Direct Action

A Manual For A New Era Of Direct Action

July 31, 2017 George Lakey, www.wagingnonviolence.org Strategize! Direct Action, History, Organizing

By George Lakey for Waging Nonviolence - Movement manuals can be useful. Marty Oppenheimer and I found that out in 1964 when civil rights leaders were too busy to write a manual but wanted one. We wrote “A Manual for Direct Action” just in time for Mississippi Freedom Summer. Bayard Rustin wrote the forward. Some organizers in the South told me jokingly that it was their “first aid handbook — what to do until Dr. King comes.” It was also picked up by the growing movement against the Vietnam War. For the past year I’ve been book touring to over 60 cities and towns across the United States and have been asked repeatedly for a direct action manual that addresses challenges we face now. The requests come from people concerned about a variety of issues. While each situation is in some ways unique, organizers in multiple movements face some similar problems in both organization and action. What follows is a different manual from the one we put out over 50 years ago. Then, movements operated in a robust empire that was used to winning its wars. The government was fairly stable and held great legitimacy in the eyes of the majority. Now, the U.S. empire is faltering and the legitimacy of governing structures is shredding. Economic inequality skyrockets and both major parties are caught in their own versions of society-wide polarization.

Dissidents Ramp Up Direct Action Against Climate Destroyers.

June 23, 2017 Ted Hamilton, www.truth-out.org Resist! Climate Change, Direct Action

By Ted Hamilton for Truthout - This month a group of climate activists were convicted in district courts in Mount Vernon, Washington, and Wawayanda, New York, for committing acts of civil disobedience against fossil fuel infrastructure. Each defendant (one in Washington and six in New York) had attempted to present a "climate necessity defense," arguing that their nominally illegal actions were justified by the threat of climate catastrophe -- in other words, that the real crime is continuing to pollute the atmosphere, not interfering with corporate property. The courts weren't having it: The activists were convicted on June 7 on charges of varying seriousness, although they anticipate appealing their rulings. The activists aren't hanging their heads, though. Instead, they're doubling down on their civil resistance mode of political activism. In doing so, they're joining a growing movement of direct action climate dissidents across the country who have taken to the streets, the pipelines and the coal trains to do what the government won't: confront an industry that poses an existential threat to human civilization. The Washington trial began with an October 2016 protest in which Ken Ward -- a long-time environmental leader who pursued conventional climate policy avenues for decades before turning to civil disobedience in recent years...

Direct Action: Protest And The Reinvention Of American Radicalism

February 18, 2017 Paul Buhle, www.portside.org Educate! Direct Action, Protests, Radicals

By Paul Buhle for Portside - Not that "Direct Action" is new, even in the normally non-radical United States. Taking control of a factory, taking control of streets, occupying a university or some other venue, has been familiar for at least a century, arguably beginning when the Industrial Workers of the World first "sat down" instead of leaving the factory to picket its entrances. (Women's actions in the urban Rent Strikes of the early 1930s would be another great example). Spartacus may have been one of the earliest radical occupiers, of territory that is. But let's stick with the past century, for convenience. The general problem of strikes is that the strikers are on the outside, as are demonstrators in most instances, people (like me) listening to talks and then marching. The alternative, if it works, is to be in the inside, holding on, at least for long enough to make a point. Kauffman begins with an apparent success that was more of a failure: an occupation of DC in 1971 that apparently took the authorities by surprise, but more likely tested their ability, at that stressful historical moment, to let the demonstrators have their moment, never actually threatening the functions of government, including the Vietnam War.

Who Will Stand Up To Trump? We Will!

December 21, 2016 Keith McHenry, www.popularresistance.org Strategize! Affinity Groups, Anarchism, Direct Action, Donald Trump

By Keith McHenry. We the people will stand up to Trump. Not Cohen’s list of politicians and leaders who have been benefiting from the corrupt system that put Trump in power. The post-inauguration chaos could well take America and the world into uncharted territory, so creating a strategy on how to transform America into a sustainable, post-capitalist society will take imagination. Beware of groups seeking to hijack the anti-Trump movement for their own benefit. You can become disheartened if you spend energy supporting an organization only to discover that the group, presenting itself as the “vanguard of the revolution” or as a well intentioned (and well financed) reform organization, is more interested in its own well-being, in “organization building,” than in transforming society. A lot of these groups will try to recruit you as the crisis deepens, but you don’t need them. There are things we ourselves can do to prepare, to fight back.

