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What is SCAO?
SCAO, or Space City Anarchist Organization, is an anarchist organization based out of so-called Houston, Texas. Our organization seeks to build community power within Houston and surrounding regions, so our communities can be free from economic exploitation, environmental degradation, and violence. We believe that when given the freedom and power to do so, ordinary people can govern their own lives and communities better than bosses, police or politicians ever could.
Our organization is not a political party. We don’t have permanent elected positions, our members don’t run for office under our banner, nor do we focus our energy on elections. We wish to make change outside of the political system- to empower our communities, our neighbors, and ourselves to solve issues in our communities rather than relying on one elected official to do it for us.
We have no leaders. Our efforts aren’t guided by one person or collective of elected officials; Instead, everyone in SCAO has a say in the organization’s structure and activities. Our efforts are a result of the eclectic talents, interests, values, and knowledge of our entire organization, not just a select few.
EVERYONE in SCAO is an organizer. We all get out what we all put in. If none of us put in anything, then we get nothing out. Everyone’s
voice matters everyone is invited to contribute, and everyone is able to take initiative to help build an organization they are proud to be part of.
WHAT DO WE DO?
All our ideas and values are well and good, but they wouldn’t count for much if we didn’t put them into action. Our list of ongoing projects is so fluid that this short pamphlet would quickly become inaccurate if we went into too much detail! Generally, our work centers around the core tenants of mutual aid/community building, community defense, and agro-ecology.
Our most long-lasting, important project is our weekly distribution at a local houseless encampment, where we give out about 100 meals, water, toiletries, tents, and other supplies, rain or shine. We also organize free stores where folks from the community can donate and receive goods of all kinds.
Our most long-lasting, important project is our weekly distribution at a local houseless encampment, where we give out about 100 meals, water, toiletries, tents, and other supplies, rain or shine. We also organize free stores where folks from the community can donate and receive goods of all kinds.
Other projects in the works include building a community garden, hosting defense and medic training, distributing zines and stickers, and “seed bombing” the Houston area with native wildflower seeds.
More than anything else, we aim to make SCAO an incubator space for those who want to make Houston better, just like we do. We hold regular social events, host book clubs, watch movies, play board games, and deepen our connections to each other and our communities.
We have mobilized to defend community events from Christofascists and white supremacists agitators such as defending the drag show hosted at First Community Church in Katy. We’re always looking to get involved in new projects and help out wherever we can.
What We Believe In
Our points of unity are beliefs that all SCAO members agree on as the ideological foundation of the organization. All of our work and discussion centers around these principles:
- We are first and foremost a feminist organization. We believe that patriarchy, or the oppression of people along gendered lines, is one of the most basic forms of oppression, and can be seen everywhere from capitalism to our own interpersonal relations.
- We are firmly against the idea that we should have to work to make someone else rich.
- We are police abolitionists because police have always been used as a tool to control and oppress people.
- We believe that no one has the right to exploit or dominate another person.
- We also believe that there are many diverse ways to approach the issues within our communities, we must embrace all forms of liberatory struggles. These beliefs and more are the foundation of our organization. Our organization understands that not everyone is going to be able to spit out the right words or have the right to take on a situation, we only really care if you, the individual reading this, want to build a better future for everyone.
Our organization isn’t concerned with how theoretically developed you are or if you can quote this anarchist thinker or that one. We care about morals, ethics, and values. We care about being able to think like anarchists and being able to come to anarchist conclusions.
OUR ULTIMATE VISION
Our ultimate goal is a better world. A society that is free from hunger, exploitation, and violence. A future where everyone can pursue their dreams without being hindered by societal expectations or material conditions. A future where everyone can pursue their dreams without being hindered by societal expectations or material conditions. A future where people don’t have to worry about their rent or their mortgage payments because their housing is secure and not a commodity. A world where food is accessible to all and no one needs to go hungry. A society that doesn’t need you to go through years of pointless schooling that doesn’t apply to your reality to survive.
You might consider us utopians, that such a society will never happen. You might be right; there will always be an issue to fight or an injustice that needs to be fixed, but the fight for a better world is worth it. In striving for this better society, people’s lives will be changed for the better, including yours.
We want our communities to be able to solve their own issues, instead of relying on an out-of-touch government that is controlled by old rich white guys.
We want our environment to be clean and protected, instead of being destroyed by greedy corporations who want to add a couple more billions to their bank account.
We want an end to the system of police in the United States. The police are an accountable force that is able to kill innocent people without fear of retaliation. Instead, we want the responsibility of community safety to be up to the individuals in the community, not an external military body that thinks the solution to every problem is either a fine, jail time or a bullet.
We want to rework how our cities are structured. In Houston, you cannot be a functional adult without a car, this rings truer for places like Pasadena, Pearland, Cypress, and Katy, Our local communities don’t have enough community spaces for people to truly build relationships with each other. The endless sprawl of concrete highways, condos, and strip malls does not serve the people in Houston but contributes further to destroying the environment and community.
We want healthcare to be available to everyone. Care that is necessary to live a life free of illness or pain is something everyone should have. Medicine should be free to everyone. Everyone deserves to have their disabilities accommodated. Abortions on demand, without apology.
We want control over our own lives and futures, and we will do everything in our power to make that a reality.
COME JOIN THE STRUGGLE!
A better world is not built only through dreams, but through physical action. Enough of waiting for a politician to pass some bill, on the next protest, on the next election cycle. There are real struggles happening in your own community, and it is up to you to help join the struggle to build a better world. One individual may do some good, but an organized and dedicated force of everyday people will take down any obstacles in their path. If you are interested in making sure unhoused folks are fed and taken care of, if you want to help build community gardens so that people can have access to fresh food, if you want to help build a better world, then the Space City Anarchist Organization is right for you.