NYC Anarchist Black Cross

It turns out NYC ABC has been organizing annual events for Running Down the Walls for over a decade. We’ve been at the same spot in Prospect Park for much of that time and learned early on that if you don’t get there early, the spot will get got. So a few of us turned up to squat our favorite corner and start setting up–information tables, registration, and of course food. That’s when two folks hawking free vegan canned lattes showed up and offered us as many as we wanted (which turned out to be between twenty and thirty!). That made the day fly by for a lot of participants and helped cement us as the most bourgeois anarchist 5k in the country.

Once the crew gathered, it was quick work to finish up and get ready to register any folks who hadn’t done so in advance, and talk with passersby. Free information about political prisoners, alongside a giant banner reading “Running Down the Walls” gets folks from as varied an array of backgrounds as those who frequent the park to stop and check it out. Every year, we reach those who have never thought about the existence of political prisoners in the USA.

Homies from Radix Media showed up with mind-blowingly cool letter press posters made exclusively for this year’s event. Big thanks to them for coming through and adding another layer of greatness to the day.

While we are serious about our politics and getting our people free, we are less so about the mechanics of a 5k run/walk/roll/skate/bike/et al. The part where participants make their way around the course happens, some years it’s taken more seriously and folks train and other years it’s more casual. This year, we split the difference. This only happened after we introduced the event, our collective, and read statements written for the event by imprisoned comrades. And then we heard some inspirational words from Priscilla Grim, whose legal defense received half of the funds we raised this year. For someone facing such intense state repression, Priscilla spoke about others, primarily recipients of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation Warchest program, eloquently and with such passion that everyone in attendance got visibly hyped to complete the 5k.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who turned up, especially those who came to rep their crews and the support committees of locals facing the full weight of the state. Jakhi McCray‘s support committee turned out folks and we were happy to get the opportunity to build with them.

After everyone finished the 5k, we gathered to share food and spent time in community. The food, all vegan by design (as the absolute minimum we can do to to express our resistance to oppression in even the meals we share), was preposterously good–from salads and tamales, to barbecue sandwiches and cookie bars. It isn’t uncommon for folks to show up just to enjoy the end of day meal.

In the end, we counted somewhere north of 60 folks who participated throughout the day and reached the goal we set for ourselves in terms of fundraising. None of that happens without organizing in advance and building relationships that last well after the day is over. Through it all, we center those who couldn’t be there with us, caged by the state. Thanks again to all who helped make the day so incredible.

That’s what’s up and that’s how we get down (the walls).