Tag: rally

Overcoming the Wanna-Be King: Some Thoughts on Making It Happen

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It was a great rally. It was many great rallies. It was more than 7 million people out in the streets saying “No Kings!” It was also simply a tool in the process of organizing.

I started as a professional community organizer back in the late 1990’s working for an organization called SOCM in East Tennessee. I was just out of college and had the justified anger and the will to fight every day for social social justice and the big environmental wins. I was there to stop the multinational corporations that were clearcutting the foresting and stripmining the hills. I knew if we just fought hard enough, rallied enough, yelled loud enough, we would win. We had to win. There was no other option. We had to save the world.

Every month I had to take on the hardest struggle of my organizing work. I had to first write my work plan then, even more challenging, I had to sit down with my boss, Mo, and review and edit that work plan. Every single month Mo would ask me the same question multiple times as we went down my list of things to do. She kept asking me over and over– “How does this move the work forward?”

That question still echoes in my mind. “How does this move the work forward?” Rallies are great. They are important. Writing to your legislator, voting, writing letters to the editor, signing petitions, volunteering, and some many activites are wonderful things. But, we must remember that each is simply a tool. What is it that we are working to do? It’s not enough to simply point out that Trump is not good for the US or the world. We have to develop and work toward a different answer.

Are we working to save democracy? What does democracy really look like? What is the role of the grassroots in a healthy, functioning democracy? Once we start asking ourselves those questions and really coming up with our vision of what a healthy, functioning democracy based in the power of the grassroots might look like then we can speak to that question “How does this move the work forward” with each and every action that we take. Each thing that we do needs to move toward the goal.

We don’t rally for the sake of rallying. Rallies are a tool. Let’s use them in the best ways possible. Let’s ask ourselves “How does this move the work forward?” When we make our path and goal clear the seven million engages beyond the day of the rally and the movement multiplies. We can win. First step is knowing what winning is. Is our goal to save or rebuild democracy or is it simply to get Trump out of office? Second step is figure out what we need to meet that goal. Third step is to determine how we get those things that we need whether it be redistricing or strong presidential candidate or any of a hundred other things. Next we prepare to act while asking ourselves every step of the way, “How does this move the work forward?”

It is a long and hard journey. We know that. We also know that long journeys are often much easier once we pull out a map. It’s time to create our map of where we want to go.

What Happens on April 6th?

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The energies are building and it is fantastic. People will be gathering in small towns and large cities around the world on April 5th to protect democracy in the US. For someone who’s been working on social and environmental justice issues since the 90’s, it’s exciting to see.

It’s always great to see these times when the big rallies happen, drawing everyone from the babies in strollers to the elders with walkers. These gatherings are important for many reasons. They are a way to let those in political power know that we’re here and what we expect of them. They are also a tool to educate the public as well as to share ideas amongst our fellow activists. Perhaps most importantly, they are a space in which to make connections and build our community. Which brings me to that question of what happens on April 6th?

After this upcoming day of action we will be in a completely different world and yet nothing will have changed. Large scale protests can both empower and disappoint when we wake up the next day and find there is no immediate answer. If we look at history, we learn that while the marches and rallies were what we shown through the media, it was the months and years of work between those marches and rallies that made the huge changes.

I encourage us to be prepared for that feeling of empowerment and dismay after the rally and to talk with our fellow protestors about what will we do after the rallies to create the society that we believe in. Note that I’m not saying simply to stop our current administration, but to create the society that we believe in. How do we create community and connect with eachother?

Maybe for some of us it is continuing to write our legislators for others it may be running for office. Some will start community gardens or coordinate infoshops to create spaces for people to come together growing food and sharing resources. Maybe a few will develop training programs to teach people how to do community organizing or coordinate educational events to share the stories of the many great grassroots organizers and activists who’ve come before us so that we might learn from them. There is so much to be done. There is a role for everyone.

How do you figure out what your role is? I’ve been doing this work for a long time and I don’t always know, but there is a story that might help. Many Native tribes in the US speak of the seventh generation. My friend Walt, an Anishanaabe man from the Red Cliff reservation on the shores of Lake Superior, used to speak of it in this way. He’d tell people to imagine yourself looking down a long tunnel, at the end of that tunnel is a baby. That baby is the seventh generation. If you do what is right for that child seven generations from now, you’ll be doing what is right for today.

How are you continuing to be a part of the movement and growing community where you are?

Prepared and Peaceful–Some Ideas for a Safe and Nonviolent Movement

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There are hundreds of thousands of people across the US and allies around the world standing up to protect democracy. It is our time to work toward the vision of the Seventh Generation. It is our time not just to find against, but to work toward the world that we want for the children coming seven generations from now. Peaceful protest is one piece of that.

In 2011 in Wisconsin, the TAA (Teaching Assistants Association) led a group into the state capitol to protest Act 10, a bill that would significantly limit workers rights including the right to collectively bargain. At the time, organizers thought they were just leading another action like many others. It became much more than that. Within hours it became clear that the protest was growing and it was time to occupy the state capitol. The occupation continued for several weeks and included hundreds of thousands of people from the seasoned activists to the babies in strollers. It inspired other actions around the country and lit a fire to be engaged in democracy for many.

One thing that helped the capitol occupation in Wisconsin happen was a small team of people who created “Prepared and Peaceful”, a simple two page flyer that gave people the tools needed to participate in a non-violent action, and took that flyer around to people getting into conversations about nonviolence and providing mini trainings to thousands encouraging everyone to share what they learned.

