The Final Straw Radio

Updates on the Prairieland Case (with NLG and DFW Support Committee) This week, we're featuring two interviews. First up, you'll hear form Xavier de Janon, NLG Director of Mass Defense who's worked on the Stop Cop City case and is currently also working on the DFW case where Federal and Texas prosecutors have been seeing prosecution of 18 people (so far) related to the noise demo of July 4th, 2025 at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas. We speak about the case and about the wider web of repression being pushed by the Trump administration in the name of battling ANTEEFAH. For more info, check out nlg.org Transcript: Xavier de Janon Transcript DFW Support Committee Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Then we'll speak to two members of the DFW Defendants Support Committee following the announcement last Wednesday by the committee concerning pressure on the defendants to take plea deals and some updated perspective on the case. For more info and updates, you can visit DFWDefendants.wordpress.com. Support resources for Des Revol, check out Instagram @free-des-revol on instagram NLG intimidated by passive aggressive, "jawboning" Texas Congressman: https://www.nlg.org/nlg-denounces-federal-intimidation-of-legal-advocacy/ Andrew Lee's article on the Prairieland defendants https://truthout.org/articles/these-dallas-residents-are-on-the-front-lines-of-trumps-war-against-antifa/ War On Terror Lawyer's opinion of the Antifa FTO threat by Reiss Center on Law and Security at the NYU School of Law: https://www.justsecurity.org/122643/antifa-threaten-civil-liberties/ Protest Liability: https://www.nlg.org/massdefenseprogram/responsive-guides/protesters-sued-doe-v-mckesson/ https://prisonersolidarity.com/prisoner/casey-goonan Another Texas antifascist facing repression: FreeTex.NoBlogs.org/ State Dept declaration on terror status: https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/11/terrorist-designations-of-antifa-ost-and-three-other-violent-antifa-groups/ Past Episodes Referenced: Mo on Antifa and Trump Antifa OST & Budapest Complex DFW Support Committee in July Announcement Malik Muhammad Fundraiser One quick announcement is that Malik Muhammad, 2020 Uprising prisoner you heard in August 17th, 2025 episode, has spent the better part of a year in solitary confinement and could use some support. There's a post with more information plus a new fundraiser up at their support website, MalikSpeaks.NoBlogs.Org: https://malikspeaks.noblogs.org/post/2025/11/15/support-malik-with-funds/ . ... . .. Featured tracks: Risingson (Instrumental) by Massive Attack from Instrumentals Inamo, Customs Enforcement by Bambu from They're Burning The Boats

This week, we're sharing two segments: a chat with Palestinian writer and assistant professor Abdaljawad Omar and a segment of the October 2025 B(A)D News with network participants discussing thinking through resisting the rise of fascism. Assessing The Israeli Ceasefire First up, an interview with Abdaljawad Omar, a writer, analyst and an Assistant Professor at Birzeit University in Bethlehem in the West Bank in Palestine. For the hour we speak about the status of the ceasefire, the continued killing by the Israeli state and the lack of significant humanitarian supplies of food and medicine in Gaza, ongoing violence in the West Bank and settlement expansion and settler impunity, representation of Palestinian resistance in Western media and meaningful solidarity from abroad. Transcript PDF (Unimposed PDF) Zine (Imposed PDF) Mr Omar's writing is frequently featured on Mondoweiss and the newly launched Equator Journal and other journals listed in our show notes. He can be found on X and Bluesky and has a couple of books due out in the near future. Appearances in: Mondoweiss Communis Magazine Ebb Magazine Electronic Intifada Al-Shabaka Millennails Are Killing Capitalism Truthout Equator other texts, thanks to Analu Lopez an essay by the title of one of his upcoming books on RustedRadishes Playing Out Resistance The next segment was recorded at the annual A-Radio Network gathering that happened in Freiberg, Germany, by participants in the network in attendance. For this segment, you'll hear people discuss a workshop they participated in about thinking through preparation for rising authoritarianism, keeping safe while preparing for social revolution. Feel free to reach out to projects on the participants page for the A-Radio Network website (we suggest you first try A-Radio Berlin as they're quite good at answering their email) if you would like the materials used in the workshop to host one with your community. . ... . .. Featured Track: Mapa by Murcof from Utopia

Ed, co-founder of SASSI (Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure), speaks to The Final Straw Radio about the proliferation of surveillance infrastructure in the South (and more broadly in United States). We speak about topics such as the increasing cooperation between the state and corporate surveillance companies, the desire of these companies to extract ever-increasing amounts of data from the public, the way the state uses private databases to sidestep traditional warrant processes, some of the specific technologies that cities in the south have contracts with and their efficacy. We also touch on how folks at SASSI investigate these topics, and what can be done to help with this effort and ways to think about individual and community safety. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Project Links: https://www.sassisouth.org/ https://www.muckrock.com/ Also of interest to listeners may be our prior episode, Pushing Back On Flock Cameras with Kate Bertash, which Ed references during the chat. The following links provide more information about topics we briefly touch on in the chat. https://www.404media.co/were-suing-ice-for-its-2-million-spyware-contract/ https://www.404media.co/home-depot-and-lowes-share-data-from-hundreds-of-ai-cameras-with-cops/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/ring-cameras-are-about-to-get-increasingly-chummy-with-law-enforcement/ https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/flocks-gunshot-detection-microphones-will-start-listening-human-voices https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/rise-police-advertiser . ... . .. Featured Track: Push by Liquid Liquid from Discography (1981-1984)

