Sofia “Comrade Candle” Johnson Support Zine

Sofia “Comrade Candle” Johnson Support Zine

From Mongoose Distro

Courtesy of Luddcore Books

This pamphlet contains two essays from Sofia and more information about her and her case. Show solidarity with Sofia! Below is her address for letters. [Address correct as of 20/07/22]

Sofia Johnson
SID #23976151
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
24499 SW Grahams Ferry Road
Wilsonville, OR 97070

READ ZINE HERE: https://mongoosedistrocom.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/free-sofia-booklet...

http://www.freesofiajohnson.com

@luddcore

There are 58 Comments

I'm one of Sofia's victims. I was stabbed by them in February of 2021. Afterwards, they also raped another comrade in the Portland area, they threatened to stab someone who was letting them couch surf, they tried to doxx prominent comrades for not having enough money to help, and they have a history of lying about anything and everything to make themselves look good and draw sympathy. They are an abuser. They spent an entire year pumping me full of trauma, threatening to stab me, even going as far as pointing a gun at my head while I was driving on the highway. To this day they refuse to even acknowledge that they have hurt anyone. In light of this the Anarchist Black Cross and others decided to withdraw all support and focus on people with much less abusive histories. Please reconsider supporting a serial rapist who left exes with scars and consider supporting comrades much more worthwhile to the movement.

Prison abolition doesn't end at nonviolent weed dealers, it ends with everyone. And, shockingly, some of the people currently locked up have hurt other people, or even killed other people. I think all of them deserve support. As much as I am sorry she harmed you, that sympathy doesn't extend to you trying to stop other people from supporting her. I cannot in any way wrap my head around the idea of trying to cancel someone currently in prison.

100% this, but also no prisons means it’s ok to kill rapists and abusers wherever you find them. being an anarchist doesn’t automatically garner my sympathy. though my prison abolition is unconditional, my solidarity is not. additionally, fuck the BRRN, bunch of stale milquetoast pinkos

"As much as I am sorry she harmed you,"

Are you really? What kind of empty statement is this when you then go onto dismiss their abuse because their abuser is incarcerated and that trumps their abuse?

For the edgelord, incarceration is a magic wand that turns monsters into saints.

This is not a binary thing and your binary thinking is just making you an asshole.

Of course prisons should all be destroyed. But also of course people who suffer abuse should be supported even if their abusers are doing time.

Your comment is literally illustrating black and white thinking. Someone can be a monster AND in prison. No one said it trumps abuse. Many prisoners are monsters and by supporting prison abolition, you are also supporting them. It's confusing to me how you can argue against one person while supporting prison abolition in general.

Different anon here. Your logic "LiTeRAlly" makes no sense, brah. You're not even arguing against the comment you're replying to. Have a nap.

anon 00:55: "prisons should all be destroyed". "people who suffer abuse should be supported".

anon 10:04: "nO YoUre lItERaLly bLAck n WHitE tHinKinG!"

The only sensible thing anon 10:04 said was: "It's confusing to me".

Unfortunately the anews collective is just going to lean into this harder like the edgelords they are. They don't give a fuck about your abuse.

Very true. They don't see people, they see issues to either champion or criticise.

you’re barking up the wrong tree, this is a post by mongoose distro. do you think anews personally knows everyone from all the shit they repost?

also, did mongoose even know all this shit when they published their zine? does mongoose even have an opinion about this? is publishing a support zine about someone in prison taking a side about everything a prisoner has done in their life?

it's news, and it's probably a good thing people who have issues with this person has a comments section to voice themselves in. what more does anon want?

luddcore books is also where this originated, some people located very far from the pnw

What do they want? What all the millennial and younger anarcho-moralist virtue signalers want: a cancelation dog pile. They definitely don't want anyone to reach out to the accused person -- that would mean having to take context and history into consideration. They definitely don't want anyone to engage in personal research -- that would mean the possibility of coming to different conclusions. What they want is unquestioned conformist condemnation based on individual "bad behavior". A scapegoat and distraction from the thousand other dysfunctions permeating the @ scene. It's disgusting and pathetic.

These things, accusations, even without any evidence nor considering other important things: movement dynamics etc. It is easy to scapegoat or condemning people. This happened everywhere and when you think of as an abolitionist, try not to be moralist or reductionist. If most of your sloganeering is to abolish prisons, just don't do that kind of cancelling people doing time. Capitalism has made tremendous sickness and pain, and that's why oftenly we hurt each other. But that doesn't mean dismissed people or individuals who were that of person. I was in a gang scene since I was very young, not proud of that. But I'm not raised in a first world country. Or liberated community. Rethink.

This is the right tree to be barking up. Anews is responsible for what they decide to publish and how they interact with their audience.

Another perfect and cold example of the anews collective's complete lack of empathy can be found on their official Twitter account. After posting the link to this Mongoose article they are directly informed about the abuse in the replies. What does the anews collective do? They seek out and retweet a post from the abuser's support account and completely ignore the person reaching out about the abuse.