I had the good fortune to be a part of that team and to still have the pdf for that flyer. As we prepare for actions around the country again, I’ve pulled out that flyer and updated it to help organizers and protest attendees everywhere. If you’d like to see the original content, it’s also available in my blog post Prepared and Peaceful– Bringing Back the Nonviolence Training from the Wisconsin Capitol . Electronic copies of the pdf of the flyer are available on request.

Prepared + Peaceful

Each of us is here because we’re committed to something important. How we express that commitment matters. Remember, the whole world is watching. For your safety, the safety of others, and the safety of the protest, we ask that you plan ahead, consider your options carefully, and get whatever support you need to remain calm and peaceful in the event that we are asked to leave. Nothing written here is intended as legal advice. We just want every person here to make informed choices about if, how, and when to leave.

NONVIOLENCE
Nonviolence is a philosophy, a lifestyle, and a strategy. Here we address it as a strategy to:
• Keep the public on our side
• Inform our interactions with counter-protestors
• Inform our interactions with police (many of whom support the goals of this protest)

Strategies that support our ability to practice nonviolence include:
• Connecting with others
• Planning ahead, visualizing nonviolent responses, role-playing
• Staying sober and free of alcohol/illegal drugs
• Song, prayer, meditation, compassion—remaining centered, calm, and focused on purpose

CONNECTING WITH OTHERS
Affinity groups are a long-standing way of organizing nonviolent protest. Consider forming a small group of people you already know or meet here to:
• Watch out for each other
• Know each other’s contact information
• Help each other stay healthy and safe (food, sleep, medications, mood, etc.)
• Have a designated meeting place if you get separated
• Decide together what actions you’ll take
• Support each other to leave if anyone can’t stay nonviolent
• Have a plan for what to do if you are at risk of arrest

BEING WELL
One of the biggest health concerns in a situation like this is burnout. Take time to take care of yourself. Use your affinity group to support you.
• Breathe consciously. Even a few deep breaths can make a real difference in your ability to think clearly. Make a habit of breathing consciously 10-15 minutes every day.
• Rub your feet! After a long day of being involved in protests, get the blood circulating, then elevate your feet so they’re less swollen in the morning.
• Be sure to take all medications as prescribed. See “Being Arrested” for how to prepare if your meds are critical to your moment-to-moment well-being and you plan to risk arrest.

PLANNING AHEAD
To avoid unintended consequences, consider in advance: “If the police ask us to leave, will I leave when asked, or will I refuse respectfully?” This is your individual choice. Opinions differ on whether or not it would be useful for the movement for people to be arrested. If you are told to leave, you have three choices: Leave peacefully, cooperative civil disobedience, or passive civil disobedience.

LEAVING PEACEFULLY
• Follow police instructions
• Do not interfere with arrests of others, even verbally
• Leave—walk, don’t run
• Meet up with your affinity group to confirm that everyone is away who intended to be away
• Provide planned support for anyone in your group who stayed

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government. It is a nonviolent resistance tactic that involves finding ways to achieve our goals without harming people.
• If you choose to stay, breathe, sing, center, pray, meditate, remain calm
• Recall the police are largely in support of the protest goals and want to keep the charges minimal

COOPERATIVE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
• Respectfully let the officer know you do not want to leave but will cooperate physically
• Stand & hold your hands together in front of you
• Do not react/resist/pull away in any way to avoid escalated charges
• You may be given a citation on the spot and released, or transported to a processing center &
given a citation (this would typically include a fine and court date)

PASSIVE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
• Respectfully refuse to leave
• Sit down or go limp
• This will likely result in arrest, and if done completely nonviolently should be a misdemeanor
• Do not react/resist/pull away in any way to avoid escalated charges
• See “being arrested” below

BEING ARRESTED
• Recognize that remaining limp while being physically removed can be extremely challenging, can be dangerous to you, and could possibly be considered resisting arrest, a greater charge.
• Don’t make sudden moves around the police or touch them—this could be construed as assaulting an officer, a greater charge.
• Consequences could be different for non-US citizens, students, minors, people with outstanding warrants or past criminal records. Get legal advice before deciding to risk arrest.
• The police may use zip ties to cuff your hands. Keep your hands, arms and shoulders as relaxed as possible. Use very gentle shoulder rotations to keep the blood moving. If your hands are behind your back and swelling, get them above your heart by going down on your knees and bending your head forward, so your hands rest on your back.
• You can ask where you are being taken, but if you aren’t told, don’t worry.
• Once in police custody, cooperate fully as you are transported, fingerprinted and photographed.
If you resist, you will be jailed.
• Don’t lie to the police. Give them your real name and contact information. Not to do so is a crime.
• Provide information about medical conditions or medications. If it is important that you continue medications while in custody, be sure to bring several days’ supply with you in the original prescription bottle. Also have with you a doctor’s note specifying the importance of those meds to your health. Without this, your treatment will likely be delayed—perhaps significantly.
• Don’t answer other questions. Say, “I want a lawyer. I will be silent until I get a lawyer.”
•The ACLU and lawyers hired by the unions will be tracking who is arrested and will do their best to make sure everyone gets legal support, as long as they are simply in trouble for nonviolent civil disobedience. Our understanding is that they will NOT give legal assistance to people who get charged with assault on an officer, drug charges, etc. (*note* the information in this point is from 2011. I encourage local organizers to work with unions, the ACLU, and other resources to be prepared to provide legal support)
• Legal support is being coordinated through the number below. During the day, a person will answer. At night, a recorded message will provide the numbers for people on call that night. (insert phone number here)
• Write this number(insert legal support number here) on your body. If arrested, you will not have your cell phone or notebook.

prepared + peaceful
training for being in and around the Capitol
updated March 27,2025