Because there is such real systemic violence present in the daily lives of poor people, women, people of color, queer and gender non-conforming people, children, differently abled people, immigrants, and people at intersections of the above categories, it is incredibly insulting and problematic to tell us that we ought not defend ourselves so that we may maintain some sort of ‘moral high ground.’ Some of us face life and death on a daily basis just for existing as we do. How can it be the ‘moral high ground’ to keep from fighting back, individually or collectively, against the structures that keep us subjugated within violent systems of domination?

— BAAM Issue #25 - Page 7 - Who You Callin’ Violent? By Adrienne

I use ‘violence’ in scare quotes because such a wide range of tactics are considered violent by the dominant culture, whether it’s breaking windows, setting fires, blocking intersections, or even dragging newspaper boxes into the street, irrespective of the fact that none of these things involve hurting people. More unnervingly, many ‘radicals,’ whether overtly or unconsciously, buy into this framework. How many times have you read accounts of street actions where the writers repeatedly refer to ‘peaceful protesters,’ ‘non-violent demonstrators,’ or hope to inspire outrage against incidences of police repression against ‘non-violent activists’? The presupposition here is that it would be totally OK for the police to smash the faces and ribs of people smashing windows. That, as soon as someone oversteps the bounds of law, in place to protect property and preserve privilege, they are making an ‘illegitimate protest’ and their concerns aren’t to be taken seriously and we aren’t to be concerned when they get a judicial smackdown.

— BAAM Issue #25 - Page 7 - Who You Callin’ Violent? By Adrienne