listen to that Radio Broadcast and to see photos and read an article written about it by a member of the Radical Freeschool radio Show Collective, please click here.

==========================Start of Story-======================================

On Valentine’s Day, Kaylen Williams, a 24-year-old chef, had a bad feeling in his gut all day. He had hoped it was just butterflies in the stomach. The handsome, single man was on his way to a much-anticipated V-Day concert, where plenty of eligible bachelorettes would be dancing to the revolutionary rhythms of Dead Prez, a popular and politically charged underground hip-hop duo that would be making a rare West Coast appearance.

Had Williams known what was to come, he might well have stayed home.

You see, later that night Williams found himself at the center of a riot at The Evergreen State College, staring out the windows of a police cruiser from the eye of a hurricane and watching it build momentum. Williams was arrested on the word of a volunteer security guard for something he says he had nothing to do with. His arrest triggered what would come to be known as the Evergreen Riot.

Unless you live under a rock or outside the blogosphere of Western Washington, you are no doubt aware that the Feb. 14 Dead Prez concert at The Evergreen State College ended with a Thurston County Sheriff’s patrol car flipped onto its roof with the windows smashed out and several witty slogans spray painted on it. Sheriff’s Lt. Christopher Mealy said four patrol cars were damaged at an estimated cost of $35,000 to $50,000. Since then, a storm of rhetoric has been issued by the Sheriff’s Department, the college, and every hippie and conservative with access to the Internet. Evergreen has banned concerts indefinitely, too. Most accounts, however, have suspiciously ignored the circumstance and events leading up to the riot.

Evergreen police have declined to comment about the case.

Luckily, Williams had the best seat in the house. This is the story from his perspective.
As long as there have been concerts, there have been surly, tattooed guys in black shirts, clearly emblazoned with the word “Security,” who are charged with informing reefer-smoking concertgoers to “put it out.” Williams found himself in just such a crowd, confronted by security officers who lacked any markings denoting them as such.

One of the members of the anonymous security staff had noticed the distinct smell or a telltale cloud of smoke coming from where Williams was standing. Williams recalls that one of the security personnel, along with an unidentified and aggressive associate, moved forcefully toward the group of people he was with, demanding that they extinguish the contraband immediately. Williams replied that he wasn’t smoking. He implied that it was coming from the crowd in front of them and raised his empty hands in a “see, it’s not me” gesture. Someone in the crowd near Williams made a boisterously pro-marijuana statement. That was when, according to several eyewitnesses, the unidentified associate of the security volunteer responded with his fists. Williams emphasizes that the person throwing fists appeared to be an average concertgoer. As the fight ensued, Williams stepped in to separate what appeared to be an average thug and his victim. After the fight was broken up, Williams, on the guest list as a VIP, sought out the concert promoter to make sure everything was cool and calm.

Williams then proceeded back into the gym to enjoy the rest of the show. A few minutes later, Evergreen police officer April Meyers responded to the disturbance call and conferred with someone who fingered Williams as the instigator. She then went into the venue and took him into custody, telling him that he was under arrest for suspicion of assault. It was at this time that the men onstage informed the crowd of the situation and encouraged them to organize and gather information, including names and badge numbers, to ensure that nothing unjust was being done to the man being arrested.

Williams, an African-American and well-respected B-Boy in the greater Puget Sound area, was handcuffed and placed in the back of the car while the officer took statements from the “security volunteer,” his unidentified associate, and another unidentified female, all Caucasian. The female allegedly fingered Williams for a separate assault during the ruckus, a charge Williams sternly denies.

“I was raised in a house full of women,” says Williams. “My mother would kill me if I hit a woman.”

While Meyers was gathering statements from the accusers, several attendees started congregating around the police cruiser demanding information. Many were calling for the release of Williams. As the concert ended, several hundred people flooded the exits only to see a swelling disturbance around a cop car. The Evergreen State College is renowned as an aggressively Socratic institution with learning processes heavily weighted toward self-reliance, pushing boundaries, gathering facts and breaking form. It is also not the kind of place where passive onlookers slowly shuffle past a disturbance. These principles, mixed with the restless idealism of youth and the powerful message in Dead Prez’s music, presented an opportunity to employ those ideals in a real setting, apparently.

As the crowd of concerned onlookers grew, Meyers did what any smart cop would do — She called for backup. As the tension mounted and the fervor of the crowd increased, the officers on the scene decided it would be in the best interest of public safety to gather Williams’ information, release him, and contact him for a statement at a later date. Struggling to mount her car, the officer announced amid the deafening chant of “Let Him Go!” that she was indeed releasing Williams. Watching all of this through the glass partition in the back of the squad car, Williams was trying to grasp the gravity of his at least temporary vindication. “I just kept thinking, ‘wow, this is so much love right now, Evergreen,’“ he recalls. “They’ve come to get me out.” As Williams was let out of the backseat and released from the handcuffs, a cadre of riot police made their move to disperse the crowd.

One eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, had been acting as a go-between, trying to calm the crowd enough to talk to the officers and get information. He recalls the beginning of the melee with a grimace. “They came in swinging nightsticks and macing everybody. I was lucky to be where I was,” he says. “I would have been crushed if I wasn’t on the opposite side of the car.”

For Williams, the joy of freedom was short-lived as panic took over and the scene disintegrated into screaming and chaos.

“I was halfway up the hill when I realized that the cops still had my wallet,” says Williams.

Venturing back toward the car, he was confronted by an officer in full riot gear who told him to leave immediately, threatening him with a mace cannon mere inches from his face. Stunned and speechless, Williams decided to return the next day and retrieve the wallet.

Six days later on Feb. 20, much to his bewilderment, Williams was charged with fourth degree misdemeanor assault and told to come and give his statement about the alleged assault.

He steadfastly maintains his innocence.

“I just don’t get it. I tried to break up a fight, and they’re charging me with assault. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Williams is due to be arraigned March 10 in Thurston County District Court.

==========================End of Story-======================================

This story was written by Owen Taylor
and titled: The real story behind the Evergreen Riot

It first appeared in the Volcano Weekly.

Members of the Radical Freeschool Radio Show were at that Dead Prez Show and had a radio broadcast about the riot available online. To listen to that Radio Broadcast and to see photos and read an article written about it by a member of the Radical Freeschool radio Show Collective, please click here.

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."

-- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Love, Peace. Solidarity,

-The Radical Freeschool Radio Show Collective
http://www.RadicalFreeschoolRadioShow.org

To learn more about free classes offered at the freeschool please visit:
http://www.FreeschoolCommunity.org

Photo: Owen Taylor

EVERGREEN RIOT: Kaylen Williams reflects on his Valentine’s Day life massacre.

Awesome Freeschool Benefit Show on Friday, March 14!

freeschoolstuff — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 10:12:15 GMT

Join us for Special Freeschool Fundraiser Show on Friday, March 14! 610 Columbia Street

9pm at the Freeschool,

Tin Tree Factory (Seattle)

and

The Winning Lasses (Olympia)
"pop music for weary hearts and livers"

The Winning lasses Band members are Kristyn Leach, Jason Marrero (facilitator of Study Hall at the freeschool on Monday and Fridays), Alex Maslansky, Warren Lee, Mona Tougas, Christopher Son, and friends.

and

Redbear (Olympia)

All Ages, $3 - $5. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Tonight: Robin Hahnel Speaks About the Future of Socialism, Economic Justice and Democracy

freeschoolstuff — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:39:36 GMT

In Latin America
7pm
Orca Books
509 4th Avenue
Downtown Olympia

Robin Hahnel is one of the formost political economists in the United States. He has visited Latin America many times and is a Professor of Economics at American University. Robin is also the major writer and theoretician on Participatory Economics, and is the author of several books including Economic Justice and Democracy: From Competition to Cooperation and The ABCs of Political Economy.

(Sponsored by the Ever green Center for Radical Education
Co-Sponsored by Olympia SDS, OMJP, and CISPES
For more info, email radicaleducation@riseup.net)

(also, please forgive the late notice, I misplaced my flyer on this event until today...: /)

All Fun! And All About Volunteering At The The Freeschool Community! Free Pizza

freeschoolstuff — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:39:51 GMT

All New! Many Volunteer Positions With Stipends and Commission Available!

Come to the The Freeschool Community's new volunteer meeting!

Enjoy free VEGAN and VEGETARIAN pizza while you learn how you can help your community!

VENGAN A LA ESCUELA LIBRE DE OLYMPIA A UNA REUNION PARA VOLUNTARIOS NUEVOS.

Disfruta de una cena con pizza estrictamente VEGETARIANA mientras aprendes como puedes ayudar a tu comunidad!

Located downtown @ 610 Columbia St.

Ubicada en el centro de la ciudad @ 610 Columbia St.

For more information, visit: www.freeschoolcommunity.org

Facilitator - The Freeschool Community,Organizers
Schedule - 6:30pm-9:00pm, February 7th, March 6th and April 3rd!
Location - The Freeschool Community, 610 Columbia Street, Olympia, WA 98501

Our First Radio Show Broadcast

freeschoolstuff — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:38:51 GMT

Nice! I love the feeling of making a better world! :)

Update:

You can listen to our first radio show by clicking here.

