Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience (Working Group)

Statement of Purpose

The Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience Working Group supports the spirit of nonviolence that underlies Occupy Boston through personal, strategic and collective approaches to nonviolence. The Working Group is a resource and part of the network for practices, discussions, trainings on what it means to be nonviolent, modes of civil disobedience, creating community and how philosophies of nonviolence in the tradition of Barbara Deming, Martin Luther King and Gandhi can be practiced by Occupy Boston.

Philosophy and Approach

Based on Martin Luther King Jr.'s 6 principles of nonviolence:

First, nonviolence is resistance to evil and oppression. It is a human way to fight.

Second, it does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his/her friendship and understanding.

Third, the nonviolent method is an attack on the forces of evil rather than against persons doing evil. It seeks to defeat the evil and not the persons doing the evil and injustice.

Fourth, it is the willingness to accept suffering without retaliation.

Fifth, a nonviolent resister avoids both external physical and internal spiritual violence -- not only refuses to shoot, but also to hate, an opponent. The ethic of real love is at the center of nonviolence.

Sixth, the believer in nonviolence has a deep faith in the future and the forces in the universe are seen to be on the side of justice.

Workshops and Roundtable Discussions

All Workshops and Roundtable Discussions are open to the public and participation is welcome.

*Saturday, November 12, 2011: Roundtable Discussion: What is Violence? / What is Nonviolence?, 3 - 4:30 PM.

We'll meet at Gandhi statue, and move to the circle at the Federal Reserve building directly across the sign tent on Atlantic Avenue. In case of bad weather the meeting location is at the South Station mezzanine.

What is violence? What is non-violence? How should I react if someone is violent toward me? How can I prepare myself to react that way in the heat of the moment? Is violence ever justified? These are complex questions with no magic answers, and even people who have many values in common may wrestle with these questions differently. This roundtable session seeks to open up respectful conversation around these questions, and everyone at Occupy Boston and the public are welcome and invited to participate. The session will be co-facilitated by members of the Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience Working Group.

This is the second in a series of discussions and information gathering sessions on attitudes toward violence and non-violence, what it means to be nonviolent, and the modes of violence that manifest themselves at Occupy Boston and the global Occupy movement. The principles of Nonviolence will be discussed and highlighted by short illustrative exercises.

*Wednesday, November 9, 2011: Workshop: The Practice of Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience, 6 - 8:30 PM.

Meet at Gandhi statue, workshop held at Dewey Square plaza. In case of bad weather the meeting location is at the South Station mezzanine.

This workshop is both philosophical and practical and attempts to equip us with the skills necessary to engage in courageous acts of non-violent civil disobedience. The philosophical perspective explores why we engage in CD and use a non-violent approach. The practical perspective explains how to engage in CD non-violently. Gandhi talked about a truth force. He believed to act and think non-violently is not something we do only during an action, but in every step of every day.

We will discuss briefly a history of non-violence and CD. We will talk about what is violence, why non-violence, and why civil disobedience. How to respond non-violently to violence, how to practice non-violence, listening skills, and de-escalation of violent situations will also be addressed. We will learn skills to stay calm in stressful situations. I have some legal experience with these situations, but that is not the focus of this workshop.

Rick Colbath-Hess, LICSW, has been a labor and human rights activist for many years, working on many grass roots campaigns in the labor, Palestinian rights and human rights movements. He is an adjunct faculty member teaching courses in leadership, grass roots politics, and community organizing at the College of Public and Community Service at UMass Boston. He has received many awards for his work, including a Peace and Justice Award from the City of Cambridge.

*Monday, November 7, 2011: Roundtable Discussion: What is Violence? / What is Nonviolence?, 6 - 7:30 PM.

*October 29, 2011: FSU Workshop: The Practice of Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience, 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM.

*October 22, 2011: FSU Workshop: The Practice of Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience, 2:00 - 4:30 PM.

*October 19, 2011: The Practice of Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience, 1:00 - 3:30 PM.

Working Group

All Working Group meetings are open to the public and participation is welcome.

*Wednesday, November 16, 2011: Working Group meeting, 1PM.

Meet at Gandhi statue at Dewey Square plaza, in case of bad weather the meeting location is in the South Station mezzanine.

We discuss workshop and round table agendas, proposals, tactics, logistics, and the philosophy of nonviolence.

*Wednesday, November 23, 2011: Working Group meeting, 1PM.

Meet at Gandhi statue at Dewey Square plaza, in case of bad weather the meeting location is in the South Station mezzanine.

We discuss workshop and round table agendas, proposals, tactics, logistics, and the philosophy of nonviolence.

*Wednesday, November 9, 2011: Working Group meeting, 1PM.

*Wednesday, November 2, 2011: Working Group meeting, 1PM.

*Saturday, October 29, 2011: Working Group meeting, 12:30 - 2:30 PM.

*October 26, 2011: First Working Group meeting, at South Station mezzanine, 1 PM.

Proposals

"We have learned from movements over the past 100 years that keeping a nonviolent discipline is the most effective means to build powerful and successful movements. This is crucial in attracting allies among the rest of the 99%. We commit ourselves as Occupy Boston to maintain nonviolence in word and deed. We will resist nonviolently any attempt at violence by anyone."

- adapted from the statement of Occupy Oakland/San Francisco

Contact

OccupyBostonNonviolence@gmail.com