East End Co-Op Union + BDS This week, Ian spoke with member of UE local 667, organized workers at the East End Co-Op in Pittsburgh about the origins and goals of their organization and their divestment campaign to remove products from occupied Palestine from the shelves of their co-op. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Links: MIT living wage calculator UE 667 FB UE 667 IG UE 667 X BDS Movement Announcement Shine White on Hunger Strike White antiracist prisoner in North Carolina, Shine White, was transferred to a new facility and brutally beaten by guards as punishment for his organizing behind bars. Supporters have released this statement: On October 7, Joseph "Shine White" Stewart was transferred from Foothills CI to Marion CI as punishment for his organizing efforts. Upon arrival, he was restrained, maced, tased on his face, and beaten by guards, sustaining injuries to his shoulder and ribs. This compounds existing injuries inflicted by guards at Foothills CI, for which he has been denied medical attention, in addition to ongoing medical neglect for preexisting chronic health conditions. In response to this ongoing repression, Shine went on a hunger strike after arriving at Marion CI. He is demanding proper medical treatment and to be transferred outside the jurisdiction of Western Regional Director, LaDonna Browning. Make calls to the following officials on their direct lines Monday-Friday between 9am - 5pm EST: Peter Richard Buchholtz – Deputy Secretary for Institutions (910) 916-0155 peter.buchholtz@dac.nc.gov Josh Painter – Director of Prison Operations (910) 578-0215 Marquette Alexandra Frierson – Clinical Support Director (919) 828-4000 Valerie Langley – Chief Nursing Officer (252) 916-5645 Sample Script: "Hello. I am calling with regard to Joseph Stewart, OPUS number 0802041, who is currently on hunger strike after being brutally beaten by guards upon transfer to Marion CI and being denied medical care in retaliation for his organizing for prisoners. We are contacting you to demand that he receive immediate medical attention and be transferred outside the jurisdiction of Western Regional Director, LaDonna Browning. Joseph has made it clear that he will not end his hunger strike until he is transferred. Each day that goes by increases existing risks to his health. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter." . ... . .. Featured Track: The Girl With The Sun In Her Brain by Orbital from In Sides

This week, the show has two segments. Pittsburgh Anarchist Book Fair First up, you'll hear a brief interview with M, an organizer of the first Pittsburgh anarchist book fair, happening October 24-26 across a few venues in the Steel City A list of events (still being updated): https://pizz.ation.ist/ Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1327126225660995 As is anarchist book fair tradition, everything will be free. We're renting a few spaces, and expecting a few other costs. Sharing that info here so folks can get a sense of what that looks like. If you/others are inclined and able to support, would be grateful for that. Attached is an image of the break down as of today, and below is a link we'll update live time as to what costs look like. https://pad.riseup.net/p/r.ca0a70f3bd595bb58b9daab4e6d9a576 You can buy a beautiful book fair shirt (design by the illustrious N.O. Bonzo), or simply donate. Venmo: @pghbookfair. (If you'd like a shirt, indicate size in the note - S-3XL; if yr just donating, any emoji or strange note is fine!) Feel free to message for other ways to donate. "Gen Z" Uprising In Nepal Then, an interview that I conducted with Anarcho, a member of the Black Book Distro collective out of Kathmandu, Nepal, about the protests and aftermath of the September 2025 "Gen Z" anti-corruption protests that ousted the prime minister, released prisoners and left the parliament in smoldering ruins. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Because we don't follow a strict chronology of events, we're including a few articles linked in our show notes for further study. We worked heavily off the interview with members of the Black Book Distro and CrimethInc, which is among those in our show notes. https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2025/09/13/nepal-a-grassroots-uprising/ https://organisemagazine.org.uk/2025/09/09/nepal-communications-international/ http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/12/anarchism-in-nepal-2006-2009.html https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-book-distro-anarchist-library-in-nepal https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2025/09/15/welcome-to-the-eros-effect-gen-z https://open.spotify.com/episode/464iPIxwdVLT3BVLoepsKj https://crimethinc.com/2025/09/22/nepali-anarchists-on-the-toppling-of-the-government-an-interview-with-black-book-distro . ... . .. Featured Track: Go Anarchist Go! by Rai Ko Ris from Ungovernable Mountains