The Time For Direct Action On Climate Change Is Now

October 12, 2016 Emily Johnston, www.truth-out.org Resist! Climate Change, Direct Action

By Emily Johnston for Truthout - Our warming world is by far the most dire emergency humanity has ever faced, and thanks to the inaction induced by decades of corporate lies, our political and social systems are radically failing us. There is currently no policy under consideration anywhere that will keep us below a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius (we're almost there), which might avoid the worst impacts and tipping points of climate change.

Now Age Conversations: “Spearheading Creative, Direct Action”

June 18, 2016 Craig Gordon, www.nowagepress.com Resist! Direct Action

By Craig Gordon for The Now Age Press - For this edition of Now Age Conversations I speak with Reverend Billy Talen, the force behind the Church of Stop Shopping, whose been employing tactics of creative, direct action to bring awareness to issues from consumerism to militarism. Currently, Billy is focussed on the issue of Roundup use in America’s public parks and playgrounds, unbeknownst to the local residents. With FOIA (Freedom of Information requests), Billy and his group have successfully revealed the precise locations in several, large American cities where Roundup is being used for weed control.

Call Issued For Mass Climate Action Before Paris Meeting

August 27, 2015 Emma Howard, www.theguardian.com Resist! Climate Change, Direct Action, Paris

By Emma Howard in The Guardian - Desmond Tutu, Vivienne Westwood, Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky are among a group of high-profile figures who will issue a mass call to action on Thursday ahead of the UN’s crunch climate change conference in Paris in December. They call for mass mobilisation on the scale of the slavery abolition and anti-apartheid movements to trigger “a great historical shift”. Their statement, published in the book Stop Climate Crimes, reads: “We are at a crossroads. We do not want to be compelled to survive in a world that has been made barely liveable for us ... slavery and apartheid did not end because states decided to abolish them. Mass mobilisations left political leaders no other choice.” Bill McKibben, founder of environmental movement 350.org, which has launched the project with the anti-globalisation organisation Attac France, described the move as a “good first step” towards Paris.

American Gandhi: History Of Radicalism In 20th Century

July 11, 2015 Staughton Lynd and Andy Piascik, www.vietnamfulldisclosure.org Educate! Book Reviews, Direct Action, History, Worker Rights and Jobs

By Staughton Lynd and Andy Piascik in Vietnam Full Disclosure - A.J. Muste and the History of Radicalism in the Twentieth Century is the most comprehensive and thoroughly-researched account of the life of A.J. Muste yet to appear. It is particularly valuable in its treatment of the years that Muste devoted to building a radical labor movement, 1919 to 1936. This review limits itself to that period of Muste’s life. Muste’s decision in August 1936 to give up labor advocacy and (as he put it) “return to pacifism” is puzzling. During the 1920’s and early 1930’s Muste had dedicated himself to the creation of industrial unionism, with the ultimate goal of a transition to socialism. And at first glance it might seem that he and his colleagues were on a pathway to success.

Six Ways TPP Opponents Have Won, Even As Fast Track Advances

June 26, 2015 Sarah Anderson, www.nationofchange.org Resist! Climate Change, Direct Action, Free Trade, TPP

By Sarah Anderson in Nation of Change - I tried to stay emotionally distanced from this one. It didn’t work. When the White House and Republican leaders got the votes they needed in the Senate to advance “fast track” Trade Promotion Authority on Tuesday, June 23, it was crushing. All observers agree that fast track will soon become law, making it easier for President Barack Obama to pass the controversial trade pacts in the works with Pacific Rim nations and the European Union. That will be a serious setback to the movements for the environment, labor rights, and affordable pharmaceuticals, among others. But after observing painful trade votes for more than 20 years, this one left me feeling that opponents should be holding their heads higher than ever before as they regroup for the next phase of the fight. Here are a few reasons why:

After The Uprising: Lessons From Rojava For Baltimore

June 14, 2015 Ben Reynolds, www.roarmag.org Strategize! Baltimore, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Direct Action, Freddie Gray, Police violence, Popular Assemblies, Racism

By Ben Reynolds for ROAR. How can we create the fundamental change we so desperately need? We need a superior strategy to the failed strategies of the past; we need a means to turn an uprising into a revolution. History offers a few successful examples of popular organizing we can draw from. During the French Revolution, the popular assemblies of the Paris sections formed a radical base that pushed the developing revolution forward. The Russian Revolution of 1917 saw deliberative popular bodies known as “soviets” overthrow the provisional government in the name of bread and peace. These kinds of systems — based upon deliberative councils and assemblies — frequently appear in any period of unrest or upheaval, and have recently emerged in Argentina, Spain, and elsewhere. In the present, the Kurdish movement in Turkey and Syria employs a developed version of this system known as “democratic confederalism.” Face-to-face neighborhood assemblies form the base of political decision-making, while successive councils operate at the district, city and regional levels. The councils and assemblies deliberate upon all of the issues facing the community and attempt to organize the means to effect necessary changes.

