Direct Action

ATTN Working Groups: Please update your pages with mailing list and other contact info.

This is the homepage for the Direct Action Committee of Occupy Boston.

=Ongoing= We have open meetings every Monday-Friday evening at 4:00 pm in the Direct Action tent. Get involved!

We have marches generally planned for 2 pm every Saturday. Themes are to be planned at meetings leading up to the Saturday. For confirmation that a march is indeed occurring (particularly if it isn't on the calendar), feel free to email obda@occupyboston.org, or stop by the DA tent to ask.

On Thursday, November 17, there is a Jobs Not Cuts march involving a wide variety of community groups, and it is in solidarity with a National Day of Action across the Occupy movement. We will be meeting up at 4 pm in Dewey Square to head out on the march.

Donations: We could definitely use some donations of all black hooded sweatshirts, all black bandanas, and black EMT pants/cargo pants. Anyone with such things for donation should drop them off at the DA tent, and would be most appreciated.

Bank Transfer Day - on or before 5 November 2011

Statement of Diversity of Tactics
Tonight (7 October 2011), the Direct Action group (in charge of planning marches and other protest actions) presented the following “Statement of Diversity of Tactics” as a proposal to the General Assembly (GA). The following statement was passed to ensure the autonomy of working groups and the cohesion of the entire community.

Our solidarity will be based on respect for diversity of tactics and plans of other groups. As individuals and groups we are committed to treating each other as allies in the struggle. The actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation of time or space to protect the autonomy and safety of the movement.

We realize that our detractors will work to divide us by inflaming and magnifying our tactical, strategic, personal and political disagreements. Therefore, any debates or criticisms must stay inside the movement to avoid any public or media denunciations of fellow activists or events.

We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption and violence. We agree not to assist law enforcement actions against activists and others.

The above statement fully agrees with the Occupy Boston Internal Solidarity Statement, opposing all forms of oppression.

In Solidarity, The Undersigned

[...]

=Links=

Ideas for Group Action can be found at the [Street Theater] working group page.

A good pamphlet on [Security Culture] This should be read and principles adopted by anyone working with direct action of any kind. There is some information here specific to Canada, as this was put out by a Canadian activist group, but for the most part, the information is all pertinent.

Safety - Law Enforcement

Occupy Boston Globe - DA events

=Notes= DA Meeting #1 04/28/2012

Discussion Topic #1: What is the role of DA at Occupy Boston?

Group 1(couldn't read the notes, will update later):

(1) Not just planning marches A place facilitated by spokes for affinity groups to come together and share resources Affinity groups should be self-sufficient and trust each other Affinity groups are accountable 2)Affinity groups aren't necessarily friendships. Most form in working groups and draw in new people. 3)DA should be a team to deploy to show a presence 4) Couldn't read 5)Central meeting place to bring more inclusiveness and community 6)Accessibility 7)Affinity group training; technical how-to's

DON'T WANT 1) Exclusive- perceived as strategic body 3) Not violent in any way when associated with Occupy Boston(includes property destruction) 4) Affinity groups with authority to do whatever but not the DA working group --Give up; too difficult to read

Group 2:

-Occupy-wide solidarity marches -Generate creativity/sustain specific campaigns -2 sectors- 1 political/idealogical strain and 1 materially directing actions -Brainstorm like SAA but looser -Meeting place - each meeting has a theme -Feeding both camp and homeless population, cleaning parks -Coordination and solidarity -Educating the public; setting up spontaneous soapboxes -Roving info desks -Bigger focus on affinity groups -Fusing SAA and DA; DA with a plan in mind compared to SAA where people simply throwout ideas.

Group 3:

-DA should be a place for people to be able to come to in order to coordinate actions - taking into account arrestability, medical issues, any other actions going on at that time. -Different kinds of actions - other than marches. i.e farms, sustainable agriculture -Increased visibility, making ourselves more approachable; educational -What makes a good march? Unified - DA permeated throughout all of Occupy -Actions that will grow the movement -Education of nonviolent direct action trainings consistently -"We are all Direct Action" but with a group as a resource -Being strategic with actions -Strategy vs. Tactics - define it -Outreach to people who aren't educated yet in an approachable manner -More creativity -Move on from theoretical planning to actual planning -Shouldn't limit DA to just planning actions -Multiple levels of action planning - big to small -Trainings -Should be part of a broader role (strategy to break BoA) -Revitalize SAA(Strategic Action Assembly)

Group 4:

-What is DA? Inner circle exists Fear and trust issues Marches and GA's are direct actions Not all direct action requires heavy security culture practices Direct action deals with power? Is a march DA? DA has included actions that are appeals to legislature Consciousness raising is DA? Why not just "action"?

-DA could have some role in relation to actions as facilitator to decision making So far aggregation of affinity group to a movement-wide scale

-Can DA empower others to do their own actions? Working group model can still coordinate things among affinity groups

-What kind of central DA space can we have?

-What is the connection between affinity group model and direct action/working group model?

-Seems like whether you are or are not in an affinity group affects whether or not you are using a direct action working group?

-How do we organize people into affinity groups? What prevents us now from forming affinity groups? "cultural inertia"

Group 5:

-Large inclusive subgroups -Skills forum -Summary/critique at end of the day

Discussion Topic #2: How to approach oppression & oppressive behavior?

-Anti-oppression is anti-authoritarian -In marches, we have oppressive language & behaviors, so before marches we should have meetings to address this and debrief later about what was good or bad -Support & help people when we discuss oppression through politics in an anti-oppressive movement -Some statements on signs, for example, are unintentional but oppress certain people -Not all about actions and behaviors, attitudes, but also cultural norms -Don't attack the people, rather the concept(not about individuals; systems and cultural norms) -Avoid mistakes in past -We live in an oppressive society that we inadvertently carry into this movement -Transparency & discussion -DA is more effective when people are empowered -Get feeling of inclusiveness w/ everyone -Speak up! -DA should be group that stands in solidarity w/ actions -DA should be at forefront and educating new people on tactics -Reign in the loose ends -All forms of oppression should be attacked through mediation and we should try hard not to offend -Ally training, diversity, keeping people in check -Safe and diverse spaces -Having a meeting just for oppressed groups(e.g. white folk or males step back for a meeting) -Practice anti-oppression actively -Past is the past -Decentralized, empowered, everyone is involved! -Community understanding of what is okay and what isn't

=Contact= obda @ occupyboston. org

--- Based on: Direct Action at wikispaces

@OccupyBosDA