Maybe the people behind the anews collective are emotionless automata with empathy deficit disorder and are just unable to feel compassion? They could at least pretend better.

ahh... wow. you seem both overly engaged with this site and also seem to hate the people who run it - seems like a good way to be miserable!

you have no idea the order in which the comments about abuse here appeared and when that retweet happened, but then, you also seem to be quick to assign the worst motivations to complete strangers. nothing on this site or its twitter account says anyone here supports this person, any more than any of the other articles published here say the collective supports them. they're just stuff to read and talk about, nothing else, step away from the keyboard and go touch grass, anon, you're overheating

""you have no idea the order in which the comments about abuse here appeared and when that retweet happened,"
Do you not know how timestamps or Twitter work? Receipts, bro. Receipts are forever.

Nope. That's not how this works.

-thecollective_1.8 (power mad mod who runs the Twitter and other social media)

Hi,
ANews Twitter here. The absolutely lovely Anonymous commentator said:

"Another perfect and cold example of the anews collective's complete lack of empathy can be found on their official Twitter account. After posting the link to this Mongoose article they are directly informed about the abuse in the replies. What does the anews collective do? They seek out and retweet a post from the abuser's support account and completely ignore the person reaching out about the abuse. "

Except you are totally wrong in what you write. As another comment points out, you have no idea what I read or didn't read before I retweeted the statement "Write an anarchist prisoner today" from Sophia's support account. I didn't know any of this information before retweeting that, but you insist I did. My bad, are you a mind reader?

What is your axe to grind with ANews? Why don't you use a name when commenting anonymously - something that our website totally supports - when continually trying to attack our project? You won't because you know you literally have zero evidence and are just making shite up, trying to cause more problems. Not only step outside, but literally throw your computer off a bridge into a river.

-thecollective_1.8 (person who runs the Twitter and other social media)

"you have no idea what I read or didn't read before I retweeted the statement"

Be careful downloading seemingly innocuous things like PDF filez from untrusted sources, buddy. LUL

This is chess. You're playing checkers.

Comprende?

Just to be clear, you're now threatening to try and hack my computer because you were so wrong about your comment about the ANews project?

I'm strongly considering locking down this thread because it has reached a ridiculous level of trolling. ANews has always has strong moderation, even in the times of worker on articles about anarchist prisoners and anarchists in trouble and there is no difference here. Don't use this post to share your meaningless drivel, outright lies about our project, and threats against us and then complain when your comments which have went on an incredible tangent are moderated like it is the end of your world.

-thecollective_1.8

Different anon here

I think they were saying you've already been compromised.

Lock the thread and delete comments that expose you in negative light. It's your ball and you're taking it home when the game isn't going your way. This makes good political sense.

"Why don't you use a name when commenting anonymously"

Okay, "anon (not verified) on Tue, 07/26/2022 - 08:54" or do you prefer "-thecollective_1.8 (person who runs the Twitter and other social media)"?

You can call me "anon (not verified) on Tue, 07/26/2022 - 10:13" or, "-thecollectivehunter_1.0 (person who monitors your Twitter and other social media)"

I can't "step outside" I don't have legs and If I "threw my computer off a bridge into a river" I would have no way to provide for my family you emotionless piece of shit.

this is your therapist speaking calvin, we talked about this, remember your exercises

Very empathic of you to belittle someone in therapy. Why don't you sign your name thecorrective_88?

The results show that your mother is also your sister!

i love this comment - leave a few unfounded insults, piggyback off of someone's trauma to air personal grievances, and don't respond to any criticisms - you are an ugly troll, stay in your troll hole

Oh now you care about people's trauma? There's first time for everything I suppose.

So do you live in south west portland or are you including your occupation in your name?

"I'm one of Sofia's victims."

What a self-defeating way to introduce yourself to a bunch of strangers.

"They spent an entire year pumping me full of trauma, threatening to stab me, even going as far as pointing a gun at my head while I was driving on the highway."

...And you put up with that level of violence for that long why? Do you not own a knife or a gun of your own?

Sounds like a you problem. The world is not your personal "safe space". Victim-hood thinking only creates more victims. People like your ex exist everywhere. You are your own best protection.

- From the ghost of Bash Back!

... you uh... think they're still checking for replies, a year later?

anyway, cool advice bro!

Victim-blaming piece of shit. Telling battered people to "just leave" or "fight back bro"...
Fuck all the way off you piece of shit.

The world is a harsh place. Some people want people like u, or the "victim" dead. So why make urself an easy target by announcing how much of a victim u r? Unless yer armed all u r doing is demanding pity that a real piece of shit won't have lol. Wake up.

"Fight back you dumb victims. Don't be bitches asking for pity by sharing your stories just get guns and deadlift bro"

So true, justice is in the hands of the individualist anarch who holds their autonomous rule of barbarity!

