Direct Action workshops by the Pittsburgh Organizing Group.

Sponsored by the Kent State Anti-War Committee.

330 998 5432

kentantiwar@gmail.com

All events are in Rm. 318 of the Kent State Student Center
Saturday, August 9th

Direction can be found here
http://kentstate.kent.edu/directions/kent/travel.asp

11am-1pm: Mass Action 101 Workshop
"This workshop geared towards activists preparing to participate in a
mass action.
We’ll talk about several different types of action frameworks you might
run into and introduce common organizational structures that you’re
likely to see including affinity groups, clusters, and blocs.
Additionally we’ll offer suggestions for mental preparation and a
rundown of basic legal and health and safety questions."

1-2pm: Potluck

2-3/4pm: Lockboxes and Lockdown Devices
"This training, by POG's tactical training initiative, is an
introduction to the use of 'lockboxes' and other lockdown devices in
protest situations. For decades, activists have been using handcuffs,
chains, pvc piping, steel tubing, and all sorts of other devices to help
secure space in a protest situation. First made popular to North
American activists during the anti-nuclear movement, these tactics were
further developed and defined during forest defense campaigns in the
Pacific Northwest through the 80's and 90's. By the late 1990's
sophisticated lockdown devices made it out of the woods and back into
the streets as global justice activists confronted trade summits and
corporate targets. Today, lockdowns remain an important and effective
tactic, employed by a myriad of social justice organizations around the
world.

This training will concentrate on the logistical and safety issues
involved in planning actions and supporting our friends who are locking
down, but will also provide participants with an opportunity to 'try
out' a few popular lockdown. Many of the skills we will explore are
applicable in all sorts of lockdown and other protest situations."

The Winter Soldier screening will be held in the Shelter House at Comfest on Saturday June 28, 2008, at 8:00PM. Speakers (tba) from IVAW will be present before and after the screening.

"Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan featured testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.

"This four-day event brought together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists gave context to the testimony. These panels covered everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support." (http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier)