October 24, 2023
To those from the bottom and to the left who are listening,
In recent months, our network Sexta Grietas del Norte suffered an internal rupture. Four members of Grietas – now former members – made destructive accusations against another member of the network. Our Assembly, the decision-making body of our network, formed an ad-hoc committee that investigated and found the accusations unfounded. All members of Sexta Grietas del Norte accepted the conclusions of this committee, except the four who initiated the accusations. They did not accept the committee’s conclusions, insisted on and added to their accusations, and since then made these public. All of this damaged not only the unjustifiably accused compa, but our network as a whole. The Assembly concluded that the four had violated the network’s trust through actions in line with the criteria we established as the basis for removal:
1. Disclosure of Confidential Network Information;
2. Making threats or personal attacks such as intimidation, harassment, etc.; And
3. Disruptive behavior that prevents our work.
For these reasons, the Assembly decided to expel them.
We had not made this internal rupture public, limiting ourselves only to answering inquiries made by groups who were contacted by these former members. However, it has come to our attention that these former members have appropriated our first journal PDF link, re-issued a redacted version through Paliacate Press, and released a document containing private internal correspondence. We interpret these actions to be retaliation for their expulsion. To clarify, we are not associated with Paliacate Press, the publishing house circulating the redacted first issue of the Grietas journal. If you are interested in obtaining an official, unredacted copy of our journal, you can download it for free or order a hard copy directly from the Sexta Grietas del Norte website.
We know that in addition to our struggles against the capitalist hydra, many of our collectives, organizations and networks must also deal with internal conflict and harm, and strive to find ways to address these in ways that affirm one another’s life and dignity. As a network we adhere to the principles of Mandar Obedeciendo, Leading By Obeying . We followed these principles in the process outlined above, and this statement represents our conclusions. We do not wish to continue in a public back-and-forth, supplant others, or replicate the practices of those that rule from above.
Contact us directly if you have any questions.
Sexta Grietas del Norte Network