A-Infos (en) US, Modesto Anarcho, Jjournal - Against 'Anarcho-Charity': For actions of solidarity - not pity

This article appears in the upcoming issue of Modesto Anarcho, a journal 
published by anarchists in the Central Valley of California. Out in Jan. 
2007! More info: www.geocities.com/anarcho209
> Recently, after the disbanding of D.A.A.A. Collective, many of us 
have been discussing, as have others around us, the poverty and 
reformism regarding the nature of such activities as Food Not Bombs, 
Really Free Markets, and other memes that basically amount to 
?anarcho-charity"?. After the publishing of the last issue, perhaps the 
lengthiest reply that we received was from one person who wrote about 
how while the first issue claims itself to be ?revolutionary"?, 
?militant"?, and ?against politics"? (or the mediation of the state), 
and against the left (the culture and process of mediation of struggle 
with power, and the recuperation of struggle and action against the 
forces of domination), we were in fact doing the exact opposite. The 
person stated that we were not in fact living up to our own (or 
perhaps the author?s), conceptions of our (anti) politics. Largely 
because a lot of our activity (or at least that presented via the first 
issue), revolved around things like Food Not Bombs.
[Up with Something, Down with Other Things!]

?Food Not Bombs"?, those three words will cause quite a reaction in any 
anarchist circle. Class struggle anarchists will label the activity as 
pointless and stupid, and would advise you to go off and ?organize a 
union??, or something. More insurrectionary anarchists would downplay 
the activity as pointless, because the action does not get to the heart 
of the issues that FNB is trying to address, or attempt to attack the 
problems it is addressing. ?Crimethinkers?, (generalization of course), 
would defend the activity to the end, claiming that it is anarchy in 
action, and a fine example of mutual aid working in a public 
environment, and is an open door to anarchist activism for many people.

In the end, perhaps all of these critiques and arguments are right, 
although perhaps some more than others. For those that would label Food 
Not Bombs a pointless activity because it does not speak towards a 
specific audience that is the most ?revolutionary??, then perhaps they 
need to give homelessness another look. First off, many people on the 
street actually are ?working poor??, and do hold down jobs (at least in 
our area). According to reports issued about the emergency shelter that 
operates in Modesto during the Winder, around half of those attending 
did have jobs. Class society creates homelessness. The reality of living 
pay check to pay check means that at any moment millions of people 
across the country can face being without shelter. The high cost of 
housing, low paying, (or lack of) jobs, high medical costs, etc. all 
relate to the threat of homelessness that class society puts upon us 
all. Many people out on the street are also in need of some sort of 
communal help, either with their mental or physical problems, which are 
often related to, or caused by alcohol and drugs. The point of bringing 
all of this up, is that fighting homelessness is part of the class 
struggle. But the question is, is this the best way to fight it?

How we fight it is exactly what more ?insurrectionary anarchists?, (this 
of course is a broad term) wish to address. Most would probably contend 
that Food Not Bombs is an ultimately pointless activity that really does 
nothing to actually combat the problems that it is trying to curtail, 
and thus is generally a waste of time for anarchists. I find that this 
critique holds a lot of water. If actions are the most important weapon 
of dialogue between the oppressed, and we are seeking to maximize 
self-organization, and self-emancipation of the exploited (ourselves 
included), via them/ourselves, then how are Food Not Bombs, and the rest 
of the ?anarcho-charities?? doing this? Even the name, ?Food Not 
Bombs??, implies that we want the government to provide ?food?? 
instead of ?bombs??. In reality, we don?t want the government to do 
anything; we want to abolish the state, and have complete autonomy and 
self-determination over our lives and communities. It is perhaps even 
more foolish to think that we can ?pressure?? the government into 
changing it?s policies by feeding people.

Of course, some credit must be given to Food Not Bombs groups all over 
the world, who in are probably the largest ?radical? network actively 
feeding people. The history of resistance by Food Not Bombs groups is 
also impressive. The San Francisco chapter faced hundreds of arrests and 
occupied Golden Gate park serving communal meals and squatting on the 
land. Food Not Bombs activists have spilled over into working on other 
issues, such as Homes Not Jails and Copwatch, which bring even more 
skills and networks into the anti-authoritarian milieu. Food Not Bombs 
groups were crucial in the anarchist relief efforts that followed the 
Katrina disaster. This has all been done as chapters across the world 
have faced at times brutal police repression. Moreover, FNB collective 
have worked to bring many people into the anarchist/anti-authoritarian 
movement, by conducting an activity that is easy to do, and gets people 
active and talking to others. The question is, is this any different 
than what the churches do?