Sofia characteristics on that web is precisely most of the nihilist turned with criminal association. Why? Most of the so called social anarchists are gossipy (even snitching) don't do shit, stayed in their church of holy anarchists and never ever wanted to take a risk. Even a small one. So yeah, sometimes violence is inevitable to those herds. Cos when they shout about community, it's only about their friends, even tolerated their shitty behaviour of being a snitch. Idc, egoist with criminal association sounds better to me than useless herds of anarchists.

egoism is cancelled. i am so glad communists never raped anybody. i am so grateful lumpy can still be my role model

well ack-chew-ly, you might find me to be a relatively ruthless egoist nihilist too! a principled one!

the commune is just for the handful of people i don't despise ... until they inevitably disappoint me.

OR if i'm just talking about how the only sensible reaction to capitalism is ... polite critique ... yes. that's it.

that "communist" part of your egoism is just a ploy for making yourself look more legit as an egoist creep, and in such you might be a bigger egoist than I am!

Could be related but... 'member a Dr Boner? I dooo!

accusing me of respectability politics?! i'm a PROUD egoist creep you fool!

of fukin course my egoism can beat up your egoism, don't be ridiculous... little troll shitheads think they're badasses, if I had $5 for every time -

*mumbling insane tirade as he levitates and floats away*

OooOooh nOooo, this thread has descended to macho jock dressing-room banter, BUT FROM AN OLD HOBO,,,GET OVER YOURSELF,,,,

hey brah, learn the nuanced difference between egotist and egoist! egotist is more narcissistic whereas egoist is more the ontological autonomous self-awareness. Every Stirnerian knows this brah, read some Stirner for crissakes!
*levitates and floats away*

Yes indeed! Lumpy is the example of desperate egotism... of the troll who just can't get over himself. An egoist can achieve the latter, as the reified self is a construct just like any other individuating spook.

I can tell by this one sad troll replying to itself with sock puppets that it's bothered by my egoism. oh well!

Wait till they reach their sad limit and use their moderator account to delete or edit your comments. Egoism ftw!

“They were raised in privilege, but they turned it all around and became an egoist with no respect for anyone or anything!” Hmmm, anarchist dreams sound all too much like the American dream sometimes…

So many prisoners to support. Pick someone who shares your interests and values. Would not support based on that bio alone.

Many many prisoners have done violent shitty things before being incarcerated. Whether someone has humility or self reflection or regret about harm to people (not corporations not objects not cops) matters.

Letter from the Editor by Mongoose Distro

Thank you for your continued support. It means a great deal to the incarcerated writers who contribute to the project to know that people on the outside take time out of their day to take in their works. We have been doing this for a few years now, learning and growing on a daily basis. From the start, we have maintained a clear mission and a set of “dos and don’ts” that keep us accountable to it.

Our mission is to transcribe, publish and distribute writings from prisoners, including, but not limited to, anarchist prisoners. Our vetting guidelines pertain to the content of submissions that are in consideration to be published. For example, we do not publish works that advocate things that we find to be actively harmful, such as statism, authoritarianism, racism, sexism, etc.

That being said, we also do not exclude potential contributors based on alleged past wrongdoings. This is not a callous dismissal of people who may have been harmed by our contributors on the outside, but solidarity with those who are experiencing the hell that is prison. We do not wish to act as judge, jury, executioner to any of our contributors, and simply hope that, even in the smallest of ways, our project can help combat the State carceral system’s desire to silence its captives.

Thanks,

Mongoose Distro

July 28, 2022

https://mongoosedistro.com/2022/07/28/letter-from-the-editor/

the continuing slide into sectarian irrelevance based on decontextualization. for sure incarceration is fucked. but so is being an asshole to your unincarcerated comrades. i don't know this writer and have no contact (that i know of) with people who might be their victim, but i have been involved in prisoner support for decades and have also been incarcerated; this letter from the editor is not good enough. looking at a person's pre-incarceration behavior and their "crime" is very important for determining whether or not to provide support (in whatever form), as is their choice to accept or reject the offers of cooperation with the courts and/or prison administration. remember the green scare and the cooperating defendants? remember the non-cooperating defendants? i do. and i remember the support networks decided -- correctly -- to refuse to support those defendants who cooperated with the cops. i'm not saying that this person is cooperating with the cops, i'm just reminding the mongoose folks that context DOES matter. their position against incarceration is admirable, but just because someone is locked up doesn't mean anarchists have a duty and obligation to support them no matter what happened before then. this letter is a fine example of single-issue suicide.

"being an asshole" is not comparable to being imprisoned.

just sayin'

being locked up sucks, no question. but this isn't a competition to see who has it worse-- the person locked up or the people who've been victimized. if every shitty action is minimized or trumped by being incarcerated, then there's something wrong with your worldview.

I don't think they believe every action is minimized by incarceration, just that solidarity with people in prison isn't dependent on them not having done harm. Even the liberal reformists seem to get this, but the Portland mutual aid people who got into anarchism in 2020 really struggle with the most basic parts of anti-prison shit.

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