Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement
Encyclopedia
In 2010, various right wing web sites and blogs posted a document that claims to describe the history of a group called Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM), which was supposedly a left wing revolutionary
cadre-based organization based in the Bay Area of the United States
.
It is unclear who wrote this document, and whether it has any relationship to a real group. There is little independent verification that can be used to verify the truth of the claims made in the document.
protests against the Gulf War
. RAW emerged in the early 1990s and organized mass protests in the Bay Area around the Rodney King verdict
, as well as protests in 1992 against the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus
landing in the Americas in 1492.
. Once the organization began to grow, they built "work groups" around issues that were important to the group's membership. These included: prevention of the demolition of the housing projects; stopping the imposition of a curfew; and support for Affirmative Action. STORM initially included anarchists
, communists
and revolutionary nationalists, but after some internal, personal struggles the anarchists left, and STORM become more communist-oriented. The internal crisis had reduced the group to just six members. STORM considered Mao Zedong
as their ideological leader and as an atheist organization expressed deep dislike of religion. STORM was also different than its predecessor group RAW because it had some white members, whereas RAW had been composed only of people of color; STORM also held a stated commitment to women in leadership. While STORM had some white members, its membership was always more than 60 percent women and 75 percent people of color. Most of STORM's membership had never previously been in other revolutionary organizations.
According to this document, as STORM refocused its efforts in the late 1990s, new work groups were formed, including Workers Organized to Rid us of Capitalism, and Culture & Propaganda. These groups helped the organization to focus on its stated goals and strategies. STORM built connections with other organizations, such as POWER and Critical Resistance, and the organization participated in several bay-area issues of concern—often organizing protests. By 2000, some controversy erupted around allegations that STORM was trying to take control of other organizations. Furthermore, the next two years saw disagreements and personal issues within STORM. In March 2002, the remaining sixteen members made the determination to disband STORM.
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
cadre-based organization based in the Bay Area of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It is unclear who wrote this document, and whether it has any relationship to a real group. There is little independent verification that can be used to verify the truth of the claims made in the document.
Origins
According to this document, STORM grew out of a radical organization in the Bay Area called Roots Against War (RAW), which was committed to involving young people of color in direct actionDirect action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
protests against the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. RAW emerged in the early 1990s and organized mass protests in the Bay Area around the Rodney King verdict
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
, as well as protests in 1992 against the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
landing in the Americas in 1492.
Development and composition
According to this document, STORM began with just eight people, and the group's membership was by invitation only. They held their first official meeting on November 2, 1994—a protest against a statewide vote to prevent state support from going to illegal immigrants: California Proposition 187 (1994)California Proposition 187 (1994)
California Proposition 187 was a 1994 ballot initiative to establish a state-run citizenship screening system and prohibit illegal aliens from using health care, public education, and other social services in the U.S. State of California...
. Once the organization began to grow, they built "work groups" around issues that were important to the group's membership. These included: prevention of the demolition of the housing projects; stopping the imposition of a curfew; and support for Affirmative Action. STORM initially included anarchists
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and revolutionary nationalists, but after some internal, personal struggles the anarchists left, and STORM become more communist-oriented. The internal crisis had reduced the group to just six members. STORM considered Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
as their ideological leader and as an atheist organization expressed deep dislike of religion. STORM was also different than its predecessor group RAW because it had some white members, whereas RAW had been composed only of people of color; STORM also held a stated commitment to women in leadership. While STORM had some white members, its membership was always more than 60 percent women and 75 percent people of color. Most of STORM's membership had never previously been in other revolutionary organizations.
According to this document, as STORM refocused its efforts in the late 1990s, new work groups were formed, including Workers Organized to Rid us of Capitalism, and Culture & Propaganda. These groups helped the organization to focus on its stated goals and strategies. STORM built connections with other organizations, such as POWER and Critical Resistance, and the organization participated in several bay-area issues of concern—often organizing protests. By 2000, some controversy erupted around allegations that STORM was trying to take control of other organizations. Furthermore, the next two years saw disagreements and personal issues within STORM. In March 2002, the remaining sixteen members made the determination to disband STORM.