disparate parts

Like I said, the museum was a pretty snotty institution. It’s got a LOT of objects it’s way famous for possessing, but nobody knew about the absolutely massive collection of Moche erotic pottery it had because the curators were totally embarrassed by this stuff.

Some examples:

Pretty hot shit, right? They never, ever put any of this stuff on public view or published it in any catalogues but - we legit had like several hundred pieces of Moche ceramics in the “dirty pots” category. Anyway, I was left alone to just do my job with regard to the database for several years, ok? And I figured, well, these’re accessioned objects in the museum’s collection - better get down to bidness. 

I catalogued every goddamn bestiality, necrophiliac, cocksucking, buttfucking, detached penis, and giant vulva drinking cup in that collection. I’d be like, 

A drinking vessel in form of a standing man wearing a tunic and cap. He holds an oversized erection in his hands and stares into the distance (note I did not say “like he’s hella-constipated”). The vessel has a hole at both the tip of the penis as well as around the rim of the figure’s head, thus forcing the drinker to drink only from the penis or risk spilling wine all over themselves from the top of the vessel. Red and orange slip covers the surface of the piece.

Pretty straightforward, right? Apparently the deep seated fear of these objects that the curators exhibited was meant to spread to me as well, but - no one ever gave me that memo, because I guess Midwesterners reproduce asexually. When the curators understood that I had catalogued all of these objects in addition to the other, non-sexy pieces in the collection, they were apparently livid, but knew they had no legs to stand on in terms of getting pissed at me for it. 

I visited the museum’s online public access database a few years back and - every single description I wrote of these pieces has been totally neutered to say something like Male figural vase. 

On September 8th at about 3pm two plainclothes FBI agents performed a door knock at a house in the Alberta neighborhood of NE Portland. One of the agents was named Michael David Kern, the other was unidentified. They were driving a dark blue or black Chevrolet Tahoe.

One of the agents was dressed in a flannel shirt and the other had a plate carrier over his clothes. They asked the person who answered the door for information about someone who was recently named in an FBI press release and arrest warrant in relation to activities in Atlanta in 2020. One of the agents had a stack of folded papers in his hand.

The person who answered the door told the agents they had nothing to say to them and closed the door.

After the interaction the individual who answered the door reached out to the National Lawyers Guild federal defense hotline. They also began alerting their communities that a door knock had happened. All of these are integral parts of keeping broader community safe.

In instances like these, it is important to treat the situation with measured caution and avoid speculation and paranoia. What we can do as a broader community is refuse to isolate those targeted by the state, maintain a holistic security culture among ourselves, and support those facing repression. 

Here are some points to remember for if and when an agent knocks:

Don’t panic. Federal agents knocking on doors does not necessarily mean arrests are right around the corner. Don’t let them intimidate you into making bad decisions. 

Do not talk to them. If you are stopped on the street, at work, at home – you do not need to talk to federal agents. Close the door, walk away. Say nothing.

Communication is key. If you have been approached it is important that you let the broader community know. It’s not sketchy to talk about what the feds have done – they know they’ve done it. Info to relay: *Date & time of stop. *Location (at a home/at a workplace). *Agencies involved, if you don’t know that’s ok! Don’t guess. But if they ID themselves use that info- insignias on vehicles, badges or shirts are good. *Questions- if they did ask anything, be sure to mention what was asked about (“They asked questions about the BLM movement” or “They asked about individuals involved with XYZ activity”.

Don’t Guess! If you don’t have info about what they wanted, don’t make guesses as to what it is about — this can cause extra panic or connect dots that the feds didn’t already make. They don’t know everything.

Be Honest! Be clear that the intended target of the stop did not talk to the feds. If an unfortunate situation happened and people did answer questions, be open and transparent about that. Be clear that the target’s intention is to not cooperate — people are often caught off guard and answer the door without checking who is there, or answering a yes or no question before disengaging — this does not mean they are cooperating with the feds. They should communicate to the community that they have or will contact a lawyer and the National Lawyer’s Guild fed hotline. 

Post the info about the interaction publicly. Share facts, not implications or insinuations. Once the information is public, everyone can and should repost it and share it as widely as possible so we can all stay informed, safe, and aware.