Northeast Anarchist Consulta, Feb 24-25

north america / mexico | anarchist movement | anarchist communist event Saturday January 27, 2007 07:30 by consulta planning committee - consulta planning committee neanarchistconsulta at riseup dot net

Calling all Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians!

From the consulta planning committee
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Calling all Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians!
Come together in Boston, February 24-25, for the Northeast Anarchist Consulta to strategize, organize, and prepare for a massive Week of Resistance this May in defense of migrant workers' rights and in opposition to the Biotech Convention [coming to Boston 6-9 May].

From the consulta planning committee
-----------------------------------------------
Calling all Anarchists and Anti-Authoritarians!

Come together in Boston, February 24-25, for the Northeast Anarchist Consulta to strategize, organize, and prepare for a massive Week of Resistance this May in defense of migrant workers' rights and in opposition to the Biotech Convention [coming to Boston 6-9 May].

As Anarchists, we have no choice but to be aware of the ever worsening conditions that face us, politically and environmentally. While the struggles of our working poor go largely ignored, our country is waging a long, illegal war for profit that's easily killed 700,000+ Iraqi civilians, including an average of 200 children a day. Global climate change is not only ruining our winter, it's tearing apart ice shelves at the poles and drowning the indigenous people of the Carteret Islands. While mainstream environmental organizations blame the impoverished people of colour in Global South countries for widespread ecological ruin, we place the blame on the corporations who have raped their resources and made their lives unsustainable, if not unliveable. While 40,000 children
are dying every day of malnutrition and 5,000 children a day lose their lives to diarrhea, there's no end to heartless, racist greed and destruction in sight. It's more important now than ever before that Anarchists unite together and fight back against the system that is rapidly depredating every aspect of life.

We all have our individual priorities, be it an abolition of militarism, racism, misogyny, exploitation of workers, environmental disregard, religion, capitalism, the state, corporate greed, heteronormativity, the prison-industrial complex, maltreatment of animals, and so forth. But in order to effect change, it is essential that we recognize that these struggles are the same struggle against the same paradigms of oppressive institutionalized hierarchy. We must realize that while our views and methods may differ, we, Anarchists, must work with one another to effect change. This is your opportunity.

1. May Day 2006 saw migrant workers across the country striking and taking to the streets, displaying the power that they, as workers, have over our economy and our way of life. Migrant worker activists have called for another such demonstration for May 2007, as the conditions that spawned the last one have not ended or abated. Immigrants are still being mistreated, exploited, deported, legislated and generally discriminated
against. Like the Anarchists of Chicago on the first May Day in 1886, the Anarchists of the Northeast will take action in solidarity with the migrant workers in our communities and with working people everywhere. Solidarity without borders.


2. Biotechnology, along with the agrochemical industry it serves, has made our air unfit to breathe, has dangerously modified our food, rendering it unfit to eat, and dumped endless tons of toxins into our water, rendering it unfit to drink. Bioweapons live in our neighborhoods. There are chemicals being found in our bodies that didn't even exist a few short decades ago. According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 3 women will develop cancer along with 1 in 2 men. Fancy corporate charities talk about 'Finding the Cure!' to disguise the fact that they are the cause of
this plague. Prestigious universities in Boston want to experiment with Ebola and anthrax in Roxbury. In Lower Allston, they favour cloning and vivisection at the expense of low-income families' homes. As if biotechnology hasn't damaged our bodies, our lives and our communities enough, the Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual convention will descend upon Boston this May 6-9. So will we, the Anarchists of the Northeast.

The first weeks of May will be full of popular mobilizations, proclaiming "No one is illegal: For a world without borders" and "No compromise in defense of our earth." As anarchists, we will not only participate in each of these movements, but we will build bridges between them, make the connections, and make our resistance relevant to our neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities. We will come together for a Black, Red, and
Green Convergence in Boston this May. We will coordinate our efforts across the Northeast, and we will make this spring one to remember!

Come to 33 Harrison Ave in Chinatown, Boston, February 24th and 25th, 2007, to build a united strategy, a network of cooperation, and a plan of action for our Spring of Resistance, 2007. Also, please RSVP so we know who is coming. Contact us at neanarchistconsulta@riseup.net, or visit our website (coming soon) springofresistance.org

What to do before coming to the Northeast Anarchist Consulta?
- Meet with your collective/union/organization/affinity group etc, or start one up.
- Meet with other groups in your area.
- Identify places and organizations in your town/city/region/community where these issues are relevant.
- Identify corporations and other targets that are repressing immigrants and working people, and/or those that are destroying our communities, animals, and the environment. Brainstorm ways to bring these issues together.
- Discuss ideas, goals, strategies, and action plans.
- Then, send a delegate, representative, or your whole group to the consulta. Fellow anarchists, it's time to get organized!

In resistance,
Allston/Brighton Collective for Popular Assemblies
BAAM Boston
Boston Anarchist Black Cross
Boston Animal Defense League
Boston GMB of the Industrial Workers Of the World
Cape Cod Resistance Collective
The Emerson Anti-Authoritarians
The New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists
The P-Block Collective

Info on May Day:
-Immigrant Solidarity Network: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/

-Call to Action for May Day 2007: http://www.mayday2007.org

Info on Biotech:
- Biodemocracy Alliance: http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge-free.cfm#mlaws

- Say No to GMO's: http://www.saynotogmos.org/biodemocracy_news.htm



Proposed schedule and agenda (suggestions and coments welcome):

-February 23rd: (Friday) social event at night

Day 1 (Saturday, February 24th)

10:00: Open the space, set up, socialize

10:15: Opening speakers. (5 in total, 5-10 mins each)

*Someone on biotech
*Someone talking about history of local resistance to biotech and social implications
*Someone on the history of May Day
*Someone to talk about recent Migrant Workers Rights movement and May Day
*Someone to go over security culture

11:00: Ice breakers: learn names, organizations, and goals through icebreaker games and do two go-arounds to talk about specific connections and goals we want to achieve.

12:30: Discussion: overview of what pre-made plans people are already working on. We will ask people to sign up for speaking time in our calls (asking them to contact us beforehand by email) or to sign up in the morning at the consulta .

1:30: Work out scheduling conflicts, bring up conflicts in timing

2:00: Lunch (Food Not Bombs + Potluck) socializing

3:00: Brainstorming what we would like to see happen, both large-scale and specific. Identify targets.

4:00: Decide on what working groups need to be formed, then form them and have brief working group discussions.

5:00: Go around the room twice to ask how the day went and what should go differently the next day. Leave an opportunity for relevant announcements.

Night time: social event with entertainment.



Day 2 (Sunday, February 25th)

10:00: Breakfast over an inspirational revolutionary film montage projected in the background. *Hand out our proposals for a Northeast Anarchist network*

10:30: Check in for people to vent/talk about hopes for the day

11:00: Break into working groups: identify priorities and needs, lay out basic goals, coordinate same-day actions in people's own regions, maximize effectiveness.

12:00: Large group: report back, discuss, work out scheduling conflicts, bring up needs

2:00: Lunch

3:00: Read and discuss proposal for the Northeast network (Andrew will write the first draft)

6:00: Possible action: clean-up trash in Chinatown