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Jan 24-26th Regional Anti-War Convergence in PittsAnonymous Comrade writes "Come join the largest peace convergence in Pittsburgh in over 30 years! This event will have thousands taking part in a variety of ways and we need you to make it amazing. The events are organized around the need for direct action against the war and with respect for a diversity of tactics. The events are endorsed by a ton of groups. for complete info see www.organizepittsburgh.org/war.htm This should be the largest local peace mobilization in 30 years and we need your help to make it happen. The majority of convergence events are being organized by the Pittsburgh Organizing Group, The Thomas Merton Center, and the TMC's Anti-War Committee. Tactics: Since September the Pittsburgh Organizing Group, the Thomas Merton Center and organizations/affinity groups from throughout the region have been working on different elements of a regional convergence against war to take place January 24-26th, 2003 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This includes pog's organizing of a framework for large scale direct action against war as part of a larger mobilization that weekend. Groups are working together to put on a comprehensive weekend of actions and events. The events include: a large permitted rally, numerous teach-ins, forums, and other educational events, marches of all kinds, direct action, street threatre, 15+ hours of concerts, a vigil, a parade procession, radical cheering and signing, dancing, various bloc's, and many other to be determined activities. If you are opposed to the Government’s militaristic policies at home and abroad there is a place for you at these events. Not everyone will want to attend every event and that's ok. Each of us can take part as we see fit. Effectiveness is in diversity. We support a diversity of non-violent tactics from flyering, vigils, holding signs on the corner, pre-announced (to the police) symbolic arrests, and active blockades. We also welcome coordinated autonomous actions. There are MANY opinions within the peace movement on what an effective direct action entails and it's likely that Jan 24-26th will reflect a multitude of these. We encourage all groups and individuals opposed to the ongoing war to open the lines of communication so that we can come together and figure out ways to have our actions work in tandem. Housing: If you need, or can offer housing email us. There are a lot of people coming from outside Pittsburgh and we need to find places for them to sleep. We currently have 185 beds available. If you can put people up during the convergence please email us with the following info: where you live (this won't be made public until we match you up), How many, what arrangements (bed, floor), what days, your house policy on smoking, whether you have cats, and any other considerations. We will match requests with offers and email each party with the others contact info.
Convergence Spaces: (www.mapquest.com will show you an okay map) Community of Reconciliation 100 N. Bellefield Ave. This space will be open off and on from Friday through Sunday for storing stuff, holding workshops, meetings, trainings, and other activities. Bands: We are aiming for ~30 bands/performers. Playing: Face Death (raw punk from pittsburgh), The Channel, Krooked Grind, Piss Shit Fuck (North Carolina), Farewell Euclid, Control Group, Deadpan Dealings (Pittsburgh metal-punk from prison), Guardia Negra (Boston- internationalist, oi, but very rock n roll influenced), Czolgosz (Boston, classic anarcho-punk), Torn.Between.Words. (alt rock/punk), Emcee Lynx (California, poitical hip-hop), Stilyagi (Avant Punk), Forever Is Over, Samarra's Betrayal, We need more musical acts. We would like a diverse range of genres. Contact Toni at samiam789@hotmail.com with and for band info etc. Singing: By the Pittsburgh Raging Grannies and the Pittsburgh Radical Cheerleaders! Food: Pittsburgh Food Not Bombs will be serving free food throughout the convergence with the help of many volunteers (and donations of food). Spokescouncil: Sunday January 5th, 2:00pm-5:30pm This is a meeting to coordinate the direct action and civil disobedience framework and allow groups outside Pittsburgh to give input into events. If you plan on attending the January direct action events, but are outside Pittsburgh we encourage you to send a representative to the meeting. Press Conference: January 9th. This press conference will be to talk about the weekends events. We will primarily be addressing the plans for mass direct action. Media Coverage: Pittsburgh IMC will be reporting on the events (contact them at info@indypgh.org for info on the imc space, etc) and people from Blast Furnace Radio will be doing a live radio broadcast about the convergence events.
Pre-event Trainings: January 17th Mass Non-violent direct action training. By pog. 7pm-10pm. This is a general training on a range of topics. Including what to expect at a mass protest, basic medical, soft and hard blockades, etc Schedule of Events This is the framework of events happening during the weekend of the convergence. All events should be considered separate and do not imply endorsement of the other things happening.
Friday January 24th-
Saturday January 25th-
Sunday January 26th- Day of Action
Ride Info: Outreach: This is the one area where we need regular help from everyone. It's not enough to plan a large anti-war event: people need to know about it. We are asking people to distribute flyers wherever they can. Few of us have the time to set aside hours just to outreach, but most of us can pass out information during the course of a regular day. Many of us have found the following places effective for outreach: on the way to school, in coffee shops, on buses, at shows, and basically anywhere else people are or you can leave a flyer or two for people to find. One of the best parts of outreach is that it forces us to reach out beyond our normal social circles and typically starts conversations with people who might not otherwise be exposed to our perspective.
Art and Theatre: One of our goals with these events is to fuse more creativity into the protest nature of rallies, marches, and events. To do this we need to get all of our creative juices flowing and reach out to everyone with more in-depth artistic experience. We would like to especially invite the involvement of those of you who regard art-theatre as your driving passion. There is already a large group of students planning street theatre for the January events.
Pittsburgh- pog@mutualaid.org, pittsburgh_october@hotmail.com (412)682-4035 (pog), info@ThomasMertonCenter.org (412)361-3022 (TMC), Thomas Merton Center 5125 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224, We also have convergence contacts in the following cities. Email us and we will pass the message along: Latrobe, Chicago, Columbus, Lansing, Boston. We are talking to people in the following cities. We're working on contact info: Morgantown- NYC- DC- Buffalo- Cleveland- Columbus- Richmond- Akron.
Affinity Groups: What is an AG? For January's Direct Action-Civil Disobedience component of the convergence people are encouraged (it's by no means necessary) to form affinity groups to take part in the actions (for many reasons but primarily safety and effectiveness) If you do not have a affinity group you can form your own or join others who are putting specific groups together. contacts: Faith-based affinity group: Mimi Darragh mimidarragh@aol.com Money: If you can donate any money, it’s greatly appreciated. We are doing all we can to spend as little money as possible while raising funds through benefit events, however mobilizations of this kind are not cheap. POG’s resources were sorely stretched by all the bail money paid in D.C. for those wrongfully arrested during protests against the IMF and World Bank and none of us are particularly wealthy. You can donate money to either POG or the Thomas Merton Center and earmark it for the January convergence. Supplies: We could use donations of any of the following- Sheets, large Tarps, Duct tape, large dowel rods (for puppets and banners), swimming goggles, bandannas, poster board, general art supplies, paint, computer supplies, tools-hardware, large plastic rain barrels, garbage cans, and anything similar you can spare." |
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