March 23, 2003 Planning meeting for Direct Action NYC

Tonight I attended a planning meeting for direct action in NYC at Washington Square United Methodist Church. Over 33 groups were represented and over 150 showed up (I counted everyone but lost count after 152). The group was consensus based and made no decisions without every person in the room agreeing to it. United For Peace was there, Not in our Name was there, Act Now ws there, No blood For Oil, The Green Party was there, automous more anarchist oriented groups were there, and church groups.

The consensus was that Thursday, March 27th will be "NO BUSINESS AS USUAL" and will be a day that will rival San Fransicso in the scope of civil disobedience and direct action. The main mass action will be at 8:00 am at the Rockefeller Center and will be a die in. People will lay down in symbol of the dead in Iraq. Rockefeller Ctr. was chosen because GE is there who makes much of the military equipment, and several news organiztions are there, and this is the center of many other busniesses like th eNY Post, Lockheed Martin, and many other corporations that stnad to benefit and support this war in many ways. That general area will be targeted heavily with massive civil disobedience. But the main call is for Rockefeller Ctr. at 8am in the morning. To go there and there will be a cue to lay down. This will be an act of civil disobedience and will be an arrestable offense, a misdemeanor. Most people will be issued a citation and released. The massive numbers of people that will likely turn out will preclude the police from detaining anyone for long (exacly what has happened in San Fran.)

This action is meant to be the mass action, and there will be break off groups throughout the city doing civil disobedience in many ways (all them at this group were committed to nonviolence). They are also calling for strikes or taking the day off work to have no business as usual. The goal is to literally shut this city down and not allow people to go on with normal routines as we drop bombs on others (bombs are dropping while your shopping...we are going to prevent the shopping).

That is basically the what came of the meeting by consensus, and it is supported by all the major organizing groups in this city. And will be advertised starting tonite on email lists and fliers. Plese distribute this information to everyone you know...We only have three days to organize this massive effort...but it can and will be done.

Hope this information was helpful and I am sure it will delight you as much as it did me while we were planning it.

"The consensus was that Thursday, March 27th will be "NO BUSINESS AS USUAL" and will be a day that will rival San Fransicso in the scope of civil disobedience and direct action"

Please protests are not about trying to out do each other, that's great that you have a mass action planned but maintain focus.