The Big Idea Bookstore, Inc

The Big Idea is temporarily closing due to growing public health concerns in the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As anarchists, we assert that in times of crisis people have the capability of taking voluntary action, both collectively and individually, to mitigate the risks posed by an outbreak such as this. We understand it is imperative to slow the spread of contagion to lessen the chance of our catastrophically unprepared healthcare system becoming overwhelmed. It ...is in the spirit of these concerns that we make this decision. However, we are also aware that state and government forces are more than willing to exploit crises by abusing tools like quarantines and other states of exception. This often comes at the expense of the most vulnerable, especially those detained and imprisoned in overcrowded jails, prisons, and concentration camps. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and critically and encourage all to do the same. We apologize to all of those in the community who rely on our space. Hopefully we will be able to open our doors again soon. In the meantime, please check out and contribute to this local mutual aid effort: https://docs.google.com//1M5AsXP15FEeLNLj3s2oV38hO-T/edit And support the Bukit Bail Fund https://www.bukitbailfund.org/ (statement copied from our comrades at Wooden Shoe Books and Records since it was so well written!)

How to pre-register for ACAB: Send an email to [email protected] with... - a name - type of bike (fixed or geared) - halloween costume contest? (y/n)... - screenshot of yr donation to Jordan's defense fund That's it! Pre-registering helps us know how much food Food Not Bombs should make, and how much supplies other folks should bring! See more

bike race // prizes // halloween costumes // social distancing together for a cause!

[Anonymous submission received on 08.16.20] "As Pittsburgh joins the ranks of cities disappearing protesters into unmarked vans, we implore our fellow residents... of Pittsburgh to resist the urge to fixate on procedural details. What happened yesterday was fucked up, and it would have been no less fucked up had the officers been uniformed and the van been clearly marked and all the proper paperwork been filled out. What happened yesterday was fucked up in all the same ways that it’s always fucked up when the PPD, or the DHS, or ICE or whoever, kidnaps a member of our community, regardless of what they’re wearing and what they’re driving when they do it. Police abductions in unmarked vans scare us because they lay bare the absurdity at the heart of the institution of policing, an absurdity that we are conditioned not to see when the cops are wearing the right clothes and driving the right car. When the van isn’t marked, the spell is broken, and we see the police for what they are, a segment of society arbitrarily allowed to kidnap and kill with impunity. You are right to be unsettled by what happened yesterday, but please see it for what it is, not an aberration or even a significant escalation, but an exposition into the expected behavior of an inherently violent and oppressive institution that we have tolerated for entirely too long. Some Pittsburgh Anarchists" https://fillerpgh.wordpress.com//pittsburgh-an-anarchist-/

https://fillerpgh.wordpress.com//pittsburgh-anti-fascists/

"On the night of March 5th, 2020, the Pittsburgh police murdered Elijah Brewer, a 25 year-old black man from Mt. Oliver. There were no protests, no hashtags mo...st of Pittsburgh didn’t even seem to notice. But why? Both the corporate media and the white liberal-left are guilty of perpetuating the silence around Elijah’s murder. The corporate media focused on sensationalizing unverified police speculations, painting Elijah as nothing more than a criminal before abruptly discontinuing coverage of the story. Likely turned off by the media’s portrayal of Elijah, Pittsburgh’s liberal-left largely dismissed or ignored his murder. In seizing this historical moment, let us end this silence." Read more: https://fillerpgh.wordpress.com/2020//30/ustice-for-elijah/