I would like to respond to the Death in June/Der Blutharsch/Changes controversy that happened in Chicago on December 13th.

I am a black man that came to see this show on December 13th. I had went to a previous Death in June show and had no problem there. I had also seen people of other cultures at the show. The previous show had to be moved because of protest but it came and went with no sign of violence or anything negative happening. I knew that there would be protests but I never thought that it would escalate to the extremity it did. An anarchist that was working with the Anti-Rascist Action attacked a guy that was going to the Death in June show at Deja Vu after an attempt for it to be moved there (it was supposed to be previously at the Empty Bottle) for no apparent reason with some type of metal baton. The guy ended up in the hospital with a concussion. Again, this attack was unprovoked. One of the guys with either the Anti-Rascist Action or an anarchist got in my face, trying to talk me about abstract social constructs of race. Imagine, he is trying to explain to me, a black person, what is "right."

There was a lot of rumors spread about these bands that escalated the conflict. For example, one of the rumors spread was that Changes was a white power group that had wrote white power literature. I had a chance to talk to the main guy in Changes, (mind you, me a black person), and he basically stated that it was all lies. He was a really nice guy and treated me with respect. To prevent things like this from happening, people should really take the time to track down information and at least try to meet the people they are reacting against.

To the anarchists that helped the ARA: I have read several books on anarchism and I thought anarchism was about freedom of choice. One of the anarchist websites defines fascism as a system of government marked by central control, stringent social economic controls, and suppression of the opposition through terror and CENSORSHIP. It seems to me that these anarchists to me or not anarchists but liberal capitalistic fascists.
They've become like the people they are supposedly fighting against. I also think that these groups should choose their battles more carefully. I think one of the reasons they go after goals like these because they can't accomplish anything of real significance.

To the ARA: It takes a lot of nerve for a organization consumed by white guilt to tell me, a black person, about how to respond to social constructs. (By the way, are there any black people in the ARA? I didn't see any at the show).

Capitalism has a tendency to want to coddle, babysit, and control people. The groups above fall in this capitalistic category. I believe in free speech whether it be Malcolm X, Black Panthers, Lewis Farrahkan, Tom Metzger, Death in June, and/or Changes. I'll decide what is right and wrong for me. This coddling is patronizing. It makes it seem that I as an individual do not have the ability to discern a message. It also says that I don't deserve the respect of being responsible. As a black man and a individual, I think we as human beings should have the right to attain knowledge and decide for ourselves.