[MAPC-discuss] Madison - Truax Direct Action Options

[MAPC-discuss] Madison - Truax Direct Action Options

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-11-12

Hello,

I know many people are worried about the "law and order"
response to the Peace Parade scheduled for this coming Sat. (11/17)
at 12:00 Noon outside the gates of Truax Air Force Base near MATC in
Madison.  It is hard to predict what will happen.  Having been in
lots of protests, I tend to prepare for the worst and I would
encourage others to do the same.  No matter what we call the event -
parade, vigil, protest, march, memorial, etc. etc. - the reaction may
be exactly the same by the police.

In terms of direct action, I agree with many others that the
"least threatening" tactics are preferable.  Personally, I'm not in
favor of blocking the gates, climbing the fence, or otherwise
creating a situation where authorities feel compelled to respond
and/or arrest people.  Of course, they could still pepperspray
someone for merely carrying a bouquet of flowers - such are the times
we live in...

At any rate, three relatively "mellow" and somewhat "fun" direct
action tactics people have been tossing around for Saturday's event
include:

1.) Decorating the fence with statements of resistance, demands for
peace, etc. etc. - this could include poems, quotes, balloons, paper
cranes, posters, large photos of Afghani children, etc. etc.  This
tactic worked very well in Quebec at the FTAA protests and got a lot
of media coverage.

2.) Mock minefield with similar looking "cluster bombs" and "food
packages" strewn along the roadside and entrance that people could
pick up and discover their fate by reading the explanation on the
bottom.  The UW Greens in conjunction with the International Campaing
to Ban Landmines has done similar mock minefields on UW Library Mall
with a good public response.

3.) Propaganda flights with people making paper "F-16s" out of copies
of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, Geneva Convention, photos of
refugees, etc. etc. and tossing them over the fence.  This tactic has
been used by solidarity groups  - a common nickname is the "Zapatista
Airforce."

At any rate, these "mild" direct action tactics (and possible
others) I hope can be discussed at the Student Youth Caucus meeting
tonight and at the full MAPC meeting tomorrow.  Hopefully, there is
enough space and trust within the coalition umbrella for such
activities to occur.

Thanks - X, Madison
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Monday, November 12, 2001 10:32 AM

[MAPC-discuss] Madison - Truax Direct Action Options