arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Like many young people, he came to protest the farce of U.S. democracy at this event and how the polictical system is totally controlled by money. He came to try to present a poor people's agenda, to protest the massive use of prisons against Black youth, the hypocrisy of racist, fat cat politicians and thier corporate political handlers, against years of police brutality and cop murders, the frameup of Mumia Abu Jamal and other political prisoners, the rape of the environment, and many other issues, all of which were in opposition to the police state and the corporate
agenda. Because of that, Steve and thousands of others were crushed by an army of Philadelphia police, State police and federal agents of various stripes, whose role was to silence all dissent during this event. During the convention, the Philly cops beat and maced thousands of these people in the streets, kicked and handcuffed them, just like they do the locals everyday, especially in Black and Brown neighborhoods.

This was the ugly face of government repression come out of hiding, the same police force that dropped bombs on MOVE and killed babies, and that burned an entire neighborhood down; the same cop force who spied on and attacked the Black Panther Party in the 1960's, making them disrobe at
gunpoint in the streets; the same cops who harassed and framed up hundreds of people in the 39th precinct on bogus drug charges, and then stole their houses, clothes, cars, and other personal effects; the same police force that railroaded Mumia Abu Jamal to the death chamber; this same police force and its judiciary has now got Steve Swart by the throat. Yet it is he who faces over ten years in prison for allegedly assaulting a cop, and he is among a group of 15 felony defendants still awaiting trial. Well, the wait is finally over for Steve Swart, he goes on trial on July 16, 2001.

While Swart is accused of attacking the officer, he argues the opposite is actually true. He says the officer attacked him, and then someone else knocked the cop down. At that point the officer pulled out his gun. (This was all shown on television). Swart believes that the police and prosecutors concocted the story of the "assault" to cover for how *out of control* the officier in question looked on tv. The "assault" Swart is accused of is even conveniently not contained in the television footage, leading to the unmistakeable conclusion that this entire incident is a
scam, a total malicious prosecution by government authorities. The government wants to crush this young man to set an example against others, and to get yet one more serious activist off the streets.

All over the country, activists are being thrown into jail for protests against government policies. They still have Black, Chicano and Native political prisoners from the 1960's and 70's in state and federal prisons like Sundiata Acoli, Herman Bell, Leonard Peltier, Ruchell Magee, and many others. Now, we have a new generation, and we cannot let the government crush all forms of political dissent in this country, just because they selectively pick out anyone they consider a leader or grassroots activist with potential. The government itself violates the laws that it writes and maintains on the books, we cannot let the people be crushed because of its hypocrisy.

I have known Steve Swart for many years, when he was a student at Michigan State University. He invited me to speak at a forum against racism and
police brutality, afterwards he and a number of students had discussions with me over the course of the next few days, which have lasted us for years. If there is any word I could use to describe it is that he is serious. Now he faces years in prison for daring to speak out against the
government. We are always taught in this country that it is "different" because dissidents are not retaliated against by the state, but those of us who have been active for years know that this is one of the worst lies of a
hypocritical society. The fact that he is an Anarchist is sure to be used as "evidence" in court of his "criminal activism" against the state, just as it has always been used against Anarchists, and if we don't help the man, he will be railroaded to prison.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP STEVE SWART?

We can help Steve by:

(1) Going to the trial in Philadelphia. If you live there, or are on the East Coast especially, please attend the proceedings. Or provide lodgings for those coming in from around the country.

(2.) Make a donation to The Committee for the Legal Defense of Steve Swart,c/o Michigan Activist Legal Defense, P.O. Box 6236, East Lansing, MI.48826

(3). Send letters of protest or faxes to :Lynne Abraham, District Attorney's Office, 1421 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19102

written by: Lorenzo Komboa Ervin