anarchistnews.org
Feb 8, 2025
From Anarchist Agency
Murphy Hoopes, an early collective member of Agency, who helped launch our organization in 2013, passed away in San Diego, California on January 18, 2025. He was 38. Born and raised in the Washington D.C. area, Murphy was drawn to the possibilities of a new world at an early age. In high school, he joined D.C. Food Not Bombs, cooking and serving vegan food to the hungry while protesting US aggression in Iraq. His generous spirit and cooperative nature continued through a lifetime of support for social and environmental struggles, and myriad contributions to the global anarchist movement. Immersed in the punk rock community, Murphy was deeply passionate about music and the power of counterculture and creative expression to build stronger communities and make social change.
A sharp critique of political authority, a disdain for oppression by rulers, and an immense joy for life fueled Murphy. In his teens and early 20s, he was a collective member and regular volunteer at the Brian MacKenzie Infoshop, a radical bookstore and community center in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He lived in vegan and anarchist collective houses in D.C., before moving to North Carolina. An avid writer, Murphy was a regular contributor to CrimethInc. and other media outlets and public education initiatives. He was also a co-producer of The Ex-Worker and The Hotwire podcasts.
Murphy was fluent in Spanish, living on two separate occasions in Santiago, Chile, supporting anarchist organizing, and documenting political and social struggles there. His film, Fell in Love with Fire, documented the 2019 uprising in Chile.
Murphy sailed several times to Cuba and became an avid surfer. He made lasting friendships everywhere, traveling widely in South America, Europe, and the United States.
In 2024, Murphy earned a law degree at the University of Arizona. He devoted many hours to providing legal services through the Civil Liberties Defense Center, and other organizations that support access to legal representation—bringing an anarchist lens and aspirations for total liberation to this work.
Murphy’s boundless energy and consistent commitment to a better society in all aspects of life was an example to everyone who knew him.
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