NAZI LIVES DON’T MATTER!

I was born Jewish and have dealt with antisemitism my entire life. My earliest memory was when I was five years old. In 1972, my family moved into a West Phoenix neighborhood. When I first went out to play with the other kids, they already knew I was Jewish. I could tell because they instantly started calling me “Jew Boy.” Then there was the old man across the street who affectionately called me “Kike.” My mom had to explain to her five year-old kid what prejudice was. Sure, there was a lot of bullshit I had to deal with but one thing was true, the people who didn’t like me for being different, hated nazis as much as I did. There was no question, we were all Americans who feel the immense sacrifice the generation before put forth when they stomped out the spread of fascism.

Fast-forward to 2019, I’m 52 years old and antisemitism is way more prevalent and mainstream then ever before. Call me a radical leftist, violent Antifa, or whatever other fear-mongered nickname you can think of at the moment. Fact is, my views go way back to the Founding Fathers who tried to protect us from what’s happening right now. We’re American DIY punk rockers making Mike Watt proud! I’m not putting up with this crap and calling it out every chance I get. Go ahead, boycott AZPX or whatever else you feel is necessary. Bottom line, we have ZERO tolerance for intolerance! From the song ‘Know Your Rights‘ by The Clash: “You have the right not to be killed.”

What does this have to do with Skateboarding? FUCKING EVERYTHING! This garbage has infiltrated our most beloved all-inclusive rolling activity that we value and hold dear to our hearts. Shit is cliqued-out and has got to stop. There’s no room for you at the pool if you’re sporting or spouting racist shit. In fact, get the fuck out before I stomp your ass. There was a time when skateboarders were completely color blind and would never put up with nazi bullshit, so let’s MAKE AMERICA SKATE AGAIN.

AZPX has teamed up with Martin Sprouse from @3ChordPolitics. Martin is setting the Instagram world on fire with his blunt, in your face, graphics which he cultivated into style all his own. We are weaponizing our skills and resources in visual communication to RESIST and fight back. We’re creating AWARENESS that our society has NO PLACE for hate, intolerance, fascism and most of all nazis, by doing what we do best – making T-shirts!

This first shirt is a test run. If we can pull this off, more will follow. Martin and I decided to go for the gusto and use one of his most impactful messages, Nazi Lives don’t Matter. This graphic was on the back cover of Maximum Rock & Roll and is part of Tom Morello’s Atlas Underground tour. Shirts are 100% pre-shrunk cotton Gildan Brand 5000 Series and are available in black or white. This is a LIMITED edition shirt, so get it while supplies last. We are doing a two-week PRE-SALE starting April 12 until April 26. Shirts will start shipping when the pre-sale ends.

Below is an awesome interview with Martin from The Adulting Well Podcast and liner notes from the show:

This week we talk to Martin Sprouse about writing zines in the 80s, writing for Maximum RocknRoll, starting a publishing company, resistance art and so much more!

Martin Sprouse grew up in Southern California and has been active in the punk scene since the early 1980s.

He is the author of Sabotage in the American Workplace and Threat by Example: A Documentation of Inspiration.