[MAPC-discuss] RE: Madison - Truax Direct Action Options

[MAPC-discuss] RE: Madison - Truax Direct Action Options

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-11-12

Hi all,

The action committee of the Madison Area Peace Coalition has put a lot of
time and energy into
organizing this event so that it is family-friendly and non-confrontational.
I think we should respect the
wishes of the coalition and the action committee in this matter. People plan
to bring children and the
organizers are putting together activities for the kids. I do not want to
see kids (including my child)
getting pepper sprayed. It's not hard to predict what will happen at the
event if we work together on this
and make a point of NOT performing illegal acts. At the rally, the
organizers will explain the format and
I think we should go with it as a unified group. We can discuss the plan at
tomorrow night's MAPC
general membership meeting so people know what to expect. Performing any
illegal acts and getting
arrested will only serve to marginalize us and cause negative media. This
would be to the detriment of
the coalition and the peace movement as a whole. What we need now more than
ever is to broaden our
base, not weaken it. Arrests would be costly, divisive and
counterproductive. This can be done!  On
September 17th we (pre-MAPC peace organizers) put together a massive peace
rally attended by 800+
people. There was not one incident, not one arrest. We received good media
coverage here in Madison and
throughout the country. WE CAN DO IT.


Peace,
X


-----Original Message-----
From: X
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 10:32 AM
To: X
Cc: X
Subject: Madison - Truax Direct Action Options

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 pepper spray
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
--

==^================================================================
This email was sent to: X

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxifT.aVG8nl
Or send an email to: pw-list-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================


_______________________________________________
discuss@madpeace.org mailing list
http://lists.OpenSoftwareServices.com/mailman/listinfo/madpeace-discuss

Monday, November 12, 2001 7:42 PM

[MAPC-discuss] RE: Madison - Truax Direct Action Options