Woman Chained To Shell Oil Ship For 3 Days

May 26, 2015 Sarah Lane and Julie Hall, www.insidebainbridge.com Resist! Direct Action, Oil & Gas

A woman who had been hanging off the anchor chain of a support ship that is part of Royal Dutch Shell's plans to explore for oil in the Arctic Ocean ended her dayslong protest north of Seattle on Monday morning. Student activist Chiara D'Angelo requested assistance getting down from her perch on the Arctic Challenger in the Bellingham harbor around 9:30 a.m. Monday, the Coast Guard said. D'Angelo was checked for hypothermia and then released, Petty Officer 3rd Class Katelyn Shearer said. She spent the weekend attached to the ship in an environmental protest against Shell's plans to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea off northwestern Alaska. The oil company's proposal also has drawn large protests in Seattle, where a massive, floating drill rig is being prepared for the excursion.

Targets Matter — Why A Small Action Group Won Vs. Mighty Bank

May 16, 2015 George Lakey, www.wagingnonviolence.org Strategize! Banking, Capitalism, Direct Action

After writing about Earth Quaker Action Team’s recent success in forcing PNC Bank to stop financing mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia, I received a number of strong reactions. Mingled with the congratulations, based on my involvement in the campaign, was a tone of surprise: How can a small group take on the seventh-largest bank in the country and win? Underneath that, I sensed the despair that unconsciously dims people’s sense of power in the United States. Americans can express rage or righteousness by protesting, but most don’t really expect to change anything. The reactions made me realize I left out an important part of the story that proves the victory was no fluke and that U.S. activists can actually be producing far more victories in the current political landscape.

Direct Action Gets Family To See Daughter Shot By Police

April 22, 2015 Unicorn Riot, www.vimeo.com Resist! Direct Action, Minneapolis, police brutality

Tania Harris, an African-American High School senior was recently shot by Robbinsdale Police in a suburb of Minneapolis. Tania's mother called the Police when her daughter was threatened by some high school students in the yard. The police shot Tania when they arrived and have refused to allow Tania's family to visit her in the hospital. The local community marched to the hospital with Tania’s mother and father demanding the police allow the family to see Tania. After a brief stand off the police stopped blocking access to Tania's family.

Justice League NYC Begins March To Washington, D.C.

April 14, 2015 CBS New York, www.newyork.cbslocal.com Resist! Direct Action, New York City (NYC), police brutality, Washington

A group of activists calling for criminal justice reform began a 250-mile trek on foot from Staten Island to Washington, D.C., on Monday. Justice League NYC’s March2Justice is scheduled to culminate April 21 with a rally and concert at the National Mall. The goal is to deliver to lawmakers a package of proposed legislation aimed at ending racial injustice and police-related deaths like Eric Garner’s, CBS2’s Diane Macedo reported. “This is why we march. We march for Michael Brown. We march for Eric Garner,” Assemblyman Michael Blake, D-Bronx, told marchers. “We march ’cause Walter Scott was just trying to get awayand got shot in the back.”

Great Climate March Makes Its Way To Washington

October 22, 2014 Mark Reynolds, www.huffingtonpost.com Organize! Climate Change, Direct Action, Environment

In his seminal 1849 essay, "Resistance to Civil Government," Henry David Thoreau calls on the reader to: "Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence." His words were top of mind when I joined the Great Climate March in Cleveland on October 5. More than 20 were then participating at that point, some having begun their journey in Los Angeles on March 1. They were walking primarily to raise awareness of the high carbon economy causing global climate disruption. When I joined them, they were three weeks from Washington, D.C., their final destination. This act of walking is no doubt an act of sacrifice, both symbolic and real. It's an act of waking oneself up from complacency as much as it is an act of waking others up to the dangers of a changing climate and local environmental degradation.

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