Many Food Not Bombs activists would contend that the work that FNB does 
is very different than the activities of churches and other groups who 
see homelessness as an unfortunate occurrence, not something that is a 
result of a class based economic system. Many would point to FNB?s 
critique of capitalism and its wastefulness, and its importance for 
taking over public space, that Food Not Bombs is in fact a radical project.

The problem with this conception of FNB though, is that fundamentally 
nothing is really different in the social relationships which are 
created through these types of programs. There is still the division 
between the ?servers and cookers??, of the food, and ?the homeless??. 
Also, while to many the idea of dumpster diving as a way of getting food 
to cook is radical, most homeless people already engage in this activity 
on a day to day basis. For them, their eyes are already open to the 
realities of what the system is dishing out at them. For many FNBers 
though, they want to ?speak truth to power?? by showing people that 
homeless people do exist within their town, and that ?something should 
be done about it??. The problem with this is that it ignores the direct 
needs of people who really could use solidarity, and also neglects that 
fact that homeless people out on the street are often there for 
different reasons. Some will probably be there for the rest of their 
lives due to mental, health, or drug problems. Others might be there for 
only a short while, and are victims of landlords, lay offs or job 
issues, abusive husbands or boyfriends, or a whole range of other 
problems. There are also some homeless people that are there by choice, 
although this group is usually small and young.

Within this context, there seems to be so many other things that 
anarchists could do to attack homelessness. Forming base organizations 
of renter and workers councils to fight against slum lords and abusive 
bosses. Starting up and maintaining women?s shelters and safe spaces, 
that help women survive and escape abusive patriarchal relationships. 
Forming support groups for substance abuse problems that exist outside 
of 12 Step (the use of religion as a drug) programs. Starting up 
networks of squats, and using abandoned buildings as places to house 
families and those looking for somewhere to sleep. Sharing shoplifting 
techniques in order to spread resources. Making up flyers showing where 
all the good dumpster spots are?The point simply is, we need to attack 
problems at their roots (the definition of being radical) not simply 
help alleviate the symptoms. Any anarchist approach to attacking 
homelessness should realize that actions must be acts of solidarity, not 
charity, in the realization that our struggles are one. This means 
militant responses to when police attack or harass homeless people. 
Occupation of public spaces when cities try and kick homeless out, etc. 
We must also recognize that the sharing of information will ultimately 
get more people to help themselves. If we do want to continue to share 
communal meals, (and also participate in the joy that comes from eating 
something that wasn?t paid for), then perhaps we can also change our 
approach to food preparation as well. How about cooking outside and 
having all types of people bring food to share? Or organizing with 
homeless friends to go and raid dumpsters, so they can take the spoils 
back to cook at their own camps? People should not have to rely on 
others (be they Christian or anarchist) to bring them food, clothing, or 
shelter. This dependence just continues to enforce the divisions between 
us that capitalism has already created.

Another problem that I have with Food Not Bombs, and other 
?anarcho-lite?? activities, is that they ultimately provide a poor 
introduction into what actions might actually bring about a total social 
transformation of society. Many participants within Food Not Bombs are 
drawn to the project out of pity for others, not an immediate desire to 
radically change their environments around them. Food Not Bombs has 
become the fall back activism for those first looking to ?do 
something?? as ?an anarchist??. Instead of re-creating past projects 
that may or may not be the best thing for us to be doing - let alone 
directly correlate with our immediate environment - we should be 
thinking about the things that we can do to get what we want, and 
actions that will seek to transform the things that make our lives and 
communities miserable. We must also think about if these actions will 
seek to open up the possibilities for wider revolt against the forces 
that hold sway and control over all our lives.

In short, there are many things anarchists, most of all the young, can 
be doing to make a dent in their communities. It could be that a Food 
Not Bombs type program is one of those things. However, I would stress 
that Food Not Bombs or another of the ?anarcho-charities?, should not be 
the fallback project. I would also like to see people combat things like 
homelessness and housing issues in new ways outside of simply serving 
veggies to people once a week. Our actions need to not only inspire, but 
also get people engaged so they can solve their own problems, and find 
their own solutions. We cannot be the saviors of all, simply fellow 
proles in revolt.

?Activism?? (attacking single issues) will not get us where we want to 
go, i.e., a social revolution. It will take the destruction of the old 
world, and the creation of a new one, based on our desires for an 
existence without hierarchal organization. Within that scope, we will 
have to question even many of the projects that we may have spent years 
doing, or ?cut our anarchist teeth?? on. But, being critical and 
thoughtful about your praxis is part of what being an anarchist is all 
about.
_______________________________________________
A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
http://ainfos.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
http://ainfos.ca/en