The Radical Freeschool Radio Station is also heard every Thursday, from 4:30pm-5:30pm on 106.5 KOWA,
braodcasting out of Media Island.
816 Adams Street
Olympia, Washington, Cascadia 98501
(Across the street from the Olympia Timberland library)

================================================================================

Fore more information about our radio show please read below:

Radical Freeschool Radio Show, 2-7-2008

This is the first broadcast of the Radical Freeschool Radio Show, recorded live on February 2nd, 2008. It covers many awesome things including some free classes that take place at the freeschool community in Olympia, Washington. There is also an incredible interview with Simon Conrad from the Birth Attendants. < www.birthattendants.org >

Simon also brought her baby, Fulvia Malleck-Conrad and Paul Malleck [photos available at
www.RadicalFreeschoolRadioShow.org ].

The Birth Attendants is a non-profit organization working to restore health and justice into communities in western Washington State. They are a radical activist organization with their members organized in a collective. One of their members just returned from Oaxaca, Mexico. They have two projects that are their main focus points. The Prison Doula Project provides pregnancy, labor, and post-partum doula services and popular education style childbirth education classes to women incarcerated in Washington State. Their community education project links their ''vital work inside prisons to the greater issues surrounding incarceration and works toward creating pathways of knowledge for western Washington communities about incarceration and its effects.'' [Simon stated that as far as they know, they are currently the only Prison Doula project in the United States.]

What is a Doula? A doula is a woman who is knowledgeable about childbirth and assists a woman (and her partner) throughout the entire duration of labor, childbirth, and directly post-partum. This podcast show will also talk about the RadicalRoadTrip.
< www.radicalroadtrip.org > This show was aired live on Feb 7th, 2008 on KOWA radio station, 106.5 FM and airs every Thursday from 4:30pm-5:30pm.

In this broadcast we also discuss the incredible and highly recommended documentary known as “UN POQUITO DE TANTA VERDAD (a little bit of so much truth).” This film, that we saw the night before our live radio broadcast, was about the revolution in Oaxaca, Mexico and how the independent, non-corporate, radical radio stations played a major part in helping the people to become organized.

This radio broadcast is non-copyrighted and people are encouraged to circulate it and copy it. For more info please see:
www.RadicalFreeschoolRadioShow.org

For more info about free classes at the freeschool please see:
www.FreeschoolCommunity.org

"Un Poquito De Tanta Verdad"

freeschoolstuff — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:31:06 GMT

Be sure not to miss:
A free showing of
"A Little Bit of So Much Truth,"
a documentary filled with live footage of the summer 2006 uprising in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico,
and the crucial role played by indie radio media.
This is the first in a series featuring solidarity in grassroots resistance and indie media.

7pm
Wednesday, February 6th
@ Traditions Fair Trade

Sponsored by Media Island International/ KOWA LPFM 106.5

Afghanistan: death sentence for downloading report on oppression of women

00no_capitalism — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:02:21 GMT

Authorities in Afghanistan have sentenced a 23-year-old journalism student to death for having downloaded and shared copies of a report criticizing the oppressive treatment of women in some Islamic societies. Snip from Wired News Threat Level blog:

Sayed Pervez Kambaksh (at right), who is a journalism student at Balkh University and a writer for Jahan-e Naw, was sentenced last October after downloading a report from a Farsi website that criticized Islamic fundamentalists who misrepresent statements in the Koran to justify the oppression of women. Kambaksh was arrested after someone filed a complaint against him. He is accused of blasphemy for distributing the report to other students and teachers at his school.
He was tried by a sharia court (which overseas Islamic religious law) and was not allowed legal representation, according to news reports. The Afghan Senate passed a motion this week supporting the sentence, according to the British newspaper The Independent.

Link.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF.org) has a statement on the case here

Originally Posted on boing boing by Xeni Jardin, February 1, 2008 4:07 PM

radical freeschool radio show!

freeschoolstuff — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:49:53 GMT

This past evening, Olympia Free School volunteers Sarah, T, and Cassie (myself) sat down to discuss the possibilities and prospects of a radio show to spread the word and work of the Oly. Free School, on station 106.5, at Media Island.

We established the following:

Weekly meeting time(to discuss and prepare for weekly radio show)
Weekly time slot: Thursday evenings, 4:30-5:30
Show title: Radical Freeschool Radio Show!
One rule: must abide by FCC
Content: such things as would promote love, freedom, knowledge, passion, good and powerful thoughts/actions, in either tangible or abstract forms, in our community

Then we got on the air for a few minutes and were interviewed by our good friend, who was hosting his weekly show that hour.
We introduced ourselves, and the details in the brief outline above.
We huddled together and took a picture.
We hugged and made sure each of us was going to get a copy of the photograph.
Sarah went off to see Blue Scholars. I walked downtown to the Spar. I last saw T gathering his things at Media Island.

It was a radical evening.