Protest planning

Last week I wrote about effective protest requiring a clear goal that was used to pick appropriate targets and appropriate ways of targeting them:

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2024/06/i-protest.html 

That is not the only level of preparation.

I have mentioned before (though not recently), how big of an impact Ralph Abernathy's biography, And the Walls Came Tumbling Down, had on me. 

One part of that was him describing their preparations as "militant". It is probably generational, but when I'd previously heard that word, it was always being applied to Malcolm X and Black Panthers, not the "good" non-violent protesters.

(Another key realization was how the "violence" seemed to mainly consist of not ruling out self-defense.)

For the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the groups they worked with, "militant" meant that they drilled. Because of the commitment to non-violence, they drilled in withstanding verbal abuse and intimidation and how to go limp when people were trying to drag you away and techniques like that.

(There is a scene in Rustin that gives an example of this, leading up to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.)

What may not always be realized is that while there was a true appreciation for non-violence (which is completely logical when your leaders are reverends), it was also a strategy. They knew there would be television coverage. They knew that a lot of the oppression from white people was justified by the ignorance and savagery and every other negative stereotype that had been around back from when it was used to justify slavery.

When well-dressed, well-spoken, dignified people maintained their commitment to both their rights and to non-violence in the face of thugs like Bull Connor and his forces, it made a lasting impression on people who were undoubtedly racist, but still not comfortable with that level of abuse, and not really aware that it even existed.

It worked. Legislation was passed. 

Then the forces of white supremacy kept doing everything they could to dismantle that progress, including corrupting Supreme Court justices, but that's getting into a broader issue; I want to stay focused on the planning today.

I am going to do that by referring to two different sources.

First is a tweet from April 29th, 2024 by Rachel Kahn:

https://x.com/reachrachelkahn/status/1785057223195963672

It has been on my mind, along with seeing others post about various student protesters not being prepared for the fallout of what they started.

I should add that of all of the protests against the genocide in Gaza, the student protesters probably have the best chance of being effective. If their efforts are to get their schools to divest from Israel or issue a statement, students are a source of income for the school, and ideally a source of donations later. That does give some leverage, though it can still be very hard to make an impact.

We have still seen diplomas being withheld, and we are seeing harsher levels of treatment along lines of race and class.

What I think is most helpful in Rachel's thread is the stark reality of it. You could very easily be arrested and mistreated. You could be injured or denied basic needs. You might not get back home for a while.

There is no reason to believe that you can waltz in and make heroic changes without sacrifice. If that kind of change were easy, a lot of the things I have referenced so far wouldn't have happened, then or now. It doesn't mean you can't succeed, and it doesn't mean that complete or partial failure won't have value, but count the cost.

Those are decisions that you make about your own safety, but there are also decisions to make in terms of who can be included.

I have seen lots of complaints recently about march routes being chosen that are not accessible, and with no support for masking (which of course multiple places are trying to criminalize now), reinforcing that there is not a welcome for the disabled and chronically ill.

(Also, I ATE'NT DEAD's comment on Rachel's thread about having your medication labeled helped remind me of it: https://x.com/disabledtrans/status/1785074566781366624)

It reminded me of a presentation at #AffectConf by Diana Murray on accessibility issues to think about. Her information is linked: 

http://dmurring.com/accessibleactivism/

If you are not immediately sold on why that kind of access is important, I hope to help with that next week. Even before that, remember that increased accessibility helps everyone.

Curb cuts might exist because of people in wheelchairs, but then they also help parents pushing strollers, people wheeling carts or luggage, those riding e-scooters or Segways, and lots of others.

Things done to discourage homeless people from public spaces make those spaces less welcoming for everyone.

That's not a coincidence. So one question to sit with is whether we can be effective instruments for good while being thoughtless and uncaring about the needs of others?

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