The people talking about political violence are so chronically online and unserious. The real way to “rise up” involves talking to your neighbors and coworkers, forming and supporting unions, monitoring and obstructing fascist goals, etc. Real boring everyday things not superhero movie shit.
I just want to put this here for the defeatists who don’t even bother to read the article before commenting:
“When I see people kidnapped by ICE, that affects me, because I know what it’s like to be kidnapped by federal agents,” he says. “It affects me physically, like a burning feeling in my stomach.” He worries about the potential impact on his family, but the price of inaction feels steeper. “My kids are teenagers now. I want to be that example to them that despite threats of retaliation and violence, you’ve still got to stand up and fight back.”
Does Austin find it ironic that the scenarios he worries about so closely mirror what already sent him to federal prison? “Yeah, it brings back a lot of memories,” he says. “When I see them saying, ‘If you track or criticize ICE agents, you’re a domestic terrorist,’ that was the same sentiment when they came after me with RaisetheFist.”
“I’m not looking to get arrested,” he says, nodding toward his front door. “I’m not looking for conflict, but I know conflict is inevitable. To me, what’s more important is being in a fight and using my skill set to contribute something to that fight. Then whatever is going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
This man has been an activist since he was 18. He’s been shot by police, monitored, interrogated, put in solitary confinement by the FBI and ultimately thrown the book at for a bogus charge and served a year in jail. He has a family and things to lose, and he’s struggling financially to keep this site up. And he still fights.
If you’re going to be sitting on your couch afraid to do anything, I’m not judging you, but don’t come here and try to persuade others that the fight is already over and we lost.
This kind of tax is better than nothing but seems a lot easier to skirt around than Mamdani’s proposal. I’d rather a tax hike on corporations that want to continue operating out of new york (what are they gonna do? Move to NJ??) than a tax hike on multimillionaires Bill and Jane who can easily sell their $5M second home from upstate NY and buy one in CT.