Feb 2-4: Gathering for "Barricade the War Machine" Actions

From Feb 2-4 Pittsburgh anti-war activists will host a weekend-long gathering to provide information and a forum for dialogue about direct action protests taking place in Pittsburgh on March 2. It is also intended to include social time for movement building and creating personal and organizational relationships.

The March 2 Action: Barricade the War Machine

Friday, March 2 will be a day of civil disobedience and direct action against the war machine in Pittsburgh. The main action will be an attempt to barricade the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), a branch of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) that develops robotic vehicles and weapons delivery systems for the U.S. Army and Marines. The full call to action can be read at www.organizepittsburgh.org/m2

RSVP for the weekend gathering by emailing pog@mutualaid.org

The gathering will take place at the Thomas Merton Center, 5125 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA, 15224

Below is the schedule for the weekend. If there is anything else you're hoping to have covered, please let us know!

Schedule:

Friday, February 2

7:00pm- Dinner

8:00pm- Group Introductions

8:30pm- Teach-in on NREC

10:00pm- Socialize

Saturday, February 3

10:00am Scenario Overview

10:30am Tour Facility

12:00pm Lunch

1:00pm Logistical briefing- Discussion on Logistics

3:00pm Action Training/Art/Construction

7:00pm Dinner

Sunday, February 4

10:00am Lockdown Training

12:00pm Lunch

1:00pm Legal Briefing

Why we need you on March 2:

With another war anniversary fast approaching it is clear U.S. movements against war and militarism are in flux. A multi-faceted movement continues to push on a variety of fronts. There are vibrant campaigns to counter military recruitment in many towns and cities throughout the country, legislative campaigns to cut funding for the war, permitted and unpermitted marches, annual trips to mass marches in Washington, D.C., and New York City, holding breakaways, staging vigils and direct actions at military related institutions, etc. These are all signs of the vitality and potential of movements for peace and social justice. Without a doubt these and other actions and tactics are needed and must continue. It's just that at this time in history we think you may agree with us that actions that aren't happening nearly enough are those that are more tangible, more direct and more along the lines of confronting the war machine � not just sloganeering but something that speaks to a broader vision of what resistance can be.

We believe that we need to do more large scale actions that aren't purely symbolic, that ask participants to take a risk for something direct and achievable. Actions that empower participants. Actions in which participants actually participate. Where everyone isn�t reduced to a spectator. Actions where the messaging isn�t watered-down rhetoric that obscures the movement�s demands and intentions. Where we can be open that the problem is militarism, not this particular war. That empire and corporate capitalism are the disease and perpetual war and fear are its symptom. The streets belong to the people but they are not our only avenue for change. We must also address the real institutions and structures of power and war-making that far too often hide and go un-confronted within our own communities.

On March 2 Pittsburgh Organizing Group and other anti-war activists will try to barricade one example of the war machine in this country. Some of us may be arrested. The state will try to stop us. The barricade may succeed or it may not. We can't guarantee total success - only that we'll try. Throughout our five-year history, our group has strived to be honest about our intentions and to follow through on what we say we'll do. We continue to experiment with a wide diversity of tactics and approaches, seeking always to measure our effectiveness and revisit why we choose our tactics. We have always believed that movements are a process, a constant dialogue between theory and experience. March 2 is in keeping with this tradition. Simply put, we need YOU because we can't do this alone. We are taking a leap of faith that in putting our hearts and bodies into this others will join us, and in doing so, make this action a successful part of the movement together.

We hope to hear from you.

In love and solidarity.

Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG)

www.organizepittsburgh.org/m2

pog@mutualaid.org

POG c/o TMC

5125 Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15224