The sedans sped through red lights, blocked side streets, and drove up on curbs when they stopped to get gas.

A few days earlier, New York and Boston newspapers identified Kazi as one of "fifty key anarchists," each with "fifty fanatical followers" who planned to bring mayhem to the Big Apple during the Republican National Convention.

ANNIE BUTLER— As the anti-war movement geared up for demonstrations planned for the Republican Nation Convention in New York City, the New York Daily News on August 28, 2004, headlined, "Police Intelligence Warning: Anarchy Inc." The next day’s Boston Herald shrieked, "Big Apple Keeps Eye on Pair of Hub Anarchists." Unnamed police and law enforcement officials were the source of the information used in both of these headlines and the articles that followed then. So for the record. Are you now one of the "50 top ranking anarchists" or have you ever been and anarchist?

KAZI TOURE— No. I am not an anarchist. I’ve never been an anarchist. I’m more of a dialectical, historical materialist.

AB— Why do you think "unnamed police and federal law enforcement sources" have your name on a list?

KT— I feel it’s because I’m drawing connections between the war in Iraq and war at home against black and brown communities here. We got about 2.5 million people in prison here in America and about 1million of those are young and black, between the ages of 18 and 27. That means that about 20 percent of black people that age are in prisons. Twenty percent! That’s a whole generation wiped out. That’s genocide. People should know that the prison guards that were trained for Abu Graham were trained by the same people whose job it is to train prison guards here in Massachusetts. Larry Duval trained the prison guard at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. He is the same prison administrator who came from the federal prison in Marion, Illinois to head up the Massachusetts Prison system in late 70’s. Yeah, he came in around 78/79.

AB— And why do you think they released it when they did?

KT— I think this should be seen as an attack on anybody who dares to speak out against Bush and his administration. They are the Gestapo. Hey, they had Edward Kennedy stopped and detained at an airport. He’s a senator, an elected member of the government! What’s that about? He speaks out against Bush and his policies, he speaks out against Bush. But hey, look what they did to the Dixie Chicks, Michael Moore…anybody who is critical they attack then politically and personally. And as for me, they feel they can say things about me that they can’t say about others because I have a prison record. And they demonize anybody who has a prison record. But, me, I’m a shining example of a reformed person. I’m not about violence, though i do believe in self-defense. I’ve been out of prison for 13 years on October 1.

AB— One of the articles mentions you were arrested in 1998 in Plymouth, Mass. Can you tell us about that?

KT— Yeah, I was arrested there protesting the genocide our government committed against the people who lived here before the Europeans got here. I want everybody to know that the state lost that case. They had to pay 130,000 to the people they beat up that day; the people they body slammed into the street for exercising their right to say what they think. The charges against me and the others that were illegally arrested were dropped and the state paid up.

AB— So, did you get any money out of it?

KT— Nope. It went to the United Indian Movement of Massachusetts.

AB— The "undisclosed sources" also mentions a Canadian activist named Jaggi Singh? Do you know him?

KT— No, I’ve never met him, this person named Jaggi. But anybody that the news media smears this way is probably a good person so I probably should meet him.

AB— Ever trained him in the use of firearms?

KT— I’ve never given any weapons training. I haven’t picked up a gun in almost 25 years. It’s been a long time. I’m not into that. I don’t think armed struggle is possible. I also don’t think our government listens to people unless they are very, very wealthy or they can help make more money for the rich. That’s why I never had any plans to go to protest in New York City at the Republican National Convention. I didn’t go to the DNC demos here in my own hometown. I’m not into electoral politics.

AB— If you’re not into electoral politics what do think should be done to change all this?

KT— Grassroots organizing and Education. I try to do education that opens peoples eyes to the contradictions in a world that is run on a class basis, by a ruling class who hates poor people and people of color.