The People's Strike - Sept 2002 - What's Happening at the Protests
from the People's Strike Newspaper
Within the DC Anti-Capitalist Convergence there are many working groups that are organizing various facets of the demonstrations. The Scenario working group - with direct input and guidance form the larger group of the Anti-Capitalist Convergence, is working to lay ground work in order for direct action to affect our overall plan of shutting down the city. Other organizations are encouraged to and will be organizing different things to effectuate the same plan.
Why a Peoples Strike?
We are calling for the People's Strike as a concentrated day of non-cooperation with this savagely unequal and unjust system called capitalism that rules our lives. We are asking people not to go to work or school and withhold their participation in the system as a form of protest.
We want to extend the non-cooperation aspect of a strike to active resistance striking against the system, calling for direct action in the streets to shut down the city for one day and at the same time carry out actions that present a vision of some of the things we want to create or see provided in this world.
Your participation in the strike can be as simple as staying home from work or school, or going to work or school and doing things that interrupt and challenge the usual flow of things - distribute information and literature which challenges the status quo, take longer breaks, and give away the products of our labor for free. All these acts of non-cooperation and resistance are much more possible when large numbers of people decide to do them on the same day and, if possible, in the same place. You can act in solidarity with others and know that you are not alone.
How Will it Work
We are organizing to shut down the city this means jamming up streets and other modes of transportation to prevent people from getting in and out of the city. We want to close business within the city as well. This means targeting specific locations and buildings, some of which the scenario working group will specify, others will be decided upon by affinity groups themselves. Other ideas include reclaiming housing, public and private space, food, and other necessities and desires. Overall creating a joyous and festive atmosphere.
We plan to have organized actions open to all who wish to participate in shutting down parts of the city. Some ideas are street parties, critical mass bike rides, rallies, blockades, marches and more. These actions and their locations will be made public before September 27. These actions alone will not shut down the city. We will need groups of people to carry out autonomous actions at other strategic locations throughout the city at the same time.
We will be asking groups and individuals to take responsibility for organizing an action at these other strategic locations, but it will be up to each group to plan the type of action they will do to help shut down and reclaim the city. We encourage groups to pick certain themes for their actions which convey a political message. For example, Palestinian rights activists might choose to set up Israeli military checkpoints where only Israelis are allowed to pass. We will inform groups of the target areas before the convergence and at the meetings occurring in the days before the actions.
There are many ways to accomplish our goals. Successful direct actions don't necessarily have to be illegal actions. We encourage all groups and individuals to be creative and organize on whatever level they are comfortable with and that best expresses their love and rage.
Communication
A consistent flow of communication will be important in order for this action to be successful. Contact us and let us know you want to be involved, how many people will be with you and what sort of actions you are interested in. This will give us an idea of what we can expect from different groups and what to ask of others.
Forming Affinity Groups
We are encouraging people to organize into affinity groups for this action. Affinity groups are groups of people who work together to carry out specific plans or goals during an action. They are usually people with similar strategic objectives and politics as well as close friends who trust each other, communicate effectively, and generally work well together on what they are trying to accomplish.
On Risk Levels and Participation
At past actions organizers have called for zones to represent the risk levels of actions that were encouraged in different parts of the city. Some parts of the city were marked green for permitted actions, some parts yellow for civil disobedience and some red for high risk arrest areas. This kind of coding was strategic when called for and applied to a specific action. Because of the nature of the police we can not say with any certainty that there will be an area where people will be safe from arrest or police brutality. Since different actions may be more or less susceptible to repression, plan to organize something you're comfortable with. We will make an effort to have an area where no actions are planned so that people have a place to take a break and relax. If we do decide on a zoning or coded system for this action we will announce it, but for now don't assume that past organizing methods necessarily apply to The People's Strike.
Action Planning Meetings
The ACC is planning a consultation meeting on the People's Strike on August 31 from 3 - 7pm at a location to be announced in DC. We encourage spokespeople from affinity groups and organizations as well as any interested individuals who want to be involved in the People's Strike to take part in this meeting, get an update on how organizing is coming along in DC, and consult and discuss direct action plans. We may be organizing other events such as skillshares, trainings, and tours during this weekend so stay tuned.
On September 25 and 26 during the "convergence" before the People's Strike there will be a series of meetings to help shape and finalize the plans for Direct Action on September 27. We encourage representatives from various groups and individuals to come to these meetings to help plan and prepare the direct action effectively.
General Meetings
In DC, we hold general meetings roughly every two weeks, all who are interested are welcome to come to plug in and get involved with the organizing.
Tips for out of town activists who are planning to come to DC for the People's Strike
If you can bring a bike - this will make moving around the city quicker and easier especially on the 27th when the city is shut down and traffic and other modes of transportation will grind to a halt. City officials also tend to close down metro stops and other public transportation during large protests
(Don't) Dress the Part - Consider the option of dressing in a way so that it is not obvious that you are a protestor. Choose your appearance carefully and think about how it will affect your ability to act, stay safe and complete your objectives.
updated August 2002
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