A conversation with Tariq D. Khan, author of The Republic Shall Be Kept Clean: How Settler Colonial Violence Shaped Antileft Repression, out from University of Illinois Press in 2023. In this conversation we talk about the connections between the anti-Indigenous motivations of the genocidal frontier wars in the US and the inward turn to heretical movements pushing for freedom for the laboring classes through the great upheavals of the period known as the Nadir, between the end of post-Civil War Reconstruction and the 1920's. We talk about the roots of anti-Leftist violence of the various Red Scares and intersections with the institutions and psychology of white supremacy settler colonialism as well as the importance of resistance and education. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) - pending Zine (Imposed PDF) - pending A couple of podcasts we like (that have patreons where you get extra goodies) that have with related episodes: The Empire Never Ended on the American Legion (pt 1) The State Between US on Americanism . ... . .. Featured Track: Written In Red by UNWOMAN (written by Voltairine DeCleyre)

This week, an interview with members of Signals Rising, who provide education and support around radio technologies including meshtastic networks as alternative communications or in disaster relief scenarios. Check out their website for resources and ways to get in touch Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) A couple of fun Software Defined Radio (SDR) toys: https://flipperzero.one/ https://github.com/sharebrained/portapack-hackrf

This week, we're featuring two segments. First up, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, an lawyer with the National Lawyers Guild, speaks about the recent declarations of war by the Trump administration on anteefah, what has changed legally, what they might be telegraphing and smart ways to move forward in this tense atmosphere. Check out our recent chat with Mo about Knowing your Rights and Risks with the police, linked in our show notes, or learn more about their work at NLG.ORG Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Then, A speaks briefly about supporting mutual aid efforts in Gaza. For more information, check out the recommended article on ItsGoingDown.org and some links in our show notes . ... . .. Featured Track: Sleep Now In The Fire (instrumental) by Rage Against The Machine from The Battle of Los Angeles

This week, Ian talks with Cartoonist Aaron Losty about his new graphic novel, The Hanging, out now from Strangers Publishing. Among other topics, they discuss formative works, collaboration, and making genre comics for a small press audience. In the back half, they talk about Aaron's experience as a co-founder of Cartoonist Cooperative, the state of the organization three years after its inception, decision-making processes, and recent campaigns. Apologies for the audio quality of the interview. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Aaron Losty Bluesky: @aaronlosty.bsky.social Instagram: @aaronlosty Patreon: patreon.com/aaronlosty Website: aaronlosty.com Cartoonist Cooperative Bluesky: @cartoonist.coop email: hello@cartoonistcoop Instagram: @cartoonistcoop Mastodon.art: @cartoonist.coop Tumblr: @cartoonistcoop Website: cartoonist.coop YouTube: @cartoonistcoop Strangers Publishing Bluesky: @Strangers.bsky.social Instagram: @strangers_publishing Website: strangerspublishing.com Then we share a portion of an interview from September of 2024 about the case of the H5, 5 people who were facing criminal criminal charges of human trafficking for providing humanitarian aid to refugees crossing the Polish and Belarusian border through the ancient Bieloweza forest. In this interview, we spoke with a member of Szpilla anti-repression collective. The members of the H5 case were acquitted this month in a legal victory, though the state might renew it's accusation. Meanwhile, with fly-overs by Russian drones and planes in Estonia and Poland, we see an increasing militarization of the border from states on both sides. Episode 1 on the Green Border Episode 2 on the Green Border

This week, we spoke with Nolan Huber of the Atlanta Community Press Collective about recent developments in the case of 61 people facing RICO indictments and other charges in relation to the movement to Stop Cop City, an urban police training center built in south Atlanta's Weelaunee forest. For the hour we talk about the case, last week's dismissal of racketeering and arson indictments and other recent victories for the Defend The Forest movement. You can hear past interviews in our archives by clicking the tag for Stop Cop City and see ACPC's coverage of the case and other local topics at ATLPressCollective.com. You can learn more about A City In The Forest, the film Nolan's working on, at https://levomel.com/acitf or following @ACityInTheForest on Instagram. We also brought up support for Jack Mazurek, more info can be found at FreeJack.Co Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Also, if you haven't checked out Outlaw Podcast, they had a recent interview with NLG lawyer Xavier de Janon & defendant Peatmoss on the Stop Cop City RICO 61. Check out this and past episodes of this great, anti-repression podcast. Here are some notes for following up from this episode: Follow Fire Ant Movement Defense on Instagram @fireantmovementdefense for updates and info on showing up to support in person in Atlanta. Watch the live stream of the hearings on Youtube via Atlanta Community Press Collective: https://www.youtube.com/ The hearings begin at 9:30am ET and go through the afternoon. PHONE ZAP: With an important motion hearing for 4 #stopcopcity defendants approaching on September 8th, call & email to demand Georgia AG Chris Carr drop ALL charges! 404-458-3600 FAX: 404-657-8733 EMAIL: AGCarr@law.ga.gov Pre-Trial Motion Press Release Donate to support the RICO 61 . ... . .. Featured Track: My Favorite Mutiny (instrumental) by The Coup from My Favorite Mutiny (Single)